Estimated Value
Up to £225,000
Deadline
Not specified
Published
10 June 2026
Type
services
Overview
The aim of the service is to provide in-person, therapeutic group support for parents experiencing mild to moderate mental illness who are referred by midwives, health visitors, Family Hub staff, GPs, or by self-referral. These groups will focus primarily on nurturing the development of positive parent-infant relationships.
Specifically, this will involve supporting parents to enjoy being with their babies, to feel skilled and confident in their parenting, and to improve their understanding of their baby. The groups will also support parents to feel supported and connected with others.
AI Analysis
Powered by AI — always verify against official documents
This is a contract to run therapeutic support groups for parents with mild to moderate mental health issues. The groups meet in person and focus on helping parents build positive relationships with their babies, feel confident as parents, and connect with other parents facing similar challenges. Parents get referred by midwives, health visitors, or can self-refer.
Requirements
- Ability to deliver in-person group sessions
- Experience supporting parents with mild to moderate mental illness
- Understanding of parent-infant relationship development
- Ability to accept referrals from midwives, health visitors, Family Hub staff, and GPs
- Capacity to support self-referrals
- Safeguarding capability (implied for work with vulnerable parents and infants)
- No specific qualifications listed in this notice — check full tender documents for staff training, supervision, or professional registration requirements
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Run regular in-person therapeutic group sessions for parents
- Help parents develop positive, nurturing relationships with their babies
- Support parents to feel confident and skilled in their parenting abilities
- Help parents understand their baby's development and needs
- Build a supportive community where parents feel connected to each other
- Accept and process referrals from healthcare professionals and self-referrals
- Provide ongoing group support to parents throughout the contract period
How to Read This Tender
- 1This is a service delivery contract, not a supply or construction contract — you're running an ongoing service rather than delivering a one-off product. The buyer cares about outcomes (parents feeling supported and confident) not just attendance numbers.
- 2Watch for the commissioning framework in full documents — check who the referring partners are (midwives, health visitors, Family Hub staff) and whether you need formal agreements with them or if they'll automatically refer to you.
- 3Look for the target number of groups, frequency of meetings, and expected participant numbers — these directly affect your staffing and venue costs. Check whether the buyer specifies group size or frequency.
- 4Safeguarding and mental health are critical here — you'll almost certainly need DBS clearance, mental health first aid training, and child safeguarding training as minimum. Check the full spec for any required qualifications for group facilitators.
- 5Check the 'social value' section carefully — councils often weight this heavily for mental health and parenting support contracts. Think about how your approach improves wellbeing, reduces isolation, or supports early intervention.
Tips for Small Businesses
- Consider partnering with established children's centres or Family Hubs — they may already have referral relationships and venue space, reducing your startup costs. A consortium bid with a larger NHS or council partner can strengthen credibility.
- Emphasize your understanding of perinatal mental health and parent-infant bonding in your bid — this is specialized work and showing genuine expertise (via case studies, staff CVs, or research-based approach) will differentiate you from generalist providers.
- Budget carefully for facilitator time, supervision, and training — therapeutic group work requires qualified staff and regular clinical supervision. Don't underestimate these costs or you'll struggle to deliver quality. Build in time for referral processing and admin.
Likely incumbents
Suppliers who won similar work from this buyer in the last 5 years.
- 1
Milestones Trust
1 contract wonlatest 18 Aug 2026
Milestones Trust is the most likely incumbent based on recency and category match. To win, bidders typically need a clearly differentiated proposition or a price advantage.
Before you bid, buyers check
two years of filed accountsyour financial standingturnover vs contract valueyour Companies House recordcash flow for 30-day termscredit scores and ratios
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Buyer Profile
Bristol City CouncilKey Dates
Published
10 June 2026
Submission deadline
Not specified
Notice type
planning
Source
find a tender
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