Residential Short Break Service to Children and Young People with Disabilities in the Unitary Authority Area of Neath Port Talbot

An award has been made by Neath Port Talbot CBC to appoint a service provider to deliver an overnight residential short breaks service for Children with disabilities. The Service will be delivered from ‘Park House’ which is a purpose built facility.

The Service has a dual purpose in that it aims to provide disabled Children with access to a range of experiences and opportunities which are designed to enable them to have fun, socialise and learn new skills. The Service also provides Parent Carers with opportunities to take regular breaks from their caring responsibilities.

The provision of short breaks plays a key role in the Purchaser’s prevention and independence agenda for Children with disabilities and their families.

The Service will be demand led and will support Children who are under eighteen (18) years old and who have been assessed by the Purchaser as requiring this Service. Children accessing the Service may have a range of multiple and severe disabilities which can include, but is not limited to:

• Learning disabilities
• Physical disabilities
• Cognitive or sensory impairments
• Complex health needs
• Life limiting conditions
• Autistic spectrum disorders
• Behaviour, emotional and social difficulties

The Purchaser’s Child Care Disability Team (CCDT) will identify and refer Children to the Service based on an assessment of the Child’s needs and personal outcomes. The objective of the Service will be to provide regular Overnight Stays to effectively support Children with disabilities to achieve positive outcomes as required by their Care and Support Plan.

The appointed Provider will be responsible for managing referrals and bookings to meet service demand and to provide Children and Parent Carers with opportunities to receive regular short breaks throughout the year in line with their service allocation, which will include provision on weekdays, weekends, term time and during school holidays.

The appointed Provider will be responsible for delivering Overnight Stays by using a suitably trained and competent staff base who will deliver fun and positive Overnight Stays which are designed to meet the preferences, interests, abilities and personal outcomes of Children and their Parent Carers who access the Service.

When agreed with the Purchaser, the Provider may be requested to deliver Daytime Stays for Children with disabilities who have been assessed for daytime short breaks.

This is a regulated Service which requires the Provider to be registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW). The placement of Children into the Service will not commence until the Service has received Registration confirmation.

Contract is scheduled to commence from 01 Aug 2022 for a period of five years with an option to extend up to a further two years.