Agenda item

(To receive a report from Sara Gregory, Commissioning Manager – Children’s Strategic Commissioning, which provides the Schools’ Forum with an overview of the findings from the review of the Behaviour Outreach Support Service and seeks support on the recommendations to recommission a Behaviour Outreach Support Service and continue its finding from the High Needs block of the Designated Schools Grant)

The Chairman invited Sara Gregory, Commissioning Manager – Children’s Strategic Commissioning to present the item, which provided an overview of the findings from the review of the Behaviour Outreach Support Service (BOSS); and sought Forum support to recommission a Behaviour Outreach Support Service and to continue its funding from the High Needs block of the DSG.

The Forum noted that the BOSS was currently delivered by Family Action via a contract following a tender process.  It was highlighted that the current contract was due to expire on 31 August 2022.

It was noted that a recommendation was being made to the Council’s Executive on 8 February 2022 to re-commission BOSS via an open competitive tender, to continue to support the Lincolnshire Strategy and the Lincolnshire Ladder of Behavioural Intervention, to ensure that children and young people were supported to remain in their mainstream education settings and achieve the best possible outcomes,  The Forum was advised that the recommissioning of BOSS would be from 1 September 2022 for three years initially, with an option to extend for a further two years.

Details of the findings of the review were contained within the report presented.

During consideration of the item, the Forum raised some of the following comments:

·       Lead times for schools to access.  The Forum was advised that there was no proposal to change BOSS, and that it would continue to be part of the Lincolnshire Ladder; and therefore there was an expectation that BOSS would work to current times once a referral had been received.  Reassurance was given that it was not anticipated that the resource would be reduced under the future intended model.  It was also noted that the service specification would include a minimum requirement for staff resources;

·       Evaluation process.  Confirmation was given that the service would be monitored as part of the contract management process to ensure that it was meeting with demand and that factor would be built into any future contract management;

·       Praise was extended to the highly valued BOSS; and that a greater alignment of SEN support was welcomed;

·       Access to BOSS by special schools.  There was recognition that BOSS was commissioned for mainstream schools and settings.  But more was being done through the SEND workforce development service offer and the SEND offer to align them better with particular focus on SEND as to what training offer could be made available to special schools.  Officers agreed to explore the matter further; and

·       Some concern was expressed to whether this was the right time to be changing the service; and whether there was the possibility of a continuity agreement for an extension to the existing contract.  The Forum was advised that the contract could not be extended any further, as this was written in the terms and conditions; and to consider an extension would be an exception to the procurement regulations.  The Forum was reassured that it was thought there would be sufficient market interest in the service, it recognised that there was some risk, but the Council was bound by regulations to go out and test the market.

The Chairman on behalf of the Forum extended thank to Sarah Gregory for the presentation.

RESOLVED

That the contents of the report be noted and that support be given to support the recommendations to the Council’s Executive to continue to fund a future Behaviour Support Service funded from the High Needs block of the Designated Schools Grant.