CS1790 District Specialist Centres (DSC) Wiltshire Council April 2024

Wiltshire Council are seeking providers to deliver Specialist Early Years Settings in four locations in Wiltshire.

The District Specialist Centres Service is a service commissioned by Wiltshire Council to provide specialised support for Early Years children with SEND. This service is to help ensure that children in Wiltshire achieve the best outcomes for them. Support can be provided either in a DSC or by working in partnership with mainstream Early Years settings, Portage and other partners in the council and in the community. DSCs through in reach and outreach will provide support to Early Years settings to help children with SEND to access a place in a mainstream setting. An important partner in any decisions for children is the child’s parents.

Wiltshire Council currently commissions services from four specialist nurseries in:

Chippenham, Devizes, Salisbury, and Trowbridge

The services will operate term-time only, 38 weeks a year.

The length of contract is five years with the option to extend for a further 5 years

There will be four lots for the service for settings in:

• Chippenham
• Trowbridge
• Devizes
• Salisbury

The service will:

• Provide each child at least 5 hours of sessions each week
• Provide in reach, outreach and workshops
• Support parent carers to help enable their child(ren) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to realise their potential.
• Support children and their parent carers to be included within their mainstream provision within their local community where possible.
• Work closely with local authority teams and other organisations supporting early years children and their families to maximise efficiencies and reduce any possible duplication of work.
• Work with Wiltshire Council officers and other organisations to help ensure all early year’s staff from settings that seek your support feel confident that they can support a child with SEND to access and enjoy their early years setting.
• Empower parents to become independent in supporting their children’s educational, health and social needs.