1. Map current services against needs and the outcomes you are trying to achieve:
- show where there are correlations, overlaps and gaps
- show which services should be commissioned, commissioned differently, or decommissioned
- localities may choose to express their priorities in terms of groups of inter-dependent outcomes
- health services use the concept of care pathways to trace the path of the user through multiple services and aims to inform service redesign.
4. Use national and local research to support decision making to reduce the risk in commissioning new services
5. Secure sustainable and efficient children’s services markets:
- by increasing provider diversity – including a range of private, voluntary, community and social enterprise models;
- by encouraging innovation
6. Consider commissioning multi-agency provision and integrated work arrangements:
- multi-agency working can be an effective way of delivering preventative and early intervention services.
- consider issues of location and workforce planning
