HCC 02/25 – P P M E For Provision of Young Carers Service

Description

Hertfordshire County Council the ‘Council’ is carrying out Pre-Procurement Market Engagement (‘P P M E’) in relation to procuring a young carers serviceThe Council will consider the feedback received to help inform the Council’s options and further decision making. For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process. Participation or non-participation in the P P M E shall not prevent any supplier participating in a potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the P P M E shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process. Participation in the P P M E will be at each organisation’s own cost. No expense in responding to this P P M E will be reimbursed by the Council. Lot 1: Hertfordshire County Council ‘the Council’ wishes to invite interested Providers to return the P P M E Appendix A- Supplier Questionnaire by 12.00 (noon) Friday 7th March 2025.The Council will consider the input and responses received as part of its P P M E to help inform the Council’s options and further decision making regarding the below intended project and to help inform its specification.Project BackgroundThe Children and Families Act 2014 and the Care Act 2014 both set out duties for local authorities to support young carers under 18, and these are further supported by the Young Carers Assessment Regulations 2015. These duties on local authorities include the requirement to offer all young carers an assessment, proactively identify young carers, offer support, and to support their transition into adulthood.The Carers Strategy for Hertfordshire 2022-2025 aims to support carers’ wellbeing to help them to balance caring with their own needs. A single Strategy for Adult Carers and Young Carers has been developed to ensure support continues smoothly as young people reach adulthood. The strategy has four objectives, based on carers’ own priorities: be informed; life beyond caring; maintaining health and wellbeing; and receiving consistent, joined up services.The service will ensure young carers are identified and receive a whole family assessment under the statutory duty of the Council. In doing so, the service will contribute to improving health, education and social outcomes for children and young people who are identified as being a young carer, and reduce inappropriate caring roles undertaken by young carers.Current Project BriefThe current provision for young carers under 18 in Hertfordshire is delivered by Carers in Hertfordshire, delivering targeted and intensive support to young carers where their caring role is excessive, inappropriate or impacting negatively on their education, health and wellbeing and their ability to be a child and achieve their full potential. Carers in Hertfordshire also delivers support to young carers requiring universal support or with emerging needs, undertake work with schools to improve identification and support of young carers, delivers young carers awareness to practitioners and coordinates a young carers council.The current commissioned provision for young carers in Hertfordshire is delivered as one countywide service comprising the following elements- Identification of young carers - Voice of young carers - Whole family assessment and support for young carers - Preparation for adulthood and transition The current contract began in 2024 and is due for recommissioning with the new contract to be in place in April 2026. The future contract will continue to deliver targeted and intensive provision for young carers under 18 in Hertfordshire where their caring role is excessive, inappropriate or impacting negatively on their education, health and wellbeing and their ability to be a child and achieve their full potential. Through identification of young carers, whole family assessment and support, ensuring that the voice of young carers is captured and young carers are supported through transitions and into adulthood. The delivery model will consider how to mitigate contract challenges such as the rise in demand for support with the increased identification of young carers. For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process, and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process. Participation or non-participation in this P P M E shall not prevent any supplier participating in a potential procurement process nor is it intended that any information supplied shall place any supplier at an advantage in any forthcoming procurement process.