Support for local areas to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation

See 'Attachments' for full description. The Government's "Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation" report (March 2015), and its follow-up progress report, (February 2017) committed to funding a Child Sexual Exploitation Response Unit (the Unit) to provide support to local areas where child sexual exploitation (CSE) was of particular concern.

This Unit was launched in September 2016; the current contract expires in 2018-19. In line with procurement best practice, we plan to run a pre-market engagement event to help us shape future policy and requirements in terms of continuing to build local capacity, support professionals working with children and young people and take action to tackle CSE effectively in this country. We wish to test market views on the needs of professionals in local areas and how best to facilitate the spread of good practice in responding to CSE concerns.

Additional information: The Department wishes to assess market capability and capacity to administer and deliver a response, as described, to help local areas tackle CSE and market interest in tendering for this service.

There will be a pre-market engagement event on Friday 15 December from 11:00 to 13:00 at the Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BT. Please register an interest in attending, max two per organisation, to email: teresa.downing@education.gov.uk, by 5pm, Tuesday 12 December.