Service Design for Embedding Positive Cultures in Residential Care across Wales

The contract will be divided into the following two Lots. Social Care Wales intends to appoint one provider per Lot:
Lot 1 – Co-design and Test Leadership Support Programme & tools for Adult Social Care Providers
Lot 2 – Programme evaluation and impact assessment of the co-design and testing of a new leadership programme and tool for nurturing positive cultures in adult social care services across Wales
Suppliers may submit bids for one or both Lots. However, a Supplier may not be awarded both Lots due to an unavoidable conflict of interest (i.e. evaluating their own work).
In the event that a Supplier is ranked highest in both Lots, the Supplier will be awarded Lot 1 only. The award for Lot 2 will then be offered to the next highest-ranking compliant bidder
Project Phases
The Supporting Positive Cultures Programme will be delivered across three distinct phases. Phase 1 has already been commissioned and is underway. Phases 2 and 3 will be delivered through the two Lots commissioned as part of this tender.
(a) Phase 1: User Research (completed separately)
Phase 1 is currently underway and is due to complete in June 2026. This phase focuses on developing a robust understanding of the needs of leaders in adult care provider organisations, particularly in relation to embedding, assessing and sustaining positive organisational cultures and their underpinning principles.
The outputs from Phase 1 will include a set of evidence-based proposals setting out what an effective future support service for nurturing positive cultures could look like.
Phase 1 is not included within the scope of this tender. Its findings will be shared with the successful supplier/s upon contract award and will directly inform the work commissioned through Lots 1 and 2.
(b) Phases 2 and 3: Design, Testing and Evaluation (commissioned through this tender) (LOT 1)
The Phases will be delivered through the two Lots described below.
Lot 1: Co-design and Testing of Leadership Support (Phase 2) & Positive Culture Tools (Phase 3) for Adult Social Care
Lot 1 will be responsible for the design, co-production, testing and refinement of the programme’s practical components, informed by the evidence generated through Phase 1.
This includes:
• Co-designing and testing a leadership support offer for adult social care providers, and
• Co-designing and testing a positive cultures tools to support providers embed, assess, measure, and improve organisational positive culture in a meaningful and proportionate way.
The focus of Lot 1 is on practical development and testing with providers.
Summary of Lot 1:
The successful Supplier will:
(a) Phase 2 codesign and test a new support service anticipated activities:
- Recruit partners and identify adult care providers and key stakeholders in collaboration with Social Care Wales and Care Inspectorate Wales on the work.
- Design and run workshops aimed at co-designing a new support offer and approaches to support positive cultures.
- Collaboratively develop a theory of change for guiding the design and testing of a new support service.
- Recruit 6 adult social care providers testing sites across Wales; based on agreed criteria, in consultation with Social Care Wales and partners. Ensure ethical research practices are upheld including informed consent, safeguarding, and data protection.
- Develop site specific action plans to support six care settings to test ways new support service that nurtures positive cultures, gather feedback, and iterate solutions for support. This will involve working with the Responsible Individual, Registered Manager and up to 3 front-line staff at each pilot site.
- Gathering data to support the evaluation on the ‘positive culture’ position of each test site at the start, re-measure at the mid-way and end point.
- Undertake site visits or virtual consultations to observe Responsible Individual and Registered Manager in their own care settings to understand how they support positive cultures and behaviours. Also gain insights into the challenges they face, how they are overcome and what difficulties remain.
- Develop practical resources, guidance and learning materials.
- Produce a service design report explaining what was designed, how it was tested and what was learned from the design and testing process. The report should also feature information about the experience of the 6 testing sites and their results. The report should also include recommendations for Social Care Wales to consider as next steps towards a scaled implementation of the work.
(b) Phase 3 Codesign and test tools for anticipated activity:
- Engage stakeholders in co-design workshops to define success criteria and design principles for the tool.
- Develop a tool that measures indicators against the positive culture principles and aligns with strengths-based and compassionate leadership models.
- Test the tool with 6 providers across Wales.
- Validate usability and clarity through iterati