Improving the First Point of Contact with Reading Adult Social Care

Concepts

• social work
• reading
• first line support
• specialist social care intervention
• statutory social care provision
• social care
• adult social care
• reading adult social care
• social
• care

Location

Reading

Description

What we want – Overview: The Council is looking to commission an organisation/partnership to provide a service that will support an improved customer journey for residents coming to Adult Social Care (ASC) for support. This organisation will:•Help people to live well and gain, maintain or regain their independence to meet their own outcomes.•Build on people’s strengths, recognise their own resilience and the resources offered by their family, friends. •Link people to the community, drawing on the skills and expertise available in the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). •Provide a cohesive and seamless approach to the coordination of person-centred care and support by providing appropriate early intervention to empower people’s independence.•Reduce reliance on statutory services by supporting ASC and other public sector officers, voluntary community sector, and health partners in ensuring specialist input is available to those who need it the most: right people, support, time.

Total Quantity or Scope

Overarching Outcomes that we want to achieve.• Supporting and promoting well-being for residents in their own communities.• Supporting people to feel less socially isolated.• Ensuring that people funding their own care feel they have direct support.• Enabling VCS organisations to extend the active role they play in social care. • Easing pressure on the Council’s Advice & Wellbeing Hub to allow ASC to focus on core services such as residents who need specialist social care intervention. • Easing pressure on the specialist VCS organisations so they can focus their support on those who need their expertise. • Improving overall co-ordination and efficient use of finite resources, which in turn will improve outcomes for people and the community, providing the right type of help when it is needed.Contract Duration and Value: The Council are looking to commission this service for a duration of 5 years (initial 3-year contract with the option of extending by up to a further 2 years (1+1)). The value of the contract is likely to be no more than £300k per year and the Council are looking to commence the contract mid-2024.Proposed Service Model - Service Model Diagram -A service model diagram is available on request, please contact Jamie.Ford@reading.gov.uk for more information. Service Model Outline: The pathway into ASC for residents who are new to ASC: A new contact/referral is received by the Council’s Customer Fulfilment Centre who provides advice & signposting where appropriate. Where ASC input is needed, they record the contact and refer it on to the Advice & Wellbeing Hub in ASC. We envisage the following service model:• The provider will work alongside the Advice & Wellbeing Hub, providing guidance and advice to people who need community support (Role 1); and in the community to develop resource and support people to access services (Role 2).• Advice & Wellbeing Hub colleagues will assess and manage statutory social care provision and where relevant, Role 1 will get involved to manage community support options in close collaboration with Role 2 colleagues, who will be providing first line support in the community.• The provider will be delivering the service by providing and managing Role 1 and Role 2 team members and management.• Role type 1: Will have general knowledge and oversight of support opportunities in the community, working alongside ASC colleagues based in the community - Role 2 - where they can offer first line support.• Role type 1 will be based in the Advice & Wellbeing Hub in ASC Civic Offices – with potential for hybrid working between community locations and the Civic Offices on a rota basis.• Role type 2: Will be delivering first line "Strength-Based" support to residents in the community: Proactively working with the Role 1 colleagues in providing residents with a joined-up support experience by delivering practical, emotional, and social support.• Role type 2 will help to build and drive forward community led offers that can help to support residents in the things that matter to them; taking a proactive approach to community development by identifying gaps, create and support the creation of new groups, connect residents and build good working relationships with professionals in the communities to foster unity and prosperity.• Role type 2 will be based at relevant community location(s) – with potential for hybrid working between the provider’s offices, community centres and other relevant locations.• A Manager (employed by the provider) will have oversight of activity, provide direction for and supervision of the team, hold overall responsibility for service delivery and development ensuring close partnership working with ASC. The Manager will be based at relevant community location(s) with the expectation of a reasonable presence in the Advice & Wellbeing Hub in ASC Civic Offices, to build and maintain close working relationships with ASC colleagues.

CPV Codes

• 85300000 - Social work and related services

Indicators

Other Information

Please contact us for full core requirements of the Roles.Any expression of interest will be without commitment to themselves or the Council. The Council will not be liable for any costs that interested parties may incur by engaging in this exercise. Core Requirements of Job Roles: We are looking to implement a 2-role approach, led by a Manager for the delivery of our requirements. Some key requirements of Role type 1 and 2 will be as follows:Role type 1• Closely collaborate with Advice & Wellbeing Hub colleagues on new referrals, where Role type 1 can support the resident solely; as well as where both ASC specialist input and Role type 1 support is appropriate. • Proactively support residents in a strength-based way to empower independence.• Introduce and connect residents to appropriate community groups and activities, agencies, and statutory services, ensuring they feel empowered, valued, and respected.• Provide follow up support to residents through phone calls/visits to ensure they feel able to engage, feel included and that they are receiving good support.• Record relevant resident and carer data on appropriate systems.• Proactively work with ASC colleagues to provide residents with a joined-up support offer where they need both ASC and VCS input.• Closely collaborate with Role 2s in providing residents with a cohesive and seamless support experience, by coordinating support efforts.• Keep up to date knowledge and oversight of support opportunities in the community.• Develop and maintain good working relationships with ASC, Health teams, the VCS and other agencies.Role type 2• Closely collaborate with Role 1 to provide residents with a joined-up support experience, by coordinating support efforts.• Provide practical, emotional, and social first line support to residents.• Support and enable residents to gain access to relevant training, learning, and other resources to develop skills, knowledge, and confidence to empower independence and community engagement.• Lead, plan and deliver creative and engaging events and activities within the different communities within their locality, supporting them to become self-sustainable and autonomous.• Set up and support new groups and initiatives to meet resident needs, plug gaps in support and improve services in the community.• Support residents to lead on community projects, develop small self-sustaining informal groups such as clubs, common interest activities and resident activities.• Consult with stakeholders e.g., local schools, councillors, faith groups, the VCS, and local businesses, to ensure their skills, knowledge, and ability to support community groups are fully utilised.• Keep up to date knowledge and oversight of support opportunities in the community.• Support the local VCS community to improve collaborative support.• To support the work of other members of the team when necessary for the good of the service and the communities of Reading.• Build connections, alliances and understanding between different communities (of culture, class, ethnicity, economic position, age, sexuality, gender, disability, or faith) to achieve greater understanding, find common ground and act on shared interests.• Help promote and encourage community cohesion and support local groups or activities that promote equality.• Role type 2s will work agile, basing themselves within community hubs, cafes, libraries, and other community buildings ensuring they are constantly visible.We would like interested organisations to express their interest by contacting us using the details below, by answering the following questions alongside any feedback This will help us gauge interest.1. Do you think that your organisation would be interested in putting forward a bid – either as a sole organisation or as part of a partnership between different organisations?2. Given the outcomes the Council wishes to achieve, how would you improve the effectiveness of this proposal?3. Do you see any barriers to delivery of this service - either in model or process?4. How do you think the performance of the service could be effectively monitored, ensuring that desired outcomes are delivered.5. Any other comments?