Planning

Staffing For Unregistered Places

CORNWALL COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

17 Jun 2025 at 15:02

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

04 Jun 2025 at 11:39

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Cornwall Council, a sub-central government public authority, is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "Staffing For Unregistered Places," with an estimated value of £6,000,000. The procurement is located in the United Kingdom, specifically covering Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly within the region designated UKK3. This initiative focuses on the industry categories of education, training services, and other community, social, and personal services. Currently, a soft market assessment is being conducted to determine interest levels across various sectors, with input expected by 12 noon on Wednesday 25th June 2025. The contract period is scheduled to commence on 1st October 2025 and conclude on 1st October 2026, indicating an intention to develop and onboard necessary resources within this timeline.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in child care provision, especially those experienced in handling unregistered placements under the Children Act 1989. Companies with capabilities in managing complex needs, emergency placements, or operating within the independent and private sectors may be well-positioned to compete. The process involves a potential shift from spot placements to a formal tendering approach, suggesting a substantial business opportunity for efficient service providers to establish or expand their presence in this vital service area. The planned procurement intends to address the shortage of suitable, regulated care options, thus providing growth avenues for experienced providers and fostering collaboration with Cornwall Council to enhance outcomes for vulnerable children.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Staffing For Unregistered Places

Notice Description

Cornwall Council has statutory responsibilities to provide children in Care with somewhere appropriate to live, whether this is on a voluntary basis or via a court order as per The Children Act 1989. This includes ensuring sufficiency to meet the individual needs of children through a range of residential placements. The aim for residential placements is to narrow the gap between the general outcomes for children and the outcomes for Children in Care. These responsibilities are fulfilled through individual tailored placements both in house and with a wide range of providers within and outside of Cornwall. An "unregistered" placement refers to a setting that meets the legal definition of a children's home under the Care Standards Act 2000 but has not been registered with Ofsted. Unregistered placements for children typically arise due to a shortage of suitable, regulated care options for vulnerable children, especially those with complex needs. There is a diminishing number of registered children's homes willing or able to accommodate children with high or complex needs. This includes children with behavioural challenges, mental health issues, or those requiring secure accommodation. Local authorities may need to resort to unregistered placements in emergency situations, such as: * Sudden placement breakdowns * Family crises * Immediate safeguarding concerns In these cases, there may be no time to secure a registered placement, and authorities prioritise the child's immediate safety . Some children are placed under Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders, meaning they require constant supervision or restrictions for their safety. There are very few regulated settings equipped to handle such cases, leading to the use of unregistered homes. Whilst Cornwall Council operates a Dynamic Purchase System (DPS) for children and young people placements (Fostering, Residential and SEND) we do not currently have a DPS for staffing unregistered placements. Therefore, every placement is currently via spot placement and Cornwall Council are looking to potentially,formally tender this opportunity.

Planning Information

Cornwall Council is conducting a soft market assessment to gain an understanding of the potential level of interest across the Voluntary, NHS, Independent and Private Sector for the provision of Parent and Child Residential Assessments across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It is intended that the responses supplied will enable the Council to develop a business proposal prior to re-commissioning local services. Any such proposal would be subject to the development and approval of a business case, and, as such, this exercise implies no commercial commitment. This is not a formal tender document and all costings submitted are deemed hypothetical but will support us in identifying the best option for Cornwall. The Soft Market Test is a questionnaire requesting potential Suppliers ideas to help support and create the specification and business plan to take the project forward. The questionnaire will be open on the Supplying The South West portal until 12 noon on Wednesday 25th June.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-052c56
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033063-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£6,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jun 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
25 Jun 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2025 - 1 Oct 2026 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CORNWALL COUNCIL
Contact Name
Mrs Christine Stone
Contact Email
christine.stone@cornwall.gov.uk
Contact Phone
+44 1872326050

Buyer Location

Locality
TRURO
Postcode
TR1 3AY
Post Town
Truro
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Delivery Location
TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Local Authority
Cornwall
Electoral Ward
Truro Boscawen & Redannick
Westminster Constituency
Truro and Falmouth

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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