Children & Young People S Overview & Scrutiny Committee

BOROUGH OF POOLE

CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE’S OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

15NOVEMBER 2011

SUPPORTED ACCOMODATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

PART OF THE PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN YES

STATUS (Strategic, Service Delivery Information)

1. PURPOSE

1.1To update and inform Members of progress andthe next stage of the Commissioning of Young People’s Accommodation Services for Young People aged 16 to 19 years.

1. DECISION(S) REQUIRED

2.1Members are asked to note the Progress being made to Commission Revised Services for Young People within the available Budget and thecontinued joint work between Children and Young People’sServices and Housing and Community Services.

1. BACKGROUND/INFORMATION

3.1Vulnerable young people who are not living at home are usually unable to manage independently in accommodation without the provision of additional support. This Report informs Members of the Commissioning Strategy and the challenges facing the Local Authority.

3.2.Statutory Duties and Housing Need

The Council has a number of statutory duties in relation to the accommodation of young people, which are discharged through Housing (under part 7 of the Housing Act 1996), Social Care (under section 20 of the Children Act 1989) and other Services. Certain categories of homeless young people who are vulnerable may be entitled to accommodation and support and these are;

• Vulnerable Young Parents
• Care Leavers
• Children and young people in need
• Asylum Seekers
• Young people who are vulnerable because of mental health problems, domestic violence and drug and alcohol misuse.
• Young people who offend.

3.3.In May 2009 the Law Lords made a ruling (The ‘Southwark Judgement’), which has implications for the assessment of vulnerability of young people and the provision of accommodation to 16 and 17 year olds. This places a duty on Social Care and Housing Services, to jointly assess young people and to ensure that any young person ‘in need’ is provided with accommodation under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989.

3.4Housing needs for young people come in many guises and can involve rough sleeping and rooflessness, ‘sofa surfing’ where a young person has no fixed home spending different nights with different friends and family, parental eviction and family breakdown and care leavers, as well as more conventional applications for housing from young people wanting and needing to be re-homed as part of a planned move to independence.

3.5The Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee retain the responsibility for scrutiny and review ofthe general Housing Policy including homelessness and housing need, the supply of homes and take a keen interest in the delivery of all Housing and Housing Related Services for residents.

4.THE SUPPORTING PEOPLE PROGRAMME

4.1. Accommodation support (as apposed to rent and accommodation costs) for young people aged 16 to 21 years has been provided in the past through the Supporting People Grant funded Programme. This Programme ended 1st April 2011 and it was agreed that the different ‘sector’ areas be led by relevant Governance Arrangements, rather than by a central supporting people commissioning body. The Young People Sector Commissioning is now under Children’s Services (and therefore Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.) These changes were reported to Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee in June 2011.

Since these Changes, Children and Young People’s Services and Housing and Community Services have been working closely together to deliver a new Commissioning Strategy and to deliver services to meet needs.

4.2.The Supporting People Programme was also subject to a funding taper and while the Council has continued to fund this area of Service the effect on the young people sector was to require an 18% reduction in the overall funding.

This has equated to an overall budget of £380,000 for 2011/12. This Funding is no longer ring fenced within Council Budgets.

The Services commissioned in 2010/11 prior to this reduction were;

4.3.The Commissioning Strategy for supporting people young people sector aims to;

• Increase the number of beds available for young people with complex support needs (otherwise these young people can have to be placed as Children in Care in high cost residential care placements)
• Manage within the reduced funding available. (funding agreed by Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2011)
• Manage the market to maximise the number of supported units available.
• Ensure there is a continuum of provision through low/medium/high and complex support beds available.
• Improve the service to young parents.

5.PROGRESS MADE IN 2010/11

5.1.Tatnum Lodge was decommissioned, which provided supported accommodation to young parents. The Review identified that this Service did not meet the needs of this Service User Group.

5.2.During 2010 a negotiated tender process was carried out, led by the Supporting People Commissioning Team, for the Services currently provided by BCHA and Raglan. This Process was halted in February 2011, following legal and procurement advice on the risks for service continuity, which the process had revealed. As a result, a waiver to the requirement to tender was agreed and there is now a negotiated process with the two existing providers.

5.3. As part of the initial funding reductions the support available to young people at Amica house was decommissioned.

6.PROGRESS TO DATE IN 2011/12

6.1.Service for Young Parents

Two New Services have been put in place;

6.2.An Outreach Service for Young Parents

This service provides 10 hrs per week of targeted youth worker support to young parents. This is both before and after birth. The focus of the service is on improving outcomes for the parent and the child. The service works to re-establish supportive networks for the young parent, especially with their family as well as providing a range of support. It is anticipated that the availability of mediation with families will reduce the numbers of young parents requiring accommodation.

6.3.A Supported Living Service for Young Parents.

The existing social care supported living scheme has been expanded to meet the accommodation needs of the most vulnerable young parents who would meet social care thresholds.

6.4.Services for Vulnerable Young People.

The negotiated Process with the two existing Providers; Bournemouth Churches Housing Association and Raglan Housing has progressed well.

6.5.The most important aspect has been to reach agreement with Raglan for a remodelled Service at the Quay Foyer, to manage the reduction in funding overall and to release funding to increase the number of beds for complex young people provided by Bournemouth Churches Housing Association.

6.6.Over the next few months Raglan will make some structural changes to the Foyer to reduce the number of beds from 50 to 47,to increase the numbers of self contained accommodation and to vary the levels of support. The Structural and Service Changes will also address some of the issues caused by young people with different levels of need.

This Remodelling will take place before April 2012. A furthersmall reduction in bed numbers to create further self contained unitsis planned for 2012/13.

6.7The Quay Foyer is a main plank in the Council’s response to the Provision of Supported Housing for Young People. Ongoing productive work with the Foyer will enable the provision of better accommodation into the future to help meet the needs of young people

6.7.Bournemouth Churches Housing Association will be able to increase the numbers of beds for complex young people from 2 to 4 (with the potential to increase to 5) at Robert Gabriel House.

6.8. Amica House (4 beds) is no longer available to young people who require support.

7. FINANCIAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

7.1.The two main contracts with Bournemouth Churches Housing Association and Raglan Housing are subject to the Council’s Legal Contracting and Procurement Framework. Any changes to these arrangements will require compliance with legal and procurement processes. An important part of the current negotiations is to ensure value for money in maximising the Service delivered for the reduced funding available.

7.2. There are some transitional costs this year relating to the Quay Foyer and a contingency of £50,000 has been set aside for this.

7.3.The increase in the number of beds for young people with complex needs may reduce the rising cost of young people 16 and over who are placed as children in care.

7.4.The reduction in beds at the Quay Foyeris mitigated by the increase in the number of self contained units of accommodation and the creation of two emergency/short term units which can be used more easily and flexibly to help reduce the numbers of young people having to be placed in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation, while their longer term accommodation needs and entitlement are assessed.

8.EQUALITY IMPLICATIONS

8.1.These Services support some very vulnerable young people. The New Service Model is subject to an Equality Impact Assessment Screening, which can be carried out now agreement has been reached with the providers.

Strategic Director:

Anne Newton Director of Children’s Services

Report Author:

Nick Wharam

Strategic Planning and Commissioning Manager – Children & Young People’s Strategy, Quality & Improvement 01202 714765

Contact officers:

Nick Wharam – tel:

Cally Antill- tel633440

1