CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE NETWORK

21.09.16 at London Funders

Participants

EllaMizionBig Lottery Fund

VenetiaBoonComic Relief

PatrickJonesCripplegate Foundation

DaisyRyanHenry Smith Charity

SarahWillisHyde Charitable Trust

ErikMeselJohn Lyon's Charity

BarbaraAtkinsonLondon Borough of Enfield

RosaPalliLondon Youth (speaker)

EmilioTorriniProject Oracle

BartonCreethSave the Children

SianLeaShiva Foundation

CiaranRaffertyThe City Bridge Trust (chair)

SaraMastersThe Mercers' Company

DanBurkeYoung Harrow Foundation (speaker)

In attendance

GeraldineBlakeLondon Funders

GeraldineToveyLondon Funders

DavidWarnerLondon Funders

  1. Welcome and apologies for absence

Ciaran welcomed everyone to the group and introductions were made. He apologised for the meeting time being re-arranged and thanked attendees for their patience. Ciaran explained that the Children and Young People Network is an informal group that provides a sharing vehicle for good practice- focusing on a funders perspective.

It was noted by the group that a lot has changed politically since the last CYP meeting. One of the most interesting aspects of the referendum result is the aspect of how a withdrawal of EU funding and freedom of movement will impact on young people. The referendum result also showed the disparity of views between young people and older generations. Ciaran summarised that perhaps by not giving young people a voice that we may be alienating the younger generations further.

Forthcoming events of London Funders were highlighted. The opportunities for participation and collaboration are highly valuable for members.

  1. Report of last meeting, 26th May 2016

The last meeting focused upon supporting disabled young people into employment. For further information, please click here. This meeting proved particularly fruitful for Ciaran who is doing a lot of work currently in this area.

  1. Young Harrow Foundation- Dan Burke

Dan Burke, Director of the Young Harrow foundation spoke to the CYP network about his experiences establishing the organisation and the specific challenge of the removal of funding from the state.

John Lyons Charity (JLC), working alongside other funders has helped to create three Young People’s Foundations (YPFs) in the London Boroughs of Brent, Barnet and Harrow, with other boroughs in London developing similar schemes. The YPFs that have been established have managed to find corporate sponsors. All YPFs will be structured differently but will have the same fundamental model

The model is based on the idea that YPFs will be registered charities and that they will act as umbrella organisations for any groups which has interest in young people in the area. They can and should include organisations from the voluntary, private and public sector sharing resources as local authorities withdraw services and funding. One of the main tasks of YPFs is to create a venue bank and a forum where people can meet and discuss joint learning within a structure which has been largely absent.

Introduction

  • Dan explained to the group that it is vital that the local context is understood. Harrow YPF initially mapped the voluntary sector services which exist within the borough.
  • There are:

- 42 Organisations who are Targeted and specialist Young People providers

- 150 Sport clubs and sport providers (Working with CSPAN)

- 31 Uniformed groups

- 23 Supplementary school programs

- 102 Full time staff

- 231 Part time staff

- 226 Sessional staff

- 1237 Volunteers

- This is a massive personnel resource compared to the council.

  • Harrow Community Sport and Physical Activity Network (CSPAN) has been struggling within the borough to collaborate and raise funds. Working together with Harrow YPF, partners are beginning to understand the value of the foundation model and how it can create a bigger picture, bringing in opportunities such as training and theories of change.
  • Young Harrow Foundation is looking for supplementary schools to partner with and entrench a culture of education.
  • Dan has also been working with private sector organisations to ensure that the business world makes a real impact in the lives of young people in Harrow. He is keen for companies to provide real tangibles such as catering and accountancy. YHF is keen for expertise rather than simply funding. YHF is holding an event in October alongside Metro Bank to encourage better CSR in Harrow.

Issues to overcome

  • The main issue which YHF encountered was silo working and competitiveness.
  • Harrow Council’s youth offer (launching in November) is a way to overcome this, ensuring no duplicate working.
  • Harrow Council has offered YHF a website with funding focused on needs assessments and a full mapping of services.
  • Thee website will be created to advertise opportunities for young people in one place. It will be split into two services. 1. Activity based (e.g. sport) and 2. Needs based (e.g. mental health).
  • It will also be a source for professionals to refer young people to local services. It will give power back to frontline workers.
  • YHF is also looking to collaborate with funders to identify duplication/big gaps in funding to get a sense of the bigger picture. Instead of reactive funding, there should be more partnerships and collaborations.
  • Initially Dan has focused on the local context and developing relationships with the public sector (such as CCGs and Job Centre Plus)
  • Harrow CCG currently has a £1.5 Million tender for a new mental health service for young people. This tender was too large for many voluntary sector organisations to bid for. YHF has helped to group together 12 organisations to discuss the tender and eventually submit a bid.
  • There is no guarantee that this consortia will win, but it does provide local organisations to compete against national charities.
  • Job Centre plus have informed YHF that their main areas of concern are lone parents and non-English speakers. Dan has fed back the information to the YHF network so that they are more informed of what the Job Centre is looking for when it puts out tenders.
  • Dan is also seeking for funders to come to Harrow and explain what they are looking for from bids.
  • John Lyons Charity did this recently and has received 4x the amount of applications for holiday grants in Harrow compared to their last grant cycle.

Moving Forward

There are three key areas which the Young Harrow Foundation will be looking at:

  • Effective communications- To develop more opportunities and ensuring that funders have representation in the borough. This may not be through set channels. YHF will act as a conduit between funders and local organisations.
  • Mapping of services- Giving funders a local understanding of current services in Harrow
  • Resourcing the Gaps in provision Developing clear needs analysis to create large partnership approaches to key gaps in current services. YHF is looking for at least 3-4 funders alongside the council, JLC and City Bridge Trust to communicate and be a part of this conversation.

Q&A

Ciaran stated that he feels that Young People’s Foundations are ‘hitting the nail on the head’ regarding identifying local needs and being a critical friend.

Erik Mesel noted that all foundations are very different and will be reflective of the borough. They have developed so quickly because there is a wide gap that they are filling. Overall YFs have really started to help empower local organisations.

Uniformed groups vary between those who are and aren’t ready to take up opportunities being offered by YHF. It is slow work but YHF is helping to provide a voice that they do not usually have as well as providing challenges, a structure and frameworks. Ultimately YHF wants uniformed groups to understand their role as part of a wider context and the positive influence that they bring to young people’s lives.

Dan has used his background running a charity in Harrow and his existing connections to speak with schools about their need, especially in terms of CAMHS. He is keen to foster cultural improvements and better communications with schools. The council is pushing schools hard on emotional health and wellbeing issues, and the effect of cuts is beginning to become apparent in that area.

Senior staff at Harrow Council are looking to cut funds to initiatives that don’t have impact. They have been keen to work with YHF members regarding troubled families in particular. In turn, YHF has been communicating the needs of small and medium charities to the council.

A questionnaire of YHF members has already shown that the organisation I already producing positive results. There is an appetite for more networking events going forward. Members are appreciative of the voice function that YHF provides, and businesses are keen to be a part of a whole-borough change. It is important for funders to feed in as well and be a part of the culture change in Harrow. Dan is also keen to work with the GLA going forward, especially around uniformed groups.

YHF is encouraging commissioners to know the local context better, to make spending more effective. YHF can also provide up-to-date information to commissioners about its members, providing detail of how they have grown/developed over the years. YHF can also identify to the local council who is doing good work and inform about learning from funders. YHF’s role is to provide the ‘bigger picture’ rather than being a decision maker.

YHF is working with Harrow CVS to provide local solutions, collaboration and reducing competition. Some YPFs have CVS chiefs on their board but these relationships vary in each borough. There is a group of umbrella organisations in Harrow which now meets every two months to inform and update regarding their activities.

Dan’s background in frontline delivery has given him a broad context of the local area, but he is still reliant on support and information from funders.

  1. Rosa Palli- London Youth

London Youth is working with foundations on a pan-London co-ordinated approach to provide opportunities for delivery organisations in the context of cuts.

London Youth is a membership organisation which helps its members to increase opportunities for young people. It directly runs some sports projects and youth action projects. However it mostly provides capacity building and development through a quality mark, as well as networking and a voice function for its members. Traditionally members of London Youth are local delivery organisations.

There are challenges and opportunities in each London borough which can be harnessed with innovation and joint approaches. The first roundtable meeting between London Youth and Young People’s Foundations was held in August and another meeting is being held at the end of September. The aim of the meetings is not only to harness opportunities locally but to also identify pan-London solutions.

The partnership represents an opportunity for grass root organisations to be supported better, strengthening capacity and to act as an advocate for local needs. London Youth is working with Young People’s Foundations to create a London-Wide venue bank, helping to remove barriers and to utilise assets. The partnership will also support different funders to identify correlation with YPFs and their aims/strands of work.

Q&A

The core ethos of YPFs has been maintained with a lack of cynicism. London Youth’s broad membership criteria means that there are a lot of opportunities to get various voices around the table.

The YPF network will look at developing a quality mark for Young People’s Foundations, ensuring that a minimum standard will be set.

Every Local Authority (LA) is different but so far stakeholders have been generally positive. Young People’s Foundations will not be able to replace council provision, but can provide thrifty solutions. For example, the Young Brent Foundation has been helping to provide National Citizen Service funding to local organisations.

Young Westminster and Young Camden Foundation are in development and will be launching in a few months. Both have received initial funding from LAs and JLC. Camden has significant corporate involvement as well, with both Google and Starbucks on the board. Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea are also in development. Outside of JLC boroughs, Merton, Hartlepool, Trafford and Waltham Forest United are being progressed.

London Youth and John Lyons Charity are looking at partnership work with organisations across the country to develop foundations that represent local need. London Youth is keen to develop local leadership and encourage more people to get involved in the schemes. The roundtables are also encouraging partnership working between CVSs and other membership organisations in the borough. In fact, an existing membership organisation can convert to be a YPF

Moreover, there cannot be more than one YPF in any borough, and they also cannot expand to different boroughs.

YPFs link to the broader Vision for Young Londoners, and the emphasis on boundary/place links with the wider place-based agenda which is being discussed in the funding community. There will be an increasing number of place-based collaborations, with the GLA having to ensure that platforms link together on a London-wide level.

The venue bank is working effectively in Harrow. Dan has used the business argument that unlocking assets will also benefit the venue organisation. An online platform will help to retain information about value added.

  1. Member Updates

John Lyons Charity is looking at creating a funder forum based on the YPF model- in the context of work done by both London Youth and London Funders. This will not be focused on looking for funding, but rather inviting funders to be a part of the journey. This will initially be based in London.

Emilio has just joined Project Oracle and is very committed to improve his/Project Oracle’s knowledge of outcomes-based commissioning. Project Oracle will be running a new evidence champions programme next year.

Henry Smith Charity has just launched an overarching strategic review. They anticipate little change in their focus on children and young people, but there could be significant changes elsewhere.

Cripplegate Foundation has a new funding programme for children and young people through Islington Giving. They have already received 30 applications on the theme of ‘making the most of free time’. Cripplegate is keen for these services to have an element of inclusivity. City Bridge Trust is keen to work closer with Cripplegate on the theme of working with disabled young people.

Save the Children are also going through a big strategy overhaul with a focus on early years and child development. They are looking to build an area-based model with longer term relationships.

London Funders is launching its Theory of Change at the end of September. It is also looking at its collective impact in a far broader sense. In addition, London Funders has hired Geraldine Blake as an interim projects director. She will focus on continuing collaborative projects such as the vision for young Londoners. Lastly, a ‘Healthy London’ network will start in the new year, focusing on the governments emerging healthy living agenda.

Big Lottery Fund has made significant changes to its London Local team. They are aiming to make better funding decisions looking at local knowledge and becoming more embedded in local areas. It will be crucial for Big Lottery to develop a local context. Big Lottery has just launched their youth investment fund involving a cluster of boroughs in East London. The Youth Investment Fund will be providing cultural enrichment to young people. Working alongside DCMS, this grant is worth around £40 million. The deadline for applications is 11th November.

In the London Borough of Enfield, the youth service is shrinking rapidly. The borough is looking at how to manage buildings/assets more effectively, working more closely with the voluntary sector. This will fit in with the Enfield’s early intervention strategy. They are looking to enhance and develop CVS-like organisations. LB Enfield is working particularly closely with the local CCG on mental health.

Comic Relief has a new national strategy on young people. This will focus on women and girls, strengthening communities and health and wellbeing. All future projects will align with these aims.

Hyde Charitable Trust is looking far closer at place-based giving, especially regarding core funding to make sure that people can retain their tenancies. Hyde is also looking to fund projects looking at gangs. This is a very early development and Hyde is very keen to ensure collective impact. Children in Need are also doing work on gangs, and Comic Relief is also paying particular attention to girls in gangs.

The Shiva Foundations is a small and new corporate foundation solely focusing on anti-trafficking. They are looking more broadly at education/prevention programmes to raise awareness of the broader issues around this.