Children’s Services Commissioning
Access to Resources
This team serves as the central hub for:
- resources, sourcing and negotiating placements with Independent Fostering Agencies
- supported accommodation
- supported lodgings
- children’s homes
- bespoke placements.
They also arrange supportive services such as floating support, tuition, and family contact time. Their primary responsibility is to find a suitable home for all children in care, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Children’s Commissioning including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and education
The team oversees, manages, and procures a wide range of services supporting children’s services and education, including SEND. They handle statutory services like family contact and advocacy, as well as supportive services and frameworks.
They ensure the delivery of the Sufficiency Strategy on behalf of the council, working closely with national partners and providers. They manage contracts, including uplifts and variations, ensuring all agreements are cost-effective and legal. Additionally, they oversee contracts with independent and specialist schools and lead the commissioning and strategic planning for short breaks.
Quality Assurance
The Quality Assurance team ensures that all provisions for children and young people are fit for purpose. They operate within a comprehensive quality assurance framework and liaise with Ofsted’s regulatory team to manage notifications and complaints. The team is involved in LADO investigations, provider complaints, whistleblowing, and managing providers who have failed Ofsted inspections. They also maintain a list of providers embargoed by the council.
Residential Provision (Eden House and Aut Even)
These teams develop and manage the council’s residential provisions, excluding Parklands. They consist of residential workers and specialists overseeing a 5-bedroom home (Eden House) and a soon-to-be-developed 5-bedroom home for children with learning disabilities. These provisions are regulated by Ofsted and provide high-quality local care for children.
Strategic Panels, Processes, and Business Management
This transformational team oversees system changes, process and panel reviews, ensuring timely and structured reviews of young people. They handle financial transactions, logging, and mapping of expenditures, using Lean processes for efficiency. They are also responsible for the Short Breaks Team, processing all applications and requests for short breaks.
Learning Disabilities and Autism
This strategic team collaborates with Adult Services, Kent County Council, and the Integrated Care Board to oversee services and support for individuals with learning disabilities and autism. Key areas include LDA health checks, addressing health inequalities, workforce development, and community discharge. They also manage some commissioned services for the council.