Welfare services for children and young people

Tender description

The London Borough of Lewisham is seeking to commission an advocacy service to provide time-limited support, information and representation from independent advocates. This will support children and young people when decisions are made about their lives or when they wish to raise a concern about a service they have received from the Council. The London Borough of Lewisham is seeking to commission an advocacy service to provide time-limited support, information and representation from independent advocates. This will support children and young people when decisions are made about their lives or when they wish to raise a concern about a service they have received from the Council. This can be provided in a planned way, or in a crisis, but will usually be short-term, one-off involvement, dealing with a specific issue in the young person’s life. Advocacy is about empowering children and young people to make sure that their views and wishes are heard at all times and represented in decision making processes. The Council’s vision is that all children and young people in Lewisham feel listened to and empowered, have choice and control over their support and have their rights upheld. Furthermore, the views put forward by children and young people should inform the development of the Council’s services. The advocacy service will meet all of the statutory requirements placed on the Council in relation to the provision of independent advocacy for looked after children and children leaving care. The service will work mainly with looked after children, but also children that are eligible for a leaving care service and those who are subject to child protection plans. The service will be fully inclusive and will be open to children and young people that span a range of age-groups, needs and settings. Advocates will use a variety of communication methods to meet a wide range of needs. The service will work with children in Lewisham, out of borough and out of London if necessary.