CP1777-19 Short Breaks for disabled children and young people and Early Help Services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) and their families in Devon

We would like to invite providers to attend workshops on the following dates in December: - 9.12.2019 10.30-13.00 in Tavistock, - 11.12.2019 13.30-16.00 in Totnes, - 12.12.2019 14.00-17.00 in Exeter. The aim of the events is to help inform and shape the service design, which will be tendered in 2020.

Providers who attend will: - have the opportunity to influence the service design, - hear what children and families have shared with us through engagement. This is likely to include short break services which can support children and young people both at home and in their local communities with opportunities to have fun, learn and socialise and allow parents and carers opportunities for a break from their caring role.

Disabled children and young people have the right to be supported at home and in their local communities, to have opportunities to make and meet friends, feel confident and to thrive with a good family life. Sometimes that means doing things as a family, sometimes it means children and young people have fun, learn and socialise without their family while parents and carers spend time doing something else.

The disabled children's service assesses need and supports families to explore the type of support that will work best for them. Families can decide to take a direct payment to fund suitable support themselves.

Part of this maybe access to a short break, direct payment or personal budget. Short breaks covers a range of services.

They can include the provision of day, evening, overnight and weekend activities for children and young people. Short breaks can take place in a child's home, the home of an approved carer and/or in a residential or community setting.

Disabled children and children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families could also be assessed and supported through Early Help. Families could receive support brought together through a support plan from a range of services and teams.

A small element of these services are currently spot purchased for families which may be in scope of this tender, however other early help services including those provided by DCC, will be out of scope of this tender. These services are likely to include opportunities for children and young people who are commissioned by neighbouring authorities to access these services. These services are likely to include opportunities for service providers located in neighbouring authorities to deliver services to children and young people from Devon.