London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service. Additional Funding

In February 2019, the Mayor announced £15m of new investment to improve access to services and increase the support to victims and survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG). The Mayor’s VAWG Fund was to be delivered across financial years 2019-2022 and was broken down into in four Tranches. Tranche 4 – the VAWG Services Fund - has the sole objective of ensuring organisations were able to manage the increasing demand on services, providing women and girls with the best chance to cope and recover. This funding was originally due to end in March 2022.

In December 2021 five of the tranche 4 projects were extended for six months from April 2022 to September 2022. This Decision is seeking approval to provide additional funding to the London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters) through utilising underspends identified within MOPAC’s Commissioning and Partnerships, to the value of £143,000, to support the delivery of service at full capacity for the remainder of financial year 2021/22.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve the payment of £143,000 to the Tranche 4 project: London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters) through utilising underspends from MOPAC’s existing budgets.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The Mayor’s VAWG Fund was established in 2019. This funding was to be delivered across financial years 2019-2022 and was broken down into four tranches. Tranche 4: The VAWG Services Fund – Managing an Increase in Demand had the sole purpose of ensuring organisations were able to manage the increasing demand for services, providing women and girls with the best chance to cope and recover.

1.2. The VAWG Services Fund was subject to a competitive commissioning process and an evidence-based approach was taken to ensure that services delivered to areas with the most need. The following priority areas were identified:

• Young people (14 -24 years)

• Women with multiple disadvantages

• Non-crisis support

• Harmful practices; and

• Women with no recourse to public fund

1.3. In 2019 PCD 633 granted approval to award grants to five organisations providing support over a three-year period (2019/20 – 2021/22) to victims-survivors of VAWG. PCD 720 granted approval to award a grant to a sixth VAWG Services Fund project, the Anita Project for two years.

1.4. In December 2021 PCD 1077 granted approval to extend funding for a further six months from April 2022 to September 2022 to five of the VAWG Services Fund Tranche 4 projects, awarding £477,898 to the London Holisitc Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters).

1.5. The London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters) was originally due to wind down service delivery between 1 January 2022 until the original project end on 31 March 2022.

1.6. In order for the project to maintain consistent and seamless delivery of service during the final quarter of 2021/22 through to the beginning of the six-month extension, additional funding of £143,000 is required.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters) was initially due to wind down service delivery from 1 January 2022 until the project end on 31 March 2022.

2.2. The six-month funding extension from 1 April 2022 enables the continuation of the London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters). In order to prevent any disruption to service delivery, additional funding of £143,000 is required as a bridge between quarter 4 of 2021/22 and the start of the new funding on 1 April 2022.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. This Decision requests DMPC approval to provide additional funding for the final quarter of 2021/22 to the Tranche 4 project, London Holistic Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters).

3.2. To facilitate seamless project delivery from 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022, the total additional budget requirement in 2021/22 is £143,000. This will be funded from existing underspends identified within MOPAC’s Commissioning and Partnerships.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. 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 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.

4.2. Section 143 (1) (b) the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides an express power for MOPAC, as a local policing body, to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.”

4.3. The recommendations in this decision are in line with the legislation and in line with MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation as set out below.

4.4. In line with section 4 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Consent and Delegation, the DMPC has authority for the:

4.4.1. 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 all bids for grant funding.

4.4.2. Approval of the strategy for the award of individual grants and the award of all individual grants (section 4.8)

4.4.3. Approval of the procurement strategy and requests to go out for tender for contracts (section 4.13).

4.5. In line with section 5.22 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation, the Chief Executive Officer has authority for the finalisation of planning and contractual/grant arrangements, including relevant terms and the signing of contracts and grant agreements.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. There was an open, competitive procurement process to allocate funding to the VAWG Services fund projects. This decision is seeking short term additional grant funding to provide continuity of service delivery which meet the needs of vulnerable women and girls and has been approved through MOPAC’s governance processes.

6. Public Health Approach

6.1. VAWG is a significant public health issue, costing the health care system £1.3 billion a year. All forms of VAWG have significant and enduring impacts on individual’s physical health and mental wellbeing

7. GDPR and Data Privacy

7.1. 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

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.

8.2. MOPAC is clear that the outputs from this programme of work will provide a better standard of provision to victims and survivors of VAWG whilst having a greater positive impact on certain groups in society who are disproportionately vulnerable to and affected by crime. This service is provided by a consortia focussed on minoritised women.

9. Background/supporting papers

9.1. PCD 633 signed in 2019 granted approval to award grants to five of the six projects comprising the VAWG Services Fund (tranche 4 of the Mayor’s VAWG Fund) for three years. PCD 720 granted approval to award a grant to a sixth VAWG Services Fund project, the Anita Project, for two years.

9.2. PCD 1077 signed in 2021 granted approval to extend funding for a further six months from April 2022 to September 2022 to five of the Tranche 4 projects, including the London Holisitc Advocacy Wrap Around Service (Southall Black Sisters). The sixth project, the Anita Project (Nia) was awarded a 9 month extension including using a carry-forward.