These resources sit at the heart of Adoption England’s national commissioning support offer. The aim is to share best practice, strengthen consistency in commissioning adoption support, and make processes simpler and more efficient for regional adoption agencies and local authorities. By doing so, the offer helps reduce the time staff spend managing commissioning activity, supports providers, builds confidence among social workers, and improves how services are monitored and reviewed.
Alongside these resources, the offer includes a Regional Commissioning Member Group, a Provider Engagement Group, and commissioning training for RAA staff. Together, these create opportunities for learning, collaboration and shared problem-solving, ensuring effective practice is spread across regions and that approaches are aligned where it makes sense to do so.
At the centre of this offer is the Principles of Commissioning Adoption Support guidance, with further resources being developed to support different stages of the commissioning cycle.
A guide to Procurement Routes and Contract Arrangements
The guide is a summary of the different procurement routes and contractual arrangements available when commissioning adoption support services and therapies; their pros and cons and what to consider.
Adoption support services can be commissioned using numerous different procurement routes and contractual arrangements. Some of the pros and cons to consider when choosing which to use are set out in this guide. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list and does not replace a project specific options appraisal, which is an essential part of any commissioning process.