Essex Partnership Board
Project Progress Update
June 2014
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Strengthening Communities
Progress Report – June 2014
Highlights:
•
Project scope and success measures agreed for both Youth Volunteering & Time/Care Banking by the SC
Sponsor Group. Joint Business case developed for these 2 workstreams.
•
VCS Task and Finish group met for the final time on 2 nd June to agree roles and responsibilities for securing
public sector sign up & adoption of the Framework.
•
Essex Compact Forum AGM agreed proposals to amend the membership and ToR for the Compact
Steering Group. They will lead on securing sign up and adoption of the VCS Framework amongst public
sector partners
•
A new programme structure has been proposed for discussion and approval. This will provide joined up
management & reporting of Who Will Care & SC activities to EPB
•
New Project Lead now appointed – Helen Lax
Next key activities
•
•
•
•
•
Key Facts (in £’000 & until
2019/20):
Estimated costs: £365 (14/15)
Approved Funding: £180 (14/15)
Estimated Gross Benefits: £TBC
Est. Gross Cashable Benefits:£TBC
Finalising and approval of Time/Care banking & Youth Volunteering FBC
Checkpoint review for Community Builders
Development of ECC strategy response to VCS Framework.
Approach to public sector partners to secure sign up to and adoption of the VCS Framework & Essex
Compact
SC Sponsor Group to approve ToR to reflect programme structure changes
Key Milestones
June
VCS
Framework
to CCB
YV & TB/CB FBC
to EPB
VCS
Task/Finish
group final
meeting
YV & TB/CB FBC
to CMB
VCS
Framework
to PLT
August
July
VCS Framework
to SCB for
approval
Community
Builders
checkpoint
review
VCS Framework
to EPB for
approval
Key Challenges
Funding - Funding gap of £178k exists for roll out of Time/Care banking . Work is being done to identify potential ECC funding options ahead of the BC going through the
governance route in June. Bid also submitted to DCLG to bridge the funding gap.
Benefits/Outcomes – The process of robustly evaluating the benefits and outcomes of community focussed work was discussed in depth at the April SC Sponsor Group.
Helen Lax has taken on the lead role in co-ordinating evaluation across our ongoing community focussed initiatives. Ben Brook is also leading on developing evaluation
frameworks for the individual projects.
Ownership of VCS Framework Approach required to ensure action plans will be developed by partner organisations has been agreed through the task/finish group; It is
expected that this piece of work will be taken on by the revised Essex Compact Steering Group.
Stakeholder Engagement – Impacted by the lack of resources over the last few months. However, a shared approach to stakeholder comms along with other initiatives
such as ‘Who will care?’ is being embedded. A stakeholder/comms lead (Clare Atkinson) for the Public Service Reform Unit is due to start at ECC on 2 nd June.
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Domestic Abuse
Progress Report – June 2014
Highlights:
• The Basildon and Braintree pilot has supported 504 domestic abuse victims by the
29th of May 2014
• The JDATT Manager, Lesley Forbes-Lange started work on 8th April 2014
• North Essex Partnership Mental Health trust is engaged in a month long information
sharing pilot with the JDATT
• Commitments totalling £931,000 have been secured to resource the Domestic Abuse
programme in FY2014/15
• An information sharing agreement for JDATT has been approved and signed off by
partners
Next key activities
• Complete training of the additional 6 IDVA’s recruited to support high risk victims of
domestic abuse across the county
• Complete the tender specification for the IDVA Support Services contract
• Work with health partners to identify locations for case finding pilots
Key Milestones(include achieved milestones over last 2 months & next 2 months)
Apr
JDATT
expansion
May
Recruitment
of IDVA’s
completed
Approach for
schools prog.
agreed
Jun
DA Strategy
Board meeting
Housing ISA
draft complete
Acc. & Support
pathways
mapped
Jul
Basildon &
Braintree pilot
ends
Aug
DA programme
for schools
agreed
Key Challenges:
• Stakeholders – Engagement with health partners is on-going. Three CCG’s, Castle Point & Rochford, Basildon & Brentwood and
Southend are contributing £30k each towards recruiting additional IDVA’s to support high risk DA victims across the county,
• Outcomes/Benefits – Clarity on JDATT outcomes and benefits expected by partners and other Domestic Abuse proposals is required.
We will work with partners to develop appropriate indicators.
• Communications – The project does not currently have a joined up communications plan across partners to ensure stakeholders are
aware of planned changes. We are working with partners to develop a communications plan.
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Reducing Reoffending
Progress Report – June 2014
Highlights:
•
•
•
•
Essex CRC has appointed two staff to lead on the Reducing Reoffending project going forward
The Reducing Reoffending Joint Commissioning task group has looked at its first area for
commissioning ‘smarter’ and is proposing partners consider the whole commissioning and
delivery of services for Drugs & Alcohol, Mental Health and Learning Disability
6 case supporters from the peer mentoring programme have been appointed and are now
working for Essex CRC
Essex CRC are in the process of recruiting a further FTE post to the Essex JDATT
Next key activities
•
•
•
•
•
Convene EOAF workshop to look at innovative ways to address rent deposits for offender cohort
and to link drug and alcohol providers and tenancy support with accommodation providers.
Discuss and agree the future of this project and the best approach to manage the activities
driving forward reducing re-offending – linked to issue related benefits
Joint Commissioning group to develop commissioning plans for FY14/15
Take forward the Integrated Delivery of services to offenders and their families with partners in
Southend, Essex and Thurrock with an emphasis on Early Help
Conduct and independent review of IOM in Essex to assist in achieving increased engagement
from partners
Key Milestones
May
Apr
Agree Joint
Commissioning
arrangements
Offender Housing
Needs assessment
completed
Jun
Offender Voice
report completed
Police & Probation
Joint Working
agreement
Aug
Jul
Partnership Commissioning
roadmap completed
IOM performance framework
completed and presented to
RR board
Key Challenges:
• Benefits - The benefits profiled in the current business case are based on the MOJ model (i.e. 1% reduction in reoffending year on year) and
currently it isn’t clear which activities will drive this reduction of re-offenders
• 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 current changes proposed to Criminal Justice system through Transforming Rehabilitation
represent a significant change to the criminal justice landscape. This reinforces the need to have representation from all key partners on the RR
board to develop a clear plan to support these changes and to deliver the benefits/outcomes agreed in the final business case. This will also
improve the visibility of the planned changes and initiatives.
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Housing and Public Sector Land
Progress Report – June 2014
Highlights:
• Project Board have agreed mandate and terms of reference
• Sites identified for feasibility study in Epping Forest, Rochford, Tendring
• Project team fully resourced
Next key activities:
• Continue to develop activity on priority sites
• Confirm if Maldon wish to have a locality review
• Finalise value model
• Start work to develop OBC
Key Milestones (next quarter)
June
Feasibility
study (1)
finished in
Epping Forest
July
High level
design of
model
Sites 2-4
identified
August
Sites 2-4
feasibility study
complete
Next phase plan
for sites 1-4
Key issues and actions from healthcheck:
Priority alignment: draft document confirming how the project aligns with partners to be agreed
Lessons learnt: EELGA being approached to carry out lessons learned from other local authorities undertaking similar activity
Benefits, Corporate Architecture and Solution Design are all dealt with as part of the OBC process(OBC scheduled for approval in
Oct 2014)
5
Skills for Growth
Progress Report – June 2014
Highlights:
•
•
•
•
•
The ESB now has members for the Creative Sector, through Andrea Stark from High House Production Park and for Health through Dr Sunil Gupta
from the NHS.
The employer board members have established their Sector Action Groups, convening wider groups of employers to identify skills solutions and
work with the provider base to address. Initial findings will be reported back to the next ESB meeting on the 25th June
ESB has identified 2 projects it would like to take forward through the Skills Investment Fund and the proposals for these are now being finalised.
One providing training grants to employers who are struggling to recruit due to skills shortages, the project advantages the employment of young
people. The second is the expansion of the Industry in Education programme, which bring schools and employers together for projects and
mentoring in order to encourage more young people to take up STEM based subjects
Based on the European Investment Plan, an Essex ESF stakeholder group has convened with representation from the 3 rd sector, districts &
boroughs, providers and employers to develop programmes to go forward for ESF. This will feed through to the ESB.
LEP meeting with the Skills Funding Agency on 9th June to understand/start the process for skill capital funding for 2014/15
Next key activities:
•
•
Submit proposal for the Skills Investment Fund for Member decision
Closure and lessons learned report for project
Key Facts (in £’000 & until 2019/20):
Estimated costs: £1,147
Approved Funding: £1,147.5
Estimated Gross Benefits: £TBC
Est. Gross Cash-able Benefits:£TBC
Key Milestones(include achieved milestones over last 2 months & next 2 months)
Apr
May
Jun
Portal live testing
July
Portal
live
Evidence base
refresh
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.
• Keeping partners on board and engaged during this period of transition to working across and through the LEP; including,
ensuring the Employment and Skills Board’s appropriate position within the LEP decision making structure so it can advise
the LEP on these issues.
* 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

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