Purpose

This report outlines proposals for the
contract extension and variation of Evelina London Community
Children’s Services, Guys and St Thomas’s Trust
(Evelina) to deliver infant feeding, parenting and parent infant
relationship support as part of a wider partnership encompassing
Better Start Children’s Centres, Maternity Services, Health
Visiting, South London and Maudsley National Health Service (NHS)
Trust and voluntary and community sector partners. The additional
capacity created through this contract is a key component of
Lambeth’s Best Start in Life offer and utilises a proportion
of the best Start Family Hub grant.

The roles created through the Family Hub Start for Life programme
funding serve to strengthen the link between Evelina as the
existing Health Visiting service provider and Better Start
children’s centres, this report proposes a contract variation
and extension from the Council to Evelina to sit alongside the
existing Health Visiting contract which is held by the NHS South
East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) under a Section 75
agreement.

Decision

To approve a waiver under section
17.1 of the Council’s Contract Standing Orders to extend the
existing contract held by Evelina London Community Children’s
Services, Guy and St Thomas Trust, for the delivery of community
infant feeding, parenting, and parent–infant relationship
support, as part of Lambeth’s enhanced Best Start in Life
offer. The extension will run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 at
a value of £220,000. The current aggregate contract value is
£619,071, approval of this extension will increase the total
maximum contract value to £839,071 for the full extended
period.