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Devon's County Hall, where it was decided two years ago to revolutionise the authority's approach to commissioning placements for children in care We have, within the South West region, 580 children looked after by children and young people's services – and more than 4,000 children with special needs in Devon alone. Driven in part by a 20%, year-on-year increase in related costs, we set out, two years ago, to revolutionise our approach to commissioning placements for children in care. The journey hasn't all been plain sailing, but we are getting there, and it has been an invaluable lesson in how to achieve service transformation. Our new approach achieves much faster placements for children and young people and, crucially, the ability to deliver greater choice and personalisation by drawing on a larger number of providers. A pre-qualification process has been put in place to build a pool of providers who can then be called on quickly to respond to individual tenders. Children and young people can now be placed in an environment which is closely matched to their needs within a short timescale. We aim to ensure that providers who are unsuccessful in individual tender processes also receive clear feedback, enabling them to take remedial action and re-apply – so we can draw on the widest and most competitive marketplace. Improving feedback to providers is a key priority for us. In addition to enhanced outcomes for the children and young people we place, this more efficient procurement route has achieved significant cost savings too. The council is on track to save £250,000 this year. A number of factors have been important in our success. The step-by-step commissioning process – focused around analysing needs and providers; planning service procurement; ‘doing' or implementing; and evaluating the outcomes and potential for improvement – has provided a valuable framework for identifying and implementing improvements to the placement process. In particular, it has ensured we maintained a clear and consistent focus on the end goal and outcomes. But the real catalyst – and learning – has been the power of effective engagement and collaboration with key stakeholders, including children and young people themselves. And this hasn't been sought at selected stages – it's been consistent throughout, as we have worked to shape our new approach, and is now embedded to ensure the ongoing success of our commissioning for placements. After all, how can we really deliver what children and young people need if we don't ask them and those who work most closely with them? Engagement at a number of levels has underpinned the successful outcomes of our pilot project. It's a widely-recognised fact that if transformation is the objective, senior leadership and buy-in are essential. We were fortunate to have senior backing for pursuing a new approach for securing placements. But, as the project has developed, we have ensured that progress and benefits are consistently made apparent to our senior project board to maintain engagement at strategic levels within the authority. Frontline practitioners have been identified as integral to shaping a new approach, since change is often perceived as something that may increase a heavy workload further. To this end practitioners – as well as young people – have been consulted in the design of the pre-qualification questionnaire for providers, ensuring not only that assessment criteria are closely tailored to achieving improved outcomes, but also that practitioners feel ownership of the process moving forward. Separate, tailored training has also been provided to help staff focus even more closely on how new solutions might be shaped around children and young people being placed in care. Finally, establishing two-way dialogue with providers has also been invaluable – ensuring providers buy in to a new approach to procurement and also that, through engagement and the security of a framework, they are encouraged to put forward more creative solutions. Through initial pilots, we explored how monitoring of outcomes might shape continuous improvement most effectively. Regular provider conferences, offering updates on the evolving commissioning process as we roll it out more widely across the South West peninsula, are also enhancing effective collaboration. It's an age-old cliché, but it really is the teamwork which counts. And, as we roll out this model for commissioning placements, not only within our region but also with local authorities in other areas of the country, it's an insight that we hope others will benefit from. Brian Grady is manager, strategic and joint commissioning, children and young people's services, Devon CC

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CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Well-placed organisation

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