Bristol Ageing Better – BAB Participants Assembly

Bristol Ageing Better

BAB Participants Network

Invitation to Tender

Bristol Ageing Better is inviting tenders for providers to deliver aBAB Participants Network Project across Bristol.

The project will improve social connections between BAB participants (including volunteers), increase their involvement in the BAB programme and encourage them to support other lonely and isolated older people.

Invitation to tender released: 23rd February 2018

Submissions received by: Midday 4th April 2018

About Bristol Ageing Better

Introduction

Bristol Ageing Better (BAB) is a partnership of individuals and organisations working together to reduce isolation and loneliness among older people in Bristol. We create an environment in which our partner organisations can deliver effective services, share their knowledge of what works, and be noticed by decision makers.

BAB has developed a strategic programme comprising of 16 distinct but interconnected initiatives, which together aim to make a real difference to the lives of older people in Bristol. The programme was submitted to the Big Lottery Fund’s Fulfilling Lives; Ageing Better Programme in April 2014, and BAB was successful in securing funding for a five year programme to be implemented from April 2015.

Programme Outcomes

All projects are required to contribute to helping BAB meet the four programme outcomes by March 2020:

Outcome 1: A 20% increase in the number of older people who report that they have the amount and type of social contact that they want to reduce isolation and loneliness.

Outcome 2: A 20% increase in the number of older people who report that they can influence decisions that affect their local area and how services are designed and delivered.

Outcome 3: A 30% increase in the number of older people who are able to contribute to their community through such mechanisms as volunteering, belonging to a forum, steering group or other activity.

Outcome 4: Building an evidence base to ensure that future services in Bristol are better planned and more effective in reducing loneliness and social isolation.

Service Values

The overall vision of BAB is to improve the quality of life of older people. All projects should be designed and delivered to reflect a coherent set of values which include:

●Positive Attitude: the service will promote a positive attitude towards older people. It will actively challenge ageism and promote positive images of older people.

●An Asset Based approach: the service will adopt an asset based approach which seeks wherever possible to focus on the strengths and experience of individuals and communities and enables older people to make a positive contribution.

●Valuing the voice of older people: the service will put in place structures to involve older people in decision making about how and what activities are undertaken.

●Sustainability: the service will recognise the need to plan and deliver activities in such a way that they are sustainable over the long term.

●Alignment of services: the service will support and enhance the development and implementation of the BAB initiatives framework, particularly contributing towards BAB’s aim of Bristol becoming a WHO Age Friendly City.

●Sharing of learning: the delivery partner will participate in and contribute to sharing of learning to refine and share practice improvements across BAB projects and delivery partners.

About BAB Participants Network project

Introduction & History

Bristol Ageing Better is a partnership which works hard to create spaces for delivery partners to collaborate and learn from one another. BAB has collated learning from 3 years of delivery to identify what participants and delivery partners need most out of BAB for the remaining 2 years.

BAB has developed a strong strategic brand with awareness amongst organisations and decision makers. There had been less focus on advertising the BAB name to older people because the emphasis has been on celebrating and supporting the individual delivery partners rather than creating a new organisation.

We have had over 7,500 older participants across the programme. However, many of these have only attended one off events. We are working with delivery partners to increase the number of people engaging with ongoing activities, but common feedback from participants is that they don't know enough about what BAB has to offer.

Investigation into similar situations in other Ageing Better areas has shown more successful ongoing engagement through some kind of ‘Participant Network’. For example, Middlesbrough makes all participants “members” of Ageing Better Middlesbrough and keeps them informed through newsletters and coffee meetups in cafes and stores.

Thanet has created a reward card for participants who continue to engage that gives people access to discounts at local stores.

Aim of BAB Participants Network project

Bristol Ageing Better is commissioning a Participant Network that will deliver provide support and networking toolder people and keep them informed of the services on offer through BAB and more generally in the city. The successful delivery partner should deliver a project that:

  1. Involves BAB participants and volunteers from all BAB projects.
  2. Encourages informal local opportunities to connect and network.
  3. Encourages members of the BAB Participants Network to act as champions/ambassadors for BAB and the concept of Age Friendly Bristol.
  4. Holds regular assemblies to bring older people in Bristol together to share learning and experiences.
  5. Works closely with Bristol Older Peoples Forum to avoid duplication and identify opportunities for collaboration.
  6. Develops a sustainable model of engagement and influence for older people in Bristol.
  7. Works with BAB partners to collaborate across projects and to put the needs of participants first.

Project Specification

Bristol Ageing Better is inviting tenders for a provider to deliverthe BAB Participants Network. Successful bids will demonstrate how they meet the following project specifications:

  1. A model that engages and involves the participants who have been reached or supported through all of the current or previous BAB funded work.
  2. A dedicated worker to deliver this project.
  3. Develop good practice examples of communication and information for older people in line with the Age Friendly City domains.
  4. Collect Case studies and opinions from participants.
  5. Encourage participants to recruit and engage other older people who may be isolated or lonely.
  6. Keep BAB participants informed of developments and other opportunities.
  7. Improve rate of Common Measurement Framework completion amongst the partnership.
  8. Knowledge and experience of the needs of older people.
  9. A proposed mechanism for involving older people in the design and ongoing development of the model.
  10. A test and learn approach to to case finding that is designed to identify and involve isolated and lonely people with special attention to those identified by BAB as ‘At Risk’ groups (see Project Beneficiaries below).
  11. A proven commitment to working with other organisations, particularly those delivering BAB projects.
  12. Using the Bristol Ageing Better Common Measurement Framework as the minimum form of evaluation (project entry, exit and 6 month follow up)

Project Beneficiaries

The BAB Participants Network will demonstrate how they will engage with isolated and/or lonely people aged 50+ who have already been engaged with other BAB funded projects either as a one off engagement or ongoing, but projects are encouraged to also consider the particular needs of other identified ‘At Risk’ groups:

a)People over 85

b)Black and Minority Ethnic People

c)LGBT+

d)Carers

e)People who have been bereaved

f)People with sensory loss

g)People with alcohol and substance misuse issues

h)People in care homes

i)People living with Dementia

Project Partners

As in all of our projects, Bristol Ageing Better encourages collaborative bids. All involved partners should be referenced in the bid and their role in delivery should be made clear.

BAB can provide support to delivery partners to enter into a more formal agreement with a partner (or multiple partners) should funding for the project be agreed by the selection panel.

Contract value and duration

This invitation to tender is to deliver a project up until March 2020 for which there is in total £90,000 available.

Providers will be expected to work with BAB to share the learning from this Test and Learn project with the aim of replicating the model in other areas in Bristol.

Timescale for the bidding process

STAGE / DATE
Invitation to provide a quote for the service / Friday 23rd February 2018
Clarification questions period begins / Friday 23rd February 2018
Clarification questions period closes / Thursday 15th March 2018
Closing date and time for receipt of completed bids / Midday Wednesday 4th April
Bid evaluation period / 20th April 2018
Notification of selected provider / 20th April 2018

BAB reserves the right to revise the timescales and in the event, will notify potential bidders as soon as practicable.

See also Appendix 1: BAB Commissioning Terms and Conditions.

Evaluation of the Test and Learn BAB Participants Network project

As a minimum this project will use the Ageing Better Common Measurement Framework (CMF) for monitoring and evaluation, and provide two case studies to the BAB Programme Management team to illustrate the outcomes of the work undertaken. Further monitoring and evaluation information may be requested by the BAB local evaluation team or Ageing Better national evaluators Ecorys.

See Appendix 3 – BAB Common Measurement Framework CDOP.

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