LPS CARE - Lancashire Prison Buddy Service - RFQ 15347700

The Authority is tendering for an organisation to manage a Prison Buddy Service which will provide peer to peer support through a formal framework and governance arrangement. The Care Act places responsibility on Local Authorities to work jointly with prisons to provide social care support for all prisoners who meet the eligibility criteria. All Buddies must be trained to Health and Social Care Standards to ensure that they have the appropriate knowledge and skills to support fellow prisoners with basic non-regulated health and social care needs. The current Service supports 45 Buddies across 3 prison sites (Preston, Wymott and Kirkham) and is overseen by a single Buddy Manager. This contract will increase the scope of the Service to work across 5 prison sites with an expectation that there will be a requirement for 65 to 70 Buddies across these sites:

• HMP Wymott

• HMP Garth

• HMP Preston

• HMP Kirkham

• HMP Lancaster Farms

The Service will commence operating at 45 Buddies, although the Service Provider will be expected to recruit Buddies at the new sites of HMP Lancaster Farms and HMP Garth within the first three months of the Contract and will therefore increase service capacity to a minimum of 65 Buddies and a maximum of 70.

In following years the contract may be required to support more than the maximum number of Buddies as detailed above and may be required to work across more than the five Prisons due to the potential introduction of a new Prison to be located in the Lancashire area or due to demand for Buddies exceeding the expectations of this contract. Should this arise, the Service may be required to support additional Buddies up to a maximum of 300 Buddies. Further information can be found in the documents attached to RFQ 15347700