Contract for the provision of an Appropriate Adults Service for Children and Young People

Lancashire County Council is inviting suitably experienced providers to tender for the opportunity to deliver the Appropriate Adults Service across the 12 districts of Lancashire (Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Preston, Chorley, West Lancashire, South Ribble, Lancaster, Fylde & Wyre). For the purposes of this tender the boundary of Lancashire does not include Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen. The Appropriate Adult role was created with the introduction of PACE 1984 and its associated Codes of Practice. The Act sets out the powers and duties of the police, including in relation to people in police detention.

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (section 38), specifically places a duty on Local Authorities, via their Youth Offending Teams, to ensure the provision of Appropriate Adults to safeguard the interests of children and young persons detained or questioned by police officers.

Specifically, the role of the Appropriate Adult is to provide advice and support as well as ensuring the child or young person is being treated fairly and their needs are being met. Appropriate Adults should be aware of and able to support any mental health needs and learning and communication difficulties. In addition, Appropriate Adults should ensure the young person understands what is happening, ensure the young person understands their rights, support, advise and assist the detained person, observe whether the police are acting properly, fairly and with respect and facilitate communication between the Police and the detained person.

An Appropriate Adult should be present during the course of the police interview and at various stages of investigations conducted in the police station.

The contract period is

1. October 2015 to 31 March 2017 with an option to extend on an annual basis for a period of three years up to 31 March 2020.

The tender RFQ 1558279 will be conducted through Lancashire County Council's Oracle Sourcing system where the full tender documentation can be accessed