West London Alliance

West London Programme Summary as at April 2014

Children’s Services Improvement and Efficiency Programme

Participating councils: Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Tri-boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster

Introduction

This programme, now in its third year, focuses on special educational needs, residential care and independent foster placements. A different approach is used for each programme area to reflect the differing characteristics of each market. Acting together, West London councils are the largest purchaser of social care in the country. This enables the West London councils to use their joint purchasing power to shape the market and achieve excellent quality at the lowest cost. The councils work with the market to invest in the best quality care in the right locations. Strong governance, robust programme management and the active engagement of participating councils underpins the programme’s success and around £1.5m of efficiency savings were delivered in 2012/13 for an annual investment of £330k.

Aims and Objectives

The aims for 2014 are to:

  • Implement the procurement projects to manage care fees and deliverMTFS savings;
  • Build the evidence base for the creation of a sub-regional commissioning strategy to be launched in 2014;
  • Develop a provider market for the programme so that it can respond to the needs gap identified within the commissioning strategy;
  • Develop and implement the CarePlace System;
  • Develop solutions to the new policy challenges; and
  • Understand and manage the further educationmarket

Challenges

Key challenges or strategic drivers for this programme fall into three categories: policy, economic and social and include:

  • government funding falling below the level needed to meet increasing demand for services;
  • increasing competition from “new” providers e.g. free schools;
  • organisational and funding changes;
  • legislative changes proposed by the Children and Families Bill;
  • the recession, banking and housing crises;
  • the rising school age population; and
  • changes in the pattern of need with greater growth in the demand for higher cost services

Benefits

This programme aims to deliver the following benefits:

  • Councils working with the market to invest in the best quality care in the right locations;
  • Improved benchmarking and understanding of costs;
  • Cost control;
  • Improved information for planning purposes;
  • Improved understanding of needs being met in the independent sector;
  • Creation of the tools to maintain costs in the longer term; and
  • Improved market management and provider relationships

Contact: Tim McCormick, WLA Senior Programme Manager at