Semi-independent accommodation and support for young people aged 16 +

Reading Borough Council is looking to develop the market to ensure there is sufficient suitable accommodation and support, with skilled professionals, to offer a Semi-independent Living Service for eligible young people. The required services will appropriately meet the diverse range of needs of young people preparing for independence. This will include young people already in the care of the local authority, those coming into care and those 16 – 18 year olds coming through the Housing route assessed as a ‘Child in Need’. This will enable young people to acquire necessary skills in preparation for living independently, allowing them to experiment safely with their increasing freedom and develop responsibilities associated with adulthood, whilst still having the appropriate level of support from an experienced and qualified staff team. The Service will enable young people, via the support delivered, to move on from a permanent, full time care setting and increase the likelihood of them successfully living independently and maintaining future independent accommodation resources.

Young people may be quite straightforward in their requirements for coaching and support around all aspects of preparation for independence. There are however, a wide range of issues that this group of young people can present such as CSE, absconding, offending, substance misuse, mild learning disability, mental health, self-harming, and those that need a high level of nurturing. Bespoke packages need to be available to cater for individual needs. Reading Borough Council is looking for providers who are proactive, innovative, and competent in providing the following services: • Semi Independence/Group Living: Service offering a group living communal environment with staff on site to deliver bespoke programmes of support, based on individual needs, to enable young people to progress towards living independently in their own accommodation. • Floating Support with Accommodation: Community based accommodation services with floating support, sourced within the private rental market and supported by one to one staffing of varying levels, to achieve the aim of the young person successfully moving to independence. • Floating Support: Community based services providing floating support to enable young people to live semi independently in their chosen accommodation and achieve the aim of the young person successfully moving to independence.

If you would like to express your interest in providing one or more of these services to Reading Borough Council, please complete the attached form and tell us how you would meet the needs of this cohort of young people outlined above to ensure they are given every opportunity to be fully prepared for independence.

The form should be returned no later than 5pm on Wednesday 3rd August 2016 using the In-Tend e-tendering system.

Additional information: Please go to https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Tenders/Current to obtain the response document and to make your response