Safeguarding Support for Covid-19 Inquiry

The Cabinet Office intends to put in place contracts for the provision of Emotional Support service for use by the Covid 19 Inquiry. The Inquiry has pledged to be trauma-informed across all of its work. A trauma informed approach means seeking to reduce the risk of retraumatisation to people who are engaging with the Inquiry. Emotional support is one of the key ways of reducing retraumatisation by offering timely, sensitive, psychologically informed emotional support to people engaging with the Inquiry’s work. Emotional support is not counselling or therapy. The focus is on facilitating the person’s engagement with the Inquiry, creating support plans, facilitating stabilisation, providing psychological containment and facilitating the person’s journey through their engagement process. The contracts shall provide the offer of emotional support for everyone engaging with the Inquiry. The full specification is set out in Contract Schedule 2 (Specification), of the ITT.