Agenda item

9.1

The Head of Commissioning for Vulnerable People and Communities introduced the report which set out a new 5 year Sheffield Strategy which will take the learning from the Changing Futures Programme and further develop system wide support to some of the most vulnerable residents of the city. The strategy has been developed in partnership with other statutory and voluntary organisations and people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage.

The report asked for Committee approval for the Council to play a lead role in delivering the Strategy and a future resourcing plan to support the development of new service models to put the learning from the Programme into practice and improve outcomes for vulnerable people.

9.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee:-

1. Approve the new citywide strategy to support people facing severe and multiple disadvantage.
   
   
2. Approve a recommissioning process to organise existing and, where available, new resources, into a reshaped service model to provide direct support to vulnerable adults including people with severe and multiple needs from 2026 in line with the principles and objectives in the strategy.
   
   
3. Approve the development by officers of an interim resource and delivery plan for 2025-26 to enable key services developed through the Changing Futures Programme to continue within existing budgets, whilst the recommissioning process recommended above takes place.
   
   

9.3

Reasons for Decision

9.3.1

The recommendations in this report, if accepted, will build on the successful work and learning from the Changing Futures Programme, turning this into a sustainable citywide strategy in future years to support some of the most vulnerable residents of Sheffield.

9.3.2

The Strategy will ensure better outcomes for people and communities including better health and wellbeing, reduced crime and exploitation, reduced homelessness and rough sleeping, and direct involvement and participation of people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage.

9.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

9.4.1

Alternative Option 1:

One option would be to bring the Changing Futures Programme to a close locally in line with the Governments National Programme and the External Grant Funding in March 2025.

9.4.2

All the partners involved in the programme are agreed that this approach would squander the rich insight and learning that has emerged from the programme and would stall the system change that has in many ways only just started to take root. It would mean scaling back activity and support for Coproduction which would go directly against the spirit of the programme and the energy and time that so many coproduction associates have personally invested in the programme.

9.4.3

Alternative Option 2:

An alternative option which was considered was for all partners to secure additional new resources from their budgets to make up the gap from the external Grant ending and continue to deliver the programme in the future in the same or similar way to the current Changing Futures Programme.

9.4.4

This option was not considered the best because, although having the additional new resources and the structure of the Changing Futures has given us a strong platform to start from, there have been drawbacks to having a standalone Programme of activity. All partners agreed that in order to really make the system change sustainable for the future it is necessary to widen the scope of the work and integrate the activity increasingly with other services and systems. In other words, to deliver more than just a new service but a strategic system change ambition.

9.4.5

In addition to this, in the last year the uncertainty over public sector budgets, including delays to funding announcements due to the election and subsequent Spending Review and ongoing pressures on budgets, mean that it is increasingly difficult to find new additional resources for activities. The best way to achieve our ambitions as a Council is to have a longer term plan to integrate a range of resources under a new strategy, as set out in this report.

9.4.6

As we start to engage with partners to develop a new service model for the future, there is potential for other budgets and resources to be aligned with the Council’s to widen the scope of a more preventative service to deliver other partner objectives. This will be something officers will pursue as we develop the process.

40.1

The Head of Commissioning for Vulnerable People and Communities introduced the report which set out a new 5 year Sheffield Strategy which will take the learning from the Changing Futures Programme and further develop system wide support to some of the most vulnerable residents of the city. The strategy has been developed in partnership with other statutory and voluntary organisations and people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage.

The report asked for Committee approval for the Council to play a lead role in delivering the Strategy and a future resourcing plan to support the development of new service models to put the learning from the Programme into practice and improve outcomes for vulnerable people.

40.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee:-

1. Approve the new citywide strategy to support people facing severe and multiple disadvantage.
   
   
2. Approve a recommissioning process to organise existing and, where available, new resources, into a reshaped service model to provide direct support to vulnerable adults including people with severe and multiple needs from 2026 in line with the principles and objectives in the strategy.
   
   
3. Approve the development by officers of an interim resource and delivery plan for 2025-26 to enable key services developed through the Changing Futures Programme to continue within existing budgets, whilst the recommissioning process recommended above takes place.
   
   

40.3

Reasons for Decision

40.3.1

The recommendations in this report, if accepted, will build on the successful work and learning from the Changing Futures Programme, turning this into a sustainable citywide strategy in future years to support some of the most vulnerable residents of Sheffield.

40.3.2

The Strategy will ensure better outcomes for people and communities including better health and wellbeing, reduced crime and exploitation, reduced homelessness and rough sleeping, and direct involvement and participation of people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage.

40.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

40.4.1

Alternative Option 1:

One option would be to bring the Changing Futures Programme to a close locally in line with the Governments National Programme and the External Grant Funding in March 2025.

40.4.2

All the partners involved in the programme are agreed that this approach would squander the rich insight and learning that has emerged from the programme and would stall the system change that has in many ways only just started to take root. It would mean scaling back activity and support for Coproduction which would go directly against the spirit of the programme and the energy and time that so many coproduction associates have personally invested in the programme.

40.4.3

Alternative Option 2:

An alternative option which was considered was for all partners to secure additional new resources from their budgets to make up the gap from the external Grant ending and continue to deliver the programme in the future in the same or similar way to the current Changing Futures Programme.

40.4.4

This option was not considered the best because, although having the additional new resources and the structure of the Changing Futures has given us a strong platform to start from, there have been drawbacks to having a standalone Programme of activity. All partners agreed that in order to really make the system change sustainable for the future it is necessary to widen the scope of the work and integrate the activity increasingly with other services and systems. In other words, to deliver more than just a new service but a strategic system change ambition.

40.4.5

In addition to this, in the last year the uncertainty over public sector budgets, including delays to funding announcements due to the election and subsequent Spending Review and ongoing pressures on budgets, mean that it is increasingly difficult to find new additional resources for activities. The best way to achieve our ambitions as a Council is to have a longer term plan to integrate a range of resources under a new strategy, as set out in this report.

40.4.6

As we start to engage with partners to develop a new service model for the future, there is potential for other budgets and resources to be aligned with the Council’s to widen the scope of a more preventative service to deliver other partner objectives. This will be something officers will pursue as we develop the process.