DCSF looks at new care contracts

As part of a review into the two national contracts already in use, the DCSF is asking professionals what other services would benefit from using national contracts.

The consultation into the contracts for residential independent and non-maintained schools and residential children's homes is reviewing how the contracts have improved the work of providers and commissioners and how they have improved placements and outcomes.

The national contracts steering group, which devised the first two contracts, is also developing a national contract for local authorities to use when making placements with independent fostering providers, which is due to be published in the autumn.

Jonathan Stanley, manager of the National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care, said: "The establishment of national contracting for all placements is the next step for developing excellence in residential childcare. It affects the culture and methodology of the making of placements, and it provides a foundation for further child-centred developments in national minimum standards and the Ofsted inspection framework."