Sheffield City Council has unanimously agreed to the re-commissioning of 16-25 Years Supported Accommodation services for vulnerable young people with an estimated cost of £33.1 million over 4.5 years.

In a meeting on Monday 26th February the Education, Children and Families Committee were in full support of re-commissioning the service with current funding expected to run out in September 2024.

The agreement comes at an important time following newly announced Ofsted regulatory requirements last October.

Current frameworks have been in place since August 2019 and support the needs of vulnerable young people and care leavers ensuring accessible high quality accommodation and daily living support.

Councillor Dawn Dale visited the supported accommodation in the City and said: “I can honestly say it felt like a home”.

During the financial year 2022-23 a total of 183 young people were supported, with an average of 108 young people at any one time.

The purpose of the Council purchasing supported accommodation is to meet key objectives that support young people into independence.

Further objectives include the development of a mixed economy of provisions to meet diverse needs and requirements of young people.

Strategic Commissioning Manager, Amy Buddery said: “Some of our providers are concerned about how it (Ofsted regulatory requirements) will impact on their ability to support that transition into independence.”

“Our role in that is supporting the providers make sure that they are delivering services that are in line with the Ofsted framework, but are also flexible, agile and responsive enough.”

The council says the decision supports the 2022/23 Sheffield Delivery Plan ambition and is a positive step towards accommodating vulnerable young people in the City.