Supporting People Plan - How Much Are We Spending On Services?

Table 2: North Lanarkshire Council Expenditure By Client Group

Source: NLC

Table 3 below describes in detail the spending plans of North Lanarkshire Council, which relate directly to housing support services. Figures shown are for year 2003/04. These figures assume, at the time of writing, that there will be no additional resources or reduction in indicative funding for the period identified. Future purchasing arrangements may be subject to alteration, taking into account central government allocations. If reductions in central government allocations occur, we will provide an amended purchasing plan.

The appendices at the rear of this document illustrate in more detail our purchasing plans.

There is a mixed economy of service provision in North Lanarkshire. In future, the way in which North Lanarkshire Council provides and purchases services will emphasise an approach based on partnership and best value.

North Lanarkshire Council, with its partners, is responsible for commissioning and purchasing housing support services. We will develop a specific commissioning and purchasing policy. The underlying principles for commissioning services are:

• Focusing provision on local need by introducing a more systematic and strategic process to analyse needs and supply of support services in local areas and make provision accordingly.
• Improving the range and quality of services by developing a wider range of support services more geared to the needs of the people receiving support and based on informed good practice. In particular this will enable the introduction of more flexible support where appropriate.
• Integrating support with wider local strategies particularly within local authority social work and housing departments and the health care services.
• Introducing effective decision making and administration by making arrangements for funding and managing the provision of housing support services in a way which leads to transparent decision making and cost effective administration.
• Monitoring quality and effectiveness in a more structured way through integration with the Best Value regime and the role of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care in ensuring the national care standards for housing support services are met.

We will ensure continuity of service for existing service users and encourage, thereafter, planned and incremental change for the better. Diversity and choice of services will be encouraged as will a mixed economy of service provision, from public, voluntary and private service providers.

Contracts or agreements will be negotiated with existing providers of housing support. Future contracts will be negotiated will run for up to three years pending a review of the service.

The first reviews will be carried out within the lifetime of the interim contract, (i.e. within three years from 2003 to 2006). Reviews will be carried out by or on behalf of the Supporting People Team and will assess services in terms of:

• Relevance of the service to the identified needs of service users.
• Quality of the service provided.
• Cost of the service provided, in comparison with similar services.

Our approach will be inclusive, consistent and supportive to both service providers and users. Service reviews will be part of an ongoing process to ensure quality and continuous improvement of service provision.

Service reviews will have clear links to Best Value principles, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care Housing Support Standards, contract monitoring and the codes of practice set out by the Scottish Social Services Council.

It may be necessary to decommission or reconfigure some services, if the need is not demonstrated, or to seek alternative providers, on the grounds of quality or cost. However, where this is necessary, this will be managed as sensitively as possible and in consultation with users of the service. Identified service needs that cannot be developed because of funding restraints may be unmet.

In overall terms the Council will seek to achieve the following common themes across all client groups through its commissioning of housing support:

• A shift from services linked to accommodation to more flexible, floating support services.
• Addressing geographical imbalances in the current distribution and coverage of services.
• Extending services to meet the housing support needs of those in owner occupation.

The main areas of anticipated growth are:

• Accommodation with support projects where capital has already been identified.
• Planned projects where these are identified within existing service strategies.
• Extension of existing services to owner-occupiers.

North Lanarkshire Council's present (until 1/4/04) charging policy allows for all individuals currently receiving housing support to use these services without charge. This position will be reviewed from 1/4/04.

North Lanarkshire Council is a member of a Cross-Authority Working Group that is developing protocols and guidance to cover all Cross Authority arrangements.

There are at present 51 cross authority arrangements. As part of the developing contractual framework these will be regularised and with appropriate protocols established.

[Back to Contents] [Forward to Next Section]