Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service

Tender description

Notice of the Council's intent to issue a Tender for the delivery of Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service which meets the needs of individual children / young people and their Kinship carers. The service to be delivered is for the provision of the Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service to children and young people, in kinship care families, under section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. The service can, at the discretion of the locality Service Manager who has the overview of Kinship care services, be extended to children or young people in other kinship arrangements, for example a section 11 Kinship Care Order. The delivery of the Service will assist the Council in meeting its statutory duty to safeguard, support and promote the welfare and wellbeing of children and young people living in kinship care families. It will focus primarily on children / young people supported in kinship arrangements which have been assessed by Social Work Services as stable (typically for two years, though this timescale may be less depending on individual circumstances of the child or young person), and who are resident in the city or within a twenty-mile radius of the Glasgow City boundary. Referrals to this Service may also include, by exception and by agreement between all parties, children and young people in stable kinship care arrangements that are outwith this geographical radius. In terms of the scope of this tender, Kinship care arrangements in scope include: - Looked after children or young people who have been formally placed with Kinship carers by the local authority under Section 25 (s25) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. - Children or young people who are subject to an order under Section 11 (s11) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. Lot 1: Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service Glasgow North East Glasgow City Council wishes to notify the market of its intention to advertise a Tender in the coming weeks for the provision of the Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service. To deliver this service the Council hopes to appoint Providers across the three Lots using an open tender process. The anticipated contract period will be for an initial three years with the option for the Council to extend for a further two years, subject to review and available funding. Scope of Opportunity - To assist the Council in meeting its obligations to children, young people and Kinship carers, the Service Provider will deliver a range of supports to children and young people in kinship care households, as well as their Kinship carers. These include: - Conducting visits with the child or young person in their kinship care homes; - Cultivating and developing relationships with the child or young person and their Kinship carer(s); - Eliciting the views of the child or young person in all aspects of their care, health and wellbeing, and ensuring these are heard, shared and acknowledged by all those involved in the child or young person’s care when care plans and outcomes are reviewed; - Create and support opportunities for the child or young person and Kinship carers to participate in their community, to engage in experiences that meet their needs and interests, including activities and groups; - Create and support opportunities for the child or young person to maintain and develop relationships with their brothers, sisters and extended family members where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests and important to the child or young person’s wellbeing. - Provide emotional support, and guidance to children, young people and Kinship carers which encourages them to participate in positive family time with parent(s), in line with Social Work care plans, where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests. - Providing advice to children and young people and Kinship carers, and/or signposting to sources of information and advice when required; - Supporting children and young people and Kinship carers to access financial and practical supports they are entitled to, and advocating on their behalf during any application processes, where necessary; - Providing a crisis response, including in circumstances where there may be risk of relationships breaking down, and working alongside SWS to restabilise relationships wherever possible. This list is not exhaustive. The Service Provider is encouraged to be innovative in their approach to service delivery, and to make use of their organisation’s resources, connections, and knowledge of community supports to create a Service that is flexible enough to cater for each child, young person’s and Kinship carers needs, whilst acknowledging common themes and issues that this group may experience. Additional information: It is anticipated that the full Tender opportunity will be advertised in July 2023. Details will be first notified via Public Contracts Scotland Contract Notice, which will be followed a day later with the publishing of the full Tender opportunity on Public Contracts Scotland Tender. Lot 2: Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service Glasgow North West Glasgow City Council wishes to notify the market of its intention to advertise a Tender in the coming weeks for the provision of the Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service. To deliver this service the Council hopes to appoint Providers across the three Lots using an open tender process. The anticipated contract period will be for an initial three years with the option for the Council to extend for a further two years, subject to review and available funding. Scope of Opportunity - To assist the Council in meeting its obligations to children, young people and Kinship carers, the Service Provider will deliver a range of supports to children and young people in kinship care households, as well as their Kinship carers. These include: - Conducting visits with the child or young person in their kinship care homes; - Cultivating and developing relationships with the child or young person and their Kinship carer(s); - Eliciting the views of the child or young person in all aspects of their care, health and wellbeing, and ensuring these are heard, shared and acknowledged by all those involved in the child or young person’s care when care plans and outcomes are reviewed; - Create and support opportunities for the child or young person and Kinship carers to participate in their community, to engage in experiences that meet their needs and interests, including activities and groups; - Create and support opportunities for the child or young person to maintain and develop relationships with their brothers, sisters and extended family members where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests and important to the child or young person’s wellbeing. - Provide emotional support, and guidance to children, young people and Kinship carers which encourages them to participate in positive family time with parent(s), in line with Social Work care plans, where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests. - Providing advice to children and young people and Kinship carers, and/or signposting to sources of information and advice when required; - Supporting children and young people and Kinship carers to access financial and practical supports they are entitled to, and advocating on their behalf during any application processes, where necessary; - Providing a crisis response, including in circumstances where there may be risk of relationships breaking down, and working alongside SWS to restabilise relationships wherever possible. This list is not exhaustive. The Service Provider is encouraged to be innovative in their approach to service delivery, and to make use of their organisation’s resources, connections, and knowledge of community supports to create a Service that is flexible enough to cater for each child, young person’s and Kinship carers needs, whilst acknowledging common themes and issues that this group may experience. Additional information: It is anticipated that the full Tender opportunity will be advertised in July 2023. Details will be first notified via Public Contracts Scotland Contract Notice, which will be followed a day later with the publishing of the full Tender opportunity on Public Contracts Scotland Tender. Lot 3: Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service Glasgow South Glasgow City Council wishes to notify the market of its intention to advertise a Tender in the coming weeks for the provision of the Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service. To deliver this service the Council hopes to appoint Providers across the three Lots using an open tender process. The anticipated contract period will be for an initial three years with the option for the Council to extend for a further two years, subject to review and available funding. Scope of Opportunity - To assist the Council in meeting its obligations to children, young people and Kinship carers, the Service Provider will deliver a range of supports to children and young people in kinship care households, as well as their Kinship carers. These include: - Conducting visits with the child or young person in their kinship care homes; - Cultivating and developing relationships with the child or young person and their Kinship carer(s); - Eliciting the views of the child or young person in all aspects of their care, health and wellbeing, and ensuring these are heard, shared and acknowledged by all those involved in the child or young person’s care when care plans and outcomes are reviewed; - Create and support opportunities for the child or young person and Kinship carers to participate in their community, to engage in experiences that meet their needs and interests, including activities and groups; - Create and support opportunities for the child or young person to maintain and develop relationships with their brothers, sisters and extended family members where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests and important to the child or young person’s wellbeing. - Provide emotional support, and guidance to children, young people and Kinship carers which encourages them to participate in positive family time with parent(s), in line with Social Work care plans, where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests. - Providing advice to children and young people and Kinship carers, and/or signposting to sources of information and advice when required; - Supporting children and young people and Kinship carers to access financial and practical supports they are entitled to, and advocating on their behalf during any application processes, where necessary; - Providing a crisis response, including in circumstances where there may be risk of relationships breaking down, and working alongside SWS to restabilise relationships wherever possible. This list is not exhaustive. The Service Provider is encouraged to be innovative in their approach to service delivery, and to make use of their organisation’s resources, connections, and knowledge of community supports to create a Service that is flexible enough to cater for each child, young person’s and Kinship carers needs, whilst acknowledging common themes and issues that this group may experience. Additional information: It is anticipated that the full Tender opportunity will be advertised in July 2023. Details will be first notified via Public Contracts Scotland Contract Notice, which will be followed a day later with the publishing of the full Tender opportunity on Public Contracts Scotland Tender.