Summary of Community Planning Partnerships' (CPPs) Early Years Change Fund returns (2012-2015)

Additional funding

The return asked CPPs to provide information on any additional spend on early years, for example, contributions from the third sector, Police or other services. Detail in returns varied, with some CPPs providing the name of the contributor and others providing detail of the activities being delivered or outcomes achieved. Others were unable to provide information and a small number commented that work was underway or planned in order to enable them to identify, collect and record this information. Information given by those CPPs able to provide figures indicates a total additional spend, across the three years of the change fund, of £34,469,495.

The following section gives an overview of the main areas of spend reported by CPPs.

Third sector

The majority of information provided by CPPs related to contributions from the third sector, with Aberdeen commenting in their return:

A report on the economic impact of the third sector, undertaken on behalf of Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations ( ACVO) in 2007, suggested that the third sector contributes an estimated income of £217.9 million to the local economy in Aberdeen. 31% of this income is generated by fees and charges for services and approximately 33% is obtained through grants. This figure will include grant from the local authority. In addition, there are approximately 44,000 volunteers committing, on average, around 83 hours each per annum. The estimated number of volunteer hours contributed annually is 3.7 million and the economic value of volunteer activity equates to almost £52 million.

CPPs reported partnership working with both local and national third sector organisations on a wide range of activities and initiatives. These enabled or provided many different services including:

• Staffing and resources, for example additional speech and language posts.
• In-home and in-centre support.
• Childcare and crèches, including childcare to enable parents/carers to access education/training.
• Support, information and guidance to pre-school playgroups and toddler groups, including those in rural areas.
• Equipment and training for nurseries.
• Promoting and facilitating engagement with parents and providing information to parents.
• Facilitating community or parent led initiatives.
• Play initiatives.
• Money advice.

Specific groups supported by third sector contributions included:

Children:

• Support for children with additional needs.
• Support for children with disabilities, including provision of initiatives such as play schemes for children with disabilities.
• Support for vulnerable children, support to help children at risk of being accommodated to remain at home.
• Support for children recovering from abuse.
• Children's rights services, enabling all children and young people to have their voices heard.

Parents and families:

• General parenting support.
• Parenting programmes.
• Support for parents with learning disabilities.
• Support for parents with an illness or disability.
• Support for lone parents.
• Support for parents experiencing isolation.
• Support for parents experiencing relationship difficulties.
• Support for parents experiencing bereavement.
• Support for parents experiencing multiple births.
• Support for parents of children with additional support needs.
• Support for parents of children with behaviour problems.
• Support for young parents.
• Help to prevent families reaching crisis point.
• Support for families affected by parental substance misuse.
• Support for families affected by domestic abuse.
• Support for families of offenders.

The following are a small number of the many examples provided.

Dundee: Dundee Early Intervention Team ( DEIT) is collaboration between the four largest children's charities in Dundee: Aberlour, Action for Children, Barnardo's and CHILDREN 1st. In partnership with Dundee City Council and NHS Tayside, the charities have established an early intervention and preventative support service for families in Dundee, with three years funding from the Big Lottery Improving Futures Fund. This funding ends in 2016 and we are actively seeking a way to fund and mainstream. Using asset based and solution focussed approaches, the service works with families to find and make effective and sustainable solutions to social, health, relationship or parenting difficulties, including multiple and complicated problems. The service aims to prevent problems from escalating and subsequently reducing the need for more intensive and costly services, at a later stage.

Falkirk: Barnardo's - Bo'ness Family Support. Working in partnership with schools and other agencies, BEFSS work within interagency plans to support children and young people to maintain their place in mainstream education and achieve better outcomes through individual, family and group work support.

Perth and Kinross: Young Fathers Network (Action for Children) This project began in August 2014 following the award of funding from the Big Lottery Fund. The initial months were spent establishing the project and recruiting and training staff, including training in evidence-based programmes and approaches such as Incredible Years, Infant Massage and Motivational Interviewing. Although the project only became operational on 1st Feb 2015 it has established some 1:1 support and a Breakfast Club for fathers to attend after dropping their children at school. A range of other initiatives are planned for 2015 onwards, including a joint project with St Johnstone Football Club.

North Ayrshire: Women's Aid Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse ( CEDAR) project. The programme supports children to manage their emotions and actions in response to domestic abuse which improves physical and mental health, performance at school and their family relationships.

Western Isles: Action for Children (residential home, Children and Families service, respite, pathways, throughcare and aftercare).

Police Scotland

A small number of CPPs reported on Police Scotland contributions and these included:

Aberdeen: Diversionary work with young people including Project Fit, Street Sport and Midnight Football, has helped to prevent offending, reduce incidences of repeat offences and has increased opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and other activities, leading to increased health and wellbeing and social awareness. There has been a continued reduction in the number of young people becoming involved in offending and the number of offences committed by young people. Over the past five years, the total number of young people identified as accused has continually decreased from 1827 in 2010-11 to 915 in 2014-15, a reduction of 50%. Diversionary work with young people has contributed to this positive outcome.

East Dunbartonshire: Officers work effectively in community to support vulnerable families.

In Perth & Kinross officers are engaged in referrals relating to the safety of children in households where they have attended an incident and also relating to the safety and wellbeing of unborn babies. Many of the concerns of officers regarding children relate to domestic violence between adults in the household that children may experience or be aware of. To reduce the likelihood of repeat incidents officers visit to provide support to domestic violence victims with children on 3 separate occasions and undertake follow up visits to perpetrators to ensure they are adhering to bail requirements. There is also close working relationships with the Barnardo's project to support families affected by domestic violence in Perth and Kinross.

South Ayrshire: Nursery Cops. As part of the EYC, police officers visited nursery schools to give young children a positive interaction with police.

Other sources

Contributions from other sources included:

Project Fit in Aberdeen: these are diversionary schemes run in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Sport Aberdeen, Street Sports and a range of Third Sector partners. These schemes provide opportunities for sport and fitness participation in areas of specific deprivation with health and wellbeing information being imparted during sessions.

Also in Aberdeen, Street Sports diversionary work sees a flexible deployment of trained sports coaches across the city responding to concerns regarding anti-social behaviour and providing positive youth led sporting engagement and opportunities leading to increased health and well-being and social awareness.

Contributions from Community Health Partnerships in East Lothian provide support for parenting strategy and Public Health Practitioner time to support development of Support from the Start project.

In Perth and Kinross: The Prison Visitor Centre has enhanced the play opportunities for families by creating a soft play area in the visitor waiting room to help children settle as they wait in this secure environment before their visit, and also provided toy bags with age and stage appropriate resources for family contact visits.

In Falkirk, a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ( CAMHS) Clinical Psychologist provided specialist psychological assessment and therapy for a specific group of children as well as training and advice to staff and carers, participating in multi-agency planning forums, contributing to care planning and facilitating access to CAMHS services.