Supporting Families small grants round - Spring/Summer 2021

Information and qualifying criteria

Grant purpose

Hampshire County Council is inviting applications for innovative and transitional approaches that continue to support families with multiple and complex needs in line with the national Troubled Families Programme principles and builds capacity within communities.

The impact of Covid-19, and the associated lockdown periods, has resulted in an increasing number of new families needing support at an early help level due to issues arising within the household.

The programme works with families who need support in any of the below areas:

• Children with poor school attendance or excluded from school
• Family members offending or committing anti-social behaviour
• Families claiming out of work benefits/at risk of financial exclusion e.g with unmanaged debts/at risk of eviction
• Children who need early help e.g children who fail to thrive or go missing
• Families with domestic violence/abuse issues
• Families with health issues e.g substance misuse/mental health/obesity/ malnutrition

Hampshire County Council, by funding initiatives, would like to continue to support the positive contribution the community and voluntary sector and partners make in supporting families within their communities. The work done locally is recognised as making a significant contribution to the lives of families, but also in reducing the risk of these families escalating to higher levels of support need.

Eligibility criteria and who can apply

Applications can be made by voluntary, community and not for profit organisations which include:

• Registered and Unregistered charities
• Voluntary and community groups
• Co-operatives
• Faith organisations
• Social enterprises inclusive of unincorporated associations, trusts, limited companies, community interest companies, charitable incorporated organisations
• Registered Housing providers
• District and Borough Councils in Hampshire

Who we can't fund

Hampshire County Council’s standard grant conditions stipulate that the following are not able to apply for grant funding:

• Individuals
• Organisations already commissioned for the same project/service via a contract or grant agreement from Hampshire County Council
• The unitary authority areas of Portsmouth City Council, Isle of Wight, Southampton City Council or outside Hampshire that do not support families living in Hampshire

Type of projects/initiatives are covered by the scheme

Applications can be made for:

• A new and innovative service that supports families that meet and compliment the supporting families’ principles, e.g. the whole family approach.
• Existing programmes and projects that can demonstrate they adhere to the principles of the Supporting Families Programme and have had a positive impact on the whole family or community by making significant and sustainable progress. These projects will need to demonstrate previous successful outcomes.
• Projects offering support to families encountering challenges as a result of the impact of Covid-19.

In particular, but not exclusively, we are looking for ways to complement existing support provision for the areas below many of which are known to be areas particularly impacted upon as a result of the pandemic and lockdown

• Families affected by child or adult mental wellbeing.
• Families requiring support with sustainable debt and budget management/advice.
• Families experiencing domestic abuse or increased parental conflict.
• Families experiencing child on parent/adolescent on parent violence.
• Children with poor school attendance or excluded from school.

All applications will need the support of the local Early Help Hub Co-ordinator – The FSS manager in the district(s) covered by the application details.

Exclusions

• Any activity that is considered part of the core tasks of SFP commissioned intensive family support providers.
• Any activity that is included in a commissioned/contracted activity that is fully funded by Hampshire County Council.
• Any activity that is already fully funded by Hampshire County Council’s other grant schemes.
• Any universal service that does not compliment or enhance partnership working with the districts supporting family’s local delivery and if applicable the local co-ordination group.

When to apply

The small grants application process will open from 10 March 2021 until midnight 13 April 2021.

The grant will be available to fund projects for the period August 2021 to March 2022.

Applications received after the deadline for application or incomplete applications will be disqualified and not considered.

Successful applicants will be notified by email by the Supporting Families Programme following the Executive Decision Day 12 July 2021.

Application process

Organisations/groups applying for the grant must complete the appropriate application using the electronic application process (paper applications will not be accepted). The grants website address is https://grantsform.hants.gov.uk/

How will the applications be assessed?

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria and aims:

• Clear commitment to the whole family approach.
• How the proposal will improve joint working, its commitment to inter-agency working, and promotion of the early help offer and early prevention.
• How the project will work with local Early Help Hubs to ensure the right families receive support, and outcome information shared where supporting a family as part of an Early Help plan.
• If it is a new project/initiative, the level of innovation and creativity.
• How the proposal will improve outcomes for families especially with issues linked to either education, metal wellbeing, debt management, household/ family conflict or a combination of these.
• Clear information on when spending will occur and how the organisation will demonstrate/record positive outcomes for the duration of the project.
• How the programme will be able to comply with social distancing requirements and any changes to government guidance over the period of the grant funding to ensure outcomes can still be achieved.

To be eligible for support the organisation must:

• Provide evidence that they have consulted and received support from the relevant Early Help Hub Co-ordinator(s).
• Provide evidence that there is an identified need for the service.
• Provide evidence that the service will not duplicate existing provision. (It can however complement existing services).
• Provide a statement of the expected outcomes and benefits to families and evidence of how work is/will be evaluated.
• Show how the costs of the activities are calculated and include any costs.
• Have a Safeguarding policy in place and appropriate checks on the suitability of staff/volunteers (e.g. DBS checks)
• Be able to meet the deadline to submit applications by midnight on the 13 April 2021.
• The team may contact your organisation between submitting your application and the 22 April 2021 if they need to discuss your application for example, they need further information or clarification.
• All grants awarded will be subject to Executive Member approval in July 2021.
• Successful applicants will be notified week commencing 12 July 2021.

Financial issues

Individual applications can be for up to a maximum of £20,000.00. Any bids exceeding £20,000.00 will not be considered.

All applications will need to provide a financial breakdown /itemised budget for their bid.

Organisations will not normally be eligible for grants where they hold unallocated reserves in excess of one year's running costs, or where it is judged that these reserves are unreasonably in excess of what is required or not allocated for legitimate purposes.

The Supporting Families’ Programme has adopted the Charity Commission’s reserves policy in this respect. The Charity Commission’s definition of reserve is:

Income funds that are freely available for its general (unrestricted) purposes. "Reserves" are therefore the resources the organisation has or can make available to spend, for any or all, of the charity's purposes once it has met its commitments and covered its other planned expenditure. It is not yet spent, committed or designated.

Grants are generally a contribution to core costs or service/project costs. Hampshire County Council expects organisations to secure additional funding from other sources, to contribute to the costs in kind (through volunteer time, for example), or both.

Applications from organisations who have been funded through grants streams from Hampshire County Council can be considered but they will be assessed on whether it is appropriate to consider this additional funding. This funding cannot be used to duplicate any services that the Hampshire County Council has already funded but where it is demonstrated there is a need to extend or increase capacity for the project/service this may be considered.

Audit and reporting

Successful applications will be required to sign a grant agreement.

Successful applicants will be required to provide an update within the first four months of the project detailing progress to date and whether outcomes and targets are being met (this may be via a written report or meeting). At the end of the grant period, an evaluation of your service will be required, this will need to include financial information, the number of families supported, and outcomes achieved, as well as evaluating the project. All projects may be contacted directly for further information during the period of the grant funding.