Evaluation consultancy services

Tender description

Arden and GEM CSU acting on behalf of NHS England — Health and Justice and Specialised Commissioning has commissioned the following services: 1) Lot 1: Evaluation of Model of Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for High Risk Young People with Complex Needs (Community Forensic CAMHS — WP1); 2) Lot 2: Evaluation of the Framework of Integrated Care for the Children and Young People's Secure Estate (SECURE STAIRS — WP2). The procurement consists of 2 lots. The contract are for 3 years. The financial envelope for each LOT is 150 000 GBP per annum excluding VAT (450 000 GBP in total per each LOT for the duration of the contract). Lot 1: Evaluation of Model of Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for High Risk Young People with Complex Needs (Community Forensic CAMHS — WP1). Deliverables for the Community FCAMHS WP1 (the project subject to evaluation), include: — Improved mental health and wellbeing among this cohort of children by identifying and addressing the mental health needs of high risk children and young people in a range of secure, residential and community settings, — Support to access to relevant provision across agencies in line with the children or young person's identified needs, including transition to secure, other residential or adult services, — Local provision that is supplemented with specific specialist input where necessary, — Reduction of risk of harm from self-harm, suicide, substance misuse, violence and other harmful behaviours linked to poor mental health, — Reduction in offending and risk of offending, — Promotion of social inclusion and parity of provision for children and young people within the service remit, — Improvement of life chances in relation to better health, education, housing and employment opportunities, — Promoting parity of approach in services that care for this cohort of children, so children experience care and treatment delivered by a psychologically informed and trauma-aware workforce. Specific deliverables for the Evaluation (the project subject to this procurement), include: The provider will be required to demonstrate/ achieve the following outcomes: — Capacity, capability and organisation, able to produce results from the outset. — Pragmatic, realistic, persistent, persuasive and authoritative in advisory role. — Development of an acceptable evaluation framework incorporating meaningful, pragmatic outcome measures. which might include: —— Improvement in cross-agency process and joint working to impact on children/ young people's mental health with a clear identified role for F:CAMHS. —— Clear evidence that children/ young people's complex mental health needs are being addressed in a timely, graded, more consistent and more informed manner. —— Evidence of sustained improvement in children and young people's ability to live safely within the community or, if not, evidence that this has been recognised and appropriate further measures have been taken. — Establishment of national data collection process. — Quantitative data management and interpretation (activity/ target population). — Qualitative evaluation of feedback from various sources. — Economic analysis; evaluation shows whether investment via the Children and Young People Mental Health Transformation funding has been successful in producing benefits for children and young people and for wider society and therefore whether value for money has been demonstrated. — Linkage with other data requirements (eg. national KPIs/ quality measures). — Clear strategy for communication of results (shorter and longer term). — Production of fit for purpose and publishable reports. Lot 2: Evaluation of the Framework of Integrated Care for the Children and Young People's Secure Estate (Secure Stairs — WP2). Deliverables for the Secure Stairs Framework WP2 (the project subject to evaluation), include: — Improved training for staff to help them understand the needs of and appropriate interventions for these children and young people, including staff trained and supported to work within the integrated framework of care (SECURE STAIRS), — A framework that ensures children and young people receive the same type of care irrespective of location in England, built on a consistent evidence-based approach, — Comprehensive formulation and care for each child, — Improved unit environment — less high risk behaviours in units, higher staff satisfaction, — Improved relationships and communication with staff and other young people, — Development of an evidence base to demonstrate performance, — Development of and monitoring of individual goals for each child's stay in a secure setting, — Goals for stay developed with young person's 'home' environment, — The enabling of reintegration of young people into mainstream provision, where this is appropriate, — Effective and therapeutic pathways into adult and/ or community based provision, — Improvement of life chances in relation to better health, education, housing and employment opportunities. Specific deliverables for the Evaluation (the project subject to this procurement) include: — Improvement in the secure estate environment in order to impact on young people's mental health. Examples: reduced placement moves; reduced vacancies/use of agency residential staff; increased “caregiver sensitivity”; improvement in residential 'climate'; increased staff retention; reduced staff sickness; improved staff confidence and morale as measured by setting specific staff surveys; reduced number of restraints. — Direct Improvement in young people's mental health and well-being whilst on the estate. Examples: - reduced frequency and severity of high risk behaviours (e.g. self-harm, violence); reduction in scores on standardised symptom measures; reduction in the number of young people meeting the diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder on discharge; young people meeting the secure Stairs targets agreed for them by end of stay. — Evidence of sustained improvement in young people's ability to live safely within the community. Examples: reduced rate of readmission to the secure estate; reduced frequency and severity of offending behaviour after a stay in the secure estate; increased frequency of engagement in education after a stay in the secure estate; young people sustaining Secure Stairs targets met whilst in the secure estate; improved coordination of stakeholders involved with young person.