Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner s Youth Aspiration Fund Prospectus: Framework and Grant Scheme 2017 This document provides an explanation to the Grant process and guidance on how to submit responses. Please read this document thoroughly, and make note of the allocation criteria. The Evaluation Panel cannot consider awarding grants to organisations that do not answer all the questions within the grant application.
INTRODUCTION This is the third release of the Youth Aspiration Fund (YAF). OVERVIEW The Police and Crime Commissioner has made a commitment to provide appropriate schemes for children and young people from age 8yrs to 25yrs with a target range of 11yrs to 18yrs (flexibility will be permitted on the age range if a specified need is defined) who are identified as being at risk of offending, risky behaviour, vulnerable to exploitation and harm, have complex needs, live in a family or community which is vulnerable to exploitation and harm. The aim is to ensure that young people are diverted away from the criminal justice system and risky behaviour and provided with appropriate support, guidance, challenge and personal development. The ultimate goal is to tackle young people s vulnerability, anti-social behaviour, crime and reoffending through families, schools, communities and partnerships. Grants will be provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner through the Youth Aspiration Fund to invest in a local asset-based (working with individuals strengths and community provision) approach across the Greater Manchester area, whilst providing a framework for delivery to ensure that value for money and outcomes are achieved. This investment will help promote both national and local policy for early intervention and prevention with the clear aim to divert young people away from risky behaviour by providing alternative activities and life choices. The Police and Crime Commissioner wishes to support approaches that reduce crime and the impact on victims. There is unlikely to be a single solution to complex needs that drive risky behaviour, but there is scope for local, community-wide alliances to help children and young people achieve their potential and reduce exposure to known risk factors linked to later behaviour problems or exploitation. PRIORITY FUNDING THEMES: The funding themes are: 1. Preventing involvement in serious and organised crime 2. Reducing the risk of child sexual exploitation 3. Building resilience and supporting aspirations 4. Reducing offending 5. Promoting Restorative Justice Preventing involvement in serious and organised crime This is a core element of the national serious and organised crime strategy. In terms of local strategy it is the Prevent strand that is one of the least well developed. Some areas in Greater Manchester have a partnership working approach to tackling serious and organised crime in development. Whilst these approaches will provide increased engagement and interventions focussed on developing an understanding of families who have been identified as being linked to involvement in serious crime, the available interventions for hard to reach children and young people to be diverted away from crime remains limited. The Police and Crime Commissioner welcomes approaches that fill this gap and link to families and the local community. 2
Reducing the risk of child sexual exploitation Child sexual exploitation is a complex issue and one which impacts on individual and community relationships. A common feature of child sexual exploitation is that the child or young person does not recognise the coercive nature of the relationship and does not see themselves as a victim of exploitation. Also, how exploitation is viewed depends very much on attitudes within the wider community and that can alter from community to community. For example, what is seen as unacceptable behaviour in one area may not be in another where it is almost seen as the social norm. The Police and Crime Commissioner welcomes applications from organisations which seek to challenge the behaviour of young people and the community, preventing them from becoming vulnerable. We are particularly interested in hearing from those organisations who work with the young people and communities who have been marginalised by the recent high profile cases in Greater Manchester and those areas where there may be emerging risks. Building resilience and supporting aspirations By using an asset-based approach of working with young people and positively encouraging what they can do, rather than what they can t do, the Police and Crime Commissioner wishes to support schemes that build community resilience and empowerment. There is an expectation community schemes must have an added value element to the main aims of the fund (to tackle young people s vulnerability, anti-social behaviour, crime and reoffending through families, schools, communities and partnerships) which includes the personal development of young people and aims to prepare them for progress into volunteering, education, training, employment or for life in general. These schemes may include; mentoring, befriending and/or a therapeutic element. It is recognised locally based services are best placed to support young people in their communities targeting individuals and/or communities at risk and in need. We wish to see the services: develop young people s self esteem, reduce isolation in the community, have positive peer influences, address health and wellbeing needs, foster economic and social independence. Reducing offending behaviour Youth Diversion underpins a range of statutory and non-statutory support services. The number of first time entrants in to the Criminal Justice System in Greater Manchester has been steadily falling for the last 5 years, as shown in the figures below. Year ending March 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 First time Entrants across GM 2,900 2,205 1,658 1,258 1,196 1,080 Although first time entrants into juvenile criminal justice are reducing, youth reoffending rates are static. The Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour, published its report Time for a fresh start http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/uploads/catalogerfiles/independentcommission-on-youth-crime-and-antisocial-behaviour/fresh_start.pdf in the summer of 2010. This provides a strategic blueprint for reform of the way society responds to offending and other antisocial behaviour by children and young people. Overall crime levels are increasing, local and national enthusiasm for cost-effective action to tackle the root causes of problem behaviour in children s lives has been recognised by the Police and Crime Commissioner. To sustain this progress funding is being made available for youth diversion projects 3
that must be related to activities with the potential to reduce youth crime, linked to the Commissioner s pledge to: Reduce offending and re-offending and to identify and progress both innovative and test partnership initiatives that: focus on early intervention, address crime, anti-social behaviour and offending behaviours, use resources effectively, represent the most efficient ways of working. The Police and Crime Commissioner is keen to engage partners to take cost-effective, local action to reduce antisocial behaviour and young people s involvement in crime. Acknowledging that policing cannot successfully combat crime alone, and that failure to get timely help to children who are persistently antisocial makes it more likely they will grow into repeat and serious offenders. Considering this, it makes prevention and youth diversion interventions a sound economic as well as social investment. Promoting Restorative Justice The Ministry of Justice guidance asserts that Restorative Justice provides opportunities for those directly affected by an offence victim, offender and members of the community to communicate, and agree how to deal with the offence and its consequences. The basic principles include: putting things right and healing relationships - giving satisfaction to victims and reducing reoffending, ensuring that those directly affected by crime are involved in the process, and that their wishes are given careful consideration, setting realistic and achievable objectives that benefit the victim, community and young person, addressing and being sensitive to cultural and special needs, with an understanding and respect for the diversity of different communities. The Police and Crime Commissioner is interested in supporting and developing approaches around community initiatives which link the offender to the Criminal Justice System, the victim and the community. Approaches should be able to demonstrate how victim s needs will be at the heart of any approach and how public confidence and awareness will be considered. The Commissioner is also willing to consider innovative approaches that focus on early intervention and prevention which may take a broader mediation approach particularly in relation to community resolution, combating bullying and developing peer to peer relationships. OUTCOMES We expect the service deliverers to achieve outcomes based around either a focus on or combination of the following : Reductions in crime, Reductions in young people not in education, employment or training, Improvements in school attendance, Decrease in antisocial behaviour, Reduction in teenage pregnancy, Improved health and wellbeing outcomes, Increased confidence, tolerance and better social skills in young people, Reduction of vulnerability of young people at risk of exploitation, 4
Retain or re-connection of young people with the local community, Improved personal development and growth that discourages young people from getting involved in crime and increased aspirations and entry to employment, Increased volunteering from young people, Decreased demand on public services, Increased victim satisfaction and confidence. The Youth Aspiration approach that we are building towards will be subject to local evaluation and there will be an expectation that all service providers will engage fully with the evaluation process. This will be important not only to identify what works but in demonstrating why future funding should support this area of work through ongoing commissioning. However, evaluation will be proportionate, depending on the scale of the scheme. Submissions are actively encouraged for projects/activities that cover more than one local authority area providing they can demonstrate they can meet the local connections expected. Collaborative approaches between different localities and/or the public and voluntary/charity sector will be prioritised. Approach: PART 1 The Police and Crime Commissioner is seeking expressions of interest from the Public, Voluntary and Community Sector under a grant allocation process for locally based youth aspiration and diversion approaches which focus on the delivery of services to tackle young people s complex needs, vulnerability, anti-social behaviour, crime and offending. Level 1 Local Youth Grants are restricted to the voluntary/community sector only, for all other levels the public sector can apply or be part of a submission. The initial grant fund is 500,000. Submissions can be made for: Level 1: Local Youth Grants: less than 5,000 but mainly limited up to 1,000. Seed funding and community level support, Level 2: Above 5,000 and less that 30,000: sustaining and expanding services, pump prime money or for additional services. Required outcomes will be proportionate to the level of funding, however all submissions must consider how they encourage, support or sustain an asset-based approach to the community and voluntary sector. All submissions will be expected to consider how additional funding from another source/s will be used or sought. Submissions will not necessarily need to be equally match funded but the ability to bring in additional funding will be considered as part of the decision making criteria. The time period for funding is flexible and by negotiation but, it will be expected that a start time for your proposal would be within 2 months of a successful decision. How the allocation will be made: Consideration of the greatest need across Greater Manchester will be taken into account; however the ambition will be to ensure that a level of provision for youth activities will be available for all areas. 5
Sustainability: With increasing pressure being placed on public sector funding and the significant number and value of grant applications previously submitted, the Evaluation Panel will be looking at how organisations plan to secure alternative income opportunities and reduce the level of financial support from the public purse, either as part of their overall proposal or during the period of the proposed funding. This could be through looking for alternative grant funding, developing the organisations profile by becoming a social enterprise, or increasing benefits and outcomes or groups of services coming together, to reduce overheads, enabling an increased focus on direct service delivery. The Police and Crime Commissioner is interested in services that build on the wealth of experience that local people have and can secure improvements in Social Capital. This could be in any capacity for instance, volunteering opportunities, including recruiting volunteers and developing activities for volunteers to engage in, that lead to increased employment or well-being as well as developing new sources of volunteers or peer mentors, citizenship, social networks and civic participation associated with general positive effects across the life course. Asset Based approach: The public sector reform agenda means that commissioners are looking for what works, how we build on good to get more of it. The Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner is looking for projects that consider an asset based approach and create an opportunity to: See people and communities as activists who have value in themselves and not just problems to be fixed, Recognise that people possess assets that can be used to drive better outcomes, Where providers can identify the good aspects of a community, they can harness the skills, resources, people and places to achieve even more positives, Mobilise assets- collaborating and co creating with the community to achieve outcomes that can t be met with money alone. Allocation Criteria: PART 2 Applications are sought for funding based on the funding themes set out on pages 2 to 4 of this document - for services that are pro-active in encouraging people to reduce risky behaviour, do more for themselves, challenge behaviour and encourage community reparation together with empowerment of communities by building individual resilience and coping mechanisms. We welcome various approaches to deliver the stated outcomes, however to underpin your delivery model we would expect the service provider to consider the following set of criteria as a guide to base line service delivery: To reduce risky behaviour, by addressing factors that can lead to vulnerability or criminal behaviour, To fill gaps where there is unmet need and enhance access to existing services, Focusing on early interventions addressing crime and anti social behaviour, Tackling behaviour that can cause harm to communities and individuals by engaging with parents, schools, children s services, the NHS, housing providers, and businesses as their natural allies in preventing youth crime, as well as with children and young people themselves, Protecting and safeguarding vulnerable people by identifying factors that can lead to individuals or groups at risk of becoming victims e.g. those affected by mental health issues, Involve young people in service delivery and participation opportunities, 6
Improvement in Social Capital (the goodwill that is engendered by the fabric of social relations such as citizenship, 'neighbourliness, social networks and civic participation associated with general positive effects across the life course). The Police and Crime Commissioner s Office and partners will support successful organisations to deliver any funded proposals and agree the required monitoring information. Applications will need to clearly state the outcomes to be achieved, how these will be recorded and reported as part of a monitoring framework. Where proposals are dealing directly with individuals who have complex needs, there is an expectation that some form of individual progress monitoring will be used. Funding levels: Level 1 Local Youth Grants under 5k PART 3 The Level 1 Local Youth Grants considers applications from voluntary organisations and community groups within the Greater Manchester area. Level 2 Grants over 5k and under 30K The Level 2 Grants will consider applications from Statutory Partners as well as voluntary organisations and community groups. The main aim of the fund is to support local projects that benefit the communities of Greater Manchester, especially those which have a positive impact on reducing crime and disorder and supporting young people at a local level. Awards will vary according to the nature and size of a project. Consideration will be given to the benefit a project or scheme will bring to a local community and how accessible it is to that community. The Commissioner is keen to get as wide a participation as possible in the fund and therefore, all successful applications may be asked to contribute to the future promotion of the Fund. General Criteria: Organisations to deliver within the Greater Manchester area, Awards can be given in the form of money, goods or services. The maximum amount which can be applied for is 30,000 however for Level 1 most awards are expected to be up to a maximum of 1,000. 5,000 is for compelling cases and/or the extent of reach into communities, In participating in this grant process, organisations may be asked to provide receipts of any items purchased with the grant awarded, details of the organisation s most recently audited accounts or bank statements and any other supporting information. Exclusions: Capital projects, such as building or construction work and organisation infrastructure costs, 7
Level 1 applications exclude statutory organisations such as local authorities, hospitals, schools and colleges, unless they are supporting the application of, or applying on behalf of, another organisation or group of people, Commercial enterprises, Activities where the primary aim is to promote religious or political beliefs, Medical research and equipment. All applications will be considered within the current local and financial context. The Police and Crime Commissioner reserve the right to reject any application. Further due diligence will take place with successful proposals. Submitting your application: Financial and Compliance Details PART 4 Organisations must have a company bank account as payments cannot be made to individuals. Due diligence processes will be established to ensure probity. Where a grant is awarded, this will be made by bank transfer or cheque. Grant conditions will need to be agreed before payment is released. The application form can be found at www.gmpcc.org.uk/funding Stage 1 Preparing your submission The Police and Crime Commissioner wishes that local Community Safety Partnerships are engaged in this process and they will be involved in the decision making process; this is to ensure that there is close understanding and collaboration between local partners and the services they offer and any proposed scheme. We do not wish to duplicate any service but to fill gaps where there is unmet need and enhance access to existing services. Make sure that you understand the criteria highlighted at Part 2 of this document. If you are not a statutory partner, you may need to provide references as part of the bid. These can be from the Community Safety Partnership, YOT, offender management services, housing, health or social care organisations or agency that refers to your service or where you refer people, Accounts, or alternative financial information will be required, You will need to provide a breakdown of how you propose to spend the grant and/or secure alternative and/or additional income streams. This needs to include for example: o rent for offices or venues where you hold activities, o recruitment and training costs for staff and/or volunteers, o cost of any activities. You will have to show how you will safeguard the people who use your service and how you will safeguard the people who deliver activity for you, You will have to demonstrate how you will achieve the outcomes specified in your proposal. Stage 2 Making your submission Answer every question in the application form. Incomplete submissions will not be considered, Clearly describe your delivery approach, highlighting what you will do and any additionality your organisation can bring, 8
Be clear about the level of funding being sought, and how this fits into your total funding, Be clear about what will be delivered you will be monitored on this, Don t over-estimate your ability to deliver better to make a conservative forecast and exceed than fail to meet an inflated figure, You must have evidence to support your bid, Collaborative bids will be welcomed, Information sessions will be held (see timescale schedule for when these will be held) to help applicants understand the criteria, the process and to provide an opportunity for questions. Stage 3 The Evaluation Panel assessment Officers will score each proposal using the Matrix below eliminating any falling short of the minimum benchmark. Each application will then be presented to the decision making panel with a brief synopsis and a score. The first phase of the scoring process will be to mark the application against the quality of the proposal. This will be scored on a maximum of 60 marks (with a minimum benchmark of 40). All proposals that score 40 and above will then be scored against financial section of the matrix. Those below 40 will not be considered further. The second phase will be to mark those that achieved the quality benchmark of 40 or above against the financial criteria which can score up to a maximum of 40 marks. The third phase will be an Evaluation Panel chaired by the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Jim Battle, which will to consider how submissions meet the criteria. They will make recommendations to the Police and Crime Commissioner. It is therefore important that you clearly specify how you meet the criteria of the bid. Community Safety representatives may be asked to review any submissions that include their area. 9
Criteria will be allocated as follows: The Scoring Matrix Level 1 Criteria % Marks Rationale QUALIFICATION / EXPERIENCE General experience of delivering Youth diversion activities or related projects / initiatives; working with and between community groups PASS / FAIL The Panel will carry out the final capability assessment of the proposals to assess if the organisation(s) submitting are suitable in terms of experience and capability. FINANCIAL 40% (Price, Value & Resources) Price / Value for Money 10% Additional social value 10% Do the project costs that would be charged to the grant appear economical and do the expected outcomes of the project represent good value in terms of the amount of funding sought? What additional social value is there above and beyond delivery against the objectives within the prospectus? (See the GM PCC s the Social Value Policy) Adequately resourced 10% Matched funding 10% Is the project likely to be adequately resourced to deliver its outcomes, i.e. in terms of finance, people, skills, support, infrastructure, etc? What is the ability of bidders to provide or generate match funding? Marks will be given for amount, source and sustainability of matched funding QUALITY 60% Risk 5% What are the risks associated with a project, based on the application, our experience and feedback from our partners? Identification of cohort / referral pathways Meets one of the 5 priority themes and demonstrates how it will effectively deliver stated outcomes 15% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus 20% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus Partnership working 10% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus Building resilience and supporting aspirations with appropriate support guidance challenge and personal development. 10% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus 10
Scoring Matrix Level 2 Criteria % Marks Rationale QUALIFICATION / EXPERIENCE General experience of delivering Youth diversion activities or related projects / initiatives; working with and between community groups PASS / FAIL The Panel will carry out the final capability assessment of the proposals to assess if the organisation(s) submitting are suitable in terms of experience and capability. FINANCIAL 40% (Price, Value & Resources) Price / Value for Money 10% Additional social value 10% Do the project costs that would be charged to the grant appear economical and do the expected outcomes of the project represent good value in terms of the amount of funding sought? What additional social value is there above and beyond delivery against the objectives within the prospectus? (See the GM PCC s the Social Value Policy) Adequately resourced 10% Is the project likely to be adequately resourced to deliver its outcomes, i.e. in terms of finance, people, skills, support, infrastructure, etc? Matched funding 10% What is the ability of bidders to provide or generate match funding? Marks will be given for amount, source and sustainability of matched funding QUALITY 60% Risk 5% What are the risks associated with a project, based on the application, our experience and feedback from our partners? Identification of cohort / referral pathways 10% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus Meets one of the 5 priority themes and demonstrates how it will effectively deliver stated outcomes 20% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus Partnership working 10% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus Building resilience and supporting aspirations with appropriate support guidance challenge and personal development. 5% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus Sustainability 5% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus Social Value 5% As per the requirements set out in the prospectus The Police and Crime Commissioner has final approval. Submissions will be considered on their own merits. Some applicants may be required to attend the Evaluation Panel. All applications will need to demonstrate their capacity to deliver their proposal. The Panel will consider which proposals meet the criteria and which offers the best value for money to the Police and Crime Commissioner and the public of Greater Manchester. The Police and Crime Commissioner s decision will be final and binding. 11
The Panel will be looking for applications that: Demonstrate track record in delivering activities, Have a local connection to the area you intend to deliver services in and understand the delivery of partner services in that area, Have a plan for how they will deliver the service or activity that the grant will fund, Consider an asset-based approach to delivery, Dealing with sustainability and/or an exit plan for the scheme, Consider Social Value. PART 5 Awarding the grant: Timescales: Applicants will be notified of decisions in May 2016. Issue of framework and fund prospectus Tuesday 29 th November 2016 Information sessions December 2016 / January 2017 Dates to be confirmed Closing date for grant applications 4pm, Thursday 19th January 2017 Scoring and Panel assessments To be confirmed Decision notification April 2017 Monitoring & Evaluation: The Police and Crime Commissioner has a duty to effectively administer public funds and seek best value for money. Therefore successful organisations will need to provide monitoring information within agreed timescales, this will vary depending on the size of the grant made. The Police and Crime Commissioner reserves the right to suspend, reduce or terminate funding to any service failing to comply with this or any grant conditions. All successful organisations will be required to sign up to formal Terms and Conditions of the Grant. A statement of how the grant has been spent will also be required during the grant period. The Grant Conditions will include a requirement for successful organisations to promote and participate in publicity for the scheme. To track delivery and support evaluation of the programme, successful organisations may be required to collect a range of performance information throughout the lifetime of this Grant and agree to share their learning and experience with other providers and grant applicants as determined by the Police and Crime Commissioner. There will be a performance evaluation process proportionate to the funding involved. The successful applicants will be required to contribute to an evidence based evaluation of the programme, inputting management and staff time if required, to help capture and share learning. Any evaluation undertaken will look to share learning best practice with all partners. 12
Support and contacts for return submissions: To apply download the form available at www.gmpcc.org.uk/funding. This form must be completed electronically and sent via email to grantenquiries@gmpcc.org.uk. If you have difficulties completing this form please email us on the above address or phone 0161 604 7711. Support on developing your application will be available at one of our information sessions. 13