Preliminary Market Engagement Notice For Community Early Language Service

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, on behalf of Public Health and in partnership with Bradford Children's and Families Trust, is undertaking preliminary market engagement to inform the future procurement of a Community Early Language Service across Bradford District. The proposed service will support children aged 0-5 years and their families to improve speech, language and communication development, increase school readiness and reduce inequalities in outcomes. The service forms an important part of Bradford's Best Start Local Plan 2026-2029, the Prevention and Early Help Strategy 2026-2031, and the wider Talking Bradford speech, language and communication pathway. The Council seeks feedback from organisations with relevant expertise to help shape the final service model. Background Speech, language and communication skills are fundamental to children's health, learning, wellbeing and future life opportunities. Bradford faces significant challenges relating to deprivation, educational inequalities and language development outcomes. Key local indicators include: • Approximately 7,000 children are born in Bradford District each year. • Around 59% of children live in the most deprived decile nationally. • Only 62% of children achieve a Good Level of Development at age five. • Communication and Language outcomes remain below the national average. • Around 50% of residents speak a language other than English as their primary language at home. The Council therefore wishes to commission an innovative, evidence-informed and culturally responsive service capable of improving outcomes for children and families across the district. Proposed Service Model The Council is considering a three-lot model comprising: Lot 1: Universal, Early Identification and Support • Community outreach and prevention activities. • Raising awareness of early language development. • Early identification of emerging speech, language and communication needs • Support for parents and carers to develop language-rich home learning environments. Lot 2: Targeted Intervention • Evidence-based early language interventions. • Support for children identified with speech, language and communication delay. • Delivery alongside parents and carers. • Integration with the Early Language Identification Measure (ELIM) pathway. Lot 3: Workforce Development • Training and development for practitioners across the early years system. • Building confidence in identifying and responding to emerging needs. • Supporting implementation of the Talking Bradford approach. The Market Engagement Event will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams on Friday 7 August 2026 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. Interested providers must register their interest by accessing the YORtender/EU Supply e-tendering platform and sending a message through the messaging facility to notify the Authority of their intention to attend. Providers should also include the email address to which they would like the Microsoft Teams invitation link to be sent. The Microsoft Teams meeting link will be issued to all providers who have expressed an interest and provided a valid email address through the e-tendering platform.