The Commissioners Perspective: The Lived Realities of Commissioning Children’s Preventative Services in England and the Role of Discretion

Commissioning remains the dominant process by which England’s state and third sector financial relationships are managed, attracting much criticism and debate. In response, the Civil Society Strategy (2018) has called for a renewed focus on collaborative commissioning arrangements. However, the absence of much comment on Commissioners suggests we have not paid enough attention to the role of the individuals who manage these processes. Semi-structured interviews with fifteen Commissioners, responsible for children’s preventative services provides new empirical evidence. Drawing on the notion of vertical discretion, that is an individual’s freedom from external control, versus horizontal discretion, that is an individuals’ freedom for decision-making this paper presents evidence on how Commissioners influence, and in some cases even circumvent, the commissioning process. Findings highlight that greater consideration of the role discretion in commissioning processes can add some insight into how more collaborative commissioning arrangements may be achieved at a local level.