Following decisions made by cabinet during December 2018 and January 2019, the council has purchased a property in Hereford City that is now being converted and refurbished to accommodate care leavers with complex needs. Accommodation based support is required to support young people to live more independently and manage their lives safely and confidently.

Approval is sought for the approach to commission a service to provide support and accommodation management for vulnerable care leavers to help them prepare to live more independently. This service will be available 24hours for those with complex needs and 3 hours per week for those with light touch needs. This service will be commissioned by seeking bids from potential providers in the open market to demonstrate how they can deliver a quality and cost effective service. It is proposed to begin this procurement process in October 2019 and mobilise new services to align with the completion of building works in Spring 2020.

The local and national market for care leavers accommodation based support is delivered mainly through spot purchased placements, some via a regional framework. These placements typically have very high costs and there is limited availability within Herefordshire, resulting in many young people being placed outside of the county. The approach proposed here in utilising self-contained accommodation in premises owned by the council is somewhat innovative and has received a positive response to date. It provides an opportunity for improving outcomes for young people and value for money to the council.