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Regulation 44 visits and reports

Oldham Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

18 Sep 2026 at 15:54

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

13 Jul 2026 at 13:45

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

17 Jun 2026 at 14:52

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council is procuring a social work and related service covering Regulation 44 visits and reports for its in-house children’s residential settings. The provider will assess whether care meets the standard required by Regulation 44(2) of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, enabling the council to discharge its statutory duties, and will report its findings. The scope includes current residential homes, specialist short-term support and semi-independent provision, with one further setting joining the service. The work will be delivered across Oldham’s residential estate. The requirement also incorporates parental advocacy, providing independent support to parents navigating children’s social care and child protection systems, including meetings, complaints and communication with professionals.

The procurement has reached tender: the council invited offers through a below-threshold open competition. It is a single lot for a light-touch services contract. The contract is planned to run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029, with an option to extend by up to 12 months, giving a maximum term ending 31 March 2030. The estimated value is £120,000 excluding VAT and £144,000 including VAT. Enquiries had to be submitted by 9 October 2026 at 12 noon, and offers by 16 October 2026 at 12 noon. Electronic submission was allowed through the council’s procurement portal. Evaluation is based on weighted and scored quality questions, using a 0–5 scoring scale and the requirements in Appendix D of the tender documents.

This opportunity suits small and medium-sized organisations, including voluntary, community and social enterprises, with experience in independent oversight of children’s residential care. Strong applicants will understand Regulation 44(2) of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and be able to conduct robust, impartial visits and produce clear reports that support safeguarding, service improvement and statutory compliance. Relevant capability also includes working sensitively with children, young people, parents, residential care staff and social care professionals. Providers able to deliver independent parental advocacy are well placed, particularly where they can explain child protection processes, support parents at conferences and meetings, help them communicate their views, and guide them through complaints and complex information.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Regulation 44 visits and reports

Notice Description

The overall purpose of Regulation 44 visits and subsequent reports is to ensure that the care provided is of a satisfactory standard as specified in Regulation 44 (2) of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 in order for the Local Authority to discharge its statutory duties. Within scope are all of Oldham's current in house residential settings including those offering specialist short term support and semi-independent provision as good practice on Oldham's continual improvement and learning journey. One further residential setting will come on board and form part of this specification from Summer 2027

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Contract can be extended by up to 12 months with a maximum term of 3 years in total

Planning Information

Background Oldham Council are seeking to commission two statutory services, Regulation 44 Visits and Children's Advocacy and Independent Visitors. Oldham are seeking to commission these two services via two separate tender processes but both will be discussed at this meet the market event. The successful provider(s) will deliver high quality provision, work with a range of stakeholders and effectively engage with and inspire young people. It is expected the provider will meet all KPI's and outcomes outlined in the service specifications. Regulation 44 Visits for Oldham's Internal Residential Estate. Regulation 44 visits and subsequent reports are completed to ensure that the care provided in children's residential settings is of a satisfactory standard as specified in Regulation 44 (2) of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 in order for the Local Authority to discharge its statutory duties. Within scope are all of Oldham's current in-house residential settings and any future settings that come into the estate, including those offering specialist short term support and semi-independent provision as good practice on Oldham's continual improvement and learning journey. Children's Advocacy and Independent Visitors Advocacy is about representing the views, wishes and needs of children and young people to professionals making decisions about their lives, and helping them to navigate the system, especially in times of transition. Advocacy services provide independent and confidential information, advice, representation, support and advocacy for eligible children and young people. High quality advocacy is an important preventative measure to ensure practical problems do not escalate, that children and young people are protected from harm or risk of harm to their wellbeing and to ensure that potential system level failures are identified and tackled at the earliest opportunity. Independent Visitors are trained volunteers who can step in to support children within the context of National reforms including FFP and provide a stable adult relationship outside of their care arrangement. They can visit them where they live and be a friend and mentor as they grow up. This specification for this service will be based on the National Standards for the Provision of Children and Young People's Advocacy Services 2023. Market Engagement Event As part of the commissioning process, we are holding a market engagement event and would like to invite interested providers to attend. The purpose of the event will be to engage with providers and discuss: • services included within this procurement exercise. • contextual information. • initial commissioning considerations based on stakeholder/service user feedback. • insights from those delivering similar services - to inform the final specification. • Procurement process and guidance on writing a bid for Oldham Each organisation will be limited to maximum of two representatives. Please note: Hybrid or virtual attendance will not be available due to the nature of the venue. For those unable to attend, the presentation slides, along with any potential Q&A will be made available via The Chest following the event. Details of the event: Date: Wednesday 22 July 2026 Time: 10.30am - 12:00pm Venue: Royton Town Hall, Rochdale Rd, Royton, Oldham OL2 6QG Nearest parking: OL2 6QJ, OL2 5QD Please report to Royton Library Reception upon arrival Please confirm your attendance by messaging on The Chest portal by 5pm on Friday 17th July 2026, and also confirm the names, email and roles of those attending. Chest link: https://procontract.due-north.com/ Chest Reference: DN819276 Chest project name: Oldham Council Market Engagement Event Regulation 44 Visits Children's Advocacy and Independent Visitors

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b72f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088839-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85300000 - Social work and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Sep 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
16 Oct 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Oldham 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
OLDHAM
Postcode
OL1 1HD
Postcode Area
Oldham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD37 Greater Manchester North East
Delivery Location
TLD37 Greater Manchester North East
Local Authority
Oldham
Electoral Ward
Coldhurst
Westminster Constituency
Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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