Status: closed

In any given 12-month period, about one in five people will experience significant mental health or substance use issues leading to personal suffering and interference in life goals. The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions is mandated to lead the transformation of B.C.’s mental health and addictions system by setting the strategic direction for the province through cross-sector planning and driving system-level improvement through research, policy development, and evaluation. To meet this mandate, the Ministry undertakes a whole-government, multi-systems approach in partnership with other ministries, Indigenous Peoples, service delivery partners, researchers, local and federal levels of government, youth, advocates, peers, and people with lived experience.

The value of peer supports in the context of mental health, addictions, and B.C.’s overdose crisis cannot be overstated. Peer support initiatives complement traditional clinical mental health and addictions care and can be effectively implemented in every setting along the continuum of care. People with lived experience have been at the forefront of innovation in the face of this overdose crisis, driving wise practice and affecting policy change at all levels of government. From a historical context, peers have also been under-resourced and poorly supported at times. The mental health and substance use (MHSU) Provincial Peer Support Worker Training Curriculum (PPSWTC) Project seeks to address these gaps through the provision of a standardized teaching curriculum and educational resources.

BCcampus is seeking proposals from post-secondary institutions, individuals, and groups across our province for the development of a Provincial Peer Support Worker Training Curriculum and Standards of Practice (SOPs). The contract will be awarded to the group or individual who is best suited to combine data from an environmental scan, guidance from a technical advisory committee, and ongoing collaboration with peer-led subject matter expert working groups to develop a curriculum guide and standards of practice. This is a made-in-B.C. project, and as such, only proposals from B.C. will be considered.

Copyright, licensing, and waiver of moral rights

Any intellectual property developed as a result of this contract will be owned by the Province of British Columbia and subject to Creative Commons licensing. As part of this process, all authors of written content will be required to sign a Waiver of Moral Rights provided by BCcampus.

Goal

Development of a peer support training curriculum that:

  • Is informed and evaluated by existing peer support organizations and persons with lived experience in B.C.
  • Recognizes the valuable contributions that peer support workers make in supporting people in healing, harm reduction, and recovery.
  • Provides employers and post-secondary institutions with a provincially approved curriculum and program delivery tools to offer training, free of charge.
  • Is informed by First Nations, Métis, and other Indigenous Peoples.
  • Is culturally sensitive and embraces Indigenous perspectives on healing and wellness.
  • Incorporates the policy and principles described within the B.C. Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions A Pathway to Hope strategy.
  • Reflects the diverse needs of the population through the application of a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+).
  • Enhances peer support worker training quality and consistency across the province.

Audience

  • Mental health and addictions agencies and organizations
  • B.C.’s post-secondary institutions
  • Youth ages 12–24

Objectives

In collaboration with the technical advisory committee and subject matter expert working groups, the successful candidate will use data from a recent environmental scan to develop the following content:

  • Provincial Standards of Practice and Program Guide.
  • Educational resources for peer training (in-person and online).
  • Evaluation of and revisions to the educational resources through feedback gained from soft launch program delivery.

Budget

BCcampus will accept proposals with budgets of up to $100,000. Budgets must include all costs associated with the research, writing, and editing of the final product. For example, the budget needs to include travel, wages, and benefits, incentives, meetings, etc.

Payment

Payment will be made in three instalments of one-third each at 1) commencement of the project; 2) midway through the project; and 3) upon receipt of the final deliverable.

Payment will be made to individuals unless efforts on the project are under a post-secondary institution’s contract. Payments to individuals will have income tax implications.

Timeline

  1. Phase 1 (April 2019 – March 2020): B.C. Provincial Standards of Practice and a Curriculum Guide.
  2. Phase 2 (March 2020 – October 2020): Tools/resources for peer support worker training.
  3. Phase 3 (October 2020 – March 2021): Evaluation and revisions to the tools/resources.

Reporting

The successful candidate will be expected to provide midway and end-of-project reporting to assure milestones match deadlines and deliverables reflect project aims.

Application

Please submit your application using the following guidelines to cranger@bccampus.ca by midnight on December 20, 2019.

Proposal guidelines

In no more than five pages, not including your CV(s), include the following elements.

Background and context

  • Identify the goals and objectives of the project as per the call for proposal.
  • Provide a conceptual framework, including the scope of content development.

Methodology

  • Provide a description of all steps and methods necessary to complete the project.
  • Provide an explanation of why the proposed methods are appropriate for this specific project and its objectives.
  • State whether you anticipate working with any additional third-party vendors or contractors for the duration of the project.

Tasks

  • Identify the roles and responsibilities of the development team.
  • Describe the communication plan and format for collaborating with other organizations and institutions.

Milestones

  • Identify deliverables and their due dates (e.g., curriculum guide, standards of practice, workbooks, and modules).
  • Identify the start and end dates for the development contract.

Budget

  • Provide a list of budget components, including fees, travel, expenses, etc.
  • Include hourly rates for each writer, assistant, etc.
  • Identify where GST is relevant for budget items (in addition to researcher fees, allowable expenses include any pre-approved travel, approved telecommunications, courier, postage, and other identifiable business communication expenses at cost).
  • Identify any institutional overhead fees (preferences will be given to proposals that do not apply such fees).
  • Indicate whether the contract will be with an individual, institution, or agency. For contracts with an institution, indicate the portion, if any, destined for release time.

Experience

  • Summarize relevant experience for each member of the curriculum development team.
  • Provide a personal philosophy statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Include CV(s) of the research team as an addendum.

Evaluation criteria

The following criteria will guide the evaluation and selection of the successful proposal.

Quality

  • The roles and relevant experience of each member of the development team are clearly outlined.
  • The objectives of the project are clearly stated and understood. The objectives use terminology that can be understood by non-experts. The objectives are easily measurable and achievable within the available timeline.
  • Plans for carrying out the work and proposed approaches are clear, relevant, and feasible. Proposed methodologies, strategies, and approaches clearly support research project objectives. Key activities and procedures to complete the research project are clearly articulated and reasonable.
  • Plans for collaboration between individuals and institutions to develop the deliverables are clearly articulated.

Budget

  • The budget is reasonable with regard to the work proposed.
  • The budget is easy to understand and clearly outlines the most significant line items required, along with a reasonable timeline for expenses.
  • For each role involved in the research project (subject matter expert, faculty, research assistant, etc.), the percentage of FTE and rate/cost are provided.
  • Direct and in-kind (where appropriate) costs are identified in sufficient detail.
  • The budget clearly shows when the project work and related expenses will occur.