Within Essex there are 247 registered Children homes placements delivered by 58 providers.
Market Context
The local authority has a Sufficiency Duty to place CIC in safe, suitable and local placements. One of the options for CIC who need a care placement is a Registered Children’s Home. A Registered Children’s Home can vary from a solo placement to a multi placement home. The largest in Essex accommodating 12 CIC. In Essex on average a Registered Care Home has around 4 placements at a time. A standard Registered Children’s Home has children and young people ranging from 10-18 years of age. All Children Home Providers need to be registered with Ofsted.
The Council currently commission for three different scenarios. These are to provide support for:
- Children with disabilities,
- children and young people with social emotional or mental health concerns (SEMH),
- And children and young people requiring emergency placements.
Within a Registered Children’s Home, a placement supports the children and young people to:
- Provide short, medium or long term, provision for children and young people requiring a placement,
- Live in a safe and stable environment,
- Successfully step down into foster care, less intensive placements, or on to specialist services.
The Residential Framework closed as of February 2024 and a new operating model is in the process of being implemented including block contracts, a Dynamic Purchasing System as well as securing nomination rights into local registered placements.
Current Market Status
Across Essex there are a good number of providers and placements. The Council at times struggle to access these placements in County. In the foreseeable future Essex will need to increase access to support demand and support evolution of these services. Ensuring it meets the needs for CIC, encouraging and supporting providers to have a localised agenda.
| Market Quality | Market Supply | Market Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Good | High |
 |
 |
 |
| Market Workface | Market Ambition | Market Maturity |
| Low | Increase Supply | Evolving |
 |
 |
 |
|
Total Number of Providers: |
30 |
|
Total Number of Placements: |
235 |
|
Total Market Spend per year: |
£20.9 Million |
|
ECC Funded Placements |
68 |
|
Number of Provider Entries/Placements (20/21): |
16/59 |
|
Provider Quality – Good or Outstanding: |
84% |
|
Average Accommodation Placement Size: |
4 |
|
Framework/spot Placement Ratio: |
24%/76% |
|
Number of Placements per year (22/23): |
91 |
|
Number of Emergency Placements (22/23): |
79 |
|
Number of Planned Placements (22/23): |
12 |
|
Average Length of Stay: |
N/A |
|
Average Package Cost per week: |
£5,450 |
|
Expected future Capacity Required: |
6 |
Work is required to increase access to capacity in this sector and ensure all children’s homes are registered with Ofsted. The Council want to shape the future offer and improve relationships with providers in this market to reduce the number of unsuitable and out of county placements.
- The market can be volatile, this includes vast differences between providers. It is unclear how sustainable this market and workforce is, as well as the quality of the service received by the children and young people.
- Government are investigating options to put in place Regional Care Corporative. This would have a significant impact on our commissioning and procurement approach across Essex.
- Due to changes in support accommodation services demand for registered managers is increasing . Making recruitment, retention, and salary affordability a challenge.
- Increased pressure on front line residential workers and providers retaining their workforce.
- The costof running and operating a home has increased significantly; notably gas, electric, and petrol prices.
- Looking to develop options to deliver in-house children’s homes.
- Investigate options to recommission our contracted services.
- Investigating options to evolve the voluntary sector into the children sector in Essex to increase choice.
- To continue to reduce the number of placements for CIC outside of Essex.