Social work and related services

Tender description

Kent County Council (the Council) is the largest county council in England covering an area of 3 500 km2. It has an annual expenditure of over GBP 900 Million on goods and services and a population of approx. 1.5 million. The Council provides a wide range of personal and strategic services on behalf of its residents, operating in partnership with 12 district councils. The Council’s Services for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (SUASC) has a statutory responsibility for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) under the Children Act 1989 and seeks to develop reception accommodation for newly arrived UASC, to provide humanitarian accommodation, assess their needs, including age and prepare those assessed as under 18 for living in the community. Kent County Council (the Council) is the largest county council in England covering an area of 3 500 km2. It has an annual expenditure of over GBP 900 Million on goods and services and a population of approx. 1.5 million. The Council provides a wide range of personal and strategic services on behalf of its residents, operating in partnership with 12 district councils. The Council’s Services for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (SUASC) has a statutory responsibility for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) under the Children Act 1989 and seeks to develop reception accommodation for newly arrived UASC, to provide humanitarian accommodation, assess their needs, including age and prepare those assessed as under 18 for living in the community. Having identified facilities makes the risk assessment more robust and supports the Governments Prevent agenda. Service requirements The services required to fulfil the offer of a reception centre is made up of: • accommodation for UASC males; preferably single bedrooms, shared bathrooms, kitchen and dining facilities and shared lounges; • accommodation for staff such as offices, meeting rooms and communal areas to deliver the independence skills required, various assessments and administrative functions; • housing support from the landlord including furniture, safety equipment such as CCTV and concierge services; • support staff/social worker support. Ideally, the reception centre must be able to flex to an increasing need, potentially by having bedrooms and communal space of a size to fit more than one single male in one room. Physical accommodation preferred requirements: • a single building or grouped buildings on the same site, • a location in the East or South of the County of Kent (Ashford, Canterbury, Thanet, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe), • set in a discrete location to have minimal impact on the local community, • rooms can be multiple occupancy and facilities shared such as bathrooms, etc., • Scale catering (kitchen) facility, • only male aged 16-18 occupancy, • minimum capacity of 60 placements, • communal areas are available for socialising, lessons and briefings, • low maintenance costs, • easy to repair given propensity for damage, • space for office accommodation for the SUASC Operational Team (22 staff). The Council would like to hear from organisations which may be interested in tendering for this opportunity, to discuss ideas on how this could be most effectively and efficiently delivered and to provide greater insight into the market. This PIN is issued to gauge the market capability to deliver a requirement at scale and pace. Please respond if you have premises available or have access to habitable premises within a three-month period, should it be required. The Council may arrange to meet with interested organisations, either individually or at an open market engagement event, depending on the levels of interest in this PIN. Any meetings that take place as a result of this PIN will be for the purpose of market engagement and information gathering and will not form part of the formal tendering process which may follow at a later date. If your organisation has the capability and is interested in potentially delivering this service, please ‘Register an Interest’ in this PIN.