Essex Partnership Board
Project Progress Update
Oct 2014
1
Strengthening Communities
Progress Report – October 2014
Highlights:
VCS Framework - Progress made by the ECSG in securing sign up amongst partners identified as early adopters
Youth Volunteering - Delivery sites briefed, procurement exercise for redevelopment of ‘Volunteer Essex’ website started
Time/Care Banking - FBC approved , funding secured for 12 months of delivery starting August
st
Community Builders – Funding proposed to extend delivery in Tendring from 1 October to March 2015. Aspects of this work will be developed as
part of the TCA bid
Transformation Challenge Award – Expression of Interest for funding in 2015/16 supported. Business case in development, for completion by
October 2014
Who Will Care? - Roll out of successful local schemes mobilised
Next key activities:
• Develop TCA bid with partners
•
Refine plans for delivery in 15/16 with partners
•
Address funding gap across the Strengthening Communities programme for 14/15
•
Countywide roll out of Time & Care Banking and WWC schemes
•
Plan WWC Civic Innovation event
•
Redevelopment of ‘Volunteer Essex’ website to enable to the Youth Volunteering pilot
Key Milestones
End of Community
Builders pilot in
Tendring
November
October
Youth
Volunteering
marketing
begins
Partners signed
up to VCS
Framework and
Essex Compact
December
Youth
Volunteering
project goes live
Who Will Care?
Civic innovation
event
Key Challenges
Funding – The programme has a funding shortfall for project delivery in 2014/15. Securing funding from partners to support schemes remains a
challenge.
Benefits/Outcomes – Although these have been defined for the Time & Care Banking and Youth Volunteering schemes , the overall programme
outcomes are still in development. Robustly defining benefits, especially cashable, continues to be a challenging proposition with the type of work
involved in the existing schemes. Benefit definition is an issue for the WWC workstreams although plans are in place to address this.
Stakeholder Engagement – Improvements have been made through the revised membership of the SC group. This will be a challenge over the
coming months as we liaise to develop our plans for 2015/16.
Gaining partner sign up across the county for the VCS Framework also has the potential to be challenging for the ECSG.
2
Domestic Abuse
Progress Report – October 2014
Highlights:
• The Basildon & Braintree pilot ended on 31st July. The pilot supported 748 domestic abuse victims in total. An evaluation/closure report
is currently being drafted
• The DA strategic board has approved the development of the domestic abuse programme for schools and colleges
• The perpetrator workstream has commissioned research on existing perpetrator programmes across the county
• A collaboration agreement required for partners to sign off before publishing the Support Services contract specification is being drafted
• A JDATT & MARAC Operational Governance group has been created. The group will have operational oversight of the JDATT &
MARAC and report to the Southend, Essex and Thurrock Domestic Abuse strategic board
Next key activities
• Agree details and locations of case finding pilots with NHS partners
• Advertise and publish the Support Services (IDVA) FY2015/16 contract specification
Key Milestones(include achieved milestones over last 2 months & next 2 months)
Jul
Victim Support
IDVA’s operational
Acc. & Support
pathways mapped
Basildon &
Braintree pilot ends
Implement interim
JDATT IS solution
Aug
DA prog. for school’s
- Proposal approved
Sep
Safer Places
DA prog for school’s –
IDVA’s operational
Development
commences
Oct
Basildon & Braintree
pilot – closure report
Safer Accommodation –
Countywide reciprocal
agreement signed off
Nov
Safer Accommodation –
Information Sharing
Agreement signed off
Key Challenges:
• Stakeholders – There is a good level of engagement with partners across board. However, more engagement with health partners will
be welcome
• Outcomes/Benefits – Clarity on outcomes and benefits expected from initiatives being implemented is required. A workshop to review
required outcomes has been scheduled with partners across the domestic abuse partnership
• Communications – The project does not currently have a joined up communications plan across partners to ensure stakeholders are
aware of planned changes. We are currently working with partners to define stakeholder requirements and develop a communications
plan
3
Reducing Reoffending
Progress Report – October 2014
Highlights:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Development of the joint commissioning plan for a Mental Health, Drugs/Alcohol and Learning Disability Offender service is proceeding well and the
Joint Commissioning task group is providing input to the NOMS-ESF Employment, Training and Education/Skills funding retender
The first property to be purchased with the Home Improvement Agency funding has been identified
Offender demand pathways have been mapped and the costs associated with each pathway are currently being collated and analysed
Essex CRC have recruited an additional 1 FTE post to the Essex and Southend Joint Domestic Abuse Triage Teams (JDATTs) and Thurrock MultiAgency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
A report on service user views developed by The Evidence Works has been shared with the RR board and other key stakeholders to inform future
service developments
The revised IOM performance report has been shared with the RR board and CSP’s
Next key activities
•
•
Take forward actions from the last EOAF workshop identifying ways to better support offenders by linking drug and alcohol providers and tenancy
support with accommodation providers and improving communications between partners working with offenders
Conduct an independent review of IOM in Essex
Key Milestones
Aug
Jul
Partnership Commissioning
roadmap completed
IOM performance
framework completed and
presented to RR board
Sep
Offender demand
pathways mapped
Probation officer for
JDATTs/MASH recruited
Nov
Oct
Victim Voice
report completed
Empty Homes
Agreements signed off
Key Challenges:
• Benefits - The benefits profiled in the current business case is based on the MOJ model. A performance framework to ascertain the activities
that drive the benefits will be developed
• Stakeholders – There is good engagement from partners including mental health, however, greater CCG representation on the RR board and
Joint Commissioning group will be welcome and add value.
• Direction / Solution Design / Visibility – The first (and main) stage of the Transforming Rehabilitation to probation services have now been
implemented. The Essex Community Rehabilitation Company (ECRC) is firmly embedded in the SET Reducing Reoffending partnership
arrangements and the National Probation Service (NPS) is also beginning to link in. The new contracts for the Essex CRC will commence in
April 2015.
4
Housing and Public Sector Land
Progress Report – October 2014
Highlights:
• Outline business case being presented to Essex Partnership Board in October
• Fifth locality review underway in Braintree
• Priority sites identified: 9.5 hectares of developable land for 600-900 units
Next key activities:
• Develop full business case for operating model
• Partners to agree to funding principle of the operating model (up front investment is paid back from value (profit) created at a
site level)
• Complete detailed feasibility studies on key sites to develop business cases for investment to develop housing
• Continue to develop the pipeline of land
Key Milestones (next quarter)
October 2014
Outline
business case
for operating
model
Feasibility studies and
business cases for up to
25 sites
April 2015
Full business case
for operating
model
Key Challenges:
• Solution Design, Approvals/Sign Off, Priority Alignment: approval of outline business case needed to close the gap
• Customer Impact, Business Readiness and Transition Arrangements: partners to agree to adopting this new way of
working, specifically to engage with the new operating model as part of their estate disposals process
• Benefits: the operating model is an enabler to releasing benefits in the future through using public sector land to meet
specialist and affordable housing objectives.
5
Family Solutions
Progress Report – October 2014
Highlights:
• Essex exceeded its interim target of ‘turning around’ 1,443 families by October 2014, passing this number in
July 2014. As a result, Essex has qualified as an ‘Early Starter’ for Phase 2
• August ’14 saw an active caseload across the service of 728 families; a caseload figure which has seen a
steady increase since FS inception - 349 in October ’13 and 596 in March ’14
• End of September ’14 figures indicate that nearly half (48%) of all closed FS episodes to date have either
fully or at least partially met the targeted outcomes for the families involved.
Key Milestones
APR 14
Offender housing
needs assessment
MAY 14
Offender Voice
report completed
JUN 14
Commissioning
roadmap developed
AUG 14
Partners engaged to
develop JWP’s
SEP 14
Victim Voice report
completed
NOV 14
Restorative justice
pilot
DEC 14
Victim & Offender Voice
report implementation
plan
6
Skills for Growth
Progress Report – October 2014
Highlights:
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Established the employer led Employment and Skills Board (ESB).
Engagement events with employers, MPs and providers have taken place.
Evidence base analysed and used to determine the Board’s priorities.
ESB has set its priorities use of the Skills Investment Fund to deliver against its aims. The aim of this is to pump prime activities with the longer
term aim of being supported through the Single Local Growth Fund (SLGF), ESF, private sector match and mainstream funding
3 programmes have been developed through the ESB and SIF – Digital Skills for Growth, Industry in School, Careers Tools and a Sector CPD
pilot for tutors
Meetings have been held with Essex Providers to discuss and debate the work of the ESB and how things may go forward through the LEP
Employer Sector leads for ESB have established sector employers groups to work with providers/educators to alter or establish new provision to
meet employer need & skills shortages
ESB’s across the LEP are placed at the centre of the LEP skills agenda within its Strategic Economic Plan – driving an employer-led system
Next key activities:
•
•
Preparing for project closure in October 2014
Online portal due to launch in March 2015 after extended soft testing
Key Milestones(include achieved milestones over last 2 months & next 2 months)
October 2014
Project Closure Report
March 2015
Portal
live
Key Challenges:
• Taking our proposals forward through the SE LEP successfully. Much is still unknown about the process and timelines for
how and when delivery will commence.
* ESF – European Social Fund (proposals for deployment of funds over next funding round presented to government)
SIF – Skills Investment Fund  CIAG – Careers Information Advice and Guidance

7
Public Service Reform
High-Level Delivery plan (2014-2015)
Project
Apr -14
May -14
PSR Portfolio/
Delivery
Function
Domestic
Abuse
Jun-14
Jul-14
Aug-14
EPB – 17th
Jun
Sep-14
SB – 26th
Sep
Support Services put out to tender
Interim IT solution go-live
Health partners join the
JDATT
Schools programme -Strategic
approach agreed
Identify benefits/outcomes
and fill funding gap
Comm. Builders
Checkpoint review
CRF fund go live
Nov-14
Dec-14
EPB – 10th
Oct
Jan-15
Schools programme
development
Schools Programme
developed & agreed
VCS framework signed off by
partners & approved by EPB
Comm. Builders
Checkpoint review
Reducing
Reoffending
Housing
Design of evaluation
methodology
End of Community Builder trial period
Youth Vol. pilot set up & web
portal go live
Comm. Builders
Checkpoint review
Strategy responses to VCS
Framework in place by
partners – Apr 2015
Testing
Empty Homes funding
secured
Go-live
Next steps and key milestones to be discussed and agreed
Property negotiations completed
All Empty Homes
Agreements with Thurrock Council signed off
IOM performance framework completed and approved by RR board
properties purchased
Restorative
Justice
pilot
go-live
Partnership Commissioning roadmap completed
Site 1 purchase decision
OBC approved by ECC (OB)
Mandate agreed
Locality Reviews Complete
Site 1 feasibility 1
In progress
PHSE development
Closure report approved by EPB
Sites 2-4 identified
Completed
Support Services team golive
Support Services
provider selected
Timebanking established countrywide
Online portal
launched
Mar-15
EPB – 17th
Dec
Basildon & Braintree pilot
closure report
Time/carebanking FBC Approval
Skills
Feb-15
Basildon & Braintree pilot closure report completed
Countywide reciprocal agreements and
ISA agreed
Probation & Adult Social
Care join the JDATT
Strengthening
Communities
Oct-14
At risk
Slipped
Site 2-4
feasibility 1
OBC approved by EPB
ECC investment approved
by Outcomes Board
Site 1 feasibility 2
Site 3 develop
decision (ECC)
Site 4 develop
decision (TBC)
Site 2 purchase
decision (TBC)
FBC for model (TBC)