HSG Prevent Returning Families Programme

Tender description

The Home Office is seeking to award a contract to an organisation to provide assistance to British National children upon their return to the UK from the conflict in Syria, with the overall goal being the safe reintegration of the children back into UK society. The Returning Families Programme (RFP) was approved by Ministers in May 2017, and the current invitation to tender approved in 2022. Children who return from Syria are likely to have significant long term psychological and social needs (which may not immediately manifest themselves) due to the conditions in which they have lived. They may have witnessed horrific events and lived in fear, witnessed murder and terrorism, forced into combat, subject to intense indoctrination and young girls forced into marriage and subjected to rape etc. Individuals returning to the UK may also be radicalised or be vulnerable to radicalisation and pose a risk to themselves and others in the future. RFP is focussed on supporting minors but extends support to parents and carers if appropriate. Delivery of this Service requires voluntary participation and consent which will be encouraged by Local Authorities (LAs) on the family's return to the UK. The service involves supporting children and their carers to navigate the social care, education, and health systems. In addition, children may be vulnerable and/or suffer as a result of trauma. Support will seek to address this by identifying such issues and supporting as appropriate, including referring to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services or addressing directly through appropriate psychological therapy. The successful supplier will work closely with Local Authorities (LAs) and other partners to achieve the following: • Provide an integrated service to provide holistic support to children and their carers returning to the UK from conflict zones. • Provide professional Key Worker (social) and Clinical Support to returnees as core functions of any multi-disciplinary approach. • Work closely with the incumbent supplier to transition existing cases (currently 8 families, comprising 16 children and 9 carers) to the new supplier. • Develop a strong working relationship with assigned families, establishing a clear understanding of Individuals needs to inform a clear case plan and exit strategies for the children. • Work closely with all stakeholders including Local Authorities, Police, the Authority etc to ensure a coordinated approach to safeguarding and managing risk. • Work flexibly to suit the needs of the family, including at a variety of locations across the country and outside of normal working hours (as appropriate). • Provide monitoring and evaluation components to report on progress of cases and the RFP service in general e.g. headlines, issues/risks, key variances and attend meetings with the Authority. LAs, Schools and stakeholders as appropriate. The successful Bidder(s) will be contracted to the Authority.