Issue - meetings

Report ED15091

The Portfolio Holder introduced a report outlining the provision of the Family Support Service for children and young people with an autistic spectrum disorder and seeking approval to market test the Family Support Service prior to the existing contract expiring in March 2016.

The Local Authority had provided a family support service to parents and carers of children and young people diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder through a contract with Burgess Autistic Trust, formerly known as Bromley Autistic Trust, for over ten years.  The service offered a comprehensive range of support and information to children and young people and their families and carers, and was highly regarded by service users and professionals with a total of 920 families using the Family Support Service during 2014/15.  The provision of this service had never been competitively tendered with all contracts awarded via an exemption.

It was proposed to market test this service during 2015/16 to ensure that it continued to offer good value for money and provided a high quality service which met the Local Authority’s requirements

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Note comments by Members of the Education PDS Committee.

2)  Agree that the Family Support Service be market tested during 2015/16.