Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

That the proposed contract and grant awards for short breaks in Surrey be approved.

Reasons for Decisions:

      I.        The new proposals will enable families of children with SEND to achieve better outcomes from their short breaks, because they have been co-designed with families (supported by Family Voice Surrey) in response to what they told us was most important.

    II.        Current contracts for short breaks services are ending on 30 November 2017 and the Council has statutory duties to provide these services, so we have to secure future provision for families.

   III.        As a result of the legally compliant short breaks tender there will be a 4.5% increase in hours of play and leisure short breaks and these services will be provided more locally.

  IV.        Awarding block contracts and grants for a minimum of three years and four months will give families certainty about the short breaks offer, whilst also securing high-quality provision and value for money for the Council.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children and Education Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Education gave a very detailed introduction to this report that described how high-quality, locally delivered short breaks made a huge difference to over 2,200 children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in Surrey each year. Short breaks enabled children and young people to achieve better outcomes by having fun, seeing their friends and trying new activities, whilst also giving families a much needed break from caring. Alongside this, Surrey County Council (SCC) had a range of statutory duties and responsibilities that it needed to fulfil in relation to short breaks provision.

The report also set out proposed funding awards for a range of short breaks in Surrey, including overnight residential and play and leisure services, and specific grant-funded projects. Acknowledging the vital role played by short breaks, SCC has maintained the budget at £3.1 million, at a time of significant financial challenge.

Due to the commercial sensitivity involved in the contract award process, the names of the providers are listed in this report; however, all financial details and a summary of evaluation scores have been circulated in a Part 2 report as agenda item 17.

It was explained that Surrey County Council (SCC) had a legal duty to review its contracts with providers of short breaks every 3-5 years. This allowed new providers to have the opportunity to bid and which could lead to improved provision coming from new ideas and input.

The council were aware that changes in provision could cause uncertainty and it was recognised that this can be particularly difficult for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities. All parents have to have a high level of trust when they pass their children to the care of another person, but this was particularly so when the child or young person had special needs which may prevent them from speaking or acting for themselves.

Short breaks were closely linked to the SEND 2020 Development Plan through which the development of independence in children and young people was encouraged. Changes can be for the better and, after a settling in period, many families should feel the benefit of the recommissioning which has been done in line with their suggestions following a wide ranging consultation process

She explained what short breaks were and how many people used them and stressed the importance of the role played by short breaks in that the County Council had protected the budget of £3.1 million for short break services in Surrey when many other services are experiencing reduction.

Council officers had worked with families at each stage of the process of recommissioning in order to use the opportunity to respond more fully to their needs. They would also continue to work with families of users of The Beeches to ensure that children settle into new places.  In response to a parent query she stated that if Beeches was to be leased at £0.6m this would need to come out of the £1.3m for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 123