Request for Tender for ParentsNext 2018-21 – Applications Now Open

The federal government’s Department of Employment is seeking tender responses from organisations to deliver ParentsNext from July 2018.

For many parents, particularly women, caring for young children means large breaks from the paid workforce. People can gain valuable new skills and social networks through parenting, but they also risk losing work-specific skills and the confidence to enter paid employment. For parents already receiving government income support, this can increase the risk of long-term welfare dependency.

By providing support to assist Australian parents to return to the workforce, ParentsNext is playing an important role in supporting families, reducing welfare dependency and decreasing child poverty.

ParentsNext is a pre-employment program that aims to help parents with young children to plan and prepare for employment once their youngest child reaches school age. It has been operating in 10 locations across Australia since April 2016. It has engaged thousands of parents and had a positive impact on their lives and those of their young children.

To build upon the achievements of ParentsNext, the Australian Government will expand ParentsNext nationally from 1 July 2018. Expanding the program will enable around 68,000 parents to benefit each year. With approximately 96 per cent of ParentsNext participants expected to be women, including around 10,000 Indigenous women, the program will complement a range of other Government initiatives designed to increase female participation in the workforce.

The program will be delivered in all non-remote regions of Australia in two streams – an Intensive Stream and a Targeted Stream. The Intensive Stream will operate in 30 locations identified as having a high level of disadvantage and/or a high proportion of Indigenous parents. The Targeted Stream will operate in all non-remote regions excluding Intensive Stream locations.

ParentsNext providers will help parents to identify their education and employment goals and refer them to local activities and service providers to support achieving these goals. Parents will receive support and participate in activities related to their individual family circumstances.  They will be provided with a warm and welcoming environment that specifically caters to their needs as a parent, and the needs of their children.

The three broad objectives of ParentsNext are to:

• target early intervention assistance to parents at risk of long-term welfare dependency;
• help parents identify and reach their education and employment goals through participation in activities; and
• connect parents to local services that can help them to prepare for employment.

Participation in ParentsNext will help parents gain confidence and feel empowered to develop the skills to engage in paid work; appropriate skills that are right for them and their families when the time is right.

The department is seeking suitably qualified organisations to deliver ParentsNext from July 2018.

Respondents will need to demonstrate their experience to successfully deliver services that meet the needs of parents, especially Indigenous parents, in their local communities.

Further information about the tender process

For more information, visit employment.gov.au/purchasing,

email espurchasing@employment.gov.au, or call 1300 733 514

(Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Canberra time, excluding ACT and national public holidays).

Applications close Monday 18 December 2017 at 5 pm (Canberra time).