Commissioning

What is commissioning?

Commissioning is fundamentally about ensuring the right service, in the right place, at the right time, for the right people with the right outcomes. 

Joint commissioning is about improving outcomes for children and young people by:

• Making relationships and working in partnership (SCT)
• Agreeing the vision and gaining partnership commitment to improve services
• Connecting with needs and aspirations
• Making best use of available resources
• Understanding supply and demand
• Linking financial and service planning

The Strategic Commissioning Group (a sub-group of SCT) plans services for children and young people and has responsibility for the overall strategic commissioning of children's services.

Principles of commissioning

The following principles and priorities will underpin the commissioning process in Slough and will ensure:

• Slough Children's Trust will be the key commissioning body to ensure the successful delivery of the CYPP.
• Services will be commissioned for children, young people and their families that make best use of the available resources in order to achieve the agreed outcomes. 
• A continuous review of needs assessment, including feedback from children and young people, families and communities will be carried out.
• Continuous reference will be made to local and national information about the effectiveness of different types of service provision.
• Clear public information will be made available about the services available to Slough's children and young people.
• Local integrated services will be commissioned which meet the identified needs of most children and young people at an early stage.
• Successful working with partners locally and beyond Slough to commission specialist services which meet the needs of and are accessible to Slough's most vulnerable children and young people.
• The agreement and publication of clear care pathways through commissioned services for individual children and young people.
• Supporting, working with and providing a strategic lead to local commissioners, including schools and GPs.
• The analysis and development of the market of available services through work with the voluntary and community sector and private service providers. 
• The identification of priority resource gaps/shortfalls and the pursuance of opportunities to address these.
• The identification of the skills required in the local workforce to deliver this plan and the development of strategies to ensure that these are available.
• The implementation of robust processes and governance within the Children's Trust individual partner agencies to ensure effective procurement and contracting practice, quality assurance, the availability of performance information and regular review of all services commissioned for children and young people in Slough.