Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1        To provide information on promotion and assessment of the Summer Scheme for Additional Needs grant and seek approval to award funding to successful applicants.

1.2        The People and Communities committee on 2 February 2025 agreed to offer a grant to enhance provision within the sector and to support participation for those who cannot access any other summer scheme programmes or services during the summer months due to support needs.  A fund of £80,000 was agreed with a total amount of £20,000 allocated per area, north, south, east and west Belfast.  Strategic Policy and Resources committee of 21 February 2025 agreed an additional £40,000 with £10,000 allocated per area, north, south, east and west Belfast.

1.3        To advise members of the outcome of the open recruitment process and for members to agree upon an allocation model.

2.0        Recommendation

2.1        The Committee is asked to:

·         Note the contents of the report and agree an allocation model for the additional needs summer scheme.

3.0        Main Report

3.1        A co-ordinated campaign to advertise and promote the grant was launched on 7 March 2025.  The information was disseminated widely to community and voluntary contacts, Belfast Health and Social Care and Health Trust locality planning groups, Department of Education Special Educational Needs schools and was also promoted across Belfast City Council website and social media platforms. 

3.2        53 application forms were issued. 16 were returned with two of the applications failing eligibility checks. Of the 14 applications passed for assessment and moderation, there were five from organisations whose facilities are in South Belfast, four from North Belfast, three from East Belfast and two from West Belfast, although the children which most applicant organisations reside are from across the city. The total amount requested by eligible applicants was £116,249.82 which is within the £120,000 financial limit. The amount requested by providers in some areas exceeds the £30,000 allocation, whilst the amount requested from other areas is less than the £30,000 allocation.

            Applications received

3.3        Table 1 details the amount requested by each organisation and the area where their facility is located, table 2 summarises the amount requested based on where the providers’ facilities are located, table 3 summarises the number of children which the funding will support based on where they reside.

            Table 1.

3.4        Table 2.

3.5        Table 3.

            Assessment

3.6        Officers scored each eligible application against the set criteria as outlined in the guidance notes.  Each of the applications was then moderated by another member of staff to ensure that consistency and fair marking had been applied.  Once staff were satisfied with the scoring and application of the criteria for the grants, the unit then made recommendations for awards as shown above in table 1.

3.7        It is important to note that the diverse range of applicants demonstrates the underlying diversity of needs within the sector.  The nature of each proposed project is highly dependent on the specific support needs of their children. Delivery organisations often cite the challenge of accessing appropriately trained and qualified staff during the summer period. Accordingly, delivery is diverse, with differing supervision ratios, levels of specialist/voluntary supervision, numbers of children supported, nature of programming, duration of each session and number of days provided by the schemes evidenced within the applications.

            Next Steps

3.8        Members will note that both North and South Belfast have been oversubscribed and West and East Belfast have been undersubscribed. Members are asked to consider two options for funding of the initiative which are:

1.     The amount requested by providers in some areas exceeds the £30,000 allocation, whilst the amount requested from other areas is less than the £30,000 allocation. Members consider moving under-allocated amounts to support programming in over-subscribed areas which will maximise the impact for children with additional needs across the city within the budget envelope. 

2.     Members give delegated authority to the Director of Neighbourhood Services to work with the groups in North and South Belfast to reduce their budget to the maximum of £30,000 each. Members give authority for officers to engage across the area and with the groups who applied in the previous year to see if they have capacity to offer a summer scheme in 2025 to the maximum the area budget of £30,000.

3.9        Following approval of the grant awards by committee, organisations will be notified of decisions and sent a letter of offer. An introductory meeting will be held for organisations which have not previously received funding from Belfast City Council. They will be informed of, and provided support with, the requirements of monitoring and evaluation.

            Financial and Resource Implications

3.10      Delivery of this project is within existing financial estimates.

            Equality or Good Relations Implications

3.11      This report proposes funding a range of projects which are designed to support improved outcomes for under-represented groups, specifically children with additional needs living in Belfast.”

            The Committee noted the contents of the report and agree an allocation model for the additional needs summer scheme as set out in option 1 at paragraph 3.8 of the report.