Market Engagement - Short Breaks for Children and Young People with SEND

Lancashire County Council is preparing for a procurement process for short break provision for children, young people and their families. Lancashire County Council has a statutory responsibility to commission a wide range of services for disabled children and young people in turn; this will enhance their lives, encourage independence and support families.

It is the council's intention to commission new arrangements for the provision of break time activities for children and young people with SEND. We aim to commission services that provide children and young people with enjoyable experiences that help them with their personal, social and educational development as well as giving parents and carers a valuable break, allowing them to rest, pursue other interests or spend time with other family members.

Please use this link to access the Provider Engagement Survey for more information and your opportunity to feedback on the proposed changes. https://wh1.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=160486766207ttps://wh... This engagement provides an opportunity to: • Comment on the proposed changes to short breaks provision for children and young people with SEND • Provide a view in relation to the main challenges of delivering short break services for children and young people • Provide an opportunity to opt in for further involvement This is the first opportunity for the wider market to provide a view on the commissioning intentions being drawn from the short break consultation. We want to use this opportunity to gather the views of providers, as we know that taking account of providers' responses will strengthen the intention, and increase the potential to improve outcomes for children and young people.

We would like to engage with providers who deliver a range of social care services/ out of school activities for children and young people with disabilities. We are particularly keen to hear from providers who would be able to provide a responsive service to children and young people with disabilities that will enable short break respite for parent/carers. A Provider Market Engagement Event will be held virtually on 10 December 2020 at 12:30pm.