REQUEST FOR TENDER:
REVIEW OF ACTIVITY-BASED THERAPEUTIC SUPPORTS FUNDED THROUGH TUSLA
CHILD AND FAMILY AGENCY
BACKGROUND
Tulsa’s purpose and mission is “to support and promote the
development, welfare, education, and protection of children and young
people, the effective functioning of families and the continued care
for adults who use our services.” Under Section 8(3) and (4) of the
Child and Family Agency Act ( *), Tusla has a
statutory responsibility to provide for the psychological welfare of
children.
The Corporate Plan * outlines our objective to
ensure that services are structured and delivered to provide
consistent, quality, and integrated responses. As part of this plan,
Tusla prioritises improving access to therapeutic services for
children through the Integrated Framework for Therapeutic Services. In
addition to developing psychological and therapeutic services, Tusla
provides significant funding to the community and voluntary sector and
procures additional therapeutic services from the private sector.
Given the dynamic nature of therapeutic service delivery and the
complexity of presentations in children and families requiring
Tusla’s support, the Agency has increasingly been drawing on
activity-based therapeutic supports. These supports are aimed at
children and young people with social, emotional, and behavioural
difficulties who often struggle to interact with their peers and
community.
Areas of engagement include:
* ADVENTURE THERAPY
* ART THERAPIES (paint, play, photos, poems, storytelling)
* PSYCHODRAMA
* MUSIC THERAPY
* ANIMAL THERAPY AND ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY (dogs, horses)
A comprehensive review is needed to understand how these interventions
work, either in conjunction with or instead of traditional talk
therapies, to better support young people. The researchers will be
supported to identify relevant therapeutic services that align to
Tuslas definition of same.
OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
We seek an independent external review of the implementation and
impact of activity-based therapeutic supports funded by Tusla. The
review should include desk-based and field research, including surveys
and qualitative methodologies, to capture the voices and experiences
of families, practitioners, and other stakeholders. Ethical approval
will be required for this work.
AIMS OF THE REVIEW:
1. SCOPING EXERCISE:
* Conduct desktop research through Tusla Regional Therapeutic Teams
and PPFS managers to determine what is being funded in this area.
* Perform desktop research on international systematic reviews and
other relevant peer reviewed research encompassing international best
practices, definitions, effectiveness and impacts of activity-based
therapies.
* Compare international best practices with the current Irish
context to identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
* Define the difference between various activity-based therapeutic
supports.
2. EVALUATION:
* Prioritise selecting samples from providers of Adventure Therapy,
Animal Therapy and Animal-Assisted Therapy for detailed enquiry.
Additionally, select a sample from the remaining activity-based
therapies (Art Therapies, Psychodrama, and Music Therapy). Tusla will
assist the researchers with sampling.
* Develop and apply evaluation tools to assess the outcomes of their
programmes.
* Evaluate the mitigative effects of these services on risks such as
entry into care, involvement with the Juvenile Justice System and
stability of placement.
3. VOICE OF THE CHILD AND PARENT/GUARDIAN:
* Gather views from a sample of parents/guardians and children on
their experiences and the impact of the programmes on outcomes like
family stability.
* Design participatory methods and tools to include the voices of
children and parents/guardians.
* Implement a Public Patient Involvement (PPI) approach in the
research design.
EXPECTED OUTPUTS
The review should produce:
* An overview of activity-based therapeutic supports funded by and
through Tusla.
* An interim report on the review’s aims and objectives.
* A final report with an executive summary outlining key findings
and issues for consideration.
* A presentation on the findings.
TIMEFRAME
The review will take place over seven months. The closing date for
proposal submissions is June 7th, *. The tender
evaluation will commence in July *, with the
final report due end of January *.
MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT OF THE REVIEW PROCESS
Day-to-day management of the contract will be led by an oversight
group who will support and oversee the review process. This group will
require regular progress updates. The successful tenderer will be
required to engage with the relevant Tusla led governance and
oversight structure for the duration of the project and provide
subject matter expertise on the topic for the duration of the project
aligned to the project delivery schedule. Progress updates to the
Tusla governance and oversight structure will be required at intervals
agreed upon once the project is commenced.
BUDGET
The overall budget should not exceed €**Apply on the
website**, *, inclusive of VAT and overheads. No
more than *% of the contract can go towards
organisation’s overhead costs. The successful tenderer will be
responsible for all tax, VAT, and other associated liabilities. Tusla
will be responsible for contract management for the duration of the
project. The successful tenderer will adhere to all the terms and
conditions of the contract. The Contractors reserve the right to
withhold payment where the successful Tenderer fails to meet his/her
contractual obligations in relation to the delivery of services to an
acceptable level of quality.
Researchers will need to provide a Gantt chart outlining the project
milestones, the number of researchers involved in the project, their
daily rate and the proposed number of days allocated by each member of
the team to the project.
TENDER FORMAT
The application should include information under the following
headings:
* Researcher profiles including relevant experience, skills and
knowledge of the sector and study context. This information should
include reference to and details of other similar work undertaken
previously;
* The lead researcher specified for all correspondence during the
lifetime of the project.
* Proposed outline of review including methodology, analysis and
report writing.
* Proposed budget, including a breakdown of costs, timeline, and
schedule for the delivery of the research project. This should include
the costs for all personnel involved in the research project.
* Researcher to adhere to quality assurance processes of the Tusla
governance and oversight structure for reviewing and commenting on
draft outputs prior to finalisation.
* Risk assessment with mitigation and escalation strategy outlining
any potential difficulties or delays that may be encountered through
the course of the research.
* Evidence of insurance/public indemnity
* Referees; contact details; and Gantt chart outlining a timeline of
project deliverables.
Tenderers are advised that Tusla is subject to the Freedom of
Information (FOI) Acts, *. If a Tenderer
considers that any of the information supplied in their Tender
response is either commercially sensitive or confidential in nature,
this should be highlighted and the reasons for its sensitivity
specified. In such cases the relevant material will, in response to a
request under the FOI Act, be examined in the light of the exceptions
provided for in the Act.
SELECTION AND AWARDS CRITERIA
All tenders will be evaluated under the following criteria:
* Cost
* Research design and methodology
* Relevant experience
* Skills and knowledge
* Contract management including demonstration of ability to complete
project within the specified timeline.
CHILDREN FIRST
Researchers must carry out their work in accordance with Children
First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children,
published by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA,
*) and any relevant legislation and policies
relating to child protection and welfare, child safeguarding and
vetting.
RESEARCH ETHICS AND DATA PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS
Tusla will require that the research be conducted within Tusla
ethical governance protocols and procedures to ensure the maximum
benefit of the research whilst minimising the risk of actual or
potential harm to potential participants. Researchers must submit a
research ethics application via the Tusla Independent Research Ethics
Committee and any other REC, if applicable. Information on the process
is available
We need : English (Good)
Type: Permanent
Payment:
Category: Others
