Purpose

The Cabinet Member is recommended to:

1.     Authorise the delegation of authority to Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) to act as the lead authority in the delivery of the Wave 4 Suicide Postvention Programme 2022-2025, including oversight and commissioning of work through a joint budget of £30,000. This budget is wholly funded by the NHS and intended for delivery across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

2.     Authorise the delegation of authority to Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) to act as the lead authority in commissioning work within this programme, including Suicide Bereavement Counselling and Training for Staff Working with Young People Bereaved by Suicide

3.     Endorse that CCC, as the lead authority, enter into contract with the providers for the delivery of these functions.

Reasons for the decision

Cambridgeshire County Council are the lead for commissioning other linked suicide prevention initiatives, and this will enable consistency.

Delegating authority to Cambridgeshire County Council to act as lead local authority in commissioning this function across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and for delivery of the function is recommended on the basis of strategic and geographical practicalities and therefore a joint procurement will be both financially and operationally beneficial. There is synergy in working together for delivery of this system.

Alternative options considered

For Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council to commission this requirement separately, however given that the existing suicide bereavement support service operates within the boundaries of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, there are clear efficiencies in having one programme of work across the two Local Authority areas.

To not delegate the function and do nothing – this would mean some current bereavement support available to Peterborough residents would need to stop, resulting in discontinuation of care, and the gap in support for children and young people would not be filled.