Early Years Pathfinder Evaluation and Mapping

The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, hosted by Velindre NHS Trust are acting on behalf of Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board who were seeking to award a contract for the and Early Years Pathfinder Evaluation and Mapping.Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board (RPB) was formed as part of the requirements of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. The purpose of RPBs is to manage and develop services to secure better joint working between local health boards, local authorities and the third sector; and to ensure effective services, care and support that best meet the needs of our population. The experience of COVID-19 has strengthened our resolve and emphasised the necessity of developing and implementing joined up models of care and support that are person-centred and not organisation-centred, are focused on wellness, wellbeing and independence, and enable the partnership to deliver a 21st century health and care system.Starting Well Partners have identified emotional health and well-being, and children with additional learning needs as their priority programmes of work. Partners have commenced a programme of work that supports the delivery of a No Wrong Door for infants, children and young people. This is underpinned by the NEST/NYTH framework, using an early intervention and prevention approach to meeting needs when people ask for support. Alongside this, a number of new services have been developed to meet young people’s needs when they ask for support, particularly where partners need to come together to provide this.In 2022 the RPB received additional funding to further support early years services to implement system change and improve services, with an emphasis on sustaining change through transforming the way services are delivered. The confirmation of this funding from Welsh Government was made in September 2022 so most of these projects are only just starting to be mobilised and impact and performance data may be limited.The Starting Well Partners would like to review the entire Early Years Pathfinder Programme, including areas of success, proof of concept and opportunities for further development and improvement based on outcomes of the programme. This work will start in March 2023 and span into delivery year 23/24. Having impartial external evaluation to support this work will enable the best narration of outcomes to Partners and to Welsh Government, and will provide information that enables Partners to make informed decisions regarding the sustainability of changes piloted through the programme.This work must include an evaluation of all 4 areas of the pathfinder programme and mapping of current Neurodevelopmental services for infants and children within Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan. For further details on the evaluation and outputs, please review the Appendix A Specification within the tender documentation pack.