Agenda item

Background:

This report provided details of the outcome of the public consultation relating to the proposed closure of the Old Vicarage Children’s Home. There were two options proposed in the public consultation, these were:

·         Option 1: Continue to provide the current service, recognising the cost for each client is disproportionate to those receiving similar services.

·         Option 2: Close the service and investigate what service type would better serve the needs of Medway’s children and young people - ensuring that current residents have a clear plan for the future. This was the recommended option.

The consultation ran for 30 days from 19 November 2019 to 18 December 2019. There were 89 responses to the consultation which were set out in detail at section 4 of the report. A staff consultation was also undertaken.

The report explained that overall, the majority of respondents were not in favour of the proposal, and that the largest group represented was the professional partners. The general view was that the provision fulfilled a need for Medway children. There was recognition of the good work carried out with the young people who were currently, and had been, resident at the Old Vicarage.

Of those who were in favour of the proposal, a number expressed concern about the operation of the provision and the amount of money devoted to keeping the provision open, compared with fostering, for example. There was a view that the closure would be acceptable so long as any savings were reinvested.

A number of respondents, including those who were not in favour of the proposal, acknowledged that the funding currently dedicated to resourcing the Old Vicarage could potentially be used for other purposes, which might reach a broader range of children and young people. Some questioned what the future provision may look like.

Having considered the feedback from the consultation, the report explained that it was vital that the needs of vulnerable children and young people in Medway were considered and that as the current service model of the Old Vicarage no longer met the more complex needs of service users, it needed to be re-engineered for the children and young people currently presenting to the Council in need of statutory help. It was also explained that there was a need to explore the feasibility of alternative provisions.

The report noted that continuing to provide the current service in its current format, was not financially viable. The current residents were approaching 18 and the provision would continue to be under-used as children/young people with similar needs were now placed in a family environment, i.e. Foster Care. The unit cost of accommodation per young person in the Old Vicarage would be much greater than the cost of suitable alternative provisions.

The report, therefore, recommended to proceed with the option to close the service and analyse alternative provisions that could be established (option 2).

The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered this report on 9 January 2020 and its draft comments were set out in an addendum report.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken for both staff and public consultations, as set out in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report.

Reasons:

The proposals will enable the Council to provide a service which would better serve the needs of Medway’s children and young people, improving their outcomes, as highlighted during the ILACS inspection. It will also enable the Council to realise savings.