GMCA 1862 - Parent and Carer Support Service

The Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit wishes to commission a service for parents and carers (guardians) designed to strengthen their resilience and provide the confidence, skills, and knowledge necessary to address concerns effectively. This may include recognising both their own and their child's experiences of trauma.

We expect that this support will encompass:

• A universal service available to parents and carers who have concerns or need support, especially when early signs of criminality, violence, or exploitation appear—rather than waiting for a crisis. This includes access to information on a dedicated website, opportunities to speak with a triage worker at scheduled times, signposting, ongoing support, or referrals to other services.
• Personalized one-to-one support is offered, such as face-to-face sessions which may provide information and advice, advocacy, emotional support, help to address trauma, and intelligence gathering.

• Professionals can also receive support on how child exploitation affects entire families, which may include advice, guidance, or training.

• Peer support groups and empowerment programs for parents and carers use a strength-based approach. These groups may help develop support networks, explore various parenting styles, and share ideas on strengthening parent-child relationships, covering topics like social media, communication, and exploitation.

We expect the programme to continue to evolve through co-production with parents, carers, and professional and be responsiveness to identified areas of needs.

The provider must demonstrate use of evidence-based interventions. However, the VRU are not specifying how the Service should engage parents and carers nor what interventions the Service should use. This is down to the Provider and will need to be outlined in the bidders’ tender documentation along with the evidence base that supports their approach and their expected outcomes. Innovation is welcomed, along with collaborations and joint bids, and the VRU will allow for flexibility of approaches to achieve the best outcomes for parents and carers and their families.