by Ray George
SEAS stands for Southampton Early Advice & Support. This was something I learnt more about at Southampton Voluntary Services’ March Friday Forum. The SEAS service will focus on delivering preventative and high-quality Advice, Information and Guidance (AIG) and direct support to reduce demand on formal children’s and adult’s social care services. The service will prioritise early intervention, promoting independence, addressing social isolation, for example among older adults (65+) and carers. The model the Council has adopted is to have a lead provider who will subcontract all of the work to different providers. The lead provider is a new company limited by guarantee called Southern VCSE Collaborative. The contract runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2033 with a possible extension to 31 March 2037. There are 5 organisations that are guarantors, Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS), Social Care in Action (SCiA), Citizens Advice Service, Solent Mind and No Limits . There is a consortium of 15 delivery partners. The value of the contract is up to £8 million (excluding VAT) per year.