Planning

Family Finding Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

04 Jun 2026 at 12:40

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

04 Jun 2026 at 12:38

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education is conducting a public procurement process to implement the Family Finding (FF) programme, targeting eligible local authorities across the United Kingdom. This initiative is part of the broader Enduring Relationships programme, which aims to enhance children's social care by prioritising stable support structures for children in care. The procurement process is in the planning stage, with a market engagement event scheduled via Teams on 11th June 2026. Interested participants must register by 10th June 2026. The contract is set to commence on 1st October 2026 and conclude on 31st March 2028, focusing on welfare services for children and young people. The estimated value of the contract is £8.4 million.

This tender presents a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in children's welfare services, particularly those with expertise in implementing Family Finding models within local authorities. Organisations with a proven track record in programme delivery, training, technical support, and quality assurance will be well-suited to bid. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary community and social enterprises (VCSEs) are encouraged to participate. The provider's role will involve scaling the Family Finding model across English local authorities, improving local capacity, and potentially backing the programme with philanthropic investments or match funding. This initiative promises business growth through impactful social change and sector expansion.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Family Finding Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

Notice Description

The Enduring Relationships (ER) programme announced 4 June, will reform the children's social care system, by putting loving relationships at the heart of it. As part of this announcement, a national rollout of Family Finding has been announced. Family Finding (FF) programmes aim to ensure that children in care and young people leaving care have a positive, lasting support network of family and trusted adults throughout their lives. FF is focused on supporting children and young people in care to reconnect to loved ones and build a network of familial/close support. Previously, the Department for Education has run a Family Finding, Befriending and Mentoring (FFBM) programme, with FF funding provided for participating Local Authorities via grant funding between December 2023 until September 2026. The FFBM evaluation has shown that FF programmes created a statistically significant impact of an average of an additional 1.8 connections for participants, and demonstrates improvements in stability, wellbeing, and long-term outcomes; we want to continue this work by rolling out a FF programme on a larger scale. The Department seeks to procure a provider to deliver and embed a Family Finding (FF) model in eligible local authorities (LAs). The provider will provide leadership, training, technical support, and quality assurance to enable local authorities to embed FF sustainably. The provider will: * Have extensive knowledge of an FF model and experience of delivering a FF programme in a local authority. The FF model must have independent evidence and proven outcomes to demonstrate its effectiveness. * Scale FF to all eligible English LAs to support DfE's ambition. * Deliver change quickly in LAs in the most impactful and direct way possible. * Build sustainable local authority capacity. * Monitor and assure quality of the FF programme. * Gather and share learning to support ongoing improvement. Please note that we anticipate there will be an expectation for the provider to raise philanthropic investment or match funding to support the delivery of this programme. Alongside the provider, an Evaluation Partner is being commissioned to independently evaluate the implementation, delivery, and impact of the programme on its intended outcomes. Whilst the evaluation design and methodology will be finalised with the evaluation partner, we anticipate the scope will contain an impact evaluation to assess the extent to which the programme achieves its intended outcomes and delivers measurable benefits. The provider must have proven expertise in delivering an evidence-based Family Finding model. This model must have clear evidence of providing a positive impact on participants. The supplier must have experience of delivering a FF model within a UK local authority setting and have detailed knowledge of the children's social care sector. The provider should provide coordinated implementation support, including training delivery, quality assurance, and hands-on guidance to ensure adoption of the FF model across all participating local authorities. The provider shall proactively engage with local authorities to monitor progress, address challenges, and provide tailored support to strengthen delivery and outcomes We estimate that a maximum of 129 local authorities are likely to be eligible for the rollout. Eligibility is limited to those LAs that did not receive funding for a Family Finding programme under the FFBM. LAs who received Befriending and Mentoring funding only under the FFBM programme are eligible. Any LAs that already have a FF contract in place with the selected provider would be ineligible. To support this activity the DfE has committed PS1.7 million for the current financial year, followed by a further PS6.7 million for 2027-28, to enable the rollout of FF across eligible English local authorities.

Planning Information

The Market engagement event will be held over Teams and is scheduled to take place on Thurday 11th June 2026 at 10:30am - 11am. If you would like to secure a spot at the event, please email family.finding@education.gov.uk no later than 5pm Wednesday 10th June 2026. When signing up, please confirm the name of your organisation, the names of individuals who will be attending and their job roles.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ad8d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052821-2026
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

85311300 - Welfare services for children and young people

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£7,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Jun 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
11 Jun 20261 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 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
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06ad8d-2026-06-04T13:40:45+01:00",
    "date": "2026-06-04T13:40:45+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06ad8d",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PDZG-3487-DPVD",
            "name": "Department for Education",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PDZG-3487-DPVD"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1P3BT",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "family.finding@education.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PDZG-3487-DPVD",
        "name": "Department for Education"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "The Market engagement event will be held over Teams and is scheduled to take place on Thurday 11th June 2026 at 10:30am - 11am. If you would like to secure a spot at the event, please email family.finding@education.gov.uk no later than 5pm Wednesday 10th June 2026. When signing up, please confirm the name of your organisation, the names of individuals who will be attending and their job roles.",
                "dueDate": "2026-06-11T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "052819-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052819-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-06-04T13:38:16+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "052821-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052821-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-06-04T13:40:45+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06ad8d",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Family Finding Preliminary Market Engagement Notice",
        "description": "The Enduring Relationships (ER) programme announced 4 June, will reform the children's social care system, by putting loving relationships at the heart of it. As part of this announcement, a national rollout of Family Finding has been announced. Family Finding (FF) programmes aim to ensure that children in care and young people leaving care have a positive, lasting support network of family and trusted adults throughout their lives. FF is focused on supporting children and young people in care to reconnect to loved ones and build a network of familial/close support. Previously, the Department for Education has run a Family Finding, Befriending and Mentoring (FFBM) programme, with FF funding provided for participating Local Authorities via grant funding between December 2023 until September 2026. The FFBM evaluation has shown that FF programmes created a statistically significant impact of an average of an additional 1.8 connections for participants, and demonstrates improvements in stability, wellbeing, and long-term outcomes; we want to continue this work by rolling out a FF programme on a larger scale. The Department seeks to procure a provider to deliver and embed a Family Finding (FF) model in eligible local authorities (LAs). The provider will provide leadership, training, technical support, and quality assurance to enable local authorities to embed FF sustainably. The provider will: * Have extensive knowledge of an FF model and experience of delivering a FF programme in a local authority. The FF model must have independent evidence and proven outcomes to demonstrate its effectiveness. * Scale FF to all eligible English LAs to support DfE's ambition. * Deliver change quickly in LAs in the most impactful and direct way possible. * Build sustainable local authority capacity. * Monitor and assure quality of the FF programme. * Gather and share learning to support ongoing improvement. Please note that we anticipate there will be an expectation for the provider to raise philanthropic investment or match funding to support the delivery of this programme. Alongside the provider, an Evaluation Partner is being commissioned to independently evaluate the implementation, delivery, and impact of the programme on its intended outcomes. Whilst the evaluation design and methodology will be finalised with the evaluation partner, we anticipate the scope will contain an impact evaluation to assess the extent to which the programme achieves its intended outcomes and delivers measurable benefits. The provider must have proven expertise in delivering an evidence-based Family Finding model. This model must have clear evidence of providing a positive impact on participants. The supplier must have experience of delivering a FF model within a UK local authority setting and have detailed knowledge of the children's social care sector. The provider should provide coordinated implementation support, including training delivery, quality assurance, and hands-on guidance to ensure adoption of the FF model across all participating local authorities. The provider shall proactively engage with local authorities to monitor progress, address challenges, and provide tailored support to strengthen delivery and outcomes We estimate that a maximum of 129 local authorities are likely to be eligible for the rollout. Eligibility is limited to those LAs that did not receive funding for a Family Finding programme under the FFBM. LAs who received Befriending and Mentoring funding only under the FFBM programme are eligible. Any LAs that already have a FF contract in place with the selected provider would be ineligible. To support this activity the DfE has committed PS1.7 million for the current financial year, followed by a further PS6.7 million for 2027-28, to enable the rollout of FF across eligible English local authorities.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "85311300",
                        "description": "Welfare services for children and young people"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 8400000,
            "amount": 7000000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
            "lightTouch"
        ],
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-10-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2028-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}