Description of the goods or services required
Powys County Council (the Council) and partners (henceforth called the Commissioner) have agreed with the Home Office that a number of refugees (henceforth called the Beneficiaries) can be accommodated in Powys. It is anticipated that families will be accommodated in either council or housing association properties although the use of private sector accommodation is a possibility.
This specification relates to the provision of ongoing support to the 10 families (a maximum of 50 people) already settled under the UK Government’s UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), and a further 6 families (maximum of 30 people) already settled under the UK Government’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme (ARAP), for 12 months initially. Currently, it is anticipated that a further 3 families will be accommodated in Llandrindod by the end of March 2024 under the UKRS programme. Further resettlement may occur under any of the UK Government’s resettlement programmes in future and provision of support to any such new arrivals would be subject to further discussions at that time but may, by mutual agreement, form part of this contract.
The service required is assistance in the provision of daily operational support for Beneficiaries, delivering ongoing case work and an advocacy function for Beneficiaries within the locality. This provision will ensure daily generic support and primary orientation within the host communities. The Provider will support liaison between Beneficiaries and community services and will encourage the resilience of Beneficiary families to fully integrate, participate and settle within their new communities.
The Commissioner has adopted a partnership approach to this work and a Powys-wide Multi-Agency Resettlement Group has been established. The group includes all relevant Local Service Board partners, the third sector and housing associations. This group will oversee and monitor the delivery of this contract on a quarterly basis.
A) STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS
The Provider will therefore work closely with relevant partners in Powys to provide the following Casework support service:
1. The successful Provider will need to be able to demonstrate knowledge and experience of working with vulnerable people and people seeking sanctuary.
2. The successful Provider will need to ensure a sustainable and robust business model to deliver the service to a high standard.
3. The successful Provider must provide evidence of appropriate insurance being in place, ie. public liability, professional indemnity and employers liability.
4. An integrated support and care pathway that will be holistic, person centred and evidence based.
5. To assist the Local Authority in preparing the property for the arrival of Beneficiary families.
6. Meet and greet arriving Beneficiaries from the relevant airport (probably Manchester Airport) or other base and escort them to their properties briefing them on how to use the amenities
7. Ensure that the Beneficiaries are registered with utility companies and ensure that arrangements for payments are put in place (no pre pay/card accounts)
8. Ensure that the Beneficiaries are briefed on the accommodation and health and safety issues for all new arrivals including the provision of an emergency contact point
9. Ensure that Beneficiaries are provided with a welcome pack of groceries upon their arrival
10 Provide a cash/ clothing allowances for each Beneficiary at the prevailing rate (currently £200) – this is to ensure they have sufficient funds to live on while their claim for benefits is being processed.
11. Provide advice and assistance with registering for mainstream benefits and services and signposting to other advice and information giving agencies – this support includes:
12. Assist with registration for and collection of Biometric Residence Permits following arrival
13. Ensure Beneficiaries register with local schools, English language and literacy classes
14. Support Beneficiaries to attend local Job Centre Plus appointments for benefit assessments
15. Ensure Beneficiaries are registered with a local GP
16. Provide advice around and referral to appropriate mental health services and to specialist services for victims of torture as appropriate
17. Provide assistance with access to employment
18. Ensure Beneficiaries are able to access accredited English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) within one month of arrival. Consideration should also be made to accessing Welsh speaking training if requested by the Beneficiary.
The purpose of the language tuition is to ensure that Beneficiaries are able to carry out basic transactions within the communities in which they have been placed.
The Provider shall put in place a support plan for each adult individual for the 12 month period of this service agreement to facilitate their orientation into their new home/area. Support plans will be developed in agreement with the individual(s) to identify any targeted provision and referral to specialist services where required.
The provider will offer step up and step down approach to delivering support including floating support. This means that an individual may require intensive support at the start of re-settlement and then as orientation takes place require a step-down approach. The service must evidence an approach based on empowerment not dependency.
Throughout the period of resettlement support the Provider will ensure interpreting services are available.
The above services will be provided through a combination of office-based and on-line appointments, drop-in sessions, outreach surgeries and home visits.
B) General Requirements
1. The Programme as defined in the specification above shall be provided on each Working Day. The Commissioner recognises that in the interests of efficiency the exact availability and timings of the various service elements will vary. It is envisaged that some out of hours provision will be required from the Provider and arrangements for this must be made clear.
2. All premises used to deliver the Programme elements should meet all regulatory requirements and be suitable for the purpose.
3. The Provider shall evidence or develop, maintain and implement the following procedures:
a) A procedure for Beneficiaries to complain about the service provided by the Provider.
b) A procedure for managing and reporting critical incidents. The Commissioner must be advised of such incidents as soon as reasonably possible, but in any event by the end of the next Working Day.
C) Personnel standards:
1. The Provider shall appoint experienced staff to deliver the service, one of whom must be female for each refugee cohort/programme eg. UKRS or ARAP currently (under the occupational requirement exception)
2. The Provider shall ensure that the recruitment, selection and training of its Staff, are consistent with the standards of service required for the performance of the service. The Provider will fully equip and train staff to ensure they are able to fulfil their roles and ensure that appropriate and sufficient security provisions are made for all staff undertaking face-to-face activities. The Provider shall ensure that staffing levels are appropriate at all times for the purposes of the service and ensure the security and well-being of all Beneficiaries, dependent children and its staff. This includes ensuring adequate holiday cover.
3. The Provider shall ensure that all applicants for employment in connection with the Requirement are obligated to declare on their application forms any previous criminal convictions subject always to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
4. Please confirm you have read and understood the Council's Guidance for Safer Recruitment, and that your organisation shares a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. The commitment must be underpinned by robust processes and procedures that seek to maximise opportunity, minimise risk and continuously promote a culture that embraces the ethos of safeguarding amongst the workforce.
5. The Service provider shall comply with the Welsh Governments Code of Practice for Ethical Employment in Supply Chains. The Code covers Modern Slavery and human rights abuses, Blacklisting, False self-employment, Unfair use of umbrella schemes and zero hours contracts and Paying the Living Wage. Full details of the Code of Practice for Ethical Employment in Supply Chains can be found under attachments or at:
https://gov.wales/docs/dpsp/publications/valuewales/170502-ethical-en.pdf
6. Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 came into effect in Wales on 1 April 2016. The legislation aims to improve the public sector response, in Wales, to domestic abuse and sexual violence. The Act applies to relevant authorities in Wales and these are Local Authorities, Local Health Boards, NHS Trusts and Fire & Rescue Authorities.
The Provider is required to have an employee policy on domestic abuse that accords with the guidance entitled “Violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence workplace policies” and available, in English and Welsh, from www.equalityhumanrights.com. The policy in general, and compliance with the checklist on page 11 of the guidance in particular, shall be considered by the commissioners as an intrinsic part of the tender evaluation or qualification process. Operational compliance with the policy shall also be included in monitoring and inspection programme.
The Act requires that Providers train their staff in accordance with the National Training Framework (NTF).
The Provider shall ensure that all Staff, including volunteers:
7. Employed or engaged have the right to work in the United Kingdom under applicable immigration Law
8. Disclosure and Barring Service checks are undertaken on any potential Staff member. The results of such checks must be known before any employee undertakes duties requiring contact. Where such checks reveal prior criminal convictions that might reasonably be regarded as relevant to the appropriateness of the individual to have unsupervised access, particularly to children under the age of 18, or where such checks are not possible because of identification issues, the Provider shall follow its internal policy and carry out an appropriate risk assessment before an offer of employment is made, and providing the Commissioner is advised in writing and confirms agreement in writing.
9. Who are likely to have unsupervised access to children under the age of 18 have been instructed in accordance with the All Wales Child Protection Procedures and CYSUR (regional safeguarding board) guidance and procedures.
10. Providing immigration advice should be known to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) in accordance with the regulatory scheme specified under Part 5 of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999. The Provider shall use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that Staff do not provide immigration advice or immigration services unless they are “qualified” or “exempt” as determined and certified by OISC.
11. The Provider shall, on request, provide the Commissioner with details of all staff and volunteers delivering the service in this schedule.
12. The Provider shall, on request, provide the Commissioner with CVs and/or job descriptions for all members of staff selected to work on the project.
13. The Provider shall use all reasonable endeavours to comply with the requirements of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
14. The Provider shall implement the Programme in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection (GDPR) Act 2018.
15. The Provider shall provide evidence of adequate cyber security certification, for example Cyber Essentials Certification Scheme or equivalent scheme.
D) Equality
The Provider will:
1. Ensure that services are delivered in an accessible way to all families, considering first language requirements.
2. Operate in a non-discriminatory manner, in accordance with the Equalities Act, giving due consideration to gender, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion, age, race, cultural and linguistic background and additional learning needs.
3. Confirm that they have not been found to have unlawfully discriminated within the last three years. If the Provider has been found to have unlawfully discriminated within the last three years the Provider will be required to explain the circumstances and what has changed to prevent this happening again.
E) Information sharing:
1. The Commissioner expects the Provider to share relevant information on the delivery of the Programme and on Beneficiaries by agreeing a Sharing of Information Protocol or Data Protection Agreement with relevant deliverers of the Programme.
2. Beneficiaries will be expected to sign a consent form to confirm their willingness to share personal data with executive bodies and relevant deliverers of the programme. The Provider will retain these forms and will allow inspection by the Commissioner as requested.
F) Monitoring
The Support provider will be expected to attend the Multi-Agency Resettlement group on a quarterly basis and report on the outcomes of:
1. Promoting and ensuring independence – measured by individuals demonstrating capability to deal with day to day tasks, ultimately, without support, for example:-
making and attending appointments independently
reading and processing mail independently
making and receiving telephone calls independently
facilitating own transport, either by own vehicle or public transport
managing household budget without incurring unnecessary debts
confident in speaking with professionals, eg. schools or GP
2. Improving Health and Wellbeing - measured by each Beneficiaries health and wellbeing needs being met and evidenced so in the support plans, for example:-
Registered with GP and confident to attend appointments independently
An assessment made of mental health needs and appropriate referrals made, or support offered, as appropriate
Evidence of social interaction and integration with others in the community
3. Attaining academic/vocational qualification/skills - measured by evidence of undertaking of training or study, for example:-
Children in school or college
Adults registered for and attending English classes
Skills audit undertaken and referrals made for appropriate voluntary work, training and education as required to help meet goal of independence
4. Achieved general orientation evidenced from support plan and personal statements, for example:-
Individuals demonstrate confidence navigating their local area for appointments, shopping, social events etc.
Individuals demonstrate confidence travelling in local area or further afield either by own transport or public transport
5. Employment - measured by whether individual has accessed labour market and taken up employment
6. General overview of how families/individuals are settling in and report on any issues of concern.
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=129378.
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.
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