Community Connectors and Evaluation

Over the past year the Violence Reduction Unit has consulted with and listened to communities about what they view our key challenges to be across London, and what needs to be done.

Following this, the VRU recognises the critical role that local communities play in taking a local place-based approach to responding to the challenges that violence presents.

The VRU have therefore developed a ‘Community Connectors programme’ which will develop local neighbourhood responses across some of London’s most impacted communities, to build on their version of a community led collective impact model to reducing violence.



The proposal is to allocate a total of £3.3m to fund the Community Connectors programme over 36-months (including an evaluation piece); making available pots of funding (via a competitive grant process) to local neighbourhood areas who can demonstrate pre-established formal and informal networks.

These networks will be funded by the VRU to develop community connections and opportunities that work towards the public health approach, to preventing and responding to violence within a defined community that is affected by it. The Community Connectors programme ultimately aims to empower and strengthen these networks; recognising that those closest to the issues and individuals should have a central role in owning and leading the collective impact. The selected providers will also allocate funding to organisations at a grassroots level, building capacity and sustainability of grassroots organisations within the community.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve:

• Note the scope of the Community Connectors Programme and Evaluation piece.

• Approve the total allocation of up to £3.3m to fund the community connectors programme and evaluation piece from the 20/21 existing commissioning budget (specifically from the £30.5m growth funding provided by the Mayor for new violence reduction initiatives; and of this;

o Approve the entering into a competitive grant process to distribute the Community Connectors funding and following this, the grant award to successful providers. This will be allocated as up to £0.75m per bid, for up to 4 providers. A full evaluation process will inform the selection criteria.

o Approve the entering into of a competitive tender process for the Community Connectors Evaluation work, for £300k.

o Carry forward of £2.8m into future financial years to continue to fund both elements for the duration of the 36-month programme in 21/22 and 22/23 (£2m in 21/22 and £0.8m in 22/23).

1. Introduction and background

This decision covers 2 programmes which are:



• Community Connectors Programme

• Evaluation



Community Connectors Programme

1.1 The VRU have developed a Community Connectors programme; which will be a three-year investment programme where several areas across the capital will benefit from a budget of up to £750k to build on their version of a community led collective impact model to reducing violence.

1.2 In recognition of the critical role that the local communities play in supporting those exposed to the risk of violence, the London VRU want to empower a network of high-quality specialist and culturally competent support services in a placed-based context. Successful applicants and their partnership network will need to demonstrate their capacity to deliver the following three core elements:



• Systems change / collective impact across contexts - Redistributing the leadership on violence reduction across community and statutory partners. Those who know the issue and individuals have a central role in owning and leading the collective impact. The providers will facilitate the capacity building of grassroots organisations and individuals within the network. Strengthening the local infrastructure and empowering the community to develop its critical trauma response to violence.

• Grant funding Element - In a post COVID-19 environment, the pressure on public resources will be considerable. It is relevant to look at how we draw on all the assets and resources available in a local neighbourhood and add both capacity and sustainability at the grassroots level. The providers will be expected to allocate most funding from the budget across the networked organisations.

• Interventions: for young people and families - Trauma Informed Services. The providers will take a psychologically informed approach, delivering multi-level interventions that create change in social environments and co-produce services with those who have lived experience. Undertaking an innovative community-based way of addressing the complex social, emotional and occupational needs for marginalised young people and families at risk of violence.

Evaluation

1.3 The VRU takes a public health approach to reducing violence, which is rooted in good multi-agency working and close working with communities, focused on prevention, and informed by the systematic use of evidence.

1.4 However it is widely acknowledged that the evidence base is limited and therefore the VRU is committed to contributing to the evidence base of ‘what works’ in reducing serious violence through evaluating its funded interventions, including Community Connectors, to answer the question ‘what works and for whom?’ which must also happen before policy and programmes can be effectively scaled up and sustained.

1.5 Evaluation is therefore a core component of the VRU’s plans for Community Connectors and will be vital for highlighting the strengths, barriers and key lessons from the programme. The VRU will commission and engage an evaluation partner(s) to work with the successful networks across the three years towards three main aims:

1. Process evaluation – which will (a) examine the nature and quality of the community connectors programme and (b) highlight borough specific learning.

2. Impact evaluation – in the first year the evaluator(s) will work with the networks.

3. Capacity building the networks – the evaluation partner will work closely with networks/communities on the group to enhance their own insight and evaluation skills, processes and resources. This will increase the sustainability of the networks.

2. Issues for Consideration

Community Connectors Programme

2.1 In consultation with all our partners, communities and London local authorities, the feedback and recommendations which followed included developing a comprehensive package of support and good practice for communities to access. This has resulted in the creation of the Community Connectors programme; to roll out a community fund to support local neighbourhoods to deal with trauma and facilitate community led response. This programme of work would meet that need, to build, learn and develop.

3. Financial Comments

3.1 Community connectors and the accompanying evaluation of the programme will be funded from the existing available 2020/21 VRU commissioning budget of £3.3m, of which a budget is £0.5m is required for 20/21, and this proposal requests to reprofile the balance as follows; £2.05m in 2021/22 and £0.75m in 2022/23.

1. £3m of the programme will be specifically funded by the additional funding made available by the Mayor for new violence reduction initiatives (as referenced In the Mayor’s Consolidated Budget for 2020-21, published in February 2020, noting an element of this funding will be ‘funding for community groups as part of a hyper-localised approach to violence reduction’). The remaining £0.3m will be funded from existing core budget.

3.2 This will enable the programme to run over a 36-month period, allowing sufficient time to evaluate and understand the impacts of this programme.

3.3 This decision therefore requests the transfer of £2.8m to ringfenced reserves to be drawn down in future years as per the above profiling.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. The activities set out in this decision are in accordance with MOPAC’s responsibilities 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. Section 143 (1) (b) of 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 antisocial 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 deems appropriate.



4.3. The proposals set out in this decision support MOPAC's duties and are in accordance with MOPAC’s powers under that section.



4.4. 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.



• 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.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1 Community Connectors Programme route:

£3m will be allocated to this element of the programme, which will be distributed via a competitive grant process, with open applications via the MOPAC website.

5.2 Evaluation route:

As per the MOPAC Contract Regulations (Clause 8.2), contracts to the value equalling or exceeding the EU threshold (£189,330) must follow the EU Procedure or, where this does not apply, Invitation to Tender to at least four Tenderers. The evaluation partner will be selected following a competitive commercial tender.

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.

6.2 Evaluation of good practice to answer the question ‘what works and for whom?’ which must also happen before policy and programmes can be effectively scaled up and sustained to contribute to population level outcomes (a core requirement for public health programmes).

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.

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 An understanding of the communities most affected by violence and the importance of cultural competency and local context, as well as the proven ability to build strong trusting relationships with communities, will be a key requirement in the tender process for the evaluation of this work.

9. Background/supporting papers

None.