Together with Parents Service

Kent County Council is seeking to commission a new service that offers robust and consistent support to parents and carers whose child has either received a diagnosis, awaiting diagnosis, or considering a referral to the Neurodevelopmental (ND) Pathway. The scope of the new service aims to address the issues raised during scoping and analysis by offering a range of options, facilitated with lived experience, that can be delivered in addition to services currently on offer across the County. The scope of the new service aims to address the need for more neurodevelopmental related early intervention, pre-diagnosis, and self-help support for parents alongside the evidence-based programmes. The service will support the parents and carers of young people up to 25 years old with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and will support the outcomes for the Early Help and Preventative Services by enabling families: To become more resilient, To have better emotional health, health and wellbeing, To develop more robust local support systems around them.

The Service will cover the Council’s geographical area and will be delivered in two Lots:

Lot 1 – North & West Kent, (Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks, Swale, Maidstone, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells)

Lot 2 – South & East Kent, (Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, Thanet)

The range of support provided by Together with Parents will need to be flexible in its delivery to best suit parents, carers and family’s busy lives. Therefore, it is anticipated that the support offered may need to take place outside of the normal working week and may include evenings and weekends. This will be monitored by the Service Co-Ordinator and Contract Manager.

The funding of £400,000 per annum will be split between Lot 1 and Lot 2 to represent the difference in demand of the required service, as follows:

• Lot 1 = 55% = £220,000
• Lot 2 = 45% = £180,000

The contract will run for three years from 1/04/2022, with the option to extend for a further two years on a one plus one basis.