Market Engagement - Bfriends Community Based Test & Learn Project

Essex County Council would like to invite prospective providers to participate in a market engagement event in preparation for a forthcoming procurement opportunity to secure a two year Test and Learn project to secure befriending, peer-led and mentoring to be conducted in the Braintree and Uttlesford District areas of Essex. The market engagement event will be conducted via MS Teams on 15th February 2022 and will include a discussion of the project proposal as outlined below. If your organisation would like to attend this event, please e-mail lorna.venters@essex.gov.uk by Friday 11th February 2022 confirming the number of colleagues who wish to attend and an e-mail address to enable the Council to send the link to join the online meeting.

The overarching aim of this project is to provide an early intervention offer which empowers and supports the communities of Essex to find their own solutions to social integration for people with a Learning Disability and Autism (LD&A) without relying on formally commissioned services. This support offer will act as an effective way of linking individuals with community focused support, including voluntary support, that match an individual’s goals and needs, and thereby reduce the need for conventional day opportunity provision and social care interventions.

The support solutions within the offer, based on the provision of befriending, mentoring and peer-led activities, should be co-produced with LD&A adults who wish to access it. The aim should be that peer-led groups should be fully led by LD&A adults. The views of adults, families and carers will be key to ensuring that support is appropriate and responsive to changing patterns of need, and individuals are expected to play a key role in the co-production, design and delivery of services.

Please note that any dates within this advert are provided for indicative purposes only as this project remains subject to governance approval. The Council will confirm the approved contractual duration within the Contract Notice and tender pack for this procurement.