Sufficiency Strategy for Cared for Children 2026-2030

We adopt a practical and collaborative approach to market engagement and commissioning to ensure placement sufficiency for children and young people. Our strategy is built on strong partnerships with providers, a clear understanding of local needs and a commitment to commissioning high-quality, cost-effective care. 

We maintain regular individual and collective dialogue with providers through:

• provider forums and partnership meetings - fostering transparency and collaboration
• Regional Care Cooperative Engagement (RCC) aligning commissioning priorities across the North- East
• feedback mechanisms - ensuring provider input informs service development and quality improvement

These activities enable us to share sufficiency data, discuss emerging needs and co-design solutions to enhance placement stability.

Our commissioning principles are:

• child-centred outcomes - prioritising stability, safety and wellbeing
• effective quality assurance - robust monitoring of Ofsted ratings, safeguarding compliance and contract management
• value for money - balancing cost efficiency with quality of care
• innovation and flexibility - encouraging providers to develop bespoke solutions for children and young people with complex needs

We utilise regional frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems to secure placements efficiently while maintaining high standards.

Quality of provision is monitored through:

• regular contract reviews and performance audits for internal and external placements
• safeguarding checks and compliance with statutory requirements
• continuous improvement plans informed by provider feedback, Ofsted and Regulation 44 inspections

Current market position

While in-house fostering remains our preferred option, demand for residential and specialist placements continues to rise, particularly for children and young people with high level emotional and behavioural needs. Geographic analysis shows a significant proportion of placements outside Gateshead, highlighting the need to expand local provision.

To address the needs of our children and young people, we will adopt a whole‑system, needs‑led approach that ensures every child receives the right support, in the right place, at the right time. This means developing provision that is established in early identification, high‑quality assessment, strong multi‑agency collaboration, and a clear pathway of support that prioritises safety, stability, wellbeing, and opportunity.

Gateshead's commitment to providers

We have developed a set of commitments to support partnership working with our providers, demonstrating our parenting commitment by working effectively together as a team around our children:

• provide high quality assessments and care plans
• ensure we provide timely paperwork
• ask you if we are getting this right, listen and work together to resolve
• bring in specialist expertise and support where children have specific needs
• work together to ensure timely access to health services
• work together to hold risk and support during a crisis
• do what it takes to ensure stability
• work together to ensure quality improves and support improvement plans resulting from changes to an Ofsted judgement
• celebrate your successes in achieving high quality outcomes for our children and promote best practice