Social services

Tender description

Birmingham Children’s Trust (the Trust) exists to make a positive difference for children, young people and families in the city. The purpose of the Market Sounding Exercise (MSE) is to communicate an unmet need to the market in a clear, credible and accurate manner. This MSE allows organisations to provide information to the Birmingham’s Children’s Trust to work collaboratively with Providers to meet the needs and aspirations of children and young people identified. This MSE is supported by evidence of wider demand and unmet need backed up by policy and leadership commitment. The objective of this MSE is for a market sounding for Organisations who can provide services to Looked After Children or those who might be at risk of being placed in Care for the following services: — edge of care residential children’s homes for non-disabled children who a short break, — short term children’s homes (i.e. Short term placements for assessment purposes or similar) — 28 day activity programmes as alternatives to residential homes placements, — step down fostering placements in residential homes with a designated programme to get a child into a fostering placement OR fostering providers with step down programmes who will work with children currently in residential to get them into fostering placements. Aims of the Market Sounding Prospectus: a) We are requesting feedback from all Providers who already provide these services and those who could potential provide them; b) We are interested in ideas and innovation that could deliver creative solutions; c) Helps the Trust provide the listed services and meet its sufficiency requirements; d) Is able to provide the services in a flexible and transparent way; e) Contribute to ensure the targeted intervention provided is innovative and has the maximum positive impact for the child or young person; f) Delivers continual improvement to the lives of children and young people; g) Work in partnership; h) Contribute to a total solution. The Trust has identified 4 types of provision that the market may need to provide: 1) Edge of care residential children’s homes for non-disabled children for whom a short break will enable them to stay within their family home / fostering placement; 2) Short term children’s homes (i.e. Short term placements for assessment purposes or similar, or whilst a long term placement is resourced); 3) 28 day activity programmes as alternatives to residential homes placements; 4) Step down fostering placements in residential homes with a designated programme to get a child into a fostering placement or fostering providers with step down programmes who will work with children currently in residential to get them into fostering placements; 5) Equally the Trust is interested in other types of potential creative service solutions so would like providers to share ideas with us.