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Our hyperlinks will shortcut you to guidance and policy on the Hampshire Children’s Fund web-site, and to associated web-sites where we have no direct control over the content.
Please feedback on this link: http://www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/feedback/index.html and let us know if you have had any difficulties, or with any useful additions to the Navigator.
1. About Children’s Fund
The Children’s Fund is a key Government preventative initiative tackling social exclusion and underachievement young people aged 5-13. Hampshire Children’s Fund makes awards to statutory, voluntary and community agencies to help children and families overcome poverty and disadvantage. Find out more at: www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/strategy/childrensfund/
2. Outcomes for Children
All projects support Children’s Act 2004 required outcomes: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/strategy/guidance/
Helping children and young people to:
· Be Healthy – enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle
· Stay safe – being protected from harm and neglect
· Enjoy and achieve – getting the most out of life and developing skills for adulthood
· Make a positive contribution – by being involved with the community and society and not engaging in anti social behaviour or offending
· Achieve economic well being – so that children, young people & families are not prevented by economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential
3. How to Apply for Funding: http://www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/app_2006-7.doc and guidance notes http://www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/guidance.doc
Funding is available from three funding streams:
· Local Partnership Groups (LPGs). The LPGs are multi agency groups who identify local needs and deliver appropriate services.
· Youth Inclusion Support Panels (YISPs). The YISPs help to join up agencies to take early action to ensure young people do not offend and, thus avoid the risk of statutory involvement at a later time. The YISPs are currently working in Rushmoor, Gosport and the New Forest.
· Hard to Reach groups. These include children with disabilities, traveller families, ‘education other than at school’ children, ethnic minorities, and young carers.
Contact our Senior Development Officers for help with application planning, and project development. They can advise you how your ideas fit with Children’s Fund objectives and children’s services across Hampshire: http://www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/hcf/contact.html
4. Grant Agreement
Once individual project applications or annual reviews are approved by the Local Partnership Groups, they go onto the Commissioning & Mainstreaming group for authorization. Providers will receive a letter confirming their grant for 2006/07 once authorisation is complete, and the Grant Agreement pack. Payment will not be released until the Grant Agreement between the service provider and HCF has been signed by both parties and returned to HCF Head office at Tilbrook House. For more information on Grant Agreements: http://www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/gr_agree_06.doc
5. Financial Guidelines
It is a condition of funding that providers are required to keep full and adequate financial records to cover all funding received. All projects must keep and submit audit evidence to support expenditure each quarter with the certification form. Invoices or payment proforma from service providers should be sent to Hampshire Children’s Fund at the end of each quarter with financial certification, monitoring forms and supporting audit evidence which should detail the actual expenditure incurred in the previous quarter. http://www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/fin_guide.doc
From April 2006 payments from Hampshire Children’s Fund (HCF) will be made quarterly in arrears. Non-statutory organisations may apply for payment in advance via the form enclosed with the grant agreement. The advance payment form should be signed off by the Local Partnership Group Chair and forwarded to Children’s Fund’s Head office at 2-4, Grenehurst Way, Petersfield, Hampshire. GU31 4AZ. www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/hcf/contact.html
6. Project Monitoring
All projects are required to complete the GOSE C Form on a quarterly basis. This form is used to collect information on the age and ethnicity of the young people that use the projects.
GOSE Form B is used for background information on each project and is only required once unless the definition of the project changes then an updated copy is required.
7. Privacy: Data Protection
Hampshire Children’s Fund follows Hampshire County Council’s policy and guidance on Data Protection & Privacy. For more information use this link: http://www.hants.gov.uk/privacy.html
8. Consent: Safety of Images
Make sure you have consent before using photographs/images, and check the guidelines before you use them or you share the images with anyone. All images should be treated as confidential information and accessed by named individuals only. Hard copies with signed consent forms should be stored in locked cabinets and electronic copies should be stored in password protected folders. For more Hampshire County Council guidelines, or to download consent forms for children, adults and staff go to: www.hants.gov.uk/TC/cg/photosintro.html
9. Equal Opportunities
Hampshire Children’s Fund supports Hampshire County Council’s commitment to securing genuine equality of opportunity. For more information go: http://www.hants.gov.uk/equalities/
10. Feedback Guide shortcut: http://www.childrensfund.hants.org.uk/feedback/index.html
We welcome your suggestions, comments and complaints, and we will try to reply as quickly as possible. Hampshire Children’s Fund’s complaints guide; an online complaints form, and a child’s version is online here. *Please note projects may have their own feedback procedures.
Your 1st contact should be with your Project Leader, or Children’s Fund Senior Development Officer. If your concern is not resolved by this initial contact, please contact Dale Tomlinson, the Programme Manager for Hampshire Children’s Fund at: 8: Any complaints regarding a Hampshire Children’s Fund sub-group should be directed to the Programme Manager and sub-group Chair, who will pass to the sub group for resolution if necessary. The complainant will then be advised of the outcome by the Programme Manager.
11. Participation support
The involvement of Children, Young People and Families is a core principle, and at the heart of everything we do, and wherever possible, these key groups will be involved in making practical decisions about how money is spent, and will inform and guide our policy development in every way that is not directly mandated by legislation or ministerial direction and instruction. For more info on participation go to: http://www.participationsupport.co.uk/
12. Information Sharing & Common Assessment
Good information sharing is the key to successful collaborative working and early intervention to help children, young people & families. Every Child Matters: Change for Children (2004), set out clear expectations for local action to improve information sharing. The Government looks to local authorities and partners, through a children’s trust approach, to address systemic and cultural barriers to effective information sharing across and within agencies.
Cross Government Guidance, ‘Sharing Information on Children & Young People’ aims to help practitioners understand why, when and how to share information about a child or young person. It is for all those working with children and young people, whether they are employed or volunteers, working in the public, private or voluntary sectors.
The Government will implement an Information Sharing (IS) Index across all areas of England by end-2008. The index is a tool that will enable practitioners to contact one another easily and quickly so they can share relevant information. It will contain basic identifying information on every child, and contact details for parents or carers and practitioners working with the child. For more information bookmark this link: www.ecm.gov.uk/informationsharing
For updates on Hampshire’s Children’s services, The Children & Young People’s Plan & the Common Assessment Framework go to: http://www.hantsfish.org.uk/index/practitioners.htm