Purpose

 
The Financial Safeguarding Team
(FST) currently act as corporate appointee and deputy for people
who receive services from LCC and lack capacity to manage their own
finances. The team have reached capacity and have a growing waiting
list of people requiring the service. In addition, LCC's Disability
Service has a number of people who have no current arrangements in
place to manage their finances.
 
This presents a major
safeguarding issue as people are unable to pay their rent,
utilities and groceries. This has increased the use of temporary
arrangements such as using petty cash in care homes, corporate
credit cards and visits to food banks.
Following discussion with Legal
and Procurement it was agreed that a direct award could be made
under Schedule 3 'Light Touch' procurement.
 
The rationale for making a
direct award is due to the ongoing and growing safeguarding issue
of people being unable to access their finances. There are a few
organisations who provide services for appointeeships or
deputyships, but few can manage both. The decision was made to
award the contract to Money Carer Foundation as a preferred
provider, who provide a comprehensive service and are based in the
North-west.
 
The contract will either be to
the value of £600,000 or 2 years, whichever happens first.
The short-term arrangement will provide extra capacity and will
allow for an options appraisal and procurement of a long-term
solution for managing the finances of vulnerable adults.
The contract value would not be paid by LCC but is
indicative of the total value of referrals we would send to the
provider, paid from the benefits and savings of the people
referred.
 

Content

Kashif Ahmed,
Director of Strategic & Integrated
Commissioning, took a decision to
approve the direct award of the contract, to
the value of £600,000, to Moneycarer Foundation to manage the
finances of vulnerable adults in Lancashire.