EoI only - Independent Legal Advice Service
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST/EARLY ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE The Ministry of Justice is planning to commission a national Independent Legal Advice service (ILA) to help support victims of adult rape through the criminal justice system. The aim of the ILA service is to help victims understand, uphold and feel confident in their legal rights. The service will need to be accessible across England and Wales and will be accompanied by a formal evaluation, led by the government. It will also need to comprise of both an accessible online website and direct legal support where required.
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Contents
Summary
The Ministry of Justice is planning to commission a national Independent Legal Advice service (ILA) to help support victims of adult rape through the criminal justice system. The aim of the ILA service is to help victims understand, uphold and feel confident in their legal rights.
The legal basis for this grant is Section 56 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Violence Act 2004.
The service will need to be accessible across England and Wales and will be accompanied by a formal evaluation, led by the government.
It will also need to comprise of both an accessible online website and direct legal support where required.
ILAs will provide legal support to victims of adult rape in England and Wales on issues including:
Understanding their rights;
Supporting victims in understanding what constitutes a reasonable Third Party Material and digital material request;
Complaint applications;
Compensation claims; and,
Applications to the Victim’s Right to Review scheme
The service is not designed for an ILA to:
Represent victims at court; nor,
Support victims with Achieving Best Evidence interviews, or with answering questions in court.
To support the design and development of the grant competition we are seeking Expressions of Interest from eligible organisations/consortia and have attached a short questionnaire which we would request you complete and return to: RASSOandDA.briefing@justice.gov.uk
Eligibility
Public sector, private sector and non-profit organisations may apply for the grant when launched. Consortia bids (including private sector members) are also eligible, however organisations will need to arrange such consortia/supply chain partnerships themselves.Applicants (whether sole organisations or consortia) must be able to deliver a national service across England and Wales as the grant will not be allocated in geographical lots. Government Grant funding allows for Full Cost Recovery by applicants but organisations receiving grant funding are not permitted to make a profit from the service.
Objectives
ILAs will provide legal support to victims of adult rape in England and Wales on issues including:
Understanding their rights;
Supporting victims in understanding what constitutes a reasonable Third Party Material and digital material request;
Complaint applications;
Compensation claims; and,
Applications to the Victim’s Right to Review scheme
This government is committed to halving Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) over the next 10 years. This pledge to halve VAWG is a core part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission, and our plans to commission an Independent Legal Advice Service grant demonstrates the Government’s dedication to supporting victims of sexual violence.
Dates
We request submission of your Expression of Interest/Early Engagement Questionnaire by 5pm on 17th April 2026.
Further market engagement and consultation may take place prior to our launch of the grant competition (expected Summer 2026). All responses to this Early Engagement Questionnaire will be invited to any future market engagement/consultation events.
How to apply
Or press the green button that says "Start Application" on the advert front page.
Organisations should complete and return our questionnaire and this will indicate your interest in the grant and will ensure you are notified of any future market engagement/consultation events. Your responses will also be taken into consideration during the final design of the grant and the competition process.Alternatively you can also submit a Word document or PDF that contains the required information (Contact Details and answers to all of the Expression of Interest/Early Engagement Questions) by e-mail to:RASSOandDA.briefing@justice.gov.uk