West Sussex County Council brings a child psychology service back in-house and carry out a cost-saving review

The Child and Adolescent Multi-disciplinary Service (CHAMPS) has been provided by the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust since 2019 via a contract worth around £1.2m per year.

Some £233,000 of that comes from the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board.

But Jacquie Russell, cabinet member for children & young people, learning & skills, has signed off on a decision to in-source the service from December 1.

The decision will also enable Trust staff to stay in their posts whilst becoming county council employees.

CHAMPS is a specialist psychology service providing children’s services with a range of consultation support and one-to-one work with children in care or child protection, asylum seekers and children who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour.

A report by assistant director Daniel Ruaux said there were ‘multiple benefits’ to bringing the service in-house.

He added: “A key benefit is improved breadth and flexibility within the service to adjust service delivery to meet current and future needs more effectively.

“Furthermore, there are potential financial efficiencies to be realised for the county council and Integrated Care Board, as a result of £254,000 [of] overheads that will no longer require payment to [the] Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust.”

Those overheads include £105,000 for agency staff, £36,000 of IT costs, and £30,000 for accommodation.

As well as the overheads, Mr Ruaux’s report said that bringing the service in-house would ‘significantly reduce the excessive costs currently being incurred’ and the pressures they placed on the children, young people, and learning budget.

He added that a review could be carried out once the service was back in the council’s hands ‘to ascertain the most suitable option for delivering a cost effective service’.

Mr Ruaux said: “This would meet the existing need for the service whilst providing for a greater degree of control and discipline in the management and delivery of the service in future.”

Councillors have until November 29 to call in the decision for further discussion.