Flexible Packages Of Care

Within Clifford House, we can adapt the arrangements for each individual child as often as is required to provide the most stable environment possible and limit damaging rejections, unplanned upheavals and placement breakdown.

 

Often the solution may be found by temporarily increasing the level of support in their current placement to stabilise the situation, as an alternative to the young person experiencing a placement move.

The more stable each child’s period in residential care is, the better outcomes are likely to be. Frequent moves usually interrupt education, interfere with the development of social and practical skills, disrupt friendships and important links with family and local community and actively work against the young person's ability to build trusting relationships.

We understand the competing issues faced by our purchasers as they try to balance achieving the most positive outcomes for children with increasing budgetary pressures under the ‘efficiency’ agenda.

The drive to demonstrate value for money is increasing as placements are reviewed more regularly and the long term plans for children are balanced against the financial commitment that achieving stability involves.

We are keen to speak to Contracting and Commissioning Managers about what we can do to explore what efficiencies could be achieved without compromising the quality of care and education provided. As the cost of staffing is the most ‘expensive’ component of any placement fee, as a young person achieves greater stability and consistent progress in their behaviour we are keen to explore with the placing social worker, ways in which we can flexibly reduce staffing levels within an agreed care plan.

For us, working in partnership is a constantly managed process which means that we value the relationship we build with our purchasers and we want to be able to demonstrate to the young people that we share responsibility for, that we can work together in their interest to give them the best possible future.