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ITEM EX12 - ANNEX 2

EXECUTIVE – 14 JANUARY 2004

GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SUPPORTING PEOPLE PROGRAMME

Allocation and co-ordination of Supporting People work

The Administering Authority will administer the Supporting People programme and its Supporting People team (the Team) will carry out day to day work in implementing the programme. The Team will work with all relevant stakeholders to develop and manage the programme in line with guidance of the First Secretary of State and Commissioning Body decisions.

The roles of the key Supporting People bodies are as follows:

The Supporting People Team

The Team will administer the Supporting People programme grant on behalf of the Administering Authority and shall operate within its authorised budget. On a day to day basis, the Team will report to the Head of Social & Health Care Planning and Partnership within the Social & Health Care Directorate (SHC) of the Oxfordshire County Council but will also be accountable to the Commissioning Body and the Core Strategy Group.

The work of the Team will include:

• Producing a 5-year Supporting People strategy (2004/9) and an annual plan for consideration by the Core Strategy Group
• Servicing the decision making and consultation bodies e.g. the Commissioning Body and Inclusive Forum
• Working through existing planning groups to plan and develop strategy and services
• Ensuring full consultation with all key stakeholders (including service users) in line with the Supporting People consultation plan
• Paying all providers of funded HRSS
• Receiving and managing applications for Supporting People subsidy, assessing FC applications, collecting charges and managing an appeal process. This responsibility is shared with the assessment team in SHC
• Implementing the Quality Assessment Framework
• Monitoring each contract and service level agreement in line with Performance Indicators set by the First Secretary of State and local Indicators

• Reviewing each support service within the first three years of the programme and thereafter as directed by the First Secretary of State
• Developing and managing the accreditation of providers

• Developing new services in line with guidance of the First Secretary of State (this will include tendering exercises)
• Managing the grant – overall budget monitoring/returns to the First Secretary of State and reporting to the Commissioning Body
• Implementing the communications plan
• Advising on local Supporting People training
• Developing robust needs information processes to inform the planning process
• Continued development of IT systems
• Continued development of the overall programme in line with ongoing guidance of the First Secretary of State
• Delivering reports as specified by either the Core Strategy Group or the Commissioning Body.

Role of Core Strategy Development Group

The Core Strategy Group will be responsible for overseeing the development of the Supporting People Strategy and Annual Plan and proposing it to the Commissioning Body for approval. It will also be responsible for proposing any major changes to Supporting People services and overseeing the strategic work of the Team.

Other key processes are as follows:

Process leading to approval of the strategy/plan or amendments

The Core Strategy Group will oversee the development of the Supporting People strategy and the annual plans and will propose them to the Commissioning Body. The Commissioning Body will consider and determine the Supporting People strategy and annual plans in accordance with paragraph 9 above. Any major changes to the Supporting People strategy and annual plans will be proposed by the Core Strategy Group and considered and determined by the Commissioning Body again in accordance with paragraph 9 above.

Management role of Supporting People Team

The Team will report to the Head of Social & Health Care Planning & Partnership of the Oxfordshire County Council on a day to day basis, but will also be accountable to the Commissioning Body and the Core Strategy Group.

Consultation Process

Consultation with stakeholders will be conducted as laid out in a Supporting People consultation plan as approved by the Core Strategy Group and presented to the Commissioning Body.

Working with accountable bodies:

Process leading to approval of charging policy

The charging policy will be developed by the Team. The Core Strategy Group will propose the policy to the Commissioning Body.

Processes leading to service review and monitoring

Each Supporting People service will be reviewed within three years of the start of the programme. A detailed service review and monitoring process is currently being prepared by the Team in line with guidance from the First Secretary of State.

Management information and reports

The Team will receive information from providers and other stakeholders as appropriate. The Team will prepare reports and management information as directed by the service director (management and hostels), the Core Strategy Group, the Commissioning Body and any relevant Committee.

How does work link to Best Value

The Supporting People programme has direct links with the Best Value programme. All relevant Best Value reviews will include Supporting People services. The information gathered will inform Supporting People service reviews.

The implementation and administration of the Supporting People programme will be subject to a Best Value Review as directed by the First Secretary of State.

Advice on Finance and Compliance Matters

The Administering Authority shall advise the Commissioning Body on financial and compliance matters affecting the Supporting People programme grant in accordance with the Directions by means to be determined which may include the attendance by appropriate officers of the Administering Authority at Commissioning Body and other Supporting People body meetings.

Resolution of differences re: strategy

The Supporting People strategy will be agreed in accordance with the Directions which (inter alia), as referred to above, require decisions of the Commissioning Body to be made unanimously, failing which a direction may be sought from the First Secretary of State.

Processes for dealing with sensitive decisions, (these being large contracts of strategic significance or complex contract disputes)

There will be a clear and open process for changing or tendering for new Supporting People services in line with the guidance and grant conditions issued by the First Secretary of State and the Administering Authority’s own Contract Procedure Rules. Major decisions or decisions of a sensitive nature (such as major value contracts, closing of in-housing services, changing closing sheltered accommodation) will in addition to those processes be referred to the Commissioning Body only in so far as they fall within its functions as described above.

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