Independent advice and support for Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs)

The Home Office has a duty under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 to ensure that all functions "safeguard and promote the welfare of children," and that "any services provided by another person pursuant to arrangements which are made by the Secretary of State are provided having regard to that need." The future contract contributes to meeting this obligation, ensuring that UASC can adequately access the services and support they are entitled to. It is important operationally that this support is independent to the Home Office, in order to complement the asylum system functions delivered by the Home Office for UASC. Furthermore, for some children, who have a fear of state persecution in their countries of origin, support from a non-governmental organisation can be invaluable.

The Home Office is seeking to procure the provision of independent end-to-end advice, support and signposting assistance throughout the asylum application process in England and Wales for Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASC).

The content of this PIN, including the nature of works, services and estimated value, may be subject to change.

The contract will commence on 1st April 2022 and is expected to be in place for three financial years.

Additional information: The Home Office is seeking to procure a provider or providers that will support its Section 55 duties. This will include, but will not be limited to, the activities set out below across England and Wales:• Act in the best interests of children at all times, including having close regard to safeguarding concerns. Lot 1- Initial support for UASC at Dover port.• Provide a 24/7 support service at the port of Dover. To provide initial advice and support appropriate to the needs of newly arrived children at the port, prior to them being taken into the care of a local authority. Lot 2- Ongoing support for UASC across England and Wales• Assist UASC, and those responsible for their care, to understand the end to end asylum process; including helping UASC to advise the Home Office of material changes in their circumstances, provide a general advice and signposting service to UASC following an asylum decision and as appropriate, inform the child of the Assisted Voluntary Returns programme, and provide impartial advice on this. • As appropriate, act as Responsible Adults for children at substantive asylum interviews and other asylum process events. • Where children do not have existing legal representation for their asylum application, to refer to a Legal Aid Agency accredited legal representative, or to offer the necessary information to the relevant social worker or carer. • Assist children to understand their rights and responsibilities while being a looked after child in England, and to make relevant referrals as necessary to support them with this.• Work with Local Authorities to make sure that children are receiving the right level of support, including but not limited to accommodation, education, and mental and emotional health support.• As appropriate, assist the child to make positive cultural connections.It is our intention to invite those suppliers that express an interest in this procurement to an early engagement session in September, subject to parties signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement.The Home Office eSourcing is used for sourcing activities. Please follow the steps below to register your interest:1. To express an interest, participants must first be registered on the Home Office eSourcing Suite. If you have not yet registered, this can be done online at https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html by following the Register Here Link . Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering and who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so.2. Email: [email protected] 3. Title of email: Independent Advice and Support for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASCs) Procurement - Expression of Interest,Email to include: Organisation name, Contact name, E-mail address and telephone number.