All In Short Breaks
The Actio Consortium has been commissioned by Shropshire Council to manage the All In Short Breaks activity programme on its behalf. All In Short Breaks are leisure activities, specifically commissioned for children (0-18) with disabilities (or additional needs that could be linked to a disability) funded by Shropshire Council and are part of the Council’s Early Help offer. The All In Short Breaks programme is part of the wider Shropshire Short Break offer for children and young people with disabilities. More information on Short Breaks in Shropshire can be found in the council’s Short Breaks Statement.
The Actio Consortium and Shropshire Council are co-funders in the All In activity programme.
The Actio Consortium consists of Energize Shropshire Telford and Wrekin (STW), Shropshire Parent and Carer Council (PACC) and Ignition CIC. They are responsible for managing and commissioning the activities and services that make up the All In activity programme from 1st April 2021 until 31st March 2024.
The Actio Consortium aims to deliver a joined-up programme of quality activity and support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families, building a sense of community and achievement. Actio is responsible for commissioning, promoting, and monitoring All In activities and will work with children and young people, and their families, to ensure the programme responds positively to feedback and comment.
Alongside the Shropshire Council contract, we have also secured funding in partnership with The Culture Consortium Shropshire from Arts Connect to deliver a research programme. This programme will explore the opportunities for Arts and Culture based provision within the All In Short Breaks offer and the benefits this can bring to the SEND and Arts and Culture communities. It will have a specific focus on developing skills for practitioners and organisations to enable them to become more inclusive and accessible to children and young people with SEND and their families.
Invitation to Tender
Application deadline Midday Tuesday 30th November 2021 - For delivery from April 2022.
Applications are welcomed between 1st November and 30th November 2021. Applications are to be completed via MS Forms and submit by midday Tuesday 30th November 2021. If you want to see the application in full prior to completing the application online form, please click here.
Support from Actio Consortium
During the funding period up until 31st March 2024, Actio will be actively supporting providers to become more sustainable and to also explore possible expansion of their opportunities. We welcome inclusion of future plans relating to sustainability and expansion within the application process.
SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) families have told us they feel isolated and disconnected from their communities due to the challenges faced in finding suitable opportunities for their child/young person. They state location and variety of activities along with a lack of awareness as being barriers to accessing current provision. Families feel most confident accessing opportunities where staff/volunteers understand their child’s needs and have the appropriate training and skills in place to support them well.
(Further local context can be found in Appendix 1)
The Commission Overview for April 2022 – March 2023
The Actio Consortium are seeking tenders to provide activities and opportunities for children and young people with disabilities, or additional needs that could be linked to a disability, aged 0-18 who live in the Shropshire local authority area (for full participant eligibility criteria please see Shropshire Councils criteria)
We are inviting applications from community groups, organisations, and other interested parties to apply for funding between £500 and £8,000 per financial year to deliver local activities and opportunities for up to 24 months between April 2022 – March 2024. Awards could be offered for a 12-month period (with an option for continuation funding depending on performance) or a full 24-month period.
Applicants will have to match the commission received with at least 10% match funding from other sources. This can include support in kind.
If your funding requirements are out of the above bracket, we would welcome communication to explore your bid further before applying.
Please see Appendix 2 for examples of best practice that would be welcomed in applications.
Timescales
Applications for this round of commissioning will be open from 1st November 2021 and will close on midday 30th November 2021.
Other funding rounds will be announced, with funding available until 31st March 2024. The current funding allows for an annual commissioning cycle; however, we are exploring additional funding streams to increase the amount of commissioning opportunities available.
Applicants will be notified of the decision on their proposal from 1st February 2022 onwards.
General Criteria
We want to work with providers who can offer a varied and innovative programme providing a range of opportunities that:
Provide age appropriate opportunities.
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Raise aspirations, build resilience, improve physical and mental health and emotional well-being, and connect children and young people to their communities, enabling them to belong and contribute to society.
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Enable children and young people to socialise safely with peers.
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Are available at flexible times including after school, school holidays and weekends.
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Take place in a variety of locations and in communities across the whole county, which may be part of a community offer.
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Improves access and inclusivity into clubs, groups and mainstream settings.
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Offer specialist group activities which could be needs or disability specific.
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Offer opportunities that contribute towards ‘preparing for adulthood’ outcomes such as independent living, inclusion in the community and friendships.
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Offer a good range of activities such as sports, art, drama, cookery, friendship groups, fun and games, music, martial arts, dance and youth clubs.
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Offer the child/young person access to activities independently or alongside family members (such as offering sibling places or family days).
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Offers a chance to develop and progress new skills and acknowledges achievements through award schemes or celebratory activities for example.
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Offer a range of opportunities through a variety of platforms (e.g. in person, virtual/digital).
Specific Criteria
We are looking for applications that meet a core criterion which includes:
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Person Centred and Outcome Focused approach – responding to individual needs, strengths and interests and making a positive difference to young people’s lives.
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Evidence of safe practice, policies and procedures to manage provision and resources effectively, responsibly, and appropriately.
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Working proactively with parent carers, children and young people to provide opportunities to meet their needs.
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Facilitating opportunities for children and young people to have their voices heard and to influence ongoing development of opportunities.
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Providing experienced and qualified staff or volunteers, where parents/carers feel confident they can leave their child (if relevant to the opportunity) to enjoy the activity in a safe environment.
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Enabling a safe and welcoming environment to develop positive outcomes and build successful relationships with the child/young person and their families.
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Providing opportunities which are fun, engaging, and could offer development of skills and abilities relevant to the activities or young person’s needs.
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Supporting families to engage and connect with each other creating a sense of community and belonging whilst reducing isolation and supporting information sharing.
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Developing a sustainable model which demonstrates commitment to maintain a long-term offer within the community.
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Demonstrating an understanding of the range of needs and potential barriers associated with disabilities and additional needs (related to potential disabilities) within the Shropshire community which prevent families accessing community-based opportunities.
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Commitment to promote the range of opportunities available to families, supporting their awareness of provision and opportunities.
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Commitment to attend and engage with the Actio core support offer (this will include promotional events, development days, training opportunities, research activities and support visits).
Priority Areas of Development for Actio Consortium:
We welcome applications from providers who can offer opportunities matched to the above criterion. We have also identified limited opportunities in the following provision and particularly welcome applications that can offer:
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Provision for children aged under 5.
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Provision for 16-18 year olds.
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Provision that develops the Arts offer.
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Provision that addresses/acknowledges the rurality of the county and the access barriers relating to this.
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Provision that can adapt its delivery taking into account changes in circumstances (e.g. Covid-19)
Arts Activity
A proportion of the All In funding available, is to commission high quality Arts activity.
(Further information about applications for specific Arts Activity can be found in Appendix 3)
Commissioning Process
Application deadline Midday Tuesday 30th November 2021 - For delivery from April 2022.
When you can apply
Applications for this round of commissioning will be open from 1st November 2021 and will close on midday 30th November 2021.
Application
If you wish to deliver multiple opportunities acting as the lead organisation we would welcome a single application detailing the range of opportunities including any separate delivery arrangements with any third parties. If this would take your application over the stated thresholds, then please get in touch to discuss further (contact details below).
Application forms can be completed here.
Advice
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Please email info@actio.org.uk for general information and advice on the All In funding, or if you wish to apply for funding outside of the stated brackets (£500 - £8,000 per financial year).
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For specific advice about Arts Programmes please email hannah@i-gnition.co.uk
Assessment & Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
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Have £5 million Public Liability and Employers Liability insurance cover.
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Have an organisation/business bank account
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Have current GDPR, safeguarding and health and safety policies.
Be one of the following:
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Limited Company registered at Companies House (including individuals trading as a limited company)
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Community Interest Company (CIC) registered with the CIC regulator
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Charity or Trust registered with the Charity Commission
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Limited Liability Partnership registered at Companies House
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Partnership established under a Deed of Partnership
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Industrial and provident society or community benefit society subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority
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Royal Charter company
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Statutory Body
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Sole Trader / Self-employed
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Constituted voluntary group
Eligibility check – Upon receipt of the completed application, the proposal will be compared with the established criteria. If deemed ineligible or incomplete the applicant will be informed, and the bid WILL NOT be successful (we welcome communication prior to submission of applications from anyone who is unsure).
Grant Decision
All applications will be subject to a decision panel consisting of Actio consortium representatives and members of relevant partner agencies with notification of decisions from 1st February 2022 onwards.
Applications will be scored against the general and specific criteria taking into account the priority areas noted above.
Awards could be offered for a 12 month period (with an option for continuation funding depending on performance) or a full 24 month period.
All decisions of the decision panel will be final.
If you wish to contest a decision that has been made please follow our compliments and complaints procedure located our contact pages.
If a commission has been awarded an offer letter with a commission acceptance form, including terms and conditions, will be sent out. This needs to be signed and returned before any money will be released or contract issued.
Conditions of Commission
If you are offered a commission:
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The funding must be used for the purposes as agreed in the signed contract.
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The organisation must adhere to the terms and conditions outlined in the contract.
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The financial assistance offered by Actio Consortium must be acknowledged in any publicity material. A list of logos and acknowledgements will be sent to you, to be used in all your publicity.
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The organisation must have regular update meetings with the Actio Consortium.
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The organisation must comply with the monitoring process on the programme outcomes. The templates for this reporting will be provided with the contract.
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The All In programme is also being evaluated by external researchers and your participation within this is expected where appropriate.
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Activities funded should not be started before the contract is agreed.