Time to Shine

Assessment panels for new projects

Information pack for potential panel members

September 2017

It has been a busy couple of years since the first Time to Shine projects started in 2015. 4,900 people have been involved in 32 projects so far. There has been a range of activities from walking, sharing meals, singing and dancing, cinema clubs, brass bands, IT sessions and trips in Leeds and further afield. What has linked them all is a sense of fun and a chance to meet people; both old friends and new to increase networks and opportunities.

As Time to Shine is a programme of research and learning, understanding what makes a difference and how older people can be encouraged to make new connections to experience a decrease in their social isolation is vital.

We have used the learning and experiences from our first projects to develop the new ones we are now looking to fund for the final three years of Time to Shine. We have talked to our partners to make sure that these are the right ones to help us continue to develop our understanding about what makes the difference to older people’s isolation in Leeds.

The projects that we are wanting to fund are in the following strands:

  • Creating Supportive Opportunities – these will be projects that reach older people at home and help them to get out. The projects will build on our learning that for people with entrenched levels of isolation there needs to be an activity to ‘hook’ them into a project and that they are likely to need more intensive handholding and practical support before they are ready to engage more widely. We are expecting to fund six projects under this strand.
  • Connections –these will be projects that engage with older people from street level up, recognising that just bringing people together isn’t likely to reduce isolation. This builds on our learning that there needs to be a springboard on from a project activity to an increase in sustained networks and relationships.We are expecting to fund three to four projects under this strand.
  • Changes –this project will use learning about the events or circumstances in a person’s life that are most likely to trigger social isolation to increase the awareness and personal resilience of younger older people for their future.

Our next stage is to find organisations who can effectively deliver these projects. We have published a Commissioning Brochure which has more information about the projects and are holding two workshops in September 2017 so that potential delivery partners can find out more and ask questions.Application forms will be on the Time to Shine website from Monday 9th October2017for organisations to complete to bid for funding to deliver the projects.

The closing dates for applications isFriday 1st December 2017. Once the forms have been checked to make sure that they meet the selection criteria they will be assessed by a panel. The panel will help to decide who will deliver the projects which will start in April 2018. There will be a panel for each of the different types of projects we are looking to fund. Each panel will discuss and score applications to agree which they would like to shortlist. They will then meet with the shortlisted applicants to ask questions to better understand how the projects will be delivered and make sure they will be a good fit for Time to Shine. The panel will then make recommendations to the Core Partnership (our steering group) as to which projects should be funded.

Time to Shine believes that older peopleshould be at the centre of what we do and must be involved in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of the programme. We are therefore inviting people aged 50 and over to share their skills and knowledge by acting as an assessment panel member.

The role is a voluntary one but we will of course pay for any expenses and plenty of refreshments will be available.

If you would like to be considered for the assessment panel please look at the Skills and Qualities questions on pages 5 and 6. After completing the questions there is an expression of interest form to fill in.If you would like to have chat about getting involved, before taking the plunge please feel free to contact either Hillary Wadsworth or Rachel Koivunen who are the Time to Shine Programme Managers and will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

We will be in contact with everyone who has expressed interest and expect that there will be a chance for everyone who would like to be a panel member to get involved. If we get a really high response or find that we need a balance of skills and experience we might then need to hold interviews.

All panel members will be asked to attend an information session in November 2017 to make sure that they fully understand the role and know what to expect at panel meetings.

Time to Shine will ask organisations that apply for to deliver our projects to write in plain English and avoid jargon where possible. We will try to do the same in our processes!

Once applications have been received, the list of organisations that have applied for the different projects will be sent to panel members. Panel members will be asked to complete a Resister of Interests form. This is so that anyone has an association with one of the applicants, as a volunteer, trustee or staff member, has the opportunity to declare the relationship. This helps to protect panel members from any form of bias or influence towards a particular applicant. If there is a potential conflict of interest with one of the applicants for a project the panel member will be asked if they would like to sit on a panel where they have no conflict.

Panel members will be sent applications that they will need to read over a period of two weeks. Time should be set aside to read all applications carefully and to score them using a score sheet that will be provided at the same time. In the third week panel members will be invited to the assessment meeting and should come prepared with notes, potential score and questions on anything they’d like to know more about from the applicant that could be asked at the discussion stage.

The exact dates of the assessment panels haven’t been agreed but they will take place in December 2017 and January 2018. The panel meeting may take up to six-hours, the length depends on how many applications have been received. Regular breaks, refreshments and lunch will be planned as part of the meeting. Meetings will not start before 10.00 am and will not finish later than 4.00 pm.

Panel meetings will be chaired and notes will be taken. Members of the Time to Shine staff team will facilitate the meetings but will not be part of the decision making.

Once each application has been discussed, a consensus decision will be made about the scores for each section of the application. Organisations will be ranked in order of the total score for their bid and the top four will be shortlisted for the discussion stage. The discussion stage may either be an interview with the applicant or a site visit to their office or venue. Whichever is decided, applicants will be expected to include older people in the group meeting the panel.

To see if being a panel member might be for you please complete the questions below. If you have answered yes to all of the questions and would like to be considered, please complete the Expression of Interest form, starting on page 7, and return it to or Leeds Older People’s Forum, Suite 24C Joseph’s Well, Hanover Walk, Leeds LS3 1AB.

If you have not answered yes to all of the questions but would like to be involved please contact Rachel or Hillary to have a chat about other options.

  1. Can you communicate with a range of people, and have the confidence to discuss issues as part of a group?

YES

NO

  1. Are you confident in reading application forms in English?

YES

NO

  1. Can you engage with a group and challenge where necessary?

YES

NO

  1. Do you have the time to read and consider the applications including scoring, making notes and attending the panel meetings?

YES

NO

We hope to have a good cross section of panel members who will bring with them different skills and experiences. It is also very likely that panel members will have different views from each other and from some of the organisations that apply for funding. We welcome this range of views and want there to be healthy discussions about applications but we do expect all panel members to listen and respect the opinions of others.

Panel members will be asked to come to a consensus in order to shortlist and make recommendations for funding. If not everyone agrees, the panel chair will be sked to go with the majority decision.

If panel members are uncertain about anything that arises during the assessment process they should raise it with the panel chair or Hillary or Rachel. It is important that panelmembers understand what they are agreeing to and feel comfortable in doing so.

Any information received in the application packs or discussed in the assessment panels is confidential and must not be discussed with anyone not involved in the process.

Rachel 0113 244 1697

Hillary 0113 244 1697

Time to Shine Commissioning for New Projects 2017

Expression of Interest to become a member of the assessment panel

Name:
Address:
Telephone No: / Mobile:
Email address:
Are you involved with any organisations in Leeds as a trustee, volunteer or member of staff? If yes, please provide details.
Is there a particular project you would like to be involved in assessing ?(It is recommended that all panel members read the Commissioning Brochure before completing this form to help decide where your experience and interest might fit best.
Creating Supportive Opportunities
  • For people not able to get out 
of their home (including care home)
environment
  • People who want to get out of their home 
and are able to
  • BME communities with a focus on Black
African Caribbean or Eastern European groups 
  • Men (with a focus on moving through to
integrated activities 
  • Disabled people; physical disability, sensory
impairment or mental health 
  • A general citywide project that meets the
strand criteria 
Connections
  • BME communities with a focus on Black
African Caribbean or Eastern European groups 
  • Men (with a focus on moving through to
integrated activities 
  • Disabled people; physical disability, sensory
impairment or mental health 
  • A general citywide project that meets the
strand criteria 
Changes
  • Younger older people increasing personal
resilience and awareness to prevent becoming 
isolated in the future.
Do you have any special communication needs or requirements? (e.g. Large text versions of documents)
Do you have any support needs during the panel meetings or information sessions? (e.g. access or seating requirements)
Do you think you have the skills and qualities required for the role? (these are the four questions that were asked on pages 5 and 6)
Do you have the time necessary for this role? (consider the time you will spend reading and scoring the applications as well as the panel meetings)
Are there any dates during November and December when you are not available?
Yes
No
If yes, please write the dates below.

Please return your completed expression of interest form to Rachel Koivunen by Friday 3rd November 2017.

Leeds Older People’s Forum, Suite 24C Joseph’s Well, Hanover Walk, Leeds LS3 1AB or

Thank you!

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