SPS 2608 - The Provision of a High Quality Short Breaks and Activities for Children and Young People with Special Education Needs and Disabilities

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is seeking to commission a new open framework agreement consisting of multiple, suitably qualified providers to deliver Short Breaks and a variety of activities for our children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The proportion of children and young people with SEND now represents 3% of the population, which used to be 2% in 2020. As of January 2022, there were 6,581 children and young people in RBG Schools identified as having special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). Our strategic ambition is to offer equal access of opportunities to children and young people with SEND, to enable them to access provisions in the community that will enhance their learning and development.

Every child and young person with an Education, Health and Care Plan (up till the age of 25) is entitled to 100 hours of short breaks per year, accessible through our commissioned providers. In addition, we aim to offer a range of activities for those children and young people with Special Education Needs We require a range of providers to offer these activities which would be suitable for children under 5, primary aged children, secondary aged children, and also 18-25's.

The overarching outcomes of the provision and those that the DfE are hoping will be achieved through this programme, are that children and young people will: • Be more active during the school holidays; • Take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, characters and wellbeing along with their wider education attainment; • Be safe and not be socially isolated and also; • reduce the need for more expensive emergency respite options and improve outcomes for disabled children and young people in the borough.

The successful providers will need to meet the delivery requirements of the DfE in the areas of food, activities, physical activity, nutrition, education, SEND provision, signposting and referrals, as laid out in the specification document.

The call off procedure will be via direct call off, or a mini competition. The procurement will take place under the Light Touch Regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Framework Agreement awarded will be for a period of four years and shall be awarded to multiple providers. Forecasts indicate that total expenditure in this area over the six - years period which will be approximately £2.34M (this includes a possible extension of an additional 2 years)