Northumberland County Council Tender

There Are 3 Elements To This Lot:transport For Vulnerable Adults Attending Day Centres, Care Homes And Horticultural Units, The Main Features Of Which Are:1. Adults Ranging From 18 Years Upwards To Pensionable Age2. Often Necessitating The Deployment Of A Passenger Assistant Who, Along With The Driver, Will Be Required To Attend Any Training Programme Specified By The Council.3. Proven Track Record Of Taxi Operator For Reliability And Sensitivity Is Essential.4. Passengers Have A Variety Of Needs Including Dementia, Epilepsy.5. Passengers Are Often Physically Frail And Have Mobility Problems And Therefore Require Assistance Between Their Home Residence/day Centre And The Contracted Vehicle.6. Passengers Often Require Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles. Journeys Are Typically To Day Centres & Horticultural Units7. Arrival Times At These Units Are Generally Between 0900hrs-0930hrs And Departure Times Are Generally From 1530hrs To 1600hrs.8. Journeys Are Usually To Establishments Within Northumberland But Can Involve Journeys To Out Of County Units Such As Percy Hedley In North Tyneside.transport For Vulnerable Children Attending Children’s Homes, Sure Start Centres Etc., The Main Features Of Which Are:1. Children Range In Age From Birth To 18 Years.2. May Require Passenger Assistants, Even If A Child Is Attending A Mainstream School.3. Children Are Vulnerable, For Example, They Are Often From Abusive Backgrounds & May Themselves Display Challenging Behaviours.4. Journeys Are Often Required At Short Notice And At Irregular Times, For Example At Weekends And/or Night Time Depending On The Nature Of The Situation.5. Proven Track Record Of Taxi Operator For Reliability And Sensitivity Is Essential.6. Transport Can Be To A Vast Range Of Locations, Mainly Within But Sometimes Beyond The Border Of Northumberland To Schools, Social Care Offices, Soft Play Areas For Family Contacts, Children’s Homes, Refuges, Sure Start Centres, Train/bus Stations, Special Social Care Events; It Can Also Involve Educational Visits To Museums, Youth Groups, Cadets, Hospital Appointments.7. Occasionally Taxi May Need To Be Met By Police At An Address - For Example Removing Children From A Reluctant Parent.8. Highly Confidential Nature, Often ‘protected Placements’ Where A Parent May Not Even Be Allowed To Know Where Their Child Is Living.9. Strict Guidelines Need To Be Adhered To With Regards Answering Phone Calls About A Given Child And Any Disclosures Made To Contract Personnel By Children In The Vehicle Need To Be Followed Up Using The Correct Reporting Procedures To County Hall.10. Transport Arrangements Often Need To Be Terminated At Short Notice.transport For Children Excluded From Mainstream Education, The Main Features Of Which Are:1. Educated Other Than At School (eotas) Transport Is Arranged For Children Of Statutory School Age Who Are About To Be Excluded From School Or Have Been Subjected To Either Temporary Or Permanent Exclusion.2. It Can Be Organised So They Can Access Short-term Educational Programmes Which Are Often Organised To Help Re-integrate Them Back Into Mainstream Education.3. Transport Is Organised For Children From 5yrs To 16 Years Of Age,4. Requests For Transport Are Often Made With Very Short Notice, I.e. The Next Working Day.5. Journeys Can Be Made To Allow Children To Access An Alternative Timetable For Part Of Their School Week.6. Children Are Often From Difficult Backgrounds And As Such They Can Display Challenging Behaviours.7. Some Children Are Vulnerable, They Have Medical Needs Or Mental Health Difficulties And May Disclose Information In The Vehicle Which Must Be Reported In A Confidential Manner To County Hall.8. Journeys Are Often Required Outside Regular School Hours, May Only Operate As Little As One Day A Week And Are Often Required To Be Cancelled At Short Notice.9. Transport Arrangements Will Often Involve A Mix Of Students In Vehicles, However Care Is Taken To Control Loadings (often Maximum Of 6 Students Together) Due To The Behavioural Issues That Can Occur.