The evaluation of the Carers’ Employment Pilot (CEP)

Descriptions

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) is inviting contractors to respond to the following invitation to tender (ITT). SCIE are pleased to invite contractors to provide proposals for the evaluation of a government-funded two-year pilot programme, which is focused on testing and finding out what works to support carers to remain in employment and economically active. The origins of the CEP emanate from the report of the Carers in Employment Task and Finish Group, Supporting Working carers: The Benefits to Families, Business and the Economy. This included a specific recommendation ‘The Department of Health should work with key stakeholders in a number of local authority areas to explore ways in which people can be supported to combine work and care and the market for care and support services can be stimulated to grow to encompass their needs.’ In 2013 the Women’s Business Council report, made a specific recommendation that Government should work with local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to test assistive technology and IT for carers, to increase the support available to carers who want to remain in the workplace. They suggested that any pilot be modelled on the Access to Work fund, which provides grants for adaptations to support people with disabilities to join or remain in the workforce. In addition DWP’s report Extending Working Lives that looks at the barriers to continuing in employment for those in their 50s and 60s - caring responsibilities is one of the key barriers that DWP has been examining The CEP uses the analysis and recommendations from all three reports and will explore how carers can be supported to maximise the use of IT and assistive technology, use flexible working arrangements use carers existing skills and/or develop new skills and remain in the labour market alongside caring responsibilities. The pilots will look at how the access to work fund works and consider if this could also provide a useful model. The pilots should also be open to considering input from other initiatives and activity including “Delivering assisted living lifestyles at scale” and the 3 million lives initiative. SCIE welcomes responses from individual organisations, including those proposing to employ subcontractors, or from partnerships. In these cases, the responsibility of lead organisation must be clearly identified and explained, as must be the role of contractors and/or partners. The evaluation contract duration will be two years. The estimated contract value for the core proposal shall not exceed £ 150,000 exclusive of VAT.