CS6025: Young People's Supported Housing Pathway

In June 2024, the Children and Young Peoples Placements Board approved a hybrid approach for commissioning supported accommodation in the Children and Young People’s Supported Housing Pathway that provides accommodation and support services to young people aged 16 to 21 (up to 25 depending on needs), who are in and on the edge of care, including looked-after children (LAC), care leavers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs) and homeless YP. The Pathway enables the Council to meet its legal duties under the Children’s Act 1989, The Housing Act 1996 and The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. This hybrid approach included commissioning block contracts along with a framework delivery model that was to be developed to address the need for supported accommodation from Housing Options Support Team (HOST) and the current placement need that is being met by spot purchased provision from The Children’s Placement Team (CPT) and The Through Care Service (TCS).

Unsuccessful tenders for block contracts took place in 2023 and 2024 where there were insufficient bids from providers who could demonstrate that they could meet the required quality standards. As a consequence, the necessity for a strategic re-evaluation of the commissioning approach to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and value for money has been accelerated.

It is recognised that existing block contract provision is predominantly with established RSLs or charities who operate their support services from larger buildings with a higher number of units of supported accommodation. Placements from CPT and TCS are predominantly with private sector providers who have smaller buildings with fewer units of accommodation. This market engagement exercise will endeavour to incorporate the differing perspectives from different types of providers in the market and gauge the appetite for smaller newer providers to enter into the supported accommodation market. We also aim to establish relations with property landlords to facilitate relationships between them and support providers who are seeking run support services from the landlords’ properties. This market engagement exercise will enable Commissioning to better understand the capacity, preferences, and the potential challenges in transitioning from the current block contract arrangements and adapting to the delivery models proposed. This process will then enable us to design a procurement strategy and subsequent tender, that enhances service delivery, by increasing the availability of suitable placements, improving cost control measures and aligning with the needs of HOST and CPT/TCS’s requirements.

Parties should refer to the market engagement brief for information on how to register their interest.