15 030 Family Focus

Family Focus is the offer from Cheshire East Council in respect of the national Troubled Families programme. The Family Focus tender will work to achieve either significant and sustained progress or to achieve continuous employment with 1950 families during the life of the programme.

In the first year Family Focus aims to engage with approx 332 families. Cheshire East Council is looking for a provider(s) to provide our Family Focus Programme.

It is anticipated that commissioned service(s) will be delivered within the Locality boundaries that Cheshire East delivers its services to children in. Providers may bid for more than one Lot.

Sub-contracting of this service either fully or in part will not be allowed. To be eligible for the expanded programme, each family must have at least two of the following six problems: 1.

Parents or children involved in crime or anti-social behaviour. 2. Children who have not been attending school regularly. 3.

Children who need help: children of all ages, who need help, are identified as in need or are subject to a Child Protection Plan. 4. Adults out of work or at risk of financial exclusion or young people at risk of worklessness. 5.

Families affected by domestic violence and abuse. 6. Parents or children with a range of health problems.

Service delivery to families that meet the eligibility criteria will be across the levels of need and may need to be prioritised according to the number and type of criteria met, in which case a prioritisation matrix will be developed by Cheshire East Council. This matrix will be issued once the contract has been awarded and will refer back to the outcomes plan.

Referrals to services under the Family Focus programme will be routed through the Cheshire East Consultation Service (ChECS). In order for successful outcomes to be demonstrated there needs to be a full understanding of the families' situation at the outset.

This will be formed through completion of a robust assessment followed by a clear planning and review process. For the avoidance of doubt, the contracting authority points out that no weight will be attached to whether or not an economic operator is an SME in selecting economic operators to submit tenders or in assessing the most economically advantageous tender.

The contract value is expected to be in the region of £175,000 - 900,000. The term of the current phase two contract is from 01/09/2015 - 31/03/16 with 2 X 12 month optional extensions depending on performance, the national agenda and budget availabili..(view full details to see more)