Tendering Opportunities

Tender specification: Dudley

Introduction

In October 2020 a collaborative whole systems, place based pilot was launched in St James’ Ward in Dudley, focused on preventing and reducing violence. The project is funded through by West Midlands Violence Reduction Unit. This year we are expanding our place based work across the borough.

Project Background

The project brings together local stakeholders, to consolidate interventions and activity to reduce and prevent violence.

Subject of this Specification

We are seeking a specialist mentoring service provider to work across the borough supporting young people at risk of:

• Engaging or being exposed to violence or exploitation;
• Exclusion from an education setting.

The mentoring should be delivered on a one to one basis and be tailored to meet the needs of young people aged 11 and upwards. The provider should be able to deliver group interventions where required.

The provider should be experienced in delivering mentoring to young people in education settings, and be able to demonstrate competency in working with special educational needs and disabilities.

Activity would commence in September 2021 and currently would end 31^st March 2021 but may be subject to extension at that point. Maximum funding for the provision is £20,000.

Response to this Specification

Tender specification: Walsall Mentoring

Expressions of interest in this specification are requested in the first instance by 5pm on 6th September 2021, along with completion of the attached project proposal template which should then be returned to Erica Jarrett, Community Navigator Walsall, WM VRU. e.jarrett@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk Please contact Erica on 07391 018746 with any queries in relation to this specification or a project proposal.

Tender specification: Step together

Step Together is a Home Office funded national pilot programme with local implementation led by the VRU. It seeks to connect Education, Police and Community Partners in a collaborative project designed to increase safety and reduce violent crime towards young people along designated school routes at the start and end of the school day.

Submission deadline for Step Together (Coventry, Sandwell, and Solihull) is Wednesday 1^st September, with interviews to take place WC 6^th September.

Submission deadline for Step Together (Dudley, Walsall, and Wolverhampton) is Wednesday 8^th September, with interviews to take place WC 13^th September.

Any questions or expressions of interest should be sent to Hayley Walton (h.walton@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk).

Core Principles for Commissioned Services

The VRU is committed to working effectively with partner organisations to deliver services that reduce and prevent violence. Providers delivering services do an outstanding job in supporting those in need and addressing risk and harm but are often themselves unsupported.

We have developed a set of core principles and ways of working which outline what an effective service seeking to reduce and prevent violence should look like. This is based on the evidence base, and on the research and delivery experience built up over the first 2 years of the VRU’s work. We don’t have all the answers and we don’t expect you to either. This document sets out our commitment to effective co-production of local services.

These core principles are not intended to be a checklist. Instead they outline our expectations for those providers working with us to protect young people.

The VRU is here to help. We deliver/can facilitate access to a range of training offers and CPD opportunities for frontline practitioners including:

• Trauma informed training
• Anti-racist training
• Awareness and identification of exploitation
• Mentors in Violence Prevention,
• Understanding Inequalities
• Understanding the Public Health approach to violence

If you are interested in learning more about these CPD opportunities, please email the VRU directly on vru@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk