Poverty Audit - Dumfries and Galloway Council Social Work Services

Tender description

Dumfries and Galloway Council intend to commission an independent consultant to carry out a Poverty Audit across its Social Work Services. The purpose of this work is to assess how poverty impacts both service delivery and outcomes for service users, and to identify where improvements in policy, practice or partnership working could help reduce inequalities. The audit will support the Council’s Tackling Poverty and Inequalities Partnership Strategy and contribute to local and national priorities under the Scottish Government’s Fairer Futures Fund. Dumfries and Galloway is a large rural region in the South West of Scotland, with a population of around 148,000. While the area benefits from strong community networks, poverty remains a key challenge, with 22.7% of residents living in relative child poverty — one of the highest rates in Scotland. Many families experience additional barriers linked to rurality, transport, and access to services. Lot 1: Social Work Services in Dumfries and Galloway play a vital role in supporting and safeguarding communities. Between 2024 and 2025, services have engaged with significant volumes of clients through adult, mental health, child protection, and sensory support referrals. A substantial proportion of those supported are of working age, and many children and families are impacted by financial insecurity and hardship. The audit will build on this evidence base to explore how poverty is experienced within social work settings and how effectively services identify and respond to need. We are seeking an independent consultant (or consultancy) to: - Review current Social Work Services policies and practices through a poverty and inequalities lens -Analyse how poverty affects access to and outcomes from services - Assess how effectively services identify and respond to poverty-related needs - Benchmark local approaches against national good practice - Produce clear, evidence-based recommendations to inform continuous improvement The work should include engagement with staff and, where appropriate, service users or community partners, ensuring that findings are grounded in real lived experiences. We anticipate the following outputs (indicative rather than prescriptive): - A short literature review of good practice in social work poverty auditing - Desktop review of existing D&G Council Social Work policies and procedures - Engagement with key stakeholders, including frontline practitioners and service leads - Identification of key themes and areas for improvement - Presentation of findings to a staff and stakeholder event - Final written report setting out findings and actionable recommendations This audit represents an important step in understanding the lived impact of poverty on those accessing Social Work Services in Dumfries and Galloway. The findings will help the Council and its partners improve service design, strengthen support for those in need, and embed a stronger, evidence-based approach to tackling poverty.. It is estimated that this process will be conducted under non-regulated procurement through Quick Quote. Interested organisations should ensure they express an interest to be included in any quick quote activity.