Agenda item

 

To receive and note the update on the delivery of the Community Recovery Fund projects in Children and Young People’s Servies over the past twelve months.

Consideration was given to the report as submitted and the Chair welcomed Councillor Cusworth - Cabinet Member and Deputy Leader, Rachel Jackson -  Early Help Outreach and Engagement Co-ordinator, Amanda Needham -  Service Manager, Fiona Radford - Manager and Ann Foxley-Johnson to the meeting.

 

Councillor Cusworth introduced the report and provided an update on the delivery of the Community Recovery Fund projects in Children and Young People’s Servies over the past twelve months following how in late July and early August 2024, a wave of violent anti-immigration riots occurred across the UK, including a public disturbance in Manvers, Rotherham. These events had significant personal, professional, and community impacts across Rotherham.

 

In response, the Government created a £15 million Community Recovery Fund (CRF) to help affected areas recover. Rotherham received funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support community cohesion and assist communities impacted by the disorder.

 

As part of this programme, two Children’s Services projects were approved and delivered: Building Bridges and Together for Tomorrow.

 

Reference was made to the report which provided in-depth information about the projects, their success and progress.

 

The Chair invited Fiona Radford, Manager and Ann Foxley-Johnson to begin the first half of the presentation which highlighted:-

 

·              Community Recovery Fund CYPS Projects.

·              Project 1 - Together for Tomorrow.

·              Why Together for Tomorrow.

·              Strand 1 – Conversations about Faith.

·              Strand 2 – Picture Trail.

·              Strand 3 – Ambassadors.

·              Strand 4 – Curriculum Links.

·              Strand 5 – Together for Tomorrow Song.

·              Strand 6 – Places of Worship.

·              Strand 7 – Online Safety.

·              Project 8 – Schools Linking Project.

 

A discussion and answer session ensued and the following issues were raised and clarified:-

 

-               Inclusion of faiths and way of life within the project including Humanism.

 

        The Cabinet Member confirmed all faiths and ways of life were represented on the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education and were included as part of the consultation.

 

-               Was there a good spread of schools and had the project captured the right schools.

        There was a good spread of schools and at this stage no school had been particularly targeted.  However, there were some hotspots that would receive a targeted approach from September.

 

-               Were current participation levels such as 43% of schools involved and the numbers of young people engaged sufficient to achieve expected outcomes and what plans existed to widen reach?

 

        It was noted that it was 43% of schools and not 43% of pupils and whilst not all schools were involved there were some of the majority of academy trusts.  It was hoped this information would then get disseminated accordingly.

 

-               How was the project delivered across year groups and did it target a specific year group.

 

        The project covered Early Years into KS3 and it was hoped that the project would become embedded to ensure sustainability even once the funding was exhausted.  It was hoped the good work would not stop.  In addition this now formed part of SACRE and this would help to maintain longevity.

 

The Chair invited Rachel Jackson, Early Help Outreach & Engagement Co-ordinator, to continue with the presentation which covered:-

 

·              Project 2 – Building Bridges Together.

·              Purpose of the Project.

·              The Offer.

·              Consultation.

·              Key Milestones 2025/26.

·              Engagement To Date.

·              Young People’s Feedback.

·              Cohesion Celebration Event – 21^st March at Coleridge School.

·              Final Project Evaluation.

·              Community Cohesion Workshop.

 

 

A discussion and a question and answer session ensued and the following issues were raised and clarified:-

 

-               Information sharing from children to parents to counteract misinformation.

 

As part of the consultation staff were attempting to work with children so they could make informed choices about their beliefs and it was hoped this would then transgress into educational conversations with parents.

 

The Restorative Youth Justice Team were also doing some work with parents and children and whilst some were not making a connection to the unrest, the significance was important.

 

It was further important for the key narratives were drip fed through Early Years to forge strong beliefs and eradicate fear and ignorance.

 

-               Was the work of Building Bridges Together ongoing or was it done in cycles and what key points were provided for pupils and parents.

 

The reach of this project was extensive with the inclusion of a number of partners, the voluntary and community sector and workshops being held for hard to reach children.   A pilot project was also being held on Community Cohesion in special schools tailoring programmes for need and engagement.

 

-               How as community awareness and understanding of the project measured.

 

The impact was measured via a number of workshops and outreach sessions which highlighted greater awareness of hate crime in young people and significantly strengthened understanding of what hate crime was, where to seek help and report incidents.

 

-               Evaluation questionnaire and feedback from 118 young people.

 

Feedback indicated strong positive outcomes across key cohesion, extremism awareness and hate crime.  Participants agreed that people from different backgrounds could live together peacefully with more young people indicating an increased understanding of extremist narratives and greater confidence in reporting extremist views.

 

-               Could other Community Groups be involved in the work of this project.

 

The involvement of other groups was welcomed and it was suggested groups leaders make contact.

 

The Chair thanked those present for their informative presentations.

 

Resolved:-  That the progress made against the delivery plan for the Community Recovery Fund be received and noted.