Decision details

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services seeking approval to begin a procurement process for the commissioning of short break services for Children and Young People with Disabilities. The current contracts end in March 2014 therefore new contracts will be required from April 2014. A range of services will be commissioned in collaboration with Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group and Adult Social Care colleagues. A grants process will also take place to develop more community based short break activities.

(i)  To delegate authority to the People Director to begin a procurement process for the provision of short break services as set out in this report and to enter into contracts in accordance with contract procedure rules.

(ii)  To delegate authority to the People Director to begin a grants process to develop community based short break activities and to award grants in consultation with the cabinet member for children’s services.

(iii)  To delegate authority to the People Director, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, to approve a spend of the amounts set out in this report against the new contracts and grants subject to annual budget setting.

1. The Council has a statutory duty under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick & Disabled Person’s Act (CSDPA) 1970 to meet the assessed needs of all persons with disabilities.  Further, the Council has a statutory duty under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to meet the assessed needs of children and young people with disabilities.
2. New legislation came into force in April 2011, the ‘Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011’ place local authorities under a duty to provide a range of short break services to meet the needs of the local population and assist carers to continue to provide care to their child or to do so more effectively.
3. The Government White Paper ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ directs organisations to provide better prevention services, earlier intervention and more support for people with long-term support needs and their family carers.
4. The contracts and grants will support the Council to meet the needs of families in Southampton and also to achieve best value for money.

The Council could decide not to go out to the market to tender for short break services and instead invest the funding internally.  This option has been rejected as it would not be possible to develop the range, volume and variety of provision required within timescales. It would also not make best use of the significant expertise in the city from voluntary sector organisations to provide short break services.

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