Social work and related services

Tender description

We are proposing to contract for an information and advice service for families, kinship carers and special guardians. Often these will be carers for children who are either at risk or are already involved in the care system in England. We would expect the service to, at a minimum; provide a telephone and online advice service. There are more than 200 000 children in the UK raised by kinship carers (family and friends carers), normally grandparents or older siblings. These children have often suffered similar adversities to those in the care system. Almost half of carers (54 %) say they are bringing up at least one child with special needs, most commonly emotional and behavioural difficulties (85 %). Of these carers, only 11 % said they are getting the information they need from their local authority (‘Kinship Care State of Nation 2018, Grandparents Plus). Building on the Department for Education’s historic investment in the area of family advice and support, we want to continue support to the sector to ensure that when children are in care or at risk that their families and carers have access to expert advice and support to understand the system and resolve issues. The provision of such advice and support benefits both children, their families and carers by helping to prevent the avoidable escalation of issues and by improving engagement of and experience with statutory children’s services. We want to ensure that families, relatives and friends, across the country have access to expert advice and support in order to assist them in accessing local authority children’s services. The Department is seeking to award a one year contract, with the option to extend for up to 2 further years on a 1 + 1 basis, to an organisation to provide a national information, advice and support service to families whose children are in need, at risk, or in the care system. This will also include family relatives and friends carers (also known as kinship carers) who are raising, or considering caring for, children who cannot remain at home. This contract is available to provide crucial advice, information and signposting to thousands of families who are involved with the care system many of whom are from the most disadvantaged, under-represented, and vulnerable groups in society. There will be the option of an extension of up to 2 years on a 1 + 1 basis. We are seeking to fund an organisation with both the management skills and specialist knowledge to efficiently run a national information and advice service to families, and kinship carers, who are or at risk of being involved with the care system and statutory children’s services. The successful bidder will be responsible for providing high quality, accurate and impartial information for families, relatives and friends on a broad range of issues including: care proceedings; kinship and other forms of care; child protection; family and child law and sources of support for family and friends carers and the children for whom they care. At a minimum, we would expect the service to provide both a telephone and online advice service. There is currently an organisation delivering this service on behalf of the department and they receive over 5 000 calls a year. Scheduled date for publication of contract notice: We expect this to be published in late October 2019. Start and end dates of the contract: This will be a 1-year contract, beginning 1.4.2020 and ending 31.3.2021. There may be an opportunity for an extension of up to 2 years on a 1 + 1 basis (1 + 1 + 1).