Purpose

Award the contract for the provision of Clinical Psychology Led Education Support Services for Liverpool Virtual School to CAYP Psychology Ltd from 1st September 2026 for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend the contract for up to a further one year.

Decision

For the reasons set out in this report, the Corporate Director has decided to:

1)    Award the contract for the provision of Clinical Psychology Led Education Support Services for Liverpool Virtual School to CAYP Psychology Ltd with an estimated effective date of 1st September 2026 for an initial period of three years, with an option to extend the contract for up to a further one year. The contract value is £226,560 (excluding VAT) for the initial term of three years and £302,080 (excluding VAT) if the extension option is taken up.

Alternative options considered

Doing nothing would result in practice drift and loss of trauma informed focus. Without specialist consultation and reflective supervision, schools and Virtual School staff may revert to reactive approaches rather than proactive, trauma informed strategies. This undermines progress made in embedding attachment aware practice. The risks of doing nothing are as follows:

Increased risk of exclusions and placement instability: Children in care with complex emotional needs and adverse childhood experiences are more likely to experience behavioural escalation, leading to fixed term or permanent exclusions. This can trigger placement breakdowns and additional costs to the local authority.

Weaker Personal Education Plans:  The lack of robust strategies for addressing social emotional and mental health needs may impact on the quality of plans potentially reducing the impact of Pupil Premium Plus on attainment and wellbeing.

Missed statutory leadership responsibilities: The Virtual School Heads statutory duty to promote the educational achievement of looked after and previously looked after children (Children Act 1989 s22 (3A), Children and Families Act 2014) and strategic role for children with a social worker would not be fully met. This would be contrary to DfE statutory guidance, which expects proactive leadership and multi-agency collaboration.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and DfE guidance emphasis early intervention and systemic support to professionals. Failure to act risks noncompliance with these standards and could negatively impact Ofsted judgements on corporate parenting and education.