Purpose

1.    
The delegation of function to Cambridgeshire County
Council to act as the lead Local Authority in commissioning
Independent Advocacy Services for children/young people across
Peterborough & Cambridgeshire be authorised from
5thFebruary
2024 until 4thFebruary
2027 with the optionto
extend for 12 months.Thisshall include the associated transfer of
funding to Cambridgeshire County Council of £35,368,00per
annum, totalling a maximum
of£141,472.00 over
the 4 yearsperiod. 

 

2.   
Delegation and Partnering Agreement
between Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council
be authorised to enable the function to be transferred between the local authoritiesin respect of this
function. 

 

3.    
Cambridgeshire County Council, as
the lead authority,
enter into acontract with the successfully procuredprovider for the delivery of this
function.   
 

Reasons for the decision

A CCC led contract for the Children’s Advocacy
service across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, whereby
PCC shall delegate the
function to
CCC,reflects
the provider market, allowing providers to run a cost-efficient
service across the two Local Authorities. 
 

Separating off the Age Assessment
Support and Return Interviews will allow the Advocacy provider to
focus entirely on the primary service, with highly skilled
specialised providers taking on the smaller services. This will
allow the Age Assessment Support and Return Interviews services to
be carried out in line with the best practice approaches within the
current provider market. 
 

Alternative options considered

To do nothing – This has been rejected as
PCC has statutory duties to deliver these services, as set out in
Appendix A. 

 

To have a single joint contract,
led by either PCC or CCC, for All-Age Advocacy (including Advocacy
Services for Adults and Children and Young People) across
Peterborough and Cambridgeshire
– This has been
rejected
in order to allow
local PCC priorities to be the sole focus of the Independent
Advocacy Service for Adults within
Peterborough. 

 

To have a single PCC contract
for All-Age Advocacy (including Advocacy Services for Adults and
Children and Young People) across
Peterborough – This has been rejected due
to the provider market, with
the majority of providers
focusing their specialist service on either the

Adultservice or the
Children’s service. A single contract would increase the risk
of the provider focus being adult-centric to the detriment of
children and young people.