Carers Support Service Swindon

Carers Support Swindon

Swindon Borough Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced service providers for the provision of Carers Support in Swindon

Project Description

In order to enable more people to live in their own homes and delay the escalation of care needs that present demand on adult social care, Swindon Borough Council is looking to re commission Carers Support in Swindon.

Swindon Borough Council (SBC) and Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) face considerable challenges in continuing to improve the lives of people locally with an ageing population and limited financial resources. SBC and Swindon CCG’s approach is to prioritise preventative work which concentrates on promoting independence and choice for individuals and to use the skills and capacity of the wider community and voluntary sectors to support people. Preventative services are prioritised around supporting vulnerable people, reducing inequalities and promoting health, wellbeing and independence.
Broadly a carer is “somebody who provides support or who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their age, physical or mental illness, or disability. This would not usually include someone paid or employed to carry out that role, or someone who is a volunteer” (Care Act, 2014).

Unpaid carers make an important contribution to the overall supply of care services. As the population grows and ages, an increasing number of people are likely to continue to provide significant levels of care. Swindon Borough Council (SBC) and Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) recognise and value the enormous contribution carers make in supporting the most vulnerable in our community. We recognise the immense contribution unpaid carers make to society and the value, financial and otherwise, of the work they do in caring/supporting those who could not manage without their help and support to remain living in their own home in the local community. Carers are a valuable resource and their contribution to community care far exceeds the combined efforts of statutory and voluntary agencies. The continued health and well-being of carers is vital to the success of community care.
Some children and young people also take on substantial caring roles, which can risk damaging their health, well-being or education. As such, it is important to recognise the potential impact that providing many hours of care each week may have on carers’ own quality of life – their physical and mental health, employment opportunities and social and leisure activities.

Eligibility and target groups
To be eligible for support Carers should be Swindon Borough Council residents or caring for someone who lives in Swindon, and will include the following groups:

• Young Carers aged 5 – 18 yrs.
• Young Adult Carers aged 18 – 25
• Parent Carers – caring for a child under 18 years of age
• Adult Carers
• Older Carers aged 65+

Full details relating to the Services are provided in the tender documents.

Contract Period

The contract will be initially for a period of 5 years commencing 1st January 2018 with the option to extend for a further 2 years subject to satisfactory performance and budget availability.

The relevant tender documents are included within this project webpage as attachments.

Tender Responses are required to be submitted no later than 18th October 2017, 1200 hrs UK Local time by hardcopy to Claire Smith only.

If you require any clarifications on the tender documents please submit these in writing via e-mail, including the project name clearly in the e-mail title, to Claire Smith at cesmith@swindon.gov.uk by 29th September 2017, 1200 hrs UK Local time.

The Council’s responses to these clarification questions will be uploaded as attachments on the project webpage attachments section. Therefore it is the Contractor’s responsibility to check the site regularly for updates to clarifications, as you will not be advised when updates have been made.

In the event of difficulties downloading tender documents, please refer to the named contacts Claire Smith at cesmith@swindon.gov.uk.

Please note that this project has been advertised on Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) Contract Notice reference 2017/S 174-357113 / Contracts Finder/ other web portals, however, Supplying the South West Portal is the only portal that includes all the relevant documents required to respond to this opportunity, bearing Project Id: DN297632

We would encourage you to click on the ‘Register interest’ button to help the Council monitor the level of interest in this opportunity.

No Tender submissions will be considered without completing the tender documents in full including attachments and returning them in alignment with the instructions within the tender documents.