Family Link Workers for the Dorset Families Matter Project

Tender description

Dorset Families Matter is a broad partnership that is committed to delivering the national Troubled Families initiative locally. As the lead partner Dorset County Council is seeking suitably qualified and experienced service providers to provide a Family Link Worker service that can contribute to the delivery of positive outcomes in line with those set out in the Dorset Families Matter Outcomes Plan. We are seeking a Provider to deliver innovative and flexible relatively short-term, hands on support, assistance, direction and information to eligible families who need the most intensive level of support. The Family Link Worker is to engender the family's independence, improved functioning and resilience as well as that of individual family members. The national Troubled Families initiative began in April 2012 and was originally intended to run for three years. The aim was to support families improve their well-being and reduce dependence on public sector organisations. The Dorset Families Matter (DFM) project is the local name given for this initiative. The Troubled Families initiative has recently been extended and the programme expanded to include more families. This is now referred to as Phase 2 and is planned to run until March 2020. This extension is testament to the Government's on-going commitment to improve the lives of troubled families and as this work is taken to a significantly greater scale, to transform local public services and reduce costs for public services in the long-term. The national roll out of Phase 2 of the programme began in April 2015. The underlying ethos of the project is to proactively identify families that meet the eligibility criteria through cross matching data from partner agencies and taking a commissioned approach fund a range of support organisations to work with consenting eligible families in new and innovative ways to deliver the projects aims and objectives. Families are eligible if they meet at least two of the following headline identification criteria: Parents and Children involved in crime or antisocial behaviour. Children who have not been attending school regularly or are excluded Children who need help Adults out of work or at risk of financial exclusion and young people at risk of worklessness Families affected by domestic violence and abuse Parents and children with a range of health problems The provision is required across all of Dorset's 6 District and Borough Council localities, namely: Weymouth and Portland West Dorset North Dorset East Dorset Purbeck Christchurch The contracts will cover the period 1st May 2016 to 30th April 2017 with the possibility to extend for a further 12 month period.