Independent Advocacy

Description

Cornwall Council is conducting preliminary market engagement to help shape the future commissioning of Independent Advocacy across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This engagement follows earlier activity undertaken in August 2025 relating to the Adults Advocacy Service and now expands the scope to explore the feasibility of an all‑age Independent Advocacy model, including Children and Young People’s Advocacy and the Independent Visitor Service. The Council is seeking views from providers on potential delivery models, including separate Adults and CYP arrangements, integrated all‑age models, partnership or consortium approaches, and the role of statutory and non‑statutory advocacy within future provision. Feedback will support the Council’s Outline Business Case and inform subsequent specification development. Suppliers are invited to participate by reviewing the Soft Market Test documentation and submitting written responses via the ProContract procurement portal (Project DN774644) by 16:00 on Wednesday 11 March 2026. Further engagement events, including an in‑person session and online workshops, will be advertised through the portal. Participation in this engagement will not prejudice suppliers in any future procurement process. This notice and the associated SMT do not constitute a call for competition, and the Council is not committing to any procurement or contracting approach at this stage. The contract start date shown in this PMEN is indicative only and required for system purposes. It supersedes any earlier dates referenced in previous market engagement notices. Final timelines will be confirmed following analysis of this Soft Market Test and approval of the Outline Business Case.