Market Engagement for the development of a specialist therapeutic Children's Home for children with complex mental health, disability and high-risk needs in County Durham. The Council is exploring a service model that may: • Operate as an Ofsted-registered children's home. • Provide up to three highly individualised placements. • Support solo living arrangements when required. • Deliver enhanced staffing arrangements where assessed as needed. • Operate using trauma-informed & psychologically informed approaches. • Incorporate Positive Behaviour Support principles. • Support restriction reduction and progression planning. • Maintain strong links with education, health and community services. • Promote placement stability and reduce placement breakdown. • Support children to remain closer to home wherever possible. • Reduce reliance on unregistered, emergency and out-of-area provision. • Support planned transitions to less restrictive environments when safe and appropriate. The Council is interested in understanding whether providers would favour: • A fully provider-operated model. • A partnership model involving local authority and health partners. • A clinically led model. • A hybrid therapeutic residential model. • Alternative innovative delivery approaches.

Procurement Act 2023

Light touch

added details of how to access the market engagement questionnaire

Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) Questionnaire to be completed and returned. The Questionnaire can be accessed free of charge at www.open-uk.org using reference OPEN-PR-26102026130454805.