Dorset Families Matter - Family Link Worker Service

The Council is seeking tenders for the provision of Dorset Families Matter Family Link Worker Service.

Supporting Families is a national government initiative that is now into its tenth year which aims to help thousands of families across England each year to get the help they need to address multiple disadvantages. Locally we call this programme Dorset Families Matter and children's services are committed to delivering this agenda in Dorset. The foundation principles remain the same:

• Using data to identify vulnerable families

• Building the functioning and resilience of those families, by intervening early and taking a whole family approach to support

• Driving system change across all public service agencies so that every we have joined up, efficient local services which are able to identify families in need and provide the right support at the right time.

At a local level in Dorset we do this by deploying the financial resources provided through the programme to provide front line staff (in a range of different service areas and agencies both within and external to the council) access to a mix of additional resources to help build that family resilience. We work with a broad spectrum of partners to help drive the system changes required. This includes staff in schools, health visiting, our own early help and social care teams, child and adult mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment services, Dorset Police and our local housing providers, etc. The additional resources offer is graduated so that the intensity of the resources made available depends on a family's needs. The Family Link Worker Service is one aspect of this graduated additional resources offer.

Contract Period:

1 April 2023 to 31 March 2025

Because of the external and time- limited funding arrangement for Dorset Families Matter, via the national Supporting Families Programme, the contract has length has been set at two years so that it will end in line with current period of funding.

Fixed Funding:

The contract will have an annual value of £215,000 which gives a total contract value of £430,000 across the two years. This is fixed funding for the two years. Tenderers are required to complete and submit the Price Schedule to evidence and demonstrate how they will manage the fixed funding over the period of the contract.