Depaul International invites tenders for a Learning Partner to support
our development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based
approaches in the delivery of homelessness services in the UK, Ireland
and USA, and evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot on client outcomes.
TIMESCALE: 3rd March * – **Apply on the
website**st December *
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Depaul Group
Depaul International oversees a group of leading homelessness
charities, working across the world with a mission to end
homelessness, supporting the most marginalised and improving the lives
of those affected by homelessness. Set up in *,
Depaul charities include: United Kingdom, Ireland, Slovakia, Ukraine,
United States of America, France and Croatia. The vast majority of
homelessness services include one-to-one support by a caseworker.
Support staff are commonly the largest cost alongside housing, and the
effectiveness of services depends significantly on the quality of the
one-to-one support offered to clients. This rests on the skills of the
caseworkers, and the resources and training offered to upskill and
improve
their methodologies. Traditional approaches to one-to-one support
commonly adopted a ‘risk assessment and support goals’ approach,
however over the last two decades, increasing focus on a
‘person-centred’ approach introduced two concepts which have
improved support work methodologies – a ‘strengths-based’
approach and a ‘trauma-informed’ approach. Depaul thinks that the
next advance in support work methodology could lie in the integration
of principles and practices advanced by Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy (ACT).
Depaul International has received funding to run a research and
development project to pilot ACT-based approaches in the design and
delivery of homelessness services, and to test effectiveness. The
project will be a collaboration between Depaul International, Depaul
UK, Depaul Ireland and Depaul USA, and we are looking for a Learning
Partner to work with us throughout the project.
REQUIREMENTS
The specific tasks expected from the Learning Partner include the
following:
* Support the development of effective approach to testing and
reviewing existing tools during Phase One, ensuring learnings inform
subsequent phases of the project
* Offer advice and guidance to support the identification of
implementing services (not all of Depaul UK/Ireland/USA’s services
will participate in the project)
* Ensure the developed ACT model to be implemented is robust and
will enable a meaningful contribution to the existing evidence on ACT
* Develop evaluation methodology and tools for the project, in line
with the Depaul Group’s existing and ongoing work to develop an
outcomes framework for our work with people experiencing homelessness.
PLEASE NOTE we are keen to explore a quasi-experimental design that
compares services that introduce ACT and those that don't. We are also
interested in exploring a Cost-Benefit Analysis
* Complete an evaluation of ACT’s efficacy in improving outcomes
for people experiencing homelessness accessing services delivered by
Depaul UK, Ireland and USA
* Complete an evaluation of the impact of embedding an ACT approach
on staff involved in project delivery
* Identify opportunities for clients and service delivery staff to
be involved in the evaluation process
* Travel to project countries and services as required – as a
minimum, we expect that all three phases of the project will each
require a visit to the UK, Ireland and the USA (evaluation methodology
depending).
* Collaborate with other relevant stakeholders as necessary,
including a consultant leading on another related Depaul project
(developing our outcome measurement framework)
The outputs expected from the Learning Partner include the following:
_PHASE ONE_
* Detailed plan outlining evaluation methodology and tools to be
used throughout project, and refined evaluation questions for the
project
* Interim report, to summarise learnings captured during testing,
learning and development phase , focusing on implementation
* Learning event for staff and clients involved to understand role
in evaluation
_PHASE TWO_
* Interim report focused on effectiveness of the training in
equipping practitioners to implement ACT in their services
* Facilitated workshop(s) to inform any final improvements needed
before Phase Three
_PHASE THREE_
* Full, publishable evaluation report including effectiveness,
implementation and value for money
* Presentation(s) on findings – to internal and external audiences
* Final copy of evaluation toolkit and training plan
PLEASE NOTE:
All the completed work will be the property of Depaul International.
All knowledge around the project must be transferred to Depaul
International for ongoing project development.
The project will commence on the acceptance of the contract and should
be completed by the end of December *.
CLOSING DATE FOR TENDER SUBMISSIONS: Monday January **Apply on the
website**th, *
CONTACT DETAILS
Email: *
Address: Depaul International,
* Grosvenor Gardens
London
SW1W 0DH
SALARY SCALE: Up to £ *,**Apply on the
website** for full duration of project.
We need : English (Good)
Type: Permanent
Payment:
Category: Others
