CS5385 Children' Rights Advocacy Service

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets (Tower Hamlets) is seeking to commission organisation(s) with the specialist skills and resources to provide a person-centred independent Children's Rights Advocacy Service (CRAS) offering advice and support for all of our Looked After Children and Care Leavers (including those with a disability) to help empower them to reach their potential and uphold their human rights. The Service consists out of two service lots, Advocacy and Return Home Interviews, for which organisations are encouraged to bid, either for one or both of the service lots. Service Lot 1: The Advocacy service lot will offer children and young people (CYP) independent and confidential advice, information and representation, while ensuring CYP have their wishes and feelings heard and views responded to appropriately. The Service will: • Ensure up to 90 Looked After Children (LAC) & Care Leavers (including Children with Disabilities (CWD)) per year will have access to an independent advocacy worker to support their needs and empower them to help reach their full potential, including making complaints. • Conduct up to 25 exit interviews with Care Leavers annually resulting in a report that will be submitted to Tower Hamlets' Through Care Service. Service Lot 2: The Return Home Interview (RHI) service lot will offer independent Return Interviews for Looked After Children who go missing from their placement. Independent return interviews provide an opportunity to speak to the child in confidence to ascertain the factors that led to the child going missing and any risks they may have been exposed to while missing. This will enable Tower Hamlets to implement measures to prevent reoccurrence and to safeguard the child and young person from harm. Return of tender date: 11/02/2019 Initial Contract Duration: 36 months Overall Estimated Contract Value (including extensions): £534,756 Budget The estimated annual value for the service lots are: • Service Lot 1: Advocacy = £128,252 • Service Lot 2: Return Home Interviews (RHI) = £50,000 • Total per annum = £178,252 Please note that this reflects the maximum available budget for the service, therefore tenders which exceed this figure will not be considered. A supplier briefing will take place on Friday 25th January 2019 at 2:00 pm and is expected to last approximately one hour. Location: Room AJH204 2nd Floor Albert Jacobs House 62 Roman Road London E2 0PG Please contact Karlijn.Tummers@towerhamlets.gov.uk for further information and to register for the event by Monday 21st January 2019