# Con\_25168 - DPS Order Form -Cath Hitchen Consultancy

> Contract award record from UK public-sector procurement sources.

## Key facts

- Public buyer: [Department for Education](/buyers/department-for-education/contract-awards)
- Contract winner: Cath Hitchen Consultancy
- Award value: £21,600
- Tender value: £21,600
- Award date: 2 April 2024
- Published: 12 April 2024
- Contract start: 2 April 2024
- Contract end: 31 March 2025
- Stage: awarded
- Procurement category: services
- Notice ID: 2e7a29a4-2f04-4cae-acf7-2c3e621d37fc-740442
- OCID: ocds-b5fd17-8c3ee750-ff86-4e21-b7de-8ac6688f2334

## Description

A contractor will be expected to : - provide valuable expertise to advise, challenge and support at risk or poor performing local areas/local area partnerships in continuing to develop and implement robust and achievable plans to improve its SEND and AP services\. - provide advice and support to ensure the pace of improvement is appropriate and that improvements to the SEND and AP system are sustainable; - ensure plans remain focused on outcomes for children and young people with SEND and inform the quality of the service in readiness for the next Ofsted inspection\. - provide support and advice as necessary when assessing and driving progress, taking account of the weaknesses identified by Ofsted and of other diagnostic work \(including DfE Vulnerable Children's Unit \(VCU\) assessments\); - apply expertise and experience to support the local area/local area partnership's senior leadership and SEND management team in addressing areas of weakness; this will include working with practitioners of different levels to develop competence and improve performance, and help foster a culture of reflection, challenge and support\. - make use of wider partners to support and advise the local area/local area partnership on potential solutions to issues and signpost examples of good practice where possible; - engage at both strategic and operational level - contribute to the department's formal reviews of the local area/local area partnership's progress and make a recommendation to VCU on whether progress has been sufficient; - provide regular written reports to the department on the local area/local area partnership's progress to VCU, and more frequently if the pace of progress is not sufficient\. - have an awareness of the proposed SEND/AP system and Children's Social Care reforms including the Change Programme and work closely with relevant colleagues in supporting and challenging local areas/local area partnerships\. - develop working relationships with Health partners where this helps achieve the objectives set out in the contract\.

## Related contract awards

- [Inclusion Bases: exploring evidence of impact and models\.](/contracts/ocds-b5fd17-76dee6b0-7bcc-49cd-b784-34d2192c05a4): Department for Education
- [Understanding the cost of undergraduate provision and qualifications in the HE sector in England\_con\_27513](/contracts/ocds-b5fd17-5134e27c-b67c-449d-89e7-92e3a879c33b): Department for Education
- [IT Research and Advisory Services II](/contracts/ocds-b5fd17-db7f8498-b870-407b-a72f-9d6a97072ad6): Department for Education
- [SEND Adviser Lancashire \(con\_31551\)](/contracts/ocds-b5fd17-6209d5ab-ea6f-42b1-88da-d6e9a55024c7): Department for Education
- [SEND Adviser Contract: Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees & Darlington \(con\_31460\)](/contracts/ocds-b5fd17-bee26b7e-d456-44c1-97e3-48abc97d838c): Department for Education
- [SEND Advisor Contract: Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar & Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees and Sunderland \(con\_30820\)](/contracts/ocds-b5fd17-377dfa57-6de6-4e06-b024-b1b58db7b917): Department for Education

## Source

[View the original notice on Contracts Finder](https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2e7a29a4-2f04-4cae-acf7-2c3e621d37fc-740442)