Children's Care and Support at Home and Community Support - Lot 27 Further Competition 2 - DCF2

Dorset Council has a duty to ensure there is a sufficient range of individual support and short break services available to children and young people in the Dorset Council area who have assessed needs relating to disability, mental health and emotional wellbeing. Services may also be required to 'reach out' from a Dorset base to children for whom Dorset Council has a responsibility who live outside Dorset in neighbouring local authority areas. The aim of the service is to provide inclusive care and support at home and in community settings for children and young people from birth to 25 years of age, who are disabled and/or have mental health and emotional wellbeing needs.

Care and Support services are provided by trained care and support workers who can implement care and support plans to meet needs related to health, safety, social, emotional, behavioural, psychological and physical development, enable children and young people to experience a Short Break from their family, enjoy and experience activities which might otherwise be difficult for them to access, manage behaviour which carers find challenging, and promote independent living skills. Meeting personal care needs such as continence falls within the scope of desired provision but is not a necessary requirement for all providers or services.

Dorset Council went to tender to seek suppliers to provide individual care and support to children and young people. This was a further competition from Lot 27 of the Dorset Care, Support, Housing and Community Safety Framework.