Health and social work services

Tender description

The Council are commissioning a range of short breaks for disabled children. The aim of short breaks provision is to ensure that disabled children and young people have access to social experiences and interactions alongside their disabled peers within the local community. Families are also provided with a break from their caring responsibilities and given an opportunity to recharge their batteries and/or carry out activities with other family members. There are 4 lots: — Lot 1: Short Term Residential Overnight Breaks, — Lot 2: Befriending / Buddy Scheme, — Lot 3: Targeted Holiday Schemes, — Lot 4: Targeted Term Time Provision. Part 1: To deliver residential overnight breaks at Beaumonds, Padleigh Hill, Bath, BA2 9DW User group: Disabled children and young people aged 8 to the child’s 18th Birthday and who live in the B&NES area. These breaks are open to children and young people assessed or known to social care. The majority of children using residential overnight short breaks are “disabled children” with multiple impairments and complex needs, including health and behavioural, rather than children with what would be considered as life limiting conditions, such as cancer. Part 2: To deliver residential overnight provision with a programme of activities to develop independent skills for teenagers 15-19 years User group: 15-19 year olds (up to 19th Birthday) with a range of disabilities who live in the B&NES area. Young people with a range of disabilities. This service is open to those with an identified disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010 and/or those disabled young people assessed by or known to social care. The Council is looking for a Befriending/Buddy scheme which can be described as an on-going positive, supportive and fun one to one relationship that enables a disabled child or young person to access a range of community or leisure activities and experience enjoyable interactions. The matching process will be informed by the expressed needs and wishes of the disabled child or young person and their family / carers. The befriender can be a volunteer or a paid employee and will spend time on a regular basis undertaking activities based on the child’s/young person’s choice and interests. The Council is looking for a targeted holiday scheme which will deliver a minimum of 900 hours of provision per annum throughout the year during the B&NES school holidays and meet all age ranges (3-19 years) throughout the duration of each holiday period. All provision must be divided into appropriate age groups. Each scheme will run for a minimum of 6 hours per day with a minimum of 15 (dependent on the needs of the disabled children and young people attending) and will not exceed 25 children/ young people. The Council is looking for a range of targeted provision across the Bath and North East Somerset Area to cover evening and weekend provision within the B&NES term time school calendar. Disabled children and young people will access a range of social experiences to build self-confidence and enjoy time outside of their family/home environment. Sessions should run weekly within term time, reaching between 15 and 25 young people per session. A minimum of 735 hours of provision per year is required.