Planning

Children's Rights Service - Advocacy and Independent Visitor Provision

DERBY CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

31 Mar 2026 at 09:11

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Derby City Council is currently in the planning stage of a public procurement process for the provision of a Children's Rights Service encompassing advocacy and Independent Visitor services. This tender, titled "Children's Rights Service - Advocacy and Independent Visitor Provision," falls under the health and social work services category and is aimed at supporting children and young people who are looked after, leaving care, privately fostered, or requiring advocacy during Child Protection Conferences. The services will be delivered in Derby, located in the UKF11 region of the United Kingdom. The procurement process emphasises the light touch regime and adheres to the Children Act 1989 and Care Planning Regulations 2010. Stakeholders interested in market engagement are invited to submit comments by 30th April 2026, with further tender notices expected by 1st June 2026. The tender is expected to conclude with a contract period starting on 20th November 2026 and concluding on 19th November 2029, with potential renewal extending until 19th November 2031.

This procurement opportunity presents significant growth potential for businesses that specialise in providing advocacy and social work services within the children's sector. The nature of the contract, valued at £410,000, invites applications from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations. These businesses will benefit from the flexibility required by the service, which aims to support at least 40 children and young people simultaneously, as well as facilitate representatives in over 50 Child Protection or ACYP meetings annually. Providers with expertise in family advocacy, independent visitor programmes, and those familiar with statutory requirements are ideally suited to compete for this tender. By engaging with key benchmarking and soft market testing activities, businesses can tailor their proposals to the service model that Derby City Council is formulating.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Children's Rights Service - Advocacy and Independent Visitor Provision

Notice Description

Provision of an independent Children's Rights Service including advocacy, representation, and Independent Visitor services for children and young people who are looked after or leaving care, privately fostered, have disabilities, or require advocacy for Child Protection Conferences. The service must support a minimum of 40 children and young people at any one time and provide representatives for at least 50 Child Protection or ACYP meetings per year. The service must be flexible, child centred, and compliant with statutory duties including the Children Act 1989 and Care Planning Regulations 2010.

Planning Information

Actions undertake so far: 1 - The Council has undertaken benchmarking with a range of local and national local authorities to understand current Children's Rights Service models, including who delivers the service, what elements are included, and how other areas are incorporating Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP) requirements. Benchmarking also explored how Children's Rights Services support participation and advocacy within Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and wider family network decision making, as well as any FFPP related outcomes or KPIs. 2 - In parallel, the Council carried out soft market testing with both local and national providers. Providers were invited to share their understanding of FFPP, their experience of delivering services aligned to Family Help and FGDM reforms, and how a Children's Rights Service could best support children's voices within these processes. Providers also commented on potential delivery models, independence, accessibility, and key commissioning considerations. 3 - Local providers were contacted directly, while national providers are now able to participate via the contact details provided below to ensure open and inclusive engagement. Feedback from both exercises will inform the development of the proposed service model and its alignment with FFPP principles. We would now welcome any further comments from providers as outlined above and outside of those already contacted so far on the proposed service and its delivery. A copy of the existing service specification can be obtained from sophie.pickles@derby.gov.uk Further comments and contributions into the pre-market engagement can also be submitted to this email address.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06789f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029454-2026
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
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85000000 - Health and social work services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£410,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Mar 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Jun 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
20 Nov 2026 - 19 Nov 2029 3-4 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
DERBY CITY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DERBY
Postcode
DE1 2FS
Post Town
Derby
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF11 Derby
Delivery Location
TLF11 Derby
Local Authority
Derby
Electoral Ward
Darley
Westminster Constituency
Derby South

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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