Children, Young People & Skills Committee
Agenda Item 72
Date of meeting: 7 March 2022
Report of: Executive Director Families Children & Learning
Contact Officer: Name: Olanrewaju Oluwafemi
Tel: 07525 387 862
Email: olanrewaju.oluwafemi@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: All
For general release
1.1 To agree the recommissioning and procurement of existing children and young people’s respite services. The children and young people’s respite services help to support children and young people with health, special educational needs and disabilities within their own homes and communities.
1.2 The services create the opportunity for children and young people to enjoy time away from home, experience new friendships and adds enrichment to their lives. The services also enhance a sense of wider inclusion in the community, which will enable parents of children and young people to have regular breaks, by providing support and befriending services in the home or in the local community.
2.1 That the Committee grants delegated authority to the Executive Director of Families, Children and Learning to jointly reprocure the Children and Young People’s Respite Services Contracts with NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group; and award the contracts for an initial term of three years with the option to extend for a further period of up to two years, subject to satisfactory performance.
3.1 The children and young people’s respite services currently consists of:
· Shared Care (family-based care where children & young people are cared for by another family for certain periods of time)
· Overnight Short breaks (family-based care where children & young people are cared for and sleep over for a couple of nights)
· Day Support (family-based care where children & young people are looked after during the day for a couple of hours)
· After School Club (clubs for children to promote safe, stimulating, and inclusive out of school activities)
· Holiday Play Scheme (recreational forum for children and young people to socialize with their peers, whilst getting appropriate support and supervision)
· Holiday Youth Scheme (promote safe, stimulating, and inclusive holiday activities for young people to socialize with their peers, engage in positive activities to promote their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills)
3.2 These valuable services have been reported as being very beneficial to the children, young people, and their families in the city. The services have enabled continuity of care and much needed breaks for those helping to look after children and young people with additional needs.
3.3 The services provide much needed support to families, who can be under extreme pressure and at risk of no longer being able to cope. Along with a range of experiences in line with their age, developmental needs, and personal preferences, the services provide parent / carers with a break in care.
3.4 The Brighton and Hove Children and Young People’s Respite Services are commissioned and funded through a partnership between Brighton and Hove City Council (acting as Lead Commissioner) and Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group.
3.5 Two contracts were awarded as 5-year (3+2) year contracts from 2016. One contract was awarded to Barnardo’s with contract value of £320,531 of which Brighton & Hove City Council pays £258,111 and Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group pays £62,420. This contract was extended for another year until June 2022 (with an optional further extension until September 2022).
3.6 A second contract was also awarded to Extratime with contract value of £225,400 paid by Brighton & Hove City Council. This contract was extended for another year until June 2022 (with an optional further extension until September 2022).
3.7 The actual annual cost of the two contracts is £545,931 which comes to £2.730m over the lifetime of the original contracts. Current forecasts indicate the contracts which have been extended to June 2022 have a total value of £3.276m.
3.8 Officers are seeking delegated authority to procure and award two 5 year (3+2) joint contracts with NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group. It is a legal requirement under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for the Council to reprocure these services as the value of the contracts exceed the procurement threshold for light touch regime services.
4.1 Extended day services option was considered to provide a before, or after-school voluntary program held typically in schools to give parents / carers the needed break in care. The extended day option can be delivered as after school and holiday clubs and would fall within the day support aspect of respite services.
4.2 Extended day services option was not recommended as it does not cover family based, shared care, and overnight short breaks aspect of respite services and this is being looked at to be commissioned and delivered in-house.
5.1 In agreement with the Council’s Strategic Procurement Manager, engagement activities with internal and external stakeholders and the market were recommended to feed into the recommissioning and procurement of the services.
5.2 Internal and external stakeholders’ engagement activities took place on 10th December 2021 and 12th January 2022, the outcomes are being fed into this recommissioning and procurement process.
5.3 Further engagement activities with stakeholders are on-going and a focused engagement event has been scheduled for 9th February 2022. This activity is being facilitated by Parents and Carers’ Council and the outcome will further feed into this recommissioning and procurement of these services.
6.1 The Children and Young People’s Respite Services help to support children and young people with health, special educational needs and disabilities within their own homes and communities.
6.2 The services also enhance a sense of wider inclusion in the community, which will enable parents of children and young people to have regular breaks.
6.3 The services have enabled continuity of care and much needed breaks for those helping to look after children and young people with additional needs.
6.4 The recommended course of action is for the Committee to grant delegated authority to the Executive Director of Families, Children and Learning to procure and award the Children and Young People’s Respite Services Contracts for an initial term of three years with the option to extend for a further period of up to two years, subject to satisfactory performance.
7.1 The children and young people’s respite services are jointly funded by Brighton & Hove City Council and Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group and the budget is agreed on an annual basis.
7.2 The annual provisional budget from April 2022 to March 2023 is £545,931 with Brighton & Hove City Council contributing £483,511 and Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group contributing £62,420.
7.3 The estimated budget for the next 5 years is £2.730m excluding inflation and VAT, based on the 2022/23 provisional budget.
Name of finance officer consulted: Steve Williams Date consulted: 03/02/22
8.1 The Council must comply with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 in relation to the procurement and award of contracts above the relevant financial threshold. The services outlined in this report fall within Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and exceed the relevant financial threshold for light touch regime services (£663,540 inclusive of VAT). The procurement process for the light touch regime is not unduly prescribed but must accord with the fundamental principles of transparency and equal treatment of economic operators.
Name of lawyer consulted: Sara Zadeh Date consulted: 10/02/22
9.1 Analysis and review of services over a few years has identified the need to reach out and engage with hard-to-reach children, young people, parents / carers, and their families in the city, involving them in the whole commissioning process, identifying their specific needs so that services can be tailored towards meeting those needs.
9.2 This respite services recommissioning process has involved identified hard to reach groups in the city and the services to be procured will reduce social isolation among this cohort and will also ensure that parents, carers, and families get breaks from their caring roles. This will enable them to care more effectively without experiencing burn outs or any detrimental effects to their own health and wellbeing.
9.3 Over time, this will ensure children and young people are able to remain in the community with their families, which will reduce placement in long term care and help to reduce overall care costs and complexities involved in long term care placements.
10.1 Brighton & Hove City Council is committed to taking responsibility for its own impact on the environment. Sustainability considerations and benefits will form part of the evaluation of bids for the contracts in line with the Council’s Sustainable Procurement Policy and Climate Change Strategy.
10.2 Providers will need to demonstrate how they will achieve best practice, value for money, and innovations. This will include minimising non – recyclable waste and promoting recycling.
10.3 Commissioners will focus a 10% weighting within the quality questions for sustainability.
11.1 Social value benefits will form part of the evaluation of bids for the contracts in line with the Council’s Social Value Framework. Bidders will be asked to provide evidence of how the service will improve the social wellbeing of the local area in the city.
11.2 At all stages of the commissioning process Brighton and Hove City Council will work in line with the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and consider the economic, social, and environmental improvements that the local area can benefit from through the children and young people’s respite recommissioning. Providers will need to demonstrate how they will achieve and exceed the requirements specified by Brighton and Hove City Council. This will Include promoting independence and choice, employing and training locally, supporting the local economy, developing community partnerships and initiatives.
11.3 Commissioners will achieve this by ensuring:
· 10% weighting within the quality questions for social value.
· Stimulation of better, more innovative services
· Current users of the service and stakeholders, including children, young people, parents, carers, and families, are consulted to clearly define needs and design methods to meet these needs in a sustainable manner.
· Improved community relations
· Delivery of better services