Description
Introduction
• This information note, along with the accompanying details, is being publicly shared via Find a Tender Service, making it accessible to all organisations in the market.
• The purpose of this market engagement is to identify one or more partners who can work with the Department to help improve health outcomes for children living in poverty in England.
• DHSC is specifically looking at collaborating on a “value in kind” basis with potential partners to deliver on the aims of the Child Poverty Strategy (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696646bc99fbdc498faecd98/child-poverty-strategy.pdf), published in December 2025.
There is no dedicated funding available for a strategic partnership in this space. This is not a public procurement exercise, nor a paid partnership or sponsorship opportunity and as such it will not lead to the award of a “public contract” as defined in the Procurement Act 2023. While Find a Tender Service would ordinarily be used in connection with a public procurement exercise, this is not the case here as it is being used to have a wide reach to the market.
• The questionnaire will close for responses at 23:59 on Monday 3rd August 2026. Responses after this time will not be accepted.
• DHSC will progress up to ten proposals that satisfy the criteria set out on page 3 of this notice. The final number of proposals selected will be based on the scoring methodology described herein, with those achieving the highest scores invited to enter negotiations.
• Participation in this process does not create any obligation on either party to enter into a formal partnership or agreement.
• DHSC recognises that organisations may wish to combine complementary skills, resources or experience by forming a consortium. We encourage strategic partnership proposals from consortia where they strengthen capability, capacity or coverage. Organisations submitting a consortium proposal must nominate a lead organisation to submit the proposal and act as the single point of contact. They must also clearly outline the consortium membership including the roles, responsibilities and contributions of each consortium member.
• There are four scored questions for potential partners to answer. Each refers to key aspects of the partnership needs set out in Strategic Partnership Needs section of this notice. Each question will be scored on a scale of 0-4 which is set out below:
Score Justification for Awarding Score
0 - The response does not demonstrate an understanding of the partnership needs and provides no confidence that the partnership needs will be delivered.
1 - The response meets elements of the partnership needs but raises concerns across several significant areas. There are reservations because the response shows:
Some misunderstandings of the partnership needs, and a low level of information and detail provided. It provides insufficient confidence that the potential partner’s proposal will meet and deliver the partnership needs.
2 - The response broadly meets what is expected for the partnership needs, but there are some areas of concern. The response therefore shows:
A reasonable understanding of the partnership needs with an acceptable level of information and detail provided. It provides reasonable confidence that the potential partner’s proposal will meet and deliver the partnership needs.
3 - The response meets what is expected for the partnership needs in all material respects, with no areas of concern. The response therefore shows:
A good understanding of the partnership needs, and a good level of information and detail provided. It provides good confidence that the potential partner’s proposal will meet and deliver the partnership needs.
4 - The response exceeds many aspects of the partnership needs. There are no areas of concern. The response therefore shows:
A very good understanding of the partnership needs, and very good level of information and detail provided. It provides a high degree of confidence that the potential partner’s proposal will meet and deliver the partnership needs. The response goes beyond partnership needs in some areas with evidence of added value beyond what was expected.
In addition, the following criteria will be considered when scoring responses:
Acceptability: Alignment with Child Poverty Strategy
Practicability: Feasibility of partnership
Effectiveness: Expected impact
Side effects / safety: Alignment with DHSC policy
Innovation: Level of ambition
Political alignment: Alignment with political priorities
Background and Scope
Child poverty in the UK has increased by 700,000 since 2010/11, with 4 million children now living in poverty and 1 million having used foodbanks within the last 12 months . Tackling child poverty is central to this government’s mission to remove barriers to opportunity and raise the healthiest generation of children ever. Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-children-our-future-tackling-child-poverty) sets out immediate actions to reduce poverty and the long-term foundations needed to change its trajectory. As part of the Strategy, DHSC has committed to explore how industry and government can better work together to address the health impacts of child poverty (page 92).
Scale of the problem:
Child poverty is a wider determinant of health and can be a risk factor for worse physical and mental health outcomes , Evidence shows that exposure to poverty during childhood is associated with worse physical and mental health outcomes .
These health inequalities may manifest differently throughout pregnancy, the early years, middle childhood and adolescence:
• Pregnancy: Health behaviours and risks often begin before pregnancy . Poverty increases the risk of low birth weight and infant mortality.
• Early years (0-5 years): At ages four and five years, obesity prevalence and tooth decay are strongly linked to deprivation. Children on free school meals are less likely to be school ready at age five years.
• Middle childhood (5-11 years): Children from less affluent families are least likely to be active . By age 10-11 years, children in the most deprived areas are twice as likely to be obese
• Adolescence (11-18 years): Risky health behaviours often begin during adolescence.
Poverty is usually measured at individual or household level whereas deprivation uses area-based measures (typically using the Index of Multiple Deprivation). Inequalities in health outcomes can be measured in different ways. In some cases, health and poverty metrics data are not measured together, so other measures like area-based deprivation or the family’s socioeconomic status are used. While area-based deprivation metrics can help identify need, they do not capture all children experiencing poverty. This work therefore focuses on children living in poverty across England, regardless of location.
We have heard from young people, parents and wider stakeholders through early market engagement exercises that:
• Poverty has an impact on ability to access healthy food, affordable transport, housing quality and lack of outdoor spaces that support physical activity.
• Financial, job insecurity, and debt pressures can place additional stress on families experiencing poverty.
• There is limited access to learning opportunities and education for families in poverty, as well as low health literacy and awareness, which can act as barriers to health improvement.
We are looking for scalable solutions that address the wider determinants of health associated with child poverty. Solutions should focus on:
• Mitigating impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, to enable families to live healthy lives and make healthy choices. This includes equitable access to affordable and nutritious food, cooking equipment, leisure activities and transport.
• Adequate mental health, education and developmental support provision, including addressing stigma, raising awareness of existing support and eligibility. Educational and developmental support could include life skills such as cooking and diet, budgeting and financial literacy.
Following the market engagement event hosted by DHSC on Wednesday 15 April 2026, this notice is an invitation to submit a proposal to collaborate with DHSC and contribute to innovative, impactful solutions to improve the health of children living in poverty. Please complete questionnaire to submit a proposal: https://forms.office.com/e/SnUJi1QCJF
Whilst this engagement focuses specifically on the wider determinants of health associated with child poverty, opportunities to support the broader Children and Young People (CYP) health agenda are expected via the CYP Modern Service Framework (MSF), which is being developed by NHS England. The CYP MSF is intended to support the NHS and system partners, including public health and local government, to ensure all children receive timely, high-quality care and support when they need it, while improving performance and efficiency across the health system. Engagement relating to the CYP MSF will be conducted by NHSE and does not form part of this market engagement exercise.