Birmingham Children's Trust Foster Carers Support service

Overview

Birmingham Children’s Trust (BCT) Fostering agency is an Independent fostering agency and is wholly owned by Birmingham’s Children Trust. Currently there are around 570 approved foster carer households providing family foster placements to around 897 looked after children on behalf of BCT. We have around 184 approved related foster carers (family and friends foster carers, including regulation 24 temporary approved) and 386 mainstream foster carers (including step up, EDT). We seek to increase our number of approved households each year as part of our sufficiency strategy.

As an Independent Fostering Agency, Birmingham have commissioned independent support for all foster carers and are looking to design a service that will allow us to have greater autonomy in appointing the service provider and ensuring that this is best able to meet the needs for Birmingham Children’s Trust foster carers and as an organisation.

We are required to provide Independent Information, Advice, Mediation and Support for Foster Carers as part of the national minimum standards for fostering.

Subject to the outcome of the market sounding, BCT intends to seek a suitable Provider to deliver this service, through a competitive tender process.  The Trust would be looking to commence the tender end of March 2023, with an intention for the new service to commence 1 June 2023 .  The contract would be for a period of 3 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years, commencing 1 June 2023 until 31^st May 2026.  The contract may be renewed after the 3rd year subject to satisfactory performance and  funding availability.

We would like to hear from organisations who wish to work with BCT to deliver both excellent outcomes for foster carer families and value for money.

Why your views matter

Why We Are Consulting

This market sounding exercise provides the opportunity to let BCT know:

• Whether you are interested in this opportunity
• Your views on the proposed aims of the commissioned service and any risks and challenges you can initially see

Potential Providers will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to the market sounding exercise. The responses will not be scored – any feedback, however brief will be valuable. Potential Providers must also note that a response to this notice does not guarantee an invitation to participate in this or any future procurement that BCT may conduct, nor that BCT will procure any such supply and services or accepts any proposals offered. Any procurement of the supply and services by BCT will be carried out strictly in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

BCT has developed a questionnaire that they would like interested parties to complete. We will then decide on the next phase of engagement based on the outcome of the Market Sounding.