Public Sector Network Tender Alert

 

UK-Sheffield: health and social work services

The Government believes that strong and stable families are essential to a strong and stable society. When families do separate they should be offered the help and support required to help them work together in the best interest of their children. The Government published the Green Paper Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance consultation paper in January 2011 which set out reform proposals and sought people’s views. Powered by BravoSolution eSourcing Technology 4 / 21 It was established that around half of CSA (Child Support Agency is a delivery arm of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in Great Britain. Launched on April 5, 1993, the CSA is responsible for implementing the 1991 Child Support Act and subsequent legislation) parents with care and a majority of non-resident parents surveyed felt that they would make a family-based arrangement if they had the right support. There currently is no central system which supports parents to think about child maintenance as part of a whole range of issues parents generally face when separating. Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC) are keen to learn what works best in helping separated parents to collaborate and resolve conflict in order to support their children. DWP will provide £14 million of funding for the Innovation Fund - Support for Separated Families, with up to £9 million being apportioned to Round 1, with the remainder reserved for Round 2. This funding will support a range of projects for up to a two year period (and may be extended for a further year at the discretion of DWP) and will enable us to gather more evidence on the types of support that are most effective. The two key objectives of the Innovation Fund - Support for Separated Families are to: • Increase the number of children benefiting from child maintenance arrangements by reducing conflict and improving collaboration between separated and separating parents. This will be achieved by developing effective interventions that help parents make their own arrangements and avoid using the Courts or the CSA. • Test a wide range of interventions in different areas of Great Britain (GB) and understand what is effective in encouraging collaboration and reducing conflict amongst separating and separated parents. CMEC will develop an evidence base of the most effective interventions across the spectrum of help and support available i.e. from intensive couple therapy to web based advice. Please note that CMEC is due to return as a business unit of the Department for Work and Pensions from 31st July 2012. This is the first of two Innovation Fund - Support for Separated Families bidding rounds. DWP anticipates that there will be between 8 and 20 contracts in total let for the Innovation Fund - Support for Separated Families over both rounds, but precise numbers will depend on the quality and value of bids received. DWP anticipates that there will be between 4 and 10 contracts awarded in round one, but precise numbers will depend on the quality and value of the bids received. The second round of the Innovation Fund - Support for Separated Families is expected to commence early 2013. DWP and CMEC want to test a range of different projects, therefore we will not award more than £1.5 million of funds to any one project in total (i.e. over the two year contract period (and may be extended for a further year at the discretion of DWP). DWP welcome bids from public, private and voluntary sector organisations, either on their own or as part of a partnership with others. We know the voluntary sector bodies have a wide range of Powered by BravoSolution eSourcing Technology 5 / 21 skills and expertise in working with separated families and would therefore particularly encourage them to bid, either as a main bidder or as a partner/subcontractor. Further details about the Innovation Fund - Support for Separated Families procurement and DWP’s requirements are available, on the Supplying DWP website and BravoSolution. The Initial Application Form and supporting documents will be available to download via the link below from the 16 July 2012. https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml These are Part B services and the DWP will not be bound by the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (as amended) except as such Regulations provide.

Ref: 226037-2012,

Contact:

separated.familiesprocurement@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Contract value: 1.00 - 8000000.00GBP

Published: 8 Jan 2013, Receipt by: 8 Jan 2015