Equipping communities to stay safe and healthy and restore community confidence

The Council invites quotations for the provision of a COVID-19 Programme: Equipping communities to stay safe and healthy and restore community confidence.

To support the local outbreak management plan, an opportunity has arisen to collaborate with the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). The aims are:

• Equipping communities to reduce severe outcomes and death from COVID-19 infections.

• Restore community confidence and energy and to capitalise on community infrastructure to transition and build back a stronger, more resilient and more united Croydon.

To achieve those aims, we are looking to procure a number of short-term projects to address the objectives as defined below. We seek to procure 4 - 6 projects of value £16,500 - £25,000 up to a total value of £100,000 across all projects. It is the Council's discretion to accept bids below £16,500 or above £25,000. The Council reserves the right to part fund a bid if part(s) of the proposal are deemed out of scope. Providers are therefore advised to provide robust information and clearly link the proposal to the aims, objectives and outcome framework.

Projects will be led and delivered by Voluntary and Community Sector organisations within the London Borough of Croydon.

Providers are expected to use asset-based community development methodology in the delivery of their projects.

Objectives

Projects must look to address ideally all, or at least two, of the following 5 objectives:

1. Train and deploy wellbeing ambassadors in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 infection and measures. 2. Support neighbourhoods to provide and encourage access to healthy, culturally appropriate and sustainable food. 3. Supporting residents hardest hit by the pandemic including young people, newly unemployed, people with caring responsibilities to re-join the workforce and community. 4. Demonstrate the use of mutual aid, maximise local resources and networks to meet the needs of residents and build resilience. 5. Support vulnerable residents to regain their independence and improve mental health and wellbeing.

In addition, all projects must address objectives:

6. Follow Make Every Contact Count (MECC) approach to support people with primary and secondary prevention: • Encourage residents to maintain key infection, prevention and control measures (Hands, Face, Space, Replace and testing) • Address vaccine hesitancy and encourage uptake including flu jab • Support residents to access tests and comply with self-isolation requirements if they have received a positive result or if they have been identified as a contact and are required to self-isolate • Encourage and support residents to contact and access healthcare and health and wellbeing services to prevent/manage conditions that increase the risk of poorer health outcomes from infection diseases (e.g. obesity)