Children & Young People's Advocacy Services

Tender description

Staffordshire County Council wishes to invite tenders for the provision of Children & Young People's Advocacy Services across the County of Staffordshire and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The main purpose of advocacy is to encourage empowerment in order that a child or young person can make choices, assert their rights as they see them, and receive the type of services that suit their needs. The Service Specification and outcomes have been developed around the Strategic Priorities of both Councils and delivering service user outcomes. The overall value of the Contract is £186,700 per annum. The Contract with the provider is expected to be initially for 2 years (1st October 2015 to 30th September 2017) and may have the options to extend by two further periods of 12 months each. First extension period would 1st October 2017 to 30th September 2018 and second extension period would be 1st October 2018 to 30th September 2019. The specification will include advocacy services for: • Looked After Children • Children with emotional wellbeing/mental health issues (Staffordshire only) • Children Subject to a Child Protection Plan • Children & young people with Learning Disabilities • Children & young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) The provider must be in a position to deliver advocacy services to all children and young people in these specific groups (which may, on occasion, include children and young people living/placed outside the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent boundaries). The service will be available to children and young people from the above groups between the ages of 5 – 18 years, and up to the age of 25 for those with SEND. The service will also deliver a small additional element of an Independent Visitor programme for children and young people in Stoke-on-Trent only.