Tender: Autism Support Service for Children and Families — Birmingham Trust Early Help

About

The Trust Early Help Service is seeking a supplier to deliver a commissioned Autism Support Service that provides direct specialist interventions to children and young people with autism and their families and operates as a joint-working model within the Trust Early Help Service. The service must align with the Family Hub offer and work across the Early Help structure, which comprises one Targeted Family Help team and a voluntary sector team in each of the 10 districts across Birmingham. The brief includes delivering autism-specific support, offering advice, guidance and training to upskill Early Help practitioners, and providing shadowing opportunities for recently trained partnership staff. Autism is a growing local need in Birmingham, with over 4,000 school-aged children diagnosed with autism (a higher prevalence than national averages), a 25% increase in 2022 over three years, and UK prevalence estimates of 1–3% (recent studies suggest 1 in 36 eight-year-olds). The contract runs for one year with options to extend up to two further years (1 + 1 + 1), commencing 1 April 2026, will be reviewed annually with a break clause after March 2027, and continuation depends on funding and performance. The contract value for the year is £491,096 and completed submissions must be returned by noon on 2 January 2026.