PAPER B
Purpose :
For Decision
Committee : EXECUTIVE
Date : 27 AUGUST 2002
Title : SUPPORTING PEOPLE INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES
AND HOUSING
SUMMARY/PURPOSE
This report seeks the
agreement of the Executive Committee to procure a new information system to
support the new Supporting People programme, which will be introduced from the
1 April 2003.
BACKGROUND
The Government is
introducing major changes to the funding arrangements for the support of
vulnerable adults in the community from the 1 April 2003. From that date, Local Authorities will be
responsible for deciding what the needs of the populations are for such support
and for arranging it. Examples of services
this covers include the employment of wardens in sheltered housing and the
provision of welfare rights advice. It
will not be available for community care services such as personal home care
and residential care. The Government
will merge 3 sources of funds into one grant, which will be made to councils to
finance this work.
The Government has issued
guidance setting out how these changes are to be brought in. The work is overseen by a core group of
agencies with Social Services, Housing, Probation and the Primary Care Trust
being responsible for its successful implementation. Progress is closely monitored by the Government officials. Agencies which are struggling to meet the
targets are reported to ministers.
After some initial problems the Isle of Wight has reached most of its
key targets on time to date.
PROBLEM
There is an urgent
requirement to procure a new IT system to support the Supporting People
programme. The needs of the programme
have been identified and a project group under the chair of the Strategic
Director of Social Services & Housing has been established. The Head of Central IT is part of the
project team.
The team has identified a
system supplier and is satisfied it will meet the requirements of the
programme. To meet the Government
target for the new system to be in place by October 2002, an order needs to be
placed with the software company as quickly as possible. A formal tendering exercise has been done as
required by Financial Standing Orders and OLM have been selected as the most
suitable of the contractors who competed.
The Government has given
Local Authorities a grant to bring in the new IT system. The grant is spread over 2 years and is
worth ,140,000. The provider chosen by the core group to
provide the system will, however, require payment of ,135,000 in 2002/03. The grant from the Government is only ,70,000 in 2002/03, with a
further ,70,000 only being
available in 2003/04. The new system
can be purchased for ,140,000.