VRU Work Programme: Phase 2 – Education

Keeping Londoners safe is a top Mayoral priority and the newly established Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) was established to adopt a public health approach towards tackling violence in the capital.

The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has a budget of £14.8 million which includes £7 million awarded by the Home Office for 2019/20.

The VRU has a particular focus on keeping young Londoners safe and will follow the path of a child’s journey through life, recognising that young people can be exposed to vulnerable situations in a range of social contexts that go beyond the family. The VRU’s work programme encompasses eight core objectives, three of which relate directly to young people prioritising wellbeing and achievement in schools, giving young people every chance to succeed and ensuring young people’s voices are heard and included in the development of the VRU’s work.

The VRU will invest £3.7m in projects to support these objectives (full details in Annex 1).

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

- In line with the VRU Strategy and work programme, approve the award of £1m in 2019/20, £1.3m in 2020/21, £1m in 2021/22, £0.3m in 2022/23 of direct grants to selected organisations for the delivery of this programme.

- Approve allocation of £0.3m towards a competitive grant process for a nurturing schools programme; and following this process, delegate awarding of grants to Director of Violence Reduction Unit.

- Approve allocation of £0.8m towards a competitive grant process for after school provision programmes; and following this process, delegate awarding of grants to Director of Violence Reduction Unit.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) was created in September 2018 by the Mayor of London. The strategic aims of the VRU are:

• To stabilise and reduce violence

• To increase feelings of safety

• To place community at the heart of our work – to ensure a sustainable long-term approach towards reducing violence in London.

1.2. Adopting the contextual framework and aligning that with the journey of a child, the VRU’s work programme encompasses the following core objectives:

• Supporting individuals to be more resilient

• Supporting stronger families

• Young people leading change

• Enabling communities to be strong, safe and resilient

• Prioritising wellbeing and achievement in schools

• Giving young people every chance to succeed

• Making London a more compassionate and safer city

• Increasing confidence in public institutions and changing the message around violence

1.3. The VRU will take a public health approach to tackling violence, which means looking at violence not as isolated incidents or solely a police enforcement problem. Instead, this approach 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.

1.4. This Phase 2 Decision relates specifically to the young people focused programmes of the VRU’s work plan and includes the request for approval to fund:

1.4.1 Three school-based projects:

• A whole school approach to healthy relationships delivered by Tender through a direct grant in 10 identified priority boroughs/ schools

• A nurturing school project in 10 identified priority boroughs/schools rooted in attachment theory and practice, delivered by organisations identified through competitive grant award.

• Stepping Stones, a successful GLA project to support vulnerable school children with the often-challenging transition from primary to secondary school

These three programmes will be offered to schools and alternative provision settings, as a package, in priority boroughs through the relevant borough partnerships (e.g. Heads of School Improvement)

1.4.2 Five projects from the second round of the Young Londoners Fund, a £45m fund set up to support children and young people to fulfil their potential which include:

Large Grants (£150K - £1m)

1. Brent Council’s project will work in a trauma informed way to improve young people's life chances and develop resilience in families in collaboration with local community partners in the borough. (3-year programme)

2. Pleased to Meet You, in Barking and Dagenham will develop creative relationships for young people and staff in safeguarding services by supporting young people and social care staff to build better relationships through a raft of cultural activity targeting young people in fostering, children in care, safeguarding, missing children and youth offending services alongside training to support creative and digital practices in the work of social care staff. (2-year programme)

3. Edmonton Community Partnership’s “Dream, Believe, Succeed” will use performing arts and creation to ensure that children and young people in Edmonton, Enfield are listened to, inspired and enabled to meet their full potential and express the matters that mean the most to them. (2-year programme)

Medium Grants (£90K -150K)

4. St Mary’s Centre (SMC) in Camden works with vulnerable young people aged 12-25 in Northwest London. The funding will enable the recruitment of a new youth worker and double the hours of young women’s workers to prevent youth violence in schools and reduce serious violence through gang interventions. (3-year programme)

5. "Greenleaf Trust” Spark2Life will work with a targeted cohort in the local Pupil Referral Unit in Waltham Forest over a three-year period. Using a trauma-informed approach they will work to build resilience and a better support network inside and outside of school through being allocated a mentor/case worker. (3-year programme)

These projects will be managed by a VRU programme managers in close alignment with the GLA’s Educational and Youth team, who are managing the wider YLF.

1.4.3 The VRU is also requesting approval to fund the expansion of after-school provision in high-crime areas of £800k - following data showing that violent incidents involving young people aged 10-16 are more likely to happen at the end of the school day. A delivery partner will be secured through a competitive grants process.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The VRU has a budget of £14.8 million which includes £7 million awarded by the Home Office for 2019/20.

2.2. The Home Office sent confirmation of award of funding on £7m. The Home Office funding is to be spent on activity delivered in 2019/20 only and will be subject to quarterly grant returns.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. Annex 1 details the proposals and funding profiles of the programmes. A number of the programmes require extension into 2020/21 and future years to ensure the programme delivers impact and can be evaluated effectively. The financial implications of this will be dealt with through the 2020/21 budget process.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. MOPAC has powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (formerly under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011) to award grants to secure the reduction of crime and disorder in London.

4.2. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC’s Scheme of Consent and Delegation provides the DMPC with delegated power to approve bids for grant funding made and all offers made of grant funding; and/or where appropriate a strategy for grant giving.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. The approach for Phase 2 of the VRU total spend is a combination of awarding direct grants (YLF projects) and enhancing contractual arrangements (Tender) which support the public health approach to violence reduction. A competitive grants process will be conducted for the nurturing schools programme of work and for the expansion of after-school activity. This enables delivery of activity is line with Home Office spend conditions, where spend and delivery of activity must take place by March 2020. The VRU is developing a commissioning framework which will underpin the commissioning of future provision.

5.2. This approach will also allow the VRU to begin effecting change at a rapid pace and further build the evidence base to enable continuous improvement of the VRU approach.

6. Public Health Approach

6.1. The spend plan takes a public health approach to tackling violence, which means looking at violence not as isolated incidents or solely a police enforcement problem. Instead, this approach 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.

7. GDPR and Data Privacy

7.1. A full Data Protection Impact Assessment will be completed by all providers if required as part of the mobilisation for the services, to ensure that all delivery is fully compliant with the requirements of the GDPR.

7.2. All contracts and grant agreements will include clear provisions relating to compliance in this area, and in relation to the processing of personal data. These terms have been drafted following consultation with MOPAC’s GDPR Project Manager.

8. Equality Comments

8.1. Under s149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Equality Act), as a public authority the Deputy Mayor/MOPAC must have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any conduct that is prohibited by or under this Act; and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (the duty in respect of this last characteristic is to eliminate unlawful discrimination only).

8.2. The VRU has commissioned an Equality Impact Assessment which will be published in due course.

9. Background/supporting papers

9.1. Annex 1.