The Executive Office (TEO) Communities in Transition (CIT): Health and Wellbeing Programme in the Derry / Londonderry CIT Area

Tender description

TEO is seeking to appoint a Contractor for the provision of a Health and Wellbeing Programme the Derry / Londonderry CIT Area; this relates to the Brandywell and Creggan and Annex A of the Specification provides maps of the designated CIT area. The Contractor will design and deliver a Health and Wellbeing programme that will facilitate building a resilient community through an asset-based approach, advocating collaboration with statutory, community and voluntary bodies responsible for health and social care, to be able to support those in need in terms of mental health, drugs and alcohol misuse, all of which make people vulnerable to paramilitary coercive control and impeded in their personal transition. This tender is linked to the Communities in Transition (CIT) Project which had been due to end in June 2021, however the Executive made a commitment within ‘New Decade New Approach’ to continue its delivery with a renewed focus and additional funding up to 31 March 2024. The CIT Project is therefore being delivered in two phases, with Phase 1 to be completed by 30 June 2021 and Phase 2 to be completed by 31 March 2024. Phase 1 of the Project provided a firm foundation for continuing to address the issues that allow Paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control to persist within communities. Phase 2 presents an opportunity to further refine the work as we move forward. This Contract falls under Phase 2 and will support the Department in its overall delivery of the CIT Project. The Contractor’s Health and Wellbeing programme will include the active participation of a cohort of volunteers already recruited to the programme through the Phase 1 intervention and the recruitment of additional volunteers as described within the Specification of Requirements Schedule. This programme will therefore seek to build upon the experience and learning of the intervention delivered through Phase 1 of the CIT Project, helping to meet the identified needs of the area and taking positive action to address barriers impacting on the community’s access to appropriate support, which can be accessed beyond the life of CIT supported intervention. The core purpose of this programme is multi-fold: • Raise awareness of existing relevant health and wellbeing support services available; • Improve the health and wellbeing of the local community; • Increase community capacity and encourage sustainable wider community participation for the betterment of the community; • Develop more coherent relationships between the community and service providers; Stimulate interest in community based action to reduce vulnerability to the underlying issues such as drug dealing, extortion and illegal money lending; • Increase individual and community resilience against paramilitary control; and • Reduce the number of people vulnerable to paramilitary influence and control. All activities which the Contractor proposes to carry out must clearly link to the objectives listed above. The Contractor must not be delivering general health and wellbeing activities as part of this programme, activities must be clearly linked to addressing the health and wellbeing issues which have arisen as a result of living in a community with high levels of paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime. Where specific interventions are being delivered to individuals needing support, the Contractor must clearly demonstrate how the individual has been impacted in terms of, threat, risk or vulnerabilities. Full details of the requirements for this Contract are provided for within the Specification of Requirements Schedule. It is anticipated that the Contract will commence in early July 2021 and run for a period of 1 year.