Building a research, innovation and improvement skills development approach for social care

Concepts

• research and development
• cardiff
• wales
• social care
• research services
• improvement skills development approach
• social work
• knowledge skills
• innovative ways
• skills development

Location

Wales: TBC

Description

Maximise the impact of our work we recognise the need to increase knowledge skills & experience in research, innovation & improvement. This project will identify the needs & solutions to supporting skills development in these key areas. We require a supplier to help co-design an approach to capability & skills building in research, innovation & improvement for people working in social work & social care in Wales by: using a discovery phase, to understand & synthesise the research we already have & look at existing frameworks & initiatives across research, innovation & improvement using design & co-production principles to engage with people in creative & innovative ways to gain nuanced understanding of their needs assessing how well existing learning & development opportunities meet the needs of people working in social care, including how well known they are & whether the content is relevant & easy to access & identifying gaps in current provision recommending a number of tangible, action-focussed alpha projects designed to meet those needs designing longer-term, overarching approach for research, innovation & improvement skills development. Produce early prototypes & support us to test out agreed alpha projects, which might include: Using & signposting to existing initiatives but implemented in new & creative ways Adapting existing initiatives for Wales & for social care Piloting new approaches e.g designing new learning & development opportunities By working in social work & social care we mean: A wide variety of people including social workers, social work students, social care workers, managers, leaders & commissioners Working in a wide variety of settings including local authorities, provider organisations (both independent, third sector & local authority), as well as settings like health, education & the criminal justice system Supporting children or adults By skills we mean: The skills people need to access, understand, use & generate research in their day-to-day work the skills people would like to develop to take on bigger research projects &/or to pursue research careers the skills people need to innovate in their day-to-day work & to support innovation in social care the skills people need to continuously reflect on, improve & develop their work The aim of this project is to inform the way Social Care Wales & Health & Care Research Wales support the development of research, innovation & improvement skills across social care in Wales. We want partnership & collaboration to be at the heart of what we design as we know that linkages enhance research capacity & capability. We want to reuse, reimagine & embed existing learning & development opportunities wherever we can. We’ll use the output of the project to pilot, test & implement support for research, innovation & improvement. We recognise that social care is complex & that there is no single response that will meet all workforce needs, but we anticipate that support could include: learning for research, innovation & improvement practice, for example, small scale capacity building programmes focused on the social care workplace schemes designed to develop formal skills & careers, for example, funding postgraduate degrees other creative ways of developing skills, for example, apprenticeships, coaching & mentoring, peer support. We have an opportunity to take a creative & sustainable approach, which uses our existing learning. We anticipate that the first stage of the project will be to understand what we already know. We’re also keen to learn from social care capacity-building projects elsewhere. Most importantly, we want to focus on actions which will deliver better outcomes for people who use care& support in Wales. Our core goal is to make sure research, innovation& improvement count by supporting them to happen in practice. The IMPACT Evaluation of the Social Services & Wellbeing Act has shown the gap between the rhetoric of the Act & the reality of many people who use care & support.

Total Quantity or Scope

Approach We set out a suggested approach below but invite potential suppliers to improve or build on these suggestions. We will agree the detailed approach during the inception stage of the project. - A discovery phase, to include: ~ a review of the user research and work we’ve already done ~ an understanding of the programmes and initiatives already in place in Wales (see Appendix 7) ~ a review of developments in research, innovation and improvement skills and capacity-building in social care across the UK (see Appendix 7) ~ a review of relevant policies and documents, to help potential suppliers understand the political and policy environment, including A Healthier Wales, the evaluation of the Social Service and Wellbeing (Wales) Act, the Performance and Improvement Framework for Social Services and the draft Innovation Strategy for Wales. - interviews, focus groups or workshops to gain a detailed understanding of user needs for research, innovation and improvement skills ~ a programme of creative, interactive co-design events that will also help build ongoing relationships between partners and people working and researching in social care We need a supplier whose approach is: - underpinned by user-centred design principles: committed to understanding the context of user need and the early and frequent involvement of users in the design process - outcome and impact focused: seeking to understand intended outcomes for all partners involved in the project - committed to improving equality, diversity and inclusivity in all areas of work: we want a supplier to support our strategic equality plan and help us towards Goal 6 of Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales action plan and support the principles of More than just words. - supportive and open to existing ideas being dropped into the project, for example adapting Research Time Awards or aligning with our new social work post-qualification framework - agile and iterative: we want to build on our experience of using agile methods to frequently iterate, reprioritise our work and pilot approaches early and often - agile and collaborative: using a one-team approach and working in the open to maintain energy and communicate regularly with partners about the work. We recognise a range of knowledge, skills and experience is needed to deliver this project and so we welcome consortia or collaborative bids. Please see Specification for further information Additional information: There is a budget of 130,000 GBP for year one of the contract - Phase 1 and 2 of this project should be delivered in Year 1. There is a budget of 25,000 GBP for year two of the contract and 25,000 GBP for year three of the contract, pending approval of contract extension(s). All costs are inclusive of VAT.

Renewal Options

The initial contract will run until 31 March 2023 with the option to extend for an additional two years to a maximum expiry date of 31 March 2025. A break clause will be inserted at the end of each year (31 March 2023 and 31 March 2024) which Social Care Wales reserves the right to not enact.

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
• 73110000 - Research services
• 73220000 - Development consultancy services
• 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
• 79315000 - Social research services
• 80000000 - Education and training services
• 80400000 - Adult and other education services

Indicators

• An E-Catalogue is required.
• This is a one-off contract (no recurrence)
• Renewals are available.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** Responses may be submitted in either Welsh or English Gellir cyflwyno ymatebion yn y Gymraeg neu yn Saesneg NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=125029. The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx. Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems. (WA Ref:125029) The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia.