Advocacy Services for Children, Young People & Adults.

PURPOSE OF THE PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT

Plymouth City Council is seeking to commission a single integrated Advocacy and Independent Visiting Service for the residents of Plymouth, bringing together a range of statutory and non-statutory advocacy functions for adults, children, young people and families within one cohesive model of delivery.

The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback from the market to support the co-design of the service specification. The event will provide an opportunity for providers and stakeholders to work collaboratively with the Council to shape the future service model, delivery approach and commissioning requirements, ensuring that the procurement delivers high-quality, legally compliant and person-centred advocacy and independent visiting services.

The proposed integrated service is expected to include a range of functions, including:

Adult Advocacy Services, such as Care Act Advocacy, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA), Health and Social Care Complaints Advocacy, Court of Protection Representation and associated advocacy functions.

Children, Young People and Family Services, including advocacy for eligible children and young people, Independent Visitor Services, parental advocacy, and support linked to Plymouth's Families First Partnership Programme.

The Council is particularly interested in exploring how specialist advocacy and independent visiting provision can be brought together within a single integrated model whilst maintaining the independence, expertise and statutory requirements associated with each function.

The event will be held via Microsoft Teams on 2 October 2026 ( Time TBC). To register your interest, please email jointcommissioning@plymouth.gov.uk with "Market Engagement Event - Independent Visiting and Advocacy Services" in the subject line. please email by Tuesday 29th September 2026 by 15:00 / 3pm. Joining instructions will be provided following registration.

The opportunity is on Suppling The South West Portal please search for opportunity ID DN828401.