Decision details

The Cabinet approved:

1)    The award of 8x block contracts for the delivery of Community Short Breaks from 01.04.2024, each with an initial contract term of 3 years; with an option to extend up to 2 years, in increments of 12 months, as follows:

a.    A1 – All Year Small Group awarded to Circles Network (Company Number: 02972700), with a value of £60,000 per annum (£300,000 for the contract term including extension period).

b.    A2 – Holiday Only Small Group awarded to Circles Network (Company Number:  02972700), with a value of £60,000 per annum (£300,000 for the contract term including extension period).

c.     A3 – Term Time Only Small Group awarded to Circles Network (Company Number:  02972700), with a value of £30,000 per annum (£150,000 for the contract term including extension period).

d.    A4 – Holiday Only Small Group awarded to Breakthrough Therapy (Company Number: 11919412), with a value of £25,000 per annum (£125,000 for the contract term including extension period).

e.    B1 – All Year Large Group awarded to Circles Network (Company Number: 02972700), with a value of £32,000 per annum (£160,000 for the contract term including extension period).

f.     B2 – All Year Large Group awarded to Peterborough Limited (Company Number:  1493249), with a value of £28,000 per annum (£140,000 for the contract term including extension period).

g.     B3 – Holiday Only Large Group awarded to Circles Network (Company Number:  02972700), with a value of £28,000 per annum (£140,000 for the contract term including extension period).

h.    B4 – Autism Focused Large Group awarded to Romsey Mill Trust (Company Number: 3556721), with a value of £25,000 per annum (£125,000 for the contract term including extension period).

2)    Delegate approval to the Executive Director of Adult Social Care & Commissioning following consultation with the Executive Director for Children and Young Peoples Service for the decision whether to invoke the extension period for each or any of the 8x block contracts following the initial contract term and in accordance with the contract provisions.

3)    Delegate approval to the Executive Director Adult Social Care & Commissioning to agree an uplift (per annum) of the contract value, subject to internal governance arrangements

Community Short Breaks are a statutory service and a key part of the provision offered to children & young people with disabilities and complex needs, and their families, within PCC. The current Community Short Breaks contracts end at the end of March 2024, with all extension periods utilised.

The recommissioned Community Short Breaks enables PCC to meet their statutory duty of offering a range of short breaks, as well as meeting the priorities identified in Section 4.3.

If the current contracts were to come to an end in March 2024 without recommissioning a new Community Short Breaks offer, Peterborough City Council would be going against their statutory duty to deliver a range of Short Breaks for children/young people with disabilities. There is also no option to extend the current contracts due to the 2-year extension period already being implemented from 2021.

An alternative option was to commission this support through a Framework or Dynamic Purchasing System arrangement. However, this option was rejected following soft market testing indicating a lack of interest from the provider market due to inconsistency of funding leading to lack of sustainability.

None.

Sufficiency Statement for Children & Young People with Disabilities & Complex Needs