Provision of Safeguarding Support for Covid-19 Inquiry

Crown Commercial Service, intends to put in place contracts for the provision of Emotional Support services for use by the Covid 19 Inquiry. The Inquiry has pledged to be trauma-informed across all of its work. A trauma informed approach means seeking to reduce the risk of retraumatisation to people who are engaging with the Inquiry. Emotional support is one of the key ways of reducing retraumatisation by offering timely, sensitive, psychologically informed emotional support to people engaging with the Inquiry’s work. Emotional support is not counselling or therapy. The focus is on facilitating the person’s engagement with the Inquiry, creating support plans, facilitating stabilisation, providing psychological containment and facilitating the person’s journey through their engagement process. The contracts shall provide the offer of emotional support for everyone engaging with the Inquiry. This engagement will occur through three main routes:

1. Public Hearings People will engage with the Inquiry through public hearings, whether that be as a witness or a member of the public attending hearings
2. Every Story Matters The Inquiry will use its Listening Exercise, Every Story Matters to gather people’s experiences of the pandemic through online form submission, targeted research, commemoration activity and engagement events.
3. Inquiry Staff Inquiry staff will be exposed to potentially distressing materials throughout the lifetime of the Inquiry. The services will be divided into 3 separate Lots:

• Lot 1 Digital emotional support service with accessible offer for ALL (phone call equiv to texts)
• Lot 2 Phone based and face to face emotional support
• Lot 3 Staff-related tender for reflective practice, 1:1 emotional support for staff and training rollouts