A Guide to Project Support Scheme for Ards and North Down

Policing and Community Safety Projects 2017- 2018.

Background

The Department of Justice Community Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland 2012-2017 ‘Creating Safer, Shared and Confident Communities’ defines community safety as an approach to preventing, reducing and responding to crime which

  • Provides local solutions to local problems
  • Focuses on wider social issues, including anti-social behaviour, fear of crime, quality of life issues and social and economic factors
  • Is delivered through a partnership approach, involving the statutory, voluntary and private sectors as well as community groups and individual citizens, and
  • Offers holistic and problem orientated solutions.

Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) are statutory bodies established under the Justice Act Northern Ireland 2011on 1 April 2012.

The aim of PCSPs is to help make our communities safer by focusing on the policing and community safety issues that matter most in each local council area. These partnerships will work in a more joined up way to the benefit of local communities. The Partnership is funded by the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) through the Joint Committee.

To help make communities safer PCSPs will:

  • Consult and engage with the local community on the issues of concern in relation to policing and community safety. The Policing Committee has a responsibility to provide views to the relevant district commander and the Policing Board on policing matters.
  • Identify and priorities the particular issues of concern and prepare plans for how these can be tackled.
  • Monitor – a Policing Committee comprising the political and independent members will monitor the performance of the police and work to gain the co-operation of the public with the police in preventing crime.
  • Deliver a reduction in crime and enhance community safety in their district, directly through their own actions, through the work of their delivery groups or through support for the work of others.

Applications

Application’s must address one of the priorities. The priorities of the Ards and North DownPCSP for 2017 – 2018 are:

1 / Encouraging action to enhance safe and positive lifestyles and reduce alcohol and drug abuse.
2 / Reducing Anti-Social behaviour in localities showing the highest rates of ASB within the borough

Anti-Social Behaviour Definition

NI Direct Government Services definition of anti-social behaviour includes a range of behaviours, for example, noisy neighbours, people being drunk or rowdy in public places, rubbish or litter lying around, vandalism, graffiti or other damage to property and nuisance behaviour, which can have a negative effect on quality of life issues. It can contribute to an environment where crime can take hold.

Protection of the vulnerable definition

Becoming a victim of crime, is real and often disproportionate. It can have a serious and paralysing effect on people within our communities. It is especially the vulnerable who are affected i.e. older people, disabled people and, increasingly young people.

The PCSP will consider funding projects that incorporate both awareness raising and reduction in domestic violence, anti-social behaviour, fear of crime, encouraging road safety, thereduction in domestic burglaries / theft andraising awareness of organised crime activities and how to report such crime.

Aim of Funding

Funding is available for projects to local groups, organisations and partnerships wishing to undertake intervention for community safety projects or initiatives to tacklereduction in anti-social behaviour, and alcohol and drug abuse.

  • All projects should have a direct impact on the reduction of recorded incidents of anti-social behaviour and improve the general safety of the community and/or address vulnerable groups.
  • Preference will be given to projects that show an OBA process to achieve outcomes.
  • Preference will be given to applications that aim to deliver a partnership led approach, working with other statutory agencies including the PSNI, community and/or voluntary organisations.
  • All projects must be within the Ardsand North Down Borough Council area and spend must be completed before 28th February 2018, with projects ending by 31st march 2018.

Funding

The Ards and North Down PCSP has an operational budget allocation of just over £30,227 from the Joint Committee to allocate to these initiatives during 2017-18. These funds will be expended through strategic priority 2:3;

To improve community safety by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

Applications will have a maximum funding limit of £7500 linked to an agreed OBA set criteria,

Ardsand North Down PCSP is not obliged to accept any or all applications and reserve the right to fund successful applications in part or in full.

Key Requirements

Applications must satisfy the following mandatory requirements. Applications that fail to clearly satisfy these mandatory requirements will not progress to the next stage of the assessment process.

Mandatory Requirements

  • Anti-Social Behaviour Programmes shall target intervention measures for young people and vulnerable adults aged between 10 to 25 years of age.
  • All programmes should engage those that are hard to reach and most at risk of becoming involved in anti-social behaviour, and/or fear of crime, violent crime.
  • All programmes should focus in locations/areas, days and times recording high/increasing levels of anti-social behaviour and fear of crime.
  • All programmes must provide evidence of need and a rationale for what is being proposed.
  • Intervention programmes shall incorporate developmental opportunities that encourage behaviour/attitudinal change.
  • Applications must include a clear number of OBA measurable outputs/performances indicators.
  • All projects must submit quarterly progress and financial reports to the Ards and North Down PCSP.
  • All projects must provide an evaluation of the project before quarter 4 payment will be reimbursed.

Please Note: All funding must be spent no later than 28th February 2018. Project must cease on or before 31st March 2018.

APPLICATION CONTENT

Section A – Contact Details

In this section please provide full contact details.

Section B – Brief Description of Project

(This section should be no more than 500 words and must have aims and objectives clearly outlined in bullet point form)

This should include the background of the project and a brief description of what the project will entail. For example, details of what the project will consist of, who will be involved, participant numbers, age groups and where it will take place. This should include the aims, objectives, inputs and expected outputs as well as how the project will impact on the wider community. Please provide other relevant information that you feel will support your application. Significant evidence should be demonstrated that anti-social behaviour and fear of crime exists, and/or whether early intervention is required within specific targeted groups, locations, days and times.

Section C – Aims and Objectives of the Project

In this section please list your aims and objectives of the project.

Section D – Evidence of Need for the Project

In this section you must identify children, young people and/or vulnerable groups, locations, days and times where diversionary and/or early intervention measures would result in reducing anti-social behaviour. Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate partnership work supported by statistical evidence of the issue as well as information in the form of survey findings, anti-social behaviour audit, strategies etc.

Section E – Project Costs, Match Funding and Partnerships

In this section you must provide full details of project cost clearly identifying any other funding and partnerships involved in the delivery of the project i.e. Community, Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI), Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), Housing Associations, Ards and North Down BoroughCouncil (AND BC), Schools, Youth Services, and Media.

Cost of Project

  • Breakdown of costs

Each item of cost should be clearly listed with an overall total for project cost provided.

  • Total Amount Applied for from Ardsand North Down Policing and Community Partnership

Clearly state the total amount of money required from the Ardsand North Down PCSP. Please note strategic theme limits.

  • Partners

Please provide details of organisation(s) that are formal or informal partners involved in the project.

Section F – Monitoring and Evaluation

In this section clearly outline the processes you will apply to monitor, evaluate and measure the effectiveness of the project. Projects should also demonstrate an overall projection of the progress by providing quarterly accumulative figures of expected targets.

Section G – Checklist

Each document listed must be submitted along with application form. Failure to submit any of these documents will result in your application being null and void.

Conditions of Support

  • Applications will only be accepted from constituted groups/bodies operating in the Ardsand North Down Borough Council area.
  • Details of one dedicated bank account must be provided once you have received a letter of offer and used solely for the project.
  • Projects must be completed by 28th February 2018.

DATA PROTECTION STATEMENT

Ards and North Down Borough Council value your right to personal privacy. We at all times try to be open about the reasons why we collect, hold and use your personal information. We collect information about you in order to fulfil our statutory obligations and provide you and other people with services. Some of the information we gather may be used to help us provide you with improved services. We at all times aim to comply with the Data Protection Principles, ensuring that information is collected fairly and lawfully, is accurate, adequate, up to date and not held any longer than necessary. You have a right to see information held about you (with a few exceptions allowed for in the Data Protection Act 1998). If you wish to see any personal information held on you, please put your request in writing, stating clearly who you are and what information you would like to see to the address below:

Data Protection

Ards and North Down Borough Council

Town Hall

The Castle

BANGOR

BT20 4BT

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION STATEMENT

Ards and North Down Borough is subject to the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Council will proceed on the basis of disclosure unless an appropriate exemption applies. No information provided by applicants will be accepted “in confidence” and the Council will not accept liability for loss as a result of any information disclosed in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Decisions in relation to disclosure will be taken by appropriate individuals in the Council having due regard to the exemptions available and the Public Interest. Applicants should be aware that despite the availability of some exemptions, information may still be disclosed if the Public Interest in its disclosure outweighs the Public Interest in maintaining the exemption. Applicants are required to highlight information included in their application which they consider to be commercially sensitive or confidential in nature, and should state the precise reasons, why that view is taken. If the information is disclosable, the Council has no discretion to prevent its disclosure. The Council will consult with applicants, where it is considered appropriate.

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998) requires the Ards and North Down PCSP, in carrying out its functions, to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity:

  • Between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation;
  • Between men and women generally;
  • Between persons with a disability and persons without;
  • Between persons with dependents and person without.

In addition, without prejudice to its obligation, the Ards and North Down PCSP shall, in carrying out its functions, have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

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