Contract for the provision of Supported Accommodation for people with Complex Needs.

Supported housing for complex needs and ex-offenders. This provision is to provide a stable, safe and person-centred living environment and personalised support to help individuals reintegrate into society after being released from prison or to reduce social isolation. Support will be designed to address individual needs and challenges, such as mental health issues, addiction, or difficulties with independent living. The service will need to provide support during 9am-6pm with out of hours covered as a minimum by a concierge service covering all units of accommodation to ensure service continuity, emergency response, and safeguarding outside of core hours.

The accommodation will be a minimum of 20 units of dispersed accommodation across County Durham. Providers should have a range of support options available to provide a pathway for individuals needing support to step up or down dependant on needs.

The Provider will deliver a safe, person-centred supported accommodation service using a Core and Cluster model of supported accommodation, providing support to individuals with complex needs which may include mental health, autism, substance abuse, with self-contained accommodation with support which will be available 24-hours. The accommodation will consist of a core premises which may also have accommodation and communal areas and a cluster of dispersed accommodation, allowing for a balance of independence and support, centrally located within County Durham. Providers should have a range of support options available to provide a pathway for individuals needing support to step up or down dependant on needs and have a robust awareness of local organisations and pathways to which service users can be signposted for support.

The service must be responsive, inclusive, and aligned to local strategic objectives in County Durham.

The Provider must implement clear and effective risk management and safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of all residents, staff, and the wider community including, but not limited to, procedures for identifying and managing risks related to non-compliance, relapse, aggression, or deterioration in mental health and contingency plans for high-risk scenarios, emergency accommodation moves, or service disruption.

Core and Cluster model supported accommodation for women only, providing women with complex needs which may include past trauma, mental health, autism, substance abuse, with self-contained supported accommodation, support should be available 24-hours. The accommodation will consist of a core premises which may also have accommodation and communal areas and a cluster of dispersed accommodation, allowing for a balance of independence and support, centrally located within County Durham. Providers should have a range of support options available to provide a pathway for individuals needing support to step up or down dependant on needs.

The service must be designed to promote recovery, independence, and empowerment within a safe and supportive environment. The key service requirements are as follows:

The Provider must deliver support in a way that is trauma-informed, gender-responsive, and culturally sensitive. The service must recognise and respect the lived experiences of women with multiple disadvantages, including experiences of abuse, trauma, and discrimination.

This client group require a safe and empowering environment that fosters trust, emotional security, dignity, and a sense of belonging.

The provider must have in place robust procedures for identifying, assessing, and managing individual and shared risks relevant to the client group, including safeguarding concerns.

The service should balance safety with the promotion of positive risk-taking to support autonomy and recovery.