PCD 1406 Violence & Exploitation Recommissioning

PCD 1406 Violence & Exploitation Recommissioning

Reducing and preventing violence and protecting people from being exploited or harmed are key priorities in London’s Police and Crime Plan (PCP) 2022-25. Tackling violence is a top priority for the Mayor and the PCP commits to continuing to invest in the provision of support for children and young people impacted by violence – including those seen to be offenders but have also often experienced victimisation – to reduce the risk of violence to both themselves and others.   

This decision seeks approval to initiate a procurement process to identify a provider(s) to deliver support services for children and young people impacted by violence and exploitation. The decision requests a total funding amount up to £17.2million across financial years 2023/24 to 2026/27 to implement these services.  

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Agree the initiation of the procurement process to deliver support to children and young people impacted by violence and exploitation and approve a budget of up to £17.2million to implement this: up to £400,000 in 2023/24 for mobilisation; up to £5.2million in 2024/25; up to £5.8m in 2025/26 and 2026/27. 

2. Delegate authority to sign the associated contract following procurement and agree the specific funding amounts related to the work described to the Chief Executive Officer. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background  

1. Reducing and preventing violence and protecting people from being exploited or harmed are key priorities in London’s Police and Crime Plan (PCP) 2022-25. Tackling violence is a top priority for the Mayor and the PCP commits to continuing to invest in the provision of support for children and young people impacted by violence – including those seen to be offenders but have also often experienced victimisation – to reduce the risk of violence to both themselves and others.   

2. MOPAC has been commissioning support for children and young people impacted by violence since 2016 through London Gang Exit (LGE) and Empower and since 2018 through Rescue and Response. These services support children and young people aiming to reduce violent victimisation, reduce violent offending and reduce harmful behaviours in relation to violence and exploitation. 

3. The current grant agreements for LGE, Empower and Rescue and Response end in March 2024. 

4. The funding outlined in this decision will support the recommissioning of the service(s) that will succeed LGE, Empower and Rescue and Response from April 2024 and support a similar cohort of children and young people, including those impacted by county lines and gang activity. The recommissioning process is seeking to ensure that these services evolve to meet the changing needs of this cohort whilst also delivering value for money. 

2. Issues for consideration 

1. The Serious Youth Violence Problem Profile (SYVPP), published in September 2022, updates insights such as long-term trends of violence, borough variations and change, wider drivers as well as the factors that increase the risk of young people committing violence or experiencing violence. The SYVPP highlights a growing evidence base for diversion programmes that aim to support children and young people vulnerable to exploitation and violence. These findings are informing future investment and commissioning. 

2. Across LGE, Empower and Rescue and Response MOPAC committed £4.4million to the delivery of these programmes in 2022/23. 

London Gang Exit (LGE) 

London Gang Exit (LGE) provides a holistic approach to supporting young people to escape the harmful effects of gangs, both those who are gang-involved and others who may be exploited by them. Most interventions last six to 12 months, over which time emotional and motivational factors will be addressed, as well aspects which provide stability for a young person; education, employment, and accommodation. Since launch, the programme has received over 2000 referral enquires and over 900 children and young people have been referred onto the programme. There was a significant decrease in violent offending for those who engaged with the programme, with 37.4% committing a violent offence in the 24 months prior to intervention start, compared to 28.7% in the 24 months after the start date.  

Rescue and Response 

Rescue and Response is a pan-London service to support children and young people who have been exploited by county line drug networks. Intelligence is gathered and analysed to understand the factors behind exploitation, to inform policing and safeguarding, and to upskill professionals on the signs of exploitation so that interventions can be made at an earlier stage. In the four years of operating, the service has seen 85% of those that engage with support achieve positive outcomes, and a 89% reduction in county lines activity.  

Empower  

Empower primarily supports girls and young women who are involved in or at risk of gang involvement, or sexual violence and exploitation. Empower focuses delivery across 16 London boroughs. The programme provides specialist one-to-one support and advocacy that enables young people to access health and wellbeing, employment and training, housing, family, and relationship support. Between April 2021 and March 2022, Empower has delivered interventions to 97 young people on a one-to-one basis. In addition, the service has delivered one-to-one support for 18 families, 55 group work sessions, and provided consultancy advice to 170 professionals. 93% of children and young people that completed the intervention reported an improved feeling of safety.  

Recommissioning of violence and exploitation services 

3. This decision seeks DMPC approval for a budget of up to £17.2million from October 2023 to procure a new service(s) to deliver support to children and young people who have been impacted by violence and exploitation. 

4. The service specification has been co-designed with children and young people as well as key stakeholders including local authorities, voluntary and community sector organisations and criminal justice organisations to ensure the future service meets the needs of children and young people and delivers positive change for them, building on the evidence and insights gained through the SYVPP, previous service delivery and other pertinent information. 

5. The intention is that the recommissioned service(s) will start delivering in April 2024 for an initial period of three years to enable service development, stability and wider partnership development for the benefit of the children and young people receiving the service. Mobilisation will begin in 2023/24. 

3. Financial Comments 

1. The total budget requirement for this work is £17,175,000, including project management and contributions towards evaluation costs. The programme will be funded from within the Commissioning & Partnership Directorate’s core funding across financial years 2023/24 to 2026/27.  

2. Existing 22/23 budgets across the budget lines for the programme is £5,803,135, and the budget allocations are set out below for future financial years. 

3. Budget allocations are set out below: 

4. The mobilisation of this service will run in parallel with the existing service. PCD1294 approves budgets to extend the existing provision to the 31st of March 2024.  

5. Beyond 31st March 2024, the existing grants will cease and will be succeeded by the provision funded within these budget allocations. 

4. Legal Comments 

1. MOPAC’s general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must “secure the maintenance of the Metropolitan Police Service and secure that the Metropolitan Police Service is efficient and effective.” Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 (1) MOPAC has wide incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements. 

2. Section 143 (1) (b) of the Anti-Social, Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides for MOPAC to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to victims or witnesses of or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.” Section 143 (3) specifically allows MOPAC to make grants in connection with such arrangements and any grant may be made subject to any conditions that MOPAC thinks appropriate.  

3. There are further relevant powers set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 at sections 17(1) (a) to (c) which place MOPAC under a duty to exercise its functions with due regard to the likely effect of the exercise of those functions on, and the need to do all it can to prevent, crime and disorder (including anti-social and other behaviour adversely affecting the local environment), reoffending in its area, and the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances in its area. The proposed arrangements are consistent with MOPAC’s duties in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. 

4. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve business cases for revenue or capital expenditure of £500,000 or above. 

5. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all offers for grant funding. 

6. The delegation of responsibility for the finalisation of planning and grant arrangements, including relevant terms and the signing of agreements, to the Chief Finance Officer is in accordance with the general power of delegation in paragraph 1.7 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation. 

7. Officers must ensure the Financial Regulations and Contract Regulations are complied with. 

8. Officers should ensure that the funding agreements are put in place with and executed by MOPAC the provider(s) before any commitment to fund is made. 

9. Officers confirm that sufficient assurance has been carried out to this Decision to determine that the DMPC has legal authority to agree the recommendations. 

5. Commercial Issues 

1. The funding for the provision of services to children and young people impacted by violence and exploitation will be subject to an open and competitive procurement process. This process will be conducted in line with MOPAC’s governance processes and Scheme of Delegation. 

2. Professional, technical advice is being sought from MOPAC’s Procurement Manager and TfL procurement colleagues in relation to the commissioning approach which is being followed for the recommissioning of these services, in order to ensure that the process is fully compliant with the Public Contract Regulations 2015. 

3. The Procurement Strategy and subsequent Contract Award for the recommissioning of these services will be reviewed and approved by TfL’s Strategy, Evaluation, Award Recognition (SEAR) panel, in line with their procurement oversight and governance processes, prior to the tender being published to confirm that the process is fully compliant with UK procurement regulations. 

6. Public Health Approach  

1. City Hall’s public health approach to violence recognises the tiers of intervention/opportunities to act. The Violence Reduction Unit looks at violence as a preventable consequence of a range of factors, such as adverse early-life experiences, or harmful social or community experiences and influences intervening early when issues start to emerge and resolving them prior to escalation. 

2. The service(s) included in this decision will support children and young people who have already been impacted by violence and exploitation or are at high risk of being impacted, intervening to ensure ongoing issues are well managed to avoid further crises and reduce the harmful consequences of the issues already faced.  

7. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.   

8. Equality Comments  

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

2. This decision supports initiatives for young victims, but particularly those victims of more serious crimes, vulnerable and repeat victims, and particular sections of the community who are over-represented amongst victims of crime. 

3. Violence, exploitation and related criminality involving children and young people are areas of continuing concern, both nationally and in London – particularly in the context of groups and gangs.  

4. Whilst well documented rises in violent crime since 2014 appear to be stabilising – especially for the most serious weapon enabled offences – such criminality remains a significant problem in London, and one that disproportionately impacts specific areas and groups, notably young people in areas of high deprivation.  

5. The recent Serious Youth Violence Problem Profile of Violence, Gangs And Young People found disproportionality across violent crime. Half of weapon enabled robbery suspects (50%) and nearly half (46%) of homicide suspects were Black. Victim profiles are more diverse (42% of weapon enabled robbery victims were white) but the majority of youth homicide victims are male (93%) and Black (60%). 

6. Youth homicide has increased with 23% of homicides having teen victims. Those in their late teens are more likely to be the victims of violence with those 18yrs of age most likely to be victimised for both homicides and overall violence.​ Teenage violence is largely a peer on peer offence, with 77% of the accused also being teenagers.  

7. Ethnicity data from MOPAC’s commissioned services also indicate disproportionality within the cohort of children and young people accessing and being referred into these services. The 2022 Rescue & Response Strategic Assessment indicated that referrals for White, Asian and Other ethnicities are under-represented compared to the London population. Referrals for Black or Mixed ethnicities are over-represented compared to the London population.  

8. The London Gang Exit Impact Report reflects this disproportionality, identifying 63% of the cohort accessing interventions through LGE were Black, compared to 13% of the cohort who were White. 

9. The gendered nature of violence and exploitation demands any service that aims to tackle these issues possesses a thorough understanding of how different mechanisms by which young men and boys and young women and girls are exploited, and how this exploitation can manifest. Findings from the Children’s Commissioner in 2019 indicated that girls accounted for approximately 34% of the 6,830 children aged under 17 in England assessed by councils as being involved in gangs (2019). 

10. It is critical, that the service in this decision seeks to provide intersectional interventions to address and respond to the needs and demand of all children and young people, as highlighted by current literature. This extends to the mechanisms by which the service reaches out to the children and young people in need of these interventions, but also as to how the service continues to listen to and adapt to the ever-changing needs of the children and young people who will benefit from this service. 

9. Background/supporting papers 

Appendix 1 – Serious Youth Violence Problem Profile 

Appendix 2 – London Gang Exit Impact Report 

Appendix 3 – Rescue & Response - Strategic Assessment (2022)