Purpose

The County Council provide a
range of Housing Related Support services in accommodation-based
settings to young people aged 16-24-years old that are either care
experienced or at risk of homelessness.
 
These services were procured in
2019 and the contracts subsequently extended in 2022 (decision

OKD22 (22/23) refers).
 
The contracts for young people
aged 16–24-years old are due to come to the end of the
maximum permissible term on 30th September 2024 with no further
options for extension. Options are currently being explored for
redesigning the future delivery of services to support young people
that are either care experienced or at risk of
homelessness.
 
Whilst further work is
undertaken to develop the redesigned service it is proposed that
arrangements with existing providers continue through direct
contract awards for the provision of Housing Related Support in
accommodation-based settings for up to a further 12 months (until
30th September 2025). This will allow a compliant procurement
exercise for the re-modelled service to then follow.

Decision

The Director of Children, Young People and
Learning has approved the direct award of contracts to existing
providers, detailed in paragraph 2.2 of the report, for a period up
to twelve months commencing on 1st October 2024.