Extension to fund to the MyEnds Programme

In some parts of London, we know that violence is very localised. It is often concentrated in areas as small as an estate or a cluster of streets. Alongside structural change to tackle the drivers of violence such as poverty and deprivation, we know that the energy and effort to tackle violence is often held by those communities that are most affected by it.

In January we published our Strategic Needs Assessment (SNA). A key recommendation was to consider the importance of place-based violence reduction interventions to support those neighbourhoods who have experienced sustained and high levels of violence.

In response the VRU has launched the MyEnds programme in September 2020. The Unit is allocating a total of £3.3 million (including an evaluation piece) to this programme, designed to provide support, capacity, and funding for locally-designed interventions in neighbourhoods affected by high and sustained levels of violence.

PCD 798 agreed to allocate a total of £3.3m to fund the programme which will operate until 31 March 2023.

Given the high-quality number of applications received through the commissioning process, which opened in September 2020, the Unit wants to allocate further funding from 21/22 and 22/23 allocated growth budget to increase the number of awardable applicants from a minimum of four consortium partners, funded through PCD 798, up to a maximum of eight.

This decision requests DMPC approval for the allocation of a further £1.8m from the VRU’s approved growth fund.

Given the close alignment with the GLA’s recovery mission objectives – A New Deal for Young People - this decision further requests approval from the DMPC to receive GLA funds of a further £1.5 to the VRU to fund successful MyEnds partners.

Through this combined additional funding allocation, the MyEnds fund will increase from an initial funding envelope of £3.3m to £6.6m.

This will also include additional external evaluation to ensure all MyEnds programmes will also have evaluation available. PCD 798 approved entering into a competitive tender process for the programme’s evaluation work for a value of £300,000. This decision therefore includes a recommendation to increase the value for the evaluation budget by a further £300,000.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

1. Approve the allocation of £1.8m of the VRU’s 21-23 growth budget for spend in 21/22 and 22/23 to fund up to a further two MyEnds consortium applications and a further four evaluations.

2. Approve receipt of £1.5m GLA funding to fund a further two MyEnds consortium applications for spend in 21/22 and 22/23.

3. Approve delegating the final contract and grant award decisions for the programmes and evaluation to the director of the VRU.

1. Introduction and background

1.1 As the name suggests, MyEnds is a neighbourhood-focused initiative and a response to evidence and academic research on understanding and preventing violence, which heighted the importance of a place-based approach.

1.2 PCD 798 approved the entering into a competitive grant process to distribute the Community Connectors (MyEnds) funding and following this, the grant award to successful provider. This included the allocation of up to £750,000 per bid for up to four providers.

1.3 Further, PCD 798 approved the entering into a competitive tender process for the Community Connectors (MyEnds) evaluation work, for £300,000.

1.2 On Friday 11th September the VRU launched a commissioning process and published an Invitation To Apply (ITA).

1.3 The ITA specified that a minimum of four funded consortiums across London will benefit from a budget of up to £750,000 in total to design and deliver a place-based approach to reducing violence.

1.4 MyEnds is about creating more equity in the system and supporting community-led organisations to have the resources and support to take on a decision-making and leadership role.



1.5 The commissioning team put in place several elements to make the commissioning process accessible, as a way of us trying to redress some of these barriers. Including:

• Taking a consortium approach; helping smaller groups partner together.

• Consortiums built on mutual respect and equity, where decision-making doesn’t rest with the lead provider exclusively.

• Providing access and guidance throughout the application process.

• Using creative approaches including a video submission to bring applications to life and providing a real sense of the community – be it the people or the places – that are central to the proposal.

1.6 Applications for MyEnds closed on 23 October 2020. This approach resonated strongly with service providers and communities as we received 31 applications from across the capital with a large number of high quality, ambitious and innovative submissions.

1.7 During November and December 2020, the assessment panel evaluated and moderated all submissions and have shortlisted applicants for the final interview stage, which commences on 25 January 2021. We estimate that over 250 organisations from across London have been involved in the applications we received. We have shortlisted 12 applications for interview and will determine who is successful by mid-February.

1.8 The assessment process was thorough, with each application being scored by three assessors and all applications moderated by a panel of five assessors.

1.9 Given the popularity and quality of the applications and its close alignment with the objectives of the social recovery mission objectives for “A New Deal for Young People”, there is GLA funding to be allocated to fund the MyEnds programme, subject to MD approval.

1.10 The decision requests the DMPC approval for the allocation of a further £1.8m to be awarded to the VRU’s MyEnds programme and evaluation. Alongside DMPC 798, this will enable the Unit to fund a total of up to eight consortium partners across London.

External evaluation of the programme



1.11 The VRU will commission and engage an evaluation partner(s) to work with the successful consortiums across the duration of the programme towards three main evaluation aims:



• Examine the nature and quality of the MyEnds programme, reviewing key lessons, strengths and barriers - including the programme overall and area-specific learning.

• Examine the impact produced by the programme, both intended and unintended with a focus on how the networks have developed (towards the end of the funding schedule).

• Capacity building the networks – the evaluation partner will work closely with networks to enhance their own insight and evaluation skills, processes and resources. This will include supporting the establishment of systems that aid continual learning and supporting networks to improve their data capture and monitoring capabilities.



1.12 PCD 798 approved entering into a competitive tender process for the programme’s evaluation work for a value of £300,000. This decision therefore includes a recommendation to increase the value for the evaluation budget by a further £300,000.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1 A previous decision was approved (PCD 798) to enter a competitive grant process to distribute the funding and award up to £0.75m for up to 4 providers and approved the entering into a competitive tender process for the evaluation work, for £300,000.

2.2 The invitation to apply was published in September 2020. Four zoom calls were hosted to answer questions regarding the funding specification for potential bidders. A total of 31 applications were received with many high quality, ambitious and innovative submissions. Each application was scored by 3 assessors and moderated by a panel of 5 assessors.

2.3 The VRU is currently in stage 2 of the process and has invited 12 shortlisted applicants to interview.

2.4 Due to the high volume of quality applications expanding the programme will have benefits for additional young people, families, organisations and communities in developing co-created and sustainable interventions in areas affected by high levels of violence.

2.5 The VRU have not yet had formal confirmation from the home office on their 21/22 funding contributions, however there was informal indication just before Christmas 2020 that there would be the same funding pot allocated to the 17 VRUs. London VRU therefore anticipate the same or similar contribution as 20/21.

2.6 The VRU will need to add additional resource to support MyEnds going forward and will be seeking HR advice to add this resource

3. Financial Comments

3.1 The recommendations of this report will commit the VRU to increase the My Ends programme budget to £6.6m from the current approved budget of £3.3m (DMPC decision PCD 798). The additional £3.3m will be funded by £1.8m allocation from the VRU’s 2020/21 Mayoral Growth funding held in reserves and £1.5m GLA funding.

3.2 The additional funding will be spread across financial year’s 2021/22 and 2022/23. The table below shows the revised budget for the My Ends Programme.

4 Legal Comments

4.1 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 expenditures relating to bids for grant and award of same.

o Approve bids for grant funding made and all offers made of grant funding; and/or where appropriate a strategy for grant giving.

o The strategy for the award of individual grants and/ or the award of all individual grants whether to secure or contribute to securing crime reduction in London or for other purposes. This strategy was set out in decision PCD 798 and also relayed at point 5.2 below. There is no change to strategy.



4.2 The MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent , Section 4.2 and 5.1 provides that the Chief Executive has delegated authority to approve the procurement strategy for all MOPAC revenue and capital contracts of a total value of between £50,000 and £499,999; and all contract exemptions for MOPAC below £100,000. This strategy is set out at point 5.1 below.

4.2.1 As the evaluation contract is subject to the approval of MyEnds programme funding being approved, we ask that the DMPC also approve the procurement strategy for the increased evaluation contracts.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1 As per the MOPAC Contract Regulations (Clause 8.2), contracts to the value equalling or exceeding the EU threshold must follow the EU Procedure or, where this does not apply, Invitation to Tender to at least four Tenderers. The evaluation partners are being selected following a competitive commercial tender following these guidelines.

5.2 Each award of grant will deliver programme over 2 years at a maximum fund of £750,000 per organisation. The VRU has already entered a competitive grant process for the My Ends programme, with open applications via the MOPAC website. The additional funds would be applicable for awardable applicants only. The existing grant process will not be changed.

5.3 Extensive commercial approach taken aimed to identifying compliant proposals that will deliver desired Violence Reduction outcome to Londoners.

5.4 The VRU Commercial Manager has ensured that this position has been reached with the input and co-operation and approval of Legal and Governance colleagues.

6. Public Health Approach

6.1 London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is taking a public health approach to violence reduction, that is contextual; looking at the context and influences that impact on individuals at significant points in their life.

6.2 Two key areas which are being focussed on as part of this approach are:

o Children and Young People – reducing Adverse Childhood Experiences and building resilience

o Families and Home – Support & enable families to nurture and protect young people

7. GDPR and Data Privacy

7.1 As this is an extension to an existing project, there are no changes to GDPR implications.

8. Equality Comments

8.1 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.

9. Background/supporting papers

9.1 None.