Specialist co-located Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) Service

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) is commissioning a Specialist Co-Located Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) Service to be co-located across three statutory service areas: Housing, Childrens Social Care and the Criminal Justice System. The service is split into two lots.

Lot One will comprise of the frontline service, which delivers direct support to victims/survivors of domestic abuse and will be comprised of four IDVA's - one per co-located area, plus an additional IDVA dedicated to supporting victims/survivors of abuse with complex or multiple disadvantages. These IDVAs will be co-located within LBHF's statutory services' teams, providing casework guidance and professional consultation to LBHF staff in Housing, Childrens Social Care and the Criminal Justice System, as well as training and direct support services.

Lot Two relates to a Performance & Review service specifically for the criminal justice element of the co-locations. The Criminal Justice Performance and Review service monitors Domestic Abuse cases through the criminal justice system from the point of arrest to case disposal. The Performance and Review Coordinator will work in partnership with the Criminal Justice IDVA, Police, and other criminal justice partners to improve the experience and outcomes for survivors of DA going through the criminal justice system in LBHF.

The service should aim to increase referral pathways between statutory and community services, improve referral rates, and build trust between victims/survivors and statutory services. We particularly welcome bids from specialist by and for services in order to ensure we are meeting the diverse needs of survivors in the borough, and we would welcome consortium bids.

The duration of the contract is two years, with a provision for two extensions of one year. There is a ceiling price for Lot One is £200,000 per annum, and a ceiling price for Lot Two of £25,000 per annum. Tenders should be submitted no later than 17:00 on Friday the 2nd of December. We expect to be able to award contracts at the end of January 2023, and we expect the service to be mobilised and receiving referrals by the 1st of April 2023.