This report sought agreement from the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee to include the current Public Health funding, allocated specifically for emotional health and wellbeing support for children and young people, within the new local model to be jointly commissioned from April 2024. The joint commission between Public Health, the Children and Young People’s Department and Wirral Place Integrated Care Board (ICB) will transform available support and will provide a more effective and co-ordinated approach to improve outcomes for children and young people

Resolved – That,

1.  The Director of Public Health be authorised to allocate the budget for the current mental health commissions funded from the Public Health Grant into the joint commission led by Wirral Place ICB for the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Model, for a contract period of five years (1st April 2024 – 31st March 2029). With the option of two one-year extensions in accordance with the spend profile in paragraph 4.5 of this report.

2.  The Director of Public Health be authorised to agree in consultation with Director of Children’s services the Council’s preferred tenderer and notify the Wirral Place ICB of this decision.

To ensure that Public Health funding for mental health support is appropriately and fully integrated into the new model for children and young people in Wirral.

It is necessary to recommission the services highlighted in order to comply with Public Contract Regulations 2015 and Wirral Council Contract Procedure rules. Other options related to contract length, contract value and several smaller contracts (the current situation) were considered. However, this work is a transformational project across the whole system of support for emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people. In order to meet the needs of children and young people more effectively, increase access, improve outcomes, and provide value for money it is considered that this support should be a joint commissioning venture (with Wirral ICB acting as the accountable body) rather than stand-alone commissions.