At a Glance…
We were commissioned by Southend-on-Sea City Council to undertake an independent review of the Children’s Services Strategic Commissioning and Brokerage function. The aim was to identify existing strengths, areas for improvement, and potential opportunities to develop a more proactive approach to market curation, shape innovative models of care, improve cost management, and enhance the use of resources to deliver better outcomes for children and young people.
The review informed the future development of an All-Age Commissioning Function and provided valuable insights into the commissioning workforce development needs of the council. This included initial demand modelling aligned with the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP). Following the diagnostic phase, we were further engaged to validate identified financial opportunities at a child-level, working in partnership with Social Care, Education, and the Commissioning and Brokerage Service. In addition to identifying actionable savings and associated implementation steps, we developed a financial savings model to enable robust tracking of progress and impact.
The Challenge
It was recognised that the existing commissioning framework and sufficiency plan required improvement in order to support more effective commissioning across all children and young people’s services. This included the need to enhance placement options for children in care while ensuring best value for Southend Council.
Although a high-cost panel was in place, discussions regarding high-cost placements remained largely strategic and high level. The opportunity for similarly focused and facilitated operational discussions across service areas was limited, reducing the system’s ability to coordinate responses effectively and achieve value for money.
Our Approach & Delivery
We delivered a whole-system diagnostic of Southend’s strategic commissioning and brokerage functions, working collaboratively with leaders across Children’s Services, Commissioning, and Finance. Our approach focused on identifying practical, evidence-based opportunities to improve outcomes for children and young people, strengthen decision-making processes for placements, and support long-term financial sustainability.
Our diagnostic was structured around six interlinked workstreams, employing a multi-method, child-level approach:
Practice-Led Workshops and Frontline Insight
We facilitated cross-agency workshops involving social workers, fostering teams, brokers, and commissioning professionals. These sessions explored individual children’s journeys, placement decisions, and systemic barriers, generating insights that directly informed our analysis.
Process and Documentation Review
We conducted a comprehensive mapping of current commissioning and brokerage processes, including placement finding, contract decision-making, and approval workflows. This review identified duplication, inefficiencies, and inconsistencies. Key strategies and documentation—such as efficiency plans, tender frameworks, and contracts—were also assessed.
Data-Driven Analysis
A detailed analysis of child-level financial data was carried out, including forecasting and modelling in line with the MTFP. We benchmarked Southend’s position nationally, regionally, and against statistical neighbours, identifying areas of relative overspend and commissioning drift.
Market and Provider Relationship Review
Current commissioning frameworks, provider relationships, and market engagement strategies were examined. This included an evaluation of existing tenders and contracts and the identification of opportunities for more strategic commissioning to unlock improved value and outcomes.
Whole-System Stakeholder Engagement
We conducted over 20 structured interviews with stakeholders across the system, including Directors, Heads of Service, brokers, and frontline practitioners. These discussions ensured that our findings were grounded in operational reality and reflected the lived experience of professionals.
Validation and Delivery Planning
The identified opportunities were refined and validated through four multi-agency workshops, bringing together professionals from social care, education, commissioning, and finance. These sessions tested feasibility, evaluated delivery impact, and informed next steps. The opportunities were then reviewed and endorsed by senior leadership.
A practical financial model was developed to accompany these opportunities, providing a dynamic tool for tracking delivery progress, in-year savings, and future cost avoidance.
Outcomes Achieved
The review identified over £4 million in whole-year net savings, of which £2.6 million are actionable in-year savings. These are supported by mapped actions that are expected to lead to tangible financial benefits. Additional potential savings were identified through improved commissioning, brokerage, and contract management practices.
Operational improvements were supported during the review period, including enhancements to decision-making around high-cost placements. Most significantly, all actions, whether identified at the individual child level or strategic level, are expected to lead to improved outcomes for children and young people. Notably, some improvements were implemented in real time during the review process.
