CPU8160 - Repeat Care Proceedings Prevention Service

Nottingham City Council are seeking an experienced single provider to deliver a trauma-informed programme of support for parents who have experienced the removal of a child through care proceedings. Delivery will include one-to-one practitioner support, outreach in home and community settings, and coordination with relevant agencies to facilitate access to appropriate services.

Support shall be available to mothers, fathers, partners and, where safe and appropriate, non-resident parents. Appointments must be accessible and flexible, including evening and outreach provision where required.The service should provide a sustained programme of relationship-based support delivered over 12 to 18 months, offering varying levels of intensity in response to each parent's circumstances, progress and identified needs, and to stabilise parents and break cycles of repeated child removals.

The programme aims to improve parental wellbeing, emotional resilience and stability by addressing complex unmet needs and the impact of trauma. It will support safer family environments, reduce exposure to domestic abuse, decrease reliance on crisis services, and help prevent repeat care proceedings and subsequent child removals.

Where appropriate and consistent with permanence arrangements, support may also enable parents to maintain or develop positive relationships with their childrenThe focus of provision is on preventing repeat care proceedings and improving parental outcomes following a permanence decision for a child. It is not intended to operate as a reunification service, and parents subject to active reunification planning or assessment should receive support through the relevant statutory social care pathway instead.

The service must support a minimum of 25 families per contract year and is expected to contribute to a reduction in repeat care proceedings and support at least 6 children per year to remain safely with, or return to, their families where this is in the child’s best interests and consistent with statutory decision making. The Contract is anticipated to start on 1 April 2027 and the initial contract duration will be for 3 years with a possible two extensions each of 1 year at the Authority's discretion (3 +1+1), providing a potential maximum contract duration of 5 years.The contract value is estimated to be £1.5m (excluding VAT) over the total length of the contract (including any possible extensions).

This value excludes any inflationary uplifts. Bids will be rejected in the following circumstances: • The Pricing Schedule is incomplete or has not been submitted as part of the tender response• The costs submitted exceed the maximum annual Contract value of £300,000.