---
title: "Children's Advocacy and Independent Visitors Service"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0778ad"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0778ad"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0778ad.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0778ad.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council"
published: "2026-09-23"
---

# Children's Advocacy and Independent Visitors Service

Buyer: Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0778ad

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## Summary

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council intends to commission a combined Children’s Advocacy and Independent Visitors Service for children and young people. Advocacy must be independent of the council to avoid perceived conflicts of interest, and support must be delivered by staff trained across advocacy needs with strong legal knowledge. The service is intended to address needs up to age 18, or age 25 for care leavers. The Independent Visiting element is for looked-after children and young people who want a visitor, with particular attention to those who may be isolated, living away from their local area or have limited or no family contact. The council wants both services brought together under one arrangement to support positive outcomes. Delivery is in Bolton, in the North West of England.

This is at the planning stage: the council has set out its intention to procure, but has not invited tenders. It plans to combine the two services in one arrangement. The intended initial contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030, with up to two 12-month extensions, potentially extending to 31 March 2032. The council plans a provider webinar on 19 October 2026, from 15:00 to 16:00, using Microsoft Teams; interested providers can email the council for the joining link. A future notice is expected on 26 October 2026. The procurement is classified as health and social work services and is under the light-touch regime. No estimated contract value or evaluation criteria are stated in the available planning information.

This will suit providers able to deliver both independent advocacy and an Independent Visiting Service for children and young people, rather than a single service in isolation. Strong candidates are likely to have advocacy staff trained to address a range of needs and able to work with legal frameworks, while maintaining independence from the council. Providers should also be equipped to recruit, support and match independent visitors with looked-after children and young people, including those who are isolated, placed away from their home area or have limited family contact. Experience supporting children through care and safeguarding contexts, and the ability to serve young people up to 18 and care leavers up to 25, are relevant to the intended scope. The provider webinar offers an early chance to understand the council’s plans and inform preparation.

## Notice

Bolton Council (The Authority) is running a provider webinar for TC054 - Children's Advocacy and Independent Visitors Service at 15:00-16:00 on 19 October 2026 via Microsoft Teams. Please email corporate.procurement@bolton.gov.uk if you are interested and they will provide the webinar link. The authority has the statutory function under the Care Act 2014, the Child Protection Children's Act 1989, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Mental Health Act 2007 to provide: Advocacy: Independent of the council to avoid perceived conflict of interest, with staff trained in all aspects of advocacy with high levels of legal literacy. Independent advocacy needs to account for all types need up to 18 (25 care leavers) Independent Visiting Service: Children Act 1989 (Schedule 2 Paragraph 17) and the Children and Young Person's Act (2008). Bolton Council have fulfilled this duty since 2019 by commissioning a service for all children and young people looked after who wish to have an Independent Visitor, promoted particularly for those who may be isolated, live outside of their local home area, or who have limited, or no, family contact. The authority wishes to combine these under one arrangement to provide positive outcomes. The intended contract duration will be 1 April 2027 until 31 March 2030 with up to 2 x 12 month extensions.

### Planning Information

Bolton Council (The Authority) is running a provider webinar for TC054 - Children's Advocacy and Independent Visitors Service at 15:00-16:00 on 19 October 2026 via Microsoft Teams. 
Please email corporate.procurement@bolton.gov.uk if you are interested and they will provide the webinar link. ⁠

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090172-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 26 Oct 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| 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 | Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council |
| Locality | BOLTON |
| Postcode area | Bolton |
| Postcode | BL1 1RU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD36 Greater Manchester North West |
| Local authority | Bolton |
| Electoral ward | Queens Park & Central |
| Westminster constituency | Bolton North East |
| Delivery location | TLD3 Greater Manchester |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85000000 - Health and social work services

## Release History

- 23 Sep 2026 at 14:22 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090172-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090172-2026
  23rd September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.bolton.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-0778ad. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0778ad.json.