Chris Allison – Director East Midlands Centre of Excellence

1. East Midlands Local Authorities Children’s Service Directors/ AssistantsAnnual Regional Conference21 July 2006 Chris Allison – Director East Midlands Centre of Excellence

2. Introduction • Introducing the RCEs • East Midlands RCE • Potential for improvement/savings • Social Care projects • EM Children’s and Young People’s regional commissioning framework

3. What are the Centres of Excellence? • Formerly Centres of Procurement Excellence – now repurposed as lead change agents for local government efficiency • Supporting local government to achieve the £6.45bn target for efficiency savings (Gershon) and improve service outcomes (c£243M East Midlands) • Nine RCEs covering England

4. Role of the Centres of Excellence • Governance Arrangements - Hosted by a local authority with local, accountable management boards • National Procurement Strategy • Efficiency Review Savings (£243m EM) • SR07 Impact • Current Work Programme • 5 priority work streams • 44 projects • Funding c£5.4m up to 31.3.2008 • EMIP work programme c£3.0m

5. The role of the East Midlands Centre of Excellence (EMCE) • First point of contact for local government • Pro-actively identify efficiency savings • Provide support to achieve savings - funding, project management expertise, governance • Encourage local authorities to work collaboratively and facilitate good practice • Ensure a consistent approach across the region – save time re-inventing the wheel

6. East Midlands Work Programme 2005/2008

7. EMCE Adult & Children’s

8. East Midlands Children and Young People’s Regional Commissioning Framework • Project developed through wide consultation • April 26 – EMIP Board agreed to support the project with funding - £80K • Next steps needed are to identify • Project management • Roles and responsibilities – Links to other regional / National Groups/ activities e.g. • National RCES meetings re Social Care / Children’s Services • Procurement pack being developed through SP Value Improvement Project • OGC standard contract documentation • Care Cost Models • CSIP Commissioning framework for work with the 3rd sector

9. East Midlands Children and Young People’s Regional Commissioning Framework Why develop a Regional Commissioning Framework? • The concept of commissioning has come to the fore as providers of services for children and young people consider the most effective ways of improving the outcomes described with Every Child Matters • The commissioning of specialist services is expensive – for example over £30m is currently spent on placements of 600 East Midlands children who need specialist care outside their locality. • While each local authority commissions such placements independently from large providers, the negotiating strength is very much with these suppliers. By working together regionally local authorities are in a much stronger position to secure not just better value for money but better outcomes for children and their families by arranging more suitable care closer to home • The project builds on a strong record of success in collaboration across organisation boundaries. There are a number of regional arrangements already in place which will form a platform for further improvement

10. East Midlands Children and Young People’s Regional Commissioning Framework Purpose and scope of the project • The overall purpose of the project is to help each CYPP in the East Midlands to achieve the desired outcomes for their children and young people and best value for tax payers through a common framework which promotes effective commissioning of local and regional provision • The scope of this project appears to be unique in the country at present, and will confirm the region at the forefront of national developments in commissioning and procurement of services for children and young people

11. East Midlands Children and Young People’s Regional Commissioning Framework Specifically the project aims to: • Encourage more consistent commissioning practice across the region based on best practice and evidence of what works • Establish a common set of terms and principles to underpin the commissioning of services for children across the region. • Provide guidelines, materials and templates to support those commissioning services in each children’s services authority, PCT or children’s trust across the region • Support organisations to use the Framework through dissemination and training • For particular population groups, promote greater collaboration in procurement between commissioning organisations

12. East Midlands Children and Young People’s Regional Commissioning Framework Status of the Framework • Status of a voluntary agreed protocol of good commissioning practice between organisations, supported by guidance materials which promote good practice. It will incorporate existing regional agreements and protocols • The framework will not comprise detailed procedures or operating arrangements, but rather an overarching commitment to good practice in commissioning, supported by guidance and resources to support best practice and self audit • The framework will be aimed primarily at those responsible for strategic planning, commissioning and contracting in children’s trusts and children and young people’s partnerships

13. East Midlands Children and Young People’s Regional Commissioning Framework What is required to fulfil its potential? • Commitment and buy in to the project and its implementation from all the region’s Children’s and Young Peoples Partnerships including dedicated resources to support both the core working group and the reference group and nominations from each of the nine Trust Partnerships to ensure communication re the project is effective and comprehensive • Clear leadership, effective project management and timely delivery • The framework must be meaningful to and owned by the nine trust partnerships • Members of Core Working Group, Reference Group and re-formed Regional Children’s Commissioning Group within each Trust area lead the dissemination, implementation and development to ensure that the framework is well understood, embedded and developed with all partners

14. Contact details: Chris Allison – Director EMCE Telephone: 0115 977 3875 Email:chris.allison@nottscc.gov.uk Julie Slatter – Asst Director (Partnerships) Telephone: 0115 977 3419 Email: julie.slatter@nottscc.gov.uk