Family Group Conference and Community Conference Service

Description

Portsmouth City Council ('the council') is inviting tenders from suitably qualified suppliers to provide both a Family Group Conference service and a Community Conference service. Both services are to be delivered by one provider, under a single service contract. The service provider will be responsible for sourcing and securing suitable premises for delivery. A Family Group Conference (FGC) is a meeting for family and friends to be involved in the decisions being made about a child and the concerns around them. The meetings enable families and friends to take responsibility for the child and find solutions to address family and professional concerns. Through Family Group Conferences, children and families should be able to meet in a safe and neutral setting, talk through concerns and plan for the future care of the child involved, with the intention of assisting families to develop and process their own solutions regarding the difficulties being faced. Regarding Community Conferences, individuals (and those involved in their support network), involved in conflicts, crimes and/or incidents, will meet in a safe and neutral environment with a trained facilitator to have the opportunity to resolve and prevent any further conflicts by collectively communicating with each other to make their voices heard, with the aim of healing and learning from the conflict(s) in question. The council is targeting to have awarded the contract by 26th November 2024 to allow for contract commencement on 1st April 2025. The contract will have an initial term of 5 years with the potential to extend for a further 2 years, subject to the performance of the contractor, the service requirements, and funding availability at the time. The total value of the contract, for the initial 60-month period will be valued at £97,000 per annum, offering a total of £485,000 for the initial Contract term. If all extension opportunities are completely utilised, the contract value could increase to IRO £679,000 with an upper estimation of £698,000 which would consider external factors, such as general market inflation and the Council's current baseline budget forecast for these services. These figures are inclusive of both the family group conferences and community conferences, and it is expected that £10,000 per annum will be allocated to community conferences, with the remainder, allocated to Family Group Conferences per annum, though this can be flexed accordingly by the Contractor, upon negotiation with the Council, dependent on service user requirements. There is a requirement for no less than 79 FGCs per year to be delivered. Should the minimum requirement for 79 FGCs per year be exceeded, then any additional FGC's carried out within this timeframe will be charged separately, based on the anticipated standard cost per FGC. The procurement process will be undertaken in line with the following programme: - Issue FTS Contract Notice - 29 August 2024 - Issue Invitation to Tender (ITT) - 29 August2024 - Tender Return Deadline - 10 October 2024 midday - Award decision notified to tenderers - 14 November 2024 - Standstill period - 15 November - 25 November 2024 - Contract Award - 26 November 2024 - Contract Commencement - 1 April 2025 Application is via completed tender submission by the deadline stated above via the Council's e-sourcing system InTend which will be used to administrate the procurement process, the system can be accessed free of charge via the web link below: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home Lot 1: Family Group Conferences: A Family Group Conference is a process in which families can meet, to find solutions to problems that they and their children are facing, within a professionally supportive environment. The Family Group Conference process can involve all family members, friends, and other adults who the family feel can contribute to making plans for the children and young people. The following circumstances determines where a Family Group Conference should be considered: - Request from Parents for Immediate Accommodation or Emergency - Medium Term/Long Term Care Planning - Adoption Each Family Group Conference will have an independent coordinator who will meet with both the child/young person and the family before the conference and answer any questions that they may have. They will also discuss with the family who they want to attend and agree an appropriate venue for the Family Group Conference. The objectives of Family Group Conferences are: a) To help support families in the care of their children. b) To reduce the number of children and young people that need to be accommodated by the Local Authority, by assisting families to look for solutions. c) To support the return of children from the care of the Local Authority to their families d) To help support families with arranging their own contact arrangements. e) To reach an agreement or settlement where all parties benefit f) Support children staying at home safely. Community Conferences: A community conference aims to bring together everyone in a community that is affected by a conflict. A trained facilitator will assist the key individuals to investigate how the problems at hand are affecting those involved and offers advice on how to negotiate and overcome long-lasting solutions. All members of the community, no matter the age, have an equal status and voice within the conferences. Agency workers such as neighbourhood wardens, community workers, police, housing officers, councillors, social services, and youth workers may also be involved. The primary objectives of Community Conferences are: a) To support communities in reducing Anti-Social Behaviour by increasing community cohesion and working to a restorative approach. b) To reduce Anti-Social Behaviour in youth and support positive parenting. c) To resolve dispute and conflict within the community. d) To reach an agreement or settlement where all parties benefit. Community conferences should be considered in the following situations: - Where a child is at risk of accommodation due to the impact of families' behaviour in the community. - Where there is Anti-Social behaviour and criminality in the community by the child. - Where strengthening community cohesion around a specific issue affecting a child will support them safely remaining within the home. Additional information: The Council anticipates that approximately 3 community conferences will take place per year, however this will be dependent on the size of each conference amongst other factors and assumes that a budget of £10,000 will be allocated to this provision per annum. Should there be any unspent funds for the community conference element within a contractual/financial year, it is expected that this will be allocated to any additional FGC's when required, within the same contractual year.