Decision details

The reasons for the decision are:

As the lead commissioner, GMCA alongside HMPPS have commissioned a ‘pick up at the gate service’ through the GMIRS Wellbeing Service to assist those people on probation overcome obstacles which could impact on positive engagement with both licence requirements and their own resettlement aspirations.

The Big Life Group were awarded the contract as the lead provider for the Wellbeing Service as part of the Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitation Service (GMIRS) following an Open Tender procedure in September 2023.

The Big Life Group will act as the lead provider and receive referrals to the service from the pre-release Probation Practitioner. Big Life will sufficiently resource in house support to complete the triage before transferring the facilitation of transport to On the Out, a local Community Interest Company (nonprofit) who currently support men and women leaving prison to overcome barriers faced on release such as addiction, homelessness, mental/physical health issues.

On the Out will be required to facilitate transport on the day of release to any of the ten Local Authority areas of Greater Manchester for those leaving custody who have identified needs and vulnerabilities.

The service will be provided from prison to the person on probations accommodation/approved premises and/or the initial appointment with their probation practitioner at the local Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) or Wellbeing Hub / Women’s Centre. Connecting individuals on probation with local wellbeing services at the hub / centre, helps to create a network of support that addresses various aspects of their lives. This holistic method can significantly aid in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

There will be a phased rollout to enable assessment of the service and resource demand against current referral profiles. At the end of phase one, feedback will be taken from stakeholders and the provider to understand best practice opportunities for continued delivery.

Mobilisation began on 1st September 2024. Phase one of delivery will begin on 1st November 2024 when referrals will be accepted for People on Probation being released from the following prison’s:

1st November 2024 to 31st January 2025
HMP Styal
HMP Forest Bank
HMP Hindley
All Young Offender Institutions across the UK

1st February 2025 – 30th June 2025
Referrals will be accepted for all remaining prisons based in the Northwest of England not covered in the first roll out.

1st July 2025 – 31st August 2025

Referrals will be accepted for all prisons in England and Wales for people on licence returning to Greater Manchester.

The pickup at the gate service will only accept referrals for people being released on licence that are in the below priority groups.

Priority 1
All 18/19-year-olds being released from a Young Offender Institute anywhere in the UK. These cases shall be prioritised in all instances.

Priority 2
Women at risk of being released as homeless from prison with support needs.

Priority 3
Male and female people on probation who have needs or risks specifically linked to their capacity to make their way to a specific address on the day of release.

The service provider will be required to have a minimum of 20 contacts per month with individual people being released on licence to all Greater Manchester Local Authority areas. These contacts will include face to face pre-release visits, video links, and where available pre-release team facilitated phone calls. These contacts also include the meet at the gate for transportation to the pre-arranged address(s).

From the 20 contacts per month, it is expected that at least 12 at the gate collections are fulfilled. Volumes will be reviewed in line with learning from the mobilisation and phase one.

A monthly report will be submitted by On the Out to Big Life which will evaluate service delivery. Both Big Life and On the Out will be required to work with GMCA to ensure the evaluation needs are met.

The Big Life Group be awarded £72,157 as the lead provider for the provision of the ‘Pick Up at The Gate’ Wellbeing pilot for a 12-month period from the 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.