Provision of Advocacy Services in Buckinghamshire

This is a notice for social and specific services in accordance with Directive 2014/24/EU Article 74

Buckinghamshire Council wish to commission Statutory Advocacy Services in Buckinghamshire. The service provision will be divided into 2 lots. Organisations can tender for one or both lots.

LOT 1 - Childrens Advocacy Services

The Children's advocacy service will support children and young people within Bucks to have their voices heard and to enable them to actively participate and put forward their preferences surrounding any process involving their future care. It also provides them with positive role models who can actively help shape their future and help them develop self-advocacy skills for later in life.

It is a statutory requirement to provide advocacy services to children if they are receiving care and support from the local authority in order to help them understand and be part of the process when reviewing or setting up care packages, to help them raise concerns and protect their rights. This will include; children with disabilities, asylum seekers & unaccompanied minors, children in 'out of county' placements, children in secure units, psychiatric units and hospitals and young carers who do not have adult support due to parental substance misuse or medical infirmity.

The Service will deliver four identified functions:

Function 1: Independent Advocacy to Children Issue Based Advocacy (IBA)

Function 2: Residential Visiting Advocacy (RVA)

Function 3: Independent Visitors Advocacy (IV) For Looked After Children - Function 4: Regulation 44 Visits into Childrens Homes

The budget for this service is £132,000 per annum.

LOT 2 - Integrated Advocacy Service

Advocacy support is a statutory requirement placed on the local authority to support and enable people to speak for themselves, express their views and wishes, and support them to be part of the decision process surrounding their care and support needs. Through the service people will be empowered to participate in decisions surrounding them including; their support, care provisions and living provisions as well as ensuring that they are included within key decisions that affect them and are able to voice their preferences.

This Service will subscribe to the key principles set out in the Buckinghamshire Adult Social Care "Better Lives" strategy and the NHS Long term plan for Buckinghamshire.https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/media/4512397/asc-strategy_v1-bl-04_2018.pdf

The principles have a key focus on helping people to gain or regain the skills that they need to live independently by supporting themselves in the short term and expecting that wherever possible people will support themselves in the longer term.

The Service will deliver three identified functions;

Function 1: Provide Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) and Relevant Person Representative (RPR)

Function 2: Provide Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)

Function 3: Provide Care Act Advocacy to Adults, Children