Social work and related services

Tender description

Cheshire East Council are commissioning our housing related support and accommodation service for young people 16 and 17 years old, that deliver high quality accommodation-based support to: cared for children, care leavers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The provision of 16 and 17 year old housing-related support and accommodation is an exciting opportunity to improve outcomes for our children and young people, as we provide support during transition into adult life. Cheshire East Council are committed to supporting young people to feel safe. Our young people have told us they feel most vulnerable stepping out of care provisions and into supported accommodation and as such we actively want to support both our young people and providers to offer the additional wrap around support packages that they need. We appreciate that there is a significant difference between support and care. Our young people have told us they need more support outside of those purchased support hours and as such our cared for and care leavers team and other commissioned service will offer extended support to your service in regards to advice and assistance, being available and flexibility in working arrangements and collaborative working to meet changing needs. We would also welcome your involvement and presence in matching consideration and planning pre-placement for young people’s transitions both into and out of your service. To shape and inform this specification, we have linked directly with our care leavers, cared for children and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to ensure we capture their voice, housing aspirations and support requirements. The provider will be required to support the service users with housing related support tasks to gain their independence and focus on a positive move on into independent living. Tasks will include but are not limited to: budget management, avoiding homelessness, maximising income, looking for work/training and seeking accommodation when ready for move on. Accommodation will be split into north and south of Cheshire East: Lot 1 North and Lot 2 South. The service delivery and design is provided through: — building based accommodation — service specific and identified accommodation to deliver semi-independent living; — building based support — the service will provide daytime and night staff service at the semi-independent accommodation, individual hours of appropriate support; — dispersed single occupancy properties (mostly single occupancy but some shared occupancy) — this is designed to meet the need for cared for children, care leavers and unaccompanied asylum seeking children to move in a planned way out of care placements into a more independent living arrangement; — dispersed visiting support — the service will provide daytime visiting support to individual properties. Staff will be floating and will not be based at the properties Note: in order to participate, providers must register, complete and upload completed ITT documentation and submit this via the Chest at http://www.the-chest.org.uk/ — the project reference on the Chest is DN428508 — the time limit for returning the completed ITT submission is 18 September at 13.00. Building-based accommodation: 1) supported living accommodation for care leavers/cared for children and unaccompanied asylum seeking children — five units of accommodation: — semi-independent living with staff 24/7 (no waking night), — at least 5 hours available 1:1 support per week per young person, — ability for support in the community such as support attending the GP or Job Centre; 2) emergency accommodation — one unit of accommodation: — access available 24 hours — ability to present and move young person in the emergency bed at any time of the day/night, — a max 5 hours per week 1:1 support from keyworker whilst in the emergency bed. There to be at least daily contact with each young person when in the emergency bed. Above six units of accommodation should be self-contained (with communal areas/activities, etc.) and in close proximity to each other. This will provide the ability for young people to manage a safe space for themselves and minimise contact with young people placed through other referral routes. Dispersed accommodation Dispersed single occupancy move on properties in the community (Accommodation under the auspices of the Ignition Referral Panel) — two units of accommodation; — This is designed to meet the need for cared for children, care leavers and unaccompanied asylum seeking children to move in a planned way out of care placements into a more independent living arrangement; — Could be used as taster flats or move on for cared for children/care leavers; — x 1 keyworker that can offer floating support to these independent young people. A max of 5 1:1 hours of support per week. Total eight units of accommodation. Building based accommodation: 1) supported living accommodation for care leavers/cared for children and unaccompanied asylum seeking children — two units of accommodation: — semi-independent living with staff 24/7 (no waking night), — at least 5hrs available 1:1 support per week per young person, — ability for support in the community such as support attending the GP or Job Centre; 2) emergency accommodation — two unit of accommodation: — access available 24 hours — ability to present and move young person in the emergency bed at any time of the day/night, — a max 5 hours per week 1:1 support from keyworker whilst in the emergency bed. There to be at least daily contact with each young person when in the emergency bed. Above four units of accommodation should be self-contained (with communal areas/activities, etc.) and in close proximity to each other. This will provide the ability for young people to manage a safe space for themselves and minimise contact with young people placed through other referral routes. Dispersed accommodation: Dispersed single occupancy move on properties in the community (Accommodation under the auspices of the Ignition Referral Panel) — 14 units of accommodation; — This is designed to meet the need for cared for children, care leavers and unaccompanied asylum seeking children to move in a planned way out of care placements into a more independent living arrangement; — Could be used as taster flats or move on for cared for children/care leavers; — x 1 keyworker that can offer floating support to these independent young people. A max of 5 1:1 hours of support per week. Total 18 units of accommodation.