Agenda item

·         Community Engagement Manager (Housing and Neighbourhood Services, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) to report. 

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Community Engagement Manager (Neighbourhood and Housing, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) and the Strategic Commissioning Manager (Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) that outlined Service Level Agreements relating to advice, information, and advocacy services for the 2014/2015 financial year.

Minute No. E49 (Infrastructure and Corporate Initiatives Fund (ICIB) - Grant Aid for Community Legal Advice & Information Services, 2013/14) of the meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion held on 25^th March, 2013, confirmed the agreements for the 2013/2014 financial year.

The report related to the Service Level Agreements with Kiveton Park Independent Advice Centre, the Rotherham Diversity Forum Immigration Project and Giving Real Opportunities to Women.  The three agencies were assessed as outside the scope of the current generalist welfare rights advice service commissioning exercise because of their role in providing specialist services on a community of interest or place basis.

As with previous years, it was proposed that the 2014/2015 grants were funded through the Infrastructure and Corporate Initiatives budget because the organisations each contributed to the Council’s Priorities. 

The report outlined the proposed Grant Aid contributions to the Independent Advice Services: -

·         Kiveton Park Independent Advice Centre - £27, 698;

·         Rotherham Diversity Forum - £11, 564;

And the Independent Advocacy Service: -

·         Giving Real Opportunities to Women - £24, 104.

The report outlined the history of the organisations and their performance during 2013/2014 in respect of the contribution received via Grant Aid.

Outcomes included: -  

·         Kiveton Park Independent Advice Centre: -

o   1,866 clients were seen during the 2013/2014 financial year;

o   3,213 enquiries were being dealt with;

o   Verified gains and savings of £2.1 million had been made;

o   Drop-in and outreach sessions and a telephone and on-line service were available, along with home visits to older people;

o   Match funding was facilitated by the organisation;

o   Support for appeals processes;

o   Kiveton Park Independent Advice Centre was the only service covering the south of the Borough. 

·         Rotherham Diversity Forum Immigration Project: -

o   Regularly worked with 600 individuals every year;

o   Provided advice on immigration rules covering visitors, students, spouses/unmarried partners, immigration employment documents, and other related applications.  Advice was also provided on nationality and citizenship under UK law including for naturalization as a British citizen and registration as a British citizen;

o   Worked with people from all over the Borough;

o   Supported appeals.

·         Giving Real Opportunities to Women: -

o  The core client group were women who are not accessing specialist services (health, benefits, drugs, alcohol and domestic and/or sexual abuse);            

o  383 women and their families (423 children) had been supported between 1^st April, 2012, and 31^st March, 2013.

The Community Engagement Manager outlined the conditions of grant requirements including: -

·         Membership of Advice in Rotherham (AiR) umbrella group;

·         Cross-agency referral capability – use of Nellbooker;

·         Common client monitoring;

·         Minimum threshold for quality assurance;

·         A specification that addressed disadvantage;

·         Area of operation to be Rotherham and also to have a base in the Borough. 

Discussion ensued and the following points were raised: -

·         Clarity about roles and responsibilities;

·         The potential to bring together similar services funded across the Council to complete a phase two review of advice services.

·         The organisation’s access to other funding streams;

·         Information about the specification of the organisations. 

Resolved: -  (1)  That the Service Level Agreements with the listed voluntary and community sector organisations for the 2014/2015 financial year, as set out in the submitted report, be approved.

(2)  That a commissioning exercise takes place over the 2014/2015 financial year to include these organisations and those providing a similar service.