Partners in Innovation Programme
2002-3 Funding
Reporting proforma
September 2002 – December 2002
Name: Youth Quality Leaders Project (QLP-Y)
Organisation: Merton Library & Heritage Service (London)
Name of persons completing report: Dean Bartlett (London Metropolitan
University)
Shiraz Durrani (LB Merton)
Role: QLP Steering Group co-ordinators
Report reviewed by: Shiraz Durrani
Signed: Shiraz Durrani Date: 14 January 2003
Period covered by report: September 2002 – December 2002
1.Progress of Project.
i) In connection with contract specification for the project, the following progress has been made:
a. A series of six development workshops has been programmed to take place during the period March 2003 – August 2003.
b. Consultation exercises will follow from the first and second development forums.
c. The service development proposals are the final outcome of the individual projects which will be completed upon completion of the scheme in August 2003.
d. A dissemination strategy has been developed and the early stages have been implemented, consisting of initial publicity and information provision which has appeared in the following publications:
o Library and information Update vol.1, issue 8, Nov 2002
o Diversity no 3 (March 2002).
o Diversity no 4/5 (November 2002)
o Information for Social Change no. 13 (2001)
o The Network Newsletter
o QLP newsletter no. 2
o DIALOG, Autumn 2002
o Resource website carries information about QLP http://www.resource.gov.uk/action/learnacc/culturalqlp.asp
o QLP has its own presence on the Network’s website <http://www.seapn.org.uk/index.html>. The Quality Leaders Project page can be found at: http://www.seapn.org.uk/qlp.html
o News about progress of QLP-Y is regularly carried on Diversitylist (maintained by the Diversity Council) and Cultural Diversity Network (maintained by Resource).
ii) The activities which took place and targets which have been achieved during this period are:
a. Sending out initial invitations to Heads of Libraries to recruit authorities on to the programme
b. Criteria for selection of authorities were developed
c. Consulting existing Quality Leaders about their experiences of the current scheme and building in lessons from that programme to refine the final design of the programme
d. contracting of London Metropolitan University to deliver the programme
e. setting up a steering group
f. advisory group have been consulted on the design and implementation of the project
g. convening the first steering group meeting (see attached minutes)
h. publicising the programme
i. discussing the nature of the scheme with interested authorities
j. the authorities who will be participating in the project have been recruited.
iii) In terms of additional progress, the following achievements have taken place:
a. An initial draft of the QLP Manual has been prepared
b. Agreement has been secured from Emerald press to publish the QLP Manual.
c. A ‘Combating Racism, Managing Equality’ module of the programme has been developed.
d. A pilot process has been established in Merton which is developing a new approach to services to young people. Various elements of this model are mentioned below. The developments in services to youth in Merton are seen as part of an overall change in the way service is delivered, as set out in the Merton Library Change, Equality and Innovation Chart (attached to this report). The Merton experience is being used as a test laboratory for integrated and innovative youth work, and its lessons will inform the QLP-Y strand. This will ensure that the Project itself will “hit the ground” running as it will benefit not only from earlier work on QLP - especially the Resource-funded QLP3, but also from the Merton approach which connects youth work (in partnership with Merton Youth service) with pioneering work in other areas, e.g. the Lending Time Pilot Project (funded by Home Office and DCMS, run by CSV as a national pilot, working with volunteers), the “Welcome to your Library” Project (an LLDA initiative, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which works on improving services to refugees and asylum seekers). Youth work in Merton has several strands:
o A policy-level approach incorporating change, equality and innovation in youth services
o A youth library development worker post has been established in partnership with Merton Youth service. It is expected that Merton’s QLP-Y team will include the Youth Library Development Worker as well members of the youth outreach team, mentioned below.
o An outreach team with a youth focus has been set-up
o A youth group has been set up and publishes its first newspaper in January 2003, with the support of the library service
o Setting up a ‘youth space’ whose activities are decided upon by the youth themselves and will include activities around publishing, music workshops, drama and theatre, etc
o A proposal is being worked on for staff development to be able to connect with and respond to the needs of young people.
2. Issues affecting progress
A number of issues have impacted upon the progress of the project. These are:
a. Recruitment was slower than had been anticipated and required several waves of recruitment activity
b. The original concept of the QLP had to be changed for the youth strand and the focus moved away from BME Quality Leaders towards Youth Quality Leaders
c. This resulted in a number of different versions of recruitment literature which partly caused the delays in recruitment
d. The overall management of the project was also subject to some uncertainty and reworking due to the fact that Merton both administered and participated in the programme. This has now been resolved.
e. The youth strand of QLP has benefited enormously from the earlier phases of the QLP programme.
f. As the funding application was going to 5 different funding bodies, it was impossible to co-ordinate the responses from each of these bodies, which led to uncertainty over exactly what the terms of our ‘offer’ was to participating authorities.
3. Objectives and Targets for the next period (January 2003 – March 2003).
January – February 2003
· Formalise selection of participating authorities
· recruitment of mentors and sponsors within participating authorities
· induction programme for QLs and Mentors/sponsors
· re-draft QLP handbook, adding youth-specific chapters, and distribute to participants
· institute appropriate QLP management arrangements within each participating authority
· induction day for participating authorities
· produce issue of QLP news
March 2003
· begin consultation exercises within each authority
· first and second development sessions
· prepare an exit strategy and plan for the successful completion of the project.
· Preparation for UMBRELLA conference where a QLP session has been agreed (organised by CILIP, July 4th 2003).
· Preparation for QLP session at European Work and Organisational Psychology conference, Lisbon, Portugal (May 13-16, 2003).
4. Further issues
The original timing of the project has been subject to delay (see items 1 and 2, above). This means that the project will not now conclude until August 2003 and we will be producing a final report covering this additional period at that time.
5. Other
Merton has prepared a contract and commissioned London Metropolitan University to deliver the programme. The contract specifies that the third and final tranche will be paid to the University on 15th March 2003.
QLP-Youth Steering Group Meeting Notes (12/11/02).
The Steering Group met on 12th November 2002 at London Metropolitan University. Present were Shiraz Durrani (LB of Merton), Naila Durrani Dean Bartlett (London Metropolitan University), Jonathan Douglas (CILIP), Marion Hinckle (for Mike Martin of CILIP) Jill Rutter (London Metropolitan University).
After welcomes and introductions, Dean Bartlett outlined the nature of the QLP programme and the membership and operation of the group was discussed.
We went on to consider the correspondence which had been received and connections which had been made with other agencies. The NW museums service had written a letter admiring our proposals and it was agreed to see if they could be enlisted in our recruitment efforts for the project. Dean would contact them to arrange this.
Next the group considered CILIP’s Start with the Child Report to see how it could feed in to the QLP-Y project. Although there were no specific points of action to arise form this, it was felt that the report highlighted a number of useful issues which we could bring to bear on the design of the project, especially in relation to the sustainability measures which are an integral part of the QLP model and which could suggest useful ways forward for implementing some of the ideas contained in the report.
It was felt that CILIPs equalities panel could be kept informed of the project and could provide feedback to the steering group via the conduit of Pat Beech of CILIP so it was agreed that Dean would contact her to arrange this.
Dean agreed to circulate to the group via email the PHF bid which is currently underway for phase 2 (implementation) of QLP-Y.
The group then reviewed some of the publicity which the scheme had attracted and the associated recruitment drive. It was reported by Dean that although eight authorities had expressed an interest in the programme, no official applications had actually been received. This could be a result of the obligations that the scheme places upon the authority, including the clawback clause in the case of people joining, but then dropping out of the scheme. The deadline for applications had been set at 15th November, however, it was thought sensible to engage on a new recruitment drive in case too few applications were received by the closing date. The group was canvassed for ideas about alternative recruitment channels and a number of suggestions were made including:
- The Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) leadership programme link-up. The contact here was Martin Maloy.
- LEAs – a list was available via Jill.
- Targetted recruitment of Glasgow, via contacts with Jill.
- The DfES
- Connexions
- Surestart update
- The attendance list for the lauch of the DEMOS report.
These suggestions would be followed up by Dean who, following Shiraz’s suggestions, would also contact the LLDA and offer them one of the places on the project which could link in with their Welcome to your library project.
This prompted a discussion around how we were defining youth and it was suggested by Jill and Jonathan that we consider including a very young people and therefore they proposed an age range of 0-19 years, however, during subsequent discussion with the project co-ordinator it was decided to concentrate upon the 13-19 age group.
There had been some slippage in the timetable, however, the group were aware that the project needed to get underway quickly due to the limited window of funding availability and it was agreed to try to make up for this time slippage by accelerating the project as much as possible.
The group then went on to discuss the relationship of the QLP-Y strand to the BME strand and how the existing model applies. It was decided that the QLP-Y strand would be a positive action programme which would be open only to black and minority ethnic (BME) managers so that all the managers who were being trained on the programme were to be from BME communities. The service projects themselves were also further specified in two out of the six cases. Two projects would be ringfenced for services to refugees and asylum seekers in the appropriate age groups, while the other four service projects would be open to service developments in services for all ethnic groups within the appropriate age ranges.
Dean had agreed to draft a contract which could be used to sub-contract the research to the Management Research Centre. The amount would be £18,000 as £2000 of the money was to go to Merton for their input.
It was agreed to produce three issues of QLP news over the duration of the project and that funds for this could perhaps be merged with the three issues of QLP news being covered under the BME strand to ensure smooth continuity. A number of issues relating to the bid for continuity money to the PHF were also discussed and agreed.
“The Merton Library Change, Equality & Innovation Chart”
January 2003
Lon
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