Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Service in North and West Bristol

BNSSG ICB is seeking to secure a Prime Provider who has the capability and capacity to deliver an early intervention wellbeing service for CYP experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, Emotionally Based School Avoidance, in line with the specified requirements, encompassing: • hosting a specialist CYP Link Worker • offering 1:1 support to CYP and their families • delivering wellbeing group programmes, responsive to need in schools, based around themes of physical activity, nature, art and emotional resilience • leading, managing and overseeing the service. The Emotionally Based School Avoidance service will have a particular focus on Children and Young People (CYP) making the transition from year 6 to year 7. The service will partner with schools to proactively identify and refer CYP who might be at risk of Emotionally Based School Avoidance during this key transition. The Prime Provider must have in-depth knowledge of the issues facing CYP in the North and West Bristol locality footprint, as well as experience of delivery in the area. The service will host a Link Worker who will have experience, knowledge and skills of working with seldom heard young people, an understanding of education and be focused on wider community engagement in order to improve wellbeing outcomes. The Link Worker will provide 1:1 support to CYP who are exhibiting early signs of Emotionally Based School Avoidance and those CYP who have reduced or significantly reduced attendance, linking them into specialist wellbeing groups, those offered in schools and in the local community. This will include 1:1 support for CYP with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), and those from groups facing greater inequality. The Prime Provider will provide targeted, specialist wellbeing groups, based around nature, art, physical activity and emotional resilience. These groups will be accessed by CYP receiving 1:1 support, and by CYP in the wider school population who do not require 1:1 support but are still vulnerable to Emotionally Based School Avoidance. This service will be provided to CYP enrolled at secondary schools in the North and West Bristol locality, along with their primary feeder schools. The service will prioritise those schools with the highest percentage of students in receipt of Free School Meals. The Prime Provider will need to create, develop and maintain close working relationships with the partnered schools. The Prime Provider will lead, manage and oversee the service. This will include monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention. The Prime Provider will link in and cooperate with any wider monitoring and evaluation work at the ICB to assess the effectiveness of projects instigated under the banner of Health Inequalities across Bristol and/or Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The Commissioner would like to understand the level of provider interest in delivering these services at this stage, and any responses will be used to inform the Commissioner's strategy going forward. In parallel to this, a full service specification is currently in development. The Commissioner envisages an initial contract duration of 3 years, with the aim to begin in April 2025. TUPE does not apply to this requirement. The envisaged total contract value for this service is £238,650 inclusive of VAT over three years. The deadline by which you must submit your Expression of Interest for this PIN is 12:00 3rd January 2025. This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.