Director Children's Services Tara Geere approved the direct award of two Short Breaks contracts on 24/09/2026. The decision approved direct awards to Family Information Group (FIG) and Disablement Association of Barking and Dagenham (DADB) for a period of 12 months. The new directly awarded contract will include the Council's 100 hours offer and impose an explicit obligation on each provider to refer any 100 hours family back to the Council if it considers a higher level of support is likely to be required within the relevant 12-month period.