SC220334 - Step Up to Social Care

The Council, acting on behalf of the Kent & Medway Regional Partnership (KMRP) has submitted a bid to receive a grant from the Department for Education (DfE). Subject to agreement of the funding, the grant is to facilitate the delivery of Cohort 8 of the Step Up to Social Work programme. This eighth cohort of the Post-Graduate Diploma Step Up to Social Work programme will offer 20 funded student places (14 from Kent and 6 from Medway).

This is part of an overall project which provides an accelerated entry route into social work for high-achieving graduates and career changers. It targets high caliber individuals who already have experience of working with children and young people and who want to train as social workers.

The Provider shall provide educational services in accordance with the requirement of Kent County Council’s (KCC) invitation to tender, including but not limited to:

1. Provision of appropriate educational services inline with the “Professional Standards for Education and Training”, for a maximum of 20 students to produce high caliber social workers conversant with the necessary Knowledge and Skills Statements as set out by the Chief Social Worker, utilizing both theoretical classroom-based education and practice placements.
2. To ensure methods of teaching are carried out in a hybrid approach of in person and virtual learning opportunities.
3. Create, manage and execute, in partnership with the Council and its partners, an agreed admissions process, including DBS checking;
4. To achieve and maintain any and all standard both internal and external to the Provider required to provide the services, inline with “Social Work England Education and Training Standards 2021”
5. To provide Practice Educators for a maximum of 20 students for both 70 and 100 day placements and ensure that all expectations of their role are carried out including appropriate reporting of students progression of their learning and work via their assessments of their capability at each stage;
6. To undertake the programme within 14 months;
7. To ensure that the services are provided by appropriate, qualified staff at all times;
8. To provide all appropriate, agreed and otherwise necessary and reasonably expected student support services;
9. To provide all agreed and other reasonable required reports; and
10. To maintain the minimum service levels.

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 reasonability in the partnership.

In the event that funding for the repetition of similar training for additional Cohorts is granted to the Council by the Department for Education (DfE) in the future, the Council shall reserve the right to purchase the supply of such services directly from the Provider to which the Council awarded the original contract for these services (i.e. training for Cohort 8) in accordance with Regulation 32 (9)-(12) (Additional ground relevant to new works or services which repeat similar ones) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. 1.2 The Council shall reserve this right for up to 3 years following the conclusion of the original contract. 1.3 The total estimated cost of subsequent services for additional Cohorts (in addition to Cohort 8) shall be £360,000

Candidates who wish to be considered for this opportunity are initially required to submit a Selection Questionnaire via the Kent Business Portal no later than 11th April 2023. Documentation will be automatically issued on expression of interest on the Kent Business Portal.