CS5385 Children' Rights Advocacy Service

Market Engagement Event Title: LBTH Children's Rights Advocacy Service - Lot 1: Advocacy + Lot 2: Return Home Interviews (RHI's) Date: 24/09/2018 from13:00 to 17:00 Invited: Advocacy and Return Home Interviews (RHI) providers Purpose: to outline proposed key elements of the specification and to seek views and ideas from the market to form the specification. Contract Annual Value: £133,480 (Advocacy) + £50,000 (RHI) = £183,480 Information about the Service: Advocacy plays a vital role in safeguarding children and young people, and protecting them from harm and neglect. As such, it is a statutory requirement for all Local Authorities with social services responsibilities to ensure that advocacy services are provided for children and young people making or intending to make a complaint under section 24D or section 26 of the Children Act 1989.

In addition, the statutory guidance on children who go missing from care January 2014 requires Local Authorities to prevent children from going missing and to protect them when they do by offering independent return interviews. This guidance is issued under Section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 which requires local authorities in exercising their social services functions, to act under the general guidance of the Secretary of State. The Children's Rights Advocacy Service will offer advice and support to all Tower Hamlets' Looked After Children, Care Leavers and Children with Disabilities (CWD) to help empower them to reach their potential and uphold their human rights. The tender will consist of 2 lots, 1. Advocacy: 2. Return Home Interviews (RHI): Tower Hamlets requires provider(s) to deliver an Advocacy and/ or RHI Service of high quality in order to safeguard Looked After Children, Care Leavers and CWD. The provider(s) must demonstrate fitness of purpose in organisation, financial viability and staff competence. For avoidance of doubt this is not a call for competition at this stage, the purpose is to advise the market on the forthcoming procurement of London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) Children's Rights Advocacy Service - Lot 1: Advocacy + Lot 2: Return Home Interviews (RHI's)and to seek ideas from the market to inform the specification Deadline for expressions of interest in attending the event: 17/09/2018 Please send expressions of interest to: Karlijn Tummers at [email protected] and Ikwi Mkparu at [email protected]

Additional information: 1. Advocacy: this lot of the Service is to offer children and young people independent and confidential advice, information, representation, and have their wishes and feelings heard and views responded to appropriately. The Service will: • Ensure up to 90 Looked After Children & Care Leavers, and CWD per year will have access to an independent advocacy worker to support their needs and empower them to help reach their full potential, including making complaints. • Convene, administer and co-chair two separate Children in Care Council (CiCC) per month for children (0-14 years) and young people (16 years plus). • Conduct up to 25 exit interviews with Care Leavers annually resulting in a report that will be submitted to Tower Hamlets Leaving Care Service.

2. Return Home Interviews (RHI): this lot of the Service will offer independent Return Interviews for Looked After Children who go missing from their placement. Independent return interviews provide an opportunity to speak to the child in confidence to ascertain the factors that led to the child going missing and any risks they may have been exposed to while missing and enable the Local Authority to implement measures to prevent reoccurrence and to safeguard the child and young person from harm. The Service will: • Ensure all Looked After Children who go missing will be offered an independent Return Interview. • Ensure interviews are carried out as soon as possible, but within 72 hours of the child being located. • Be available 7 days a week.