Provision of A Young Persons Service

This advert sets out the requirements Bridgend County Borough Council (the Council) has for a range of housing related services for young people. These services will be delivered in line with three separate contracts (Lots) as detailed below: Lot 1 describes the requirements for provision of:- Supported Accommodation for 16 and 17 year olds Lot 2 describes the requirements for provision of:- Supported Accommodation for 18 to 21 year olds  Step Down Accommodation for 18 to 21 year olds Floating Support for 16 to 24 year oldsLot 3 describes the requirements for provision of:- Mediation Service for 16 to 25 year olds Advocacy Service for 16 to 25 year oldsFor clarity all providers will be able to bid for all three Lots being advertised at once, and will have the opportunity to win all three Lots.

However, Providers of all sizes are encouraged to bid for just one, or two Lots, if they so choose. In conjunction with the Council, all successful providers will be expected to work in partnership, with the aim of delivering high quality, consistent and seamless provision.

These Services will build upon existing provision, responding to the needs of and supporting service users, who are homeless / threatened with homelessness and have housing related support needs. Supported accommodation and other housing related support provision will provide help to vulnerable young people to develop or maintain the skills and confidence necessary to live as independently as possible.

Services will have housing, preventing / relieving homelessness and assisting people living in inappropriate institutional settings, at its core. Provision will help vulnerable people address problems, sometimes multiple problems, such as debt, employment, tenancy management, substance misuse, and mental health issues.

Provision will support the vision of the Welsh Government Housing Support Grant, “A Wales where nobody is homeless and everyone has a safe home where they can flourish and live a fulfilled, active and independent life”.Services will support the prevention and wellbeing agenda of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 and the pending Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026, Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.These Services will also assist the Council in meeting the aims and objectives set out in the Council’s Homelessness Strategy 2022-2026, as well as the imminent 2026 – 2030 strategy and subsequent Action Plan. The current strategy highlights that homelessness is consistently increasing in the borough, including relating to young persons.

There is also an acknowledgment that increased accommodation units and models of support are necessary. The current homelessness strategy highlights the importance of offering a range of Services and accommodation options to meet the needs of all applicants, particularly those with complex support needs who have exhausted all options within traditional accommodation or not do not engage with traditional support methods.