Improving the First Point of Contact with Reading Adult Social Care

Overarching Outcomes that we want to achieve.• Supporting and promoting well-being for residents in their own communities.• Supporting people to feel less socially isolated.• Ensuring that people funding their own care feel they have direct support.• Enabling VCS organisations to extend the active role they play in social care. • Easing pressure on the Council’s Advice & Wellbeing Hub to allow ASC to focus on core services such as residents who need specialist social care intervention. • Easing pressure on the specialist VCS organisations so they can focus their support on those who need their expertise. • Improving overall co-ordination and efficient use of finite resources, which in turn will improve outcomes for people and the community, providing the right type of help when it is needed.Contract Duration and Value: The Council are looking to commission this service for a duration of 5 years (initial 3-year contract with the option of extending by up to a further 2 years (1+1)). The value of the contract is likely to be no more than £300k per year and the Council are looking to commence the contract mid-2024.Proposed Service Model - Service Model Diagram -A service model diagram is available on request, please contact Jamie.Ford@reading.gov.uk for more information. Service Model Outline: The pathway into ASC for residents who are new to ASC: A new contact/referral is received by the Council’s Customer Fulfilment Centre who provides advice & signposting where appropriate. Where ASC input is needed, they record the contact and refer it on to the Advice & Wellbeing Hub in ASC. We envisage the following service model:• The provider will work alongside the Advice & Wellbeing Hub, providing guidance and advice to people who need community support (Role 1); and in the community to develop resource and support people to access services (Role 2).• Advice & Wellbeing Hub colleagues will assess and manage statutory social care provision and where relevant, Role 1 will get involved to manage community support options in close collaboration with Role 2 colleagues, who will be providing first line support in the community.• The provider will be delivering the service by providing and managing Role 1 and Role 2 team members and management.• Role type 1: Will have general knowledge and oversight of support opportunities in the community, working alongside ASC colleagues based in the community - Role 2 - where they can offer first line support.• Role type 1 will be based in the Advice & Wellbeing Hub in ASC Civic Offices – with potential for hybrid working between community locations and the Civic Offices on a rota basis.• Role type 2: Will be delivering first line "Strength-Based" support to residents in the community: Proactively working with the Role 1 colleagues in providing residents with a joined-up support experience by delivering practical, emotional, and social support.• Role type 2 will help to build and drive forward community led offers that can help to support residents in the things that matter to them; taking a proactive approach to community development by identifying gaps, create and support the creation of new groups, connect residents and build good working relationships with professionals in the communities to foster unity and prosperity.• Role type 2 will be based at relevant community location(s) – with potential for hybrid working between the provider’s offices, community centres and other relevant locations.• A Manager (employed by the provider) will have oversight of activity, provide direction for and supervision of the team, hold overall responsibility for service delivery and development ensuring close partnership working with ASC. The Manager will be based at relevant community location(s) with the expectation of a reasonable presence in the Advice & Wellbeing Hub in ASC Civic Offices, to build and maintain close working relationships with ASC colleagues. Additional information: Please contact us for full core requirements of the Roles.Any expression of interest will be without commitment to themselves or the Council. The Council will not be liable for any costs that interested parties may incur by engaging in this exercise.