Informal Grants Committee 27 March 2024 : 11:00 am Agenda Virtual via Teams Labour Group: Teams 10:30 am Conservative Group: Teams 10:30 am Liberal Democrat Teams 10:30 am Contact Officer: Ana Gradiska Ana.gradiska@londoncouncils.gov.uk Agenda item 1. Apologies for Absence and announcement of deputies 2. *Declarations of Interest 3. Minutes of the Grants Committee held on 22 November 2023 1-3 4. Minutes of the Grants Executive held on 28 February 2024 (for noting) 4-7 5. Streetlink London Advice Line - presentation - 6. Performance of the grants programme 2022- 26: April 2022 to December 2023 8-71 7. Performance Management Update: Against Violence and Abuse (AVA) 72-80 8. New proposal for Service Area 2.1: Prevention 81-101 9. Grants Programme beyond March 2026 102-114 10. Proposed Evaluation of the 2022-26 Grants Programme 115-120 *Declarations of Interests If you are present at a meeting of London Councils’ or any of its associated joint committees or their sub-committees and you have a disclosable pecuniary interest* relating to any business that is or will be considered at the meeting you must not: • participate in any discussion of the business at the meeting, or if you become aware of your disclosable pecuniary interest during the meeting, participate further in any discussion of the business, or • participate in any vote taken on the matter at the meeting. These prohibitions apply to any form of participation, including speaking as a member of the public. It is a matter for each member to decide whether they should leave the room while an item that they have an interest in is being discussed. In arriving at a decision as to whether to leave the room they may wish to have regard to their home authority’s code of conduct and/or the Seven (Nolan) Principles of Public Life. *as defined by the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 LONDON COUNCILS’ GRANTS COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE – INFORMAL MEETING M inutes of the Informal Grants Committee Executive meeting held via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 28 February at 3pm M embers: C llr Kaya Comer-Schwartz (LB Islington) - Chair (Lab) Cllr Shantanu Rajawat (LB Hounslow) – Vice Chair (Lab) Cllr David Leaf (LB Bexley) – Vice Chair (Con) Cllr Marian James (LB Sutton) – Vice Chair (LD) Cllr Stephanie Cryan (LB Southwark) (Lab) Cllr Vicky Ashworth (LB Waltham Forest) (Lab) Cllr Jean Lammiman (LB Harrow) (Con) London C ouncils officers were in attendance. The C hair welcomed Grants Executive members and London Councils officers to the meeting. 1 A pologies for Absence and Announcement of Deputies 1.1 A pologies were received from Paul Martinelli (City of London), Cllr Eleanor Stringer (LB Merton) and Cllr Sarah Addenbrooke (RBKC). 2 D eclarations of Interests* 2.1 Ther e were no declarations of interest. 3 Minutes of Grants Executive held on 20th September 2023 (for noting – to be agreed by Urgency) 3.1 The m inutes were noted. 4 M inutes of Grants Committee AGM held on 22nd November 2023 (for noting) 4.1 The minutes were noted. 5 P roposed timeline for Grants programme beyond March 2026 5.1 D oug Flight, Strategic Policy Lead, introduced this report, which sets out the proposed timetable for consultation for, and implementation of any future grants programme beyond March 2026. The preliminary work, including a needs analysis, was due to commence shortly and an initial report would be taken to the Leaders’ Committee in July 2024. 5.2 The c onsultation, due to launch in early May 2024, would be open to the individual boroughs which fund the programme (both at officer and member level), other funders, members of the public and voluntary organisations. The consultation would aim to examine whether the programme should continue, and if so, what its priorities should be. 5.3 A ti metable, designed to establish the scope of the 2026-2030 grants programme and the implementation plan of any future programme, and which covered proposed steps and timelines, was then presented to the Executive. 1 5.4 Members made the following comments: • The Grants programme was delivering successfully and should continue beyond 2026. • The programme should ensure that the projects were still well-balanced across different areas of London. • The programme would need to take into account the recent legislation relating to domestic violence and homelessness. It would also be helpful to receive an overview of the work that other bodies were currently carrying out on these issues. • Issues relating to housing and homelessness were getting more urgent across London. • The existing priorities still seemed appropriate but it would be helpful to have an evidence base to substantiate this. • Boroughs in London which had ‘council of sanctuary’ status were experiencing additional pressures relating to homelessness and domestic violence and abuse. • Other acute emerging issues in boroughs were food security and other cost of living- related issues. • Councils were currently under extreme financial pressure and it was important to ensure that the programme was delivering value for money and taking pressure off existing council services. 6 Evaluation timetable 6.1 Doug Flight, Strategic Policy Lead, introduced this report, which sets out the proposed timetable for an external evaluation to be carried out on the 2022-26 Grants Programme. The evaluation would be carried out during 2024-2025. The Grants Committee had already agreed to the evaluation as part of the establishment of the current programme, and it was hoped that the information would help members when designing the new Grants programme. The evaluation would be done in three phases: Phase 1 – Equalities, Phase 2 – Value for Money and Phase 3 – Mechanics and Operational Processes. The consultants would be required to produce a toolkit for officers to evaluate the programme's value for money upon its conclusion in March 2026. 6.2 In reply to members’ questions about whether the toolkit could help determine financial viability of an organisation and their ability to deliver the programme, particularly in light of the recent inflationary uplift, the Strategic Policy Lead said that evaluators would be asked to look at the financial viability of organisations. He added that currently, groups were typically either using their reserves or bringing in other funding to cope with the inflationary increases, which meant that full cost recovery has not always been possible. However, this situation would be revisited in the final two years of the programme, and the Grants Committee could potentially decide use reserves to alleviate the impact of inflation on funded organisations. The Strategy Director said that once the evaluation has been finalised, the Grants team would liaise with London Funders on the issue of the viability of organisations as they had extensive experience in this field. 6.3 In response to a question about ensuring that the governance of the programme remained robust, the Strategy Lead said that it would be possible to incorporate this into one of the later phases of the evaluation. 2 6.4 In response to a question about whether it would be possible to implement any necessary mitigating actions following the equality impact assessment, the Strategic Policy Lead said that a number of projects were working with clients with protected characteristics, and the Grants team could intervene if necessary to ensure that referrals were coming from the appropriate places. 6.5 In response a request for organisations working in boroughs which have made care experience a protected characteristics to provide this information as part of their equalities data, the Strategy Director said that although it was difficult to change reporting arrangements mid-programme, the Grants team would work with the evaluators to determine how this information could be captured by the funded organisations. 7 Month 9 Revenue Forecast 2023/24 7.1 David Sanni, Director of Corporate Resources, introduced this report, which outlines actual income and expenditure against the approved income and expenditure in the budget to the end of December 2023 for the Grants Committee. The report also provides a forecast of the outturn position for 2023/24 for both actual and committed expenditure on commissions, along with the administration of all these commissions. 7.2 Members were asked to note that the projected surplus was £35,000. This has arisen due to a combination of factors, including a surplus on investment income, and a marginal overspend on operating costs. The projected level of uncommitted reserves was £710,000 which exceeded the minimum level agreed by the Committee. 7.3 The next report, to be presented to the Grants Committee in the summer, would cover the provisional outturn results. 7.4 In response to a question about whether there would be financial impact on the programme due to AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) going into liquidation, Director of Resources said that no negative financial effects were expected. 7.5 The Grants Executive Committee noted the projected surplus of £35,000 for the year; and the projected level of Grants Committee reserves of £710,000. 3 LONDON COUNCILS’ GRANTS COMMITTEE 11am, 22 November 2023, Toynbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LS Minutes of the meeting of the Grants Committee held on 22 November 2023 London Borough & Royal Borough: Representative: Bexley Cllr David Leaf Brent Cllr Fleur Donnelly-Jackson City of London Paul Martinelli Croydon Cllr Ola Kolade Ealing Cllr Polly Knewstub Enfield Cllr Alev Cazimoglu Hackney Cllr Christopher Kennedy Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Rebecca Harvey Islington Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz Lewisham Mayor Damien Egan (Chair) Merton Cllr Eleanor Stringer Richmond upon Thames Cllr Jim Millard (dep) Southwark Cllr Stephanie Cryan Sutton Cllr Marian James London Councils officers were in attendance. 1. Apologies for Absence and Announcement of Deputies 1.1 Apologies were received from Cllr Zahra Beg (LB Barnet), Cllr Kate Lymer (LB Bromley), Cllr Adel Khaireh (RB Greenwich), Cllr Peray Ahmet (LB Haringey), Cllr Jean Lammiman (LB Harrow), Cllr Gillian Ford (LB Havering), Cllr Martin Goddard (LB Hillingdon), Cllr Shrivaj Grewal (LB Hounslow) Cllr Sarah Addenbrooke (RB Kensington and Chelsea), Cllr Andreas Kirsch (RB Kingston upon Thames), Cllr Charlene McLean (LB Newham), Cllr Nancy Baldwin (LB Richmond upon Thames) and Cllr Vicky Ashworth (LB Waltham Forest). 2. Declarations of Interest 2.1 There were no declarations of interest. 3. Minutes of the Grants Committee AGM held on 12 July 2023 3.1 The Grants AGM minutes were agreed. 4. Minutes of the Grants Executive held on 20 September 2023 4.1 The Grants Executive minutes were agreed. 4 5. Performance of Grants Programme 2022-2026: April 2023 to September 2023 5.1 Pilar Kusel, Grants Manager, introduced this report, which provides members with information on the 2022-26 Grants Programme, for the period April 2022 to September 2023: • For Priority One, performance was four per cent above profile over the first six quarters of the programme. • New Horizon Youth Centre, lead partner for the London Youth Gateway has exceeded the +15 per cent performance tolerance and has over delivered on education and training, improved life skills, physical and mental health and young people assisted to obtain accommodation outcomes. This was mainly due to a large increase in young refugees seeking/receiving project support. • St Mungo’s staff industrial action has been concluded and the organisation has confirmed that there has been no impact on service delivery during the industrial action on either of the projects led by them: HARP Connect and Streetlink. • Stonewall Housing has signed up for a new partnership with Only A Pavement Away to develop a Jobs Board which will help achieve outcomes in terms of education, training, and employment. • The London Plus project, led by Homeless Link, has been working on the promotion of OpFortitude, a new service to create a specific pathway of accommodation for veterans, and to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2024. • In terms of policy and wider environment, there has been a steep increase (22.1 per cent) in homelessness presentations, and a 6.6 per cent increase in households living in temporary accommodation in June 2023 compared with the same period last year. There has been a rise in the number of households living in B&B accommodation and also an increase in rough sleeping compared to last year. • In terms of performance management, four Priority One projects are currently rated Green, and one is rated Amber: HARP Connect, delivered by St Mungo. This is due to low attainment in a number of outcomes including eviction prevention, resolution of landlord or property issues and tenancy sustainment. There have also been staff issues which have impacted reporting. All of which is being addressed by the group. • Priority Two was three percent above profile overall at the end of quarter six. • The Healthy London, Healthy Relationships (HLHR) Project, led by AVA, has overdelivered due to increased numbers of children and young people, being supported through group sessions, outreach and training. HLHR has successfully increased their delivery in boroughs where there has previously been little or no delivery, such as LB Bexley and LB Redbridge. • The LGBT Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP), led by GALOP, report a 20 per cent increase in hate crime referrals and specifically, a 44 per cent increase in online hate crime referrals. • The Ascent Specialist Refuge Partnership project led by Ashiana Network, which aims to relieve homelessness and address the harms of domestic abuse, started in quarter five. • In terms of performance management, seven Priority Two projects are rated Green, and one is rated Amber. The London Refuges Data Collection Project, led by Women’s Aid Federation, is RAG rated Amber after being Green in previous quarters, due to problems with getting information from borough officers for its surveys. The HLHR project which had been RAG rated Amber since the beginning of the programme is now rated Green, due to increased collaboration with a number of boroughs in delivering a Whole School Approach to ending sexual and domestic violence. 5 5.2 In response to a member’s request that people with care experience are included in all reporting statistics, the Grants Manager informed that this issue will form part of the consultation process which will take place next year. 5.3 In response to a member’s question about how AVA’s improved engagement with boroughs can be helpful to other commissions, the Grants Manager said that new partners were still learning how to work in a pan-London way, and that the programme offers opportunities for projects to sharing their experiences with other organisations (e.g. cross- priority meetings). 5.4 In response to a member’s question about what support there was within the Grants programme for people leaving prison, the Grants manager said that the project HARP Connect led by St. Mungo’s is focused on providing support to prison leavers at all stages of their journey through the criminal justice system. Starting in prison to the day of release and in the community, they provide expert housing advice and trauma-informed targeted interventions to prevent homelessness. 5.5 In response to a question about providing a breakdown of different disability statistics so that members can see granular data for each project, London Councils officers said the Equalities Report shared with November Committee papers include a breakdown by priority, and that they hold information at project level, which they would be happy to share with members. 5.6 In response to questions about what agility in the system there is to help homeless people with no recourse to public funds and for people leaving asylum support, Yolande Burgess, Director of Strategy, said that the Grants team was working with a number of partners including the rough sleeping team within London Councils, the Mayor, borough officers and other funders. A multi-pronged approach was being used to support people with no recourse to public funds. 5.7 Members noted the report. 6. Month 6 Revenue Forecast 2023-24 6.1 David Sanni, Director of Resources, introduced this report which outlines actual income and expenditure against the approved income and expenditure in the budget to the end of September 2023, and provides a forecast of the outturn position for 2023/24 for both actual and committed expenditure on commissions, along with the administration of all these commissions. 6.2 At this stage, a surplus of £47,000 was forecast over the approved budget. 6.3 In response to a question about whether the Committee can benefit from raised interest rates and cash balances, the Director of Resources responded that the Committee’s balances were managed by the City of London’s treasury management team and that the situation was constantly being monitored to take into account the fluctuating markets and interest rates. 6.4 The Grants Executive Committee noted the projected surplus of £47,000 for the year and the projected level of Grants Committee reserves. 7. London Councils Grants Scheme – Budget Proposals 2024-25 6 7.1 David Sanni, Director of Resources, introduced this report, which considers the proposed budget for the Grants Scheme for 2024/25 and makes a recommendation to the Committee on the appropriate level to recommend to constituent councils for approval, subject to the agreement of the overall budget by Leaders’ Committee. He added that: • London Councils has already taken a number of measures to reduce costs such as planning to move to smaller premises in 2024. • The total aggregate contributions from boroughs have remained frozen at £6.7m although there will be changes to individual boroughs contribution according to the ONS population data. • The projected level of uncommitted general reserves, after considering these proposals, amounts to just under £700k which is above the agreed minimum level agreed by the Committee in July 2023. 7.2 The Grants Committee agreed (subject to the agreement of London Councils Leaders’ Committee on 12 December 2023): • An overall level of expenditure of £6.732 million for the Grants Scheme in 2024/25; • Borough contributions for 2024/25 of £6.668 million, consistent with the current year; • A transfer from Premises Reserves of £64,000 to fully cover the costs of the premises move; • A transfer to a Change Management Earmarked Reserve of £15,000. The meeting finished at 11.40am 7 Summary At its meeting of 24 November 2021 Grants Committee agreed funding for 13 commissions under the following two priorities: Priority 1 Combatting Homelessness Priority 2 Tackling Sexual and Domestic Abuse In addition, the funding awarded under the 2017- 22 programme to Ashiana Network to deliver the Specialist Refuge Network under Service Area 2.4 was extended to 31 March 2023 to give time to develop longer term arrangements with the boroughs and the Greater London Authority (GLA) following the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act. On 26 January 2023, funding for a new commission delivering under Service area 2.4 from April 2023 was agreed. Funding was agreed for the period 2022 to 2026, subject to delivery, compliance with grant conditions and continued availability of resources. This report provides members with: - T he fifth performance report on the two priorities of the 2022-26 Grants Programme, for the period April 2022 to December 2023 (quarters one to seven) Recommendations The Grants Committee is asked to note: a) o utcomes at priority level to end of quarter seven i) Priority 1, combatting homelessness, overall is four per cent above profile ii) Priority 2, tackling sexual and domestic abuse, overall is two per cent below profile Grants Committee Performance of Grants Programme 2022-2026 April 2022 – December 2023 Item: 6 Report by Feria Henry and Pilar Kusel Job title Grants Managers Date 27 March 2024 Contact Officer Feria Henry/Pilar Kusel Telephone 020 7934 9529 0207 934 9815 Email Feria.henry@londoncouncils.gov.uk Pilar.kusel@londoncouncils.gov.uk 8 b) The number of interventions delivered in the relevant period: i) Priority 1, combatting homelessness – 18,874 ii) Priority 2 , tackling sexual and domestic abuse – 125,773 c) P roject level performance, using the Red, Amber, Green (RAG) performance management system (explained at Appendix 1): i) 11 projects are rated Green ii) Two projects are rated Amber iii) One project is rated Red d) T he borough maps (Appendix 2) e) T he project delivery information and contact details (Appendix 3), with up-to-date contact information, as well as an update on performance Appendix 1 RAG Rating Methodology Appendix 2 Borough Maps Appendix 3 Project Delivery Information and Contact Details 9 Page 1 of 32 1 Background 1.1 The 2022 to 2026 Grants Programme focuses on the following priorities: Priority 1 - Combatting Homelessness Priority 2 - Tackling Sexual and Domestic Abuse 1.2 Grants Committee has agreed funding for 14 projects for the period 2022 to 2026, subject to delivery, compliance with grant conditions and continued availability of resources. 1.3 A one year extension of the Specialist Refuge Network led by Ashiana Network under the 2017-22 programme under service area 2.41 - was agreed to run to 31 March 2023 to enable longer term arrangements to be developed with the boroughs and the GLA as a result of the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act. 1.4 Funding for provision under Service Area 2.4 from April 2023 to 31 March 2026 was awarded to Ashiana Network for the Ascent Specialist Refuge Partnership in January 2023. This service commence d on 1 April 2023. Performance for this project and the extended year of the project under the 2017-22 programme are included in the figures reported in this paper. Grants are summarised in Table 1. Table 1: London Councils Grants Programme 2022-26 (Priority 1 and 2) Service Area2 Organisation Agreed awarded amount 1.1 Shelter, The National Campaign for Homeless People Ltd £3,706,718 1.1 St Mungo Community Housing Association £1,315,749 1.2 St Mungo Community Housing Association £413,021 1.3 New Horizon Youth Centre £3,756,866 1.4 Homeless Link £693,509 Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness £9,885,863 1 Service area 2.4 - Emergency refuge accommodation and support and alternative housing options to meet the needs of specific groups 2 See paragraphs 2.1 and 5.1 for a brief description of the service areas 10 P age 2 of 32 2.1 Against Violence and Abuse £944,987 2.2 Galop £642,295 2.2 Women and Girls Network £5,533,157 2.2 SignHealth £1,047,148 2.3 Refuge £1,139,673 2.3 Women’s Aid Federation £100,000 2.4 Ashiana Network (April 2022- March 2023) £840,0003 2.4 Ashiana Network (April 2023- March 2026) £2,520,000 2.5 Women’s Resource Centre £758,088 2.6 Asian Women’s Resource Centre £1,234,646 Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse £14,759,994 Total £24,645,857 1.5 The London Councils Grants Programme enables boroughs to tackle high-priority social need where this is better done at pan- London level . The programme commissions third sector organisations to work with disadvantaged Londoners to make real improvements in their lives. This is the f ifth report covering the performance of the 2022 to 2026 Grants Programme. Case studies of programme activity are available here on the London Councils website. 2 Priority 1: Homelessness Delivery 2.1 The Committee has allocated £9.9 million to five projects to Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness for 2022-26. Of these five: - Two (with an average value of £1.32 million per year) are delivering against specification 1.1: Prevention and Targeted Intervention 3 This was a one year extension (until 31 March 2023) of the Specialist refuge Service funded under the 2017-22 programme, to allow for the development of longer term arrangements across London following the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act. 11 P age 3 of 32 - One (average value of £0.1 million per year) is delivering against Specification 1.2: Prevention and targeted intervention for rough sleepers - One (average value of £0.9 million per year) is delivering against specification 1.3 Prevention and targeted intervention for young people - One (average value of £0.2 million per year) is delivering against specification 1.4: Improving the response to homelessness in London (working with housing and homelessness organisations and professionals) 2.2 Over the first seven quarters of the programme, performance was four per cent above profile. Outcome targets have been surpassed in three out of the four service areas to the end of Quarter seve n. T he one service area that has performed below target, 1.1, is within the -15 per cent performance tolerance. 2.3 New Horizon Youth Centre, lead partner for the London Youth Gateway and sole project delivering in S ervice Area 1.3, has exceeded the +15 per cent performance tolerance. There has been overdelivery over several of the project’s outcomes, in response to the increasing number of young people requiring housing and homelessness support, and interventions as a result of rough sleeping. The outcomes which have been overdelivered reflect this increased need, and include support to improve mental and physical health, help to resolve issues with landlords and also assistance to obtain suitable, stable and settled accommodation. 2.4 Figure 1 provides further detail across the service areas ; specific information on achievement against outcomes at project level is available in Appendix 3. 12 Page 4 of 32 Figure 1: Priority 1 Delivery against Profile Aggregate Outcomes by service area 2022-26 Q1 to Q7 1.1 Prevention and targeted Intervention 1.2 Rough sleeping 1.3 Youth homelessness 1.4 Support services to homelessness sector Profile 10,610 1,020 5,312 1,156 Actual 9,804 1,149 6,737 1,184 Difference -806 129 1,425 28 Variance -8% 13% 27% 2% Average Annual Grant Value (£m) £1.23 £0.10 £0.94 £0.17 Number of Providers 2 1 1 1 2.5 Providers continue to support vulnerable and disadvantaged service users within the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. By the end of quarter seven4: 2.6 4 Based on self-declaration; users may declare more than one protected characteristic e.g. disability 10,610 1,020 5,312 1,156 9,804 1,149 6,737 1,184 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 11,000 12,000 1.1 Prevention and targeted intervention 1.2 Rough sleeping 1.3 Youth Homelessness 1.4 Support services to Homelessness sector Profile Actual 13 P age 5 of 32 - 44 per cent were female - 45 per cent were under 25 - 9 per cent were over 55 - 81 per cent were ethnic minorities5 - 32 per cent declared a disability6 - 22 per cent were LGBT7 - 918 people had no recourse to public funds (6.1 per cent) 2.7 The London Youth Gateway (LYG) project led by New Horizon Youth Centre reported 751, or 12 per cent of young people who have accessed their service since April 2022, declared a history of care experience8. 2.8 London Councils funds organisations to deliver services across London and our monitoring returns include an assessment of equalities ; the Grants team will report annually on the equalities performance of the 2022-26 programme later in the year. Policy and wider environment 2.9 London Councils ’ most recent data collected from London Boroughs for July, August and September 2023 shows London continuing to face a worsening homelessness crisis. It was estimated that 63,631 households were living in temporary accommodation ( TA) arranged by a London council in September 2023 (using data reported by 32 councils). Taking all 33 councils into account , this figure is more likely to be in the region of 66,200. 2.10 Homelessness presentations were 15 per cent higher than a year earlier. The number of households owed a prevention or relief duty increased year-on-year in July (11 per cent) and August (6 per cent). However, there was a slight decrease of 117 (3 per cent) in September 2023 on the number from a year earlier. 5 Includes Asian - all, Black - all, Chinese, Latin American, Middle Eastern, mixed ethnicity, white European, white Irish and white other 6 Including deaf and hard of hearing 7 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, identify as trans or a person with trans history or declared other 8 “Care Experienced” for LYG reporting means: A young person who has had the support of a social worker at any time, is a looked after child in the care system, has been adopted or fostered. Young people do not need to have "Care Leaver" status to be care experienced. Care Experience can be interpreted as a lifelong characteristic. 14 Page 6 of 32 2.11 There continues to be a rise in the number of London households living in Bed & Breakfast (B&B) accommodation: 2,168 families in September 2023, up 137 per cent on a year earlier (reported by 32 councils). Of those, 1,329 families were living in B&Bs beyond the six -week limit, compared with 357 families the year before, which is an increase of 272 per cent (reported by 31 councils). 2.12 This data has played a key role in communicating the stark situation across London to government and played a role in securing recent lobbying wins, including the uprating of Local Housing Allowance Rates, additional Homelessness Prevent Grant funding and a third round of the Local Authori ty Housing Fund. 2.13 However, it is London Councils’ opinion that these measures, while welcome, are insufficient to address the scale of the crisis and they continue to lobby government for the necessary resources for boroughs to manage the crisis, including addressing the Temporary Accommodation Subsidy Gap. 2.14 At the end of February 2024, The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced the allocations for the additional £120 million of Homelessness Prevention Grant funding for 2024/25, which had been announced at the Autumn Statement. Of the £109 million for England, London boroughs will receive just under £42.3 million (39 per cent of the total allocation for England, 35 per cent of the total £120 million for the UK). The allocations were based on a combination of homelessness and Ukraine resettlement factors. 2.15 London Councils opinion is that it fails to recognise the significant increase in homelessness pressures over the past year , with London’s total h omelessness funding for 2024/25 only three per cent higher than the 2023/24 allocations. London Councils will continue to make the case for further increases in Homelessness Prevention Grant funding to meet borough’s urgent financial needs in this area. Service Area Updates Service area 1.1 2.16 Praxis, delivery partner in the STAR Partnership Project , has met with representatives of the Children’s Commissioner, as well as with other immigration advice services to discuss the issue of children with insecure immigration status facing parental violence. Praxis has seen increasing incidence of children and 15 Page 7 of 32 young people being subject of domestic violence perpetrated by parents and other family members and are attempting to advocate for change in law and policy to protect those in these circumstances. Praxis has also highlighted increasing need for advice and support from people and families seeking asylum . This includes support where asylum claims have been withdrawn by the Home Office, without the consent of claimants. 2.17 S everal funded projects, under Service area 1.1 have also contributed to borough housing and homelessness work, including through delivery of training packages highlighting best practice in the provision of housing services to LGBTQI+ people, and took part in feedback on changes to LB Bromley’s allocations policy. Shelter’s STAR Partnership staff delivered a unique workshop on rights in interim accommodation (hotels) to service users at Shelter’s Newham Outreach Advice Service. Service Area 1.2 2.18 Streetlink London Advice Line, led by St Mungo’ s, repor ted that the CHAIN figures for rough sleepers for the period July to September 2023 were released in November 2023. These figures showed out of a total of 4,068 people recorded as rough sleeping in that period, 2,086 were sleeping rough for the first time; this figure was a 13% increase on the same period last year. 2.19 The end of asylum support for newly granted refugees has had an overwhelming impact because of the increased volume of calls received, and consequently Streetlink’s ability to respond to referrals and complete business in a timely way. Service Area 1.3 2.20 The gr ants team arranged a visit with Grants Committee members to the New Horizon Youth Centre (NHYC) in February 2024. The meeting was attended by Cllr Christopher Kennedy (LB Hackney) and Cllr Paul Martinelli (City of London) who were able to observe at first -hand the work of the London Youth Gateway (LYG) Project. This included receiving information about the barriers faced by young homeless people and the delivery of housing advice support, life skills, mental and physical health improvement work. Councillors were also able to visit Project 99 a s upported housing scheme, delivered in partnership with Origin 16 Page 8 of 32 Housing and NHYC, that provides affordable housing to ten young people many of whom were formerly sleeping rough. 2.21 Als o, a s part of the LYG project, partner Depaul has greatly increased the number of hosts, able to offer young people safe accommodation. Depaul reported that the increased recruitment of hosts and enquiries about becoming a host has resulted from a recent Big Brother c ampaign and a recent BBC report. 2.22 Galop, a delivery partner in the LYG Jigsaw Partnership, has also reported on the impact of the continuing cost of living crisis, particularly on LGBTQ+ survivors. Ongoing financial pressures are reducing survivors’ options to flee and access safety, leaving many with the difficult decision to either remain in unsafe, abusive living situations or face homelessness. Service Area 1.4 2.23 The London PLUS project, led by Homeless Link, is continuing to make new partnerships, including with the London Communities Emergencies Partnership, where the project presented information on the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) guidance and good practice. 2.24 The Londo n PLUS project’s work with Life Off The Streets, London Councils and the Social Care Workstream has developed further, with London PLU S being a major contributor to creating a new good practice guidance for the homelessness and social care sectors in how to work effectively with each other. This good practice guide will be launched in quarter eight. Performance Management 2. 25 Four Priority 1 projects are currently rated Green, one is rated Amber (see Table 2). 2.26 HARP Connect, delivered by St Mungo’s , has been RAG rated Amber for more than two consecutive quarters, and at the end of quarter s even, its delivery against profile percentage was 74 per cent, which is below the expected threshold of 85 per cent by the end of the programme. 2.27 High staff turnover has adversely impacted its outcome achievements. Delivery performance has also been below target due to service users needing increased life skills interventions before they are able to achieve an outcome. The HARP 17 Page 9 of 32 project will be addressing low outcomes including through targeted surgeries, and home visits to service users who the project has found difficult to engage, particularly for tenancy sustainment outcomes. As the RAG remains at Amber at quarter seven, officers will be working with St Mungo’s to establish an action plan to increase performance delivery on outcomes to the agreed target level. 18 P age 10 of 32 3 Priority 2: Sexual and Domestic Abuse Delivery 3.1 The Committee allocated £13.9 million to nine projects to Priority 2: Tackling Sexual and Domestic Abuse for 2022-269. - One (average annual value of £0.2 million) delivers against specification 2.1: Prevention (working with children and young people). - Three ( average annual value of £ 1.8 million) are delivering against specification 2.2: Advice, counselling and support to access services (for medium risk , post-independent Domestic/Sexual Violence Advocate (IDVA/ISVA) support and target groups not accessing general provision). - Two (average annual value of £0.3 million) are delivering against specification 2.3: Helpline services (advice and support, access to refuge provision). - One10 ( average annual value of £ 0.84 million) is delivering against specification 2.4: Emergency Specialist Refuge Provision. - One (average annual value of £0.19 million) is delivering against specification 2.5: Improving the response to domestic and sexual abuse in London (working with domestic and sexual abuse organisations and professionals). - One (average annual value of £0.30 million) is delivering against specification 2.6: Services for people affected by harmful practices. 3.2 At the end of quarter seven, overall performance was 2 per cent under profile. Figures 2 and 3 provide further information at a service area level . O utcome targets have been met or surpassed in four of the six service areas. The service areas that performed below target, 2.2 and 2.3, were within the +/-15 per cent performance tolerance. 3.3 The Healthy London, Healthy Relationships (HLHR) Project, led by AVA, the sole project delivering in service area 2.1 has not provided any performance data for quarter seven due to going into administration in February 2024. At the end of quarter six, the project was RAG rated Green for the first time since the beginning 9 This figure includes one project under service area 2.4 which was extended for one additional year under the 2017-22 programme to 31st March 2023, and a new service commenced on 1 April 2023 and will deliver to the end of this programme. 10 See footnote 9 19 Page 11 of 32 of the programme and had overdelivered in outcomes involving running groups sessions, outreach and training for children and young people. The previous quarter's overdelivery explains why Figure 2 still shows an overachievement for service area 2.1 for quarter seven. Please see Item 7 for further information on AVA and the HLHR project. 3.1 Service Area 2.4 has exceeded the +15 per cent tolerance level. This is due to overdelivery in year six of the Specialist Refuge Network project 11. The new project, also led by Ashiana Network which commenced delivery in April 2023 is delivering as per profile. 3.2 Asian Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC), the sole provider in Service Area 2.6, continues to overdeliver on all but one of their outcomes, this is due to continued and increasing demand for their specialist provision. Overdelivery has also been fuelled by previous high outcome numbers for work with professionals. The recent delivery of harmful practice training, as part of the 16 Days of Activism, also increased the number of professionals supported through the Ascent Ending Harmful Practice Partnership. 3.3 Figures 2 and 3 provide further detail across the service areas; specific information on achievement against outcomes at project level is available in Appendix 3. 11 See footnote 9 20 Page 12 of 32 Figure 2: Priority 2 Delivery against Profile Aggregate Outcomes by Service Area (2.1, 2.2, 2.3) 2022-26 Q1 to Q7: 2.1 Prevention12 2.2 Advice, counselling, outreach, drop- in 2.3 Helpline and coordinated access to refuge provision13 Profile 17,949 23,259 81,374 Actual 18,729 22,894 77,242 Difference 780 -365 -4,132 Variance 4% -2% -5% Average Annual Grant Value (£m) £0.23 £1.80 £0.31 Number of Providers 1 3 2 12 Performance data for Q7 not available at time of writing. 13 Refuge records high numbers of callers where their borough of residence is unknown, or unreported. Due to the nature of the service, domestic and sexual violence helplines where callers may be unwilling or too distressed to give this information. 17949 23259 81374 18729 22894 77242 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000 2.1 Prevention (children and young people) 2.2 Specialist advice, counselling and support 2.3 Helpline services Profile Actual 21 Page 13 of 32 Figure 3: Priority 2 Delivery against Profile Aggregate Outcomes per service area (2.4, 2.5, 2.6) 2022-26 Q1 to Q7: 2.4 Emergency Specialist Refuge Provision 2.5 Support services SDV VCOs 2.6 Harmful practices (FGM, HBV, forced marriage, other) Profile 1,913 1,644 2,081 Actual 2,675 1,795 2,438 Difference 762 151 357 Variance 40% 9% 17% Average Annual Grant Value (£m) £0.84 £0.19 £0. 31 Number of Providers 1 1 1 3.4 Providers continue to support vulnerable and disadvantaged service users within the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. By the end of quarter seven1415: - 90.0 per cent were female 14 Based on self-declaration; users may declare more than one protected characteristic e.g., disability 15 These figures also include Year 6 (Qtrs. 1 to 4) of the Specialist emergency refuge provision which was extended for an additional year to 31 March 2023. The previous five years of equalities figures were reported under the 2017-22 programme. 1913 1644 2081 2675 1795 2438 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 2.4 Emergency refuge accommodation 2.5 Support services SDV VCOs 2.6 Harmful practices (FRM, HBV, forced marriage, other) Profile Actual 22 Page 14 of 32 - 19.0 per cent were under 25 - 9 .1 per cent were aged over 55 - 79.0 per cent were ethnic minorities16 - 39.9 per cent declared a disability17 - 10.2 per cent were LGBT18 - 1, 748 people had no recourse to public funds (4.7 per cent) 3.5 London Councils fund s organisations to deliver services across London and implemented a monitoring process that incorporated an assessment of equalities. The Grants team will report annually on the equalities performance of the 2022- 26 programme later in the year. Policy and wider environment 3.6 The government has tabled three amendments of particular interest to the area of VAWG in the Victims and Prisoners Bill, currently in Committee Stage in the House of Lords, including the legislative requirement for the duty to collaborate, renaming Domestic Homicide Reviews as Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews and clarifying that victims do not need to have reported a crime to be covered by the legislation and definition of a victim. 3.7 In November 2023, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner published a r eport setting out her recommendation for an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, for a firewall between Immigration Enforcement and statutory services, including the police, so that migrant victims and witnesses can safely report domestic abuse and other crimes. 3.8 I n January 2024, the government announced a £2 million flexible fund to provide one-off payments to survivors of domestic abuse to help them flee, and stay fled, from abusers. Survivors who do not have the financial means to leave their abusers will be able to apply for a payment of up to £500 for essential items such 16 Includes Asian - all, Black - all, Chinese, Latin American, Middle Eastern, mixed ethnicity, white European, white Irish and white other 17 Including Deaf and hard of hearing 18 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, identify as trans or a person with trans history or declared other 23 Page 15 of 32 as groceries, nappies or support with new accommodation, and can also apply for a payment of £2,500 to put down a deposit for rental accommodation. 3.9 The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) published the second annual progress report of the Domestic Abuse National Expert Steering Group, monitoring the delivery of the duty on local authorities to fund domestic abuse services. The report found that 50,670 individuals were supported in safe accommodation in England in 2022/ 23, however, 24,580 households were unable to be supported – largely due to lack of capacity within services. 3.10 The M etropolitan Police Service (MPS) published a Violence Against Women and Girls action plan in December 2023. The plan includes three pillars; building trust and confidence, relentlessly pursuing perpetrators and working to make spaces safer for women and girls. 3.11 The s econd meeting of the London Policing Board, established as a recommendation of the Casey Review, took place on 6 December 2023, and included an agenda item on tackling violence against women and girls. Cllr . Jas Athwal represents London Councils on the Policing Board. On 7 February 2024, all London leaders met with the Met Commissioner for the second time to discuss progress against the London Councils Framework for Policing. The next London Policing Board will take place on 5 March, and will include discussion on the Angiolini Inquiry report published on 29 February 2024. 3.12 London Councils is working with local authorities and the MPS to build on the MPS VAWG Action Plan, to identify areas of VAWG where approaches can be co-designed and change can be delivered. 3.13 London Councils is engaging with the GLA, MOPAC and London Boroughs on the future of Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation ( DASA) commissioning in London, with a view to supporting greater alignment. GLA and MOPAC are refreshing the DASA strategy and needs assessment, with a view to publishing the draft strategy and consultation pack in June 2024. 24 Page 16 of 32 Service Area Updates Service area 2.1 3.14 Please see para. 3.28 of this report, and Agenda Item 7 for update on the HLHR project . Service area 2.2 3.15 Project staff from the Ascent Advice and Counselling Project, led by Women and Girls Network (WGN) took part in various events as part of the 16 Days of Activism (in 25 November -10 December 2023), including the Walk for Women in LB Haringey. In LB Kensington and Chelsea, project partner Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS) attended a roundtable meeting with the police and the specialist sector, where LAWRS were able to raise concerns about the barriers faced by undocumented women, when attempting to report violence. AWRC also held awareness raising meetings with the Metropolitan Police in LB Westminster. In LB Newham, Ashiana engaged in a workshop focused on Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs). This event provided valuable insights into the DHR Mentoring scheme and allowed Ascent project staff to clarify the DHR procedures. New connections have also been forged with children's social services and college safeguarding leads, ensuring the voices of Ascent service users are represented in safeguarding processes. 3.16 The Ascent Advice and Counselling Project has also highlighted areas of concern related to vulnerable survivors and children facing destitution due to immigration status such as l ong waits for safe accommodation, especially for single individuals facing street homelessness. Additionally, the project has encountered obstacles in obtaining support for survivors who are sharing tenancies with their alleged perpetrators. There has also been a concerning trend in sexual violence, cyberbullying and issues of stalking, among young people, including after school hours. 3.17 SignHealth’s Deaf Domestic Abuse Service IDVA’s 19 continue to work to build relationships with social workers to ensure that the barriers faced by Deaf people and the support needs of Deaf service users are understood. This is in the face of Deaf service users still continuing to experience difficulties in having their 19 Independent Domestic Violence Advisor 25 Page 17 of 32 access needs met, including a lack of availability of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters during court cases. This has both an emotional and financial impact on the project’s service users. 3.18 The LGBT Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP), led by GALOP, reported that the lack of convictions for sexual offences and the limited number of reported sexual offences going to trial , which affects the wider VAWG community , also impacts the LGBTQ+ community. GALOP noted that over the previous two quarters, only four sexual violence cases went to trial; two of those had a not guilty verdict whilst a third was adjourned. Service area 2.3 3.19 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC), a partner of the Pan-London Domestic and Sexual Violence Helplines Project, reported an increase in callers triggered by the ITV series about Jimmy Savile and also due to ritual abuse and suicide. 3.20 The London Refuges Data Collection Project, led by Women’s Aid Federation reported that it is working with the Home Office, its member services and sector peers to help distribute £2 million in funding for one–off payments to survivors of domestic abuse to help them flee from abusers. Further details can be found on the Women’s Aid website. Service area 2.4 3.21 Solace, delivery partner in the Ascent Specialist Refuge Partnership, led by Ashiana Network, has acquired a new building in North London. This property offers an enhanced model compared to previous dispersed accommodation, including more interaction among refuge women with no social networks and a new full-time staff based there. Ashiana has also established two new second- stage refuges in east London serving residents who have been supported over several months. These refuges enable clients to further build upon their skills and continue their road to recovery. 3.22 Ashiana faces ongoing challenges with Social Services abruptly halting support for families awaiting immigration decisions, leaving many survivors of domestic abuse facing street homelessness and destitution. Also, delays by the Home Office in issuing Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) continue, which is 26 Page 18 of 32 particularly distressing for clients who are unable to secure refuge space, Universal Credit or other benefits without a BRP. 3.23 The project has raised concerns about the effect of the cost of living crisis on their service users, and on the organisational operation costs. For example, nia and IKWRO advised that women are increasingly being drawn into prostitution. Service area 2.6 3.24 T he Ascent Ending Harmful Practice Partnership (EHP), led by Asian Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC), participated in a number of events for the 16 Days of Activism. In LB Kensington and Chelsea, events focussed on practical guidance for professionals on identifying harmful practices. Information was also provided about the experience of Brazilian women exploited in the sex industry. The EHP will also be meeting with Modern Slavery Coordinators to discuss partnership working. In LB Hillingdon, EHP partner, Southall Black Sisters provided training to the Metropolitan Police on domestic abuse and harmful practices. 3.25 The EHP has also identified barriers to accessing legal advice for women with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) with some legal firms and organisations being unwilling to take on immigration cases, leaving service users in abusive households for many weeks before getting immigration assistance. Women who need to apply for Destitute Domestic Violence Concessions 20 (DDVCs) are also facing long delays in finding a solicitor to provide them with assistance and often have no choice but to stay in abusive households until the DDVC is in place. The EHP highligh ts that most refuges will not accommodate women, without the DDVC funding being guaranteed. Women are also presenting with complex mental health issues and have been disclosing other abuses including child sexual abuse. 3.26 Delays in welfare benefit payments such as Universal Credit (UC), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), child benefits, and child maintenance has meant women have had to access food banks. The severe impact of cost of living financial pressures also continues to negatively affect the ability of women and 20 Through the DDVC, 3 months’ temporary leave to remain is granted, which allows access to public funds and a refuge place via receipt of housing benefit. This option is only for those who have come to the UK on a spouse visa and have experienced domestic abuse. 27 Page 19 of 32 survivors to buy food, clothing, meet travel costs, energy expenses, and housing costs, including high rents. Performance management 3.27 At the end of quarter seven, seven Priority 2 projects are rated Green, one is rated Amber, and one is rated Red (see Table 2). 3.28 The Healthy London, Healthy Relationships (HLHR) project , led by AVA, under Service Area 2.1 to deliver prevention work with professionals, children and young people has been RAG rated Red after the project went into administration at the end of quarter seven. London Councils was informed on 1 February 2024, that AVA had been placed into liquidation and all project delivery had ceased with immediate effect. The grants team are working with the remaining trustees to get the final closure accounts and monitoring information. Further details on AVA’s closure are detailed in Item 7. 3.29 The London Refuges Data Collection Project, led by Women’s Aid Federation, is RAG rated Amber for the second consecutive quarter ; its RAG score, however, has increased by four points from quarter six. The project’s Amber RAG rating is because the demonstration of its success in achieving half of its outcomes is reliant on responses/ feedback from borough officers from whom it continues to have limited response. T o tackle the limited level of responses received, Women’s Aid has developed an additional mechanism. Borough officers will also be able to access the feedback form via the Data Dashboard which will have the form built in and will be the first thing they see when they log in. Grant officers are due to conduct a monitoring visit and will develop an action plan where required. 28 Page 20 of 32 4 Risk-based performance management (RAG rating) – Project level performance 4.1 P roject performance is measured using the programme-wide Red-Amber-Green (RAG) rating system . The RAG rating system forms part of the Funding and Performance Management Framework agreed in March 202121. The methodology for the system is set out in Appendix 1 of this report . The rating system shows whether a project’s performance is going up, going down or is steady across quarters. 4.2 The RAG ratings to the end of quarter seven (April 2022 to December 2023) are set out in the table below . The Committee will note that 11 projects are rated Green, two are rated Amber and one is rated Red. The projects that are Amber, or fluctuating between Green and Amber RAG rating attribute this to longstanding issues in obtaining monitoring and feedback information. The Healthy London, Healthy Relationships (HLHR) project is now RAG rated Red as the project has ceased delivering and the organisation placed in administration, as highlighted earlier in this paper and detail in Agenda item 7. 4.3 Detailed information on the RAG scoring methodology is provided in Appendix 1. 21 Grants Programme 2022-26: Planning and implementation, Item 6, 17 March 2021 29 Page 21 of 32 Table 2: RAG Results Service area Organisation (lead) Project Partners RAG Rating Q6 RAG Rating Q7 1.1 Shelter STAR Partnership (Supporting Tenancies, Accommodation and Reconnections) Thames Reach, Stonewall Housing, Praxis Green Green ↔ 1.1 St Mungo Community Housing Association HARP Connect (Housing Advice, Resettlement and Prevention Connect) n/a Amber Amber ↔ 1.2 St Mungo Community Housing Association Streetlink London Advice Line n/a Green Green ↗ 1.3 New Horizon Youth Centre London Youth Gateway Depaul UK, Stonewall Housing, Galop, Albert Kennedy Trust, Shelter, Praxis Green Green↔ 1.4 Homeless Link London PLUS Shelter Green Green↔ 2.1 Against Violence and Abuse (AVA) Healthy London, Healthy Relationships (HLHR) IMECE, Women and Girls' Network, The Nia Project, Solace Women's Aid, Latin American Women's Rights Service, FORWARD, Ashiana Network, Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation Green Red 2.2 Women and Girls’ Network Ascent: Advice and Counselling Ashiana Network, Asian Women's Resource Centre (AWRC), Chinese Information and Advice Centre, EACH (counselling and support), IMECE Women's Centre, Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), Jewish Women's Aid, Kurdish and Middle Eastern Women's Organisation, Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS), Nia, Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC), Rights of Women, Solace Women's Aid, Southall Black Sisters, Women's Trust Green Green ↔ 30 Page 22 of 32 Service area Organisation (lead) Project Partners RAG Rating Q6 RAG Rating Q7 2.2 Galop The LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP) Stonewall Housing, London Friend, Green Green ↔ 2.2 SignHealth Deaf Domestic Abuse Service N/A Green Green ↗ 2.3 Refuge Pan-London Domestic and Sexual Violence Helplines Project Women and Girls’ Network, Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC), Respect Green Green↔ 2.3 Women’s Aid London Refuges Data Collection Project N/A Amber Amber ↑ 2.4 Ashiana Network Ascent Specialist Refuge Partnership (from April 2023) Ashiana Network, Solace Women's Aid, Nia, Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO) Green Green ↔ 2.5 Women’s Resource Centre Ascent: Support Services to Organisations Respect (perpetrators), Imkaan, Rights of Women, Against Violence, Abuse and Women and Girls Network Green Green ↗ 2.6 Asian Women’s Resource Centre Ascent Ending Harmful Practices Partnership Al-Aman (division of Richmond Fellowship), Ashiana Network, FORWARD, IMECE Women's Centre, Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS), Southall Black Sisters, Women and Girls Network Green Green ↔ 31 Page 23 of 32 5 Value for Money 5.1 London Councils Grants Programme administers public money on behalf of, and with, the London boroughs and therefore must ensure value for money - t he optimal use of resources to achieve intended outcomes. The National Audit Office model of value for money focuses on three E’s: − Economy: minimising the cost of resources used or required (inputs); − Efficiency: the relationship between the output from goods or services and the resources to produce them; and − Effectiveness: the relationship between the intended and actual results of public spending (outcomes) 5.2 The Funding and Performance Management Framework (agreed by members in March 2021) sets out the controls used to ensure value for money for the programme. This includes checks on audited accounts and a review of annual budgets. As agreed by Committee, a full-cost- recovery-approach is being used for the 2022- 26 programme. This has required a new approach to annual budgeting, with projects adjusting budgets annually to match changes in costs, within the four year budget envelope. 5.3 London Councils operates a robust monitoring system to ensure figures reported are verifiable; the work funded projects undertake has a far wider benefit and impact than is often shown through the figures. For example, a frontline organisation may support a person through multiple interventions across the whole partnership. A second-tier project may record work with one organisation but provide services to high numbers of their staff across separate departments or branches and so have a much greater reach in upskilling the voluntary and community sector than the figures indicate. 5.4 The team continues to work with IT contractor, Superhighways, to develop a more efficient reporting tool for the programme. The reporting portal went live in July 2022 and the funded projects are now submitting quarterly reports via this medium. The grants team recently uploaded information on to the London councils’ website which shows data from the c urrent programme. This information will be updated quarterly from the projects’ monitoring returns. 32 Page 24 of 32 5.5 O fficers continue to look for opportunities to streamline reporting/ monitoring obligations. This will need to be balanced with the need to adequately monitor performance and ensure pan-London delivery. 5.6 The team continues to work to improve partnership and cross-priority working as it led to better outcomes for service users on the previous programme. Where relevant, funded projects work towards appropriate quality standards and involve project participants in the design and adaptation of the projects 5.7 I nformation and data provided through the programme will continue to be shared with the policy team at London Councils, and by other stakeholders, to inform the strategic response to these priority areas. 6 Recommendations 6.1 The Grants Committee is asked to note: a) outcomes at priority level: i) Priority 1, combatting homelessness, overall is 4 per cent above profile to quarter seven ii) Priority 2, tackling sexual and domestic abuse, overall is 2 per cent below profile to quarter seven. b) the number of interventions delivered in the relevant period: i) Priority 1, combatting homelessness – 18,874 ii) Priority 2, tackling sexual and domestic abuse – 125,773 c) project level performance, using the Red, Amber, Green (RAG) performance management system (explained in Appendix 1): i) 11 projects are rated Green, 2 are Amber, 1 is Red d) the borough maps (Appendix 2) 33 Page 25 of 32 e) the project delivery information and contact details (Appendix 3), produced as a separate resource to provide members with a directory of services, with up- to-date contact information, as well as an update on performance. Appendix 1 RAG Rating Methodology Appendix 2 Borough Maps Appendix 3 Project Delivery Information and Contact Details Financial Implications for London Councils The London Councils Grants Committee considered proposals for expenditure in 2023- 24 at its meeting in November 2022, and Leaders’ Committee agreed a budget at its meeting in December 2022. Legal Implications for London Councils None Equalities Implications for London Councils London Councils’ funded services provide support to people within all the protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010), and specific targets groups highlighted as particularly hard to reach or more affected by the issues being tackled. Funded organisations are also required to submit equalities monitoring data, which can be collated across the grants scheme to provide data on the take up of services and gaps in provision to be addressed. The grants team reviews this annually. Background Documents Performance of Grants Programme 2022-26, Item 5, 22 November 2023 Refuge Provision Update - Item 7, 15 March 2023 Refuge Provision Programme Panel and Award meeting, Grants Committee Executive, 20 January 2023. 2022-2026 Pan-London Grants Programme – Recommendations for award of grant, Item 8, 24 November 2021 34 Page 26 of 32 Grants Programme 2022-26: Planning and Implementation - Funding and Performance Management Framework, Item 6, 17 March 2021 35 RAG Rating Appendix 1 Page 27 of 32 London Councils officers report quarterly to the Grants Committee on the performance of the grants programme, based on the Funding and Performance Management Framework agreed by Grants Committee in March 2021. The cornerstone of this at project level is a Red, Amber or Green (RAG) rating of all projects: Green 80-100 poi nts Amber 55-79 poi nts RED 0-54 poi nts The RAG rating is made up of: • Performance – Delivery of outcomes and new users - 70 percent • Quality - beneficiary satisfaction 22, 10 per cent • Compliance - timeliness and accuracy of reporting, responsiveness and risk management, 20 per cent. The requirement to meet at least 80 points to ac hieve a Green rating was agreed at the March 2018 G rants Committee, following a review by officers to ensure that the RAG rating system was appropriately highlighting performance issues. The framework also sets out a risk -based approach to monitoring in which levels of monitoring are varied dependent on the RAG score of the project. Performance change indicators (changes from one reporting quarter to the next) ↑ an increase of five or more percentage points ↗ an increase of more than two percentage points but less than five ↔ The score has remained relatively static with no significant change allowing for minor fluctuation between -two and +two percentage points ↘ a decrease over two percentage points but less than five ↓ a decrease of five or more percentage points 22 This previously included a self-assessment but will now integrated into a monitoring visit. 36 Borough Maps Appendix 2 Page 28 of 32 Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness actual distribution to December 2023 Boroughs City of London 0.60% Barking & Dagenham 3.04% Barnet 2.65% Bexley 1.35% Brent 3.75% Bromley 2.19% Camden 3.83% Croydon 5.06% Ealing 3.25% Enfield 3.04% Greenwich 2.23% Hackney 5.90% Hammersmith & Fulham 2.42% Haringey 3.85% Harrow 1.07% Havering 1.09% Hillingdon 1.56% Hounslow 2.21% Islington 4.10% Kensington & Chelsea 1.71% Kingston upon Thames 0.94% Lambeth 6.39% Lewisham 4.20% Merton 1.92% Newham 6.79% Redbridge 2.16% Richmond upon Thames 0.53% Southwark 6.73% Sutton 0.77% Tower Hamlets 4.38% Waltham Forest 4.51% Wandsworth 2.56% Westminster 3.25% Legend Low (>=) (<) High Occurrences 0% 2% (7) 2% 3% (10) 3% 5% (10) 5% 6% (3) 6% 8% (3) 37 Borough Maps Appendix 2 Page 29 of 32 Priority 2: Tackling Sexual and Domestic Abuse - actual distribution of delivery to December 2023 Boroughs City of London 0.95% Barking & Dagenham 2.13% Barnet 7.87% Bexley 2.64% Brent 4.77% Bromley 1.97% Camden 3.83% Croydon 4.08% Ealing 4.59% Enfield 3.85% Greenwich 2.22% Hackney 3.23% Hammersmith & Fulham 2.74% Haringey 3.11% Harrow 2.30% Havering 2.38% Hillingdon 2.31% Hounslow 3.20% Islington 3.82% Kensington & Chelsea 1.65% Kingston upon Thames 0.99% Lambeth 4.09% Lewisham 3.94% Merton 1.67% Newham 3.16% Redbridge 4.57% Richmond upon Thames 1.21% Southwark 4.17% Sutton 1.36% Tower Hamlets 3.18% Waltham Forest 3.04% Wandsworth 2.35% Westminster 2.63% Legend Low (>=) (<) High Occurrences 0% 2% (7) 2% 3% (9) 3% 5% (16) 5% 6% (0) 6% 9% (1) 38 Performance of Commissions: April 2022 - December 2023 Appendix 3 Page 30 of 32 See separately produced Appendix 3 39 London Councils Grants Committee Item 6 – Appendix 3 London Councils Grants Programme 2022 to 2026 Performance of Commissions April 2022 – December 2023 (Includes contact details for each project) 40 41 Priority 1 – Combatting Homelessness Page 1 of 32 Shelter Project name: STAR Partnership Priority: Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness Specification: 1.1 Prevention and targeted intervention Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £926,680 Delivery partners: Praxis, Stonewall Housing, Thames Reach Shelter is leading the specialist STAR (Supporting Tenancies, Accommodation and Resettlement) Partnership. Our aim is to prevent Londoners from becoming homeless, addressing underlying issues and barriers that put target groups at risk of homelessness. The STAR Partnership will deliver the following activities: - Referral into the service through multiple points of access, enabling pan-London reach. - London-wide targeted engagement and promotion, which is relevant and accessible to priority groups in all 33 boroughs. - Support to directly access accommodation, including crisis accommodation, social housing and the private rented sector. - Intensive support, including skills training, money management and practical help to enable families and individuals to maintain tenancies. - Personal resilience and independence planning to secure a long-term and healthy - Specialist provision for key target groups who face additional barriers to accessing housing, such as those with NRPF status, LGBTQ+ and minority ethnic communities. Our intended impact is to: - Prevent homelessness; through immediate housing advice, support to access crisis accommodation, advice, advocacy and casework to prevent eviction. - Help people find the right accommodation for them; through accommodation searches, accessing funds and tenancy brokerage, advice and advocacy to resolve any issues with accommodation and resettlement support. - Help people to maintain accommodation long-term; building financial resilience and providing advice and guidance to identify and resolve any issues arising in tenancy. - Address underlying issues that increase personal resilience and contribute to homelessness; through immigration advice and casework for people with NRPF, support to access the right local services to improve mental and physical health and improve confidence and ability to self-help. Shelter provides specialist housing advice and casework and resilience support for people who are facing additional barriers, e.g. mental health issues, disabilities. Thames Reach offers personalised, intensive face-to-face support particularly those with high complex needs and a gender-specific service to women who face multiple exclusions. Stonewall Housing provides tailored, specialist housing advice and support for LGBTQ+ people. Praxis provides specialist, accredited immigration advice and casework for people who have NRPF and/or insecure immigration status and are at risk of homelessness. Contact Details Referrals Stanley Harvey (Service Manager) stanley_harvey@shelter.org.uk https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help/local_services/london STAR Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT4Q- Z9yKnM&list=PLrybnVaUKJhDptYtJIckbIfN77mXMyIQT&index=1 42 Page 2 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 7084 6226 Number of people assisted to obtain crisis or intermediate short-term accommodation 547 537 Number of people assisted to prevent eviction. 652 521 Number of people assisted to obtain suitable, stable settled accommodation by accommodation type - PRS, social housing, shared, family or friend accommodation 673 700 Number of people assisted to sustain tenancies/accommodation for six months 435 427 Number of people assisted to sustain tenancies/accommodation for 12 months 274 240 Number of people with landlord/property issues resolved (for example, disrepair, required adaptations) and/or able to maintain or supported to obtain alternative tenancy 1118 1075 Number of people with improved mental health 801 858 Number of people with improved physical health 399 379 Number of people with improved life skills 194 406 Number of people referred to employment support 268 193 People able to access immigration advice that will impact on their ability to access suitable accommodation 239 353 People supported through immigration casework to achieve recognised status that supports right to rent within the UK 154 139 People receiving immigration advice and casework are able to access complementary specialist advice and support from the partnership 175 133 Eviction prevention and sustained tenancies: Staffing issues have impacted on the delivery of this outcome to target performance level. The project however is confident that further to a review of open cases, eviction prevention outcomes will be met, with confirmation that service users have been able to remain in their homes. Immigration: To make up for target shortfalls, as well as delivery partner Praxis being set higher immigration outcome targets, housing workshops are being held for service users to provide them with the information needed to help to secure accommodation and nav igate local authority homelessness pathways. Employment support: Through making links with new and local organisations offering employment related support and working in partnership with Thames Reach’s Employment Academy, the project is confident that employment support outcome targets will be reached in the next quarter. 43 Page 3 of 30 St Mungo’s Project name: HARP Connect Priority: Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness Specification: 1.1 Prevention and targeted intervention Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £328,937 Delivery partners: N/A HARP Connect supports prison leavers at all stages of their journey through the criminal justice system. Starting in prison to the day of release and in the community, we provide expert housing advice and trauma informed targeted interventions to prevent homelessness. Project Activities: - Identify prison leavers aged 25+, who are serving short-term sentences (less than one year), on licence recalls or on remand, and who are at risk of homelessness. - Undertake thorough housing/need and risk assessments and provide comprehensive action plans to address them. - Provide interventions to save existing tenancies at risk. - Support to access temporary and long-term accommodation, including viewings and applications. - Offer of meet at gate on day of release where required. - Support with benefits, bills, furnishings and other essentials. - Work with housing providers, local authorities and private landlords to provide ongoing tenancy support. - Help service users gain personal resilience through referrals to other appropriate community services and wider St Mungo’s services (including our specialist mental health, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, financial advice, ETE (Education, Training and Employment) through our Recovery College and Employment team. - Provision of a service user Move on Fund to enhance settled accommodation outcomes among an often financially disadvantaged target group, to be used towards one-off essential accommodation expenses, including rental deposits. - Promote the service through existing relationships with prisons, probation teams, local authority teams and voluntary sector organisations. Contact Details Referrals Samantha Cowie, Head of Criminal Justice samantha.cowie@mungos.org 020 7023 7010/ 020 3856 6000 3 Thomas More Square, 5th Floor, Tower Hill London E1W 1YW www.mungos.org All referrals must be made through a secure email address. Please contact HARP at harpconnect@mungosofs.cjsm.net Website: https://www.mungos.org/our- services/offender-services/ 44 Page 4 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 2249 1864 Number of people assisted to obtain crisis or intermediate short- term accommodation 875 938 Number of people assisted to prevent eviction. 861 458 Number of people assisted to obtain suitable, stable settled accommodation by accommodation type - PRS, social housing, shared, family or friend accommodation 490 565 Number of people assisted to sustain tenancies/accommodation for six months 1 285 149 Number of people assisted to sustain tenancies/accommodation for 12 months2 189 49 Number of people with landlord/property issues resolved (for example, disrepair, required adaptations) and/or able to maintain or supported to obtain alternative tenancy 371 260 Number of people with improved mental health 420 444 Number of people with improved physical health 420 366 Number of people with improved life skills 630 514 Number of people referred to employment support 140 100 Tenancy sustainment : High staff turnover and previous under performance has negative impacted delivery performance on this outcome. The Tenancy Sustainment Worker will be conducting home visits, in an attempt to secure outcome confirmation from service users who have been hard to engage, after accommodation has been secured. Eviction Prevention and Landlord/Property Issues Resolved: High staff turnover and previous under delivery has impacted on these outcome achievements. Variance will be addressed with targeted surgeries, as well as information to service users on how to preserve tenancies on release. Action Plan: As HARP Connect has been Amber for more than two consecutive quarters, officers will be working with the project to develop an action plan to increase delivery of performance on outcomes. 1 Reporting started in Q3 2 Reporting started in Q5 45 Page 5 of 30 St Mungo’s Project name: StreetLink London Advice Line Priority: Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness Specification: 1.2 Prevention and targeted intervention for rough sleepers Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £103,255 Delivery partners: N/A The StreetLink London Advice line is a telephone advice service for people who are sleeping rough, or at immediate risk of doing so, in London. The service aims to support people to resolve their homelessness rapidly through advice and advocacy work, and by connecting people with services that can help. This includes referring them into accommodation. The service will reduce rough sleeping by: - Providing advice to service users about routes out of rough sleeping - Providing housing options advice - Supporting reconnection with family and friends - Facilitating access to accommodation - Facilitating access to support services including mental and physical health, domestic and sexual abuse - Facilitating access to specialist advice around debt and finance (incl. benefits), legal and immigration issues Contact Details Referrals Stephanie Ratcliffe, Head of Migrant and Advice services stephanie.ratcliffe@mungos.org Marie Stewart, StreetLink London Advice Line Service Manager Marie.stewart@mungos.org 3 Thomas More Square, Tower Hill, London E1W 1YW www.mungos.org streetlinklondon@mungos.org (We do not accept referrals from external agencies/organisations) 46 Page 6 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 469 417 Number of people assisted to obtain crisis or intermediate short- term accommodation 168 182 Number of people assisted to obtain suitable, stable settled accommodation by accommodation type - PRS, social housing, shared, family or friend accommodation 35 35 People successfully referred to a support service that assists them to obtain accommodation i.e. Crisis, legal support, street outreach 28 34 People successfully connected to health support e.g. hospital homeless discharge team, Groundswell 4 13 People successfully connected to a rough sleeping street outreach team 35 62 People successfully referred to ongoing case work support i.e. Crisis case management, Stonewall 15 35 People successfully referred to benefits and debt support 49 57 People are better able to resolve their homelessness status via connection to the local authority 210 285 People with increased knowledge of the options available to prevent or end their rough sleeping 448 402 People successfully referred to risk of harm support services i.e. IDVA, Victim Support 7 12 People successfully referred to legal support 14 24 People successfully referred to immigration support 7 8 Overdelivery: Streetlink is overdelivering for a number of reasons including that the number of clients requiring support has exceeded the original targets estimated. The figures include periods in which the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) was activated and generated increased demand. Officers note that a number of the targets are small, so a slight increase/ decrease causes large percentage fluctuations. Moreover, the length of time required to support clients is variable depending on their needs; some clients may need support reconnecting with someone that can help them or may not fall within the local authority’s defined criteria for priority need and consequently the time needed to accommodate them may be longer. Conversely, some priority need cases may have been incorrectly referred into the service and take longer than average to reach the desired end. Streetl ink continue to liaise with stakeholders to improve the quality of referrals into the service. 47 Page 7 of 30 New Horizon Youth Centre Project name: London Youth Gateway (LYG) Priority: Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness Specification: 1.3 Prevention and targeted intervention for young people Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £939,217 Delivery partners: akt, Depaul UK, Galop, Praxis, Shelter, Stonewall Housing The London Youth Gateway (LYG) makes sure that young Londoners facing homelessness are safe and supported while we help them to achieve long-term stability in terms of housing, income, health and migration status. The LYG targets young people more likely to face homelessness but less likely to find the help they need, for whom boroughs do not have a main homelessness duty and/or for whom it is not cost-effective to commission local services. We offer a genuinely pan-London service, supporting young people through brief interventions or long-term support via in-person and remote delivery. Project activities: - Our LYG portal functions as a central point of access that sits at the heart of our delivery. Young people can self-refer via an online referral form and free telephone line and are seamlessly linked to the most appropriate LYG partner or external agency. - Aside from the portal, we run a specialist LGBTQ+ entry point and a dedicated under-25s advice line for young people requiring help with landlord or tenancy problems, enabling us to deliver crucial interventions and support at scale. - Young people receive clear information, advice and advocacy to prevent homelessness, navigate complex systems, and/or access mainstream services - We offer an integrated, youth-specific package to young people needing longer-term support to access or sustain accommodation, especially where boroughs do not have a statutory duty, including: o Long-term housing advice/casework/advocacy o Comprehensive physical and mental health services o Life skills development and independent living skills o Employability support o Income maximisation and benefits support o Specialist immigration advice Responsive to London’s diversity, the LYG tailors its services to young people most vulnerable to homelessness, including young people from minoritised communities, LGBTQ+ young people, young women, neurodiverse young people and those with no recourse to public funds. Contact Details Referrals Kate Allen, LYG Programme Manager kate.allen@nhyouthcentre.org.uk 07947 906064 68 Chalton St, London, NW1 1JR www.nhyouthcentre.org.uk http://www.londonyouthgateway.org.uk/get-help/ 48 Page 8 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 6959 6362 Number of people assisted to obtain crisis or intermediate short- term accommodation 902 1064 Number of people assisted to obtain suitable, stable settled accommodation by accommodation type - PRS, social housing, shared, family or friend accommodation 737 817 Number of people assisted to sustain tenancies/accommodation for six months 3 210 93 Number of people assisted to sustain tenancies/accommodation for 12 months 4 81 25 Number of people with landlord/property issues resolved (for example, disrepair, required adaptations) and/or able to maintain or supported to obtain alternative tenancy 206 224 Number of people with improved mental health 906 1354 Number of people with improved physical health 420 563 Number of people with improved life skills 731 1492 Number of people referred to education and training opportunities 341 409 Number of people referred to employment support 599 540 Young people supported to resolve/better able to manage immigration issues 179 156 Tenancies sustained for six and twelve months: NHYC is in the process of discussing and developing improved methods for tracking tenancy sustainment. The outcome is particularly challenging as it requires reengagement with service users, after cases are closed. The project says this raises issues of data protection, possibility of retraumatising, or unintentionally recreating dependency with young people who may not have otherwise reconnected with the project. Officers will be addressing the issue of tenancy sustainment outcome recording at a meeting with all the funded projects in April 2024, as similar issues, raised by NHYC, regarding tenancy sustainment, have also been raised by other funded projects, both across priority one and priority two. Improved education and training, mental health and improved life skills: The project has been able to offer an enhanced package of opportunities and workshops for education/work, including apprenticeship. There has also been increased support for young people in helping them to cope with debt and financial hardship. While project counselling services have been oversubscribed, due to young people’s mental health issues increasing. 3 Reporting started in Q3 4 Reporting started in Q5 49 Page 9 of 30 Homeless Link Project name: PLUS Project Priority: Priority 1: Combatting Homelessness Specification: 1.4 Improving the response to homelessness in London (working with housing and homelessness organisations and professionals) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £173,377 Delivery partners: Shelter - The PLUS Project aims to strengthen the sector through enhanced collaboration, particularly through improved two-way relationships between LAs and local VCSs, bring related sectors (e.g., health, social care, housing) together to better understand, define and identify their role in preventing homelessness, support providers and commissioners to be responsive to changing patterns of need, policy, legislation and equalities issues and providers to recognise differing needs. To build capacity of providers to be more sustainable, improve pathways between statutory and VCS and improve sector staff wellbeing and resilience, to avoid burn-out and retain expertise in the sector. Activities will include: - In-depth support to boroughs delivered through a consistent learning pathway model. This will including an initial systematic review and analysis of the LA and local VCS sector to identify current processes, practice, collaborations and gaps, informing an evidence-based bespoke development plan of support and training - Rapid review and assessment of organisations, to obtain baseline data on support needs, to guide programme and assess progress towards programme aims - Linking boroughs with similar needs and challenges to facilitate shared learning, peer network development, peer support, and economies of scale - Providing specialist advice, support, training and information, at the pan-London, sub- regional and local level to meet the range of needs - Supporting and improving working relationships between the VCS, boroughs and landlords through targeted and tailored activities - Improving collaboration and communication between the homelessness, employment, domestic/sexual violence, substance use, and health sectors through relationship brokerage, bespoke support and peer networks - Provision of policy, law and research information - Responsive special initiatives responding to changing needs for the duration of the grant - Targeted wellbeing and resilience support through collaboration events and bespoke training. Contact Details Referrals Chris Dutton - London Strategic Lead chris.dutton@homelesslink.org.uk London.Plus@homelesslink.org.uk 07958 135 840 Homeless Link, 2-5 Minories, London EC3N 1BJ Contact London.Plus@homelesslink.org.uk or call Chris Dutton on 07958 135 840 to discuss any specific queries and sign-up to contact list for all training and events. In depth borough support will be dependent on an Expression of Interest process and advertised to all boroughs via key contacts. 50 Page 10 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new organisations 267 313 Organisations with increased knowledge of housing and homelessness legislation, specifically the Homeless Reduction Act 2017 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 200 111 Number of organisations with increased knowledge of policy and best practice in service delivery 155 135 Number of organisations with improved working relationships with local authority statutory services. 100 74 Number of voluntary sector organisations able to demonstrate increased working relationships (with landlords, housing professionals, other local services) 167 89 Number of landlords/housing professionals with increased knowledge of housing and equalities law 30 205 Number of landlords/housing professionals with increased knowledge of housing and homelessness legislation, policy and best practice in client support 75 236 Number of organisations with an increased understanding of funding opportunities and application procedures 214 106 Number of organisations with improved ability to evidence and demonstrate the impact of their services 37 86 Number of organisations with improved ability to develop partnerships/collaborations to improve services. 115 78 By the end of year 1, VSC and community organisations report improved mental health, wellbeing, and greater resilience 60 63 Local Authority / organisations offer improved homelessness and housing advice services following a systemic review 3 1 Underdelivery: Some of the bespoke work with a borough has been delayed at borough request, due to staff management issues. Additionally, despite offering accredited training, the completion of post training surveys has only been at 51 per cent. Project staff are following up survey completion, after training, in an attempt to secure higher response, which will confirm if outcomes have been met. By delivering more webinars , systems practice work and developing relationships with new funders, the project hope to meet outcome targets in quarter eight. Overdelivery: Outcomes for increasing knowledge of equalities law/housing policy and improving organisation’s ability to demonstrate service impact continue to be over delivered. This is due to increased numbers of training, webinars and systems practice work. 51 Priority 2 – Tackling Sexual and Domestic Abuse Page 11 of 32 Against Violence and Abuse (AVA) Project name: Healthy London, Healthy Relationships (HLHR) Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.1 Prevention (children and young people) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £236,247 Delivery partners: FORWARD, IMECE Women's Centre, Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), Jewish Women's Aid, Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS), Women and Girls Network The ‘Healthy London, Healthy Relationships’ (HLHR) project aims to prevent VAWG against/amongst Children and Young People (CYP), empower both professionals and young people to develop sustainable organisational structures and cultures that embed the importance of healthy relationships and tackle attitudes and beliefs that cause VAWG. This will be done through a system wide, multi - agency approach that focuses on safeguarding, capacity building and learning. This project will consist of a hybrid online/face- to-face offer focused on a holistic, whole schools approach, aims to allow flexibility in delivery to increase its potential reach (and allow scalability) and focus the intensive, bespoke support to children and areas with the most need. Included are materials and tools allowing for its use in non- school settings such as community and faith groups. Our tiered model consists of four key activities: • 1. Development and maintenance of accessible London specific HLHR Hub based on existing “Ask AVA” resource o Comprehensive prevention toolkit including age- appropriate resources for school settings (5-18) o Co-produced resources and tools with experts by experience o Lesson plans, activities for a comprehensive RSE (in- line with Gov guidelines) o Localised referral pathways, signposting for support for children who disclose. • 2. Training and learning for schools/youth organisations including interactive training, specialised e-learning, networking/troubleshooting. • 3. Bespoke support for schools which will be assigned through a triaged system according to need based on the key priorities and vulnerabilities. Applications will be allocated to partner organisations based on specialism, capacity and community connections. • 4. Outreach work for all the above including whole school approach Champions to promote the work through borough pathways and networks; and foster new partnerships such as with the National Education Union, other trade unions, wider community leaders 52 Page 12 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 4,310 8,892 Number of people who can identify the components of healthy relationships 1,643 4,292 Number of people who can identify at least one warning sign of domestic or sexual abuse 1,643 4,606 Number of people enabled to make positive choices for themselves 1,643 2,607 Number of people who know where to get support 1,643 3,727 Number of people who communicate with their peers in a way that reflects a change in knowledge and attitudes about healthy relationships 985 1,498 Number of professionals reporting increased confidence in addressing issues with children and young people 4,040 900 Number of professionals reporting increased knowledge, awareness and commitment to ensuring the work is embedded 2,020 1,099 Number of schools with the learning incorporated into policies and procedures. 18 0 Figures in this table refer to the period April 2022 to September 2023 (Q1 to 6) This project has not provided any performance data for quarter seven due to ceasing delivery in January 2024, and going into administration in February 2024. Please see agenda item 7 for further information on AVA and the HLHR project. 53 Page 13 of 30 Women and Girls Network Project name: Ascent Advice and Counselling Project Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.2 Specialist advice, counselling and support (for medium risk survivors (including post-IDVA/ISVA) and target groups not accessing general provision) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £1,383,289 Delivery partners: Ashiana Network, Asian Women's Resource Centre (AWRC), Chinese Information and Advice Centre, EACH, IMECE Women's Centre, Iranian and Kurdish Women s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), Jewish Women's Aid, Kurdish and Middle Eastern Women's Organisation, Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS), Nia, Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre, Rights of Women, Solace Women's Aid, Southall Black Sisters, Women's Trust The Ascent Advice and Counselling project aims to provide pan-London wrap-around support services for self-identified women, girls and non-binary people surviving the continuum of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) through individually tailored advice, information, casework and therapeutic services. The overall aim of the project is to enhance survivors internal and external resources, enabling them to better cope and heal from their experiences of violence & abuse, and move to independence. Our activities • At the heart of our pan-London partnership project will be two holistic advice hubs offering: - emotional support - safety planning - information/advice & immediate advocacy support - seamless access to ongoing support services. - needs & risk assessments These will be surrounded by the spokes of specialist services to complement the hubs including: - Targeted 1-1 casework services for, Black and Global Majority women /young women and girls/ women who are sexually exploited and/or faced multiple disadvantages). - A specialist focus on providing housing support/access to safe accommodation, including emergency accommodation funding for single women with NRPF. - 1:1 BACP accredited counselling delivered across London and in over 20 languages. - London legal advice line- providing specialist family law and immigration legal advice - Survivor group work5 to promote recovery and increase understanding of abuse - Training and awareness raising to up skill professionals and staff Contact Details Referrals Ifeoma Williams, Director of Services Ifeoma.Williams@wgn.org.uk CAN Mezzanine, 7-14 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR Website: www.wgn.org.uk and https://www.thelondonvawgconsortium.org.uk East London (Solace Women’s Aid): 0808 802 5565; advice@solacewomensaid.org West London (Women and Girls Network): 0808 801 0660; advice@wgn.org.uk London Legal Advice (Rights of Women): 0207 608 1137 5 Delivery in year one only. WGN will signpost to alternative provision where available from year two onwards. 54 Page 14 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 10134 10272 Number of people experiencing greater feelings of safety 6022 5125 Number of people with a safety plan 4670 4694 Number of people with continuing support to sustain new lives. 5978 4647 Number of people who can rebuild their lives and move to independence 2688 3141 Number of tenancies secured 1179 934 Number of tenancies sustained for six months6 105 99 Number of people accessing health services 295 737 Number of people accessing employment support. 79 127 Local authority officers and local IDVAs/ISVAs can access additional support to wrap around existing services, or make referrals into the service 592 723 Tenancies Secured/Sustained: Wider issues of the unavailability of housing has negatively impacted on delivery of these outcomes. The project however continues to support women to access emergency accommodation. People experiencing greater feelings of safety/Sustaining new lives: Staff induction, and the holiday period, during quarter seven has resulted in lower outcome figures. The increased need for complex casework with ‘ high-risk’ survivors has also required extended periods to address need. The project will carry out more recruitment to improve outcomes in the future. Over delivery: There has been increased need for employment support, attributed to financial pressures. Increased need for mental health and health care support, as well as support with care plans, has also grown in demand. 6 Reporting started in Q3 55 Page 15 of 30 Galop Project name: The LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP) Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.2 Specialist advice, counselling and support (for medium risk survivors (including post-IDVA/ISVA) and target groups not accessing general provision) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £160,574 Delivery partners: Stonewall Housing, London Friend The London LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Partnership (DAP) is specialist service for LGBT+ survivors of domestic abuse. It is open to any LGBT person experiencing domestic violence living or working in London. This is a service run by, and for, LGBT+ people. The DAP provides services to survivors of domestic abuse, including the following: • Helpline: email, phone and live chat support to all LGBT+ survivors, giving information and support 5 days a week, including signposting to ongoing specialist services and contributing to the overall national helpline service, supporting survivors in London. • Advice and safety planning • Housing advice, including options on finding safe accommodation • Emotional support • Free one-to-one Counselling • Support and assistance with dealing with the police • Help reporting incidents and finding solicitors • Legal advice on civil or criminal protection (e.g., non-molestation orders) • Support through civil and criminal court system • Advice on child safety and child contact issues • Specific support around sexual abuse • Interpreter service available to those who do not have English as a first language • Awareness raising sessions/ consultancy services to multi agency staff at borough level to increase understanding of LGBT+ people’s experiences of domestic abuse and the work of the partnership. The partnership is made up of three LGBT+ voluntary organisations: • Galop specialising in supporting LGBT+ victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, hate crime, and other forms of abuse including honour-based abuse, forced marriage, and so-called “conversion therapies”. • Stonewall Housing providing safe accommodation, housing advice, mental health advocacy and support for people fleeing domestic abuse. • London Friend offers counselling and support around issues such as same- sex relationships, sexual and gender identity and promotes personal growth and self-confidence. More information is available on the partnership website: www.lgbtdap.org.uk Contact Details Referrals Gavin Stafford – Gavin@galop.org.uk Survivors and professionals can refer through the online referral form on www.galop.org.uk/make-a- referral/ or by calling the National LGBT DV Helpline 0800 999 5428 56 Page 16 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 531 554 Number of people experiencing greater feelings of safety 175 178 Number of people with a safety plan 105 109 Number of people with continuing support to sustain new lives. 175 172 Number of people who can rebuild their lives and move to independence 105 106 Number of tenancies secured 75 73 Number of tenancies sustained for six months 61 63 Number of people accessing health services 35 40 Number of people accessing employment support. 28 25 Local authority officers and local IDVAs/ISVAs can access additional support to wrap around existing services, or make referrals into the service 35 35 LGBT+ victims/survivors of domestic abuse are better able to access additional support from local/specialist support services 105 114 LGBT+ victims/survivors of domestic abuse have improved emotional health/wellbeing 59 66 There are no significant issues of under or overdelivery to report. 57 Page 17 of 30 SignHealth Project name: Deaf Domestic Abuse Service Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.2 Specialist advice, counselling and support (for medium risk survivors (including post-IDVA/ISVA) and target groups not accessing general provision) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £261,787 Delivery partners: n/a This service aims to educate, empower, encourage and protect Deaf people from all forms of domestic abuse using their preferred language, British Sign Language (BSL). Activities: - Preventative education: work with the Deaf community to raise awareness about unhealthy relationships, different types of abuse, consent and to empower Deaf people with tools to keep themselves safe. - Supporting independence: Deaf IDVAs will support Deaf adults and their families to lead a life free from violence by minimising risk, ensuring safety, and developing skills for independence thus reducing the likelihood of clients returning to abusive relationships or resuming old behaviours. The IDVA support for Deaf people is offered either remotely over online video platforms or face to face. - Accessible resources in BSL: video resources in BSL give Deaf people fair access to the same vital information as their hearing peers. Watch videos here: https://signhealth.org.uk/video-category/domestic-abuse/ - Provision of training and resources for mainstream/hearing providers to improve access to services. Also Deaf awareness training to the police and other external agencies. - Work in collaboration with a range of mainstream providers, who signpost Deaf service users to us. - In-person advocacy where necessary (supporting clients to navigate the family courts, criminal justice, and welfare systems). - Referrals to SignHealth’s Psychological Therapy service for anxiety, depression and/or trauma. Freedom Programme workshops and facilitation of Deaf-led support groups Contact Details Referrals Marie Vickers – Head of Domestic Abuse Services mvickers@signhealth.org.uk SignHealth, CAN Mezzanine Ltd, 7-4 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR (registered address) https://signhealth.org.uk/with-deaf- people/domestic-abuse/ Deaf people can self-refer through our email da@signhealth.org.uk or our SMS number 07800 003421 Professionals can email da@signhealth.org.uk to make a referral 58 Page 18 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 102 98 Number of people experiencing greater feelings of safety 92 70 Number of people with a safety plan 92 71 Number of people with continuing support to sustain new lives. 92 66 Number of people who can rebuild their lives and move to independence 92 61 Number of tenancies secured 35 30 Number of tenancies sustained for six months7 15 11 Number of people accessing health services 15 34 Number of people accessing employment support. 15 15 Local authority officers and local IDVAs/ISVAs can access additional support to wrap around existing services, or make referrals into the service 43 37 Number of Deaf people reporting greater awareness of Domestic Abuse and how to get help 124 600 Number of professionals reporting greater awareness of Deaf Domestic Abuse and where to go for appropriate services 78 690 Greater feelings of safety; sustaining new lives/independence/accessing employment support; securing tenancies: these outcomes have been impacted by service users who have missed appointments, and also clients who have disengaged with the service. Project staff have also been on periods of absence during the quarter seven period. The project however has new referrals who need support and therefore more people are expected to be seen, which should result in improved performance. Number of tenancies sustained for six months: The scarcity of accommodation has been cited as a reason for lower than target performance. As well as service users reservations about being rehoused. Targeted work will continue to be carried out by IDVA staff to support clie nts in accommodation, with follow up reviews taking place, six months after close of client cases to monitor sustainment outcomes. Over delivery: is driven by promoting project services through networking events and regular workshops. And also, higher demand for services, including therapy, delivered by the project’s in- house therapy team. 7 Reporting started in Q3 59 Page 19 of 30 Refuge Project name: Pan-London Domestic and Sexual Violence Helplines Project Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.3 Helpline services (advice and support, access to refuge provision) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £284,918 Delivery partners: Women and Girls Network (WGN), Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) and Respect This project is a partnership between four specialist providers , the pan-London domestic and sexual violence helpline provides access to confidential, non- judgmental support and advice for anyone in London subjected to domestic or sexual violence, current or historic, including referrals to emergency safe accommodation and support for friends, family and professionals. Support includes: emotional support, risk assessment, safety planning, referrals and information on rights and options, including legal rights, housing rights, child contact rights and pathways into other services; also a refuge referral line for women fleeing domestic abuse, run by Refuge as part of the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (NDAH), with enhanced support for women facing particular barriers to accessing refuge, providing critical insight to London Boroughs. Support can also be accessed via digital channels, including online Live Chat, email support and web content – informed by partner expertise around the ways in which perpetrators track victims’ activity online and misuse technology to abuse. To ensure the needs of all Londoners can be met, our helplines include accessible pathways to support: British Sign Language interpretation, Language Line interpreters; Helpline Advisers and volunteers who speak multiple languages; and translated web content. The partnership will raise awareness of its services across the capital, including an online offer for local authorities and targeted communications where there is low borough engagement, facilitated by a project support officer at Refuge. The partnership will bolster London’s specialist VAWG sector by sharing expertise with each other, including mutual training sessions and regular meetings to share best practice, identify emerging needs particular ‘pain points’ for survivors., as well as smooth referral pathways between partner Helplines. Contact Details Referrals Lucy Snow, Senior Transformation Manager, Refuge Lucy_Snow@refuge.org.uk The Freephone 24-Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 or contact via secure webform, online live chat (weekdays, 3pm – 10pm) or British Sign Language interpretation (weekdays, 10am – 6pm) https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/ National Sexual Violence Helpline: 0808 802 9999 (24/7), or access support via live chat here: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get- help/want-to-talk/ Women and Girls Network Sexual Violence Helpline: Freephone: 0808 801 0770 Mon- Fri 10am-12.30pm, 2.30pm-4pm. Late opening on Wednesdays 6pm-9pm. Home | Women and Girls Network (wgn.org.uk) Respect Men’s Advice Line: Telephone support: 0808 801 0327 (Mon to Fri 10am – 8pm), Email support: Monday to Friday – 9am – 8pm, Webchat support: Wednesdays – 10-11.30am and 2.30-4pm Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men | Men's Advice Line UK (mensadviceline.org.uk) 60 Page 20 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 28,400 23,186 Number of people referred to a refuge 834 358 Number of people referred to alternatives to refuge e.g. reciprocal arrangements for secure tenancies 630 700 Number of people referred to other general services (welfare, housing, legal rights) 6,240 5,889 Number of people referred to other specialist services (specialists in supporting victims of domestic and sexual abuse, counselling). 5,285 9,973 Borough professionals report being able to respond to service users’ needs 196 372 Borough professionals indicate satisfaction with the service. 196 376 Survivors provided with information to enable self-referral to refuge accommodation 2,270 2,626 Survivors of domestic and sexual abuse have improved understanding of risk and steps they can take to increase safety, both physical and emotional 7,625 8,363 Professionals are empowered with information on responding to domestic and sexual abuse, increasing the likelihood of positive interventions with survivors they're concerned about. 2,064 2,063 Survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and those supporting them experience reduced isolation, increased sense of hope and increased understanding of survivor rights and options 28,400 23,624 Overdelivery: This has been caused by changes within the partner organisations since the start of the project . The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) has significantly over-performed against its original target due to its expansion to a 24- hour service. Women and Girls Network has integrated its feedback form into its database making it easier to gather feedback from every caller and as a consequence has achieved response above target. Underdelivery: Under delivery resulted from the seasonal trend of reduced demand for the service during quarter three, resource challenges (limited staff due to vacancies and Christmas leave) and the length of time taken to support some clients access refuge space. 61 Page 21 of 30 Women’s Aid Project name: London Refuges Data Collection Project Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.3 Helpline services (advice and support, access to refuge provision) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £25,000 Delivery partners: N/A The London Refuges Data Collection project provides an evidence base on the availability and use of domestic abuse refuge provision in London. It aims to inform stakeholders about these services and support the commissioning of services. The data collection for this project uses Routes to Support (RtS), the UK VAWG service directory which Women’s Aid Federation of England run in partnership with our sister federations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Data in London on referrals and women’s journeys is collected through RtS as part of refuge services routine work. That means that when London- based staff update refuge vacancies on the system they are required to enter additional information about the women using their services. Women’s Aid share quarterly data reports with London Councils, MOPAC 8 and Borough officers including VAWG leads, Commissioners and Community Safety Officers. These stakeholders also have access to an interactive Data Dashboard which is on a password- protected area of the Women’s Aid website. Women’s Aid present the data at various fora in London and also produce an annual data summary which is shared with all London refuge providers. Contact Details Referrals Sarika Seshadri, Head of Research and Evaluation S.Seshadri@womensaid.org.uk www.womensaid.org.uk For queries about the data collected through this project please contact: routestosupport@womensaid.org.uk Services who are interested in joining Routes to Support can find more information here: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/what-we- do/i-work-with-survivors/routes-to-support/ 8 Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime 62 Page 22 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered New Users 92 96 Borough Professionals (Housing/VAWG/Community Safety) report being better able to respond to service users’ needs 25 12 Organisations providing VAWG services in London are able to signpost survivors through access to referrals and service information through Routes to Support (number of individual logins) 27,500 22,744 Organisations providing VAWG services enter data on refuge use to provide pan London profile of service use to inform commissioners and stakeholders 60 119 Borough officers (Housing/VAWG/Community Safety) have increased knowledge of the domestic abuse support provision available across London as a result of the project 25 11 Borough officers (Housing/VAWG/Community Safety) use data from the project to inform policy and practice during second half of the project following promotion in first half of project. 15 2 Boroughs are able to signpost survivors of domestic abuse through access to service information through the UK Gold Book (number of new boroughs with access) 9 10 Underdelivery: Women’s Aid is below it s cumulative target for outcomes requiring feedback from borough officers because feedback has not been forthcoming from them. The organisation has developed a new feedback mechanism to enable feedback from boroughs via the online data dashboard. In addition, the number of VAWG service provider logins has reduced because new functionality allows providers to update their refuge vacancies each week rather than daily. Overdelivery: The number of services providing data on refuge use, which is used to provide the profile figure, is dependent on services available in London; the number of service providers entering data is higher than the project’s predicted targets. 63 Page 23 of 30 Ashiana Network Project name: Specialist Refuge Network Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.4 Emergency refuge accommodation that offers services to meet the needs of specific groups Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £840,000 (extended for one additional year to 31 March 2023)9 Delivery partners: Ashiana Network, Solace Women's Aid, Nia project, Iranian & Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO) The Specialist Refuge Network provided a unique and innovative Pan- London service through specialist refuge accommodation and targeted support to high- risk women/children affected by domestic and sexual violence (DSV) with complex needs. The Network provided specialist refuge, targeted support and outreach and second stage accommodation. The project work ed intensively with women to assess/address needs, improve safety/health/wellbeing enabling women to exit violent/abusiv e relationships/situations. Delivery: - Programme of group-work/workshops to enhance health/wellbeing/living- skills/resilience - Resettlement programme to support independence/longer lasting outcomes - Outreach service supporting/enabling women to access alternative refuge accommodation/be supported in independent living - Training/awareness raising workshops for professionals to remove barriers/widen access - Housing advocacy securing/maintaining referral pathways with housing providers to secure alternative accommodation for women at risk and unable to access refuge - 38 specialist 24-hour refuge and second-stage accommodation bed spaces and package of intensive targeted support to enhance safety and remove barriers: - 6 (24-hour) bed spaces: Problematic substance use - 5 (24-hour) bed spaces: Sexually exploited women (including prostitution and trafficking) - 8 (24-hour) bed spaces: Women with mental health/problematic substance use - 7 second-stage bed spaces: Trafficked women - 6 bed spaces: Middle Eastern and North African women fleeing harmful practices - 6 bed spaces: South Asian, Turkish and Iranian women with NRPF experiencing DV/SV and harmful practices Within the existing 38 bed spaces, the project allocated an additional 3 bed spaces for women with NRPF 10, particularly for trafficked women and 2 bed spaces for women with mobility related disabilities. 9 Extended for one year only to 31 March 2023 to give time to develop longer term arrangements with the boroughs and the GLA following the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act 10 No recourse to public funds 64 Page 24 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Qtrs. 1-411 Profile Delivered Number of new users 795 1,083 Numbers not returning to a perpetrator 37 57 Numbers with increased awareness of safety planning 195 274 Engagement with in-house and external specialist support and culturally specific provision, (such as drug and alcohol support, support with mental health, support to exit prostitution, harmful practices, immigration and NRPF 155 205 Numbers supported to successfully apply for indefinite leave to remain under the Destitution Domestic Violence (DDV) concession or refugee status under an asylum application 32 38 Numbers of women that demonstrate reduced harmful substance use 50 47 Number of women involved in prostitution and trafficking reporting increased awareness of options to exit prostitution and with personalised action plans 37 49 Numbers demonstrating an increased understanding of sexual and domestic violence/prostitution/trafficking as a form of violence against women 140 274 Number of users demonstrating an increased understanding and stabilisation in their mental health 73 103 Number of users with increased understanding of impact of mental health and substance misuse on their children 17 44 Service users moved on in a planned way 29 54 Service users with increased living skills 67 68 Service users with more stabilised immigration status 45 91 No of people prevented (where appropriate) from unnecessary refuge admission through support to alternative housing options that enable them to stay safe. Support provided to service users for whom specific refuge provision does not exist / scarce / do not wish to access (LGBT) 50 93 Number of referral pathways agreed with registered social landlords and other housing providers 6 4 Number of service users gaining/maintaining tenancies 33 37 Number of professionals with increased knowledge of sexual and domestic violence aimed at increasing clients' access to services 475 538 Removal of barriers in accessing services for people with the protected characteristics of the 2010 Equalities Act 85 286 Number of users with disabilities accessing the service 73 103 11 These performance figures are only for the extended year of delivery 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. The project has now ended. 65 Page 25 of 30 Ashiana Network Project name: Ascent Specialist Refuge Partnership Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.4 Emergency Specialist Refuge Provision Amount per year: £840,000 (from April 2023 onwards) Delivery partners: Ashiana Network, Solace Women's Aid, Nia, Iranian & Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO) Our project aims to relieve homelessness, reduce and address the harms of domestic abuse by providing routes to safe and appropriate accommodation for women identified as the most marginalised, most frequently excluded by other services, and therefore at great risk of sustained harm and homelessness. This project is an established, proven partnership of four of London’s most experienced, specialist refuge providers. Our project provides three services, of which refuge is the core. We will provide: • 39 specialist refuge and second-stage accommodation bedspaces to marginalised women such as: women with no recourse to public funds (NRPF); Black and minoritised women fleeing harmful practice; women who have been sexually exploited, trafficked, or are exiting prostitution and women with mental health, dual diagnosis and/or problematic drug and alcohol usage. • An OISC level 2 Immigration Solicitor who will assist in regularising the immigration status of survivors, so they are able to access safe and appropriate accommodation they’re currently excluded from. The solicitor is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). • A Partnerships Officer who will work alongside all partners in collaboration with the wider Ascent Consortium to promote and ensure equitable, effective referral pathways into our service from all 33 boroughs, all borough IDVA/ISVA teams, and safe accommodation services. We aim to support 137 women from any London borough with complex and multiple needs and otherwise/unlikely to be accepted into any other form of safe accommodation, access to safe, sustained and highly-specialist refuge beds. We will also support 72 survivors of VAWG to regularise their immigration status. For both sets of women, additional positive impacts will follow including improved sense of safety and improved access to specialist support. 111 of our total cohort will be supported to move on from refuge in a planned way during the lifetime of the project. In achieving these outcomes will help to: • reduce demand pressures on London’s statutory services, including open referral pathways and co- working opportunities with every London borough. • help women avoid unplanned and crisis presentations at housing, health, and frontline commissioned services. • help women present to services in planned ways, support their sustained and positive contact with services, and support women’s readiness for longer-term independence. Contact Details Referrals Shaminder Ubhi, Director shaminder@ashiana.org.uk info@ashiana.org.uk 020 8539 0427 www.ashiana.org.uk Nia - 07590 712872 (24 hours); 0207 683 1270 info@niaendingviolence.org.uk The Emma Project: 07590 712872 (24 hours) Solace Women’s Aid – Refuge Referrals: Monday & Friday 9.30am-5pm; refuge.referrals@solacewomensaid.org 02031984658 Ext: 236; 07483 025192 IKWRO – Refuge- 07496111963 07846 275 246 (Arabic/Kurdish) 24hrs 07846 310 157 (Farsi/Dari/Turkish)24 Hours 020 7920 6460- info@ikwro.org.uk 66 Page 26 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q712 Profile Delivered Number of new users 54 64 Number of people experiencing greater feelings of safety 33 34 Number of people with a safety plan 33 33 Number of people with continuing support to sustain new lives. 18 18 Number of people who can rebuild their lives and move to independence 17 19 Number of people who move on from refuge accommodation in a planned way 27 21 Number of people accessing specialist support (for example, immigration advice, legal advice, mental health support, substance misuse support)- Refuge & Outreach clients 51 51 Number of people with improved mental health- Refuge & Outreach clients 37 25 Service users with more stabilised immigration status 18 26 Local authority officers and local IDVAs/ISVAs can access additional support to wrap around existing services, or make referrals into the service 8 8 Number of women with exiting prostitution plan in place 3 3 Improved management and awareness of their substance use 12 13 Increase in women’s awareness of trafficking and sexual exploitation and staying safe 3 3 Removal of barriers in accessing services for people with the protected characteristics of the 2010 Equalities Act 54 56 Number of people who move on from refuge accommodation in a planned way. Underdelivery is a result of the project finding difficulties in supporting women to find suitable accommodation that meets their needs due to the current housing crisis . Also, service users are not ready to move on. In order to address the variance, project partners are working with women to create move- on plans and supporting clients to gather the documentation they need to expedite the move- on process. The project expects the variance will even out in the next quarter Number of people with improved mental health: Underdelivery is mainly explained by women coming into the service who may be struggling with mental health, but they also have other support needs that need to be addressed more urgently , therefore resulting in clients not meeting this outcome straight away. In addition, some women do not engage with the service immediately. Partners continue to provide support and information. Number of service users with more stabilised immigration status: Overdelivery due to requests for 1:1 immigration status support being higher than expected. Service users were assisted in both submitting and gathering evidence in support of their applications, leading to positive decisions being achieved. Ashiana does not turn away any service user requiring immigration support. 12 This project started in Q5 of the 2022-26 programme 67 Page 27 of 30 Women’s Resource Centre Project name: Ascent: Support Services to Organisations Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.5 Improving the response to domestic and sexual abuse in London (working with domestic and sexual abuse organisations and professionals) Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £189,522 Delivery partners: RESPECT (perpetrators), Imkaan, Rights of Women, Against Violence and Abuse and Women and Girls Network The Ascent Support Services to Organisations (SSO) project aims to increase access to support and help for people affected by domestic and sexual abuse, by improving the quality and expertise of frontline domestic and sexual abuse organisations and professionals in London. The aim will be achieved by the annual provision of: - Sustainability Training - One to One Support Sessions - Expert Led Training - Webinars - Accredited Training - Knowledge Hub - Bespoke Training - Needs Analysis - Specialist Briefing Sessions - Case Studies - Special Events - Fact Sheets, Best practice briefings, - E- newsletters These activities will provide best practice guidance and advice and inform and educate on a variety of topics, including policy and legislation, immigration, violence against women and girls (VAWG), organisational development, funding and fundraising, perpetrator work, trauma- informed work, and evidencing and demonstrating impact. Ascent SSO aims to increase the cross-sector awareness of services available and cross - sector collaborations; increase the resilience and sustainability of frontline voluntary sector organisations, increase the wellbeing of staff of frontline organisations , and increase awareness and knowledge about intersectionality and the diverse needs of service users. Contact Details Referrals Ms Vivienne Hayes, CEO vivienne@wrc.org.uk 020 7697 3451 Project Lead – Nour Gazarin United House, North Road, London, N7 9DP www.wrc.org.uk www.imkaan.org.uk www.respect.uk.net www.avaproject.org.uk www.wgn.org.uk www.rightsofwomen.org.uk 68 Page 28 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new organisations 362 258 Number of organisations with increased knowledge of legislation, specifically the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 105 165 Number of organisations with increased knowledge of policy and best practice in service delivery 245 239 Number of organisations with improved working relationships with local authority statutory services. 140 144 Number of voluntary sector organisations able to demonstrate increased working relationships (with health professionals, housing professionals, other local services) 105 126 Number of professionals with increased awareness of the signs of domestic and sexual abuse and knowledge of domestic and sexual abuse services available to their clients 210 218 Number of professionals with increased knowledge of domestic and sexual abuse legislation, policy and best practice in clients support. 210 243 Number of organisations with an increased understanding of funding opportunities and application procedures 35 44 Number of organisations with improved ability to evidence and demonstrate the impact of their services 52 87 Number of organisations with improved ability to develop partnerships/collaborations to improve services. 70 78 Organisations with increased ability to improve the wellbeing of staff and volunteers 52 66 Organisations with increased awareness of intersectionality and structural inequality in the context of domestic and sexual abuse 210 156 Organisations with improved ability to meet the diverse and intersectional needs of service users 210 229 Underdelivery: The organisation feels that the likelihood of engaging organisations that have not previously benefitted from services within the current funding cycle decreases as the funding period progresses. It managed to reach 26 new organisations this quarter; however, it’s not enough to make up the negative variances acquired from previous quarters. The project has improved the deficit for the outcome increasing awareness about intersectionality and structural inequality in the context of domestic and sexual violence, this quarter. Overdelivery: well attended t raining sessions delivered were able to support the attainment of a number of outcomes resulting in overdelivery . There were also changes to the schedule which resulted in additional training being run this quarter . The project also has historic overdelivery from earlier in the programme. 69 Page 29 of 30 Asian Women's Resource Centre (AWRC) Project name: Ascent Ending Harmful Practices Partnership Priority: Priority 2: Tackling Domestic and Sexual Abuse Specification: 2.6 Services for people affected by harmful practices Avg. Annual Grant Amount: £308,662 Delivery partners: Ashiana Network, Latin American Women's Rights Service, IKWRO Women’s Centre, IMECE Women’s Centre, Southall Black Sisters Trust, Women and Girls Network, Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD) and Al- Aman (Division of Richmond Fellowship) The Ending Harmful Practices Partnership (EHPP) aims to improve service provision for those affected by sexual and domestic abuse, specifically, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), “so called” honour based abuse (HBV), forced marriage (FM) and other harmful practices 13 through the provision of high quality frontline services as well as support services to voluntary and statutory organisations. The EHPP will provide specialist services including intensive support to Women and Girls from BME communities, as well as raising awareness to increase early identification of those at risk and improve institutional responses. Activities will include: - 1:1 advice and information on rights and entitlements: - casework and advocacy support which will include accompanying women to meetings with police, housing and social services departments and courts - therapeutic support groups and a counselling provision to 50 women - raising awareness of the impact of HBV, FM and FGM within communities and other voluntary and statutory agencies (not only BME communities) through delivering workshops, training and presentations - specific work with young women on FGM through the delivery of workshops to support peer mentoring and youth advocacy. The project aims to improve safety and reduce risks for BME women experiencing harmful practices; and present them with options so that they are in a stronger position physically, mentally and emotionally. The intended impact of the combined activities they participate in, will help them achieve greater social and economic independence, enabling them to integrate into and contribute towards their local communities and wider society. Contact Details Referrals Sarbjit Ganger, Director sarbjit@awrc.org.uk Info@awrc.org.uk 020 8961 6549 http://asianwomencentre.org.uk/ Twitter: @AWRCofficial Instagram: @AsianWomenResourceCentre Ascent: 0208 961 6549 0208 961 5701 referrals@awrc.org.uk 13 Faith Based Abuse, and some of the lesser known harmful practices such as acid attacks, menstrual huts, “corrective” rape, dowry and caste abuse. 70 Page 30 of 30 Outcome 2022-2023 Q7 Profile Delivered Number of new people 775 954 Number of people who have a better understanding of the options available to them and are more aware of their rights 790 896 Number of people who increased their ability to communicate their needs and views to service providers 62 63 Number of people with enhanced coping strategies through risk assessment and planning 662 683 Number of people who have improved life skills, helping them to rebuild their lives and move to independence 73 81 Number of people with improved mental health 270 272 Number of professionals with improved understanding of harmful practices and the barriers faced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic women in accessing services 128 341 Local authority officers can access additional support to wrap around existing services, or make referrals into the service 44 48 IDVAs/ISVAs, GPs/hospitals and sexual health clinics can make referrals into the service. 52 54 Number of professionals with improved understanding of harmful practices and the barriers faced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic women in accessing services: There continues to be high demand for specialist provision. This is coupled with high numbers for work with professionals , achieved in previous quarte rs. The delivery of harmful practice training, as part of the 16 Days of Activism in quarter seven also increased delivery. The project aims to regularise its delivery going forward. 71 Grants Committee Performance Management Update: Against Violence and Abuse (AVA) Item 7 Report by Doug Flight Job title Strategic Lead Date 27 March 2024 Contact Officer Doug Flight Telephone 0207 934 9805 Email Doug.flight@londoncouncils.gov.uk Summary This paper provides Grants Committee members with information on actions taken to date and proposed next steps to mitigate risk to London Councils and to the pan- London Grants Programme following notification of c losure of AVA (Against Violence and Abuse). Recommendations Grants Committee members are asked to: - review the report, and - note t he actions taken to date , both to protect the Committee’s position and to support service users and sub-partners, pending a decision by the Committee on future service provision in this area (see item 8). 72 1 Background 1.1 On 1 February 2024 the Board of Trustees of AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) wrote to London Councils to state that that AVA has been placed into liquidation (Appendix 1). 1.2 This paper provides Grants Committee members with information on actions taken to date to mitigate risk to London Councils and to the P an-London Grants Programme. 2 Actions taken prior to notification of closure 2.1 AVA was commissioned to deliver the Healthy London Healthy Relationships (HLHR) project, as part of the 2022-2026 pan-London Grants Programme. It was the sole project within the prevention strand of the tackling domestic and sexual violence priority of the grants programme. Delivery of the project, which was predominantly delivered through schools, commenced in April 2022. 2.2 There were some delivery issues with the project from inception, in the main due to schools ’ continued focus on recovery/catch- up following the height of the pandemic and having little bandwidth for extra-curricular activity. 2.3 These issues were managed using our programme management procedures – increased intervention, improvement action plan, payments based on evidence of expenditure, annual budget reconciliation, annual due diligence etc. Following quarterly monitoring, £66,500 of funds have been withheld over the course of delivery pending further evidence. 2.4 Wider issues with the organisation became apparent in late November and early December 2023. The team requested management accounts prior to agreeing the usual quarterly payment, at which point the Chair of the Board at AVA requested a meeting with senior London Councils officers. 2.5 Following the meeting, the Strategy Director: London’s Communities authorised a quarterly payment to cover salaries and associated costs only (£49,000, a reduction of £10,000 on the budgeted quarterly payment) and informed AVA’s Chair that no further payments would be made due to concerns over the organisation’s viability (London Councils’ Director of Corporate Resources was consulted prior to payment being authorised). 73 2.6 The rationale for agreeing the payment was two-fold: 2.6.1 AVA acts as lead partner for the HLHR project. All sub- partners ha d continued to deliver their agreed HLHR work. Furthermore, these partners all deliver across other strands of the programme, and all are led-by-and- for organisations. A sudden, in effect back -dated, loss of salary income could have had a destabilising effect on partners delivering across the whole of Priority 2. 2.6.2 B eing a week away from Christmas, there was the risk of reputational damage to London Councils if a specialist led-by-and-for organisation was unable to pay staff salaries. 2.7 To further mitigate potential impact on the rest of the programme due to financial instability of sub- partners, London Councils agreed to novate the grant agreement with AVA to the appropriate infrastructure organisation, Women’s Resource Centre (WRC), for a period of three months January to March (legal advice was sought and a novation was agreed as the appropriate course of action). During this period: 2.7.1 the staff costs budgets for sub-partners will continue on the basis that the staff resources associated with the HLHR project transfer to other strands of the programme. 2.7.2 a small proportion of the AVA staff budget will transfer to WRC to coordinate and undertake work to scope out a proposal for a revised Prevention Project , with a view to preparing options and recommendations to London Councils Grants Committee on 27 March. 2.8 WRC currently delivers support (strand 2.5 of the programme) to boroughs and organisations specialising in tackling violence against women and girls. It also hosts the London VAWG Consortium, the largest coalition of specialist VAWG providers working across the 32 London boroughs. As the key infrastructure organisation in the sector, WRC is ideally placed, through its expertise and reach, to help at this point. 2.9 As an existing grants partner, WRC has been and is subject to the programme's performance monitoring and due diligence. 74 2.10 The actions outlined above were confirmed to AVA on 9 January 2024 (Appendix 2). 3 Notification of closure and next steps 3.1 Following receipt of the formal closure notification, the Chair and Vice Chairs of the Grants Committee were informed, along with London Councils Head of Corporate Resources. 3.2 The Grants Team is working with AVA (and its administrator) to financially reconcile the HLHR project to end December 2023 to arrange a credit/debit note accordingly. in late February 2024, London Councils registered as a creditor for the total funds disbursed to the organisation, £405,159 during Years 1 and 2. This is to ensure we receive audited proof demonstrating that the funds have been utilised in accordance with the agreed terms and purposes of the awarded grant. Until such evidence is provided, we reserve the right to consider the entire amount disbursed as outstanding debt owed to us. 3.3 Considering the quarterly payments released since April 2022, the maximum financial exposure to London Councils is likely to be of the order of £60,000. However, £66,500 of funds were withheld pending further evidence during the period of delivery. 3.4 The Team is also working with WRC to ensure the scoping work for a proposal for Grants Committee that meets the requirements we would expect for commissioning purposes. The scoping exercise and a proposal for a revised prevention project is being presented to Grants Committee in March – see item 8. 3.5 Subject to the final financial position being determined with AVAs liquidators, up to £473,000 of committed programme funds may be available to the Committee in the period to end March 2026. 4 Conclusion 4.1 There has been no suggestion from AVA ’s Trustees that the early difficulties in delivering the HLHR project were the cause of AVAs demise. Based on discussions with the Chair, a sequence of rapidly moving events, particularly in 75 relation to staff changes and the rapid expansion of the organisation’s other areas of activity, appear to have triggered events. 4.2 However, whilst London Councils has established systems in place to protect the programme and public funds, this situation with AVA provides an opportunity to look at our procedures, in particular our risk appetite in the early part of a four - year programme. 4.3 The Team will review our handling of this situation in detail as we move forward, to learn from it and make any appropriate changes to our processes for the future. 5 Recommendations 5.1 The Grants Committee is asked to: 5.1.1 review the report, and 5.1.2 note the actions taken to date, both to protect the Committee’s position and to support service users and sub-partners, pending a decision by the Committee on future service provision in this area (see agenda item 8). Financial Implications for London Councils The 2022-2026 Grants Programme was agreed by Leaders’ Committee in December 2020. A decision on the annual funding for 2023- 2024 was agreed by Leaders’ Committee in December 2022. The Grants Team is working with AVA (and its administrator) to financially reconcile the HLHR project to end December 2023 to arrange a credit/debit note accordingly. in late February 2024, London Councils registered as a creditor for the total funds disbursed to the organisation, £405,159 during Years 1 and 2. This is to ensure we receive audited proof demonstrating that the funds have been utilised in accordance with the agreed terms and purposes of the awarded grant. Until such evidence is provided, we reserve the right to consider the entire amount disbursed as outstanding debt owed to us. Considering the quarterly payments released since April 2022, the maximum financial exposure to London Councils is likely to be of the order of £60,000. However, £66,500 of funds were withheld pending further evidence during the period of delivery. 76 Legal Implications for London Councils London Councils manages the London Councils Grants Programme on behalf of all the boroughs and the City of London. The Programme makes grants to voluntary organisations to deliver improved outcomes for Londoners. The Programme operates within a scheme made under Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985. It is a collective scheme i.e. all the boroughs fund the Programme, through a levy contribution based on the boroughs proportion of the capital’s population. Boroughs must exercise their functions in respect of the scheme ‘with due regard to the needs of the whole of Greater London’. Leaders' Committee determines the principles and priorities of the Programme and the overall budget of the Programme. The Grants Committee commissions services, makes awards of funding, manages projects’ performance and may advise Leaders’ Committee on the Programme. Equalities Implications for London Councils In reaching decisions for the implementation of any future grants programme, the Committee is required to have due regard to its obligations under the Equalities Act 2010, particularly the Public Sector Equalities Duty. London Councils’ funded services provide support to people within all the protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010), and targets groups highlighted as particularly hard to reach or more affected by the issues being tackled. Funded organisations are als o required to submit equalities monitoring data, which can be collated across the grants scheme to provide data on the take up of services and gaps in provision to be addressed. The grants team reviews this data annually. Background Documents - A ppendix 1:Letter of 1 February 2024, from AVA to partners - A ppendix 2: Letter of 9 January 2024 to AVA - Performance reports o Year One Q1 & 2 o Year One Q3 o Year One Q4 o Year Two Q1 & 2 77 Appendix 1 1st February 2024 Dear Sisters, Friends, Partners, Supporters, RE: Closure of AVA - Against Violence and Abuse, Registered Charity: 113471 We are writing to let you know that sadly, the Board of Trustees of AVA (Against Violence and Abuse, Registered Charity: 1134713), has unavoidably resolved to place the organisation into liquidation. This means that following advice AVA is technically inso lvent. We know that this may come as a shock to some and may be unsettling. The decision to close has been a difficult one, and comes following a period of operational and financial difficulty which the charity has tried to work through. Trustees have taken specialist insolvency advice in reaching the decision and are currently (and urgently) working with the nominated liquidator to devise an orderly wind-down of AVA’s operations. This means that AVA’s operations will close with immediate effect. We are working with the nominated liquidator to arrange for a formal meeting of members and creditors to be held within the coming weeks where the organisation’s entry into liquidation will be confirmed. We will be in touch imminently to discuss how this development affects you. As AVA closes, we look back and reflect on our mission and the women the organisation was set up to support, directly and indirectly. Today, we look around and see a strong, passionate women’s sector, voicing the needs of those they support, and recognised for their expertise. We are sorry AVA cannot continue to be a part of this journey but expect many of the staff and the Trustees will continue to show their dedication to the sector in a variety of ways. We recognise many challenges still remain, not least financial. We would like to thank our staff, partners, experts by experience and funders for their support over the years. As we close, we seek to do so as gently as possible and minimise any adverse impact on everyone involved. The Board of Trustees - AVA 78 Appendix 2 Address: London Councils, 59½ Southwark Street, London, SE1 0AL CONFIDENTIAL Shani Lee Chair of Trustees Against Violence and Abuse (AVA) c/o Women’s Resource Centre United House 41 North Road London N7 9DP Contact: Yolande Burgess Direct line: 020 7934 9739 Email: yolande.burgess@londoncouncils.gov.uk Date: 9 January 2024 Dear Shani LONDON COUNCILS: HEALTHY LONDON HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS Thank you for meeting with Doug and I last month to discuss the situation with AVA, which you outlined in your letter of 6 December 2023. As agreed during the meeting, London Councils released to AVA a reduced quarterly payment of £49,000 on 20 December 2023 to ensure that salaries for AVA and all sub partners delivering the project, could be covered over the Christmas period. Following due diligence, London Councils’ assessment of AVAs financial situation has substantially lowered our confidence in the organisations ability to remain a going concern. As a significant portion of the quarterly grant paid to AVA is in trust to be paid to partner organisations, London Councils will not make any further payments to AVA, and the Healthy London, Healthy Relationships project will cease delivery, effective immediately. London Councils is conscious of the impact of potential destabilisation of led-by-and-for partners in the London VAWG Consortium that deliver the Healthy London, Healthy Relationships project, along with other strands within Priority Two of the London Councils Grants programme. Additionally, the loss of the prevention strand of our work to support boroughs to address domestic and sexual abuse is cause for concern. Due to these concerns – and subject to legal advice – I have agreed the following short-term measures: - The current grant agreement with AVA will be financially reconciled i.e. evidence of all expenditure for Healthy London, Health Relationships project to end December 2023 is required so London Councils can reconcile payments made with actual expenditure and arrange a credit/debit note accordingly. - The current grant agreement with AVA will be novated to the Women’s Resource Centre (host of the London VAWG Consortium). - The novated agreement will be varied for the months January to March to include the following: - The staff cost budget for the 0.8 FTE AVA Project Manager post will be deleted. - The staff budget for the 0.2 FTE AVA Digital and Communication post will be deleted. - The staff budget for the one day per month AVA Director Time will be deleted. - The beneficiary costs and other direct project costs budgets will be deleted. - The delivery plan for the Healthy London, Health Relationships project will be deleted. - The staff budget for the 0.75 AVA Project Worker will transfer to the Women’s Resource Centre to coordinate and undertake work to scope out a proposal for a revised Prevention Project and make recommendations to London Councils Grants 79 Page 2 Committee in March 2024 (specification for the scoping and recommendations work for a revised project to be agreed as part of the novation negotiations). - The staff costs budgets for sub-partners (Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO), IMECE Women’s Centre (IMECE), Latin American Women’s Rights Services (LAWRS), Women and Girls Network (WAGN), Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD), Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA)) will be paid to the Women’s Resource Centre for onward payment to those sub-partners under a written partnership agreement to be approved by London Councils as part of the novation negotiations. - The staff costs budgets for sub-partners will continue on the basis that the staff resources associated with the Healthy London, Healthy Relationships project transfer to: o IKWRO - Strand 2.6, Ascent Ending Harmful Practices Partnership o IMECE - Strand 2.2, Ascent Advice and Counselling o LAWRS - Strand 2.6, Ascent Ending Harmful Practices Partnership o WAGN - Strand 2.2, Ascent Advice and Counselling o FORWARD - Strand 2.6, Ascent Ending Harmful Practices Partnership o JWA - Strand 2.2, Ascent Advice and Counselling - and that those resources are deployed according to exiting grant arrangements for those Strands of activity. Up to a maximum of 20 per cent of agreed resources can be deployed to support the scoping work for a revised Prevention Project that will be led by the Women’s Resource Centre. Existing evidence requirements will need to be met to demonstrate use of resources. On receipt of legal advice I will write again to you and Viviene Hayes (CEO, Women’s Resource Centre) to begin the process of novating the grant agreement, initially for the three month period January 2024 to March 2024. In the meantime, I would be grateful if you would instruct your team to gather the expenditure evidence required for financial reconciliation. My Grants Manager will be in touch with the team at AVA to work through the details once you have confirmed you have had the relevant discussions with your staff. Yours sincerely Yolande Burgess Strategy Director: London’s Communities cc: Doug Flight, London Councils David Sanni, London Councils 80 Grants Committee New Proposal for Service Area 2.1: Prevention Item 8 Report by Feria Henry and Pilar Kusel Job title Grants Managers Date 27 March 2024 Contact Officer Feria Henry/Pilar Kusel Telephone 020 7934 9529 0207 934 9815 Email Feria.henry@londoncouncils.gov.uk Pilar.kusel@londoncouncils.gov.uk Summary This paper provides Grants Committee with a number of potential courses of action for the use of funds available from the service area 2.1 (VAWG prevention) , following AVA’s closure and the subsequent end of the Healthy London, Healthy Relationships project. Options include a proposal by the sector’s second- tier organisation, Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) to rapidly mobilise a pilot service which would address the gap over the coming year, with an option to extend for a second year. Recommendations Grants Committee members are asked to: - Review the report, and - Decide on the course of action to be taken, as per the alternatives shared in section 5 81 1 Background 1.1 On 1 February 2024 the Board of Trustees of AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) wrote to inform us that AVA has been placed into liquidation. Information on this can be found in item 7 on today’s Grants Committee agenda. 1.2 AVA was commissioned to deliver the Healthy London Healthy Relationships (HLHR) project, as part of the 2022-2026 pan-London Grants Programme. It was the sole project within the service area 2.1, the only prevention strand within the Committee’s Tackling Domestic and S exual Abuse (known as Priority two ). Delivery of the project, which was predominantly delivered through schools, commenced in April 2022 and ended in December 2023. 1.3 Following the closure of AVA, as a short-term mitigation, with a view to potentially maintaining some continuity of provision in the prevention area ( strand 2.1), officers ( after discussion with leading members) the Women Resource Centre (WRC) to conduct scoping work for a proposal for Grants Committee that meets the basic requirements we would expect for commissioning purposes. 1.4 WRC currently delivers support (strand 2.5 of the programme) to boroughs and organisations specialising in tackling violence against women and girls. It also hosts the London VAWG Consortium, the largest coalition of specialist VAWG providers working across the 32 London boroughs. As the key infrastructure organisation in the sector, WRC is ideally placed, through its expertise and reach, to help at this point. 1.5 As an existing grants partner, WRC has been and is subject to the programme's performance monitoring and due diligence. 2 Funds available 2.1 Subject to the final financial position being determined with AVA’s liquidators, up to £473,000 of committed programme funds may be available to the Committee in the period to end March 2026. 82 3 WRC Proposal Summary 3.1 W omen’s Resource Centre (W RC) has submitted a proposal for the following work, to the value of £234,635 for one year . The full proposal is available in appendix 1. The proposed budget comes within the envelope that was already allocated towards the HLHR project. 3.2 WRC propose that they will be the lead partner responsible for the financial management and oversight of the project, and the VAWG Consortium, through its partners : Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD); Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation ( IKWRO); IMECE Women’s Centre, Jewish Women's Aid (JWA), Latin American Women's Rights Service ( LAWRS) and Women and Girls Network ( WGN), will be responsible for the project management and delivery of activities. 3.3 The proposal includes an updated needs analysis on Sexual and Domestic Abuse, drawing on children and young people data which shows there has been a growth in the number of incidents such as domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking faced by children, young people and adults including sexual assault and sexual offences compared with previous years . The analysis also refers to the work being carried out on prevention by other organisations including MOPAC and highlights that there is broad consensus for the need to strengthen Relationship and Sexual Health syllabus in schools to cover gender inequality, stereotyping, attitudes, and relationships, and the effectiveness of a whole school’s approach against other types of interventions at schools. 3.4 Following the needs analysis, the proposal refers to the lessons learned from the implementation over two years of the AVA-led project, and how these could be addressed. These include: - T he requirement of a more needs-led, school-centred pro-active approach, tailored to borough profiles, to ensure that what is delivered complements activities schools are already doing. The new project aims to address this by focusing on reaching children and young people; professionals both face -to-face and online; playing to individual partners' strengths and knowledge, rather than relying mainly on digital tools like HLHR’s proposed online hub. 83 - The need for better communication and coordination within the project itself, between boroughs, schools or other youth settings, delivery partners. The new project aims to address this through the creation of a Partnership Manager post, responsible for communication and coordination, resourcing Project Managers within each partner, and ensuring the delivery partnership is facilitated to collaboratively address challenges and risk. - The need to ensure a Pan- London approach, reaching boroughs with low engagement in previous years. The project proposes targeted work on those boroughs, with a focused needs -led responsive approach, working closely with borough representatives, while ensuring service delivery across every local authority. 3.5 The proposal states that the uniqueness of their offer is grounded in: - The experience and deep understanding of patterns and impacts of abuse of its partners , including the fact that all delivery partners are Black and Minoritised women’s organisations who understand how domestic abuse and sexual violence intersect with issues such as race, historic experiences, migrant status, economics, and how it is compounded by structural inequality, in addition to generalist support. - Its values-led, collaborative approach with underlying values and principles of women’s human rights and anti-racism. - The partnership to deliver this project sits within the London VAWG Consortium which works collaboratively to create pathways of support for women and girls, and which can take strategic as well as operational approaches to identified need. 3.6 The project's main aim is to empower professionals and young people to develop awareness and behaviours that embed the importance of healthy relationships and tackle attitudes and beliefs that cause violence and abuse. This will be done through an approach that focuses on safeguarding, capacity building and learning. 84 3.7 The project will have a face- to-face offer focused on a targeted whole school approach and, where opportunities arise, similar approaches in other youth settings. 3.8 The project will focus on the 11-to-16-year-old age group, delivering face-to-face work with students in secondary schools and, where opportunities arise, in colleges. 3.9 Examples of activities to be carried out include: - co-produced resources and tools for school settings (age- appropriate for 11-16 year olds). - Relationships and Sexual Health Education lesson plans and activities. - Referrals and signposting for support for children who disclose. - Training and learning for schools and youth organisations including networking and troubleshooting. 3.10 The intended outcome is that children and young people will have the skills, knowledge, and resources to create healthy relationships, reducing the prevalence of relationship violence and abuse across London. These activities foster culture changes within schools (and other youth settings) and enable professionals to improve their safeguarding responses and capacity to tackle violence and abuse at early opportunities to minimise harm. 3.11 The model and aggregated outputs and outcomes are based on developing relationships with two schools in each borough. Given its needs -led approach, delivery may be very different in different schools and boroughs. 3.12 This will be a new project. Delivery under the Healthy London Healthy Relationships (HLHR) has ceased and contact with schools has lapsed. There will be a mobilisation phase during the first quarter, where the project will reconnect and build ties to boroughs, schools, and other youth settings . During this phase, the Partnership Manager will invest time in understanding what boroughs and schools need and developing this with partners. The remaining three-quarters of the year will provide an opportunity to test, review and refine the way prevention is delivered. 85 3.13 A copy of the full proposal and proposed outcomes is included in appendix 1. 4 Officers Commentary 4.1 Officers will continue to work with WRC to refine the outcomes and the budget for the project during a grant agreement process. We will aim to do this rapidly to enable the group to start delivering as soon as possible. 4.2 Officers recommend that if this proposal is agreed, project management delivery should include someone with experience in accessing / working with schools. 4.3 If the proposal is agreed upon, officers will keep members informed of progress as part of the programme performance reports going forward. Additionally, with a view to making a decision on whether the project will continue for a second year, officers suggest reviewing the overall performance of the project in late 2024 or early 2025, via Executive Committee or Grants Committee, in order to provide sufficient notice to the project on whether it needs to wind down by 31 March 2025, or continue for a second year (to end March 2026). 5 Alternative courses of action Grants officers have identified the following potential courses of action: 5.1 Agree up to £234,635 to fund the project proposed by WRC, to run as a one-year pilot, with an option to extend at the same -level to March 2026, subject to satisfactory performance and confirmation by the Grants Executive in Spring 2025. 5.2 The prevention strand of activity could be withdrawn from the programme and the committed funds could be: 5.2.1 returned to general reserves; 5.2.2 distributed across the remaining Priority 2 activities, 5.2.3 targeted at a specific strand of activity. 5.3 Any other course of action the Grants Committee considers appropriate. 86 6 Recommendations 6.1 Grants Committee members are asked to: 6.1.1 Review the report, and 6.1.2 Discuss and agree the course of action to be taken, after reflecting on the alternatives set out in section 5. 6.1.3 If the Committee agrees to fund WRC’s proposal, members are asked to provisionally agree on the outcomes proposed by the group subject to additional negotiations to be carried out with grants officers. 87 Appendix 1 2.1 - Ascent Preven�on Proposal March 2024 88 Appendix 1 1 1. Introduction and Summary The London VAWG Consortium is the largest coalition of specialist violence against women and girls (VAWG) providers working across the 32 London boroughs and the City of London. It has 26 members and delivers twelve funded strands on behalf of the Greater London Authority , London Councils and the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime. In 2022, the London VAWG Consortium was successful for the third time in its application to deliver Priority 2.1 Domestic and Sexual Abuse Prevention, working with children and young people, led by AVA (Against Violence and Abuse). In February 2024, AVA entered liquidation and the grant was novated to the Women’s Resource Centre. Women’s Resource Centre is the Lead on behalf of the London VAWG Consortium for the Organisational Support strand funded through London Councils. This is a revised proposal to continue to deliver prevention services to children and young people and professional adults working with children and young people under the Consortium’s Ascent umbrella which comprises eight other funded strands. 2. Needs Assessment Refresh An estimated 2.1 million people aged 16+, of whom 1.4 million were women, experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales in the year to March 2023, an estimated 5.7% of all women in comparison to 3.2% of all men 1. A higher percentage of 16 to 19 year olds were affected more than any other age group, 8% of women and 7% of men; followed by 20 to 24 year olds 2. This is a reversal of estimated data for the year ending March 2022 (data this year was incomplete, affected by the Covid pandemic), which estimated that 20 to 24 year olds were the highest affected age group, at 10.2% of the population, followed by 16 to 19 year olds at close to 8% 3. 1 Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview: Nov 2023, ONS, Nov 2023 2 Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2023 – ONS, Nov 2023 3 Domestic abuse victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2022 – ONS, Nov 2022 89 Appendix 1 2 Changes to crime recording in June 2023, whereby a single recording of a principal crime will be made, even for complex crimes with multiple incidents over a long period, means that much of VAWG, which has patterns of abuse over a long period and including multiple incidents, will not be fully reflected, or could be miscategorised in data 4. An estimated 798,000 women and 275,000 men experienced sexual assault in the year to March 2022, 3.3% of all women and 1.2% of all men. Incidents of sexual assault were highest in the ages 16 to 19, followed by 20-24 year olds, before a significant decline in the ages 25-34 onwards, tailing off rapidly from age 35 to 54, (this data set was also affected by the covid- 19 pandemic) 5. Compared to 2020, the previous year with a full set of data, this shows growth. In 2020 an estimated 618,000 women and 155,000 men aged 16 to 74 experienced sexual assault 6. It is worth noting that until October 2021, the Crime Survey for England and Wales excluded those aged 74+ from the self -completion module which collects information on domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking. There are on average 4 times as many women experiencing sexual violence as men. A school-based survey found that: • Of 14-15 years old, 41% of girls and 14% of boys had experienced sexual violence from their partner 7. • 69% of girls aged 11 to 21 year s old encountered incidents at schools involving boys which they considered toxic or made them feel uncomfortable. • 44% of 17 to 21 years old had felt scared for their safety8. • One third of sexual abuse of children is by other children9. 4 Wydall.S, Zerk.R, Newman.J, “Crimes against, and abuse of, older people in Wales”, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales (Jan 2015) 5 Sexual offences victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2022, ONS, Mar 2023 6 Sexual offences victim characteristics, England and Wales: year ending March 2020, ONS, Mar 2021 7 Barter.C, Aghtaie.n et al. “Safeguarding Teenage Intimate Relationships (STIR): Connecting online and offline contexts and risks” (2015) 8 Girls Attitudes Survey 2023, Girlguiding (2023) https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/globalassets/docs-and-resources/research- and-campaigns/girls-attitudes-survey-2023.pdf 9 Hackett.S, “Children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours, Research in Practice (2014) 90 Appendix 1 3 Youth Justice statistics (10 to 17 year olds) for England and Wales, for the 12 months ending March 2022 showed a 64% increase in sexual offences compared to the year before10, with this dropping back 5% in the year ending March 202311. In 2022, the toxic ideology spread by misogynist, Andrew Tate, spread through schools. Polling by charity Hope Not Hate (2023) showed that: • 47% of 16 to 24 year old young men had a positive opinion of him, • 30% believed catcalling women in the street was not wrong, and • 30% believed that sharing intimate photos sent by a romantic partner was not wrong 12. The APGG on Domestic Violence and Abuse, Dec 2023, discussed children and young people’s online safety, and how misogynist behaviour was being normalised online13: • 81% of girls have experienced threatening or upsetting behaviours online14. • 73% of girls report having pictures/videos of themselves being shared without their knowledge or consent 15. Ofcom are currently consulting on online regulation of illegal content that may cause harms to women and girls. Women’s Aid 16 found that children and young people exposed to misogynist social media content, such as Andrew Tate, were five times more likely to view physically hurting someone as acceptable if you say sorry afterwards; and over two times more likely to believe that there should be a more dominant person in a relationship. Overall, responses showed that: • gender stereotyping was present from a young age 10 Youth Justice Statistics: 2021 to 2022 England and Wales (Jan 2023), Youth Justice Board for England and Wales 11 Youth Justice Statistics: 2022 to 2023 England and Wales (Jan 2024), Youth Justice Board for England and Wales 12 State of Hate 2023, Rhetoric, Racism and Resentment, Hope Not Hate (2023) 13 Minutes of the APPG on Domestic Violence and Abuse Meeting, ‘Children and young people’s Online Safety – How misogynist behaviour is being normalised online? APPG/Women’s Aid (Dec 2023) ’https://www.womensaid.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2024/01/APPG-minutes-%E2%80%98Children-and-Young-Peoples-Online-Safety-%E2%80%93-How- misogynist-behaviour-is-being-normalised-online.pdf 14 Girls Attitudes Survey 2023, Girlguiding (2023) https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/globalassets/docs-and- resources/research-and-campaigns/girls-attitudes-survey-2023.pdf 15 Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges, Ofsted (June 2021) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review- of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges/review-of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges 16 “Influencers and Attitudes: How will the next generation understand domestic abuse?” (2023), Women’s Aid 91 Appendix 1 4 • nearly a quarter of young people aged 18 -25 did not believe that sexual consent was required when in a relationship • 61% of 7 to 18 year olds did not know where to go for support The Domestic Abuse Commissioners Office is currently mapping specialist support available to children and young people affected by domestic abuse, and MOPAC is currently collating data from a London wide survey on VAWG prevention principles for work. MOPAC 17 highlights how victimisation regularly intersects with other protected characteristics. Black and Minoritised victims are over-represented in sexual offence statistics18, and domestic homicide rates19. 3. Discussion and recommendations Children and young people’s attitudes and behaviours are being influenced within the home, outside, and online. The Mayor’s VAWG strategy 2022- 25, states preventing and reducing VAWG as a strategy, achieved by working in partnership, better education, challenging attitudes, and equality and freedom in online and public spaces. There is broad consensus for the need to strengthen the Relationship and Sexual Health syllabus in schools to cover gender inequality, stereotyping, attitudes, and relationships; and that a whole school’s approach advocated by Ofsted in 2012 is more effective than buying in specialists to deliver the subject to children and young people. Schools feel underprepared 20 and End Violence Against Women (EVAW) found that 80% of girls surveyed about sexual harassment in schools, said that schools need to do more support young people’s sex and relationship education 21. Funded by London Councils, the London VAWG Consortium has delivered a pan London, schools prevention project since 2013. It has used a whole school’s approach to tackle attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate domestic and sexual violence and strengthen schoo ls’ responses. 17 Mopac Victims Strategic Needs Assessment, Final Report (2021) Crest & Gate One https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/mopac_victims_sna_final_report_.pdf, P125 18 Mopac Victims Strategic Needs Assessment, Final Report (2021) Crest & Gate One, P120 19 Allen,G, Mansfield.Z, ‘Homicide Statistics’, House of Commons Library Research Briefing July 2023 20 NEU and NSPCC survey into school readiness for RSE lessons 2020, NEW and NSPCC (2019) https://neu.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-04/RSE%20survey%20findings.pdf 21 https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/new-campaign-film-its-about-time-things-changed/ 92 Appendix 1 5 This has included training on the whole school approach, community outreach with schools, parents, children, and safeguarding. In the last two years, the project was delivered in partnership by seven organisations, the majority of which were by and for black and minoritised specialist VAWG organisations. The EVAW Coalition’s report, “Its’s #AboutTime” 22, examines the whole school approach to ending VAWG, identifies some of the challenges it faces including buy-in from school leadership, and cites the Consortium’s prevention project as a model of good practice. The only other similar prevention work taking a whole school’s approach is that funded by MOPAC to create a toolkit to enable professionals in primary and secondary schools to educate children and young people about gender based abuse, relationships abuse and sexual violence. Evidence points to the need for continued delivery of a whole school approach to prevent domestic and sexual abuse by working with children and young people. Indeed, it is critical that this work, delivered by the Consortium for over a decade and in which partners have become expert, continues to take place. It is critical that London Councils continues to hold a prevention priority. There is much work to do and too few providers, and fewer which can offer specialisms within generic provision. The influences on young people at a time when they are forming thei r adult identities, are evolving and complex, fuelled by technological advances, recent economic decline, and wider social changes. We need developing and integrated approaches to keep pace. London Councils’ support allows for a more tailored approach to meet the needs of different boroughs and their communities. We need differentiated approaches, as not one size will fit all. 4. Lessons learned from the delivery of Healthy London Healthy Relationships (2022-24) The London VAWG Consortium has delivered a London Councils’ funded prevention project in schools since 2013. In the last 2 years t here were challenges in delivering the project through the Healthy London Healthy Relationships model. 22 ‘Its’s #AboutTime: A Whole School Approach to Ending violence Against Women & Girls’, EVAW (2023) 93 Appendix 1 6 We have learnt that the reliance on a website as a major way of delivering support in schools, which was functional for pandemic working, is not as effective now. We have seen that schools are dealing with emerging issues such as online bullying, which have grown since the pandemic, and that they are having to divide their time to deal with multiple competing demands. Local boroughs continue to face increasing demands on their finances and capacity to provide services, with inevitable impact on young people and their families, schools and communities. In this environment, a more needs-led, school-centred pro-active approach, tailored to borough profiles, is required ensure that what is delivered complements things schools are already doing. Feedback from schools and partners is that schools want direct targeted relational work and not mediated digital tools . We are addressing this by dispensing with the website and focusing on reaching children and young people, professionals, directly, online and face to face, playing to individual partners strengths and knowledge and working collectively to deliver a pan London programme. We have learnt that we need better communication and co-ordination within the project itself, between boroughs, schools or other youth settings, delivery partners, and London Councils. Better communication and co -ordination between stakeholders will ensure that everyone is aware of what is needed, what everyone is doing, challenges, what works and what does not. We are addressing this through the creation of a Partnership Manager post, responsible for communication and co -ordination, supporting Project Managers within each partner, and ensuring the strand partnership is facilitated to collaboratively to assess and address challenges and risk. This proposal prioritises targeted work with those boroughs within a wider generic pan-London offer. There will be a focused needs -led responsive approach, working closely with borough representatives, and co -ordinated through the Partnership Manager. There may be additional opportunities generated through schools and boroughs to work in youth settings, and with parents and carers. The proposal will take a flexible approach to respond to different needs across boroughs. 94 Appendix 1 7 5. The uniqueness of our offer The London VAWG Consortium’s offer is unique as a values -led, collaborative approach with underlying values and principles of women’s human rights and anti-racism. The Consortium has adopted the Charter to End Racism in the VAWG Sector and pro -actively addresses structural racism including the distribution of funding resources within the Consortium. The project will be delivered by a partnership of specialist VAWG providers that deliver a range of support services for women and girls affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence (advice and information, helplines, legal advice, counselling, refuge, move on and specialist accommodation, ending harmful practices, work with young Black and Minoritised women), giving them experience and deep understanding of patterns and impacts of abuse which they bring to conversations with young people. The Consortium has access to services for boys and young men and to the Men’s Advice Helpline. Delivery partners are Black and Minoritised women’s organisations that understand how domestic abuse and sexual violence intersect with issues such as race, historic experiences, migrant status, economics, and how it is compounded by structural inequality , in addition to generalist support. They bring this insight, when needed, to help young people navigate complex and conflicting experiences and positions as an integral part of a generic pan -London service. Schools know that they have this resource and cal l upon it to support individual and groups when needed. The partnership sits within the London VAWG Consortium which works collaboratively to create pathways of support for women and girls, and which can take strategic as well as operational approaches to identified need. The London VAWG Consortium forms the core membership of the Expert Reference Group which advises MOPAC’s VAWG Board, and many members sit on strategic bodies across London including the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Partnership and operational bodies such as Operation Onyx, part of the Metr opolitan Police Services response to the Casey Report. This provides for expert learning from this project to be escalated and inform strategic and operational decision-making. 95 Appendix 1 8 6. Management The project will be led by the Women’s Resource Centre on behalf of the London VAWG Consortium a feminist, anti-racist partnership which is underpinned by a shared Statement of Values and Principles, formed in 2011 and with eleven years’ experience of delivering high quality collaborative pan-London services. The Consortium has twelve strands of work, managed by strand partnerships, delivering £8.0 million of services each year to over 30,000 women and girls, funded by London Councils, MOPAC and the GLA, included a direct grant award in recognition of the Conso rtium’s unique reach and diversity. The Consortium works with non- member partners to address gaps including Stay Safe East, Galop, Claudia Jones Organisation and PLIAS. Women’s Resource Centre has led the Organisational Support strand, funded by London Councils, since 2013, winning it for the third time for 2022 -2026, delivering services with a strand partnership of Consortium members. a. Strand Partnership and Management structure Lead and accountable organisation: Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) Delivery partners: Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD), Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), IMECE Women’s Centre, Jewish Women's Aid (JWA), Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS) and Women and Girls Network (WGN),. All delivery partners are members of the London VAWG Consortium and participate in its governance through the Council of Members. b. Management, reporting, governance As the accountable body, the project will be subject to WRC’s governance including updates on work included in the Chief Executive’s report to trustees, inclusion in WRC’s risk register and financial reviews. Given the disruption to the strand partnership and its work, with two new leads in rapid succession, including one that has gone into liquidation and the ensuing immediate cessation of the previous project, WRC has put in place a strong management team to enable and ensure the strand partnership and its delivery: 96 Appendix 1 9 • Chief Executive – the project will report to the Chief Executive regularly and by exception to ensure clear governance, early identification and mitigation of risks, co -ordination with other WRC projects, especially the London Councils funded Organisationa l Support project. • Co-ordinator, London VAWG Consortium – the Co -ordinator will have strategic oversight of the project, providing support to the WRC operational management team, and, critically, helping to re-build links with the wider Consortium and its members and services. This role is part of WRC’s risk management and mitigation. • Partnership Manager – a full-time equivalent operational post, focusing especially on communication and co -ordination and supporting and facilitating strand partners and relationships with borough representatives. • Project Manager – a one day per week equivalent operational post, focusing on monitoring and reporting and compliance with London Councils’ funding requirements. This will be an existing, experienced member of WRC staff with London Councils’ funding expertise. This role is part of WRC’s risk management and mitigation. WRC will be responsible for the financial management of the agreement, ensuring all spend is appropriate, that money is paid when delivery milestones are met, and that all expenditure is accounted for to the funder. Disagreements between partners will be resolved using Consortium procedures. Partnership Co-ordination The London VAWG Consortium has a sophisticated light -touch model of collaborative governance developed over thirteen years of members working together. In addition to the Council of Members, the over -arching decision-making body of the Consortium, each funded strand of work is governed by a strand partnership of all the partners, and by a formal shared Partnership Agreement. The strand partnership meets quarterly, routinely and by exception, supported by one -to-one meetings between the Lead and each delivery partner to identify and respond to risks. 97 Appendix 1 10 The strand partnership consider s and addresses delivery challenges , the risk register, referral pathways, safeguarding, emerging needs, strategic issues and opportunities to develop the project. The Lead is a member of the Leads Planning Group comprised of all Leads of funded strands, ensuring the project complements and benefits from the full body work undertaken by the Consortium. All members of the strand partnership will be accountable to the Consortium for the strand’s operation in line with the Consortium’s values and principles. Each partner will have an identified internal project lead, the Project Manager. The Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring that the organisation is represented at strand meetings, meets its responsibilities under the Consortium Partnership Agreement and provides timely and accurate monitoring and financial information. 7. Project Summary The Ascent Prevention project is part of the London VAWG Consortium’s strategy to tackle and prevent VAWG across London. The project aims to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence among children and young people, boys and young men as well as girls and young women. Domestic abuse and sexual violence are predominantly perpetrated by men against women, and the project responds to the need for early engagement of young men in order to challenge ideas and behaviours that lead to violence and abuse. The project aims to empower professionals and young people to develop awareness and behaviours that embed the importance of healthy relationships and tackle attitudes and beliefs that cause violence and abuse. This will be done through an approach that foc uses on safeguarding, capacity building and learning. Our framework: Learning to understand VAWG and build respectful relationships. Safeguarding to support people that experience forms of VAWG. Participating to actively prevent VAWG. Campaigning to take action to stop VAWG. Localising to work in relevant expert partnerships. 98 Appendix 1 11 The project will have a face- to-face offer focused on a targeted whole schools’ approach and, where opportunities arise, similar approaches in other youth settings. It has a comprehensive prevention toolkit including: - age-appropriate for school settings (11 -16 years of age ) co -produced resources and tools. - Relationships and Sexual Health Education lesson plans and activities. - Referrals and signposting for support for children who disclose. - Training and learning for schools and youth organisations including networking and troubleshooting. - Outreach work for all the above including whole school approach. - Promoting the work through borough pathways and networks. The intended outcome is that children and young people will have the skills, knowledge, and resources to create healthy relationships, reducing the prevalence of relationship violence and abuse across London. These activities foster culture changes within schools (and other youth settings) and enable professionals to improve their safeguarding responses and capacity to tackle violence and abuse at early opportunities to minimise harm. Our model embeds a needs- led, strengths-based collaborative approach. This project will deliver face to face work with students in secondary schools and, where opportunities arise, colleges in thirteen targeted London boroughs, within a pan-London generic offer. The model and aggregated outputs and outcomes are based on developing relationships with two schools in each borough and thirty young people within each school. However, in a needs -led approach, delivery may be very different in different schools and boroughs. Meaningful change and outcomes may require more in -depth work with a smaller number of pupils, or introductory work with a school may be about awareness rai sing through an assembly. The project will also have a generic pan -London offer for professionals working with young people with six online sessions which will aim to reach seventy professionals at each session. The content of the sessions will be needs -led and will be developed co llaboratively. Each session will be co-facilitated by two of the partners working together. 99 Appendix 1 12 The Partnership Manager will co -ordinate working with borough representatives and London Councils officers to identify and engage schools in each borough. Delivery will be centred around their needs, rather than a single generic offer. There may be a combination of delivery in each borough, online and face to face, one to one, class based, or assemblies, according to identified needs. The Partnership Manager will work with all delivery partners to deliver a programme of pan-London online sessions to professionals. Delivery partners have specialist children and young people’s experts who will lead on delivery and report to their internal project manager. They will deliver to schools and youth settings, to students, professionals, both online and in person, in large and small groups in the targeted priority boroughs. Their specialist, expert knowledge will be used for focused group and one to one work, the need for which might vary from borough to borough depending on demographic profile – ethnicities, socio -economic status. For instance, harmful practices such as forced marriage or honour bas ed abuse, can be complex, and need more in -depth support and may arise in specific boroughs in London. Each partner’s Project Manager will liaise between WRC’s Partnership Manager and their own delivery specialist, ensuring the delivery of a both a targeted and a generic pan London service; collaboratively developing responses to tackle challenges to delivery; and feeding into the identification of emerging needs and solutions. This will be a new project. Delivery under Healthy London Healthy Relationships ceased and contact with schools has lapsed. There will be a mobilisation phase during the first quarter, where the project will reconnect and build ties to boroughs, schools, and other youth settings . During this phase, co-ordinated by the Partnership Manager, the partnership will invest time in outreach, understanding what boroughs and schools need and developing this with partners. Once delivery has started, we still see an i terative fine-tuning process co -ordinated by the Partnership Manager. We believe that the remaining three- quarters of the year will provide opportunity to test, review and refine the way prevention is delivered. Standardised outcomes will be measured by all partners in schools and online. • Outcomes annexed and detailed budget available • Risk Register and Delivery Plan to follow 100 Appendix 1 13 8. Proposal profile outcomes 101 Summary This paper sets out proposed key steps to determine the pan- London Grants programme beyond March 2026, including preliminary evaluation of the current scheme, consultation, assessment of needs of Greater London, evaluation of relevant information (including equalities impact assessment), decision- making and implementation. A separate report on today’s agenda provides further information on an evaluation which is being commissioned of the existing London Councils Grants Programme which is due to end in March 2026. Recommendations Grants Committee members are asked to discuss and agree: 1. T he key steps and timetable required to: a) establish the framework (principles and priorities) and scale of any future grants programme; and b) plan the implementation of any future programme. 2. Should recommendation 1 be agreed, the consultation on the potential new Grants Programme, which will be launched in early May 2024, should: a) b e informed by evaluation of the current pr ogramme (see Item 10 on this agenda), and principles and priorities of the current programme; b) b e transparent regarding the current financial constraints the boroughs are working under and the potential for a reduced budget for a future grants programme. Grants Committee Grants Programme beyond March 2026: - Review of current Programme, Consultation, Needs Assessment, Evaluation, and Decision Making Item: 9 Report by: Doug Flight Job title: Strategic Policy Lead Date: 27 March 2024 Contact Officers: Feria Henry/ Pilar Kusel Telephone: 0207 934 9529 0207 934 9815 Email: feria.henry@londoncouncils.gov.uk pilar.kusel@londoncouncils.gov.uk 102 c) invite contributions from the London local authorities; other funders and public bodies (including the GLA) ; voluntary organisations and the public; d) consult on the principles of the programme; and e) explore what the highest priorit y areas for any future funding should be, recognising that decisions will be made against a background of budgetary pressures. 103 1 Background 1.1 At the last Grants Executive meeting on 20 September 2023, officers were asked to produce an indicative timeline for the development and implementation of a grants programme beyond March 2026. 1.2 The indicative timeline was presented to the Grants Executive Committee in February 2024 together with the consultation approach. Members of the Grants Executive endorsed their presentation to the Grants Committee for formal consideration and decision. 1.3 London Councils is responsible for the administration and delivery of the London Councils Grants Programme in accordance with this Scheme on behalf of all the London boroughs and the City of London Corporation. The Programme makes grants to voluntary organisations to deliver improved outcomes for Londoners. 1.4 The Programme operates within a scheme made under Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985. It is a collective scheme i.e. all the 33 London local authorities (LLAs) fund the Scheme and the London Grants Programme through a levy contribution based on a LLA’s proportion of the capital’s population. LLAs must exercise their functions in respect of the scheme ‘with due regard to the needs of the whole of Greater London’. 1.5 Leaders' Committee determines the principles and priorities of the Programme and its overall budget. The Grants Committee commissions services, makes awards of funding, manages projects’ performance and may advise Leaders’ Committee on the Programme. 1.6 The current (longstanding) operating principles under which the Programme operates are: 1.6.1 Commissioning services that deliver effectively and can meet the outcomes specified by London Councils, rather than funding organisations; 1.6.2 Commissioning services where there is clear evidence of need for services that complement borough and other services to support organisations that deliver services; 104 1.6.3 Commissioning services where it is economical and efficient to deliver services on a London-wide basis or where mobility is key to the delivery of a service to secure personal safety; 1.6.4 Commissioning services that cannot reasonably be delivered locally, at a borough or sub-regional level; 1.6.5 Commissioning services that work with statutory and non-statutory partners and contribute to meeting the objectives of the Equality Act 2010. 1.7 Grants Committee, at its 202 3 AGM, did not recommend to Leaders Committee any amendments to the principles. 1.8 The current Programme funding priorities, recommended by Grants Committee , and agreed by Leaders in 2019, are: 1.8.1 Priority 1 - Combatting Homelessness 1.8.2 Priority 2 - Tackling Sexual and Domestic Abuse 2 Approach 2.1 Consideration of any future grants programme will be carried out in stages; building from established analysis of need and consultation. The outcome of the initial consultation will help shape any subsequent work, such as development of the basic draft framework of the programme (scope – principles and priorities - and size) through to detailed design and plans for any implementation. 2.2 Firstly, there will be an initial evaluation of the current programme which will include an evaluation of equalities impacts - this proposed workstream is reported in item 10 of this Committee meeting agenda. Then, mindful of the statutory requirement that the Committee take account of need, officers will carry out desk -research on the external factual and policy context. After that, on behalf of the Committee, officers will undertake an open consultation, including inviting comments from LLAs, funders and voluntary organisations , during the spring of 2024. An evaluation of all the information will be undertaken which will underpin advice and recommendations to Grants Committee and to Leaders Committee in 2024 in taking decisions on any future programme 105 2.3 London Councils officers will first report to Grants Executive in June 2024 and Leaders Committee in July 2024, to help inform Leaders’ decisions on a future grants programme, subject to decisions on budget which will need be taken later. 2.4 Subject to any decisions made by Leaders’ Committee in July 2024, Grants Committee and officers may then be asked to undertake more detailed work, which may include consulting with LLAs and voluntary organisations on draft specifications to deliver the funding priorities with t he aim of presenting recommended specifications to Grants Committee at the March 2025 meeting for approval. 2.5 If members are content at that stage with the proposed framework for the operation of the new Programme, London Councils officers will commission voluntary organisations to deliver the specifications using an open, competitive process. The Grants Committee will be invited to approve funding for projects in November 2025 subject to the Leaders’ Committee’s approval of any budget for this in December 2025. 2.6 The projects would be required to mobilise at this point, ready to begin delivery in April 2026. The Grants Committee will be invited to consider any remaining issues/ implementation updates in March 2026. 2.7 This review, consultation, evaluation/analysis and implementation process takes place in the context of the current 2022- 26 programme continuing as normal with performance monitoring and reporting continuing to be presented to G rants Committee. 3 Open Consultation 3.1 It is proposed that the open consultation which will launch in May 2024, and which forms a key element of the overall consultation and evidence gathering is designed to: a) invite contributions from the London local authorities; other funders and public bodies (including the GLA); voluntary organisations and the public; b) consult on the principles of the programme; 106 c) explore what the highest priority areas for any future funding programme should be, recognising that decisions will be made against a background of severe budgetary pressure. 3.2 London Councils officers propose that the key lines of inquiry in the open consultation should be: 1. Whether stakeholders consider that the programme should continue; 2. If the programme is continued, what its highest priorities should be recognising that decisions will be made against a background of severe budgetary pressure. 3. Whether the existing operating principles should continue and whether there are specific material changes to the operating environment which would justify any changes. 4. Views and evidence on: • the continuing need for the existing priorities and any potential new priorities for which there is an overwhelming case for funding through the programme ( recognising that the response to needs by LLAs is principally made at a local level, and is only supplemented through cross- border). • the appropriate issues for the programme to focus on within the priorities (including any recommended new priorities) • other relevant issues, including the likely impact of any funding reductions on the existing priority areas. 3.3 The consultation will be open for a minimum of four weeks, see Table 1. The consultation will seek views on the continuation of the grants programme, the current operating principles and funding priorities. Supporting information will be provided to enable informed responses. 3.4 Taking account of the pre-election period, the consultation will be launched as soon as possible after the Mayoral election on 2 May 2024, by Tuesday 7 May. The suggested launch date aims to ensure that LLAs and members are able to participate fully and engage with the consultation process. 107 3.5 London Councils will bring the consultation to the attention of LLAs’ Leaders and Chief Executives. Officers will convene focus groups to ensure responses are gathered from appropriate stakeholders. The consultation will also be widely advertised through networks and social media. Table 1: Open Consultation Timetable Date Activity Early May (TBC: 7 May) Consultation document published and promoted. The consultation will be open for a minimum of four weeks April to early June 2024 Preliminary, informal, meetings at officer -level to gather evidence from; • Borough grants officer network • London Funders and other funders of voluntary sector programmes • Representatives of current priority areas; Housing and Homelessness Needs Group, Violence Against Women and Girls Co-ordinator Network • The Mayor’s office and Greater London Authority • Second tier / policy and equity infrastructure groups 04 June 2024 (TBC) Consultation close (at least four weeks after launch) Late June/early July 2024 Officers to complete analysis of the responses and provide a summary to Grants Executive (June 2024), Leaders’ Committee (9 July 2024) and Grants Committee (17 July 24) 3.6 Decisions on any post-March 2026 programme will be informed by: 1. Evaluation of the current programme (see item 10 of this agenda) 2. Consideration of the current external context including government policy, patterns of existing, changing and emerging need, the funding context and services that boroughs already provide. 3. The open consultation 4. Equalities Impact Assessment 108 4 Draft Timetable – Overall Process: Consultation, Needs Assessment, Evaluation, and Decision Making The proposed timetable for the review is set out in Table 2 (and incorporates reference to earlier reporting). Subject to this Committee’s decision on this report, the substantive work would start immediately and report to the July and November 2024 Committee Meetings. Table 2: Draft Timetable Date Activity 28 February 2024 Grants Executive meeting - Consider approach and timetable for any post March 2026 grants programme including consultation 11 March 2024 Elected Officers - Consider approach and timetable for any post March 2026 grants programme including consultation 27 March 2024 Grants Committee Meeting - Agree approach and timetable for any post March 2026 grants programme including consultation - April Evaluation of the current grants programme starts April – May 2024 Complete research of external context (government policy, patterns of need, current LLA provision) Early May-mid June 2024 London Councils - Consultation launched (post-Mayoral election 2 May 2024) Early-June 2024 - Consultation deadline (minimum four weeks window) 11 June 2024 Leaders Committee (AGM) – update for information only Late June - Early July Grants Executive - Update on evidence gathering, interim consultation findings and equalities impact assessment 9 July 2024 Leaders Committee - Decision in principle on whether to agree a 2026-2030 grants programme If agreed: - Decision on operating principles - Decision on high-level funding priorities - Authorise Grants Committee to oversee specification development 17 July 2024 Grants Committee AGM - Consider consultation findings and direction from Leaders Committee 109 Table 2: Draft Timetable Date Activity July to November 2024 London Councils - Develop specifications with LLA officers and stakeholders - I ndicative recommendations report on specifications to deliver funding priorities in accordance with the principles completed 17 Sept 2024 Grants Executive Meeting - Consider draft recommendations on proposed specifications report 27 November 2024 Grants Committee Meeting - Consider proposed draft specifications - M ake recommendations to Leaders’ Committee. 10 Dec 2024 Leaders’ Committee - Receive Grants Committee recommendations - Agree indicative budget for new programme Subject to decision in December 2024 Feb- March 2025 London Councils - Undertake revision work on specifications Feb 2025 (TBC) Grants Executive Committee Meeting - Consider any amendments to specifications since November/ December 2024 March 2025 Grants Committee Meeting - Agree final specifications April to May 2025 London Councils - Preparation for commissioning including market warming. May-Oct 2025 London Councils - Undertake open and competitive commissioning subject to budget being agreed o NB closing date for applications will be 30 July at the latest - Applications assessment and due diligence Nov 2025 Grants Committee Meeting - Agree commissions subject to budget, and recommend budget to Leaders’ Committee Dec 2025 Leaders’ Committee Meeting - Agree annual programme budget December 2025 – March 2026 London Councils - Pre-a greement activity and mobilisation to start delivering new programme. March 2026 Grants Committee Meeting - Update on pre-agreement process April 2026 New programme launched and funded projects start 110 5 Equalities Impact Assessment 5.1 The grant programme’s governing legislation i requires that needs be determined at Greater London level, which will be informed by consultation in accordance with public law requirements. 5.2 The Equality Act 2010 provides a legal framework to more effectively tackle disadvantage and discrimination ii. Equalities considerations are central to London Councils’ grants programme and underpin the funding priorities, which focus on addressing the needs of Londoners. 5.3 It has been determined that in order to give proper consideration to the needs of protected groups under the Equalities Act it is proposed that an equalities impact assessment be undertaken. 5.4 Alongside other evidence (see para 3.6 above), the consultation and equalities impact assessment should provide views and perspectives from different stakeholders, to help in developing the new grants programme. 5.5 Equalities considerations will also form part of the development of the specifications to deliver the funding priorities 5.6 It should be recognised that if, following consultation and evaluation of information gathered, the Committee recommends closure of the programme or recommends ceasing funding for one or more of the current priorities, it will be the responsibility of individual LLAs to evaluate how and whether the needs of residents with protected characteristics may be met locally. 6 Recommendations 6.1 Grants Committee members are asked to discuss and agree: 6.1.1 The key steps and timetable required to: a) establish the framework (principles and priorities) and scale of any future grants programme; and b) plan the implementation of any future programme. 6.1.2 Should recommendation 1 be agreed, the consultation on the potential new Grants Programme, which will be launched in early May 2024, should: 111 a) be informed by evaluation of the current programme (see Item 10 on this agenda), and principles and priorities of the current programme; b) be transparent regarding the current financial constraints the boroughs are working under and the potential for a reduced budget for a future grants programme. c) invite contributions from the London local authorities; other funders and public bodies (including the GLA); voluntary organisations and the public; d) consult on the principles of the programme; and e) explore what the highest priority areas for any future funding should be, recognising that decisions will be made against a background of budgetary pressures. Financial Implications for London Councils This report does not make any financial recommendations at this stage. A n initial steer on an indicative budget envelope will be sought at the July 2024 Grants Committee. A final decision on the annual funding for 2026-2027 will be agreed by Leaders’ Committee in November 2025. Legal Implications for London Councils I. London Councils administers and delivers the London Councils Grants Programme on behalf of all the boroughs and the City of London Corporation. The Programme makes grants to voluntary organisations to deliver improved outcomes for Londoners. II. The Programme operates within a scheme made under Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985. It is a collective scheme i.e. all the LLAs fund the Programme, through a levy contribution based on the LLA’s proportion of the capital’s population. LLAs must exercise their functions in respect of the scheme ‘with due regard to the needs of the whole of Greater London’. III. Leaders' Committee determines the principles and priorities of the Programme and the overall budget of the Programme. The Grants Committee commissions 112 services, makes awards of funding, manages projects’ performance and may advise Leaders’ Committee on the Programme. IV. This report takes full account of the legal advice, notably: a. a s to the legal requirements for decision- making by public bodies (i.e. to ensure: declaration of interests; that correct procedure is followed; consultation is undertaken lawfully; decisions are rational and evidence- based; all relevant considerations are taken into account; that decision s are taken for a p roper purpose; decisions are proportionate and reasonable; and decisions are properly reasoned.; b. specifically in respect of consultation that the consultation is undertaken when proposals are at a formative stage, the proposal s being consulted upon give sufficient reasons to allow for intelligent consideration and response, adequate time be given for consultation responses , and the product of the consultation will be conscientiously taken into account in finalising proposals; and c. the need for proper consideration of the equality impacts of the proposed decisions. V. It will be important to continue to take legal advice throughout the process to support informed decision-making. Equalities Implications for London Councils In reaching decisions for the implementation of any future grants programme, the Committee is required to have due regard to its obligations under the Equalities Act 2010, particularly the Public Sector Equalities Duty. Alongside other evidence and analysis which will be collated as to the operation of the current programme, and the factual and policy context, the consultation will include a full equalities impact assessment which w ill inform decisions on the future of the programme – including the principles and priorities of any new programme, and should that be agreed, the equalities objectives to be included within the specifications for any future programme. During the different stages of the development process evaluation of equalities impacts will be undertaken, including in developing the specifications to deliver on the funding priorities. London Councils’ funded services provide support to all persons with protected characteristics who are eligible under the relevant funded project, and target groups 113 highlighted as furthest from support or more affected by the issues being tackled. Funded organisations are also required to submit equalities monitoring data, which can be collated across the grants scheme to provide data on the take up of services and gaps in provision to be addressed. The grants team reviews this data annually. Background Documents Grants Programme 2021-25 , Grants Committee, Item 14, 10 July 2019 Grants Programme 2021-25, Leaders committee, item 7c, 3 December 2019 i Local Government Act 1985 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/51/section/48 ii Equality Act 2010 https://www.gov.uk/equality-act-2010-guidance 114 Summary This paper sets out a proposed timetable of activity for an external evaluation to be carried out on the 2022-26 Grants Programme during 2024-2025 Recommendations Grants Committee is asked to: - Note that the Committee has already agreed the concept and budget for the evaluation, as part of the establishment of the current programme. - Note that the (Grants) Executive Committee approved the proposed timetable and specifications suggested for the evaluation in February 2024. - Note that officers have issued an Invitation to Tender so that an initial report can be delivered to Members in July, alongside the results of the initial consultation on the 2026- 2030 programme. - The final scope of the individual stages of the evaluation will be confirmed at the inception meeting, taking account of any comments which arise from Members at today’s meeting Grants Committee Proposed Evaluation of the 2022-26 Grants Programme Item: 10 Report by: Feria Henry/ Pilar Kusel Job title: Grants Managers Date: 27 March 2024 Contact Officer: Feria Henry/ Pilar Kusel Telephone: 0207 934 9739 0207 934 9815 Email: feria.henry@londoncouncils.gov.uk pilar.kusel@londoncouncils.gov.uk 115 1 Background 1.1 At the Grants Committee meeting in July 2021 the Committee a greed that a budget of £150,000 (0.5 per cent of the value of the programme) was going to be built to cover the cost of items that happen once during the four -year cycle of the programme, including the evaluation of the 2022-26 Grants Programme. We expect the cost of the external evaluation to be carried out in 2024-2025 will be easily contained within that amount, with funds also remaining available to cover other one-off costs. 1.2 At the Grants Executive meeting in February 2024, grants officers shared the proposed evaluation timetable and specifications and these were approved by Grants Executive members. Members also made suggestions for the specifications which were considered by grants officers and added to the invitation to Quote shared with potential bidders. These suggestions are incorporated into the specifications set out in section 3. 2 Pur pose and process of the Evaluation 2.1 A critical and objective evaluation of the programme led by an external partner is aimed at ensuring the programme evolves, supporting the Grants Committee to make judgments about the programme, improve its effectiveness, and inform changes to both the current programme and future programmes beyond March 2026. 2.2 The identification and selection of the evaluation partner will follow the procurement guidelines and toolkit from London Councils. The main steps in this process are mentioned in the timetable in Table 1. 3 Evaluation draft specifications 3.1 Grants officers recommended the evaluation to cover three programme areas, and it is delivered in three phases as shown in Table 1. The areas recommended to be evaluated were defined considering the purpose stated above and feedback from Grants Executive members in February 2024 . These are: 3.1.1 Equalities: London Councils’ funded services provide support to people within all the protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010). Funded organisations are required to submit equalities monitoring data, which is collated across the grants scheme to provide data on the take up of services by each protected group. The evaluator will be asked to assess the equalities data collected by the programme during its first two years (from April 2022 to March 2024), identify gaps in provision and build recommendations. Examples of the analysis to be conducted 116 by the evaluator may include comparing the support provided by the programme with the rates of need across London in each programme priority (where data is available) and with London’s population per the latest census, identifying gaps in support and/or data collection, e.g. care experienced users, as well as evaluating how well the scheme meets the requirements of equality’s legislation and the ambition to tackle structural inequalities in both grant-making and delivery. 3.1.2 Value for Money and Partners Viability/Outcomes: The evaluator will be asked to review the value for money of the programme, considering the impact achieved by the scheme in the first two years (or a longer period if impact data is available) and make recommendations for improvements for future programmes. The specifications will be discussed with the evaluator and may include reviewing if the programme is cost-effective, i.e. the extent to which the resources allocated to funded groups are resulting in measurable outcomes and impact; the value for money considerations against the pressure on groups’ financial viability which can affect outcomes; and analysing tangible and intangible benefits generated by the programme. In addition, the evaluator will be requested to develop a tool or template that the Grants team at London Councils can use upon the conclusion of the programme in March 2026, to review the programme’s Value for Money considering the 4-years impact. 3.1.3 Mechanics and Operational Processes of the Grants Scheme: The evaluator will be asked to identify strengths and weaknesses in the commissioning and management of the programme and make recommendations for improvements for future programmes. The specifications under this evaluation area may include assessing the stages and documents involved in the application and selection processes, examining internal processes for administering grants, including workflow, communication channels, decision- making procedures, stakeholder engagement approaches in place and programme governance. The scope of these specifications will be discussed with the evaluator and may cover all or some of the mentioned areas. 3.2 The evaluation of the above areas, particularly Value for Money and Mechanics and Operational Processes, may entail the evaluator's need to engage with programme stakeholders to collect feedback from them, including from Members, borough officers, and funded groups. 117 4 Evaluation timetable The proposed timetable for the evaluation is set out in Table 1. 5 Recommendations 5.1 Grants Committee members are asked to: 5.1.1 Note that the Committee has already agreed the concept and budget for the evaluation, as part of the establishment of the current programme. 5.1.2 Note that the (Grants) Executive Committee approved the proposed timetable and specifications suggested for the evaluation in February 2024. Table 1: Timetable Date Activity 28 February 2024 Grants Executive meeting Consider evaluation timetable and draft specs Early March 2024 Launch ITQ - Identify potential suppliers, build ITQ per London Councils T&Cs, open application process (4 weeks window) April-May 2024 Recommend supplier and Contract - Applications assessment panel, recommendation, pre-award clarification meetings, contract, purchase order June-early July Phase 1 Evaluation: Equalities - Project window: 4-5 weeks - Submission and review with grant officers by early July 17 July 2024 Grants Committee AGM - Consider Phase 1 Evaluation Report Mid-July to Oct 2024 Phase 2 Evaluation: Value for Money and Partners Viability/Outcomes - Project window: 12-14 weeks (may involve stakeholders feedback) - Submission and review with grant officers by mid-Oct 27 November 2024 Grants Committee Meeting - Consider Phase 2 Evaluation Report Mid-Nov 2024 to early March 2025 Phase 3 Evaluation: Mechanics and Operational Processes of the Grants Scheme - Project window: 12-14 weeks (may involve stakeholders feedback and includes Christmas break) - Submission and review with grant officers by early March March 2025 Grants Committee Meeting - Consider Phase 3 Evaluation Report March 2025- March 2026 Evaluation recommendations incorporated into current programme, where possible, and to new programme planning 118 5.1.3 Note that officers have issued an Invitation to Tender so that an initial report can be delivered to Members in July, alongside the results of the initial consultation on the 2026-2030 programme. 5.1.4 The final scope of the individual stages of the evaluation will be confirmed at the inception meeting, taking account of any comments which arise from Members at today’s meeting Financial Implications for London Councils This report advises members that the work can be carried out by drawing on part of previously earmarked reserves to carry out an external evaluation of the 2022-2026 Grants Programme, in line with the decisions of the July 2021 Grants Committee meeting. Legal Implications for London Councils London Councils manages the London Councils Grants Programme on behalf of all the boroughs and the City of London. The Programme makes grants to voluntary organisations to deliver improved outcomes for Londoners. The Programme operates within a scheme made under Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985. It is a collective scheme i.e. all the boroughs fund the Programme, through a levy contribution based on the boroughs' proportion of the capital’s population. Boroughs must exercise their functions in respect of the scheme ‘with due regard to the needs of the whole of Greater London’. Leaders' Committee determines the principles and priorities of the Programme and the overall budget of the Programme. The Grants Committee commissions services, makes awards of funding, manages projects’ performance and may advise the Leaders’ Committee on the Programme. Equalities Implications for London Councils In reaching decisions for the implementation of any future grants programme, the Committee is required to have due regard to its obligations under the Equalities Act 2010, particularly the Public Sector Equalities Duty. London Councils’ funded services provide support to people within all the protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010), and target groups highlighted as particularly hard to reach 119 or more affected by the issues being tackled. Funded organisations are also required to submit equalities monitoring data, which can be collated across the grants scheme to provide data on the take up of services and gaps in provision to be addressed. The grants team reviews this data annually. The evaluation specifications include a review of the Grants Programme’s impact considering an Equalities perspective, to assist the Committee in continuing to improve the way the programme serves all groups listed under the protected characteristics and feed into the equalities objectives of any future programme. Background Documents Grants Programme 2021-25, Grants Committee, Item 14 - 2022-2026 Programme - New programme prospectus, 14 July 2021 120