Preliminary Market Engagement for Specialist Children’s Residential Provision

Please note this is not an opportunity to tender but is an information gathering exercise to inform the Council’s future requirement.

Leicestershire County Council Children's and Family Services have undertaken a review of local residential sufficiency as part of the Children's Social Care Market Position and Sufficiency Statement 2024-2027 and our Corporate Better Leicestershire efficiency project. This work is focused on understanding how we can better meet the needs of children and young people with the most complex needs, whilst ensuring sufficient, high-quality and sustainable provision for the future.

Our review has identified increasing demand for specialist, regulated residential placements, with growing reliance on solo provision, enhanced staffing arrangements and other high-cost placements for children and young people with complex needs. We are therefore exploring a range of potential options to increase local specialist residential capacity, improve outcomes and achieve greater placement stability. These options include, but are not limited to, innovative residential models and approaches to developing specialist provision.

We are undertaking early market engagement to support its ongoing options appraisal for future specialist residential provision for children and young people with complex needs. This engagement is intended to help the Council understand the range of potential delivery models, market capacity, innovation, risks, opportunities and practical considerations before any decisions are made about future commissioning or delivery arrangements. The Council has an existing strategic partnership with Barnardo’s through the Children’s Innovation Partnership (CIP). As part of its wider options appraisal, the Council may explore whether some emerging models could be developed through that partnership. However, no decision has been made about the future delivery route. This engagement should not be taken as an indication that any future service will necessarily be commissioned through the market, delivered through CIP, or progressed through any particular arrangement.

The purpose of this engagement is to gather open and constructive market insight at an early stage. We are keen therefore to invite and hear from suitably experienced providers about potential models, delivery approaches, risks, opportunities and alternatives that may better meet the needs of children and young people.

We would like to invite you to join us and Barnardo’s, to participate in an early market engagement event with a purpose of supporting open dialogue with the market and to gather constructive feedback that will help inform the Council’s thinking. The event will provide an opportunity to:
• Share the Council’s current understanding of local sufficiency pressures and future demand.
• Outline the outcomes the Council is seeking to achieve for children and young people with complex needs.
• Explore potential specialist residential models, including innovative and flexible approaches to local provision.
• Assess the potential for delivery of all or part of any proposed model by the external market.
• Understand provider views on deliverability, capacity, workforce, property, partnership models, risks and implementation considerations.
• Identify whether there are alternative approaches or market-led solutions that could better support the Council’s aims.
• Inform the Council’s ongoing options appraisal and any future commissioning intentions.

We would welcome participation from providers with experience of delivering specialist residential care and support for children and young people with complex needs, including providers who can offer practical insight into service design, delivery challenges and innovative approaches to improving local sufficiency.

Please note: This engagement is exploratory only. It does not constitute a procurement process, call for competition, invitation to tender, or commitment by the Council to undertake any future procurement activity. Participation in this engagement will not give any provider an advantage or disadvantage in relation to any future opportunity, should one arise.

The event will take place on 14th September 2026, please see the attached Event Information & Registration document for details.

To book a place at the event please:
- register an interest in this opportunity
- contact the project team using the portals messaging system, providing the information requested in the Event Information & Registration document.