Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (Aiming High)

Opportunity overview

Staffordshire County Council wishes to engage a Lead Provider to coordinate and deliver a countywide programme of Short Breaks provision for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) aged 0-17 years and their families across Staffordshire. The service must provide accessible, meaningful and enjoyable opportunities which promote inclusion, independence, confidence, wellbeing and participation in community life, whilst also providing parents and carers with meaningful breaks from their caring responsibilities. The service will comprise both a General Targeted Offer and an Enhanced Targeted Offer to ensure support is proportionate to differing levels of need. The objective of this service is to provide a range of Short Break activities across Staffordshire which Children and Young People with SEND can enjoy as independently as possible. Providers will be required to deliver activities and opportunities which: • Are meaningful, enjoyable and appropriate to different ages, interests and levels of need; • Promote inclusion, participation and a sense of belonging within local communities; • Support independence, confidence, wellbeing and preparation for adulthood; • Enable the development of friendships, relationships and social connections; • Are delivered in safe, supportive and psychologically welcoming environments; • Are available during evenings, weekends and school holiday periods; • Include both indoor and outdoor opportunities where appropriate; • Represent value for money and effective use of public resources; and • Provide meaningful short breaks for parents and carers. Providers will be required to: • Encourage and enable Children and Young People with SEND to access community-based opportunities and local services; • Work collaboratively with local organisations to promote inclusion and reduce barriers to participation; • Provide support which is proportionate to individual needs, including for Children and Young People with more complex needs; • Promote equitable access to provision across all areas of Staffordshire; • Use engagement, feedback and co-production to shape and improve services; • Monitor participation, utilisation and unmet demand and respond appropriately to identified gaps in provision; • Engage in meaningful partnership working and effective communication with families, professionals and community organisations; • Develop opportunities for peer support, friendships and social connections; • Demonstrate a commitment to quality assurance and continuous improvement; and • Deliver innovative and flexible approaches that improve outcomes for Children, Young People and families. Staffordshire County Council is particularly interested in providers who can demonstrate how they will: • Ensure equitable access to provision across all districts and boroughs of Staffordshire, particularly in rural and less populated areas; • Improve access to short break opportunities for Children and Young People with higher and more complex levels of need; • Address gaps in provision and respond flexibly to emerging demand; and • Maximise participation amongst groups who may be underrepresented or face barriers to accessing services. The service will be delivered through a single Lead Provider model. The Lead Provider will be responsible for the overall coordination, management, quality assurance and performance monitoring of the service and may deliver provision directly and/or through a network of Delivery Partners. The Lead Provider will act as the single point of accountability to Staffordshire County Council and will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of a coordinated, equitable and high-quality countywide service. The contract will cover the delivery of Short Breaks provision for Children and Young People with SEND aged 0-17 years (up to their 18th birthday) and support for their families and carers across Staffordshire.

Lot 1 — Contract lot

Estimated lot value including VAT: £1.2m

Participation condition: For Participation, please refer to Part 3 Condition of Participation within the IA3582 Procurement Specific Questionnaire.

Award criterion: Quality: 40%

Award criterion: Price: 60%

Suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprises.

Contract starts: 31 March 2027

Initial contract ends: 31 March 2030

Contracting authority

Staffordshire County Council 1 Staffordshire Place, Tipping Street,, Stafford, ST16 2DH, UKG24, United Kingdom Email: commercial.team@staffordshire.gov.uk Website: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk

Procurement timetable and procedure

Procedure: Open procedure

Special regime: Light Touch Regime

Clarification deadline: 16 November 2026 at 11:59 pm

Submission deadline: 23 November 2026 at 12:00 pm

Award decision expected by: 14 January 2027 at 11:59 pm

Electronic submissions: allowed

Submission language: EN

Financial terms: Please see the document IA3582 High Value Above Threshold Competed Model Terms. Upon expiry of the Agreement the Authority shall consider Schedule 5 Direct Award Justifications, Additional or repeat goods, services or works Section 8 where is it the authorities intention to carry out a subsequent procurement of similar services in reliance of this direct award justification.

CPV Classification

85312120 — Daycare services for disabled children and young people

How to submit

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We examine the published participation conditions, service scope, geography, regulatory position, available evidence, mobilisation demands and commercial exposure with your team. We only confirm a full tender-writing engagement when the available information supports a responsible view that the provider meets the tender requirements.

If Provision of Children's Short Breaks Activities and Support (Aiming High) is a credible fit, we can map the scored requirements, gather operational evidence and build the response around the buyer documents. The qualification check and any writing support do not guarantee an award; the contracting authority makes the final decision.