Education Support Outreach Service for Visual and Multi-Sensory Impairment

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is undertaking a preliminary market engagement to gather market intelligence and seek feedback from providers regarding the future delivery of an Education Support Outreach Service for Visual Impairment and access to Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) support for schools and settings across the borough.

As part of this engagement, the Council invites interested organisations to complete the market engagement questionnaire on our procurement portal. Completed questionnaires should be submitted via the messaging function on the Council's procurement portal by 12 noon, Monday 12th October 2026.

Organisations wishing to participate must be registered on the procurement portal. The registration link can be accessed here: https://lbbd.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

The purpose of this exercise is to inform the Council's future options appraisal, service design, and commissioning decisions. For the avoidance of doubt, this notice is solely for information gathering purposes and does not constitute a call for competition, a pre-qualification process, or the commencement of a procurement procedure.

Participation or non-participation in this engagement will neither advantage nor disadvantage any organisation in any future procurement exercise. Participants are responsible for all costs associated with responding to this engagement. The Council shall not be liable for any costs incurred by organisations as a result of participating in this exercise.

The existing service currently supports approximately 170 children and young people resident in Barking and Dagenham. It provides specialist assessment, advice, intervention, training, and support to children and young people, their families, educational settings, and relevant professionals.

Any future contract is expected to maintain high-quality, accessible support that promotes inclusion, independence, and educational achievement. The Council anticipates that future provision will include:

Specialist outreach support;

Assessment and advisory services;

Training and workforce development for schools and early years settings;

Support for families and carers; and

Effective integration with wider SEND services and partner agencies.

The service must be capable of supporting children and young people attending educational establishments both within and outside the borough where appropriate. This includes independent educational settings where a child or young person has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The future service will need to demonstrate its ability to:

Meet the diverse and changing needs of children and young people with visual impairment and MSI;

Deliver high-quality support within available resources;

Respond effectively to demographic and demand changes;

Support inclusive practice across educational settings; and

Evidence positive outcomes for children, young people, and families.

The Council is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people while ensuring value for money and compliance with statutory duties.

The current estimated maximum annual budget for the service is £168,000 plus inflationary rises per year, with an estimated total contract value of £702,906 over four years.

Any future provider will be expected to employ appropriately qualified and experienced staff with specialist expertise in visual impairment and MSI support.

The future service is expected to contribute to the council's strategic aims of:

Promoting inclusion and participation;

Improving educational outcomes and attainment;

Supporting independence and preparation for adulthood; and

Empowering families to support their children and young people effectively.

The Council expects the future service to contribute to:

Improved access to education and learning opportunities;

Increased independence and participation for children and young people;

Positive experiences and high satisfaction levels among families and settings;

Improved confidence and capability within educational settings; and

Full compliance with statutory responsibilities.