Access to Employment Programme

Following the publication of the Preliminary market engagement notice on the 3rd March 20206 and the webinar held on the 17th March 2026 North London Forensic Collaborative (NLFC) is commissioning a new Access to Employment Programme to deliver work‑based, vocational and on the job learning for forensic mental health service users across all North London boroughs. <br/><br/>This programme will provide work‑based training (learning by doing within real workplace environments) and practical vocational learning (hands‑on skills development delivered in structured workshop settings). The programme will not deliver education, training or employment (ETE) support such as CV writing, job‑search activity or employment coaching, which is commissioned separately through existing clinical pathways. Instead, it aims to complement current provision by expanding access to work-based settings where individuals can develop skills and experience improving their confidence and creating healthy routine to progress towards meaningful employment.<br/><br/>The programme will be delivered through a combination of local provision and system‑wide offers, creating a broader portfolio of opportunities across the collaborative.<br/><br/>This opportunity is open exclusively to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations.<br/><br/>The Access to Employment programme will operate across the NLFC geographical footprint of North London, to provide a range of work‑based training, vocational learning, and structured occupational opportunities. These pathways will support forensic mental health service users to build skills, confidence, and experience real world work and on‑the‑job training at a pace that reflects their individual needs and recovery journey.<br/><br/>Work‑based and vocational activity may include structured voluntary placements delivered within community and VCFSE settings, where the provider designs, coordinates and retains end‑to‑end responsibility for the placement pathway, participant support and progression. This may include delivery through host organisations, provided the provider maintains accountability for the placement experience. The programme will not fund models that solely provide employability advice, brokerage or signposting without responsibility for placement delivery.<br/>The programme recognises that people may be at very different stages of readiness. Some individuals may have never worked or be taking their first steps back into a work setting after a long period in hospital, while others may be preparing to move into more structured roles and paid employment. As a result, the programme will offer different levels of intensity, from low threshold introductory activity through to more regular, structured work-based placements.<br/><br/>Although securing paid work or a volunteer role is the primary outcome, the programme recognises that progress may look different for each person. For some, meaningful steps include rebuilding routine, improving confidence, increasing social connection, developing new skills and maintaining recovery. The programme is therefore designed as a holistic and recovery‑focused model, providing supportive, real‑work environments where people can try new activities, practise skills, and progress in ways that reflect their individual readiness, whether that means gradual staged development or moving directly into volunteering or paid employment.<br/><br/>The contract involves joint procurement. The North London Forensic Collaborative is formed of five NHS Trusts: <br/><br/>North London NHS Foundation Trust (Lead Provider) <br/>Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) <br/>East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) <br/>North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) <br/>West London NHS Trust (WLT) <br/>North London NHS Foundation Trust is the Lead Provider and acts as the contracting authority for this procurement. <br/><br/>The programme will be delivered through a combination of local provision and system-wide offers, creating a broader portfolio of opportunities across the collaborative. The programme has four lots:<br/>• Lot 1 – North Central London<br/>• Lot 2 – North East London<br/>• Lot 3 – North West London<br/>• Lot 4 – North London Wide<br/><br/>Organisations can apply for 1, 2 ,3 or 4 lots. For each lot a separate application must be made.