Soft Market Test for Emergency Foster Care Provision

Cornwall Council needs more emergency foster care provision for our most vulnerable children and young people in Cornwall. We want to co-design this with you. We would really welcome current and prospective foster carers, foster care providers and other organisations joining us in finding creative solutions for our young people. We want to learn from your experience and listen to all ideas.

Emergency foster care ensures children in care have somewhere safe to stay for anywhere from one night to up to 28 days. Emergency Foster Care provision might be required whilst family members can be found, children return home, or an alternative longer-term option can be identified.

Cornwall Council are seeking your opinion; and would like to hear from providers who might already have experience of; or wanting to deliver emergency foster care provision. We would like to understand what options are available and hear about the current challenges.

Cornwall is a large rural geographical area, so it is important that providers understand the requirements and challenges this entails.

It is intended that the responses supplied will enable the Council to consider future options, which might include a pilot project or partnership approach. Any future provision would be subject to development and approval and, as such, this exercise implies no commercial commitment. This is not a formal tender document.

Participation of this soft market assessment will not prejudice suppliers participating in any future procurement.

If you are interested in this area of service provision and also helping with our assessment of the market, please complete the Information Required section at the end of this notice along with any additional information you consider to be relevant and return this via the Due North system by 12pm noon on Tuesday 18th July 2023.