Health and social work services

Tender description

Portsmouth City Council, “the Authority", is inviting tenders from suitably qualified providers to deliver a family group conference service. The Authority is seeking a supplier to manage, facilitate, administrate and deliver family group conferences based on referrals from the Authority. It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded on 20.12.2018 Maximum contract value is estimated to be up to 90 000 GBP per year. This represents the upper limit of the budget envelope and any tenders in excess of this amount may be set aside. A family group conference is a process in which families can meet together, to find solutions to problems that they and their children are facing, within a professionally supportive framework. The family group conference process involves all family members, friends and other adults who the family feel can contribute to making plans for the children. Family group conferences are based on the principle of working in partnership. The decision makers at family group conferences are the family members and not the professionals. The main outcomes are: — to prevent family breakdown and enable children and young people to stay at home with their immediate family, — to prevent children becoming looked after, — to determine who can look after children and young people within the family unit, — to empower extended families to engage in the child protection and legal proceedings processes so that effective, sustainable solutions can be found to identified challenges, — to give parents and families the opportunity to make appropriate and safe plans for their children, — to empower children to play an active role in plans for their future. The provider will be required to demonstrate an understanding of the qualities, qualifications, experience, skills and competences necessary to meet the requirements of the specification including: — the use of operating working practices that comply with relevant employment legislation and H&S at work legislation, — carry out and maintain a risk assessment which shall include assessment of any risk which may be presented to personnel, the families or the public in the provision of the services. The provider is to take all reasonable steps to minimise risks, — where a risk is identified, a plan to ensure safety shall be developed and recorded before contact is made and shared with other relevant personnel (and families), — staff engaged through this contract are of a high quality and are able to demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding of family group conferences, — staff (including volunteers) receive appropriate induction, ongoing training and are suitably trained appropriate to their role, — staff participate in all system/area wide training and reflective practice as required to ensure continued development of integrated working, — staff and volunteers have undertaken the local safeguarding children’s board. Inter-agency safeguarding children training or similar, and maintain their safeguarding practice in line with policy updates/changes, — all staff and volunteers receive regular supervision and support relative to the number of hours they are employed for, — all those involved in providing the service must acknowledge and respect individual’s gender, sexual orientation, age, race, religion, culture, lifestyle and values or social circumstance, — complaints will be dealt with in a timely manner in accordance with provider policy, — the provider will ensure there is resilience to provide a continuous service, — the provider will ensure staff, including volunteers, have the relevant DBS checks updated at least once every 3 years, — the provider will ensure the service has its own quality systems for the monitoring of performance against this specification, — the premises used for family group conferences will be sourced and funded by the provider and be local to the family, — the premises must be suitable for participants with a physical disability, including wheelchair access. Disabled toilet facilities must also be readily available.