Health and social work services

Tender description

The Department for Education will seek provision of initial qualifying social work education through an employment-based, fast-track route. The contractor will: 1. train 700 – 900 social workers through 2 cohorts, starting in 2020; 2. promote the programme to high performing graduates; 3. assess candidates so that trainees display the highest aptitude for child and family social work; 4. design and deliver training allowing accelerated qualification as a social worker and ultimately leading to a Masters degree; 5. deliver training and employment placements through partnership with English providers of statutory children’s social care services. The contractor will: 1. promote the programme, attracting applications from high performing graduates with leadership potential who might not otherwise have considered a career in social work; 2. manage candidate assessment to ensure those entering the programme have the right skills, behaviours and resilience to succeed as child and family social workers; 3. design and deliver training, approved by the relevant regulator, such that participants will: a. be embedded within a team delivering statutory child and family social work (ie, in roles involving work on s17 or s47 cases and requiring case records to be updated by the student, under appropriate supervision) at an English local authority, or children’s trust that delivers services on behalf of a local authority; b. gain a qualification sufficient for them to seek registration through an accelerated training route; c. progress at the point of qualification to an ASYE (Assessed and Supported Year of Employment) social work role within the employer to which they are attached; d. gain a Masters degree in social work on conclusion of the training. 4. secure and manage sufficient training and employment placements to support 700 – 900 trainees across two cohorts, starting in 2020 and 2021. Start and end dates of the contract: Start date: 1.11.2018. End date would be dependent on course timings agreed with the contractor. The contract may include options to extend the contract for the delivery of one or two further cohorts.