Brief
The Salvation Army is seeking experienced providers to develop and implement Quality Assurance (QA) Review Toolkits aimed at enhancing the quality of services within its Homelessness Services Department. These toolkits will help ensure that services are in line with the strategic goals of the '1000 Voices' 10-year strategy.
**Scope of Work:**
- Create QA review toolkits for housing management and support services.
- Include strength-based ratings, such as assessing from 'Safety Concerns' to 'Thriving'.
- Perform unannounced annual and follow-up service reviews using a combination of desktop evaluations and on-site visits.
- Pilot the toolkits and provide training for relevant staff members.
- Supply assessment criteria, checklists, templates, and guidance documents.
- Design all toolkits with a focus on trauma-informed care and harm reduction principles.
- Address regional legislative and regulatory requirements across the UK and Ireland.
- Cover various service models, including family services, youth services, addiction support, Housing First initiatives, outreach, and more.
- Involve Service Users in the QA team to contribute to the audit process.
**Key Requirements:**
- Compliance with safeguarding, health and safety, and data protection regulations.
- Adherence to the National Quality Standards Framework (QSF) in Ireland and relevant standards in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
- Compliance with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards in England.
- Familiarity with ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems) and sector-specific standards.
- Experience in the homelessness, housing support, or social care quality assurance sector.
- Proven capacity to conduct over 80 inspections per month nationally.
- Demonstrated experience in developing QA tools for homelessness or social care settings.
- Strong understanding of trauma-informed approaches and UK/Ireland legislative differences.
- Ability to train staff and support the piloting and review phases.
- Commitment to incorporating feedback from stakeholders and service users into the toolkit design.
**Timeline:**
The project is scheduled to run from April 2026 to April 2028, encompassing development, training, piloting, review, and final implementation of the toolkits. There may be an opportunity for extension based on performance and outcomes.
**Budget and Resources:**
The project will be executed within a contract value to be negotiated during the tender process, expected after September 2025. The Salvation Army will retain ownership of any intellectual property created.
**How to Apply:**
Interested providers should express their interest by completing and returning the expression of interest form via email to The Salvation Army's Procurement Department at Olu.Folarin@salvationarmy.org.uk and sam.fiouhi@salvationarmy.org.uk.
