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I am writing to make a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act for access to the following information: Please Note: The following questions are about care leavers (Aged 18 – 21) placed in supported accommodation who receiving floating support, these young people come under the Leaving Care Act 2000. Who are the currently supported accommodation providers you use for 18+ floating support & accommodation? Block contracts under the Flexible Purchasing System for homelessness prevention and young people’s housing-relating support for 16/17 year olds and care leavers are awarded to Young Devon, Keychange, Stonewater and Westward Housing. Outside of these block contracts spot purchases may be made from providers on the Flexible Purchase System or who are already working with a young person prior to age 18 through our Supported Living Options contract, it would not be appropriate to list all of these providers as this may identify individuals due to the bespoke nature of spot purchasing arrangements. This information is therefore exempt from disclosure under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Personal Data). What provider out of your current list of supported accommodation providers has the majority of your care leavers? Block contracts are not made for specific individuals but for support hours to be used flexibly across the group of young people including both care leavers and children in need. Young people moving in and out of supported accommodation happens on a frequent basis so it is therefore not possible to say that the same provider will always have the highest number of care leavers. However, the highest number of support hours and therefore beds is held by Young Devon, so it would usually be the case that this organisation would have the highest number of care leavers. What is the minimum support hours L.A requirement for 18-21 care leavers in supported accommodation? Block contracts for support hours are based on an average of 9 hours per person per week, but this is to be used flexibly across the group of young people supported by the provider, with a higher number of support hours given to those with a higher need and a lower number given to those with a lower need. Spot purchase of floating support (not linked to a particular accommodation) does not have a minimum amount but typically agreements are for at least 2 hours per week. What is the current minimum cost L.A. pays for 18+ floating accommodations? (Accommodation Only) for example, £500PW per placement depending on support needs. Devon is a two-tier authority and Devon County Council does not therefore routinely pay the accommodation costs for care leavers age 18+ in supported accommodation as this would usually be covered by housing benefit. Information about maximum levels of housing benefit that can be paid for supported accommodation would need to be requested from the relevant District Council. How many service users were placed with your L.A between the years 2022 – 2023? Information about the number of care leavers age 18+ open to DCC can be found at Create your own tables, Table Tool – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk) What are the practical postcodes your L.A placements team require for 18+ service users? Each block contract awarded via the Flexible Purchasing System depends on the needs of the group of young people we are commissioning for. Current block contracts for 18+ care leavers would usually be awarded to provisions with a postcode within Devon County Council (if you are unsure whether a postcode falls within Devon County Council you can check this on Neighbouring Authorities. If a provision is on the borders of Devon County Council then we would usually consult the nearest Devon District Council on whether this postcode is close enough that they would consider it as suitable for supported accommodation to meet the needs of their area. What are the current issues your L. A’s placement team face when it comes to placing 18+ service users in supported accommodation? Placements into 18+ supported accommodation would usually be made by District Councils and not by Devon County Council. What is the placements teams’ budget per week for 18+ placements? For example, £620PW per placement including 3 support hours. Placements into 18+ supported accommodation would usually be made by District Councils and not by Devon County Council. Support hours funded by Devon County Council are usually awarded via block contracts through the Flexible Purchasing System so do not have a budget for individuals. What is the procedure for your L.A if a provider wishes to join both on-tender & off-tender providers list? If a provider wishes to join the Flexible Purchase System for Homelessness Prevention, Young people’s housing-related support for 16/17 year olds and care leavers (Flexible Purchasing System) then they should create an account on the procurement portal – Log In (due-north.com) – and search for contract reference number CP2242-22. What are the main KPI’s (key performance indicators) your L.A placements team use to separate a good semi-independent service to a bad one specifically for 18+ service users? Purpose and quality of Support: Understanding Aims and Outcomes. Access to Education, Employment or Training Health and Wellbeing: Young people have access to support and advice and are supported and encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. Placement stability and permanence: Robust compatibility / impact assessment review process carried out for each young person placed during the period Staffing: Providers will ensure that always the workforce is able to efficiently respond to the demands of the service and that all employees are of sound nature and good professional character. Staffing: Development and training of workforce Safeguarding: Providers will demonstrate an excellent understanding of the needs of young people placed and enable them to remain safe. Leadership and management: Manager is appropriately supported and trained. What are the main factors your L.A Placements team use to ascertain whether a placement / provider is a good match for 18+ service users? Placements into 18+ supported accommodation would usually be made by District Councils and not by Devon County Council. What is the L.A’s budget for support hours specifically per hour for 18+ service users ? For example £21.50 per additional support hour. We do not have a maximum hourly rate that we will accept for support hours for 18+ service users. However please note that all mini-tenders via the Flexible Purchase System will usually have a cost as well as a quality element to the award to ensure value for money. What type of accommodation is needed but in short supply for your L.A placements team ? I.e. studio’s, shared, 2 bed flats etc. Placements into 18+ supported accommodation would usually be made by District Councils and not by Devon County Council. When does the L.A plan to publish their next tender for 18+ placements ? Our Flexible Purchasing System for homelessness prevention and young people’s housing-relating support for 16/17 year olds and care leavers is continuously open, information can be found at Log In (due-north.com) and then CP2242-22 – Homelessness Prevention, Young people’s housing-related support for 16/17 year olds and care leavers (Flexible Purchasing System). What is L.A’s standard procedure before placing an 18+ service user with a provider for the first time? Who are the current providers you use for 18+ unstaffed accommodation ? Care leavers age 18+ being placed into supported accommodation are usually placed via District Councils, and this is usually done via Homelessness Prevention Panel (HPP) for their area. We do not commission any unstaffed accommodation, all provisions are either 24/7 staffed, daytime staffed or have regular floating support visits to the provision.
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