Integrated Commissioning Framework and Guidance

• Kent Integrated Commissioning Framework for Children's Services
• Service Agreement Template 
• Integrated Commissioning Guidance & Toolkit
• Summary of Integrated Commissioning Guidance
• KCT Performance Framework
• Integrated Commissioning Presentation

A Proposal for Consultation with KCT Partners

1. Introduction

The Kent Children’s Trust is a sub group of the Kent Partnership arrangements and works in close liaison with the Kent Safeguarding board, KDAAT and the Youth Justice Board.

This document has been produced to provide a simple and clear explanation of the model of commissioning we would like to use across the Kent Children’s Trust. We are seeking your feedback on this proposal and the immediate actions we intend to take to establish this approach in the work of the KCT and particularly local children’s services partnerships.

Within the Kent Children’s Trust commissioning will be done jointly involving all the partners on the KCT boards. Commissioning activity will operate at both a strategic (ie a Kent wide basis) and local (ie a local partnership or sub-regional basis whichever is most appropriate and efficient and will provide better outcomes and support for children and their families).

2.  What is Commissioning?

Commissioning can be described as:

‘The whole process of assessing need, identifying resources available, planning how to use the resources, arranging service delivery and the monitoring and evaluation of the service impact on outcomes and reassessment of need.’

The following 4 steps summarise the key steps involved in the commissioning process:

step 1 – NEEDS ASSESSMENT & ANALYSIS
Key activity:

• Collect data from a number of sources e.g.feedback from service users, service activity levels to include pressures, details of unmet need, professional feedback.
• Analyse data to establish whether or not needs are being met and/or if there are gaps in provision.
• Identify existing parameters eg national requirements, existing contractual commitments, service standards, local conditions/polices and financial resources available
• Identify key priorities/needs from the data that must be addressed and which specific outcomes for children and young people in the area you are aiming to improve

step 2 – PLANNING THE RESPONSE
Key activity:

• Identify best practice and evidence based practice (i.e. what works locally and elsewhere)
• Identify what resources are available and which may need redirecting or reallocating including getting additional value from existing services to meet the identified outcome. This will include market analysis – what is already established to meet the identified need.
• Conduct any workforce analysis and agree actions that may be required
• Explore funding options – internal and external.
• Identify all the options for meeting identified outcomes and associated risks and advantages of each (including cost analysis and options for shared response with other local partnerships or strategic response)
• Develop service specification/service level agreement including monitoring and evaluation processes and consider contracting arrangements for any new service.
• Agree an approach with partners on the basis of the analysis provided
• Identify support services that will/may be needed to implement the agreed approach eg legal, HR, finance  and develop an implementation plan and timetable
• Secure the support or services required including procurement, re-tendering, partnerships, federations, negotiation, market development, workforce development, capacity building with providers

step 3 – IMPLEMENTATION OF AGREED APPROACH
Key activity:

• Communicate the agreed approach to all concerned particularly any services or staff who will need to change or adapt but also service users and other stakeholders
• Implement agreed approach – this may include contracting for a service, extending existing contracts, development of in-house services and/or the re-allocation of existing resources
• Monitor progress against implementation plan and analyse/respond to risks that may/will arise through implementation

step 4 – MONITORING/EVALUATION/REVIEW OF IMPACT
Key activity:

• Ensure that all services and interventions are being monitored on an agreed cycle and that information on progress is being reviewed and acted on by operational managers. This will include monitoring inputs, outputs and impacts on outcomes along with budget expenditure.
• Collect regular information and feedback from service users and others working alongside provider.
• Provide a 6 monthly strategic overview of performance to the relevant KT board (local or strategic) on all key actions agreed to deliver outcomes
• Identify any major risks through this monitoring and initiate performance improvement activity if required or intervention if improvements can not be secured