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Provision of Childrens Rights Advocacy and Independent Visitors Services

Herefordshire Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

01 Sep 2026 at 15:13

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Herefordshire Council intends to procure two children’s social care services: a Children’s Rights and Advocacy Service and an Independent Visitor Service. The advocacy service will support looked-after children, children in need, children with child protection plans, care leavers up to age 25, and 16- and 17-year-olds presenting as homeless. The Independent Visitor Service will recruit, train and support suitable adult volunteers to provide trusted relationships for children and young people in care, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, and eligible care leavers up to age 25. Both services support vulnerable children involved with Herefordshire’s social care services, including those placed outside Herefordshire. The work is classified as health and social work services and will be delivered for Herefordshire Council.

This procurement is at the planning stage: the council has announced its intention to procure and this is not an invitation to tender or request to participate. It expects to use an open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023’s Light Touch Regime. The procurement will have two separate lots, and suppliers may bid for either or both. The council expects the next notice to be published by 14 September 2026. The anticipated tender submission deadline is 12 October 2026 at 12:00, with award expected by 13 November 2026. Both lots are planned to run from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2032, with possible extensions to 31 January 2034, subject to budget approval, governance and satisfactory performance. Tenders are expected through the South West procurement portal.

The procurement should suit organisations experienced in children’s rights, advocacy, independent visitor or related statutory social care services. Providers will need the capability to represent children’s views, wishes and feelings; work with looked-after children, children in need, care leavers and children subject to protection plans; and support young people presenting as homeless. The visitor lot will suit organisations able to recruit, assess, train, match and support adult volunteers, including for children with special educational needs and disabilities and children placed outside the county. Providers should be prepared to support young people up to age 25 and work across Herefordshire’s social care network. The two-lot structure allows specialist providers to prepare for one service or organisations with wider capacity to consider both.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Childrens Rights Advocacy and Independent Visitors Services

Notice Description

This is NOT a call for competition or request to participate. Herefordshire Council intends to commence a competitive procurement for the provision of the Children's Rights and Advocacy Service and the Independent Visitors Service. It is anticipated that the procurement will be carried out using the open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 using the Light Touch Regime permitted under the Procurement Act 2023, Section 9, and therefore applying the flexibilities afforded under the above regulation. The Children's Rights and Advocacy Service supports children and young people to understand and exercise their rights, ensuring that their views, wishes and feelings are heard and represented. The Independent Visitor Service provides children and young people in care with access to a consistent, independent and trusted adult relationship that promotes their wellbeing, resilience and positive outcomes. Both services are statutory functions and play an important role in supporting vulnerable children and young people open to Herefordshire's social care services, whether placed within or outside the county boundaries. The Council intends to procure these services as two separate contract lots, allowing providers to bid for either individual lot or both lots. This approach is intended to maximise competition, encourage participation from a broad range of providers and provide flexibility in the delivery of these services.

Lot Information

Children's Rights and Advocacy Service

To provide a children's rights and advocacy service for looked after children, to children who are not looked after but in need, and care leavers aged up to their 25th birthday. This includes providing advocacy for a looked after child, care leavers, and children with a child protection plan. The Council has extended this to provide advocacy to all 16 and 17-year-olds presenting as homeless.

Renewal: Extensions are subject to budget approvals, governance and supplier's satisfactory performance.

Independent Visitor Service

The service will recruit, train and support appropriate adult volunteers to act as Independent Visitors for Children and Young People looked after by the Council. The Service shall be available to all Children and Young People in the care of Herefordshire Children's Social Care Services, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), regardless of whether they are placed within or outside of Herefordshire. The Service shall also be available to eligible Care Leavers up to the age of 25, ensuring access to appropriate support in line with their assessed needs and statutory entitlements.

Renewal: Extensions are subject to budget approvals, governance and supplier's satisfactory performance.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06efbc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082761-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
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
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Sep 2026Today
Submission Deadline
12 Oct 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
14 Sep 20262 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Feb 2027 - 31 Jan 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Herefordshire 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
HEREFORD
Postcode
HR4 0LE
Postcode Area
Hereford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG1 Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG11 Herefordshire, County of
Delivery Location
TLG11 Herefordshire, County of
Local Authority
Herefordshire, County of
Electoral Ward
Widemarsh
Westminster Constituency
Hereford and South Herefordshire

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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