Cumbria County Council Foster Care Framework

This is to advertise Round 8 of the Cumbria County Council Foster Care Framework. PROVIDERS ALREADY ACCEPTED ON TO THE FRAMEWORK DO NOT NEED TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST, DO NOT NEED TO READ THE DOCUMENTS AND DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY. PROVIDERS WHO SUBMITTED A BID IN THE PREVIOUS ROUND DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY. WE WILL BE IN TOUCH AFTER BIDS HAVE BEEN ASSESSED. The contract is for the provision of foster care services for children who are looked after. The overall requirement is that children will be placed with families who have been assessed and approved to provide a secure, warm, safe and supportive environment in which they can develop in all aspects of their lives. Providers will be registered as an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) and will be governed by the Fostering Services Regulations 2011 and any subsequent changes. The service will be regulated and inspected by Ofsted. Provision must be rated 'requires improvement' or better. This is a multiple provider Framework Agreement. It allows all qualified Providers (in accordance with our award criteria) to access future fostering opportunities. There is no limit on the number of Providers who can access the Framework. The Council does not guarantee any spend against this Framework Agreement. All documents must be submitted via The Chest. You can register on The Chest for free at https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ Please refer to the ITT document for further information, including deadlines for receipt of clarifications and tenders, and also to find out who to contact if you have problems accessing or uploading documents to The Chest. Please ensure you read the original contract and also the modification documents prior to submitting a bid.