CCRAG
"Making better-informed decisions for children and young people"
Overview
Every child deserves to be placed in a safe, high-quality environment where they can receive the care and support they need to thrive.
Since 2021, PPL Innovate has partnered with the Children's Cross Regional Arrangements Group (CCRAG) to deliver a digital platform that enables local authorities to collaborate, access quality assurance information and make informed placement decisions for the children and young people they support.
Rather than each local authority sourcing and maintaining provider information independently, the platform brings everything together in one central location. This shared approach reduces duplication, makes more effective use of public sector resources and enables professionals to quickly access the information they need without contacting multiple providers individually.
The solution helps improve oversight of provider information, supports collaboration between local authorities and enables professionals to identify suitable care options more efficiently. By making information sharing simpler and more accessible, the platform helps professionals make timely, informed decisions that support better outcomes for children and young people while delivering greater value for money across participating authorities.
Building a platform around the needs of local authorities and providers
Our work with CCRAG began in 2021 with a complete rebuild of the platform, introducing innovative functionality, improved user journeys and a more intuitive experience for both local authority staff and care providers.
Since then, we have continued to work in close partnership with CCRAG through regular engagement, ongoing communication and continuous feedback. By listening to users and responding to their evolving requirements, we have continually enhanced the platform to better support changing operational needs and emerging priorities.
This collaborative approach has streamlined processes, simplified the management of children's placement information and created a platform that is easier for administrators, providers and local authority staff to use every day.
A key feature of the platform is that provider organisations can securely log in and manage their own provision records, ensuring information remains accurate and up to date. Local authority users can also flag records where information appears incomplete or outdated, automatically notifying providers so updates can be made quickly. This shared responsibility helps maintain the quality of information while reducing the administrative burden for everyone involved.
"The most valuable features are the Local Vacancy Alert where providers can send a vacancy alert to LAs nationally, the Information Exchange / Broadcast Emails which allow us to share information with LA Partners / Providers quickly and easily, the Flag An Issue function where users can flag missing information directly with the provider, Placement Searches where users can search for placements by Location, Vacancy & Need and finally, the Digital National Contact List."
Karen Faulkner, CCRAG
Supporting faster, more informed placement decisions
Today, the CCRAG platform maintains a comprehensive, up-to-date database of more than 6,600 children's care provisions, including children's homes, schools and fostering agencies. The platform is used by more than 5,000 users each year, supporting more than 150 local authorities and over 3,000 provider organisations.
Beyond providing access to reliable provider information, the platform has helped create a collaborative community where local authorities can work together, share learning and focus their collective efforts on improving outcomes for children. By enabling professionals to identify appropriate placements more quickly, with greater confidence in the information available, the platform supports children and young people to access the care that best meets their needs as efficiently and smoothly as possible.
"Working with PPL Innovate feels like having an extension of our own team. Their expertise, responsiveness, and commitment to delivering positive outcomes are exceptional. They have supported us to ensure CCRAG Local Authorities and Providers can share information in real time and make better-informed decisions for children and young people."
Karen Faulkner, CCRAG
Continuing to evolve through partnership
Our partnership with CCRAG continues to evolve, with continuous improvement at the heart of our approach. By working closely with users, responding to feedback and investing in ongoing innovation, we are ensuring the platform continues to deliver lasting value for local authorities, providers and, most importantly, the children and young people they serve.
Delivering value
Together, PPL Innovate and CCRAG have:
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Enabled faster decisions
Local authorities can identify suitable placements more quickly using comprehensive, up-to-date provider information
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Improved data quality
Empowered providers to manage their own records and local authorities to flag outdated or incomplete information
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Reduced admin burden
Centralised provider information, reducing duplication and the time spent sourcing and maintaining records
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Stimulated collaboration
Connected local authorities and providers to share information, learning and support better outcomes for children and young people
