Essex All-Age Autism Outreach Service

This notice is intended to provide confirmation of an awarded contract for an Essex All-Age Autism Outreach Service providing specialist autism support to autistic individuals of all ages, across the Transforming Care Partnership (TCP) footprint of Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET).

The contract is for 4 years from 1st May 2024 to 30th April 2028, with an option to extend for a further two years until 30th April 2030.

The value of this 4-year contract is ££4,769,000.This will increase to £8,153,500 if the option to extend is utilised. Both values are exclusive of VAT.

The Authority invited suitably qualified service providers to submit tenders for the provision of an Essex All-Age Autism Outreach Service across the East of England Region.

The Service will aim to achieve the ambitions of Building the Right Support and the NHS Long Term Plan by reducing the number of avoidable admissions of autistic people to tier 4 and inpatient services and improving the quality of life and care of autistic people in both inpatient services and the community.

It will consist of a 'core offer' for Children, Young People and Adults as well as crisis offer for Children and Young People.

The service will be expected to work with individuals, across a variety of settings, as well as supporting their families and offering consultation to other professionals/services to support the understanding of the individual's needs 'through an autism lens'. The service will also be expected to offer hands on, practical support to implement its recommendations, with a more intensive offer of this support for children and young people forming a 'crisis offer'. Engagement with individuals and their families tell us the importance of support being 'for autistic people, by autistic people', and there will be an expectation that lived experience is held at the centre of the service's offer and values, employing individuals with lived experience to enhance the support offered.

The type of support the service will be expected to provide includes:

Support with understanding and managing sensory processing issues

Providing adapted psychological therapies to meet the needs of the individuals accessing support (this may include art, play, music, and animal therapy)

Support individuals with understanding their identity (in relation to autism, neurodiversity, sexuality, and gender etc.)

Autism specialist strategies and skill development around issues such as, but not limited to, executive functioning, problem solving, communication, relationships, socialising, behaviour, and sleep.

Peer to peer support (for individuals and their families) to offer advice and knowledge from a lived experience perspective.

Joint working with other teams/service to support the better understanding of an individual's needs 'through an autism lens'- this may include, but isn't limited to, CAMHS teams, adult mental health teams and eating disorder teams etc.