The challenge:
Our client, a local authority in the midlands, was facing a backlog of education, health and care plan (EHCP) assessments as a result of pressures created by the coronavirus pandemic.
As such they engaged Reed Talent Solutions, via our consultancy arm Consultancy+, to help them complete these assessments and meet their statutory requirements.
Qualified and experienced educational psychologists were very much in demand during the Covid-impacted time, meaning in an already candidate short sector, demand was higher than ever before.
As such, the council was struggling to deliver a vital service that helps them to support vulnerable children.
The solution:
We worked with our client to provide a pool of ECHP assessors, while managing the demand, allocations and assurance of the work.
This meant not only was the authority able to meet all its statutory requirements, but was able to implement a robust, responsive service which could flex allocation in line with demand.
Reed Talent Solutions, through Consultancy+, helped the council formulate a model which worked best for all involved. We implemented a system whereby we paid assessors directly, with the local authority charged on a case-by-case basis.
This meant the council had control over their spend and did not have to pay on a time-period basis – a practice which had previously led to delays and high costs.
Due to Covid-19, the work we did was mainly delivered remotely to make sure all the relevant safety measures were met. However, if the council wanted assessments to be conducted face to face we were able to provide them with that option.
Our solution is based around strong communication, alongside visibility of both spend and performance.
The client was provided with weekly and monthly management information on factors such as spend vs budget, spend per assessor, and the performance of each assessor. This enabled us to track spend and performance, and to deliver all the required outcomes.
The results:
Our team of assessors conducted 430 assessments, clearing the local authority’s backlog and supporting them with the day-to-day work required to keep it clear.
By delivering the service through the YPO framework, we provided a transparent and compliant solution.
The implementation of our partnership helped us build a strong relationship with the council, delivering a quality service in line with their budget.
As a result of our solution, the local authority has access to a pre-qualified pool of 21 high-quality, experienced ECHP assessors, has gained a quick, compliant route to market via the YPO Managing Consultancy and Professional Services framework, and has complete transparency over spend and performance.
Find out more about our statement of work solutions, or get in touch with one of our experts to talk through your needs.
