SC220334 - Step Up to Social Care

<p>The Council, acting on behalf of the Kent &amp; Medway Regional Partnership (KMRP) has<br>submitted a bid to receive a grant from the Department for Education (DfE). Subject to<br>agreement of the funding, the grant is to facilitate the delivery of Cohort 8 of the Step Up to<br>Social Work programme. This eighth cohort of the Post-Graduate Diploma Step Up to Social<br>Work programme will offer 20 funded student places (14 from Kent and 6 from Medway).<br>This is part of an overall project which provides an accelerated entry route into social work<br>for high-achieving graduates and career changers. It targets high caliber individuals who<br>already have experience of working with children and young people and who want to train as<br>social workers.</p>
<p><br>The Provider shall provide educational services in accordance with the requirement of Kent<br>County Council’s (KCC) invitation to tender, including but not limited to:</p>
<ol>
<li>Provision of appropriate educational services inline with the “Professional Standards for<br>Education and Training”, for a maximum of 20 students to produce high caliber social<br>workers conversant with the necessary Knowledge and Skills Statements as set out by the<br>Chief Social Worker, utilizing both theoretical classroom-based education and practice<br>placements.</li>
<li>To ensure methods of teaching are carried out in a hybrid approach of in person and virtual<br>learning opportunities.</li>
<li>Create, manage and execute, in partnership with the Council and its partners, an agreed<br>admissions process, including DBS checking;</li>
<li>To achieve and maintain any and all standard both internal and external to the Provider<br>required to provide the services, inline with “Social Work England Education and Training<br>Standards 2021”</li>
<li>To provide Practice Educators for a maximum of 20 students for both 70 and 100 day<br>placements and ensure that all expectations of their role are carried out including<br>appropriate reporting of students progression of their learning and work via their<br>assessments of their capability at each stage;</li>
<li>To undertake the programme within 14 months;</li>
<li>To ensure that the services are provided by appropriate, qualified staff at all times;</li>
<li>To provide all appropriate, agreed and otherwise necessary and reasonably expected<br>student support services;</li>
<li>To provide all agreed and other reasonable required reports; and</li>
<li>To maintain the minimum service levels.</li>
</ol>
<p>This service is for a partnership between Kent County Council and Medway Council to deliver social worker training that will produce qualified social care workers. Kent holds the lead<br>reasonability in the partnership.</p>
<p><br>In the event that funding for the repetition of similar training for additional Cohorts is granted<br>to the Council by the Department for Education (DfE) in the future, the Council shall reserve<br>the right to purchase the supply of such services directly from the Provider to which the<br>Council awarded the original contract for these services (i.e. training for Cohort 8) in<br>accordance with Regulation 32 (9)-(12) (Additional ground relevant to new works or services<br>which repeat similar ones) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. 1.2 The Council shall<br>reserve this right for up to 3 years following the conclusion of the original contract. 1.3 The<br>total estimated cost of subsequent services for additional Cohorts (in addition to Cohort 8)<br>shall be £360,000</p>
<p>Candidates who wish to be considered for this opportunity are initially required to submit a<br>Selection Questionnaire via the Kent Business Portal no later than 11th April 2023.<br>Documentation will be automatically issued on expression of interest on the Kent Business<br>Portal</p>