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INTRODUCTION
1. Community Safety Partnerships across Scotland are invited to identify, evidence and plan a three year programme to tackle up to three local community safety problems within the partnership area.
2. Within the overall objective of a safer, stronger Scotland key community safety and crime reduction themes are :
- Reducing crime (particularly violent crime)
- Tackling alcohol and drug related crime
- Diverting young people away from criminal and anti-social behaviour
- Reducing the fear of crime
- Improving road, fire and home safety
- Strengthening Community Safety Partnerships
3. However, Community Safety Partnerships are encouraged to identify and evidence up to three community safety problems that can be shown to be problems of particular concern within or across their Partnership area.
FROM ESTABLISHING PARTNERSHIP TO SOLVING PROBLEMS
4. From 2002-2005 the primary objective of the Community Safety Partnership Award Programme was to encourage and support the establishing of partnerships across Scotland. The Programme focused on strengthening local partnerships, ensuring appropriate structures were in place and ensuring all relevant partners were at the table. Guidance encouraged an evidence-based approach by undertaking community safety audits to identify strategic priorities, action plans to deliver these priorities and appropriate monitoring and evaluation of not only individual initiatives or projects but also the overall impact on community safety within the partnership area.
5. For 2005-2008 the primary objective of the Community Safety Partnership Award Programme will be on delivery and impact, on the overall outcomes we want the funding to achieve. Partnerships will be expected to follow a problem-solving approach to identifying, evidencing and planning a three year programme to tackle up to three local community safety problems. Partnerships will also be expected to build upon and continue to follow the evidence based approach and have appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems in place.
6. To benefit from the available funding Community Safety Partnerships must identify, evidence and plan a three year programme to tackle a maximum of three local community safety problems within the partnership area.
ALLOCATION OF COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AWARD PROGRAMME 2005-2008
7. Funding
7.1. Annex A sets out funding to be made available to each individual Partnership. Funding has been set at 90% of the average award provided to each Partnership from 2002-2005. The annual award is fixed until 31 March 2008.
7.2. The remaining 10% of the annual allocation of £4 million will be applied by the Executive to provide central support to Partnerships in the shift towards a problem-solving approach to community safety through funding a number of initiatives including:
- A national problem-solving training, support and best practice programme.
- An annual Scottish Community Safety Convention (which will replace the Scottish Forum on Community Safety)
- A Community Safety Partnership Development Co-ordinator (three year fixed term).
- Support for the Scottish Community Safety Network (subject to an approved business plan)
- A Limited Partner Capacity Building Programme
- Up to two local problem-solving projects with national impact and best practice implications.
7.3. Funding for 2005-2006 will be released in April 2005 subject to Partnership Plans being agreed by the Scottish Executive.
7.4. Funding for subsequent years will be released subject to satisfactory performance and financial accountability and in accordance with Scottish Executive and Audit Scotland required good practice.
7.5. Eligible expenditure can include both capital and revenue expenditure. Any expenditure should be such that it is disbursed in the same financial year in which the annual award was made.
8. Transitional Arrangements
8.1 Carry-Over Funding from Programme 2004-2005
8.1.1 It is anticipated that some Partnerships may require to carry over a limited amount of funding awarded in the current financial year (2004-05) under the old programme to the next financial year (2005-06) when the new programme starts, due to delays in project starts or inescapable commitments. In these circumstances Partnerships must first seek the approval of the Scottish Executive. However, in recognition that this is a transitional year, the Executive will generally give its approval to such approaches but only if there is no requirement on the Executive to provide additional funding; that the commitment does not extend beyond 2005-06, unless it is an essential component of one of the Partnership's community safety problems identified in its three year plan.
8.1.2. Partnerships who do require to carry over funds awarded under the old programme will have to continue to adhere to the conditions regarding the submission of financial and other information detailed in the programme guidance for 2004-05.
8.2 Shifting to Problem-Solving Plans
8.2.1 It is anticipated that some Partnerships may wish to, or require to, apply a limited amount of funding awarded in the coming financial year (2005-2006) to support one or more projects or initiatives funded under the previous award programme until Partnerships are able to make alternative funding arrangements. This applies to projects which no longer form part of a Partnership's Problem-Solving Plans for 2005-2008.
8.2.2 In these circumstances, Partnerships shall be able to apply up to 10% of the total award for 2005-2006 for a period of up to 12 months ending 31 st March 2006 to continue to support one or more projects or initiatives funded under the previous award programme. This transitional arrangement shall apply only to projects or initiatives which formed part of a Partnership's approved action plan for 2004-2005 and which do not form part of a Partnership's Problem-Solving Plans for 2005-2008.
8.2.3 In these circumstances, Partnerships which wish to make use of this transitional provision should include that proposal as a separate element within their application for award funding for 2005-2006, setting out the purpose for which the funding is to be applied; the reasons for wishing to apply the funding in this way; the period for which the funding shall apply; the inputs, milestones and outcomes for the projects or initiatives being funded; and the arrangements for evaluation and monitoring. The transitional arrangements funding should also be shown as a separate item within the Partnership's Problem-Solving Plan Financial Submission for 2005-2006.
8.2.4 In these circumstances, Executive approval for the use of this transitional arrangement will be subject to the application meeting the criteria set out in 8.2.1 to 8.2.3 and will be approved as part of the Partnership's Problem-Solving Plan for 2005-2006.
IDENTIFYING, EVIDENCING AND PLANNING A THREE YEAR PROGRAMME FOR 2005-2008
9. Having followed earlier Scottish Executive Finance and Audit Scotland guidance on community safety audits and strategies, Community Safety Partnerships have a basis for assessing and identifying local community safety problems and planning solutions. From having followed this evidence-based approach Partnerships should be aware of the main community safety problems causing concern within their area which would benefit from a problem-solving approach by the Partnership.
10. Partnerships are encouraged to build upon that evidence base, including police crime figures and other official statistics, and to connect it to evidence gathered as part of the community planning, anti-social behaviour, social inclusion and community regeneration processes underway across local areas so they can identify and evidence up to three local community safety problems.
11. Partnerships are also encouraged to build upon any community consultation they may have undertaken as part of earlier community safety action planning and to connect it to wider community consultation that may have been undertaken as part of the community plan, policing plan or anti-social behaviour, social inclusion or community regeneration consultation.
12. In identifying and evidencing up to three local community safety problems to be tackled over three years in problem-solving partnership, Community Safety Partnerships are expected to provide robust, clear, detailed evidence of the nature, scale, location and any differential distribution of the community safety problem they have selected to tackle with this funding.13. Advice and guidance on sources of evidence and community safety audits can be found in the following publications : Threads of Success, Scottish Executive, 2000; Safe and Sound, Audit Scotland, 2000 and Safer Communities in Scotland, Scottish Executive, 1999. These can be found on the Scottish Executive Community Safety Website:www.saferscotland.org. Raw data in itself can on occasion lack meaning, in providing baseline information it is helpful if data is provided in standard rates to allow comparisons ie per 10,000 population, per 10,000 households etc. Provision of data in a uniform manner is also helpful in enabling measurement of performance.
14. Community safety problem-solving plans can include a number of complementary interventions, all working together to achieve desired outcomes over the three year programme period.
15. In preparing plans for tackling up to three community safety problems over the three year period from 2005-2008, Partnerships are expected to bring forward plans that will :
16. Identify and Evidence the Community Safety Problem (up to three)
16.1 Using the community safety evidence base already built through local community safety audits and in connection with community planning, police planning, social inclusion, anti-social behaviour, community regeneration and other local evidence, Partnerships should identify up to three local problems to be tackled through partnership problem-solving over a three year period.
16.2. Experience suggests the more detailed, comprehensive and in-depth the evidence gathered and analysed, the better the quality of partner planning, the more detailed the problem-solving action planning and the more effective the programme implementation and impact.
16.3. It is for local Partnerships to determine how many community safety problems up to a maximum of three that they propose to tackle in partnership under this funding programme.
17. Propose Clear Actions and Outcomes, including How Those Actions and Outcomes will be Monitored and Evaluated over each of the Three Years.
17.1. From the identification and evidencing of up to three community safety problems, Partnerships should prepare detailed plans setting out clear actions/interventions, inputs, outputs, outcomes and milestones over the three year programme period from 2005-2008.
17.2. Partnerships should set out reasons for the choice of actions/interventions, how they will achieve the predicted outcomes and how they will work alongside existing programmes and services.
17.3. Problem-Solving Plans should set out the expected outcomes in Year One, Year Two and by the end of Year Three.
17.4. Having identified and evidenced the community safety problem, Problem-Solving Plans should set out five elements for each community safety problem. Performance against these elements should be monitored and evaluated as part of the overall management and delivery of the Plan. Five types of measures should be set :
Actions/Interventions | The measures that the Partnership is going to carry out to impact on the identified community safety problem. Single solutions are rarely sufficient and it is likely that a package of actions/interventions will be required to solve each community safety problem. |
This should include the actions/interventions to be taken by all partners both separately and working in partnership. |
Key Planning Questions |
Will the proposed actions/interventions give rise to the proposed outcomes? |
Are the proposed partnership actions/interventions of sufficient quality and strength to deliver value to local communities and to deliver the outcomes required to make those communities safer? |
Inputs | The resources put into the actions/interventions. They may include time, skills and equipment as well as money. Whenever possible these should be quantified in terms of cost. |
This should include the inputs from all partners. |
Key Planning Questions |
Will these resources deliver the proposed actions and outcomes? |
Are these resources an adequate commitment to partnership from each partner with a role to play in solving this problem? |
Outputs | The products of the actions/interventions. These can be volume (e.g. the number of young people completing a course or taking part in an initiative) |
Key Planning Questions |
Are these outputs directly attributable to the actions/interventions of the Partnership? |
Are these outputs value for money? |
Will these outputs deliver the proposed community safety outcomes? |
Outcomes | The consequences of the actions/interventions and the projected impact of the Partnership's Problem-Solving on each of its identified problems over each year. What the Partnership will have achieved by its actions/interventions by the end of year one, year two and year three. (e.g. a specified reduction in the number of reported incidents or the number of offenders) |
Targets that clearly set out the outcomes expected, the differences made, the greater safety achieved and the impact upon local communities by the end of the three year period |
Key Planning Questions |
Are the proposed outcomes directly attributable to the actions/interventions of the Partnership? |
Are the proposed outcomes value for Partnership investment of money, staff and energy? |
What measurable and visible differences will local people and communities see and experience once these outcomes have been achieved? |
Milestones | Significant points set over the life of an action/intervention to measure progress towards outcomes. Where partnerships expect and need to be and what partnerships need to have put in place and achieved in order for their targets and outcomes to be realised; milestones should be realistic and demanding, setting out key actions that need to be undertaken throughout the three year programme period; milestones should also be measurable and can be volume, action, achievement and outcome. |
Key Planning Questions |
Do the proposed milestones adequately measure progress in undertaking the planned actions? |
Are the proposed milestones sufficiently demanding to allow Partnerships to identify under-performance sufficiently early to be able to still achieve the proposed outcomes? |
All output and outcome targets should meet the SMART criteria. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant with a Timescale attached.
17.5. Plans should set out how they intend to monitor and evaluate impact and outcome.
18. Set Out How the Funding Will be Applied for Each of the Three Years
18.1. Plans should be accompanied by a detailed year by year breakdown of how funding will be applied to support the Problem-Solving Plan and achieve the outcomes.
18.2. Wherever possible and where applicable, the financial component of the Plan should include details of other funding streams and amounts which are also being applied to tackle the identified problem
19. Set Out Partner Contributions
19.1. Problem-solving Plans should detail the contributions - staff, financial, service delivery - that will be provided by each of the Partners to delivering the Plan and achieving the outcomes.
19.2. Wherever possible and where applicable, a lead Partner(s) should be identified as having sole or shared responsibility for the delivery of different elements of the problem-solving Plan.
20. Demonstrate Connections with Other Local Strategies and Plans
20.1. Community Safety Partnerships are, in most areas, the operational delivery mechanism of a key responsibility of Community Planning Partnerships. As such Community Safety Partnerships provide a key focus for partner agencies in their planning and delivery of community safety.
20.2. However, Community Safety Partnerships neither plan nor work in isolation. One of their greatest strengths is their ability to join up community safety with other service planning and delivery. 20.3. Community Safety Problem-Solving Plans should therefore demonstrate their connection with other local strategies and plans, including, but not exclusively, wider community plans, policing plans, social inclusion strategies, anti-social behaviour plans and community regeneration plans.
21. Show How Community Consultation Has Informed the Plan
21.1. Many Community Safety Partnerships have undertaken community consultation exercises as part of their audits or less directly as part of the formulation of community and policing plans.
21.2. Problem-Solving Plans should demonstrate how community consultation has informed the plan, the evidence gathered, the actions proposed and the outcomes projected.
21.3. Some Partnerships may determine that it is appropriate for them to consult directly on the Problem-Solving Plan. That is a decision for local Partnerships. However, the Scottish Executive is aware of the range of community consultations that may be underway in different Partnership areas.
21.4. Partnerships are therefore encouraged to join up with and make use of other consultation streams, for example community plan, policing plan and anti-social behaviour consultation.
21.5. Community Safety Problem-Solving Plans are expected to demonstrate what steps have been taken directly or indirectly to consult communities and to set out how those consultations have informed the evidencing of the problem, the actions proposed and the outcomes projected.
21.6. It may be possible for elements of the Plan to be re-defined in the early stages to reflect changes in local audits or policies however, they should not change the overriding key problem areas defined by Partnerships at the onset of the 3 year Plan.
SUBMISSION OF PROBLEM-SOLVING PLANS
22. Plans are required to be submitted by no later than 31 st January 2005.
23. Plans will be approved only when the Chief Executive has agreed to be accountable for the fund and the problem(s) identified by the Partnership. Terms and conditions of the Award are attached at Annex E and the Chief Executive should sign the certificate at Annex C.
24. Submitted Plans will be assessed by the Executive with advice provided by a Panel including Members nominated by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Community Safety Network (formerly the Scottish Local Authority Community Safety Group).
Key Assessment Questions
Will the proposed Partnership actions/interventions achieve the proposed community safety problem-solving outcomes?
Are the proposed actions/interventions and outcomes sufficiently demanding to justify the investment through the award programme and the Partnership?
Does the Problem-Solving Plan fulfil the Requirements set out in the Guidance for the Submission of Applications for Funding?
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
25. In line with the findings of the Community Safety Partnership Review we are seeking to keep reporting paperwork to a minimum subject again to Scottish Executive Finance and Audit Scotland required good practice. We will be working to the following reporting time frame:
Plans approved - April 2005
25.1. Confirmation of Scottish Executive approval of Plans and the release of first year funding will take place in April 2005.
End-Year 1 Financial and Performance Report (Limited) - 31 st March 2006
25.2. A full statement of expenditure (not audited) is required comparing year funding as applied to support the key problems in the Plan with actual spend. Whilst it is acknowledged that it will take time to establish the programme in the first year, a limited report on performance towards the targets set to deliver the outcomes specified for the key community safety problems in the Plan should also be submitted to the Executive by 31 st March 2006. A template for this progress report will be forwarded to Partnerships in due course. Both the expenditure statement and progress report should be signed by the Chief Executive.
25.3. It is an Audit and Finance Requirement that fully audited accounts should be submitted to the Executive identifying the Award made after completion of each financial year. These fully audited accounts should be signed by the Chief Executive and submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 July 2006. They should show how the Community Safety Partnership Award Programme has been spent and how it relates to other expenditure on the individual interventions.
End-Year 2 Financial and Progress Report (Full) - January 2007
25.6. A full statement of expenditure (not audited) showing actual spend against projected spend on targets set, signed by the Chief Executive. A full Progress Report will be required at this particular stage in the 3 year Plan setting out the progress of the interventions introduced to deliver the outcomes specified for each of the key problem areas. A template for this progress report will be forwarded to Partnerships in due course. The Progress Report and statement of expenditure should be submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 January 2007 at the latest. They should provide information on the actual position as at 31 December 2006 as well as the projected position at 31 March 2007. This report will be subject to scrutiny and third year funding will only be released if Partnerships demonstrate that they are on course to deliver the outcomes set for end year 3. Funding may be withheld or revised otherwise.
25.7 Again fully audited accounts will be required to be submitted to the Executive within 4 months of the completion of the second year's funding. These fully audited accounts should be signed by the Chief Executive and submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 July 2007. They should show how the Community Safety Partnership Award Programme has been spent and how it relates to other expenditure on the individual interventions.
End -year 3 Financial and Performance Report (Full) - January 2008
25.8 A full statement of expenditure is required (not audited) showing actual spend from 1 April 2005 to end December 2007 and actual spend against projected spend on targets set. A full Performance Report will also be required setting out the progress of the interventions introduced to deliver the outcomes specified for each of the key problem areas. A template for this progress report will be forwarded to Partnerships in due course. The Progress Report and statement of expenditure should be submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 January 2008 at the latest. They should provide information on the actual position as at 31 December 2007 as well as the projected position at 31 March 2008.
25.9 Fully audited accounts signed by the Chief Executive will require to be submitted by end July 2008. These fully audited accounts should show how the Community Safety Partnership Award Programme has been spent and how it relates to other expenditure on the individual interventions.
26. Evaluation of 3 year programme.
26.1 The Scottish Executive will undertake a number of independent evaluations of Partnerships' performance across the 3 year period and at the end of the 3 year programme.
ANNEX ACOMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AWARD PROGRAMME FUND 2005-2008 ALLOCATION
Annex B |
SUMMARY SHEET (TO ACCOMPANY APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AWARD PROGRAMME 2005 - 08) |
Name of Community Safety Partnership (Lead local authority) |
Contact Details (Chief Executive's Office) Name: Address: Telephone Number: |
Headings of up to 3 local community safety priorities to be tackled over 3 years: |
Details of local authority community safety contact Name: Address: Telephone Number: |
Details of Police LALO (Local Authority Liaison Officer) Name: Address: Telephone Number: |
Details of Bank Account into which Award is to be paid Name of Payee: Account Number: Sort Code: Name of Bank and Address: |
Annex C |
COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AWARDS 2005-08 |
CERTIFICATE OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE |
I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief: a. the information given on the attached sheets on locally identified community safety priorities is correct b. that I will be fully accountable for the funds under the terms and conditions of grant as set out in Annex E of the Guidance. |
|
Signature | Date: |
Name: | Position: |
CERTIFICATE SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY: COMPLETED TEMPLATES ANNEX D - SEPARATE SHEET FOR EACH IDENTIFIED COMMUNITY SAFETY PRIORITY/PROBLEM |
ANNEX D
PROBLEM-SOLVING PLAN TEMPLATE: COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AWARD PROGRAMME 2005-08
Complete a separate template for each problem and follow with the interventions for that priority/problem (continue on to further pages as necessary). In completing this template partnerships will find it helpful to refer to the accompanying guidance and the checklist at Annex F.
PRIORITY 1: Type your priority here (see Paras 9-15 of Guidance) |
Evidence to support Priority (see Paras 16,20,21 of Guidance): |
Overall Outcome Targets for Years 1, 2 and 3 |
Monitoring and Evaluation (see Para 17 of Guidance) : |
Actions and Outcomes (see Para 17) | YEAR 1
2005-2006 | YEAR 2
2006-2007 | YEAR 3
2007-2008 |
Intervention 1 | | | |
Inputs | | | |
Milestones | | | |
Output Targets | | | |
Outcome Targets | | | |
Financial Planning (see Paras18,19) | | | |
Intervention 2 | | | |
Inputs | | | |
Milestones | | | |
Output Targets | | | |
Outcome Targets | | | |
Financial Planning | | | |
Annex E
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF GRANT
The Scottish Executive award is subject to the following terms and conditions.
Financial Accountability
The award is made subject to the agreement of the Chief Executive of the Council to which the award has been paid to be accountable for the funds.
The Chief Executive agrees to ensure that the monies received are for the purposes specified in the community safety action plan.
A set of audited accounts must be prepared and submitted for each year of the Programme Award as near as possible to the end of each financial year but no later than end July of the following financial year. The accounts should show how the Scottish Executive award has been spent and how it relates to any other expenditure on the project.
All invoices, receipts, accounting records and other documents relating to the expenditure of the award must be retained for at least 3 years after completion of the activity funded. These must be made available at any reasonable time for inspection by officials of the Scottish Executive and/or the National Audit Office. The Comptroller and Auditor General may also investigate the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the funds have been used.
Should any amount of the award not be spent for the purposes intended, the Scottish Executive may require that sum to be repaid to the Scottish Executive Accounting Officer. Funds must be returned within 14 days of the date of the formal notice of recovery being issued by the Scottish Executive.
Capital Assets
Any capital asset costing more than £500 purchased by the award should not be sold or otherwise disposed of within 5 years of purchase without the prior written consent of the Scottish Executive.
Reporting of Progress
Para 25 of the guidance sets out the reporting requirements
End Year 1 (31 March 2006)
A statement of expenditure and performance progress report should be submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 March 2006 at the latest.
End Year 2 (31 January 2007)
A statement of expenditure and performance progress reports should be submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 January 2007 at the latest. They should provide information on the actual position as at 31 December 2006 as well as the projected position at 31 March 2007. This progress report will be subject to scrutiny and third year funding will only be released if Partnerships demonstrate that they are on course to deliver the outcomes set for end year 3. Funding may be withheld or revised otherwise.
End Year 3 (31 January 2008)
A statement of expenditure and performance progress report should be submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 January 2008 at the latest. They should provide information on the actual position as at 31 December 2007 as well as the projected position at 31 March 2008.
Fully audited accounts will be required within 4 months of the end of each financial year of the programme.
Unsatisfactory Performance
The Scottish Executive retains the right to recover the award or withhold payments in the event of unsatisfactory performance.
Annex F |
CHECKLIST - APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP AWARD PROGRAMME 2005-08 |
Identify up to 3 local community safety priorities that the community safety partnership will tackle over the next 3 years (2005-2008) | |
Supporting Evidence:- Each problem-solving plan should summarise the content of supporting evidence which will accompany the application. Such evidence would normally include:- Community Safety Audit Police crime figures/other official statistics Community consultation Information on what has already been attempted to address the identified problem Connections to other Strategies or Actions eg. Better Neighbourhood Services Fund, Antisocial Behaviour funding, Quality of Life. | |
Overall Outcome Target As well as outcome targets for individual interventions, partnerships will be expected to specify the overall impact they expect to have on the problem in years 1, 2 and 3 | |
Financial Planning Clearly show the financial planning of the priorities over the 3 year period | |
Monitoring and Evaluation: Specify the arrangements in place for monitoring and evaluating the overall performance as well as performance on individual interventions | |
Actions and Outcomes Key Planning Questions - consideration has been given to all questions set out in para 17 of guidance Interventions - info provided on interventions, why they have been selected, how they will work alongside existing programmes and services, and what impact they are expected to have Inputs - Clearly show contribution from other Partners Milestones - are realistic, measurable and demanding Outputs - are SMART Outcomes - are SMART | |
Provide evidence that the identified local community safety priorities have been submitted and approved by the appropriate committee of the Council (Council minutes, letter from the Chief Executive). | |
Enclose letter from Chief Executive confirming that he/she will be accountable for the funds/priorities of the (Community Safety Partnership Award). | |
Enclose completed Annex B, C, and D and submit to the Scottish Executive Crime Prevention Unit, 1WR, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG by: 31 January 2005 | |
Reporting Requirements Partnerships should familiarise themselves with the reporting requirements set out in para 25 of the guidance | |