--- title: "Advocacy Services for Children, Young People & Adults." ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f227" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f227" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f227.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f227.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "Plymouth City Council" published: "2026-09-04" --- # Advocacy Services for Children, Young People & Adults. Buyer: Plymouth City Council Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f227 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f227) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f227.json) ## Summary Plymouth City Council intends to commission a single integrated Advocacy and Independent Visiting Service for people in Plymouth. This is a social work and related services requirement covering statutory and non-statutory support for adults, children, young people and families. The expected scope includes Care Act advocacy, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy, Independent Mental Health Advocacy, health and social care complaints advocacy, Court of Protection representation and related adult advocacy. It also includes advocacy for eligible children and young people, independent visitor services, parental advocacy and support linked to the Families First Partnership Programme. The Council wants these specialist functions brought together within one cohesive delivery model while preserving the independence, expertise and statutory requirements of each service. This procurement is at the planning and pre-market engagement stage; it is not an invitation to tender. Plymouth City Council expects to use a light-touch procedure for an above-threshold services contract. The estimated gross value is £5,000,000. The planned contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030, with renewal possible to a maximum extent date of 31 March 2032. The Council intends to hold an online market engagement event through Microsoft Teams on 2 October 2026, with the time to be confirmed. Providers wishing to attend are expected to register by 29 September 2026 at 3pm. The engagement will inform co-design of the service specification, delivery model and commissioning requirements. There is one planned lot, and the contract is intended to start in April 2027. This will suit organisations experienced in delivering independent advocacy and visiting services across adult social care, mental health, capacity, complaints, court representation and children’s services. Providers should be able to combine several specialist functions within an integrated model without compromising professional independence, legal compliance or the distinct statutory duties attached to each service. Relevant capability includes supporting adults, children, young people, parents and families, and working with the Families First Partnership Programme. The Council is seeking person-centred, high-quality provision and is using market engagement to understand how the service could be delivered effectively. Small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community or social enterprises are identified as suitable participants, making collaboration or consortium arrangements potentially relevant. ## Notice PURPOSE OF THE PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT Plymouth City Council is seeking to commission a single integrated Advocacy and Independent Visiting Service for the residents of Plymouth, bringing together a range of statutory and non-statutory advocacy functions for adults, children, young people and families within one cohesive model of delivery. The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback from the market to support the co-design of the service specification. The event will provide an opportunity for providers and stakeholders to work collaboratively with the Council to shape the future service model, delivery approach and commissioning requirements, ensuring that the procurement delivers high-quality, legally compliant and person-centred advocacy and independent visiting services. The proposed integrated service is expected to include a range of functions, including: Adult Advocacy Services, such as Care Act Advocacy, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA), Health and Social Care Complaints Advocacy, Court of Protection Representation and associated advocacy functions. Children, Young People and Family Services, including advocacy for eligible children and young people, Independent Visitor Services, parental advocacy, and support linked to Plymouth's Families First Partnership Programme. The Council is particularly interested in exploring how specialist advocacy and independent visiting provision can be brought together within a single integrated model whilst maintaining the independence, expertise and statutory requirements associated with each function. The event will be held via Microsoft Teams on 2 October 2026 ( Time TBC). To register your interest, please email jointcommissioning@plymouth.gov.uk with "Market Engagement Event - Independent Visiting and Advocacy Services" in the subject line. please email by Tuesday 29th September 2026 by 15:00 / 3pm. Joining instructions will be provided following registration. The opportunity is on Suppling The South West Portal please search for opportunity ID DN828401. ### Planning Information PURPOSE OF THE PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT Plymouth City Council is seeking to commission a single integrated Advocacy and Independent Visiting Service for the residents of Plymouth, bringing together a range of statutory and non-statutory advocacy functions for adults, children, young people and families within one cohesive model of delivery. The purpose of this engagement is to gather feedback from the market to support the co-design of the service specification. The event will provide an opportunity for providers and stakeholders to work collaboratively with the Council to shape the future service model, delivery approach and commissioning requirements, ensuring that the procurement delivers high-quality, legally compliant and person-centred advocacy and independent visiting services. The proposed integrated service is expected to include a range of functions, including: Adult Advocacy Services, such as Care Act Advocacy, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA), Health and Social Care Complaints Advocacy, Court of Protection Representation and associated advocacy functions. Children, Young People and Family Services, including advocacy for eligible children and young people, Independent Visitor Services, parental advocacy, and support linked to Plymouth's Families First Partnership Programme. The Council is particularly interested in exploring how specialist advocacy and independent visiting provision can be brought together within a single integrated model whilst maintaining the independence, expertise and statutory requirements associated with each function. The event will be held via Microsoft Teams on 2 October 2026 ( Time TBC). To register your interest, please email jointcommissioning@plymouth.gov.uk with "Market Engagement Event - Independent Visiting and Advocacy Services" in the subject line. please email by Tuesday 29th September 2026 by 15:00 / 3pm. Joining instructions will be provided following registration. The opportunity is on Suppling The South West Portal please search for opportunity ID DN828401. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083858-2026 | | 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 | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 4 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £5,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | Plymouth City Council | | Locality | PLYMOUTH | | Postcode area | Plymouth | | Postcode | PL1 3BJ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon | | ITL 3 | TLK41 Plymouth | | Local authority | Plymouth | | Electoral ward | St Peter and the Waterfront | | Westminster constituency | Plymouth Sutton and Devonport | | Delivery location | TLK41 Plymouth | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85300000 - Social work and related services ## Release History - 4 Sep 2026 at 12:12 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083858-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083858-2026 4th September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.plymouth.gov.uk - 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-06f227. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f227.json.