Area Based Response to Child Poverty Programme 2013 - 2016

Area Based Response to Child Poverty Programme 2013 - 2016

April 2013

CONTENTS:

Glossary of Terms used in the Guidelines

1. INTRODUCTION
2. PROGRAMME DETAILS
3. APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS
4. SELECTION CRITERIA
5. TIMELINES

The following appendices will be supplied to applicants:

APPENDIX 1: PROPOSAL FORM

APPENDIX 2: EXAMPLES OF PROGRAMMES AND PRACTICES

APPENDIX 3:SELECTION OF GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

APPENDIX 4: USE OF THE LOGIC MODEL - EXAMPLES OF EXPECTED OUTCOMES

APPENDIX 5:INFORMATION ON PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES (PEIP and other) which may be useful to applicants

In completing proposals, or any correspondence regarding the Initiative, applicants are asked to use terminology consistent with the definitions below.

Glossary of Terms

Area

A geographical territory, in which the resident population identifies with each other as a community on the basis of natural boundaries, common history or experience or other factors.

Area based approach

An approach which targets a homogenous, socially cohesive geographical territory, often characterised by common traditions, a local identity, a sense of belonging or common needs and expectations, and whichhas the potential to be a target area for policy implementation.

Assets mapping

Identification of the factors or resources which enhance the ability of individuals, communities and populations to achieve outcomes. These assets can operate at the level of the individual, family or community as protective and promoting factors to buffer against life's stresses.

Buy-in

Stakeholders’ support, readiness and involvement in an innovation. Another element of buy-in may be that stakeholders take ownership of the innovation.

Child

A person up to and including 18 years of age.

Communication / dissemination strategy

A plan that sets out why you are communicating, the messages you want (or need) to communicate, and what methods you propose to use to achieve this.

Consortium

For the purposes of this proposal stage for this programme a consortium is defined as a group of two or more entities who are declaring an intent to work together in defining and delivering an area based initiative under the programme, and who commit to formalising management and stewardship arrangements as necessary for the delivery of their initiative as might be approved.

CSO (Central Statistics Office) Small Areas

A geographic unit that is a uniform area of typically 80 to 100 dwellings. The enumeration of Census 2011 was organised using Small Areas, which are a new administrative unit developed by the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) at the behest of Ordnance Survey Ireland and in collaboration with the CSO. There are approximately 19,000 Small Areas. The Small Areas nest within existing Electoral Divisions.

Cycle of child poverty – Where children are born into families which are in the second or third generation of poverty with the result that they have significantly poorer likelihood of having good outcomes in terms of health, education and general indicators of well-being.

Ecological Model

A framework developed by Bronfenbrenner (1979) to understand the multiple influences (risk and protective factors) that impact on children. It takes a systems perspective on family functioning. How a child develops is a function of interactions between the individual child and his or her environment. Critical factors that influence development nest together within a hierarchy of four levels: the socio‐cultural level (‘macro‐system’ factors); the community (‘exo‐system’ factors); the family (‘micro‐system’ factors); and the level of the individual parent or child (‘ontogenic’ factors).

Empowerment

The act of increasing the particular strengths and/or assets of an individual, group or community.

Engagement / sustained engagement

The act of (continuously) sharing in the activities of a group, institution, programme or innovation. The actor takes responsibility for participation and involvement in these activities.

Evaluation

A systematic process of enquiry that seeks to establish (1) the extent to which projected (or unanticipated) outcomes have been achieved, and (2) the extent to which, and the ways in which activities have led to these outcomes.

Evidence Based Programme

A programme that has consistently been shown to produce positive results by independent research studies that have been conducted to a particular degree of scientific quality.

Evidence Informed Practice

Practice based on the integration of experience, judgment and expertise with the best available external evidence from systematic research.

Fidelity

The degree to which the activities undertaken in a programme are true to the design of the original programme on which it is based.

Implementation (plan)

A plan which sets out clearly how an innovation should be implemented. It should contain specific tasks relating to implementation, the individuals responsible for accomplishing these tasks, agreed timelines, and monitoring and evaluation requirements.

Inputs

Resources made available to a service or programme to help it achieve its goals, e.g. funding, staff, training, consultancy, premises or equipment.

Integrated services / service delivery

Services that work together in a planned and systematic manner towards common outcomes.

Learning Community

A group of people who share learning with each other about resolving a common concern, a set of problems, or interest in a topic, and who come together to fulfil both individual and group goals.

Logic Model

A planning tool used to describe a series of logical connections that link problems and/or needs with the actions taken to achieve change. Involves spelling out key assumptions about how actions are related to outcomes. It is usually expressed in diagrammatic form.

Mainstreaming

The process of integrating individual programmes and practices into existing (universal) services in education, health, social services etc.

Monitoring

A process of assessing whether agreed inputs have been made and whether key targets for the innovation have been achieved (for example, counting how many people use a service over a given period of time).

Needs analysis

An examination of the existing strengths and needs within a group, community or organisation. Usually involves gathering views and opinions, and factual data, and should enable those concerned to make an informed judgment about what changes are needed in order to achieve better outcomes.

Outcome

The changes for service users, citizens, or other targets of change that happen as a result of an innovation being provided. The outcomes of an innovation identify what is hoped to be accomplished, and provide a consistent framework for agencies and groups to work towards in order to achieve the change required.

Outcome evaluation

Systematic process of collecting, analysing, and interpreting data to assess what results and/or outcomes an innovation has achieved.

Outputs

Number of units of service provided, such as the number of parent education classes.

Replication

To implement a programme or service in a setting other than the one for which it originally was designed and implemented, with attention to the faithful transfer of its core elements to the new setting.

Scaling-Up

The process of sustainably increasing the reach (and scope) of a programme or service with fidelity and quality, thereby retaining some or all of its demonstrated positive impact.

Systemic change – Where existing programmes, practices, and processes change and improve, as a result of interventions funded under the initiative and the promotion of inter-agency collaboration at local level.

Transition

Events that mark a significant change in a child or young person's life or circumstance. They may include changes in how a young person experiences care, types of formal support or learning experiences. Transitions can happen over time, marking key developmental stages such as when a child moves from preschool to primary school, from primary school to secondary school (age 12), from compulsory to non-compulsory schooling (age 16) and into employment.

1. Introduction

In line with the commitment given in the Programme for Government (PfG), the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is introducing a new Area Based Response to Child Poverty Programme. The programme will build on the existing Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP), which the Department and Atlantic Philanthropies have co-funded and which is due to cease shortly.

The PEIP involved programme interventions in three project sites: Tallaght West, Ballymun and the Northside communities of Belcamp, Darndale and Moatview. The interventions were based on needs assessment and consultation with local communities. Evidence based programmes and international best practice were trialed. Inter-agency working and innovative approaches were crucial to the process. The outcomes have been subject to strict evaluation. The PEIP was, in effect, a pilot programme for the new Area Based Programme. The lessons learnt from the PEIP – both positive and negative - will provide a starting-point for the new programme and some, but not all, of the individual programmes and processes developed under the PEIP will be continued, including potentially in modified form.

The aim of the new initiative is to build on the learning to date from prevention and early intervention programmes and break the cycle of child poverty in areas where it is most deeply entrenched and improve the outcomes for children and young people where these are currently significantly poorer than they are for children and young people living elsewhere in the State.

The PfG commitment indicates that up to ten of Ireland’s most disadvantaged communities will be included in the initiative as it is implemented over time. For reasons of transparency as well as to ensure the best outcomes from the application process, the application criteria and requirements, and details of the assessment and selection processes, are set out in these Guidelines.

As an innovative response to improving outcomes for children and young people, the number of proposals which will be accepted for entry into the programme in this phase is not being pre-determined. This will facilitate the widest possible range of proposals to be considered, including some which may require further development

As stated above, the programme will be targeted at areas where the cycle of child poverty is most deeply entrenched. This is a key selection criterion and applications will be expected to demonstrate high levels of entrenched child poverty, having regard to measurements of poor outcomes for children and young people as well as other measures of disadvantage considered relevant. In addition, account will be taken of each proposal’s critical mass in terms of its potential for impact, and ability to measure outcomes achieved.

Proposals will be required to demonstrate an awareness of existing provision which is producing positive outcomes for children. For example, there are already a number of initiatives to support educational development and literacy and numeracy, including DEIS. Therefore, active engagement between projects and school based initiatives, will be required to ensure complementarity of provision and avoid displacement or duplication.

It is anticipated that the programme will expand over time, both in terms of the number and type of area based interventions and the degree of systemic change and mainstreaming of evidence based programmes and practices which is taking place. In tandem with this, it is anticipated that the range of area based projects which will be included in the initiative, will broaden. The assessment process may consider proposals made on the basis of a “niche” project which concentrates on a particular enclave or geographical area or targets a particular programme, model or cohort of children or young people (e.g. school teachers implementing behaviour management strategies). Applications from pre-existing projects to participate on an associate basis (without necessarily seeking financial assistance from this Intitiative) may also be considered.

2. PROGRAMME DETAILS

Who should apply?

Applications are invited from pre-existing or proposed area-based not-for-profit/statutory consortia whose leadership has a proven track record of working with statutory and non-statutory service providers and local community groups and who are in a position to propose and deliver an area based initiative that delivers on the programme’s objectives of:

Breaking the cycle of child poverty within areas where it is most deeply entrenched and where children are most disadvantaged, through integrated and effective services and interventions, from pre-natal to 18 years of age, that address:

1. Child development, and/or
2. Child wellbeing and parenting, and/or
3. Educational disadvantage,

Proposals are invited across all elements but particular consideration will be given to proposals that focus on the quality and effectiveness of services and interventions from pregnancy to 6 years of age.

As previously stated, some, but not all of the individual programmes and processes developed under the PEIP will be continued, and consortia which participated in the PEIP will be invited to submit a separate application.

What will the programme provide?

Successful applicants will receive funding to implement cost-effective early intervention and/or prevention programmes and practices that have shown evidence of improving child outcomes, where possible in an Irish context. The level of funding which will be available to individual projects for the duration of the programme will vary depending on the scale and impact of each initiative and the level of existing resources already available to the area concerned. It will be a requirement of funding that the programmes and practices are implemented collaboratively by relevant service providers in the area, both statutory and non-statutory, in conjunction with existing resources. Service providers will need to commit to reallocating resources to programmes found to be effective. Applicants should have regard to the fact that, while the initiative is expected to provide additional levels of funding until 2016, the objective is to work towards withdrawal or reduction of additional funding from then on.

What is eligible under the programme?

In order to be eligible under the programme a proposal must:

1. Insofar as is practical, relate to a specific geographical area with boundaries matching/aligned to Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) Electoral Districts and / or OSI Small Areas.

The purpose of using these boundaries is to promote comparability of data and analysis throughout the programme. Please note Appendix 3 for further information and instruction on defining the geographical area.

1. Relate to an area that is evidenced as being disadvantaged; having entrenched child poverty; and where outcomes for children are poor.

Applicants should provide a well-developed, succinct and accessible profile and statement of the evidence available to them that relates to the specific area proposed for the programme. Please note the Appendices.

1. Relate to services to children and young people, and services supporting their parents and families.

1. Be proposed on behalf of a consortium (pre-existing or proposed), whose leadership has a proven track record of at least three years of direct delivery and management of relevant services.

1. Be actively supported and have a commitment for engagement and participation by key, relevant statutory and other service providers working in the area.

Examples of activities that are eligible for funding subject to specific approval include:

• Interventions and supports for children and / or their parents / family;
• Interventions and supports to services providing supports to children and / or their parents;
• The conclusion and adoption of revised and consistent protocols and practices between and across agencies and/or initiatives.

Please note that the programme is not intended to replace funding for existing services but may be used to supplement and add value to existing services. Proposals must clearly note any dependencies between existing resources and the proposal. They should also demonstrate a strong capacity for project management as well as governance and accountability.

Research and evaluation

Research and evaluation were key elements of the PEIP and will continue to be important components of the new initiative to ensure that the outcomes from the interventions are evaluated and measured. Given that the new initiative will build on learning from the PEIP, and other prevention and early intervention projects funded by the State and/or Atlantic Philanthropies, the research and evaluation component is expected to be more streamlined and connected to existing sources of data on children and young people.

Successful applicants will be subject to on-going research and evaluation requirements, overseen at central level by an Expert Advisory Committee. This will include data gathering, collation and reporting directly related to the project to capture the outcomes for children and families. It is anticipated that this process will be assisted by the Centre for Effective Services, acting on behalf of the Department.

Therefore, applicants need to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of research and evaluation, and a preparedness to work with the National programme on agreed research and evaluation elements.

3. APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS

Application Process and Timeframes

Stage 1

The first stage of the selection process is designed to identify those proposals that are most likely to successfully deliver improved interventions and outcomes for children in areas where children are disadvantaged and their outcomes are likely to be poorer than for children and young people living elsewhere in the State.

Applicants are required to submit a proposal using the format provided at Appendix 1. Proposals will be considered against the criteria outlined in Section 4 below.

Applications including three sets of detailed proposal documents must be received by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, 43-49 Mespil Road, Dublin 4, by 5pm on Friday 31 May, 2013. A copy of the Application Form is at Appendix 1. A soft copy should also be emailed to .

The Programme Project Team which is chaired by Department of Children and Youth Affairs will rate each proposal received against the criteria. Where appropriate, applicants or a shortlist of applicants may be requested to make oral presentations to amplify their proposals. The proposals with the highest scoring will be invited to proceed to the second stage.