The Advocacy Safety Net Service Award Notice

Award Notice for The Advocacy Safety Net Service.

The Advocacy 'Safety Net' Service will encourage local authorities to provide advocacy services in line with their statutory responsibilities, only stepping in where this proves unsuccessful. It is expected the improved national advocacy 'safety net' will also improve insight and analysis about callers to the service and the issues they raise and will gather evidence about the quality and coverage of local advocacy services. The service will use clear approaches for prioritising limited resources and engage looked after children who might otherwise be difficult to reach.

The national advocacy 'safety net' is not a substitute for the services that local authorities should provide. Its role is to signpost children to locally provided services and to monitor availability. The service will maintain a dynamic picture of local provision, updated via calls to the helpline and based on work with local areas and through its networks. The service will only step in where local advocacy support continues to be denied.

The service has 3 core deliverables that the supplier will be required to deliver:

1. An advice helpline run by appropriately trained staff members who are able to respond to calls from looked after children and able to respond accordingly, identifying the best route to address concerns. The helpline should offer telephone, email, text, and WhatsApp communication options. This should also support children where English is not their first language.
2. Additional advocacy support through web-based information including 'self-advocacy tools and technology. A website should allow looked after children and care leavers to be made aware of their local advocacy provider and the relevant contact information. This should also support children where English is not their first language.
3. A database capturing the availability of local advocacy, which is accurate and kept up to date so to refer children and young people to local support. The database is held by the current provider and regular contact with all local authorities are needed to ensure information is kept up to date