RM1043.8-1-LONDON BOROUGH OF NEWHAM - LGF PROJECT - PREVENTION AND ADVICE TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS (PATH)

Tender description

About adding context and requirements test Pre-market engagement None Work done so far The Discovery is the start of this project. However, research that may help inform the project will be shared with the successful supplier as part of the project initiation. Which phase the project is in Not started Existing team DLUHC • Collaboration Team from the DLUHC Local Digital team Newham Council • Programme Manager – lead contact • Project Manager – lead coordinator for the project • Head of Homelessness Prevention and Advice – service lead • BSMI Head of Inclusive Economy and Housing – systems lead • Assistant Director of Housing Needs – project sponsor Redbridge Council • Programme Director – lead coordinator for Redbridge Council • User researcher Kingston • Homelessness Prevention lead • Head of Digital Delivery – digital/systems lead contact Rushmoor Borough Council • Housing Options Manager - service lead • Business Analyst Croydon Council • Senior Product Manager • Digital Platform Leads • User researcher Address where the work will be done Work will take place across all partner locations but the supplier should expect to travel for user research and other activities. Research and office locations may be across locations in the London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Croydon, London Borough of Redbridge and Rushmoor Borough Council. The primary council’s main location address is Newham Council, 1000 Dockside Road, London E16 2QU. Where applicable, work can also be done remotely. Working arrangements The supplier staff will keep the following working hours in order to maximise knowledge transfer and integrate with team development processes: Monday to Friday between the hours of 9:00 and 17:00 as required to ensure the outcomes of the project. There will be exceptions and therefore some flexibility in this as required to deliver the outcomes of the project, for example, the need to engage with users at times suitable to them such as attending evening meetings or focus groups. Expenses will be capped at £5,000 for the duration of the contract and all travel and subsistence will require prior approval. Provide more information about your security requirements: No security clearance needed Latest start date 2023-08-28 Enter the expected contract length: 6 months Extension period: 3 months Write the term or acronym: DLUHC Write the term or acronym: PATH Explain the term or acronym: Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. A central government department. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities supports communities across the UK to thrive, making them great places to live and work. Explain the term or acronym: Prevention and Advice to Tackle Homelessness. This is the name of the project. Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 80000 Indicative minimum: 60000 Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Summary of work Newham Council are seeking a supplier to deliver a Discovery project which aims to improve housing advice services to prevent homelessness. The project is funded by Round 6 of the DLUHC Local Digital Fund (https://www.localdigital.gov.uk/fund/local-digital-fund-round-6/) and is done in partnership with Redbridge Council, Royal Borough of Kingston, Croydon Council and Rushmoor Borough Council. The team must have the skills to carry out user research which includes hard to reach groups, coordinate sprints, and explore and recommend potential digital solutions. The project pages can be found here https://www.localdigital.gov.uk/funded-project/improving-housing-advice-services-to-prevent-homelessness/. The objective is to tackle the issue of increasing homelessness through improved upstream prevention prior to engagement with homelessness services, and to develop more user-centred and efficient alternative systems for providing housing advice and managing cases to reduce costs. The project will inform: • Homelessness contributors • Requirements for an ‘open-to-all’ solution to triage residents to services that may help prevent homelessness • The creation of patterns and different approaches and tools that enable a user to request advice for multiple factors e.g. employment, financial and skills advice • Potential of standardised content that is accessible to all service users that can be reused and tailored by local authorities • Solution requirements for integrated customer-facing and back-office systems The project needs to follow the GOV.UK Service Manual guidance for undertaking a Discovery (https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/how-the-discovery-phase-works) and project outputs that must be delivered by the supplier are a business case, user research report and conclusion report. Where the supplied staff will work London Where the supplied staff will work South East England Who the organisation using the products or services is Newham Council, Redbridge Council, Royal Borough of Kingston, Croydon Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, DLUHC Local Digital Fund Why the work is being done Newham Council are seeking a supplier to deliver a Discovery project which aims to improve housing advice services to prevent homelessness. The project is funded by the DLUHC Local Digital Fund and is done in partnership with Redbridge Council, Royal Borough of Kingston, Croydon Council and Rushmoor District Council. The objective is to tackle the issue of increasing homelessness through improved upstream prevention prior to engagement with homelessness services, and to develop more user-centred and efficient alternative systems for providing housing advice and managing cases to reduce costs. The project will inform: • Homelessness contributors • Requirements for an ‘open-to-all’ solution to triage residents to services that may help prevent homelessness • The creation of patterns and different approaches and tools that enable a user to request advice for multiple factors e.g. employment, financial and skills advice • Potential of standardised content that is accessible to all service users that can be reused and tailored by local authorities • Solution requirements for integrated customer-facing and back-office systems The project needs to follow the GOV.UK Service Manual guidance for undertaking a Discovery and project outputs that must be delivered by the supplier are a business case, user research report and conclusion report. It is expected that the project will deliver the following outputs: - High-level map(s) of homelessness contributors and advice provision. Potential reuse as a baseline for mapping services and what is delivered by councils or by other organisations. - User research outputs that include the identification of users and barriers, needs, motivations and constraints (including those delivering the service) with a particular focus on understanding disproportionality in the system/service. These needs are unlikely to vary nationally although there may be local variations in demographics, and therefore could be reused to inform other councils. - Low fidelity maps of services and common service patterns across partner boroughs; if this can be achieved between partner councils, then maps could be reused London-wide or even nationally. - Research on the IT systems and digital services in use and whether they meet user needs - Identification of best-fit solutions or validate the assumed gap in the market. - Identification of data needed for risk factors relating to homelessness; this can be reused by councils exploring the use of data. - Success measures what data is needed and performance metrics to measure success for the Alpha phase. A list of potential reusable outputs and solutions that could be delivered at Alpha e.g. Dynamic forms and/or chatbot capability, integrated data hubs, case management solution, standardised content, reusable service patterns. - A prioritised list of ideas to test an Alpha - A business case to proceed. The business problem you need to solve Research (https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/housing-advice-service-widening-access-housing-advice) shows that housing advice can reduce homelessness with lack of advice resulting in hardship and negative outcomes. Shelter reports specific barriers for women (https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/policy_and_research/policy_library/fobbed_off_the_barriers_preventing_women_accessing_housing_and_homelessness_support). Nationally only 54% of private renters are aware LAs can help with renting problems with 41% saying they would like online tools (https://assets.nationbuilder.com/npto/pages/7532/attachments/original/1655290703/GR_JRRT_Report_Exec_Section_v8_Web_Singles.pdf?1655290703) . Council staff do not always know which service to refer residents to. Councils must treat requests from residents at risk of homelessness formally to meet statutory duties. However, there may be multiple factors that lead to homelessness which may be best served by specialists yet pathways into services do not support an early intervention and a multi-agency approach. Partner councils have also expressed the lack of suitable systems to provide advice and manage casework; online requests are not integrated with back office systems; data is not joined up so opportunities to identify cumulative risk factors are missed. Online advice contains legal jargon and requires the user to prove eligibility and self-assess. This is an increasing problem with 74,320 households in England becoming homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless between January and March 2022 (a rise of 11%, 5% rise on the same period last year) including 25,610 families with children. First user type: Resident First user type: Digitally excluded resident First user type: Resident experiencing mental or physical health issues First user type: Female resident First user type: Single woman with children First user type: Private rented sector tenant First user type: Person experiencing domestic abuse First user type: Resident who has experienced trauma First user type: Council officer First user type: Voluntary Sector Organisation worker Enter more details about this user type: I need to know how to access services so that I can reduce the risk of me becoming homeless I need to access homelessness prevention services so that I can get the right help when I need it I need to access services in a way which suits me so that I get the right help when I need it I need to access council and voluntary sector services without having to understand how organisations are structured so that I can get the most suitable support or advice I need at the right time I need to access services that reduce the likelihood of me becoming homeless so that my situation does not have a negative impact on my mental and physical health I need to apply for housing and homelessness advice in a way that suits me so that I am not made homeless I need services to be person-centred and holistic so that my needs are met I need services to be joined up so that I do not have to provide my information to multiple different people, multiple different times I need to be able to find information and advice easily so that I do not have to wait until I'm in crisis to get help I need services to be free of jargon so that I understand what I need to do I need advice services to be up-to-date and trustworthy so that I know what I need to do I need to be able to access services without having to prove my eligibility when I cannot do so straight away I need to know if I am eligible for a service so that I know if I should apply or not I need to know what information I need to provide so that I can I don't have to start again later Enter more details about this user type: I need to apply for housing and homelessness advice through a non-digital channel so that I can access statutory services Enter more details about this user type: I need to access services that are designed to meet my needs so that my health is not a barrier Enter more details about this user type: I need to access services that reduce the likelihood of me becoming homeless so that I do not end up sofa-surfing, in temporary accommodation or in a dangerous situation Enter more details about this user type: I need to access services that reduce the likelihood of me becoming homeless so that I do not end up homeless or in a vulnerable situation I need to know what my rights are so that I am not discriminated against Enter more details about this user type: I need to access services that reduce the risk of me losing my tenancy when I am experiencing issues paying my rent so that I do not become homeless I need to access services that reduce the risk of me losing my tenancy when I am experiencing issues with my landlord so that I do not become homeless I need to access services that reduce the risk of me losing my tenancy when I am disrepair issues so that I do not become homeless or have to continue to live in poor conditions I need to access services that help me when I am refused a home by a lettings agency due to my circumstances so that I can defend my rights Enter more details about this user type: I need to access services that I trust so I can get the help I need to avoid becoming homeless I need to access services that I trust so I can get the help I need to avoid becoming homeless I need to know what support and advice is available to be so that I am not forced to leave my home due to domestic abuse I need to be able to trust the council so that I can access services that help me when experiencing domestic abuse Enter more details about this user type: I need council officers to take a trauma informed approach so that I am not further traumatised by poor services Enter more details about this user type: I need to know how to signpost residents to the right service so I can offer a service that helps people who may be at risk of homelessness I need to proactively identify residents at risk of homelessness so I can intervene early to prevent homelessness I need to view cases involving residents who are receiving support from different parts of the council so that I can deliver a joined up service I need to manage casework that relate to support and advice for residents I need to make sure our information and advice meets our statutory duties so that we are not found to be in maladministration I need an easy way to keep content up to date so that it is relevant but not expensive to administer I need to use systems that enable them to identify people at risk of homelessness, manage related casework so that I can deliver services that meet user needs Enter more details about this user type: I need to help people by signposting so that they can access services I need councils to signpost, refer and triage users so that they can access the most appropriate service that meets their needs I need to work with Local Authorities and other partners to deliver their services that support residents at risk of, or who are experiencing homelessness