Purpose

On 23rd July 2025, Cabinet approved the procurement for the provision of a new Overnight and Related Short Breaks Service for children and young people (CYP) with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Complex Needs (CN), with a request that the matter return to Cabinet on award.

Following a competitive tender process between 13th of October to 10th of November 2025, this item seeks approval from the Mayor and Cabinet to approve the award of two block contracts (Lots) for the delivery of a new Overnight and Related Short Breaks Service from 1st of November 2026.

The service supports and enables children and young people (CYP) with complex disabilities to access activities that are often open to non-disabled children, so that they can enjoy an ordinary life whilst providing their families with a break from their caring responsibilities. It is included as part of a range of Short Breaks services available to families with the highest level of need, who will be referred depending on their requirements.

The commissioning of this service enables the Council to meet its statutory duty under the Children & Families Care Act 2014
 

Decision

1. AGREED the recommendation of the report and approve the award of two block contract (Lots) for the delivery of a new Overnight and Related Short Breaks Service from 1st of November 2026.
2. Noted the Equalities Impact Assessment / specific equalities considerations as set out in Paragraph 4.1 and 4.2.

Reasons for the decision

•         The current contracts for the provision of Overnight and Related Short Breaks for disabled children and young people (CYP) are due to expire on 31st October 2026.  A competitive tender process was completed between October to November 2025, with 6 bids received and evaluated.

•         A decision from the Mayor and Cabinet is required to approve the award in line with the recommendations in this report.  This will ensure a seamless continuity of a high-quality overnight short breaks provision for our most vulnerable children, young people, and their families. 

•         As this is a statutory service, the Council has a legal responsibility to ensure its delivery under the Children & Families Care Act 2014.  Failure to award the service before the current contracts end would risk breaching our statutory duties to provide specialist short breaks to children and young people with the highest level of need. All available extensions (two years) have already been utilised with no further extensions remaining.

Alternative options

•        Transitioning to spot purchasing when the contract ends is an option, however it comes with several risks, the primary one being that the cost will be significantly more. It will also be difficult to track, monitor and forecast spend making it an inefficient and unsustainable option for the Council.

•        Delivering services off contract also introduces additional risks in that the Council will not be able to contract manage closely as it does with commissioned providers, which in turn could compromise service quality and safety. Moreover, this approach limits opportunities to build strong relationships with providers and to develop specialist services for our children. There are a limited number of providers in the market able to deliver these specialist services for our children.

•        Discontinuing the service altogether is not an option. The Council has a statutory duty to provide overnight and related short breaks for children and young people with disabilities. All available extensions on this contract (two years) have already been utilised with no further extensions remaining.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES (S. REDDY)