Grants Committee
Service 25: Second tier support to
promote play
Report by:
John Bray
Date:
25 November 2010
Contact
Officer:
John Bray
Telephone:
0207 934 9554
Item no: 10e
Job title:
Policy and Grants Manager
Email:
[email protected]
Summary
This report provides an update on progress in the second year of funding
service 25 and makes recommendations for continued funding for the
period 1 January 2011 - 31 March 2011.
Recommendations
Members are asked to:
1. Agree the renewal of grants within this service as set out in Table
1 below for the period 1 January 2011 - 31 March 2011.
Background
1. Grants Committee agreed funding to London Play under service 25, at its meeting on 9
January 2008. The funding was agreed in principle for four years. In the first instance
specific approval was given for the first 18 months
2. Grants Committee agreed to renew funding to the organisation listed in table one for the
period 1 January 2010 - 31 December 2010 at its meeting on 9 November 2009.
3. This report provides progress on the second year of funding to service 25 under London
Councils’ Commissioning funding programme and summarises groups’ performance
against the standard outcomes for the service. The period covered in the report is 1 April
2009 – 31 March 2010.
Table 1: Groups funded under service 25
ID
5083
Organisation Name
London Play
Grant Total
£600,000
Total
£600,000
Annual Grant
£150,000
£150,000
Summary of performance in first year of funding
4. London Play has delivered the following outcomes:
Outcome 1
Multi-agency partnership working across statutory, voluntary and private sector has improved for
16 voluntary organisations leading to increased access to play and physical activity for children
and young people.
Outcome 2
16 play providers are more able to implement quality standards through training, advice and
guidance.
Outcome3
Increased ability of play providers to influence strategic plans and local and national policy for
children’s play to safeguard and improve access to facilities and space for play, sports and
recreation achieved through 20 policy updates issued.
Outcome 4
Increased sharing of information/knowledge amongst the sector, support with funding advice 20
opportunities identified and promotion of best practice through 10 examples.
Outcome 5
Equality for disadvantaged groups has been actively promoted through the service delivery,
marketing, evaluation and management of the proposed service.
Key issues emerging from the delivery of the service and in
the wider sector
5. London Play has been promoting a partnership working approach in developing this
project, working with eight boroughs at any one time, and has encouraged - and have on
the whole been very successful – with participation from representatives from the local
authority and the voluntary sector (via play associations and networks where they exist)
and where possible also the private sector. This has generally been succesful, especially
where, in addition, together with local partners they have also managed to interest some of
the borough Play Champions to attend (e.g. in Richmond upon Thames) which made
collaboration promising and exciting, and bodes well for making it sustainable in the
coming period of economic uncertainty.
6. An example of the work delivered follows: London Play was approached by a Local
Authority Monitoring Officer in Tower Hamlets suggesting London Play organise a practical
seminar to explain and discuss issues to do with improving monitoring of equalities
information, especially helping to make the processes more child-friendly. An event was
succesfully held on 17 March 2010; it attracted the support not only from Tower Hamlets
Council which hosted and co-organised the event but also, via the London Funders Group,
BIG Lottery and London Councils. This approach also illustrates the need for continuing
pan-London work and the important role London Play has in this respect, but for which
there is no funding under the existing London Councils commissioning framework, nor
from anywhere else.
Borough Spread
7. Appendix One provides a comparison of agreed borough spread against actual borough
spread. Leaders’ Committee agreed that the service should be delivered as a rolling
programme. Officers worked with London Play to negotiate which boroughs it will work
with in each of the four years, ensuring this does not exceed the funding level of £150,000
per annum. In the first year the organisation delivered services in LBs Barking and
Dagenham, Enfield, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Hounslow, Redbridge,
Southwark and Westminster. This second year has seen services delivered in the
boroughs of Barnet, Bexley, Ealing, Merton, Newham, Richmond upon Thames and
Sutton. Lambeth requested to receive services in year 3 rather than year 2 and the
organisation has accomodated this. The reporting period over the past year has seen
them deliver the remaining 3 months of year 1 service and 9 months of year 2 service. The
organisation has worked with play associations, children’s services departments,
commissioners, play managers and officers.
Recommendations
Members are asked to:
Agree the renewal of grants within this sector as set out in Table 1 below for the period 1 January
2011 – 31 March 2011.
Financial Implications for London Councils
8. This report has no additional financial implications other than the continuation of funding to
the groups listed in Table 1.
Legal Implications for London Councils
9. This report has no legal implications.
Equalities Implications for London Councils
10. As part of the annual monitoring process, officers have examined the equalities profiles of
each organisation’s beneficiaries, management committee and staff. Officers have also
examined organisations’ commitment to access and promotion of equalities.
Appendices
11. Appendix One provides a comparison of agreed borough spread against actual borough
spread
Background Papers
London Councils Grants Committee Report , Item 20, Second Tier Support to Promote Play
(service 25) dated 9 January 2008
London Councils Grants Committee Report, Item 20, Second Tier Support to Promote Play
(service 25) dated 9 November 2009
Table for website
This table provides information on the progress of individual organisations
Organisation
London Play
Summary of performance
London Play provides training and meetings for knowledge transfer between
boroughs and play providers. It also supports play providers in effectively
engaging with parents, parents' organisations, and local partnerships, and
develops practical solutions.
During the reporting period, 8 boroughs that formed part of the year 1 tranche
and 7 boroughs for year 2 have been worked with through the play leads of both
statutory and voluntary sectors, including Play Partnership meetings attended.
Support has included quarterly meetings sharing best practice and
presentations made as well as tailored 1-to-1 support. London Play has been
flexible to support the boroughs with the changing environment that includes
Playbuilder and Play Pathfinder central government initiatives.
In the reporting period it has also successfully met its borough targets within the
20% variation allowed.
Officer Comments
Officers are satisfied with the
progress made by the organisation.
Appendix 1