CWC24003 Market Testing Overnight Short Breaks for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25 years

Tender description

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) defines children or young people as having SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which affects their learning compared with others of the same age and requires special educational provision. The Council has a duty to provide short breaks provision for Children and Young People with a disability and their families, as part of the Children and Young Person’s Act (2008) as every local authority “...shall provide services designed to assist individuals who provide care for such children (disabled) to continue to do so, or to do so more effectively, by giving them a break from caring”. Short breaks are integral to a comprehensive approach to supporting disabled children to develop as participating and contributing individuals, included in their communities, with personal social networks. This document is aimed at existing and potential providers of children’s short breaks support. This market questionnaire seeks to engage with providers to gain initial ideas around the future development of the overnight short breaks service. The Council wish to maintain open dialogue with children, young people, families, providers, and others to develop a diverse market in the city. We encourage innovation and provider’s view will inform the service specification as part of the Procurement Process. Providers of short breaks can learn about the Council’s intentions as a purchaser of services, and its vision for how services might respond to current and future needs by completing this document as fully as possible. The council is hosting a provider forum on the 19th of July 2024 10:00-11:30am at the Civic Centre. Please email the contact in the market engagement document if you wish to attend. Sector providers interested in developing new businesses and social enterprise will also be informed of grant funded opportunities the Council have available at this event. The council welcomes Voluntary, Community, Not-for-profit, and Private, as well as providers and organisations currently and not currently active within the City of Wolverhampton, organisations input in the development of short breaks services on behalf of children with SEND and their families in Wolverhampton. Please use this opportunity to take park in this market testing opportunity and the upcoming procurement process commencing in early August 2024. Keywords: SEND overnight short breaks, disabilities short breaks, respite short breaks , SEND breaks, family SEND overnight breaks