COMMUNITIES FIRST – CLUSTER REQUEST FOR
FUNDING 2015/16
PLEASE NOTE ALL REQUESTS FOR FUNDING MUST BE CLEARED AND
ENDORSED BY THE LEAD DELIVERY BODY BEFORE SUBMISSION.
Section 1 – Endorsement and Compliance
Cluster Manager
Signature:
Date
Name in Block Capitals:
ALICE GREENLEES
Organisation and Position:
Communities First West Cluster, City and County of Swansea – Cluster Manager
Contact details:
[email protected]
Tel: 01792 457025
Authorised representative of the Lead Delivery Body for the Cluster
Signature:
Date
Name in Block Capitals:
Organisation and
Position:
Page 1 of 21
The Request for Funding Application 2015/16 should be completed in conjunction with the
accompanying guidance note and Communities First Outcomes Framework.
All sections must adhere to stipulated word limits and be completed in the boxes
provided.
The completed and signed Delivery Plan (including the Community Involvement Plan and
the Financial Table) should be submitted to the relevant Welsh Government Communities
First Implementation Team by 19 September 2014. An electronic version and signed
hard copy is required by 5 pm on the above date. Late submissions could result in
a delayed decision on your future funding.
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Delivery Plans should be returned to:
For the Local Authority Areas
CF Delivery Team Address
Communities First North
WalesTeam
Communities Division
Welsh Government
Sarn Mynach
Llandudno Junction
Conwy
LL31 9RZ
Tel: 0300 062 5456
Anglesey,
Conwy,
Denbighshire,
Gwynedd,
Flintshire and
Wrexham
Communities First West Wales
Team
Communities Division
Welsh Government
Government Buildings
Picton Terrace
Carmarthen
SA31 3BT
Tel: 01267 225352
Bridgend, Carmarthenshire,
Neath Port Talbot,
Pembrokeshire and
Swansea.
Communities First Gwent Team
Communities Division
Welsh Government
Rhydycar
Merthyr Tydfil
CF48 1UZ
Tel: 0300 062 8280
Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly,
Newport, Torfaen
Cardiff,
Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon
Taf and Vale of Glamorgan.
Page 3 of 21
Communities First Bro Taf
Team
Communities Division
Welsh Government
Rhydycar
Merthyr Tydfil
CF48 1UZ
Tel: 0300 062 8288
Section 2 – Delivery Plan
IMPORTANT NOTE: You should carefully consider the accompanying guidance and
Communities First Outcomes Framework before submitting your application for
2015/16. If you require further clarification please contact your Regional Communities
First Implementation Team.
Cluster
Programme
Overview
Please provide a concise overview of planned delivery for 2015/16
outlining your key priorities. This should be restricted to a maximum of
600 words.
Analysis of the data for the West cluster in Swansea shows that six out
of the 8 LSOAs in the cluster are amongst the 10% most deprived
communities in Wales, as ranked by the Welsh Index of Multiple
Deprivation. In each of these LSOAs there are high levels of deprivation
across the four domains of income, employment, health and education
suggesting that many people are coping with multiple problems, with all
the drain on time, energy and confidence that that entails. Townhill 1, 2,
3 (the north side of Townhill and the north and eastern end of Mayhill|),
and Castle 1 (Brynmelyn) show the highest levels of deprivation.
For this reason the cluster team’s programme will cover all three
outcomes and, although many activities/projects will be delivered
cluster-wide, particular emphasis will continue to be given to work with
the four LSOAs where need is greatest.
Our Prosperous Communities projects for 2015/6 will continue to focus
on:
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Intensive support for people furthest from the labour market and
those who will be looking for work when their children move into fulltime school
Support for 16-25 year olds who are not in employment, education or
training
Access to advice and support for people coping with debt and benefit
problems
Our Learning Communities projects for 2015/16 will continue to focus on
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Early years intervention to increase the school readiness of children
in this area
Out of school activities for children’s wellbeing and development
Additional support to children in school through literacy catch up and
personal development linked to VAP score
Support to parents so that they are better able to support their
children in school
Opportunities for adults to gain or update qualifications
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Our Healthier Communities projects for 2015/16 will continue to focus
on:
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Making it easier for people to make health choices about food,
exercise and lifestyle
Equipping people with the knowledge and confidence to keep
themselves safe and healthy
Strengthening community support and networks for the most
excluded
We use an integrated approach that makes the most of every contact
that the cluster team has with community members, particularly the most
vulnerable. Many residents are facing complex problems that cannot
be helped by one project or service. Whatever the initial point of contact,
the cluster team will take the opportunity to discuss with people whether
there other issues that they would like to address and to refer to other
Communities First projects, or to other providers where appropriate.
We also want to recognise the strengths that many people have. We
work with many people who are coping with multiple problems but who
are also some of the most stalwart and committed of volunteers. By
emphasising the positive contribution that people can make to their own
community the cluster team can help people build the confidence to
make change. Encouraging community members to volunteer on our
projects, with a view to taking on and running projects themselves, is an
important step forward.
All projects will contribute to the City and County of Swansea Poverty
Strategy.
Please outline, using bullet points, any key changes to your existing
priorities/ projects (2014/15) outlining the main reasons for this change
and where new priorities/ projects have emerged. This should be
restricted to a maximum of 300 words.
We have made no changes to our priorities and projects. We took the
opportunity to make substantial changes to the Cluster Delivery Plan for
2014/15 and now wish to focus on operational issues, particularly coordination with partners.
Page 5 of 21
Programme
Outcome
Prosperous Communities Outcome
To reduce inequalities in income and opportunity for the most deprived
communities in Wales, ensuring people have access to the resources
needed to provide for themselves and their families and to improve
their life chances.
National Indicators
Please refer to Aspireview
Story behind the
Baseline
Clusters should insert their current Story Behind the Baseline.
In a situation of job shortages residents who have low or no
qualifications, a history of mainly temporary or seasonal work, and in
some cases additional problems of substance misuse or a history of
offending, find it difficult to break into better paid and secure work. For
people living long-term on very low incomes the consequence is likely
to be debt or extreme poverty.
Townhill ward has a population of 795 people born outside the UK
including over 100 refugees and these people face additional
difficulties in finding employment. The Castle ward LSOAs also house
numbers of asylum seekers.
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The estimated median household income for Townhill, based on
CACI’s 2012 ‘PayCheck’ data, is £14,870, the lowest (of 36 wards)
in Swansea.
25% of households in the Townhill electoral ward are headed by
lone parents.
In Townhill 19% of households with dependent children do not have
an adult in employment.
The estimated median household income for Castle, based on
CACI’s 2011 ‘PayCheck’ data, is £19,650; the third lowest (of 36
wards) in Swansea.
DWP data demonstrates an unemployment rate in Townhill well
above the Swansea equivalent with other DWP benefit claimant
rates also higher. Economic inactivity and (full time) employment
rates are noticeably lower than Swansea (Townhill Ward Profile
CCS 2013)
Based on an analysis of the data and the story behind the baseline our
projects will continue to focus on:



Intensive support for people furthest from the labour market and for
those who will be looking for work when their children move into
full-time school;
Support for 16-25 year olds who are not in employment, education
or training; and
Access to advice and support for people coping with debt and
benefit problems.
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Key partners
Who’s involved? What is their role?
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Community
Involvement
Workways for referrals on to work placements and employment
Want2Work for employment preparation
Jobcentre Plus for referrals into the projects
Careers Wales/Keeping in touch for referrals into the projects
CAB for specialist advice
City and County of Swansea Welfare Rights Team for specialist
advice and support
Gorseinoin and Clydach foodbanks for emergency assistance
Please describe how the community have/will be involved in
developing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating projects under
the prosperous theme.
The community are involved in:
 developing projects under this theme though the quarterly
Community Forums and through additional consultation and
focus groups to discuss the CDP
 delivering projects as volunteers with the Positive Steps to
Employment and Financial Support projects
 monitoring and evaluating projects through each project’s
quality monitoring; and
 discussing progress and quality at the Community Forums, and
at the Cluster Steering Group.
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Cluster Priorities and Action Plan – Prosperous Communities
Cluster Priorities
Prosperous
Communities
Priority 1
Helping people
to develop
employment
skills and find
work (ages
25+)
Priority 2
Reducing
youth
unemployment
and
disengagement
(ages 16-24)
Priority 3
Financial
inclusion –
improving
financial
capability,
managing debt
and raising
income
Activity/Project 1.
Positive Steps to Employment
(PC-PM 1.3, 1.8)
Activity/Project 1.
NEET engagement project
(PC-PM 2.2, 2.3)
Activity/Project 1.
Financial support
(PC-PM 4.5, 4.6)
Page 8 of 21
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Programme
Outcome
Learning Communities Outcome
To promote a culture of learning within our communities where
everyone regardless of age or ability is encouraged to recognise their
own potential and is supported to reach it.
National Indicators Please refer to Aspireview
Story behind the
Baseline
Clusters should insert their current Story Behind the Baseline.
All LSOAS in the cluster show high levels of educational deprivation on
all the indicators in the Education domain.
All pupils are given a red, amber or green Vulnerability Assessment
Profile (VAP) score based on attendance, problems at school, reading
age etc and two of the three secondary schools with the highest number
of reds in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 are Dylan Thomas and Pentrehafod
schools where pupils from the West cluster attend. Townhill 3 and
Castle 1 are identified as two of the LSOAs with the highest number of
reds.
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The Cluster has the highest proportion of children aged 0-4 years at
9.5% against a city average of 5.3%. The Cluster has the second
highest proportion of children aged 5-15 years at 14.8% against a
city average of 11.8%.
47% children in Townhill ward and 38% children in Castle 1 and 3
are eligible for free school meals.
Children in the Cluster’s catchment schools have lower reading
levels than the rest of Swansea at school years 2 and 7.
Both Primary and Secondary school absence rates in Townhill are
significantly higher than the Swansea and Wales average.
The Townhill Electoral Division profile shows 42% of adults have no
qualifications compared with 24% in Swansea.
Based on an analysis of the data and the story behind the baseline our
projects will focus on:





Early years intervention to increase the school readiness of children from
this area
Out of school activities for wellbeing and development
Additional support to children in school through literacy catch-up and
personal development linked to VAP score
Support to parents so that they are better able to support their children in
school
Opportunities for adults to gain or update qualifications.
Page 9 of 21
Key partners
Who’s involved? What is their role?
Flying Start
Language and Play
Local libraries
Family Learning
Health Visitors
Team Around the Family
Family Facilitation team
City and County of Swansea Play team
Mayhill Family Centre
Arts and culture organisations including Waterfront Museum, Swansea
Museum and Glyn Vivian Gallery
PCSOs
Schools within the cluster
WEA
City and County of Swansea Lifelong Learning
University of Wales Trinity St David
Gower College
All provide referrals into and from the projects, specialist advice and
support, and co-delivery.
Community
Involvement
Please describe how the community have/will be involved in
developing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating projects under
the Learning theme.
The community are involved in:




developing projects under this theme though the quarterly
Community Forums and through additional consultation and
focus groups to discuss the CDP;
delivering projects as volunteers with the Stories with Scamp,
Out of School Hours, Literacy Catch-Up and Supporting Parents
projects;
monitoring and evaluating each project through the participants’
quality monitoring; and
discussing progress and quality at the Community Forums, and
at the Cluster Steering Group.
Page 10 of 21
Cluster Priorities and Action Plan – Learning Communities
Cluster
Priorities
Priority 1
Promoting family
learning in the
early years
Priority 2
Supporting
young people to
do well at school
Priority 3
Supporting
families to be
engaged in their
children’s
learning
Priority 4
Lifelong learning
in communities
Activity/Project 1.
Stories with Scamp
(LC-PM 1.1, 1.3)
Activity/Project 1.
Out of school hours activities
(LC-PM 2.7)
Activity/Project 2.
Personal development – key worker
project for young people
(LC-PM 2.2, 2.7)
Activity/Project 3.
Literacy catch-up
(LC-PM 2.5)
Activity/Project 1.
Supporting parents
(LC-PM 3.2, 3.4)
Activity/Project 3.
Learning for Life
(LC-PM 4.1, 4.2)
Page 11 of 21
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Programme
Outcome
Healthier Communities Outcome
Improved health and wellbeing for all, with the pace of improvement
increasing in proportion to the level of disadvantage.
National Indicators Please refer to Aspireview.
Story behind the
Baseline
Clusters should insert their current Story Behind the Baseline.
We know that for many people the barriers to a healthier lifestyle are
practical – money and time – but lack of confidence and knowledge are
also key.
A food environment mapping exercise confirmed that access to good
quality inexpensive, fresh food is limited, that cost is the most important
issue for community members, although convenience is sometimes the
determining factor, and that confidence about buying and preparing
ingredients is generally low.
The GP referral scheme reports that take-up by GPs and by referred
patients is particularly low in the Mayhill area. Although there are open
spaces, playing fields and a small gym in Townhill Community Centre
public access is limited.
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8.4% of live Singleton babies from Townhill have a low birth weight,
5.4 Swansea and 5.9 Wales (WIMD 2011)
2586 adults in the Townhill ward report long term limiting Illness
affecting personal wellbeing and development, employment and
mobility.
Death rates in the Castle Ward exceed the birth rate (Swansea Ward
Profile data)
22% of adults in Swansea are classed as obese, according to the
Annual Welsh Health Survey
The Slope Index of Inequality (Public Health Wales Observatory
2011) shows a reduced life expectancy by 12 years for men, and 7
years for women, and a reduced disability free life expectancy by
17.7 years for men and 13.7 years for women
Based on an analysis of the data and the story behind the baseline our
projects will focus on:


Key partners
Making it easier for people to make healthy choices about food,
exercise and lifestyle
Equipping young people with the knowledge and confidence to keep
themselves safe and healthy.
Who’s involved? What is their role?
Natural Resources Wales: Come Outside
Community Food Officer
Page 12 of 21
Community Growing Officer
Public Health Wales
Smoking Cessation
Public Health Cancer Screening Service
SAND and WGCADA substance misuse advice services
Topic House Older People’s Centre
City and County of Swansea Sports Development Team
The Place
InfoNation
Community Connectors (Adult Services, City and County of Swansea)
All provide referrals into and from the projects, specialist advice and
support, and co-delivery.
Community
Involvement
Please describe how the community have/will be involved in
developing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating projects under
the healthier theme.
The community are involved in:




developing projects under this theme though the quarterly
Community Forums and through additional consultation and
focus groups to discuss the CDP;
delivering projects as volunteers with the Healthier Lifestyles and
Community Spirit projects;
monitoring and evaluating each project through the participants’
quality monitoring; and
discussing progress and quality at the Community Forums, and
at the Cluster Steering Group.
Page 13 of 21
Cluster Priorities and Action Plan – Healthier Communities
Cluster
Priorities
Priority 1
Activity/Project 1.
Healthier lifestyles
(HC-PM 2.3, 4.2, 5.3)
Promoting physical
wellbeing/encouraging
Activity/Project 2.
healthy
Look after yourself youth project
eating/reducing risks
(HC-PM 5.1, 5.3)
Priority 2
Activity/Project 1.
Community Spirit
Supporting people
with additional needs
to live in the
community
Page 14 of 21
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Project Template.doc
Section 3 – Community Involvement Plan (CIP)
Please set out your Community Involvement Plan (CIP) for 2015/16. The CIP should
describe how, during this period, communities will be engaged, empowered and kept
informed of the work of the Cluster. Please include a section to demonstrate how you
will monitor this work and the impact it has on the community. Please remember to
include a Budget Table and a brief description of community involvement activities to
be funded.
Swansea’s Communities First Programme has a shared definition of community involvement.
It is the process of creating opportunities for everyone to:
 have the confidence to take part in their community and society,
 have a voice in local service planning and delivery, and
 have the capacity, strength and wellbeing to contribute towards more sustainable and
cohesive communities and societies.
Our Community Involvement Plan sets out ways in which we will make this happen, taking into
account the particular features of our cluster area, and the difficulties facing the most
disadvantaged community members.
The West Cluster
The area is divided into 8 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs), six of which (Townhill 1-6)
make up Townhill ward, and two of which (Castle 1 and 3) are part of Castle ward.
Six out of the 8 LSOAs in the cluster are amongst the 10% most deprived communities in
Wales, as ranked by the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. In each of these LSOAs there
are high levels of deprivation across income, employment, health and education suggesting
that many people are coping with multiple problems. Townhill 1, 2, 3 (the north side of Townhill
and the north and eastern end of Mayhill|), and Castle 1 (Brynmelyn) show the highest levels
of deprivation.
In addition we know that:
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Townhill ward has larger numbers of under 16s compared to Swansea overall.
The Townhill ward has a population of 795 people born outside the UK which
represents 9.1% of the population against the Swansea average of 7.2%.
734 people in Townhill are from non–white ethnic groups.
Castle LSOAs also have higher proportions of non white ethnic groups and people born
outside the UK than the Swansea average.
2,386 people, 27% of the Townhill ward population, have a long-term health problem or
disability.
More than 100 asylum seekers are settled in Townhill with additional numbers of
refugees housed in temporary accommodation in both Townhill and Castle.
About half of all households have incomes below 60% of the GB median income.
31% of working age adults in Townhill claim an employment related benefit.
52% of adults have no qualifications.
Page 15 of 21
The make up of the population and the geography of our cluster area means that people may
find it difficult to get involved in the community because:
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they feel that their age or ethnicity makes them unwelcome;
It is difficult to get physical access to activities, particularly for those with ill health,
disability, or small children or other dependants;
they can’t afford it;
they don’t know about the opportunities;
they don’t feel they have anything to offer; and
previous experience tells them that no-one is interested in listening to their point of
view.
These are some of the barriers that we need to overcome if we want to increase community
involvement, particularly by those who are most isolated or marginalised. Although community
involvement in itself will not reduce poverty Welsh Government’s Tackling Poverty agenda
recognises the importance of participation in the community as a factor in mitigating the effects
of poverty.
How we will encourage, support and increase community involvement
We want to raise the level of community involvement in general but our analysis of the data,
our knowledge of the area, and our Equalities Impact Assessment indicate that we need to
give particular attention to:
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young and older people;
asylum seekers and refugees;
people from the other protected characteristics groups; and
people living in the four LSOAs with the greatest concentration of deprivation – the
north side of Townhill and Mayhill, and Brynmelyn.
With this in mind we will continue to concentrate on improving community involvement in four
key areas of work:
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people taking part in, and benefiting from, our projects:
people involved in the community as volunteers, as members of community groups,
setting up new groups and actively involved in running our projects;
people involved in our forums, in the local governance of the programme, overseeing
our work and progress and shaping future directions; and
people having a say about their community, engaging with service providers to
influence services.
Our thinking is informed by Wilcox’s five point ladder of participation - information,
consultation, deciding together, acting together and supporting independent community
interests. Actions on each of these are incorporated into our plan below.
People taking part in our projects
We will tell people about Communities First by:

door knocking and talking to people in the street, outside the school, shops and Post
Office, on street stalls and on local buses;
Page 16 of 21
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leaflets, flyers and newsletters through doors and posters in shops, using strong visual
images and appropriate language;
developing Facebook, Twitter and other social media;
joining in local events held by community groups and organisations;
making contact through groups or agencies that have good contacts in the area and
are trusted e.g. the African Community Centre and City of Sanctuary;
using schools, library, Parenting Team, Housing department and other public and third
sector partners to publicise our work; and
spreading the word through our quarterly community forum meetings across the
cluster.
We will make sure people can get involved in our projects by:
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running activities in accessible locations, at different times and on different days so that
as many people as possible can access them;
providing childcare and dependant care costs where needed;
providing transport where needed;
keeping all activities free of charge; and
designing activities that fit the needs of the specified target group for each project.
People involved in independent voluntary and community action
We want people from this area to feel able to develop and run projects that will have a life after
Communities First has gone. We will encourage volunteering and support community groups
by:
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recruiting, training and placing community volunteers, particularly those from the most
marginalised groups, to help deliver and to run our Communities First projects;
working with SCVS to provide volunteer opportunities across the city;
recognising the achievements of local volunteers through accreditation and celebrating
their contribution at Community Spirit events;
providing training and advice for local groups, referring them to SCVS where needed;
helping groups to secure funding where needed;
helping new groups develop independently; and
developing shared delivery of projects and activities.
People involved in our community forums
We will involve community members in overseeing, planning and shaping the work of
Communities First through community forums bringing together people who want to influence
what is happening in their community. The job of the forums is to:
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receive monitoring and evaluation reports and tell the Communities First team if they
are going in the right direction;
shape the Cluster Delivery Plans by making suggestions for improvements;
come up with new ideas that will help the community;
spread the word about Communities First; and
help to put forward community views to the people who provide services in the area.
We want people from all parts of the community to take part and we want to make sure that
they are comfortable and confident about doing so. We will make sure that different groups are
represented in the forums by:
Page 17 of 21

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publicising them by leaflets, posters, door knocking, Facebook and word of mouth;
inviting people who might not otherwise feel able to attend and arranging to support
them if needed e.g. by providing childcare or dependant care costs, transport,
translation, papers in large print, accessible venues etc; and
ensuring that the agenda reflects the needs and priorities of different groups. Every
forum will be encouraged to discuss and adopt a ‘code of conduct’ setting out how the
meetings will be open and welcome to all.
People having a say about their community
City and County of Swansea has designated the Cluster as a ‘target’ area with the intention of
co-ordinating the resources and efforts of the Council and its partners to tackle poverty. This
approach includes consultation with the community and an opportunity to improve the channel
of communication between community members and service providers. We will help
community members to get their voice heard by:
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providing support and training for community members in advocacy and representation;
promoting good practice in consultation and engagement (consistent with the National
Principles for Public Engagement in Wales and the National Children’s and Young
Peoples Participation Standards for Wales) to other parts of City and County of
Swansea and partner organisations involved in the Local Service Board;
making links between service providers and the community forums, including
opportunities for consultation and feedback; and
working with SCVS Community Voices project to involve asylum seekers and refugees,
people with disabilities, and people with mental health problems.
Monitoring and evaluation
We will monitor progress on increasing levels of community involvement using the measures
below.
Indicator of community involvement
2014-15
baseline
800
100
60
420
30
30
People involved in our projects
People from *target groups involved in our projects
People volunteering
Hours of volunteering
Volunteers from our *target groups
People taking part in our community forums and
shaping the Communities First work plan
People from our *target groups taking part in
20
community forums and shaping the Communities
First work plan
Opportunities for community members to engage with 10
service providers to shape services
2015-16
% increase
0% increase
50% increase
10% increase
10% increase
10% increase
50% increase
50% increase
0% increase
*Target groups are young and older people, asylum seekers and refugees, people from the
other protected characteristics groups, and people living in the four LSOAs with the greatest
concentration of deprivation – the north side of Townhill and Mayhill, and Brynmelyn.
Page 18 of 21
Our Equalities monitoring, undertaken as part of the Community Cohesion Delivery Plan,
monitors the participation of people from protected characteristics groups in our projects and
activities. Other monitoring is undertaken by geographical area.
Staffing
Our team includes two Community Engagement Officers so we have additional capacity to
devote to community involvement. Each Community Engagement Officer spends 70% of their
time on community involvement activities, the remaining 30% is spent on Out of School hours
and Healthier Lifestyles projects.
In addition, all team members are trained and proficient in supporting community involvement
and we offer similar training and support for members of the community forums, as required.
Community involvement budget
In Swansea the costs for the Cluster Delivery Plan and Community Involvement Plan were
integrated into a single £25,000 budget. The figures below are for activities undertaken by the
two Community Engagement Officers in addition to engagement activities undertaken as part
of individual projects and included in the project budgets e.g. for childcare, transport and
marketing.
Activity
Venue hire
Training
Volunteers expenses
Refreshments
Total
£
400.00
2000.00
1000.00
600.00
4000.00
Page 19 of 21
Section 4 – Staffing Structure
Please include a detailed staffing structure for all posts requiring CF Funding. (This
should include details for each post for LDB/Host Employer, hours worked and line
management arrangements – you may submit one or more staff structure to cover the
principal Cluster funding and any separate specialist post or third party funded
projects.)
Page 20 of 21
Section 5 – Financial Table
Please complete the attached table outlining all financial aspects including staff, venue
and project costs. This should clearly highlight where you are requesting funding from
Welsh Government and where/ if funding is being provided by other sources.
Page 21 of 21