Health and social work services

Tender description

NHS England and NHS Improvement has a commitment to increase the role of those with a lived experience within the delivery of Health and Justice Liaison and Diversion services. Accordingly, across the West Midlands existing Liaison and Diversion Service providers will be required from April 2021 to include Peer Support within their current delivery model. In some case’s Liaison and Diversion Service Providers will look to develop and deliver a peer support model themselves, others may look to third parties to sub-contract. To support liaison and diversion providers in the development of peer support NHS England and NHS Improvement (Midlands) would like to provide them with a list of possible peer support providers from which they have the option to engage in discussions, should they wish. If you are interested please complete the form that is attached to this opportunity: https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Supplier/PublicPurchase/35443/0/0?returnUrl=ctm/Supplier/publictenders&b=UK Liaison and Diversion Services aim to provide early intervention for vulnerable people as they come to the attention of the criminal justice system and provide a prompt response to concerns raised by police, probation service, youth offending teams or court staff and provide critical information to decision-makers in the justice system. Liaison and Diversion also acts as a point of referral and assertive follow up for these service users to ensure they can access and are supported to attend, treatment and rehabilitation appointments. Liaison and Diversion operate across police custody, court and the community. Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AG CSU), acting on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement Health and Justice (Midlands), invites expressions of interest (EOI) from suitably qualified and experienced service providers (including third sector organisations, social enterprise and other providers) who have suitable experience in delivering Peer Support within a criminal justice or healthcare context. The areas which will be developing Peer Support include: • Coventry and Warwickshire; • Shropshire and Telford; • Black Country (this includes the boroughs of Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley); • Herefordshire; • Worcestershire. Peer Support has become established in criminal justice, substance misuse and mental health recovery services, as an effective intervention in driving better engagement with mainstream services, as well as offering crucial personalised support to service users and offering hope that recovery is possible. When people caught up in the criminal justice system have the opportunity to, work with a person who historically has shared that experience, it often acts to reassure them about the quality and usefulness of the intervention on offer. Since the publication of the Offender Health Collaborative Guide ‘Service User Involvement’ 2015 which focused on the process of involving service users in the governance and development of L&D services, NHS England and NHS Improvement, national Liaison and Diversion Programme Board and the national Liaison and Diversion (L&D) Lived Experience Team (LET) have supported pathfinder initiatives to test out Peer roles at the delivery end of L&D. Following successful evaluation of the national pathfinders all L&D teams are now obligated to introduce these new roles. L&D services will include Peer Support Workers (paid and volunteers) in their workforce model and they will be an integral part of the service. Peer workers will work with and support both the L&D practitioners and Support Time Recovery Workers in engaging with individuals, especially those individuals who are proving difficult to engage with. The deadline for receiving expressions of interest is 12 p.m. Wednesday 16 December 2020.