Purpose

See attached ODR for details

Decision

To agree a further three-year block purchase arrangement with Changing Lives in order to support the Local Authority in meeting their statutory duties under Section 19 of the Education Act. Changing Lives provision sits alongside our core 6 day offer of assessment for those pupils that have complex mental health needs. They are proven to work closely with St Wilfrid’s and mainstream setting and can actively support reintegration and whole school mental health and trauma informed training to improve the chances of success.

This provision will deliver a high-quality, therapeutic alternative education service for children and young people who are permanently excluded, or at risk of disengagement from education. The service will specifically support those experiencing mental health challenges or with identified complex therapeutic needs.

Through a targeted and trauma-informed approach, the provision will identify, assess, and address underlying psychological and emotional barriers to learning, enabling young people to re-engage with education and improve outcomes. Part of the core offer that distinguishes this provision from others is their outreach offer that includes staff training, whole school training and individual case work.

Alternative options considered

Consideration of sourcing an alternative provider identifies limitations in the September 2026 delivery timeline, provider capacity, infrastructure, and specialist expertise required to deliver
provision across Key Stages 2–4 at scale. Currently there is only one other therapeutic provider on the framework and they are unable to deliver many of the aspects required. This includes speedy turn around to meet statutory duties, whole school support, family support and additional functions such as intervention from the occupational therapist. Many other providers do not offer a fully integrated model that combines preventative intervention, specialist assessment, supported reintegration, and statutory Day 6 provision within a single setting, nor the flexibility to accommodate cross-key stage placements. In addition, alternative providers may lack established partnership arrangements with the Local Authority and Inclusion Panel, reducing their ability to deliver a coordinated and responsive service. These constraints, alongside reduced staffing capacity and safeguarding infrastructure, increase the risk of delays in
placement and an inability to meet required timeframes. Furthermore, fragmented delivery models and the need to commission across multiple providers are likely to result in significantly higher costs and reduced overall efficiency.