Children's Services Adviser Team in Sandwell

The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for supporting improvement in local authorities, through government intervention in response to failure or weakness in the provision of children's social care services. DfE wishes to appoint a small team of Advisers to carry out and deliver operational and strategic reviews, improvements, support and challenge in Sandwell.

The Adviser team will provide a clear and sustained focus on the areas for improvement and ensure independent oversight of progress in line with agreed improvement plans. In doing to the Adviser team is expected to supervise the programme of change that the authority has embarked on, to drive forward the improvements and implement close monitoring arrangements, and build on the work that has already taken place.

The successful bidders will bring their extensive and proven skills in children's social care improvement to support the delivery of a programme of change to services for the most vulnerable children in these authorities. They will demonstrate an understanding of the improvement that has already taken place in the authority and what needs to happen next.

Since 2010, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council's social care services have been judged by Ofsted to be inadequate in four out of the last five inspections. The report of the Commissioner for Children's Services for Sandwell (October 2016) concluded that the council did not have the capability or capacity to improve its' services.

The Secretary of State for Education issued a statutory direction to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council requiring the local authority to work with the Department's appointed Commissioner for Children's Services in Sandwell to establish a new, operationally-independent, not-for-profit Trust to deliver effective social care services for children and families. Sandwell Children's Trust will be live on 1 April 2018.

Note: Bidders interested in this requirement should be aware that they must allow at least 6 full working days before the competition closing date of 12 noon on 2 February 2018. This is to complete your registration on the Department for Education's, Dynamic Purchasing System.

Incomplete registrations will not be accepted. Bidders who are already fully registered on the Department for Educations Dynamic Purchasing system do not have to re-register.

Additional information: Please Note: Bidders interested in this requirement should be aware that they must allow at least 6 full working days before the competition closing date of 12 noon on 2 February 2018. This is to complete your registration on the Department for Education's, Dynamic Purchasing System.

Incomplete registrations will not be accepted. Bidders who are already fully registered on the Department for Educations Dynamic Purchasing system do not have to re-register. Bids already submitted can be withdrawn from the competition, or updated as long as this happened before the deadline.