Decision

The Department for Education (DfE) invited
local authorities to bid for the Short Breaks Innovation Fund which
runs from 1st April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The fund is intended to
expand or create new short breaks provision for disabled children
and their families in local areas. Southampton City Council was
invited to bid with Portsmouth City Council and were advised on 18
October 2023 that this has been successful.
The total value of the grant across both cities is £979,204,
to be spent between 1 April 24 and 31 March 2025.
Additionally Southampton City Council has been awarded a
mobilisation grant of £87,377.00 to be used in this financial
year (prior to 31 March 2024) to support project management,
training development and business support (all to be recruited by
Testlands), legal costs and programme support. This is to enable
the project to be up and running from 1 April 2024.
Southampton City Council is acting as the lead for this
collaborative project and will receive the funding via a grant
agreement quarterly in arrears. This will be passported directly to
our delivery partner for the project, Testlands, Charitable
Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
We need to seek an urgent decsion to accept the funds to allow the
Grant Agreement between the Council and DfE to be returned by 30
November 2023. The tight deadlines for submission of local plans,
notification of the award, and return of the Grant Agreement have
been driven by the DfE.