Provision of the Lancashire Refugee Befriending Service

Lancashire County Council intends to commission a Refugee Befriending Service available to resettled refugees aged 18 years or over, who live in the following Local Authority areas in Lancashire: Blackpool, Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, and Wyre. Priority for befriending support will be given to adult refugees who have been resettled under the Lancashire Refugee Resettlement Programme (which includes the Syrian Resettlement Programme, or SRP, and the Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme, the VCRS.

The purpose of this service is:- To promote the independence, integration, and wellbeing of refugees, particularly those who have been resettled through the Lancashire Refugee Resettlement Programme. To increase resilience in refugee families and refugee communities, supporting them to overcome barriers to integration, and reduce their dependence and demand on mainstream Public services and/or refugee resettlement services.

To help develop sustainable relationships between refugees and members of the wider community, increasing refugees' access to, and participation in, local networks, activities and voluntary organisations, and thus fostering a sense of belonging. To increase awareness of refugee issues in local communities, including the experiences and cultures of refugees, and also help refugees understand and adapt to life in the UK and British culture(s) and society.

It is our intention that the contract would commence in Summer to Autumn of 2019 and last initially for 24 months (subject to satisfactory performance). The contract may be extended by up to another 24 months.

The intention of this notice is to invite stakeholders to the Council's Market Engagement Event, prior to any procurement exercise taking place. The purpose of this event is to present the Commissioning Strategy for the service and engage participants to provide feedback on the service specification.

The event is for all organisations who are interested in participating in the commissioned solution. The Market Engagement Event is to be hosted on Tuesday March 19th 2019 at 1pm - 4.30pm at County Hall, Preston, PR1 OLD.

Spaces will be limited to 3 people per organisation. Unfortunately car parking will not be available at County Hall. Please note that this is not a tender exercise and participation (or non-participation) in dialogue will confer no advantage or disadvantage should commissioners commence the formal procurement proce Additional information: Please note: the intention of this notice is to invite stakeholders to attend a Market Engagement Event Please keep updated via the following links for further information: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-procur... https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-procur... Please not the contract start and end date are not accurate, these will be confirmed after the engagement event.