SENDIASS and the Local Offer

Tender description

Wakefield Council (‘The Council’) is seeking to procure a Wakefield Special Educational Needs & Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) and Local Offer (‘The Service’). The Council is seeking to commission a service provider to deliver a service to discharge the duties placed on local authorities and health partners to families of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), as set out in Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015 with regard to the provision of Information, Advice and Support services and the Local Offer. The Service will deliver all aspects of a SENDIASS and Local Offer service. The contract start date will be 1 April 2022 and ending on 31 March 2024, with the option to extend for a period of up to 24 months. It is possible that TUPE might apply. Lot 1: The Service will improve outcomes for children and young people aged 0-25 who have, or may have, SEN or disabilities, and their parents /carers by providing impartial, accurate and confidential information, advice and support that is flexible and tailored to individual needs. The main objectives are to: • Empower service users with the information and advice they need to make informed decisions about provision made by education, health and social care and the take up and management of personal budgets. • Support service users to acquire the skills and knowledge to effectively access services and navigate the SEND system • Provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up to date information about available provision through the Local Offer and how to access it. • To empower children, young people and their parents/carers to be able to effectively support themselves - resilience, independence and self-advocacy. • Assist service users to participate in the design and delivery of services, pathways and procedures through agreed local area mechanisms for engagement and co-production, in order to make services more responsive to local needs and aspirations. • Provide the local area with analysis and information on key trends to assist with identifying any areas of concern, gaps and support continuous service improvements. The Council anticipates that delivery of this service will cost no more than £220,000 per annum. Bids must not exceed this ceiling budget annually or in total over the initial contract period. Any bid that does exceed the maximum annual budget or budget available over the initial contract period will be eliminated from the process due to unaffordability. Additional information: The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: www.yortender.co.uk - Reference: DN548790 For support with registration on the YORtender website or if you are having difficulties accessing the documents through YORtender, please contact the YORtender helpdesk via email toProContractSuppliers@proactis.com. The successful service provider will be required to participate in the achievement of community wellbeing and positive outcomes for its customers as well as promotion and achievement of social and economic growth and environmental and sustainability policy objectives where this is required by the Contracting Authority in the contract documentation.