Cuts are hitting children’s services commissioning

23 Mar 11
Public sector cuts are affecting the quality of commissioning of children’s services, experts have warned

By Graham Clews

23 March 2011

Public sector cuts are affecting the quality of commissioning of children’s services, experts have warned.

The Commissioning Support Programme, which is being abolished this week, says some commissioners of children’s services are managing to achieve savings and maintain the quality of services, but others are reverting to old ways of working and making basic procurement decisions.

The CSP was set up two and a half years ago by the Department of Health and the Department for Education in 2008 to help local authorities improve commissioning of children’s and young people’s services.

It estimates it has saved local authorities £200m during its lifetime, and warns that many of its initiatives must be continued if commissioning of children’s services is not to suffer.

Its valedictory report lists 12 recommendations for the future, which include: maintaining a network of commissioning ‘champions’; retaining an advisory group of elite commissioners; and regularly updating a ‘commissioners’ kitbag’ of guidance and online tools.

Among difficulties being faced at the moment, the CSP said high turnover of directors of children’s services and senior commissioners was leading to a loss of expertise in the sector.

There is also confusion about how GP commissioning will work, particularly in terms of partnership working and where services are commissioned by a number of consortiums.

CSP programme director Lorraine O’Reilly said: ‘The CSP has responded to incredible demand for tools and training on commissioning. We are concerned that there is currently no ongoing provision for this beyond the life of CSP.

‘It is crucial that mechanisms are in place that will enable local authorities to assess the effectiveness of their services and to measure themselves against others.’

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