Health and social work services

Tender description

Scope of Procurement. Reading Borough Council currently commission contracts for the provision of rough sleeper outreach, floating support and accommodation based support which are due to expire on 31.8.2018. The Council are seeking to commission new services beginning 1 September 2018 and are tendering for four separate contracts, which we are collectively referring to as Homelessness Support services. These are: — Contract 1: Rough sleeper outreach service. Contract value: 170 000 GBP. — Contract 2: Floating service for early intervention, homelessness prevention and tenancy sustainment. Contract value: 270 000 GBP. — Contract 3: Intensive and engaging support: Hub and accommodation. Contract value: 480 000 GBP. — Contract 4: Working towards independence accommodation. Contract value: 330 000 GBP. The Council proposes to enter into contract(s) with the successful tenderer(s) for an initial period of 5 years, with the option for up to two extensions, each of up to 24 months in total. Reading Borough Council requires a provider to deliver an outreach service to those who are rough sleeping. The service will: — Provide staffing capacity to support a minimum of 40 found and a minimum of 25 reported rough sleepers at any given time. — Intervene early with people who are new to the streets using a No Second Night Out (NSNO) model of delivery, enabling clients to access sit-up and emergency bed spaces within Reading’s intensive and engaging support hub to prevent longer term and entrenched rough sleeping behaviours. — Assist entrenched rough sleepers, to include those with severe and multiple needs, to improve their current situation by using MEAM principles to prepare individuals to access accommodation services. This will include the Housing First model, physical and/or mental health treatment and/or beginning to engage with harm reduction and other relevant services that will move them away from a street-based lifestyle. — Deliver a housing first model through the social rented and private rented sector for between eight and 10 individuals. — Co-locate with the intensive and engaging support hub. — Support the Hub to deliver comprehensive and holistic services to rough sleepers. Accommodation options for rough sleeper outreach service. The successful provider will be expected to occupy office space and operate from the same premises as the Intensive and engaging support hub in accordance with the service specification requirements. The premises from which the rough sleeper outreach service will operate will be determined by the successful provider of the intensive and engaging support hub. Reading Borough Council requires a provider to deliver a service to households, across tenure type, to intervene early in preventing homelessness and sustaining tenancies. The service will deliver: — Early upstream homelessness prevention support to clients who are threatened with homelessness, or who may be threatened with homelessness in the future if their immediate support needs are not addressed, by leading on a No First Night Out (NFNO) initiative in Reading. — Support to the Council in delivering its duties, powers and obligations towards people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. — A 2 tier service that includes Tier 1: Drop-in and triage; Tier 2: Shorter and longer term support planning and resettlement support to provide the most appropriate level and length of intervention /support to each client. — Shorter term support plans over a three to six month period where more than brief intervention(s) is required. — Longer term support plans, as agreed with the Commissioner, where more than brief intervention(s) or shorter term support is required. — The creation, development and management of a Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) co-ordinator role for the Reading borough where the provider will be responsible, in partnership with commissioners, for case managing MEAM clients; leading on operational and steering groups and influencing the strategic direction of the MEAM approach in Reading. — A cross-sector training programme that promotes the work of commissioned homelessness support services within Reading and that works towards a “training standard” across commissioned, faith and voluntary sector services in Reading. — Resettlement support for households, across tenures, to ensure tenancy sustainment. This excludes those moving on from Working towards independence accommodation where this will be the responsibility of the Working towards independence accommodation provider. Reading Borough Council requires a provider to deliver a Hub and accommodation services to people who are homeless and do not have dependent children, including single homeless people and couples. The service will support those with higher needs who are entering the service from rough sleeping or who have been identified as being at risk of rough sleeping, including those who are discharged from hospital or released from custody. The service will deliver: — A minimum of six sit-up bed spaces and a maximum of 10 sit-up bed spaces located at the Hub (or alternative premises as agreed with commissioners), available to clients with or without a local connection, where the individual is engaging with reconnections support options and the bed space is open to them for between seven and 14 days. — Eight emergency /assessment bed spaces consisting of two clients per room; four rooms in total located at the Hub, available to clients with a local connection to the Reading borough only. Bed spaces should be available for up to eight weeks to give the I&E support provider time to make an assessment of need and suitable housing options for each individual. — Foyer provision at the Hub when a sit-up bed space is unavailable or inappropriate. — Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP) for a minimum of 20 individuals in accordance with Reading’s SWEP Protocol. — A minimum of 35 Intensive and Engaging (I&E) support units (a minimum of 39 bed spaces inclusive of emergency/assessment be spaces) within the Hub and a total of 20 I&E bed spaces away from the Hub available to clients for a short-term period of six - twelve months. — Capacity to house a minimum of four couples; a maximum of three individuals with their dog/pet and a minimum of three individuals who require an accessible unit across the Intensive and Engaging Support accommodation service. — Support to those in emergency /assessment and I&E Hub bed spaces, 24 hours per day, seven days a week. — Support to those within I&E bed spaces away from the Hub, ensuring that support is on site during the day and evening and that it is linked into 24 hour support provided at the Hub so that clients can receive support 24 hours per day, seven days a week. — Wrap around support across I&E units in times of client need. — Catering or provide self-catering facilities for clients. — A Hub environment for activities, social integration and mental health, drug and alcohol and health services to support rough sleepers and those who are at risk of rough sleeping. — Female specific safe spaces and workers for female clients affected by trauma. Accommodation Options for Intensive and Engaging Support: Hub and Accommodation Service. Tenderers will be expected to provide detail of how either Hamble Court, Willow House, Shepton House and/or alternative properties would be used to accommodate clients and deliver the Service. Utilisation would be subject to final agreement by the landlord and subject to conditions of utilisation to be agreed between the successful support provider and the accommodation provider (landlord). As per the Service Specification for this contract, it is the responsibility of the successful tenderer to ensure that any property the Service operates from is of a suitable standard where the landlord adheres to and can evidence all relevant safety requirements and condition and size standards. These may include, but are not limited to: — HMO licencing requirements. — Housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) requirements (HHSRS). — Gas safety standards and risk assessments. — Electrical safety standards and risk assessments. — Fire safety standards and risk assessments. — Amenity standards including: personal washing facilities and WCs; facilities for the storage, preparation and cooking of food and space standards. — Regulatory standards [Registered Providers only]. Reading Borough Council requires a provider to deliver accommodation to those without dependent children, including single homeless people and couples, who require a moderate level of tenancy support prior to moving on into independent living. The service will deliver: — A minimum of 85 short term support bed spaces, for between six and 12 months, for clients who have moderate levels of support need. — Support primarily during daytime and normal working hours. — Wrap around support with clients in times of need. — Bed spaces using licences, with minimal provision of assured short-hold tenancies where this is service model appropriate, where at least 90 % of bed spaces are operated using licences. — Support that works towards preparing clients for moving on into independent living including the private rented sector; accommodation obtained via Reading Homechoice or returning home where it is safe and suitable to do so. — Up to eight weeks resettlement support for clients moving on from the service, ensuring that resettlement support can be extended where required and clients are given the option to re-access support if required in the future to ensure tenancy sustainment. Accommodation Options for Working Towards Independence Accommodation Service. Tenderers will be expected to provide detail of all the properties they intend to utilise in enabling the delivery of the support contract and Service Specification; including whether they intend to utilise any/all of the properties listed in the table. If tenderers enter into agreements with the landlords detailed in the tables below, this will enable the occupation of 31 bed spaces, requiring the further acquisition of at least 54 bed spaces from which to deliver the Working towards Independence support contract. Tenderers can choose to submit their tender based on the utilisation of different accommodation and premises to those listed below. Where the tenderer intends to use other and/or alternative properties to accommodate clients and deliver the service, details should be given of the conditions under which the properties will be utilised where, if successful, this would be subject to final agreement by the landlord and subject to conditions of utilisation to be agreed between the successful support provider and the accommodation provider (landlord). The tenderer should provide detail of any alternative or additional properties that are included within the tender submission as follows: — Property name and address. — Landlord and name and contact telephone number/email address. — Provision at the property - number of units and office space available. — Indication of conditions of utilisation (to be agreed with the landlord). As per the Service Specification for this contract, it is the responsibility of the successful tenderer to ensure that any property the Service operates from is of a suitable standard where the landlord adheres to and can evidence all relevant safety requirements and condition and size standards. These may include, but are not limited to: — HMO licencing requirements. — Housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) requirements (HHSRS). — Gas safety standards and risk assessments. — Electrical safety standards and risk assessments. — Fire safety standards and risk assessments. — Amenity standards including: personal washing facilities and WCs; facilities for the storage, preparation and cooking of food and space standards. — Regulatory standards [Registered Providers only].