The Executive Office (TEO) – Communities in Transition (CIT): Regional Personal Transition Programme for the Ex-Prisoner community in the Carrickfergus and Larne, East Belfast, North Down and Shankill CIT Areas

The Executive Office (TEO) is seeking to establish a Contract for the provision of Ex-Prisoner support programmes to support those who continue to face barriers to their full civic participation in the Carrickfergus and Larne, East Belfast, North Down and Shankill Communities in Transition (CIT) Areas. The Contractor will develop and design the programme through a participatory approach with the community and relevant stakeholders therefore they will need to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the community context in the four individual CIT Areas, and provide an overview of the issues and needs facing the Ex-Prisoner community within each area resulting from the impact of paramilitarism and organised crime. This should take into account the aims of the CIT Project and the overall Executive Action Plan on Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime.

Successful delivery of this Contract aims to:

• Raise awareness of relevant support services available to the Ex-Prisoner community and their families;
• Connect individuals from the Ex-Prisoner community and their families to relevant service providers to address their particular needs (health / wellbeing, education, employment), through engagement and signposting activities;
• Address the issues of isolation and marginalisation impacting the Ex-Prisoner community through building community understanding and acceptance;
• Build relationships between the Ex-Prisoner community and other groups and sectors within the areas.

The Contractor must not be delivering general outreach activities as part of this programme, activities must be clearly linked to addressing issues and needs facing the Ex-Prisoner community within each area resulting from the impact of paramilitarism and organised crime, and to the Benefits Framework (as listed at paragraph 6.6 of the Specification). Full details of all the requirements for this Contract are provided for within the Specification of Requirements Schedule.