---
title: "Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-07-28"
---

# Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person

Buyer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88

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## Summary

Durham County Council has awarded a contract titled "Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person" for services related to health and social work, specifically the independent assessment of community children's homes within the county, to ensure compliance with the Children's Homes Regulations 2015. This project, vital for maintaining high standards of care for vulnerable children, involves Durham's 15 Community Children's Homes and the Aycliffe Secure Centre, with the potential expansion of up to five more homes. The procurement process followed an open procedure under a light-touch regime and concluded with the award on 28th July 2026, post tender submissions that closed on 6th July 2026. The contract, valued at over £1 million, begins on 1st September 2026 and runs through to 31st August 2031, with options for renewal. The successful supplier, The National Youth Advocacy Service, will perform the essential role of conducting monthly independent assessments.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses involved in consultancy, compliance, and health services, particularly those specialising in social care and the welfare of children. SMEs with expertise in service delivery, quality assurance, and performance monitoring in similar sectors would find this contract fitting, given the technical weighting of 70% for these aspects. Flexibility and adaptability for potential contract modifications are key, as the Council plans to develop additional facilities requiring similar assessments. Companies experienced in safeguarding, UK GDPR compliance, and those capable of managing the complexities of TUPE and additional procurement resolutions would be particularly advantageous in capitalising on this contract to bolster their growth within public sector service provisions.

## Notice

This contract is for Regulation 44 Visits by an Independent Person. The Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council provide support and care for some of our most vulnerable children. Durham County Council is committed to be the best parent we can be for Children in our Care and strives to ensure that we deliver support and care that is as good as every good parent. In addition to this we also host Aycliffe Secure Centre within County Durham for both male and females who have been admitted by courts or councils on a welfare and youth custody basis, this may be due to a risk to themselves or others or because there is a concern about involvement with criminal activities. The Children's Homes Regulations 2015 (Regulation 44) require all providers of Children's Residential Homes, to secure monthly visits (as a minimum) by an Independent Person to undertake a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home's care. There are currently 15 Community Children's Homes maintained by Durham County Council, including a Short Breaks Service and a Step-Down from Secure home. Each of these homes requires monthly Regulation 44 visits conducted by an Independent Person. In addition, Aycliffe Secure Centre comprises a further five homes. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The view of the Council is that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) will apply to this contract. However, Bidders should seek their own legal advice as to the applicability of TUPE and as to the effect of the TUPE clause contained in the contract Terms and Conditions.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The number of homes may increase / decrease over the life of the contract and the successful organisation requires flexibility to this contract to accommodate this. Over the course of the contract, the Council plans to develop up to five additional Community Children's Homes. It is anticipated that the scope and value of the contract will be adjusted accordingly as each new home is developed and registered with Ofsted, ensuring ongoing compliance with Regulation 44 requirements. The separate governance arrangements for the Secure Centre and Community Children's Homes may need to be reviewed when considering any contract extension. In particular, a decision may be made as to whether it remains appropriate for a single contract to continue covering both services, or whether they should be commissioned separately to better reflect their distinct operational and regulatory frameworks.

Renewal: 3 periods of 12 months each subject to commissioner and budget approval

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071426-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 6 Jul 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 27 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 |
| Recurrence | 2034-01-02 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,060,000 |
| Lots value | £1,060,000 |
| Awards value | £1,060,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | DURHAM |
| Post town | Durham |
| Postcode | DH1 5WB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham |
| Local authority | County Durham |
| Electoral ward | Framwellgate and Newton Hall |
| Westminster constituency | City of Durham |
| Delivery location | TLC14 Durham |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THE NATIONAL YOUTH ADVOCACY SERVICE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 28 Jul 2026 at 15:50 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071426-2026
- 4 Jun 2026 at 12:32 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052811-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071426-2026
  28th July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052811-2026
  4th June 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.durham.gov.uk/
- http://www.nyas.net
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ad88.json.