CO0346 Employee Assistance Programme

Description

At Essex County Council (ECC) we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our people. We strive to enable the right environment, conditions, and behaviours so individual and organisational wellbeing is embedded in everything we do. The purpose of our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provision is to provide confidential and professional support to employees who may be experiencing personal or work-related issues. This will be offering counselling, guidance, and resources for a range of challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, financial or legal issues, and more. We are seeking a Provider to deliver an EAP service within ECC as a crucial aspect of our broader wellbeing offer, to ensure that our employees have access to timely and effective support to help them cope with personal and work-related challenges, and ultimately, maintain a healthy and productive workforce. Lot 1: At Essex County Council (ECC) we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our people. We strive to enable the right environment, conditions, and behaviours so individual and organisational wellbeing is embedded in everything we do. The purpose of our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provision is to provide confidential and professional support to employees who may be experiencing personal or work-related issues. This will be offering counselling, guidance, and resources for a range of challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, financial or legal issues, and more. We are seeking a Provider to deliver an EAP service within ECC as a crucial aspect of our broader wellbeing offer, to ensure that our employees have access to timely and effective support to help them cope with personal and work-related challenges, and ultimately, maintain a healthy and productive workforce. ECC’s EAP is currently delivered by an external Provider, the contract of which is due to expire on 31st August 2023. Services provided include, but are not limited to:  advice and support  counselling services  management support services  trauma and critical incident support  promotion of the Employee Assistance Programme  therapeutic interventions  bullying and harassment support  interactive health content via a web platform and mobile application The annual utilisation rate with our current provider in 2022 (April – September) was 4.17%. The organisation focused service will provide:  An assessment of organisational need and the design of tailored EAP services  Clear communication of the EAP defining the purpose, objectives, and parameters of the service  Clear communication so that the EAP is used to maximum advantage for both employees and ECC  Comprehensive procedures outlining how the EAP will operate and be monitored and evaluated  An effective implementation and on-going promotion plan to reach all those eligible to use the service  Feedback to ECC on themes and trends which would benefit from action by the authority  Arrangements for audit, evaluation, and service developments Occupational Health Services, general medical treatment, tax advice, legal advice aside from signposting in the context of welfare counselling and relevant consultation and advice relating to leisure or recreation are outside the scope of this procurement. For a full description, please refer to the specification provided within the tender.