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Tender description

The contract will seek contractor(s) to set up an operational system for the assessment and accreditation of child and family social workers in England. They will need to create a clear framework and delivery structure to ensure assessment rollout for approximately 8 000 social workers between November 2017 and December 2018. A range of elements will need to be delivered including: 1. Assessment centres on a regional basis; 2. Recruitment and training of assessors and observers; 3. Recruitment and training of actors for simulated observation; 4. Preparing and expanding a pre-existing digital platform to be ready for National roll out; 5. Design and implementation of a system for result feedback to employers and individuals including a data base for securely storing results; 6. Design and implementation of a system for dealing with retakes, concerns, queries and appeals processes. The contract will support the continued social work reform programme agreed by Ministers to achieve the ambition for all child and family social workers, supervisors and practice leaders to be assessed by 2020. The Department for Education is establishing a rigorous assessment system based on the knowledge and skills statements (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/knowledge-and-skills-statements-for-child-and-family-social-work) developed for child and family frontline social workers and practice supervisors. The 4-stage assessment and accreditation system will consist of: — Stage 1: direct practice observation by the employer — in the workplace over a period of time leading to the employer endorsement, — Stage 2: an online assessment of knowledge, — Stage 3: an observed interactive practice simulation in a controlled environment with independent examiners, — Stage 4: a written assessment linked to the simulated observation.