Family Hubs - Parent/Carer Panels Extension

HBC Children's Commissioning undertook a procurement exercise in support of the Family Hubs Programme to secure a provider to take on the service of Family Hubs and to establish Parent/Carer Panels. The awarded supplier was Hartlepool Carers who have delivered key services on behalf of HBC for over a decade and are a trusted organisation, well known and well respected. The current contract is due to expire on 31st March 2026 and the intention was to conduct a procurement exercise however DHSE / DfE have recently indicated there will be some upcoming changes to delivery expectations which have not yet been set out, and are unlikely to be available until around April 2026, after the existing contract with Hartlepool Carers expires. With this in mind it has been agreed to extend the existing contract for a further 12 months, until 31st March 2027 as this will ensure continuity/consistency for those families who are already accessing the service. It will also allow us time to prepare key documents to re-tender the service for a longer period, incorporating the revised DHSE / DfE expectations once this has been determined. This contract serves as an extension outside of HBC Contract Procedure Rules. This grant funding was secured towards the end of 2025.