Shortbreaks and Outreach Framework

Southampton City Council intends to establish a multi provider Short Breaks, Outreach and Support Framework to improve access to high quality services for children and young people with disabilities aged up to 18 years. Services will help children and young people with disabilities to develop independence, access their community, and maintain their wellbeing, while supporting family stability.

The service will include personalised care and community based support, including personal care, delegated health tasks, communication and independence building programmes, behaviour support, community access and, where required, overnight respite. These are for children who cannot safely access mainstream provision due to high levels of personal care, complex health needs, autism or behaviour that challenges.

Services delivered under this Lot should offer group and community-based activities that support children's social development, independence, wellbeing and enjoyment, while providing families with essential respite. The purpose of the Framework is to deliver consistent, timely, high quality and value for money support, while strengthening family resilience and improving outcomes for children and young people with disabilities.

By approving providers onto a single Framework, the Council can quickly match a child's assessed needs with an appropriate supplier, reducing delays and enabling responsive, high quality support across the local area. The aim of Lot 1 is to develop a range of providers who can deliver personalised care and support in the home or community.

The outreach service will ensure that children and young people with disabilities can develop independence skills, access their community, and maintain their wellbeing at the same time the family have a break from their caring duties. The goal of Lot 2 is to develop a range of specialist and targeted activities for children and young people in a variety of locations across the city. The activities will provide opportunities for children to try new skills things, develop their social skills and support their overall development whilst giving their parent carers a break from caring.