CS6089 Specialist Youth Services - SEND Provision

The Council currently funds a third-sector organisation to deliver free positive activities and informal education to children and young people (CYP) with SEND. These include both centre-based and outdoor activities, that usually take as well as various other venues in the community. The Service is free for CYP aged 11 to 25 who have SEND (whether they have a formal diagnosis or not) and who are either residents of Tower Hamlets, attend secondary school or college in the borough, or are registered as attending a youth project in the borough. There is a strong emphasis in the service on working closely with schools, as well as a specific focus on emotional wellbeing, in recognition of the challenges that CYP with SEND may face in their day-to-day lives and in mainstream provision (e.g. accessibility issues, ableism, bullying). The programme of activity includes 38 weeks of term-time, afterschool provision (c. 9 h per week), delivered through regular sessions on 3 x days per week. It also includes 10 weeks of holiday delivery, including during half-terms. The initial contract duration is 2 years, with an option to extend for up to 2 years (1+1). The contract will run from 1st September 2026 to 31st August 2028, with the extension option until 31st August 2030. Providers must deliver services from a designated building, whether it's their own or leased, and this will be checked during the tender process.