TD2371 - Children's Rights Service - Advocacy and Independent Visitor Provision

Actions undertake so far:

1 - The Council has undertaken benchmarking with a range of local and national local authorities to understand current Children's Rights Service models, including who delivers the service, what elements are included, and how other areas are incorporating Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP) requirements. Benchmarking also explored how Children's Rights Services support participation and advocacy within Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and wider family network decision making, as well as any FFPP related outcomes or KPIs.

2 - In parallel, the Council carried out soft market testing with both local and national providers. Providers were invited to share their understanding of FFPP, their experience of delivering services aligned to Family Help and FGDM reforms, and how a Children's Rights Service could best support children's voices within these processes. Providers also commented on potential delivery models, independence, accessibility, and key commissioning considerations.

3 - Local providers were contacted directly, while national providers are now able to participate via the contact details provided below to ensure open and inclusive engagement. Feedback from both exercises will inform the development of the proposed service model and its alignment with FFPP principles.

We would now welcome any further comments from providers as outlined above and outside of those already contacted so far on the proposed service and its delivery.

A copy of the existing service specification can be obtained from [email protected]

Further comments and contributions into the pre-market engagement can also be submitted to this email address.