Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Local Play Services Grant Programme 2017- 2020

Application Guidance

INTRODUCTION

This guidance has been drawn together following the approval of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council’s Third Sector Funding Strategy. The strategy is designed to build on the Sandwell Voluntary Sector Compact and coordinate the borough’s approach to supporting third sector organisations.

The Local Play Services Grant Programme is for the period of 2017- 2020.

BACKGROUND AND POLICY CONTEXT

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) recognises the importance of the third sector in supporting communities and we are committed to maintaining support for the sector in particular acknowledging its valuable role in:

·  Tackling poverty and challenging discrimination

·  Promoting equality, access to services and inclusion

·  Innovation and partnership working

The Local Play Services Grant Programme has been developed in response to the following policy context: Sandwell is the 12th most deprived borough in England, according to HMRC figures, in August 2013, 26.9% of children in Sandwell were living in what is considered relative poverty. Mid-year population estimates 2014 indicate that there are 34,204 age 6 - 12 years old living in Sandwell, this age group will be the focus of this grant programme to illustrate SMBC’s commitment to:

Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child “Children have the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to their age and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.”

The grant programme supports the council’s Scorecard Priority of Great People – Our Children: Sandwell’s Future.

PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

The basis of SMBC’s Early Help Strategy is that the earlier the help can be provided for children and families the earlier they can thrive and enjoy success. This grant programme supports this vision with particular emphasis on:

·  Ensuring that our universal services, which all families can use to help build resilience and develop skills they require that meet the needs of their children.

·  Encouraging and enabling families to help themselves through the provision of effective information and developing the capability of communities to support families without the need for intervention.

·  Wherever possible, our services will work in smaller neighbourhood localities to build networks of support: Engaging with children and families, using their views to shape the grant programme; a rigorous approach on the quality and impact of services funded which is continuously monitored: using grant aid in the best way.

SMBC recognises that play has a valuable role to play in increasing children and young people’s confidence, self-esteem and social interactions, whilst reducing segregation within communities and contributing to the development of social capital by providing communities with a focus for informal networks of family support.

SMBC would like to commission a grant programme which would support Voluntary and Community Sector (not for profit) organisations to deliver free play provision across 6 towns during term time and holiday, delivering a universal open access play service targeting children and young people between the ages 6yrs- 12yrs (16yrs with additional needs) in focus areas of multiple deprivation, high population density and limited access to play provision, which will be able to offer:

·  Free provision and a no charging policy (free to use, free to choose, open access)

·  A minimum of 3 x 2.5hr afterschool sessions in term time per week

·  A minimum of 3 x 5hr holiday sessions per week

Organisations can apply to deliver in one or more of the 6 towns but in order to access the additional allocation you will need to demonstrate how you will target children and young people who are particularly disadvantaged from specific areas of multiple deprivation, high population density and limited access to play provision. Please be aware that centre based delivery will not take precedence over detached work within towns.

We encourage applications from organisations that may not have a physical base but good links with partners (e.g. local libraries, parks, community centres, activity/sports centres, churches), within specific areas in each town from which services may be delivered.

Your project may involve a single activity or a number of related activities e.g. across the geographical area but not necessarily in the same neighbourhood, and must benefit disadvantaged children and young people between the ages 6yrs-12yrs (16yrs with additional needs) who live in Sandwell.

Grant arrangement is based on successful application and selection for the provision of play services for a 3 year period April 2017- March 2020.

AIMS AND OUTCOMES

Programme Aims

·  Address the disparity of children’s play provision at town and

neighbourhood level.

·  Ensure that children and young people have the opportunity to

participate in a range of quality play experiences.

·  Promote equality of opportunity for all children and young people

in Sandwell including all minority groups and those in hospital.

·  Develop specific Play provisions for 6-12 year olds (16yrs with

additional needs).

·  Encourage community cohesion through play.

·  Develop creative ways of working in partnership with other key local organisations/stakeholders.

Outcomes for Children and Young People

·  Enhanced learning through play.

·  Increased confidence and self-esteem.

These will create opportunities for children and young people to:

·  form/strengthen friendships

·  improve behaviour / social and communication skills

·  share / resolve conflicts

·  develop team working skills

·  reduce boredom /isolation

·  broaden horizons

·  increase happiness

·  reduce crime and anti-social behaviour

Possible Outcomes created for Parents/Carers

·  Additional respite opportunities.

·  Improved relationship with child.

·  Increased opportunity to communicate / interact with other local people.

·  Increased awareness and links to other local services.

ELIGIBILITY GUIDANCE NOTES

Please take time to read the guidance notes carefully. This explains who can apply, how much we will fund, what we will fund, how to apply, what you need to include in your application, what you need to send with your application and what will happen when we receive your application.

HOW MUCH WE WILL FUND

Minimum allocation per town is £40,000 per annum. Additional allocation would be awarded to specific areas to reflect levels of deprivation, population density and limited access to play provision. These are highlighted as follows:

Town Allocation

Tipton £40,000

Smethwick £40,000

Wednesbury £40,000

Rowley £40,000

Oldbury £40,000

West Bromwich £40,000

Possible additional allocations due to deprivation in the following wards/towns are as follows:

Wards Town

Soho and Victoria Smethwick

Smethwick Smethwick

St. Pauls Smethwick

Greets Green and Lyng West Bromwich

West Bromwich Central West Bromwich

Hateley Heath West Bromwich

Tipton Green Tipton

Princess End Tipton

Great Bridge Tipton

Wednesbury South Wednesbury

Friar Park Wednesbury

Wednesbury North Wednesbury

Possible additional allocations due to population density in the following wards/towns are as follows:

Wards Town

Soho and Victoria Smethwick

Smethwick Smethwick

St. Pauls Smethwick

Bristnall Oldbury

Greets Green and Lyng West Bromwich

Hateley Heath West Bromwich

Newton West Bromwich

Tipton Green Tipton

Princess End Tipton

Great Bridge Tipton

Friar Park Wednesbury

Wednesbury North Wednesbury

Rowley Rowley

Cradley Heath and Old Hill Rowley

Oldbury Oldbury

Tividale Rowley

Possible additional allocations due to limited access to play provisions in the following wards/towns are as follows:

Wards Town

Greets Green and Lyng West Bromwich

Tipton Green Tipton

Great Bridge Tipton

Wednesbury South Wednesbury

Cradley Heath and Old Hill Rowley

Tividale Rowley

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR APPLICATION

Local Play Services Grant Programme expects all grant applications to reflect the following:

·  Outcomes for children and young people and impact of services delivered

·  Target group

·  Safeguarding children and young people

·  Financial Capability

·  Added value

·  Partnership Working

·  Address issues facing disadvantaged children and young people and

what impact your project will make to improve their lives.

Your organisation must provide clear evidence that disadvantaged

children and young people will be the primary beneficiaries of the

project and will experience positive changes in their lives from the

activities or services provided.

·  Demonstrate your local reach includes those children and young people who are particularly disadvantaged and will benefit most from the project and that you will not simply operate on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. You will need to describe how these hard-to-reach children and young people including those from minority groups will be targeted primarily from areas of greater need socially, economically and geographically.

·  Provide proven track record in consistently meeting service industry standards and regulatory body requirements as well as experience delivering similar services.

·  Demonstrate how services provided by your project add value to

existing/planned services.

·  Demonstrate your organisation have a robust knowledge of safeguarding issues and practices, at a national and local level that underpins your provision and reflect the following:

·  How your organisation plan to protect children and young people in your care as well as support them to develop the necessary skills to improve their quality of life.

·  Your organisation has its own safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures, which everyone is aware of and uses in their day to day work. This should include having a named person responsible for child protection within your organisation.

·  You undertake the appropriate checks for all staff, volunteers and management committee members working directly with or with access to children and young people or information about children and young people.

·  You ensure all staff, volunteers and management committee members working directly with or with access to children and young people or information about children and young people receive relevant training to their role which is updated on a regular basis.

·  You conduct regular risk assessments for activities to ensure the safety of children and young people in your care, ensure staff and volunteers receive adequate training and hold relevant qualification.

WHO CAN APPLY

You will be eligible to apply if your organisation meets the criteria set out in the council’s Third Sector Definition:

Grants and other support will only be made available to the following types of organisations:

·  Voluntary organisations

·  Community groups

·  Tenants and residents groups

·  Faith groups

·  Housing Associations

·  Most co-operatives and social enterprises ( provided all profits are retained for the benefit of the communities served)

·  Most sport organisations

That has one or more of the following structures/forms:

·  Community interest companies limited by guarantee

·  Community interest companies limited by share (schedule 2 including an asset lock of 100%)

·  Not for profit trade associations

·  Charitable trusts

·  Companies limited by guarantee

·  Unincorporated companies

·  Wholly owned trading arms

To receive grant support, all voluntary and community organisations will need to demonstrate that they are:

·  Based in or delivering services in Sandwell

·  Non-governmental

·  Value driven for the social good

·  Non-party political

·  Have a voluntary governing body of at least 3 local people

·  Principally reinvest any financial surpluses to further social, environmental or cultural objectives that bring a significant community benefit to Sandwell

·  Do not distribute any of the surpluses or assets through share dividends to individuals or shareholders

Please note that the organisation applying for the grant must be the organisation that will receive and be responsible for the funding.

Consortia and partnerships will be eligible to apply, providing they meet the criteria set out in the council’s third sector definition.

WHAT WE WILL FUND

SMBC welcomes applications that support Play Opportunities that are:

·  Free of charge – a stand-alone service that is not integrated with paid

for services to provide clarity and equity for service users.

·  Free to come and go - can mean that the appropriate consent

arrangements should exist between the provision and parents/carers

to enable the child to make the choice to leave the provision if they

wish, with the parents/carers being informed to collect the child or make

other prior arrangements for the child to leave freely.

·  Free to choose what they do whilst there - can mean that children

and young people are meaningfully involved in the ongoing evaluation

of the play opportunity, enabling them to share ideas and influence

what they do, how they do it, and how this can be changed and improved.

·  Additionality – we will only fund additionality. Our funding should

complement existing provision and promote inclusivity, add value to

community cohesion through quality play opportunities by encouraging

children and young people to take part in open, accessible and free play

experiences that provides added benefit that would otherwise not be

obtained.

Here are some of the things the grant can be spent on:

·  Support costs for projects

·  Rental costs of premises

·  Staffing costs, volunteer expenses and training

·  Transport costs

·  Play equipment

FUNDING PERIOD

1 April 2017 to 31 March 2020. The grant programme will then undergo a review to determine recommissioning.

APPLICATION PROCESS

How to apply

Complete the Local Play Services Grant Programme application form and send it to:

Karen Williams

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Voluntary Sector Support Team

Sandwell Council House

Oldbury

West Midlands

B69 3DE

Telephone 0121 569 3678

email:

The deadline for applications is Monday 28 November 2017 at 12 noon.

You also need to send all of the following supporting information with your application form:

·  A copy of your current constitution or terms of reference set of rules or other governing documents.

·  Your latest annual accounts or statement of income and expenditure. If your organisation has been running for less than two years you should send a twelve month financial projection for the year when you will spend the grant.

·  A copy of your current child protection policy, which illustrates current Sandwell Safeguarding Children’s Board (SSCB) and Local Authority referral process and recruitment procedures to include evidencing DBS procedures.

·  Ofsted Registration Certificate (if legislatively required to hold one) and or evidence to support a proven track record in consistently meeting service industry standards in the given area.