Information For Tender Document To Review If The Balgaddy Child And Family Centre Should Become An Official Family Resource Centre

Information for Tender Document to review if the Balgaddy Child and Family Centre should become an official Family Resource Centre South Dublin County Partnership is hiring for the position Information for Tender Document to review if the Balgaddy Child and Family Centre.
Introduction South Dublin County Partnership is now seeking tenders from interested individuals/ organisations to review the proposition emanating from the funding organisation, TUSLA, that the Balgaddy Child & Family Centre should become an official Family Resource Centre.
Following the review and if recommended, the proposition for moving would be implemented over a long period of time to ensure continuity of services and a smooth transition.
It is expected that the review will start in February 2025 with the final report due by March 2025.Overview of the Organisation South Dublin County Partnership (SDCP) is a Company Limited by Guarantee with charitable status.
We work across South Dublin County, with a focus on communities experiencing disadvantage.
Our Vision Our vision is that South Dublin County is a place where people of all backgrounds and abilities can realise their full potential within thriving communities.
Our Mission Working with partner organisations to tackle poverty and social exclusion, focusing on the most vulnerable groups, we: · Create neutral spaces and opportunities for parties to work together on solutions; · Initiate, develop, and deliver projects; · Enable and empower communities.
· Influence policy and decision-making.
Our Values Our values are embedded in the practice of community development, both as an area of work and a way to engage with people and groups.
Our approaches to this work are underpinned and informed by a strong commitment to social justice and equality and an explicit value base of: · Respect, integrity, and professionalism towards all our stakeholders; · Collaboration for effective delivery of actions; · Being challenging and creative in our work; · Transparency and accountability in all our actions and aspects of our endeavours.
Objectives and Activities Our work is organised into six thematic areas, each with its own set of objectives as follows: · Health and Wellbeing · Strategic Theme Objectives · Enterprise and Employment · Lifelong Learning · Community Development · Children and FamiliesThe Balgaddy Child & Family CentreThe Balgaddy Child & Family Centre (BCFC) provides a range of family focussed and early childhood services following the Hardiker Model, focussed mainly on levels 1& 2 and facilitates access to additional services.
The focus of BCFC is on the development of locally based support services for families to enhance stability in family life.
Core Centre services include; family mornings, parent drop in service, parent and toddler groups, after-school activities and health & well-being support groups.
Start Bright Early Learning Centre manages the childcare services of the local community.The BCFC first opened its doors in September 2012 with the opening of the Beechtree Community Childcare (now Start Bright ELC) and The Child & Family Centre was officially opened in May 2013.
South Dublin County Partnership has been providing governance and management to the Child and Family Centre since 2012.
The Centre receives core funding through TUSLA's Family Resource Centre funding stream which funds the Centre's family support services and Centre manager.
SDCP has invested significantly in the Balgaddy Child & Family Centre and provides additional staff through the SICAP programme.
SDCP is uniquely placed to leverage the wide-ranging supports that a Family Centre requires including lifelong learning, adult education, children and families, health and wellbeing and employment supports.
Being managed by SDCP, means that delivering services using a community development approach to engagement, ensures that services are non-threatening and are successful in engaging parents, children and families.In 2023 to celebrate 10 years of operation, Archways published an evaluation for the services provided in BCFC and found that 'It was clear to the evaluators that the Balgaddy Child and Family Centre is more than just a service provider; it is the heartbeat of the community, a place where families are nurtured, and individuals are empowered to overcome the challenges they face.
SDCP has enhanced BCFC's ability to offer a full array of group-based and individual programmes for the community's diverse needs.
From Homework Clubs to family support and counselling services, this holistic service delivery model supports individual and family well-being and strengthens the fabric of the community.
It was aptly described by the CEO of the SDCP as "very unique... like a Tetris," where varied services intricately fit together to ensure a broad scope of support.The SDCP Board of Directors provide governance for the project which is part of the Trusted Charities Governance quality programme.
The ReviewAn important part of the success of the BCFC is the fact that it is located in the centre of a very disadvantaged area.
The facility was developed by Clondalkin Partnership (now SDCP) with funding from Atlantic Philanthropies.
The building is managed by SDCP, is the property of SDCC, and receives core funding from Tusla, therefore the views of SDCP, SDCC and Tusla regarding any changes should be sought.
Consulting with similar organisations who have gone through this process will also be required.The review should include a SWOT analysis of the existing provision of services as the SDCP mission statement.
A comparison of services offered under the Family Resource Centre (FRC) parameters and those offered by the BCFC should clearly identify similarities and differences, eg.
would an FRC framework offer more flexibility?
will explore the structural reorganisation required if the BCFC were to become an official FRC.
This part of the review should also outline any HR implications for staff including a proposed TUPE and subsequent transfers of staff to a new entity.
will explore key benefits accruing to the community in Balgaddy and surrounding estates under the existing SDCP structures.should identify any drawbacks of the current structure and compare the governance of SDCP and governance under the FRC framework.will quantify the financial provisions existing under SDCP.
The cost of establishing a separate legal entity should be estimated, as should the cost of ongoing maintenance.The existing and future funding of the project in both scenarios (a project of SDCP and or an official FRC) should be reviewed and quantified.A financial risk analysis should form part of the report.will develop a roadmap outlining the steps involved in transferring the project to the FRC framework.The road map should identify each step involved and also identify who will undertake the work and how this work will be reported to Tusla.Costs Outline Costs per hour; travel and any other expenses to be incurred.
The budget for this tender is in the region of circa €3,000-€5,000 inclusive of all costs.Evaluation of tendersThe successful applicant will be determined following an evaluation process by South Dublin County Partnership, on the basis of the following criteria (weights examples in brackets):Quality and comprehensiveness of proposal (25 marks)Details of expertise, skills and experience of delivering similar programmes (25 marks)Proposal action plan including all of the criteria outlined in 'the review' above (25 marks)Costing and Time Frame (25 marks)