third sector funding and commissioning … · draft . stronger communities fund . third sector...

DRAFT

STRONGER COMMUNITIES FUND

THIRD SECTOR FUNDING AND COMMISSIONING

PROSPECTUS 2010-13

London Borough of Croydon

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Stronger Communities Fund A new Stronger Communities Fund will replace the existing corporate funding programme, with priority themes closely aligned to the Local Area Agreement. The new programme is designed to maximise the contribution of the Third Sector to achieving the aims of the Local Area Agreement. It therefore focuses on promoting the sector’s ability to provide tailored services for groups where statutory services may not reach effectively or where take up is low eg marginalised or vulnerable communities. A common theme across all of the service prospectuses is contributing towards the promotion of equality of access to services and providing services to vulnerable communities

Priority Themes The Council is proposing five priority themes which link to the agreed priorities of the Local Area Agreement. These are, • Community Cohesion • Healthy Lifestyles • Positive Activities • Raising Aspirations, and • Environment and Conservation Cutting across all five themes will be, • Tackling inequality and supporting vulnerable people, and • Supporting the infrastructure of the Third Sector. The draft prospectus gives more details about these proposed themes. For each theme, the prospectus sets out, • which Local Area Agreement priorities are particularly relevant, • a description of the theme and why it is important, • examples to illustrate what services might be funded under the theme, and, • what funding process will apply This style of presentation is different from previous funding guides produced by the Council. In the past, priorities have been determined by service areas such as advice, community centres and infrastructure. The new themes take different approach. While there are suggestions about the type of service which might be funded, organisations are encouraged to propose new and innovative services to meet the Local Area Agreement outcomes of the theme. Bids may cover more than one theme. Does this mean that the Council will no longer be funding services which have previously been funded through the Chief Executive’s Office? Far from it. Many existing services are highly valued and relevant to the Local Area Agreement. Some of the examples show how these services may fit in with the new priorities. Organisations will also have the opportunity to put forward different ways of delivering services to achieve LAA outcomes.

Local Area Agreement Priorities How do you find out more about the Local Area Agreement priorities and targets? Each theme in the prospectus states which LAA priorities it relates to. These are set out in more

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detail in the Community Strategy. This is on the Councils Website at, http://www.croydon.gov.uk/community/advice/strategy/comstrategy09_12.

Opportunities to Feed Back Your Views The council would welcome your comments on the proposed themes. In particular, you might like to consider, • Does the prospectus give you a clear indication of what the themes mean and what

they are trying to achieve? • Is the language used clear? • Are there other priorities which should have been included within the themes? If so,

why are they important • Are there other good examples of services relevant to particular themes which we

might have included in the prospectus? You are welcome to attend one of the open meetings organised to discuss these new themes. The Stronger Communities Fund is one of the workshops at the forthcoming Commissioning Conference on 5th November at the Fairfield Halls. The Council has also organised a further open event specifically to discuss the new fund on 10 November at 5.00pm at the CVA Resource Centre in London Road. If you are not able to attend either meeting or you would like to make your comments in writing, please send your comments to the Council’s Third Sector team by e-mailing [email protected] or writing to,

David Freeman Head of the Third Sector Strategy and Communications Chief Executive's Office 7th Floor South Taberner House Park Lane Croydon CR9 3JS

Timetable

The Council’s Cabinet will decide the themes before Christmas so that they can be worked up into a final prospectus in the New Year. The application and decision making process and timetable is set out below.

Late Jan Prospectus published and bid invited End March Deadline for submission of bids April/May Assessment of bids June Funding Panel makes recommendations July Cabinet decides allocation of funding Aug/Sept Three year funding agreements set up Oct Funding commences

Training

The Council, in partnership with Croydon Voluntary Action, has organised a series of training events to support organisations to meet the demands of commissioning and, in particular, the requirements of the new Stronger Communities Fund. Details will be published shortly.

http://www.croydon.gov.uk/community/advice/strategy/comstrategy09_12

mailto:[email protected]

Stronger Communities Programme Prospectus Together Croydon – Supporting Community Cohesion

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Partnership responsible for theme Community Cohesion Partnership ‘Together Croydon’ LAA priority National Indicator 1: Promoting Community Cohesion, a sense of community and Community Engagement Target: Increasing to xx% the number of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local areas National Indicator 7: An environment for a thriving Third Sector Lead Officer Sharon Godman, Head of Equalities and Cohesion, Chief Executive’s Office Community involvement in determining needs and priorities Community representatives on Partnership Board. SERVICE SPECIFICATION Service description and rationale An integrated and cohesive community is one with: • Clearly defined, widely shared sense of contribution of different individuals and communities to a shared vision. • People know what everyone expects of them and what they can expect in return. • Different people from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities. • Strong sense of trust in institutions locally to act fairly and transparently in their decision making processes. • Strong recognition of the contributions made by both newcomers and those with deep attachments to the local area. • Strong positive relationships between people from different backgrounds, in the workplace, in schools and neighbourhood. (“Our Shared Future – The Government Response to the Commission for Integration and Cohesion Report 2008”) The Third Sector has a pivotal role in promoting community cohesion, a sense of community and community engagement. Voluntary and community organisations provide the glue which binds communities together, creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to work together to achieve shared goals. They provide a focus of activity, supporting individual community members and can be an effective voice on wider issuers and concerns. Through this funding programme, the Together Croydon Partnership seeks to support community activity which contribute towards achieving its key outcome, “increasing the percentage of people in Croydon who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area”, and which promote,


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1. Greater community identity and positive interaction among individuals, groups and

neighbourhoods 2. Celebration of the variety of cultures, lifestyles religions and beliefs within the

borough 3. Greater community integration at a local level 4. Development of culturally specific activities where appropriate

Examples of projects and activities These objectives can be achieved through a variety of activities and services. Examples include, • Small grants programmes to support local community events. • Interfaith activity to promote greater understanding between faith groups and to

develop activities where faith groups can have a particular impact on community cohesion issues.

• “Gateway” services. Those who are in greatest need of services are often those

who have least access to them either because of lack of awareness of services or other barriers such as language or mistrust. Community organisations can provide a valuable gateway to services by providing information to their communities, signposting and supporting individuals to gain access to services they need or benefits to which they are entitled. Ensuring equality of access to services reduces the perception of inequality and promotes community cohesion.

• Communities of identity may be represented by networks rather than by individual

organisations. Theme Networks which are linked to the Community Network provide an opportunity for organisations and individuals to participate in community engagement activities in specific equalities themes.

These examples provide a flavour of the types of activity the programme might support but it is not exhaustive. This programme is also keen to encourage new and innovative ways of promoting community cohesion. Investment is required to sustain and develop the Third Sector to enable it to provide a greater range of services, promote quality through continuous improvement and work towards a more sustainable future. The sustainability of the Third Sector and developing its capacity to deliver quality services is at the heart of the Stronger Communities Fund. Supporting activities which will have a direct impact on improving the delivery of Third Sector services funded through this programme cuts across all of its key themes. Outcomes and outputs “Increasing the percentage of people who believe that people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local areas.”


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Bids will be expected to show very clearly how they contribute towards the outcome of this programme using indicators which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Levels of Funding Available To be determined Commissioning process Single stage bidding process. Applicants are asked to submit proposals for services which must show clearly how they will contribute towards achieving the principal outcome of this funding theme within the Stronger Communities Fund. Applicants must use the Council’s standard service specification template to detail their proposals paying particular attention to the guidance provided for what information is required in each section of the template. A copy of the template is attached to this prospectus. Applicants must also complete the short ‘Core Information’ form attached to this prospectus and submit the documents listed on that form with their funding bid. Timetable Deadline for submission of bids: 5.00pm on 31 March 2010 Bids may be submitted electronically to [email protected] by the deadline but must be followed up by a signed copy of the Core Information Form by 5.00pm on Friday 9 April 2010. Monitoring arrangements Standard monitoring against targets and outputs agreed when funding commences with any additional requirements to meet specific needs such as statistics which are required by central govt. Contact details for further information and bidding documents Yvonne Gaye Strategy and Communications Chief Executive’s Office 7th Floor South Taberner House Park Lane Croydon CR9 3JS

020 8604 7029 [email protected] www.croydon.gov.uk/thirdsector



http://www.croydon.gov.uk/thirdsector

Stronger Communities Programme Prospectus

Healthy Lifestyles

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Partnership responsible for theme Healthy Croydon Partnership LAA priority National Indicator 8: Increase adult participation in sport National Indicator 53: Increase the prevalence of breast feeding at 6-8 weeks from birth National Indicator 55: Reduce obesity amongst primary school aged children in reception year National Indicator 112: Reduce the under 18 conception rate National Indicator 7: An environment for a thriving Third Sector Lead Officer Community involvement in determining needs and priorities Community representatives on Partnership Board. SERVICE SPECIFICATION Service description and rationale Supporting healthy lifestyles to improve health outcomes across the community is a recurrent theme in Croydon’s Community Strategy and is reflected in a number of the Local Area Agreement indicators and targets. This funding programme promotes the contribution of the Third Sector towards those indicators and, on particular, outcomes around improving adult health through participation in sport, children’s health in early life through promoting breast feeding, reducing childhood obesity and improving the sexual health of younger teenagers. The Third Sector has a significant contribution to make towards achieving these outcomes. Most community sport is delivered by voluntary and community organisations, though sports clubs are often seen as outside the Third Sector, meaning that many do not benefit from the wide range of support and advice available to other Third Sector organisations. Together, Third Sector organisations and those involved in sport can generate synergy, share knowledge, skills, expertise and resources to improve effectiveness and reach – vital to improving participation in sport to those whose opportunities are limited. Evidence shows that there are inequities in levels of participation amongst some groups – lower socio-economic groups, women, older people, black and other ethnic minority populations, and people with a limiting longstanding illness or disability have particularly low levels of participation. Community based organisations are also ideally placed to promote other healthy lifestyle messages. Evidence published by the Big Lottery on the impact of the Lottery funded Healthy Living Centres demonstrates the success of community based initiatives in delivering positive health outcomes for the individuals involved and also contributing to more robust community infrastructure and cohesion.


Healthy Lifestyles

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Examples of projects and activities The objectives of this funding programme can be achieved through a wide range of activities and services. Examples might include, • Infrastructure support dedicated to community sports clubs, • Revenue support for community sports clubs • Targeted and innovative healthy living promotion programmes • Food co-operatives, dietary advice and other integrated lifestyle projects These examples provide a flavour of the types of activity the programme might support but it is not exhaustive. This programme is also keen to encourage new and innovative ways of promoting healthier lifestyles. The Third Sector is recognised as having a unique role in tackling inequality and providing services to vulnerable people, particularly those who, for a variety of reasons, may not take up mainstream statutory services. Supporting Third Sector organisations to address inequality and meet the needs of vulnerable people is a theme which cuts across all of the prospectuses in the Stronger Communities Fund. Bids are therefore particularly welcome for services within the theme of this prospectus which target inequality and the needs of vulnerable people. Investment is required to sustain and develop the Third Sector to enable it to provide a greater range of services, promote quality through continuous improvement and work towards a more sustainable future. The sustainability of the Third Sector and developing its capacity to deliver quality services is at the heart of the Stronger Communities Fund. Supporting activities which will have a direct impact on improving the delivery of Third Sector services funded through this programme cuts across all of its key themes. Outcomes and outputs Bids will be expected to show very clearly how they contribute towards the outcome of this programme using indicators which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Levels of Funding Available To be determined Commissioning process Single stage bidding process. Applicants are asked to submit proposals for services which must show clearly how they will contribute towards achieving the principal outcome of this funding theme within the


Healthy Lifestyles

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Stronger Communities Fund. Applicants must use the Council’s standard service specification template to detail their proposals paying particular attention to the guidance provided for what information is required in each section of the template. A copy of the template is attached to this prospectus. Applicants must also complete the short ‘Core Information’ form attached to this prospectus and submit the documents listed on that form with their funding bid. Timetable Deadline for submission of bids: 5.00pm on 31 March 2010 Bids may be submitted electronically to [email protected] by the deadline but must be followed up by a signed copy of the Core Information Form by 5.00pm on Friday 9 April 2010. Monitoring arrangements Standard monitoring against targets and outputs agreed when funding commences with any additional requirements to meet specific needs such as statistics which are required by central govt. Contact details for further information and bidding documents Yvonne Gaye Strategy and Communications Chief Executive’s Office 7th Floor South Taberner House Park Lane Croydon CR9 3JS






Positive Activities

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Partnership responsible for theme Safer Croydon Partnership, Healthy Croydon Partnership and Children’s Trust LAA priority National Indicator 110: Young people’s participation in positive activities National Indicator 141: Number of vulnerable people achieving independent living National Indicator 152: Working age people on out of work benefits National Indicator 7: An environment for a thriving Third Sector Lead Officer Safer Croydon Partnership Manager Community involvement in determining needs and priorities Community representatives on Partnership Board. SERVICE SPECIFICATION Service description and rationale What young people do, or don’t do, out-of-school matters. Research demonstrates that the activities young people participate in out-of-school have a significant bearing on their later life outcomes. Positive activities are a good use of young people’s time because they provide opportunities to:

• acquire, and practice, specific social, physical, emotional and intellectual skills • contribute to the community • belong to a socially recognised group • establish supportive social networks of peers and adults • experience and deal with challenges • enjoy themselves Bids are also welcome for activities which provide positive activities for other age groups, particularly people seeking employment and for activities which help to improve and maintain the quality of life for older people. Examples of projects and activities Positive activities include, • Sporting activities, cultural and recreational activities organised within communities

or by community groups. • Positive lifestyle activity for older people • Opportunities for volunteering. The Third Sector can offer a raft of volunteering

opportunities for young people to engage in positive activity, developing their sense


Positive Activities

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of social responsibility and citizenship, and, in many instances providing experiences which can have a direct impact on future career and job opportunities. Volunteering can also be a bridge for people seeking employment to new opportunities and experiences.

For younger people, the key is that activities are structured, good quality, adult led and support development towards the Every Child Matters outcomes. These examples provide a flavour of the types of activity the programme might support but it is not exhaustive. This programme is also keen to encourage new and innovative ways of promoting positive activities. The Third Sector is recognised as having a unique role in tackling inequality and providing services to vulnerable people, particularly those who, for a variety of reasons, may not take up mainstream statutory services. Supporting Third Sector organisations to address inequality and meet the needs of vulnerable people is a theme which cuts across all of the prospectuses in the Stronger Communities Fund. Bids are therefore particularly welcome for services within the theme of this prospectus which target inequality and the needs of vulnerable people. Outcomes and outputs Bids will be expected to show very clearly how they contribute towards the outcome of this programme using indicators which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Levels of Funding Available To be determined Commissioning process Single stage bidding process. Applicants are asked to submit proposals for services which must show clearly how they will contribute towards achieving the principal outcome of this funding theme within the Stronger Communities Fund. Applicants must use the Council’s standard service specification template to detail their proposals paying particular attention to the guidance provided for what information is required in each section of the template. A copy of the template is attached to this prospectus. Applicants must also complete the short ‘Core Information’ form attached to this prospectus and submit the documents listed on that form with their funding bid. Timetable


Positive Activities

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Deadline for submission of bids: 5.00pm on 31 March 2010 Bids may be submitted electronically to [email protected] by the deadline but must be followed up by a signed copy of the Core Information Form by 5.00pm on Friday 9 April 2010. Monitoring arrangements Standard monitoring against targets and outputs agreed when funding commences with any additional requirements to meet specific needs such as statistics which are required by central govt. Contact details for further information and bidding documents Yvonne Gaye Strategy and Communications Chief Executive’s Office 7th Floor South Taberner House Park Lane Croydon CR9 3JS






Raising Aspiration

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Partnership responsible for theme Children’s Trust LAA priority National Indicator 106: Increasing the number of young people from low income backgrounds progressing to higher education National Indicator 111: Reducing the number of first time entrants to the Youth Justice system aged 10-17 National Indicator 114: Reducing the rate of permanent exclusions from school National Indicator 7: An environment for a thriving Third Sector Lead Officer Children and Young People Partnership Manager Community involvement in determining needs and priorities Community representatives on Partnership Board. SERVICE SPECIFICATION Service description and rationale The Social Exclusion Task Force investigation into raising the attainment of young people concluded that there are clear links between deprivation and low aspiration and that the quality of community cohesion also has an impact on aspiration. The Third Sector is well placed to have an impact of raising the aspirations of young people, engaging them in positive activities to raise their expectations and avoiding the cycle of low educational achievement, school exclusion and anti social behaviour. This programme seeks to support grassroots projects working with young people in their local communities to promote educational attainment and aspiration. Examples of projects and activities

• Mentoring. Schemes which support mentors working with young people, particularly those at risk of exclusion and participating in anti social behaviour.

• Youth volunteering. Schemes which provide opportunities for young people to

volunteer, brokering suitable placements in community organisations.

• Supplementary education. Projects involving parents and young people in providing additional educational support, particularly in harder to reach communities.

• ICT projects: Projects developing ICT skills focussing on community website

development involving young people.


Raising Aspiration

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These examples provide a flavour of the types of activity the programme might support but it is not exhaustive. This programme is also keen to encourage new and innovative ways of raising the aspirations of young people. The Third Sector is recognised as having a unique role in tackling inequality and providing services to vulnerable people, particularly those who, for a variety of reasons, may not take up mainstream statutory services. Supporting Third Sector organisations to address inequality and meet the needs of vulnerable people is a theme which cuts across all of the prospectuses in the Stronger Communities Fund. Bids are therefore particularly welcome for services within the theme of this prospectus which target inequality and the needs of vulnerable people. Investment is required to sustain and develop the Third Sector to enable it to provide a greater range of services, promote quality through continuous improvement and work towards a more sustainable future. The sustainability of the Third Sector and developing its capacity to deliver quality services is at the heart of the Stronger Communities Fund. Supporting activities which will have a direct impact on improving the delivery of Third Sector services funded through this programme cuts across all of its key themes. Outcomes and outputs Bids will be expected to show very clearly how they contribute towards the outcome of this programme using indicators which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Levels of Funding Available To be determined Commissioning process Single stage bidding process. Applicants are asked to submit proposals for services which must show clearly how they will contribute towards achieving the principal outcome of this funding theme within the Stronger Communities Fund. Applicants must use the Council’s standard service specification template to detail their proposals paying particular attention to the guidance provided for what information is required in each section of the template. A copy of the template is attached to this prospectus. Applicants must also complete the short ‘Core Information’ form attached to this prospectus and submit the documents listed on that form with their funding bid. Timetable


Raising Aspiration

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Deadline for submission of bids: 5.00pm on 31 March 2010 Bids may be submitted electronically to [email protected] by the deadline but must be followed up by a signed copy of the Core Information Form by 5.00pm on Friday 9 April 2010. Monitoring arrangements Standard monitoring against targets and outputs agreed when funding commences with any additional requirements to meet specific needs such as statistics which are required by central govt. Contact details for further information and bidding documents Yvonne Gaye Strategy and Communications Chief Executive’s Office 7th Floor South Taberner House Park Lane Croydon CR9 3JS






Environment and Conservation

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Partnership responsible for theme Climate Change and Environment Partnership LAA priority National Indicator 192: Increasing the amount of household waste recycled and composted National Indicator 7: An environment for a thriving Third Sector Lead Officer Climate Change and Environment Partnership Manager Community involvement in determining needs and priorities Community representatives on Partnership Board. SERVICE SPECIFICATION Service description and rationale The Third Sector plays a significant role in both the promotion of recycling and the delivery of related services. The role has changed with more recycling services being incorporated by local authorities into mainstream waste management contracts with multinational companies. In some areas, Third Sector organisations have successfully developed partnerships with commercial service providers, but, overall, services such as kerbside collections are less frequently provided by TSOs than in the past. However, the Third Sector retains a unique role in advocating recycling within the community and in providing services which combine social benefits with meeting environmental objectives. This programme focuses on recycling and reducing the amount of household waste sent to landfill. However, it also recognises that many activities which might contribute to this objective may also link to other Local Area Agreement indicators and targets such as community cohesion and reducing worklessness as well as wider objectives in providing affordable quality goods to people on low incomes. Services linked to the environment and conservation also link closely to other Local Area Agreement indicators and targets highlighted in other themes within the Stronger Communities Fund such as healthy lifestyles and positive activities. Bids which contribute towards these indicators through activities which focus on the environment and conservation are therefore particularly welcome. Examples of projects and activities The objectives of this programme can be achieved through a wide range of activities and services. Examples might include, • Furniture recycling projects. The disposal of white goods and bulky furniture has a

significant environmental impact and direct costs associated with the actual cost of disposal and landfill tax. Recycling of these goods therefore has both environmental



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and cost benefits. It can also provide a source of inexpensive, good quality furniture to individuals on low incomes. Training schemes are also often linked to recycling schemes, providing workplace training opportunities which have a realistic chance of providing long term employment, particularly around the repair and maintenance of white goods.

• Community recycling projects. Bringing people together in communities around the

theme of promoting the benefits of kerbside recycling. • Community exchange schemes. Exchanging unwanted items rather than disposal or

payment for services with goods rather than cash. • Conservation and ecology projects engaging young people in positive activities. • Scrap schemes which recycle clean waste material from industry to schools and

nurseries These examples provide a flavour of the types of activity the programme might support but it is not exhaustive. This programme is also keen to encourage new and innovative ways of promoting the environment and conservation. The Third Sector is recognised as having a unique role in tackling inequality and providing services to vulnerable people, particularly those who, for a variety of reasons, may not take up mainstream statutory services. Supporting Third Sector organisations to address inequality and meet the needs of vulnerable people is a theme which cuts across all of the prospectuses in the Stronger Communities Fund. Bids are therefore particularly welcome for services within the theme of this prospectus which target inequality and the needs of vulnerable people. Investment is required to sustain and develop the Third Sector to enable it to provide a greater range of services, promote quality through continuous improvement and work towards a more sustainable future. The sustainability of the Third Sector and developing its capacity to deliver quality services is at the heart of the Stronger Communities Fund. Supporting activities which will have a direct impact on improving the delivery of Third Sector services funded through this programme cuts across all of its key themes. Outcomes and outputs Bids will be expected to show very clearly how they contribute towards the outcome of this programme using indicators which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Levels of Funding Available To be determined Commissioning process



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Single stage bidding process. Applicants are asked to submit proposals for services which must show clearly how they will contribute towards achieving the principal outcome of this funding theme within the Stronger Communities Fund. Applicants must use the Council’s standard service specification template to detail their proposals paying particular attention to the guidance provided for what information is required in each section of the template. A copy of the template is attached to this prospectus. Applicants must also complete the short ‘Core Information’ form attached to this prospectus and submit the documents listed on that form with their funding bid. Timetable Deadline for submission of bids: 5.00pm on 31 March 2010 Bids may be submitted electronically to [email protected] by the deadline but must be followed up by a signed copy of the Core Information Form by 5.00pm on Friday 9 April 2010. Monitoring arrangements Standard monitoring against targets and outputs agreed when funding commences with any additional requirements to meet specific needs such as statistics which are required by central govt. Contact details for further information and bidding documents Yvonne Gaye Strategy and Communications Chief Executive’s Office 7th Floor South Taberner House Park Lane Croydon CR9 3JS





Appendix B Stronger Communities Fund Draft Priorities Consultation There has been extensive consultation with internal and external stakeholders on the Stronger Communities Fund Draft Prospectus. This has included, • Funded organisations through invitation to make written submissions and

discussions with individual organisations • Public meetings, including the Strengthening Communities Partnership

Conference • Presentations to Third Sector Forums • Presentations to Strengthening Communities Partnership • Presentation to Community Cohesion Partnership The consultation process is ongoing and stakeholders will continue to be involved in developing the assessment process and programme of training and support for potential bidders to the fund. The draft prospectus has received broad support. The approach has been cautiously welcomed and stakeholders have acknowledged the new opportunities created in the recommissioning process. There have also been some concerns. The key issues of concern which have arisen from the consultation are summarised below together with officers’ response Issue Response

Potential exclusion of smaller Third Sector organisations from the commissioning. Smaller organisations are unfamiliar with the process and therefore need support and training process

The Prospectus makes it clear that the Council is seeking bids from the whole spectrum of Third Sector organisations, particularly smaller organisations representing or providing services for excluded or hard to reach communities. This intention is reinforced by the training programme which the Council has commissioned in partnership with Croydon Voluntary Action. This programme focuses on the needs of organisations which are less familiar with commissioning. The Council is very conscious that the bidding process will be new to many organisations, especially smaller, volunteer based, organisations. A series of workshops on the bidding process will be held during the early part of 2010.

Funding for second tier infrastructure organisations – infrastructure organisations have expressed concern that there is no reference to NI 7, an environment for a thriving Third Sector

The prospectus has been amended to make more explicit the implicit reference to NI 7. Support for the infrastructure of the Third Sector is a cross cutting priority across all of the themes. Infrastructure organisations will therefore be able to bid across all themes to provide support services.

Loss of funding for good quality services which do not meet new priorities

The new prospectus provides opportunities for organisations to refocus services to meet the LAA priorities set out in the five themes. However, there

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may be some good services which still do not meet the new priorities. There may be other funding opportunities elsewhere in the Council’s funding programmes and the Council will support organisations in seeking alternative funding. Where services have to significantly contract or close, the Council will follow good practice set out in its policy on withdrawal of funding.

Process must be straightforward and transparent – a level playing field

The Council will make every effort to ensure that the process is open and transparent by providing clear guidance on the way bids should be submitted, how they will be assessed and the decision making process. A series of workshops on the bidding process will be held during the early part of 2010.

Concern that focus on TSOs providing services focussed on national targets may undermine essence of community based organisations being well placed to respond to local needs Seed corn funding is necessary to support new, innovative services

The Third Sector is a partner in the Local Strategic Partnership and has participated in determining which of the national indicators should be included in Croydon’s Local Area Agreement. It has also participated in determining the local indicators which have been included in the LAA. The prospectus acknowledges the need to ensure that there is funding and support available to develop new initiatives. Small grants programmes is one of the examples of schemes which could be eligible set out in the prospectus.

Concern about capacity of LBC/NHS Croydon to manage commissioning process well

This is a broad concern, not just specific to the Stronger Communities Fund. There are particular concerns because of changes resulting from the Council’s restructuring programme. Third Sector commissioning is carried out in the context of the agreed Commissioning Framework. This document provides the reference point for all commissioning activity and for all commissioning managers. This is complemented by a corporate commissioners group which includes representation from NHS Croydon and the Third Sector as well the Council’s commissioners. Commissioners will be participating alongside Third Sector partners in the training programme for commissioning currently being rolled out

New funding agreements will commence in 2010 for three years. New LAA will come into effect in 2011. Need to ensure flexibility ands creativity about how funding may be used in the future.

The 2011-14 Local Area Agreement will be different from the current LAA but it is likely that many of the key priorities will continue to be relevant. However, funding agreements will be flexible and there will be opportunities to vary the terms of these agreements by mutual consent over time if necessary. The flexibility afforded by funding agreements is one of the reasons for adopting this form of funding mechanism for most funding rather than more formal, less flexible, contracts.

third sector funding and commissioning … · draft . stronger communities fund . third sector...

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