Tender: Birmingham Whole-Family Early Intervention and Care-Leaver Volunteer Support Service (Hosting Included)

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Birmingham Children's Trust is seeking a supplier to deliver a city-wide whole-family targeted early intervention support service for families and care leavers, comprising two elements: whole-family support including hosting, and care-leaver support. The service will work with families with multiple or complex needs (as specified in Birmingham’s Right Help, Right Time model) for a minimum of six months and up to 12 months, with families identified and referred by Birmingham Children's Trust and supported through a network of volunteers. The hosting element will provide short planned or emergency stays for parents and children for up to 28 days per annum, with aims agreed at referral; joint parent-child stays are standard and sole-child stays require an approved risk assessment. The service must supply bespoke volunteer-led support packages, include a Therapeutic Parenting coach where identified, and offer full volunteer support to care leavers, with the expectation that volunteer relationships form part of long-term support. The tender defines a care leaver as someone who has been in local authority care for at least 13 weeks since age 14 and was in care on or after their 16th birthday. Key aims include avoiding admission into local authority care, reducing isolation, broadening support networks, changing intervention levels and reducing re-referrals into Birmingham Children's Trust, improving care-leavers' mental health, increasing uptake of education, employment and training, and decreasing criminal activity. The contract term is three years with options to extend up to two further years (3 + 1 + 1), commencing 1 April 2026, with an annual contract value of £198,000 and annual review/break clause after March 2027 based on funding and performance.