Independent Adoption Support Service

North Yorkshire wishes to establish and manage a framework agreement for the provision of independent adoption support services for use by the local authorities and regional adoption agencies in Yorkshire and Humber. This Framework is being tendered as a contract for social and other specific services in accordance with regulation 74 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

The Framework will be for a period of three years with two options to extend for a further period of one year. Therefore the total possible Contract duration is five years.

The Framework Agreement is with North Yorkshire County Council (the Authority) and Call-Off Contracts with Associate Councils directly (Leeds Council as host of the West RAA and with each of the other local authorities). The Independent Adoption Support Service will provide a range of independent support services including: • Advice line for those affected by adoption: birth families; adopted adults; adopters to be provided 5 days a week for 3 hours a day with two early evening sessions up to 7pm; • Support for adopted adults, including schedule 2 counselling and intermediary services: core offer is up to 3 sessions and review for further work.

Group work may be provided where appropriate; • Pro- active birth parent support and counselling: Group work may be provided where appropriate; • Independent support for adoptive parents: Core offer up to 3 sessions and review for further sessions beyond this. Group work may be provided where appropriate; • Support for adopted teenagers and including a website, online chat forum where support can be provided, a Youth Council across Yorkshire and Humber with social events with the aim of using views and experiences to help improve and develop policy and practice; • Improving the participation of adopters' views in service development and delivery of services across the region; and • Improving the participation of birth parents in service development across the region.

The services above should be available and accessible across the whole of Yorkshire and Humberside. If you are interested then to access the tender documents you must register your organisation details on the YORtender (ProContract)system at https://procontract.due-north.com/Login/by creating a user name, password and company profile.

To view details of this contract, click on the Current Opportunities icon, the Opportunity should be displayed on thepage; alternatively use the Opportunity Search icon to find the opportunity. In the search criteria set: - Organisation to: North Yorkshire County Council - Use the 'Contains' search to search by key word or the contract ID: DN330227 - Display tenders to: All - Matching categories to: All. Click search and the details of this contract should be displayed.