The Executive Office (TEO) – Communities in Transition (CIT): Mental Health and Addictions Support Programme in the North Belfast CIT Area

The Executive Office (TEO) is seeking to establish a Contract for the provision of a Mental Health and Addictions Support programme in the North Belfast CIT Area; this relates to New Lodge and Greater Ardoyne (Annex A of the Specification provides maps of the areas). The programme will facilitate building a resilient community through an asset-based approach, advocating collaboration with statutory, community and voluntary bodies responsible for mental health and addictions, to be able to support those in need in terms of mental health, drugs and alcohol misuse, all of which make people vulnerable to paramilitarism and organised crime and impeded in their personal transition This tender is linked to the Communities in Transition (CIT) Project which had been due to end in March 2024 however the Executive made a commitment to extend the overall Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC) to March 2027. As CIT is a key element of EPPOC, it has also been extended to 31 March 2027. This phase of delivery is classed as Phase 3 of CIT and will operate from 01 April 2025 – 31 March 2027. Phase 1 of the Project provided a firm foundation for continuing to address the issues that allow Paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control to persist within communities. Phase 2 presented an opportunity to further refine the work under a thematic approach as we move forward. Phase 3 will see delivery move from a thematic approach to an issues-based approach focusing on the key issues caused by paramilitarism in communities. This Contract falls under Phase 3 and will support the Department in its overall delivery of the CIT Project. The Contractor’s programme of work will incorporate and deliver a number of programme activities, described at paragraph 6.5 of the Specification. The core purpose of this programme is multi-fold: • Raise awareness of existing mental health and addictions support services available; • Improve the mental health and wellbeing of the local community; • Increase community capacity and encourage sustainable wider community participation for the betterment of the community; • Develop more coherent relationships between the community and service providers; • Stimulate interest in community-based action to reduce vulnerability to the underlying issues such as drug and alcohol misuse; • Increase individual and community resilience against paramilitary control; and • Reduce the number of people vulnerable to paramilitary influence and control. All activities which the Contractor proposes to carry out must clearly link to the objectives listed above and to the Benefits Framework (as listed at paragraph 6.6 of the Specification). The Contractor must not be delivering general health and wellbeing activities as part of this programme, activities must be clearly linked to addressing the mental health and addiction issues which have arisen as a result of living in a community with high levels of paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime. Full details of the requirements for this Contract are provided for within the Specification of Requirements Schedule.