Market Engagement Security Provision for Supported Hostels

Descriptions

Southwark Council is looking to re-provide security cover across its supported hostels. The Council currently operates 5 supported hostels in the Borough: Manor Place, Jo Richards House, David Barker House, Northcott House and Keyworth Street Hostel. Support is given in a range of complex support needs from Domestic Violence, Substance Misuse, Mental Health and Offending.

The core focus of future provision is on ensuring that vulnerable adults residing in the 5 council-run supported hostels are provided with the right level of security to safeguard them and to meet their needs.

This is done by providing controlled access to the hostels out of hours and enforcing the schemes' rules such as preventing unauthorised overnight visitors, ensuring compliance with noise, anti-social behaviour and other laid down procedures for when the support staff working day ends.

The principal duty of the Guards is to be visible at their station throughout the required hours, ensuring that unauthorised persons do not gain access to the building. However, the Specification (in process of being written as part of the procurement) also stipulates a range of other requirements, including assistance to residents, fire safety and evacuation, building checks, door management, welfare checks on the most vulnerable, harm minimisation-training in sharps, use of Naloxone etc.

Suppliers must first and foremost have a minimum of 2 years' experience of safeguarding vulnerable adults in a supported hostel, foyer and/or other similar accommodation or care setting and be able to demonstrate and evidence that the staff they employ on this contract understand trauma informed approaches to safeguarding such residents.

One of the Social Value requirements of the successful tenderer will be to employ local staff where possible offering employment opportunities to local people.

Another key aspect of the procurement will be based on innovative ideas for assisting those customers living there to cope with their diverse and complex needs as well as demonstrating the ability to bring expertise and learning from current delivery elsewhere likely to benefit Southwark's hostels.

Suppliers must be able to evidence relevant levels of training and licencing, and how this will equip each officer employed on this contract with the necessary skills to provide a better service to the client group resident at these hostels. For example, MABO or Healthcare Security Officer Training, as well as other bespoke training courses for all its staff working in this sector, including relief staff, in areas such as Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults, administering life-saving drugs and procedures around Handover, responding to Alarms, Dealing with aggressive abusive behaviour or the potential overdose of a resident as well as other situations such as reporting an observation and who to report it to, dealing with onsite theft and Responding to internal incidents, fire, medical etc.

Suppliers should be established (minimum of 2 years) and specialised in delivering this type of provision (i.e. safeguarding and security services) within Housing, Foyer or Social Care environments.

Suppliers need to be able to show that they are aware of and geared towards the challenges of attracting and retaining staff in this work environment and that any person working on site would have not only the relevant training but the requisite previous experience.

Suppliers will also need to demonstrate that they are able to draw on reserve pools and/or move staff of the right calibre and credentials around to meet any staffing gaps in order to ensure continuity of service on a daily basis.

The requirement is for a minimum of two guards to be on site at each hostel outside of core hours, 365 days a year to safeguard and assist residents as well as facilitate emergency evacuation if required (making a minimum total of 10 security personnel on duty at any one-time). The designated shift hours are 8pm-8am Monday to Friday (12 hours) and 24 hours on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays. In all this equates to a total of 108 Hours of cover every week plus Bank Holidays.