Independent Advocacy Service

Cornwall Council is undertaking a further phase of market engagement to inform the future commissioning of Independent Advocacy across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This Soft Market Test (SMT) follows earlier engagement undertaken in August 2025 for 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 insight from providers with experience in statutory and non-statutory advocacy to help shape potential service models. Areas of exploration include:

The contribution of non-statutory advocacy
Separate Adults and CYP arrangements
Integrated all-age models (including lead-provider and subcontracted approaches)
Multi-lot options (e.g., Adults; CYP; statutory; non-statutory)
Partnership, alliance and consortia-based delivery
The role of community, peer, grassroots and specialist organisations

Your feedback will help the Council assess feasibility, benefits, risks, workforce considerations, and the impact of legislative change, and will support development of the Outline Business Case.
Suppliers are invited to review the SMT documentation and submit written responses via the ProContract Portal (Project DN774644) by 16:00 on Wednesday 11 March 2026. The Council will also host:

One in-person engagement session during w/c 16 March 2026, and
Two to three online workshops during March/April 2026.

Booking information will be issued via the portal.

Participation in this SMT is voluntary and will not prejudice involvement in any future procurement. This SMT is not a call for competition and does not commit the Council to any procurement process or contractual approach. Information provided will be used solely to support the development of the future commissioning model.