Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Children’s Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families.

Recommendation for the formation of a (PLV) Pan-London Vehicle for Commissioning which will bring local authorities together in a new jointly owned legal vehicle to plan and commission provision for London children.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families introduced the report which made a recommendation for the formation of a (PLV) Pan-London Vehicle for Commissioning which would bring local authorities together in a new jointly owned legal vehicle to plan and commission provision for London children.

The Cabinet Member highlighted the national and London wide shortage of Children’s Home provision for children and young people with very high complex needs with local authorities currently facing weekly costs, per individual, ranging from £10k to £50k. London Councils had been working for several years to develop these proposals for this complex cohort which would be provided in London and would help children and young people stay local to their families.

This provision would be jointly owned by London authorities and they would share the risks and benefits.

The Cabinet Member added that the DFE were providing the £50m for establishing this provision and £3m for compiling the final business case.

London boroughs would each contribute £20k per year for the first 5 years but the benefit of this provision to children and families would far exceed the investments.

In response to questions from Cllr Hakata and Cllr Connor, the following information was provided.

-       With regards to the confidence in the proposed governance arrangements: the Cabinet Member referred to appendix 1, which contained the legal structure and the membership of the vehicle. The Cabinet Member further highlighted that this vehicle would be a company limited by guarantee, which safeguarded against the potential for insolvency. It was noted that these arrangements could further enable other provision, aimed at supporting small cohorts of particular complex vulnerable, children, and young people, to be added to this model and, overall, this public sector model was helping meet a London wide local authority need.

-       That over 20 local authorities across London were currently taking a similar report through their Cabinets. The final number of local authorities opting into this agreement would be fully known at the end of the financial year. Once the sign up was complete, this would inform who was on the governing board.

-       The Director for Children’s Services advised that the calculated number of 20 places that would be provided at this future provision was reasonable.

Cllr Connor would be provided with a written response on weekly unit costs for secure placements.

RESOLVED

1. To agree that Haringey Council becomes a member of a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, provisionally to be known as the Pan London Vehicle, to develop and then oversee the running of London’s secure children’s home provision for a five-year period from 1^st April 2023 to 31^st March 2028, with a breakpoint after three years.

2. To note that by the three-year breakpoint period, the refreshed business case will have been developed as well as the service pricing structure, commissioning approach, operating model, practice model and the SCH’s location will have been confirmed.

3. To note that once the PLV has launched, membership of the PLV will be at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11