Invitation to tender

North West Early Years Health & Wellbeing discussion kit - dissemination and evaluation project

Background

The Government commitment to improving support forfamilies and communities includes a revitalisedhealth-visitingofferfor families. Key elements ofthisoffer include:

  • Enabling communities toincrease their uptake of local services to support them in their parenting
  • Health visitors identifyingtheneed for development of furthergroupsand services within communities for parents and 0-5 year olds and supporting them in developing their own local resources to address these needs

As part of the Implementation Plan for the new health-visiting offer for families in the North West, the Regional Aligning Service Delivery Workstream has recently commissioned a Health and Wellbeing discussion toolkit for Early Years to support health visitors in conducting a community development needs assessment. This is based on the Fair Deal for Wellbeing Discussion Kit

The aims of the new Early Years Health & Wellbeing discussion kit are:

  • To enable health visitors, midwives and children’s centre practitioners to facilitate discussions with community members on ‘how we can best give our children the future we desire’
  • To encourage and support professionals to adopt a more participatory and deliberative approach to their work. At the communities level this willinclude working with parents, carersand community members to identify actions and solutions together

Project aims

This phase of the work will roll-out the new discussion kit to practitioners. The project is commissioned by ChaMPs (Cheshire & Merseyside Public Health Network) in partnership with Cumbria and Lancashire Public Health Networks and NHS North West.

The project aims to:

  • Equip practitioners across Cheshire, Merseyside, Cumbria and Lancashire with the knowledge, resources and confidence to use the kit effectively
  • Evaluate the use and impact of the kit in relation to its aims

Outline of work

It is expected that the work delivered will:

  • Liaise with relevant stakeholders to meet their needs and requirements and align to current work
  • Involve communications and marketing to profile the kit and project with stakeholders across the relevant localities
  • Involve cascaded training to approximately 10 provider organizations and 100 practitioners
  • Provide the kits and necessary resources and information for each participant/ small team to run a discussion workshop
  • Provide follow-up support to teams/participants and where needed, to run workshops
  • For at least 25% of participants to run a discussion workshop and collect feedback on the process and outcomes
  • For participants to share best practice throughout the project and at the end of the project, including disseminating the project outcomes, successes and any further recommendations for continued implementation and sustainability
  • Involve an appropriate evaluation method and indicators to measure the project success and the extent to which the project has enabled:
  • The adoption of a more participatory and deliberative approach amongst practitioners
  • The identification of actions and solutions by parents, carers and community members on ‘how to best give our children the future we desire’

Project outputs

  • A training and support programme to approximately ten provider organisations/ teams of practitioners across Cheshire, Merseyside, Cumbria and Lancashire.
  • An evaluation report on the project impact and outcomes that aligns to organisational boundaries and geographies e.g. Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Project monitoring

There will be a project steering group made up of commissioning partners and stakeholders who will oversee and advise the project. The project will be managed by ChaMPs (Cheshire & Merseyside Public Health Network).

Timescale

The project will need to commence on March 1st 2012. The timescale for completion should be outlined in the application.

Budget

A maximum budget of £40k

Application

Potential providers to supply expressions of interest that include:

  • Project outline of how work will be undertaken, including tasks, methods and potential indicators of success
  • Outline of timescale and budget allocation
  • Organisational management and governance arrangements for the project
  • Organisational competence and experience to undertake the project

Selection criteria

Successful applications will demonstrate:

  • Clear outline of work against the deliverables
  • Reasonable and realistic timescale and capacity to deliver
  • Value for money
  • Leadership and clear understanding of the purpose
  • Understanding of and experience of working with the relevant stakeholders
  • Communications and marketing skills and experience
  • Knowledge and experience of working with health visitors and other practitioners
  • Staff training, development and rolling out new ways of working
  • Skills and experience in community engagement and development
  • Project management and report writing capability
  • Project evaluation capability

Applications from single providers or joint applications are welcome.

Further information

For further information please email Jude Stansfield, Mental Health & Wellbeing Programme Manager, ChaMPs: or Alison Farrer, Workforce Programme Manager, ChaMPs:

Deadline

Submissions to be made to by 9am on Monday 13thFebruary 2012