PCD 1264 VRU Stronger Futures Evaluation

PCD 1264 VRU Stronger Futures Evaluation

DMPC Decision PCD 1147 approved the allocation of £1,380,000 from Mayoral Core funding 2022-2023 and a further £1,380,000 funding 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 respectively for a set of programmes coordinated to deliver after school provision for children across London.  

DMPC Decision PCD 1000 approved the allocation of up to £100,000 for evaluation of the Community-Led after school fund.  

The VRU is seeking to expand on the evaluation of the after-school provision programme to correlate with the three-year extension fund. 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to: 

• Approve the procurement, tender and award of a Community-led after school fund (Stronger Futures) evaluation contract allocation of up to £250,000 across three years (£83,000 per year in 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26).   

• To note that the VRU have confirmation of Home Office grant for years 2023/24 and 2024/25 and that the 2025/26 will be met from VRU Mayoral Core funding should Home Office funding not be confirmed.  

• Delegate authority to the VRU Director for awarding the contract to the successful provider, following a competitive commissioning process. 

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

1. Introduction and background  

1. Where possible, the VRU has ensured 3-year funding can support longer term programmes into violence reduction. The Perceptions of Violence Research commissioned by the VRU analysed violence at a neighborhood level across London and found that the short-term nature of initiative funding is seen as potentially harmful. Projects often end before significant trust has been built with the communities and young people – meaning communities are less likely to engage with future schemes and services. 

2. Building on the insight gained & learnings from previous funds, the VRU invested £1,380,000 for a one-year fund (PCD 821) for community-led groups to support those young Londoners most in-need, providing them with skills, opportunities and support in the hours after-school, which evidence suggest is a high-risk period of becoming involved in or being a victim of violence.   This programme was later expanded in decision and later uplifted in PCD 1147. 

3. The Community-led After School Fund aims to improve educational outcomes, employability prospects and mental health and wellbeing for young people between 10-24 who may be at risk of/have experienced serious violence, exploitation and/or grooming. This fund will also aim to support the development of small organisations and to build a sustainable programme of activity to benefit young people across London. The fund offers capacity building support to guide organisations in project development and delivery process, as well as wider organisational support. 

4. To support this programme the VRU is seeking to commission an external partner in order to undertake an evaluation of the programme’s outcomes, as well as an impact evaluation of the individual interventions delivered. The partner will be required to work in close collaboration with the Grant Management Team, in order to develop a suitable evaluation framework for this programme. A contract up to the value of £250,000 over three years commencing in 2023-2024 and ending 2025-2026  will be awarded through a competitive tendering process.  

2. Issues for consideration  

1. The Home Office grant funding requires that 10% of the programme spend amount is spent on evaluations of programmes. This funding will contribute to the evidence base of what works to reduce violence to young Londoners in the early intervention space, in this case, in after school programmes of ‘lost hours’ 

2. The Mayor has committed to this area of activity as children1 are most at risk of violence between 3 and 10pm.2 

3. The VRU’s Research, Learning Monitoring & Evaluation team have assessed the evaluability of the longer term programme and this is reflective of the VRU’s overall outcomes-focussed performance framework strategy. 

3. Financial Comments  

1. The total cost of the proposal is £250,000 over a 3 year period (2023/24 - 2025/26).  The cost will be funded from Home Office grant in each year. The VRU have confirmation of Home Office grant for years 2023/24 and 2024/25. If Home Office grant is not awarded to the VRU in 2025/26 the contract cost for that year will be funded from VRU Mayoral Core funding.  

Legal Comments 

2. The Mayor's Office for Policing Crime is a contracting authority as defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations").  All awards of public contracts for goods and/or services valued at £181,302 or above will be procured in accordance with the Regulations.  

3. Paragraph 4.13 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all requests to go out to tender for contracts of £500,000 or above.   

5. Commercial Issues  

1. The evaluation tender will undergo a competitive tender process. 

6. Public Health Approach 

1. This piece of work has been informed by discussions and feedback from the Violence Reduction Unit wider staff team.  

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.