Provision of a Regional Young Carers' Service

The service will;

1. Provide a support service to Young Carers aged 8 – 18 (under 8s by exception) living in Conwy, Denbighshire and Wrexham, which meets a range of needs, enables both professional and peer support, raises awareness and the profile of Young Carers and supports them in their caring role.

The service provider should expect to deliver

a - a tier 1 service (information updates and newsletter etc.) to approximately 450 young carers per county;

b - a tier 2 service (tier 1 plus groups and activities) to approximately 170 young carers per county and

c - a tier 3 service (tiers 1 and 2 plus one-to-one support) to a maximum of 20 young carers per county at any one time.

2. Support the families of Young Carers to ensure effective support can be provided to the Young Carer including families affected by disability, poverty, poor health and those from different cultural back grounds.
3. Ensure Young Carers have access to appropriate information, advice and support, including; raising awareness of rights and services that are available to help them in their caring role, including their right to an assessment and reviews.
4. Promote collaborative work with other services to

a - identify ‘hidden’ Young Carers;

b - jointly support Young Carers;

c - raise awareness of Young Carer’s rights and issues and how to address them;

d - improve the support offered to Young Carers in other settings;

e - promote a culture of understanding and support for Young Carers across Conwy, Denbighshire and Wrexham;

f - raise awareness of Young Carers and their issues and rights in a range of settings;

g - sign-post and make referrals to other services that can support young carers.

5. Provide groups and activities for Young Carers, including families affected by disability, poverty, poor health and those from different cultural backgrounds, that increase confidence and independence and provide opportunities for social interaction. Activities could include trips, events and residential stays and should allow young carers opportunities to develop skills, make friends and have fun.
6. Provide one-to-one support for Young Carers when required, to meet a range of needs and link the Young Carer to appropriate specialist advocacy, counselling, confidential advice, guidance and support as needed.
7. Provide a flexible service to Young Carers, which is responsive to their needs including high quality participation opportunities to enable them to take part in public life and have a voice in decisions that impact on their life.
8. Promote and encourage use of the Young Carers ID card.
9. Offer a range of media for communication and contacts, to meet young carers’ needs.
10. The service provider will be expected to seek additional funding to expand the service to meet future needs and to offer additional opportunities for young carer support.

Cost of Service

Please note that there is an annual budget of 201,000GBP and the costs must be split equally across the three local authorities. Any further uplifts are to be discussed if, and when, funding becomes available.

Return of tender response

The response must be submitted via Bravo Solutions at:

etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk ↗ (Project number 51571Tender number 98624)