--- title: "What Works Centre for Children's Social Care" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-b2f12c01-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b2f12c01-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b2f12c01-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b2f12c01-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION" published: "2018-01-10" --- # What Works Centre for Children's Social Care Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-b5fd17-b2f12c01-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b2f12c01-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b2f12c01-adc9-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json) ## Summary The procurement process titled "What Works Centre for Children's Social Care" is being managed by the Department for Education, located at Sanctuary Buildings in London, England. This initiative falls under the social work and related services industry category, targeting the delivery of improved outcomes for children at risk of abuse or neglect. The current stage is planning, with notable deadlines, including the engagement end date on 31 May 2017. The department plans to release procurement documents by May 2018 as part of two parallel procurement exercises aimed at developing an evidence-based model for children’s social care. This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses involved in social work and research, particularly those that can provide innovative solutions, evidence synthesis, and practical guidance for practitioners. Organisations with expertise in child welfare, social care practices, or research methodologies will find themselves well-suited to compete in this procurement. Engaging in this process could enable businesses to contribute to transformative initiatives within the sector and expand their influence in developing effective interventions for vulnerable children and families. ## Notice ** New on 7th April 2017 - The DfE is pleased to announce that it will shortly be running two parallel procurement exercises to develop the What Works Centre for Children's Social Care: 1. the first for an 'incubator' to develop and test a WWC model; and 2. the second for a research partner to start the evidence synthesis and generation of new research. This approach is intended to bring flexibility and innovation to the WWC in its early years. We expect to release procurement documents on Contracts Finder in May and will be in touch again then with further details. We will answer any questions about the procurement exercises at that stage.** See 'Attachments' for a full description and additional information. The new What Works Centre (WWC) for Children's Social Care will focus on improving outcomes for children who are at risk of, or suffering from, abuse and/or neglect. It will identify the most effective interventions and practice systems and support their implementation by practitioners and decision makers. Its goal will be to improve outcomes for children and their families by developing a powerful evidence base, and supporting its translation into better practice on the ground. The WWC will support the new agenda to transform children's social work, alongside the creation of a new social work body to improve standards in the profession and the centralisation of Serious Case Reviews (SCRs). It is intended to bring a fresh and innovative approach to the delivery of children's services to improve outcomes for vulnerable children. The WWC will be independent from government and will have four core functions: 1. Synthesis of existing evidence, including learning from the Innovation Programme and SCRs, and other research. 2. Identification of evidence gaps and commissioning of new research and evaluations to fill gaps. 3. Translation of evidence into practical guidance for practitioners, including development of an online 'toolkit' to compare the cost-effectiveness of different practices. 4. Dissemination of best practice and supporting practitioners in the implementation of findings into practice. It will work closely to support and share learning with other programmes in children's social care, including the Innovation Programme, Partners in Practice, the new centralised approach to SCRs, the Child Sexual Exploitation Response Unit and the Centre of Expertise for Child Sexual Abuse. The WWC will join the world's first network of What Works Centres, which support policy makers, commissioners and practitioners to make decisions based upon strong evidence of what works and to provide cost-efficient services. The existing WWCs already address issues such as educational attainment (Education Endowment Foundation), local economic growth (What Works Centre for local economic growth) and crime reduction (College of Policing What Works Centre for Crime Reduction). Information on the What Works Centre network can be found here. Additional information: DfE carried out early market engagement during June and July, including a workshop and a series of 1:1s to present our thinking around the WWC and to seek the views of the sector. This early market engagement is now complete - it generated a lot of helpful viewpoints and suggestions that we are considering. We plan to engage again with stakeholders by October 2016 with an update on plans for the WWC set-up. All information shared by the DfE during the market engagement is now available via the powerpoint presentations and FAQs here on Contracts Finder. This notice does not constitute a call for competition to procure any services for the Authority. The procurement of any services will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The purpose of this PIN is to stimulate early market interest and invite interested parties to take part in preliminary market consultations, in order to improve our knowledge of the market. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b0995223-bf7e-4a76-9652-e213527ca67a | | Notice type | Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Not specified | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 10 Jan 2018 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 31 May 2017 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1P 3BT | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 85300000 - Social work and related services ## Release History - 10 Jan 2018 at 11:24 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b0995223-bf7e-4a76-9652-e213527ca67a - 7 Apr 2017 at 14:25 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b0995223-bf7e-4a76-9652-e213527ca67a - 18 Nov 2016 at 20:17 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b0995223-bf7e-4a76-9652-e213527ca67a ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/b0995223-bf7e-4a76-9652-e213527ca67a 10th January 2018 - Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/668babf7-26e7-4d78-b7a2-8f5e31aa5ae3 Description and additional information - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/b05fb9d8-1aed-4612-88ab-cd48e53ddcdc Questions and answers updated August 2016 - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/8419be52-6607-44f6-bdfd-e200692a81ba Workshop presentation - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/3e5e94ac-2a33-4f77-8df3-70e3e8531b48 EEF Presentation - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/367829de-a473-4a89-b55f-193e7795d7e4 Description and additional information - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/e387dd67-5927-4ff1-8854-328fabee8a54 Questions and answers updated August 2016 - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/b1811c4b-4f1a-48d3-8d13-297787a04502 Workshop presentation - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/95024c69-a81d-4e15-a6c8-68a3f7e2c591 EEF Presentation - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/c56790f1-b283-4b23-8405-c206b1c7b9ef Description and additional information - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/2df1fab8-e3a0-4ed4-bb3b-c9d1151169c6 Questions and answers updated August 2016 - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/6462f5cc-3d2d-43c8-acaf-d1a262e04b10 Workshop presentation - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/e425c79f-a94e-4528-b2a8-bc748ab44c33 EEF Presentation ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. 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