IRIS Advocate Educators

NHS Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) is working on behalf of Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB and IRISi. This invitation to tender is for IRISi Advocate Educators.

The objective of this procurement is to identify a provider who will:

• Support and provide on-going DVA training for Health Professionals in General Practice
• Encourage Health Professionals to ask Patients about their experience of abuse and respond, record, risk assess and refer.
• Provide individual needs-led information, support and advocacy, and onward referral where appropriate, for women who disclosed their past or current experiences of DVA and onward referrals for men affected by DVA
• Building and maintain an effective relationship with general practice teams
• Provide direct assessment, casework support, advice, information and advocacy to women experiencing DVA through telephone contact, and/or meetings at the relevant practice
• To develop good working relationships and liaise with outside agencies when needed. This will include referral to colleagues within the specialist agency, to other specialist DVA services or other external agencies when appropriate
• Keep accurate records of all work done with or on behalf of clients and produce written reports as requested, including a monthly report of referrals from clinicians participating in the IRIS programme and the take up of these referrals advocacy including outputs and patient outcomes to contribute to monitoring and evaluation of the project.

The Advocate Educator should have (full job description and job specification provided to successful applicant):

• At least two years' experience of working within the DVA sector
• In depth knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by survivors who have experienced DVA and/or sexual violence with specific knowledge of the effects on health
• The Advocate Educator will be a woman (Section 7 (2) (e) of the Sex Discrimination Act (1979))
• Experience of risk assessment and support of survivors experiencing Domestic Violence, Abuse and Sexual Violence
• An ability to effectively communicate and establish relationships with survivors
• Has a degree level of education or equivalent experience
• Formal training in a range of DVA

Additional information: This procurement is for Social and other specific services which are Light Touch Regime services for the purpose of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as specified in Schedule 3 of the Regulations ('Regulations') http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/schedule/3/made

Accordingly, the Contracting Authority is only bound by those parts of the Regulations detailed in Chapter 3 Particular Procurement Regimes Section 7 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/part/2/chapter/3/made

The Contracting Authority is not voluntarily following any other part of the Regulations.

As the ICB is a relevant body for the purpose of the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 these Regulations also apply to this procurement.

Right to Cancel: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to discontinue the procurement process at any time, which shall include the right not to award a contract or contracts, and does not bind itself to accept the lowest tender, or any tender received, and reserves the right to award a contract in part, or to call for new tenders should it consider this necessary.

The Contracting Authority shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any candidate or tenderer in connection with the completion and return of the information requested in this Contract Notice, or in the completion or submission of any tender, irrespective of the outcome of the competition or if the competition is cancelled or postponed.

All dates, time periods and values specified in this notice are provisional and the Contracting Authority reserves the right to change these.

Transparency: The Contracting Authority is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and may be required to disclose information received in the course of this procurement under FOIA or the EIR.

In addition, and in accordance with the UK Government's policies on transparency, the contracting authority intends to publish procurement documentation and the text of any resulting contractual arrangements, subject to possible redactions at the discretion of the Contracting Authority.

Any redactions, whether in relation to information requests under FOIA, the EIR or policies on transparency will be in accordance with those grounds prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act. If and when this requirement is offered to tender, this will be done via electronic means using the internet. Midlands and Lancashire CSU is conducting this procurement exercise as a central purchasing body for another NHS body with whom the successful bidder(s) will enter into contracts for the supply of the services.

Any other public-sector body detailed within this notice, wishing to access the contract may do so only with permission from the contracting NHS body.

Further details will be made available via documentation and information.