Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service

Concepts

• social work
• glasgow
• kinship care arrangements
• stable kinship care arrangements
• kinship care families
• kinship arrangements
• kinship carers
• kinship care services
• kinship care safeguarding
• other kinship arrangements

Location

Glasgow

Description

Glasgow City Council contract for the delivery of Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service which meets the needs of individual children / young people and their Kinship carers. The Service is for the provision of the Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service to children and young people, in kinship care families, under s25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. The service can, at the discretion of the Locality Service Manager who has the overview of Kinship care services, be extended to children or young people in other Kinship arrangements, for example a section 11 Kinship Care Order. The delivery of the Service will assist the Council in meeting its statutory duty to safeguard, support and promote the welfare and wellbeing of children and young people living in Kinship care families. It will focus primarily on children and young people supported in Kinship arrangements which have been assessed by Social Work Services as stable (typically for two years, though this timescale may be less depending on individual circumstances of the child or young person), and who are resident in the city or within a twenty-mile radius of the Glasgow City boundary. Referrals to this Service may also include, by exception and by agreement between all parties, children and young people in stable Kinship care arrangements that are outwith this geographical radius. In terms of the scope of this tender, Kinship care arrangements in scope include: - Looked after children or young people who have been formally placed with Kinship carers by the local authority under Section 25 (s25) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. - Children or young people who are subject to an order under Section 11 (s11) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. - Children or young people who may be deemed ‘eligible’ under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and living with a Kinship carer and eligible under either of the sections above. - Referrals will be made for children and young people aged from birth until their 19th birthday. Glasgow City Council wishes to notify the market of its award of the Kinship Care Safeguarding and Support Service. To deliver this service the Council has appointed two Providers across the three Lots using an open tender process. The contract period will be for an initial three years with the option for the Council to extend for up to a further two years, subject to review and available funding. Scope of Opportunity - To assist the Council in meeting its obligations to children, young people and Kinship carers, the Service Providers will deliver a range of supports to children and young people in kinship care households, as well as their Kinship carers. These include: -Conducting visits with the child or young person in their kinship care homes; -Cultivating and developing relationships with the child or young person and their Kinship carers; -Eliciting the views of the child or young person in all aspects of their care, health and wellbeing, and ensuring these are heard, shared and acknowledged by all those involved in the child or young person’s care when care plans and outcomes are reviewed; -Creating and supporting opportunities for the child or young person and Kinship carers to participate in their community, to engage in experiences that meet their needs and interests, including activities and groups; -Creating and supporting opportunities for the child or young person to maintain and develop relationships with their brothers, sisters and extended family members where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests and important to the child or young person’s wellbeing. -Providing emotional support, and guidance to children, young people and Kinship carers which encourages them to participate in positive family time with parent(s), in line with Social Work care plans, where these relationships are in the child or young person’s best interests. -Providing advice to children and young people and Kinship carers, and/or signposting to sources of information and advice when required; -Supporting children and young people and Kinship carers to access financial and practical supports they are entitled to, and advocating on their behalf during any application processes, where necessary; -Providing a crisis response, including in circumstances where there may be risk of relationships breaking down, and working alongside SWS to restabilise relationships wherever possible. This list is not exhaustive. The Service Providers are encouraged to be innovative in their approach to service delivery, and to make use of their organisations resources, connections, and knowledge of community supports to create a Service that is flexible enough to cater for each child, young person’s and Kinship carers needs, whilst acknowledging common themes and issues that this group may experience.

Lot Division

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 85300000 - Social work and related services

Indicators

Other Information

Financial Viability -Financial Viability Assessment. Bidders were required to provide 3 years audited accounts (or financial statements where there was no requirement to submit audited accounts to Companies House) and complete a Financial Viability Template and pass all financial probity checks. Health and Safety -Provide a completed Health and Safety Questionnaire and copies of all associated/relevant policies & procedures in place. -Confirmation that required Social Care specific policies and procedures were in place as specified in the SPD Health & Safety questionnaire, including relevant policies and information relating to service user safeguarding and protection were in place (for Adults and Children). HEALTH & SAFETY In line with current procurement practices, the Council took the decision to follow the Single Procurement Document (SPD) process for the health & safety evaluation of potential contractors /social care suppliers. In summary the Bidder could already hold a UKAS accredited OHSAS 18001 certificate or be evaluated in a member scheme of the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP). Where the Bidder did not satisfy the above certification, they required to complete the full Glasgow City Council Health & Safety Vetting Questionnaire. Insurance -Provide a completed Insurance Questionnaire and copies of all related certificates and policies. Bidders must commit to have in place (and maintain) or commit to obtain relevant insurance levels as specified before service commencement where successful. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS (To be maintained throughout life of the Contract) - Bidder shall take out and maintain, throughout the period of the contract, Employer’s Liability insurance to the value of at least TEN MILLION POUNDS STERLING (10,000,000GBP) in respect of any one event and unlimited in the period. -Bidder shall take out and maintain, throughout the period of the contract, Public Liability insurance to the value of at least FIVE MILLION POUNDS STERLING (5,000,000GBP) in respect of any one event and unlimited in the period. -Bidder shall take out and maintain, throughout the period of the contract, Abuse cover to the value of at least FIVE MILLION POUNDS STERLING (5,000,000GBP) in respect of any one claim, without limit to the number of claims or; Abuse cover to the value of at least TEN MILLION POUNDS STERLING (10,000,000GBP) in respect of any one claim, and in the aggregate. The policy must be arranged on a ‘claims occurring’ basis. Cover arranged on a claims made basis will not be accepted by Glasgow City Council. -Bidder(s) who have motor vehicles which are used in the provision of their Services must maintain adequate vehicle insurance cover in respect of such vehicles. Glasgow City Council also requires that the successful bidder retain a sufficient level of Professional Indemnity Insurance required to cover any services to be performed within the scope of the contract. The standard requirement for Glasgow City Council is: -Bidder shall take out and maintain throughout the period of the contract Professional Indemnity insurance to the value of at least TWO MILLION POUNDS STERLING (2,000,000GBP) in respect of each claim and in the aggregate. Community Benefits were included in this requirement and outlined within the tender documentation. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-pr... The buyer used PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. (SC Ref:751749)