Agenda item

Officers introduced a report on the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for alternative provision, which was presented to Cabinet in December 2023 and was due to be launched in Hillingdon in April 2024. The DPS aimed to create an alternative provision directory, allowing officers from various local authority services to commission alternative provision for children with diverse needs. This could range from those who had been permanently excluded to those with special educational needs or disabilities.

Previous arrangements for commissioning alternative provision were quite individualised, where officers could make individual decisions on packages of support for children and young people. The DPS sought to streamline the process; enable greater quality assurance; ensure better safeguarding; and to hold providers more accountable for outcomes. Previously, there was not a particular service that had oversight of this. Now, there was a Vulnerable Learners Support Manager to do this and officers would be monitoring all outcomes. Officers had already launched a tracking system ready for the system’s launch in April.

Officers added that alternative provision was one of the key ambitions of the SEND Strategy, which had been presented to a previous Select Committee. As part of the governance framework there was an alternative provision group that would have strategic oversight of progress and development.

Members suggested, and the Chair agreed, adding an information item on alternative provision to the work programme, given numerous questions on the topic.

Members expressed concerns about negative comments received during the consultation and questioned if the new system would deliver better outcomes, especially regarding good academic attainment. Officers explained that officers will still have input as they would complete a referral form and be able to be more specific about their aims – thinking about alternative provision as an intervention as opposed to a destination. This profile would go out to one of four ‘lots’ of providers included in the DPS, providing options for children, ensuring better value for money. Providers would come back with an offer if they feel they can meet the needs of the child in the profile and then officers could make a decision on what was best for that young person based on the offers that had come in. Monitoring and tracking systems were in place to assess outcomes, and strategic oversight was ensured through the SEN strategy governance framework.

Members asked about the confidence officers had in having a diverse range of providers. Officers noted that they had already held two stakeholder events where providers were invited to come in. These were both very well attended and officers were confident that, just with the interest in those events alone, that there would be a good range of providers. These events included providers that Hillingdon was already working with as well as potential new providers. The tendering process opened on the previous Friday and providers were already showing interest.

Members asked about safeguarding where more than one provider was required. Officers noted that typically they would not expect a young person to need two providers at any one time. A young person would be on the role of one provider and if they needed supplementary support, the safeguarding responsibility would be with whoever was commissioning the provision. If a young person was remaining on the role of their school and they were commissioning the alternative provision then the school still remained the overall responsible party.

Officers further explained that providers on the DPS would be on there for seven years, the Council would enter into a service level agreement with them as part of the process.

RESOLVED: That the Children, Families and Education Select Committee noted the report.