Agenda and minutes

Councillor D. Beck declared a personal interest in relation to item 7 on the agenda (Infrastructure and Corporate Initiatives Fund (ICIB) – Grant Aid for Community Legal Advice and Information Services, 2013/14) as a member of the Rotherham Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s Board. 

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion held on 25^th February, 2013, were considered. 

Resolved: -  That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as a correct record for signature by the Cabinet Member. 

·         Head of the Integrated Youth Support Service, Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services, to provide a verbal update. 

The Head of the Integrated Youth Support Service, Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services, provided an update on the progress of the development of the integrated service. 

The Cabinet Member received information in relation to: -

·         Consultation process: -

Consultation meetings on the new Service’s structure were continuing to be held with a wide variety of stakeholders: -

·         All staff members and trade union representatives;

·         Partner organisations, including other Council agencies, headteachers, education services, colleges and training providers;

·         Each of the seven Area Assemblies. 

A number of methods had been set-up so that stakeholders could respond to the consultation, including a blog, email address and responses to frequently asked questions being updated on an on-going basis and shared with all consultees. 

Following the end of the consultation period, detailed analysis and a finalised structure would be presented to staff and a report made available to stakeholders through the Council’s website.  A recruitment process to the new structure would begin. 

·         Building strategy: -

Work had completed on the Eric Manns building, and the building was now an appropriate space for the co-located services that would operate from there.    

The building would be re-named, although would retain Eric Manns as part of its name in honour of the ex-Councillor it had been named after.  Young people would be involved in choosing the new name. 

Following all staff re-locating to the Eric Manns building, a launch event would take place to celebrate the new resource for Rotherham’s young people and community.

·         Annual Plans: -

The Head of the Integrated Youth Support Service explained how each Area Assembly Team within the Integrated Youth Support Service would be charged with developing an Annual Plan.  The plan would contain information about how the Team planned to meet their statutory responsibilities in the area.  Each Team would be required to undertake young people and stakeholder consultation on a yearly basis and include the outcomes and priorities identified within the content of the plan. 

Resolved: -  (1) That the information shared be noted. 

(2)  That a further report be presented to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion outlining progress toward an Integrated Youth Support Service for Rotherham. 

·         Community Engagement and Cohesion Manager, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, to report. 

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Community Engagement and Cohesion Manager, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, which was seeking approval to enter into grant aid contracts with advice, information and advocacy providers for the 2013/14 financial year.  The grants would be resourced from the Infrastructure and Corporate Initiatives Fund.

The report noted the conditions of funding that the Voluntary and Community Sector organisations were expected to meet in-order to receive grant aid awards.  The criteria were: -

·         Membership of the ‘Advice in Rotherham’ umbrella group for independent advice agencies;

·         Use of Nellbooker, an on-line booking and referral system that facilitated timely and accurate cross-agency referrals;

·         Common client monitoring including regular information relating to client numbers, outcomes and equal opportunities.  This was a requirement to ensure that a true picture of need and delivery could be developed across Rotherham;

·         A minimum threshold for quality assurance and being a member of a recognised quality assurance system;

·         Concerned with addressing disadvantage, including offering advice services targeted at those most in need, and/or by providing ‘social added value’, including developing and training volunteers who were disadvantaged in the labour market to improve their employability;

·         Organisations were required to have a base located in the Borough. 

The submitted report requested that a grant aid contribution was awarded to the following projects: -

            Kiveton Park Independent Advice Centre (KPIAC)       £27, 698

            Rotherham Citizen’s Advice Bureau (incorporating

            Ferham Advice Centre Enterprise)                                   £150, 795

            Rotherham Diversity Forum (incorporating the

            Immigration Project)                                                             £30, 608

The submitted report also requested that a grant aid contribution was awarded to the following organisation: -

            Giving Real Opportunities to Women (GROW)              £9, 821

The submitted report noted the risks and uncertainties associated with the proposed contributions, and also the policy and performance agenda implications associated with the work undertaken by the projects and organisation.  In the context of the Central Government’s Welfare Reform programme, it was expected that client-demand for the organisations within the submitted report would continue to increase.  In-year monitoring of the performance of the projects and organisation would take place as one of the ways of measuring local impact of the Welfare Reform programme. 

Discussion ensued and the following issues were raised: -

·         How would in-year monitoring and evaluation take place?;

·         Communication with the projects and organisations.

Resolved: -  That Infrastructure and Corporate Initiatives Fund grants be awarded to the projects and organisation as outlined in the submitted report. 

·         Community Engagement and Cohesion Manager, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, to report. 

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Community Engagement and Cohesion Manager, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, which outlined proposals for the award of two small grants from the One Town One Community Small Grants Fund. 

The requests for a grant of £250 had been received by the Council and due diligence enquiries had been made.  Production of an audit trail of spend was a condition of grant being approved. 

Requests had been made by the following organisations: -

·         Swinton Sports Arts Project: -

The grant had been requested for the revitalisation of newly re-located sports changing rooms on the Swinton Recreation Ground, through a community art project.  This would allow the community to take ownership of the asset through designing and undertaking artwork on the building.  The project would visually improve the community, and involve 65 young people.  Similar projects in the area had prevented graffiti and vandalism. 

·         Bharat Integration Group (BIG): -

The grant had been requested to fund a Holi event that was seeking to promote inclusion, exploration, enjoyment and sharing of culture and arts from other countries and communities, and celebrate commonality.  This would open up opportunities for volunteers from all of Rotherham’s communities. 

The submitted report outlined the purpose and aspirations of the One Town One Community initiative.  The small grant requests within the submitted report fitted into the ethos and principles of the One Town One Community initiative. 

Resolved: -  That the two requests for small grant awards from the Swinton Sports Arts Project and the Bharat Integration Group, as outlined in the submitted report, be approved. 

·         Monday 29^th April, 2013, to start at 12.00 noon in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: - That the next meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion take place on Monday 29^th April, 2013, to start at 12.00 noon in the Rotherham Town Hall.