Content

8.1

The Head of Commissioning – Children and
Families was in attendance to present a report which sought
approval to uplift the short breaks budget to create additional
capacity within the service to meet the needs of children with
disabilities and their families. The report sought approval to
extend the current Framework Agreement for Short Breaks for 12
months until 31st March 2025.

 

 

8.2

RESOLVED
UNANIMOUSLY: That the
Education, Children and Families Policy Committee approves the
following changes to the existing commissioning strategy for Short
Breaks: -

 

 

 

-      
an extension of the commissioning strategy for a period of 12
months (to 31st March 2025) at an estimated value of
£754,110
-      
an increase in the budget/capacity for short breaks services from
now until 31st March 2025 at an estimated cost of
£302,556
-      
the addition of transition services at an estimated value of
£100,852

 

 

8.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

8.3.1
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.3.2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.3.3
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.3.4
 
 

To seek approval from the Education, Children
and Families Committee to extend the current Short Breaks service
for a further 12 months, from the 31st of March 2024 to the 1st
April 2025 and commission additional capacity and a Transitions
short break for the remainder of 23/24 and 24/25 to meet current
and projected demand. This ensures that the Council can meet its
statutory duty to provide short breaks for all families that need
the service without delay or disruption.
 
Extending the contract will enable a further
year to test and review the current delivery model and gather a
comprehensive data set including feedback from key stakeholders and
opportunities for coproduction. It will allow Commissioning to
broaden the scope of the Framework to streamline the Short Breaks
Service offer and engage proactively with the market by developing
a Market Position Statement to support sufficiency. Learning and
strategic direction from the Governments Change Programme will also
influence this process.
 
We have a statutory duty to provide short
break services. They deliver improved long-term outcomes, keeping
families together and enabling children to develop new skills.
Children with disabilities and their families have been
particularly impacted by Covid, and again with the cost of living
rise. Extending the contract for 12 months minimises disruption and
allows children to settle into their provision now it is fully
compliant with the original specification post pandemic.
 
The Council requires short breaks in order
to:
 
• meet the needs of our children
• to provide clubs and activities that
our children look forward to going to
• offer a range of support in the form of
short breaks so that families have a choice of what they feel will
be helpful
• look at the local communities where
these children live and belong to see if there are Providers that
can offer varied and engaging short breaks
• to know what we can do so that existing
clubs are inclusive of children with additional needs.

 

 

8.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

 

 

8.4.1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.4.2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.4.3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.4.4

The Transitions short break and additional
short break capacity could be tendered separately, outside of the
Framework Agreement. This would be timely and less cost effective
for the Council. Commissioning this separately would add further
complexity and potential cost to the commissioning arrangements for
short breaks and create confusion for the market place as existing
Framework Providers would potentially bid for this work. The
Framework Providers have already been tested and quality assured
and the DPS allows for additional capacity to be sought through
existing Providers.
 
A shorter recommissioning process is an
option; by utilising current data and intelligence and conducting
small scale stakeholder feedback and market engagement to mitigate
the risk identified above. However, the services commissioned may
not be based on sufficient evidence and stakeholder and market
engagement which undermines the process. This option cannot
guarantee that the services commissioned are evidence based,
supported by key stakeholders or that the market is primed to
deliver anything other than what they already deliver. This option
greatly reduces the opportunity to broaden the scope of the
Framework and incorporate the Governments learning from their
Change Programme.
 
Short breaks are delivered in community venues
around the city by providers with appropriate buildings and
facilities, and the experience and infrastructure required to offer
high quality, safe provision. Commissioning a short breaks model in
this way supports the council’s best value duty and ensures
that the council has sufficient short breaks provision with a built
in option to upscale to meet demand. It would be extremely
challenging for the council to deliver such an expansive and
specialised service across the range of venues in-house as the
services are sessional and run on the same day and time each week
across the city. Providers overcome this challenge Page 61 Page 12
of 12 by delivering a range of other services and contracts which
make renting premises and hiring staff viable and provides
consistency for children and families.
 
There are no additional implications arising
out of the request to extend the current services.