Although the emphasis for local authorities is on achieving value formoney, this should not equate to purchasing from the cheapest providers.Currently, contracts are geared towards driving down charges andlimiting increases to an inflation or below-inflation level. Littleattention is placed upon outcomes for young people.
Providers must be more transparent about their service costs and wheremoney is spent. Many providers offer "wraparound" support to youngpeople in foster care but fail to demonstrate exactly how these servicesimprove outcomes. For example, it is assumed that provision of therapymust be a good thing and therefore must improve outcomes.
Commissioning based upon best value should make the link between costand outcomes. This should improve outcomes for young people and, intime, lead to improved savings as more appropriate commissioning isundertaken and subsequent human and financial costs of placementdisruption are avoided.
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