Essex County Council has launched a tender worth £500,000 for a digital service offer for unpaid carers, which will feature a range of digital content and tools designed to “build resilience”.
The newly-commissioned service will accompany a range of existing services provided by Essex County Council for unpaid carers, promoting local and national level support using technology and online methods of communication.
According to the tender notice, the council seeks to bring “easily accessible and engaging” digital content and tools to carers to facilitate knowledge sharing, carer-to-carer support, and the identification of carer needs “at scale”. Aims of the service include supporting carers in sustaining their carer role, planning their time, navigating the health and social care system, and taking an “enabling and goal-focused approach” by building on what carers can do for themselves.
The service will also look at maintaining carer’s own quality of life by “focusing on their health and wellbeing outside of their caring responsibilities”, working with statutory and voluntary agencies to “recognise and respect carers as expert partners”, and promoting networks of support for carers.
The digital offer is hoped to help support Essex County Council in delivering its requirements under the Care Act 2014 by “preventing, reducing, and delaying needs”.
With the closing date for tender applications 10 July 2024, the contract is set to run to 9 January 2027. To find out more about the tender, please click here.
In related news, the Social Care and National Care Service Development Directorate within the Scottish Government has published its dementia strategy 2024-2026, outlining how the government commits to working “with the voices of lived experience” to achieve its vision for change in dementia care and highlighting digital as one of the key thematic priorities.
Elsewhere, the Department of Health and Social Care recently published a £475,000 tender for a partner organisation to help deliver projects supporting digital skills development of the adult social care workforce.
