The Trust is seeking candidates for a short-term piece of consultancy work (which could be delivered under an employment arrangement if preferred) to identify and report on potential solutions to the under-provision of childcare in Tiree that has been strongly raised as an issue by members of the community.
This piece of work has been funded as part of a project receiving support from the Argyll and Bute Community Led Learning and Development Local Action Group, as well as the Rural and Island Communities Ideas into Action fund.
An outline brief is provided below, and precise specification and deliverables will be agreed with the successful applicant. The project is proposed as a consultancy piece on a freelance basis, but could be delivered under a short-term employment contract basis if preferred. This is subject to negotiation on terms that will fit the required timescale and total funding envelope of £10,000 including all related costs (including, if relevant, VAT).
Due to funding restrictions this work must start promptly in January 2023, with work completed by the end of March 2023. We envisage the main output being a report which presents the Trust with an analysis of possible solutions to providing childcare in Tiree, the challenges involved, and a clear sense of what it would take for us to take a project forward to deliver each solution. The intention is that this will then inform and enable applications for future funding to deliver a viable solution, potentially working in partnership with the public sector and/or others.
Suitable candidates will possess;
- strong sectoral knowledge relevant to childcare / early years education provision
- skills to carry out desk research
- the ability to work with a range of key contacts including the Trust staff, school, Council staff and parents
- the ability to gather relevant information from other comparable communities elsewhere (e.g. the Western Isles, Mull, etc).
While most of the work is envisaged to be desk-based there will be a need to have direct contacts, and in-person meetings in Tiree are likely to be required for the most effective delivery of the project.
The outline brief is below. Interested candidates should in the first instance contact the General Manager, Phyl Meyer, on phyl@tireetrust.org.uk to express interest. Further details can be provided to inform bids, and discussion is welcomed. Interested parties should contact us no later than January 5th, with final proposals to be submitted the following week. We will be seeking to award the contract no later than January 13th 2023 with work to start ASAP thereafter.
Tiree Childcare Consultancy Brief Dec 2022
