Tender to Agree a Service Model of the Separating Well for Children Service

One Family

One Family was founded in 1972 as Cherish and is Ireland’s national organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting and separating. As a registered charity, we offer support, information and services to all members of all one-parent families, to those sharing parenting, to those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and to professionals working with one-parent families. Children are at the centre of our work and the organisation helps all the adults in their lives, including mums, dads, grandparents, step-parents, new partners and other siblings, offering a holistic model of specialist family support services. Full information on One Family can be found at www.onefamily.ie.

Separating Well for Children

In 2018 One Family received funding from Tusla to establish a new service called Separating Well for Children; this service supports parents and children as they move through the long separation process into shared parenting and new family forms.

We work with parents to develop their confidence so they can guide, support and communicate with their children throughout the separation. The service works with both parents and their children in a supportive, non-judgmental way, at the family’s own pace. Our experienced staff can guide parents through the many challenges they may encounter such as establishing new routines and the complexities of sharing parenting. Our goal is that children in separated families will feel more secure, have good self-esteem and will feel more comfortable about their new family situation. With a strong focus on sharing parenting well after separation, parents are encouraged to focus on the needs of their children rather than issues with the other parent. This assists parents to move forward with a shared plan around parenting their children and significantly reduces conflict within families.

The services we offer include:

  • Assessment of the family’s needs.
  • Counselling for individual adults, both parents together and teens.
  • Creative therapies for young children and young people from four years of age up to teens.
  • Group based parenting supports focused on shared parenting and parenting after separation including the following courses:
      • Family Communications – Parenting when Separated;
      • Family Communications – Parenting Teens;
      • Positive parenting for Changing Families;
      • Self-Care and Personal Growth when Parenting; and
      • Parenting through Stressful Times.
  • Individual parent mentoring and key-work to explore the challenges of working through the family transitions.
  • Mediation service for parents and for family members.

More information about this service can be found here.

Currently there is a staff team of two service managers working part-time on this service; one full-time Parent Support Coach; and part-time roles including Mediation, Teen/Parent Counsellor; and part-time Creative Therapists. The CEO will also be involved in the development of this work.

Request for Tender

Tusla has recently provided funding for One Family to recruit a suitably qualified consultant to work with the organisation to develop a Service Model for the Separating Well for Children Service.

The purpose of the Service Model is to achieve the following:

  • To develop an agreed understanding of the Service Model to ensure consistency, effectiveness and efficiency in delivery and to quantify the resources required for same; and
  • To determine the transferability of this project to other organisations, including Family Resource Centres.

Requirement

One Family requires assistance to identify and document the elements of the Separating Well for Children Service Model. Specifically, the successful consultant will be required to work with the staff team to develop the following components:

  • Logic model based on literature review and One Family data.
  • Documenting different pathways and responses through the service for different profiles of families.
  • Skills and competencies required to deliver the service.
  • Resources required to deliver this service in its totality including management.
  • Review existing monitoring and evaluation tools to maximise potential for One Family to assess outcomes.

Key activities (should include, but may not be limited to the following)

  • Review existing project documentation.
  • Review and analyse service data.
  • Facilitate a series of workshops with management, and then staff to develop a logic model and to document the service model.
  • Analyse and interpret feedback from workshops.
  • Production of a report or document that sets out the service delivery model.
  • Write up of final evaluation report accounting for feedback and suggested changes from One Family.

Final Report

The final report should be presented to a high standard of quality which meets both the strategic planning and governance requirements of One Family. This report should include a logic model; it should set out key aspects of the required Service Model including the intervention journey; and should detail all required resources and the associated caseload.

Responses must include:

  • Consultant profile including relevant experience as below:
    • Knowledge and experience of issues facing one-parent families; separated families; and family support services in Ireland.
    • Experience of completing service model development and/or other similar pieces of work.
  • Proposed outline of research and methodology
  • Detailed budget.
  • Length of time and number of days over this time period.
  • Identification of any conflicts of interest.
  • Referees: contact details must be supplied for two referees, that One Family can contact who have engaged the proposed consultant for similar/related work and two examples of similar work carried out.
  • The successful consultant will be required to submit evidence of relevant professional indemnity and insurance details.
  • Contact details.

Budget

The Budget available for this project is €18,000 (inclusive of VAT). Please outline clearly all fees (including expenses and with VAT as applicable noted as a separate charge). A current tax clearance certificate will be required. This contract will be awarded on the basis of a fixed price contract, and as such, all costs must be quoted (and clearly indicated) as a fixed price in Euro. The successful consultant is expected to work within the agreed budget and report regularly on budgetary issues. All costs associated with the consultant’s response to the Request for Tender will be the responsibility of the consultant. One Family is not bound to accept the lowest or any tender and will award the contract to its best advantage.

Tender Evaluation Process

Initially the tender proposals will be checked for compliance with the Request for Tender conditions. Potential consultants will be assessed both on their tender proposal and a follow up interview. They will be assessed against the following major attributes:

  1. Proven capability and experience in relevant field of work (350).
  2. Methodology (350).
  3. Value for Money (300).

A minimum threshold of 150 in any one category will be required. Consideration will also be given to timeline under which the work can be fully completed in the Methodology section.

Tender Submissions/Contact

Please return tender with RFT: Separating Well for Children Service in the subject line to Karen Kiernan at email: kkiernan@onefamily.ie with all queries directed to same.

Tenders will be accepted by email only. The onus is on the applicant to ensure their tenders have been received on or before this deadline.

The contract for service rests with One Family. The primary point of contact for the successful consultant will be Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family.

One Family expressly reserves the right to:

  • Extend the time of lodgement of responses to the Request for Tender and/or to vary the timings and process for their Request for Tender.
  • Vary any requirements of the services required for the Request for Tender.
  • Following evaluation, accept or reject any or all responses to the Request for Tender.
  • Seek and obtain clarification of any responses to the Request for Tender, including additional information.
  • Request providers to amend their responses.
  • Accept any proposal in part or in total.

Timeframe

The closing date for receiving proposals is 10am 12 April 2021.