---
title: "SC21032 Therapies - SEN, Adoption Support Service and VSK"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-030f77"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-030f77"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-030f77.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-030f77.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "KENT COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2024-09-03"
---

# SC21032 Therapies - SEN, Adoption Support Service and VSK

Buyer: KENT COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-030f77

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## Summary

Kent County Council has completed the procurement process for the "SC21032 Therapies - SEN, Adoption Support Service and VSK" tender. This process was identified by the OCDS ID "ocds-h6vhtk-030f77-028176-2024" and focuses on services within the health and social work sector, particularly within the UKJ4 and UK regions. The tender comprised three lots: SEN Therapies, Adoption Support Service, and Virtual Schools Kent. The key aims were to enhance the educational and therapeutic support for children and young people with Education and Health Care (EHC) plans, adoptive families, and children in care. The procurement method was an open procedure with the contracts signed on 3rd September 2024.

This tender offers significant business growth opportunities for providers specialising in health and social work services, particularly in speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, therapeutic parenting training, and various creative therapies. The open procedure and the establishment of a Qualified Provider List (QPL) ensure a fair competition, enabling a broad range of service providers, including SMEs, to participate and secure contracts. Businesses with expertise in these areas, and those capable of adapting to the dynamic needs of the council’s children and young people, will find this tender particularly beneficial to enhance their service portfolios.

## Notice

SEN Therapies Lot 1 The Council recognises that SEN therapy service providers have an important role in improving a CYP's participation in learning experiences and access to curriculum opportunities and outcomes for our children who have an EHC plan. We therefore want to establish a relational contracting approach with providers on the QPL that will: * recognise the interdependencies between local authorities, service providers, Ofsted, and other stakeholders; * facilitate co-operation, shared learning, and improvement; * enable us to anticipate and respond quickly to the changing needs of the Council's CYP with an EHC plan; * support joint working between the Council's education and service providers to help improve outcomes for Council's CYP with an EHC plan; * help to ensure sufficiency and suitability of the therapy provision that is tailored to the current and anticipated needs of Council's CYP with an EHC plan; and * ensure fairness in the commercial arrangements between commissioners and providers and transparency of prices. Adoption Support Service Lot 2 The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) has been established to help adoptive families access the services they need more easily. The ASF provides funds to local authorities (LAs) and Regional Adoption Agency's (RAA) to pay for essential therapeutic services for eligible adoptive and special guardianship order (SGO) families. The aim of the ASF and the support it funds is to: * Improve outcomes for young people and families * Improve the core adoption/SGO support offered to families * Build the evidence base so that interventions demonstrate the effectiveness and value for money Virtual Schools Kent (Lot 3) Virtual School Head Teachers (VSHs) are responsible for promoting the educational achievement of all the children looked after by the local authority they work for. With some young people a therapeutic approach or intervention may be needed in order to support access to or engagement with education. Kent Children in Care (CiC) aged from 3 to 18 years of age are supported by Virtual School Kent (VSK). Pupil Premium Plus funding (PP+), Post 16 Pupil Premium Plus (P16PP+) or Early Years Pupil Premium funding (EYPP) can be used to pay for activities that will: - a) Improve the learning targets in children's Personal Education Plans (PEPs). b) Encourage CiC to be more involved and interested in their education.

### Lot Information

SEN Therapies Lot 1

SEN Therapies Successful bidders shall be invited to sign the framework agreement join the QPL for the appropriate lots they have bid for (Framework Agreement). Entry into this contract shall not guarantee that the Council will buy Therapy Services from any bidder but will ensure that successful bidder will be included in the Council's QPL. As and when the Council needs specific Therapy Services, the Council shall: 1. review the QPL and select the providers that have the professional qualifications to deliver the required services; 2. start a mini-competition by submitting a call-off request to those selected providers in accordance with the Framework Agreement (Order Form or request for service from relevant service (SEN therapies - Lot 1 or Adoption Support Service - Lot 2); 3. request a final price for the relevant Therapy Services; and 4. decide whether to proceed with the required Therapy Services at the price stated based on the award criteria set out at section. Where in the reasonable professional opinion of the Council there is only one provider with the relevant expertise to provide the required Therapy Services to a particular CYP, the Council may approach a single provider on the QPL. No call-off and/or contract for any requested Therapy Services shall be deemed to have taken place and/or been formed until the Council formally accepts the price quoted by the chosen provider in accordance with the Framework Agreement.

Adoption Support Service Lot 2

Adoption Service - Therapies Successful bidders shall be invited to sign the framework agreement to join the QPL for the appropriate lots they have bid for (Framework Agreement). Entry into this contract shall not guarantee that the Council will buy Therapy Services from any bidder but will ensure that successful bidder will be included in the Council's QPL. As and when the Council needs specific Therapy Services, the Council shall: 1. review the QPL and select the providers that have the professional qualifications to deliver the required services; 2. start a mini-competition by submitting a call-off request to those selected providers in accordance with the Framework Agreement (Order Form or request for service from relevant service (SEN therapies - Lot 1 or Adoption Support Service - Lot 2); 3. request a final price for the relevant Therapy Services; and 4. decide whether to proceed with the required Therapy Services at the price stated based on the award criteria set out at section. Where in the reasonable professional opinion of the Council there is only one provider with the relevant expertise to provide the required Therapy Services to a particular CYP, the Council may approach a single provider on the QPL. No call-off and/or contract for any requested Therapy Services shall be deemed to have taken place and/or been formed until the Council formally accepts the price quoted by the chosen provider in accordance with the Framework Agreement.

Virtual Schools Kent (Lot 3)

Virtual School Head Teachers (VSHs) are responsible for promoting the educational achievement of all the children looked after by the local authority they work for. With some young people a therapeutic approach or intervention may be needed in order to support access to or engagement with education. Kent Children in Care (CiC) aged from 3 to 18 years of age are supported by Virtual School Kent (VSK). Pupil Premium Plus funding (PP+), Post 16 Pupil Premium Plus (P16PP+) or Early Years Pupil Premium funding (EYPP) can be used to pay for activities that will: - a) Improve the learning targets in children's Personal Education Plans (PEPs). b) Encourage CiC to be more involved and interested in their education. Therapeutic support should not be regarded as alternative health provision of therapy services for gaps in commissioned NHS service delivery. Services required to support PEP targets, often involve intensive specialist interventions or approaches required to maintain educational placements and promote progress.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028176-2024 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Sep 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 1 Mar 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 21 Nov 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | KENT COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | MAIDSTONE |
| Post town | Rochester |
| Postcode | ME14 1XX |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ45 Mid Kent |
| Local authority | Maidstone |
| Electoral ward | Penenden Heath |
| Westminster constituency | Maidstone and Malling |
| Delivery location | TLJ4 Kent |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 38 |
| Supplier names | ADOPTION UK CHARITY; ALICE LAWRENCE; ANDREA BELL, SOLE TRADER OF KENTOT4KIDS; ANDREW GREEN S&L THERAPIST; BARNARDO’S; CANTERBURY FUNCTIONAL COMM; CHROMA THERAPIES; CLEVER KIDS; CONNECT B4 CORRECT CLINICAL PARTNERSHIP; DANDELION TIME; DR BILLY SMYTHE; EQUAL CHANCE; ERICA MALA COUNSELLING PSYCHOTHERAPY; EVOLVE CHILDRENS THERAPY SERVICES; FAMILY FUTURES; FUN AND GAINS THERAPY; GM TREE TRAINING LTD TRADING AS ADOPTION ACADEMY; INNERVENTURE; JEMMA GITA HONE; JIGSAW PLAY THERAPY; KENT CHILD TRAUMA SERVICES; LILYOAK THERAPEUTIC SERVICES; NVR PARENTING; OXFORD DIOCESAN COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL WORK; PSICION; PURPLE OCTOPUS; REBECCA WITHNALL; RICHES INCLUSIVE THERAPIES; ROYA DOOMAN; SARAH POST SPEECH THERAPY; SOUTH LONDON AND MAUDSLEY NHSFT; STARJUMPZ; STIRLINGLORD; SYMBOL; TERRY ISAACS THERAPY; THE CHILD PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE; THE OWL CENTRE; VICTORIA LAWSON |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services
- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 3 Sep 2024 at 15:08 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028176-2024
- 17 Oct 2023 at 09:58 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030574-2023
- 11 Aug 2023 at 09:46 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023531-2023
- 26 Jan 2022 at 10:51 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002270-2022

## Notice URLs

- http://www.kent.gov.uk
- https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-030f77. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-030f77.json.