Bereavement Service for those affected by the death of a child or young person

This is a contract award notice This process is to identify a provider to work with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire to deliver a bespoke bereavement service to those affected by the sudden or unexpected death of a child or young adult aged 25 years or under in Cheshire (where specialist support services or charities don't already exist). The new service will need to operate within and be available to all those in the Local Authorities of Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington.

This service will involve several aspects for delivery: • Provide immediate bereavement support for all those affected by the sudden or unexpected death of a child or young person (within 72 hours) • Provide ongoing bereavement support for all those affected by the sudden or unexpected death of a child or young person. • Ensure the service can be accessed at any time after the incident and support historic cases, enabling individuals can gain support at the time which is right for them (within the life of the contract) • Provide professional counselling services and/or other therapies for all those affected by the sudden or unexpected death of a child or young person. • Provide support to individuals who witness the sudden and traumatic death of a child or young person. • Promote awareness raising to a range of professionals. • Provide a range of support services to meet individual's needs. • Create a pathway of support and ensure other agencies are aware of the service being provided and how to refer into it and onward referrals to other services to address wider needs • Evaluate and monitor the impact the service has for those supported.

The timescales for delivery will enable us to launch the service in 2023 and ensure its is fully operational before the end of the financial year in March 2024. (A contract start date of 3rd July 2023 has been entered into the contracts finder notice; this date is an anticipated start date)