Recruitment of New Of Course We Can Partner Providers
Active Impact is contracted by Gloucestershire County Council to set up, support and manage a
programme of inclusive residential and non-residential events and breaks for disabled children and
young people (up to age 25 years) across Gloucestershire alongside their non-disabled peers. We do
this through our Of Course We Can (OCWC) programme which seeks to offer a balanced
programme of residential and non-residential events which provide participants, both disabled and
non-disabled, the opportunity to broaden their experience, have fun and develop friendships. These
short breaks are intended to achieve the additional aims of providing young people with new skills,
opportunities for decision-making, promote independence and inclusion, and learning opportunities
including, where appropriate, opportunities for skills that will enable young people to work towards
employment.
Events take place at weekends or in school holidays. Residentials are normally for 2 consecutive
nights. They must include at least as many non-disabled as disabled participants. Non-residential
events should take place over four to six long days (20-30 hours in total). Participant ratios are
flexible for non-residentials.
Our existing programme can found at: www.activeimpact.org.uk/files/OCWC%20brochure.pdf
Part of Active Impact’s role is to support the extension of the number of providers offering inclusive
activities and opportunities for disabled children and young people in Gloucestershire. Active Impact
is currently seeking to recruit one or two new partners to develop the number and variety of events
on the OCWC programme. Applications will only be considered from prospective partners who are
able to provide 2 or 3 events per year. In the first year (May 16 to Easter 17) new partners will only
be expected to provide 2 events. GCC will provide grant funding for one of these events.
Partner Profile
We want partners who are creative problem solvers; committed to overcoming the barriers that
prevent disabled children and young people from participating in events and activities with their
non-disabled peers.
We welcome new applications from providers who are currently:
 Experienced providers of activities for non-disabled young people. who want to extend their
provision to include disabled young people and/ or
 Specialist organisations working with disabled people who want to extend their provision by
becoming more universal.
We welcome applications from prospective partners who can offer:
 a series of similar events in which they have a particular expertise or
 a range of themed events, alone or in partnership with other providers.
New partners must be able to demonstrate how they expect to work with Active Impact to ensure
events are inclusive of both disabled and non-disabled participants. This will include creating
opportunities to involve disabled people and their families in the development of events offered in
the OCWC programme. Partners will also need to demonstrate the ability to attract non-disabled
participants. This may be through their existing work or possibly through partnerships with other
agencies.
Essentially events within the OCWC programme must fulfil all the following criteria by:

Being:
 Exciting, aspirational and challenging
 Safe and well planned
 High quality and inclusive
 Based on Gloucestershire’s Building Better Lives core principles. These can be found
at: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/buildingbetterlives

Offering participants the opportunity to:
 Learn new things or extend existing skills/ interests
 Follow up activities experienced on the programme either through the provider
inviting them to join other activities of their own or by signposting them to other
people’s provision.
Events must offer activities for small groups of between 5 – 10 disabled and non-disabled children
and young people within the age range 5 – 25 years. Currently the programme offers the highest
number of activities to children and young people aged 11 – 18 years so it would be desirable if
partners were able to offer some events applicable to the younger or older age groups.
The OCWC programme offers events across Gloucestershire but would like to be able to offer a
wider spread of locations for our non-residential events including in and around the Forest of Dean,
and in the Southern and Eastern parts of the county. However, not being able to offer events in
these locations should not preclude applications.
Applications from any organisation wishing to provide events that meet the criteria outlined above
will be welcomed. However, following feedback from a range of people, we are particularly
interested in new partners who have expertise in setting up and running events that incorporate
music making, sport/physical activity or where applicants can demonstrate that the activity or
activities they offer are popular with young people generally.
Applicants can find out more about the philosophy behind the programme and the guidance offered
to OCWC partners by visiting: www.activeimpact.org.uk/guidance-and-information-for-partnerproviders
Conditions of Grant Funding
The events/ activities which are run as part on the Of Course We Can programme are supported
by Gloucestershire County Council who grant fund a number of activities and places in the
programme. The programme and expectations of partners are subject to negotiation annually
depending on availability of funding.
Active Impact and Gloucestershire County Council have agreed a new grant application process for
funding the 2016/17 programme which will include input from disabled young people and parent
carers.
Application process
New applicants to the OCWC programme are asked to submit 3 ideas for events for possible
inclusion in the 2016/17 OCWC programme. Active Impact will undertake an initial assessment of
applications and, if required, may ask new applicants for additional information to support their
application.
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Active Impact will then shortlist applicants, identifying two of their proposed event ideas for
inclusion as part of a recommended programme. All the applications with their event ideas will be
submitted to Gloucestershire County Council along with the programme of events recommended by
Active Impact. A panel, including disabled people and parent carers convened by Gloucestershire
County Council, will assess the applications and recommendations to agree the year’s programme of
OCWC events.
Funding conditions
Once the programme has been finally approved Gloucestershire County Council agree to ‘grant fund’
one of the new partner’s agreed events, up to a maximum of £3,000. The selected provider will be
expected to fund its other event from other sources (with possible help from Active Impact).
In conjunction with Active Impact partner providers will agree the non-residential fees charged to
disabled and non-disabled participants for attending events. Residential fees for events will be set
and agreed by Gloucestershire County Council in conjunction with Active Impact (currently £300 for
those using personal budgets and £100 for others). It is expected that the grant provided by
Gloucestershire County Council for events will be supplemented by the fees charged by providers.
Partner providers must be able to demonstrate for each agreed event that they have appropriate
policies and procedures in place including:
 Safeguarding children and young vulnerable adults
 Risk management for both the events generally and as appropriate for individuals.
Please send your completed application form and any supporting information to:
Caroline Eardley – Of Course We Can Programme Manager
Email:
caroline@activeimpact.org.uk
Address:
Suite E, The Wheelhouse, Bond's Mill, Bristol Road, Stonehouse, GL10 3RF
Applications MUST be received in the office by: 9.00 am 14th September 2015
If you have any questions about your application or would like to discuss the application process
please contact Caroline on 01453 298337 OR email her on caroline@activeimpact.org.uk
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