Market Engagement Event for Staying Close Project (Accommodation Pathways and Support Packages for Care Leavers)

Through issuing this advert, Leicestershire County Council (LCC) is seeking feedback from the market to inform the development of a service that supports our most vulnerable care leavers. The Children in Care and Care Leavers Team in Leicestershire would like to invite providers who offer accommodation and support to care leavers (aged 16+) to an event to discuss a new project funded by the Department of Education helping to provide smoother transitions for young people leaving residential care. The project is looking to create a new service based on the staying close, staying connected model. Staying Close responds to challenges care leavers face by developing innovative accommodation pathways with bespoke packages of support to help develop the skills needed for independent living.

The aims of the project are to; provide improved housing options and reduced eviction rates; increase the proportion of care leavers in EET; improve independent living skills, wellbeing and relationship management skills.

Further details on the project can be found at https://www.eastmidstenders.org

We would like to invite you to the Collaboration Event which is being held on Wednesday 13th April 2022. The session is scheduled to start at 10.30 am and will finish no later than 12.00 pm. Information about the venue will be provided upon confirmation of registration. If your organisation would like to send a delegate to this session, please respond via email to CICAdmin@leics.gov.uk with your contact details (name, organisation and contact email address). Places are limited to one delegate per organisation and will be allocated on a "first come first served" basis

Please note, the Council intends to use the information gathered at the event to inform the development of a new service that supports our most vulnerable care leavers. Participating in this exercise will not affect any party positively or negatively during any eventual procurement process and the Council reserve the right not to proceed with any procurement process. Interested parties are further advised that any information given during the market engagement exercise will not form part of an interested party's tender submission and that a failure to respond to this notice will not preclude them from responding to any future contract notice. The Council will not meet any costs incurred by any party in responding to this notice.