Purpose

To seek delegated authority to procure a Light Touch Open Admission Framework[1] agreement that will be used to call-off a range of support services, help and resources for:

• Short Breaks for children with a disability.
• Floating Support for Children and Young People with a disability who access social care.
• Holiday Activity Food (HAF) programme
• Inclusive Services to promote inclusion across short breaks and HAF
• Crisis and Resilience Fund to empower community-based initiatives and help individuals and communities to find sustainable solutions
• Access to Resources to provide professional services in children’s social care

[1] Light Touch Open Admission Framework is a simple, flexible arrangement that lets approved

providers deliver services, with new providers able to join at intervals, and straightforward call?off

processes under the Procurement Act 2023.

Decision

Cllr Ben Evans sought delegated authority to procure a Light Touch Open Admission Framework1 agreement that will be used to call-off a range of support services, help and resources for:

·                Short Breaks for children with a disability.

·                Floating Support for Children and Young People with a disability who access social care.

·                Holiday Activity Food (HAF) programme

·                Inclusive Services to promote inclusion across short breaks and HAF

·                Crisis and Resilience Fund to empower community-based initiatives and help individuals and communities to find sustainable solutions

·                Access to Resources to provide professional services in children’s social care

Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:

Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Care, to:

Conduct a competitive procurement process in respect of a multi-supplier Light Touch Open Admission SHaRe (Support, Help and Resources) Framework that will be used to call-off support services, help and resources under the following lots:

a) Lot 1: The provision of Short Breaks for children with a disability. The recommendations will replace Cabinet decisions taken in March 2025 to seek cabinet approval for a multi-supplier framework agreement commencing 1st April 2027 and call-off contracts under it for the provision of short breaks activities

b)    Lot 2: The provision of Floating Support for Children and Young People with disabilities who access social care. The recommendations will replace Cabinet decisions taken in July 2023 to conduct a competitive procurement to establish a multi-provider framework for community-based support services, including Floating Support for Children and Young People, for individuals with assessed health or social care needs.

c)     Lot 3: The delivery of the Department for Education (DfE) Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) programme for the purpose of providing holiday activities and food to children and young people. The recommendations will replace Cabinet decisions taken in January 2025 to accept a grant award from the Department for Education to procure a contract for the continued delivery of the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for the period April 2026 to March 2029.

d)    Lot 4: Inclusive Services, is the provision of services to deliver inclusive practice that promotes participation across short breaks and the HAF programme, supporting children and families.

e)    Lot 5: Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) for the purpose of deliver targeted support, addressing financial hardship, and building community resilience; and

f)      Lot 6: Access to Resources, consisting of professional services that support the children’s social care process. The recommendations herein will replace Cabinet decisions taken in November 2021 to procure a Modified Dynamic Purchasing System (MDPS) for the provision of professional services in Children’s Social Care, including independent specialist assessments, therapeutic and mentoring support, and family support services.

The proposed framework shall continue for an initial period of 6 years and include an option to extend its term for a further period of not more than 2 years.

1. Determine whether to exercise the option to extend the term of the framework on the expiry of the initial 6-year term;
2. Administer the framework, admitting and removing service providers to/from the relevant lot(s) of the above framework during its term in accordance with the framework’s selection criteria;
3. Procure and award as many Call-Off Contracts as may be required by the council under the relevant lots of the above Framework. The Framework will be established for 6 years unless the option to extend the term is agreed; however, individual Call-Off Contracts may be awarded for periods that extend beyond the expiry of the Framework, where appropriate. Any such Call-Off Contracts will continue in force until their agreed end date or earlier review, termination, or expiry in accordance with their terms.