Social Investment Fund Summary & Analysis

The Review of Public Administration and Local Government Reform, the development of community planning, the Social Investment Fund, and other political and administrative changes in Northern mark a unique opportunity to reassert the principles of community development and good relations and, in particular, where these sit within local authorities. In recognition of this opportunity, the Community Foundation for has recently completed a substantial research project through its Causeway Communities Engagement Programme. This series of 5 ‘In-Brief’ publications summarises the findings from this research and some of the policy implications. This series of 5 In-Brief publications has been completed through the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland’s Causeway Communities Engagement Programme. The Causeway Communities Engagement Programme (CCEP) is a pilot initiative to build community capacity and engagement in selected areas in each of the four Council areas involved in the proposed Causeway Coast & Glens Council (, Coleraine, and Moyle). It began in January 2012 and is scheduled to run until December 2014. The Programme is funded by the International Fund for Ireland, Atlantic Philanthropies and the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.

The key aims of CCEP are: — Developing relationships and capacity, sharing and learning, meeting local needs; — Addressing future political and administrative changes; — Linking local communities and groups with agencies and Council functions; — Tackling community tensions and divisions; — Addressing the legacy of the conflict; — Sharing the process model and policy lessons with other Council areas and policy makers. The Social Investment Fund (SIF) has now been established to run until 2015 and has been allocated £80 million by the Northern Ireland Executive. It aims “to make life better for people living in targeted areas by reducing poverty, unemployment and physical deterioration”. The SIF has four main areas of work, supporting communities to: — Increase employment opportunities by addressing things such as educational underachievement, lack of skills, access to jobs and making it appealing for businesses to start up in areas which have suffered deprivation; — Tackle issues such as mental and physical health, use of drugs and alcohol, becoming a young mother, young people’s involvement in anti-social behaviour and the ability of communities to work together, which can all be associated with deprivation; — Increase services in the community by improving existing facilities, making the environment better and providing additional facilities where needed and possible; — Address dereliction in order to make areas more appealing for investment and for those living there.

Further information is available at www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/social-investment-fund and www.nidirect.gov.uk/sif . Steering Groups

Nine Social Investment Zones have now been established and each zone has a steering group of up to 14 members from the business, political, statutory and voluntary and community sectors. Each steering group will have responsibility for developing and managing plans for each zone. To begin with, each steering group has been tasked with developing a draft strategic area plan for their social investment zone. Local groups or other interested parties with ideas on the area planning process have been urged to contact their relevant steering group’s consultant.

There will be up to 14 people per steering group: — Political x 4 representatives (Political parties, in proportion determined by D’Hondt, nominated MLAs, councillors or non-elected reps); — Statutory x 4 representatives (Senior level with authority to make decisions); — Voluntary and Community x 4 reps (Applications from the voluntary and community sector); — Business x 2 representatives (Key business organisations to nominate reps).

Work is still being done to identify statutory and business reps for some steering groups, although City Council has nominated a member of staff to each of the Belfast steering groups and City Council, District Council, , Borough Council and have members of staff on each of the other 5 zones’ steering groups. Membership of the nine steering groups’ political and voluntary and community representatives is analysed below.

There are a total of 83 representatives confirmed so far, 36 from the voluntary and community sectors, 36 political representatives and 11 from the statutory sector. In addition, each steering group will be receiving the support of an appointed (paid) consultant, although the consultants are not technically members of the steering group. The charts below show membership of all 9 steering groups, broken down by interest. Political Reps

Community Reps

Support Consultants Developing Plans & Projects

The guidance states that each zone should aim to have a small number of big projects (potentially 8-10 projects). These projects should be “addressing a prioritised need and have a range of local delivery partners across targeted areas across the zone”. The guidance also states that “the SIF is designed to be a process of consensual prioritisation within the Zones. Therefore, consortium projects are much more likely to be successful. It is important you register an interest. Projects can be rolled out in more than one area (with local community partners).” There is no proposed application process, although most steering groups asked local groups and stakeholders to get in touch with proposals by 31st December, 2012 and then extended this deadline to 31st January, 2013. Projects demonstrating wide community support will be prioritised and included within the area plan. Project plans will be agreed by an OFMDFM Ministerial led panel. It has been agreed that the following measures will be used to decide which areas are eligible across all 9 zones:

— Areas within the top 10 per cent of most deprived Super Output Areas on the Multiple Deprivation Measure 2010; — Areas within the top 20 per cent of most deprived Super Output Areas on the key indicators of Income, Employment, Education and Health; — Areas which can provide independently verified and robust evidence of objective need linked to the four strategic objectives of the Social Investment Fund (see above).

9 SIF Themes

Addressing Dereliction This theme is about tackling, in a quick and effective way, those areas, buildings or pieces of land which blight communities through dereliction. It includes:

— Community gardens — Short-term environmental work on sites awaiting more substantive regeneration — Community play facilities — Anti-graffiti — Painting and shop front work — De-weeding, demolition or replacement of fences/gates. Refurbishment of Buildings for Community Services This theme can be linked to a number of other schemes but particularly dereliction. Can a rundown building be obtained for community use? Can it be re-furbished for a community service, a social enterprise unit or other community use? What is the best way to tackle rundown areas? Relevant options can be developed under this theme.

Play & Sports Facilities This theme includes play parks, upgrading or new/improved play and sports facilities. Specific mention is made of communities working with schools to help improve and build new play and sports facilities on the school grounds which could be used by both the school and the community.

Childcare Issues may include extending current provision, improving affordability, quality and/or creating new provision. This could include the expansion of childcare as a social enterprise model (as a single enterprise or within an overall community sustainability plan).

Tackling Social Problems This theme is about tackling those social problems that bring communities down and/or prevent people having the opportunities they could have. These could include — Anti-drugs and anti-drink programmes — Youth at risk — Anti-social behaviour — Young mothers — Mental health, self-harm and suicide — Parenting support

Youth Interventions aimed at youth should overlap with some of the other themes. The main aim would be to encourage young people to achieve more, become more employable and help them find pathways into employment. Education, youth at risk and NEETS are all key target groups. Skills & Training This should be targeted at encouraging people into employment and link into a range of other interventions to ensure maximisation of opportunities for successful outcomes.

Educational Achievement Issues may include: — Parenting support in education — Better educational achievement — Targeting English and Maths — Improving education aspiration — Vocational and business start-up opportunities

Social Enterprise Growth & Support This theme includes: — Encouraging sustainability within the sector — Increasing the number of community business start-ups — Providing opportunities for support in business planning and business start-up — Linking with training programmes and community social enterprise units.

A project under this theme could be linked to tackling dereliction and refurbishment of community facilities to provide opportunities for a range of business start-ups. Zone Boundaries

Four of the zones identified are broadly the same as the areas in which the Health and Social Care Trusts operate outside of Belfast. These are also the same areas that the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) covers. Another four are in the Greater Belfast area and are based on Northern Ireland Assembly constituencies and one zone is in the North West aligned with the boundary.

South Eastern

Belfast North Steering Group David Gilliland Voluntary/Community Arts for All Manus Maguire Voluntary/Community Cliftonville Community Regeneration Forum Paul Roberts Voluntary/Community Ashton Community Trust Wilson Lambe Voluntary/Community Ballysillan/Upper Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership Cllr Conor Maskey Political Sinn Fein Cllr Lee Reynolds Political DUP Cllr Thomas Hogg Political DUP MLA Political Sinn Fein Gerry Millar Statutory Paula Reynolds Supporting Consultant Copius Consulting Belfast South Steering Group

Dr Garnet Busby Voluntary/Community South Belfast Community Resource Centre Joy Poots Voluntary/Community South Belfast Sure Start Keith Hamilton Voluntary/Community Taughmonagh Community Forum Ronan McKenna Voluntary/Community Cromac Regeneration Initiative Cllr Kate Mullan Political SDLP Michael McGimpsey MLA Political UUP Paula Bradshaw Political Alliance Vicky Nelson Political UUP Andrew Hassard/ Statutory Belfast City Council Joan McCoy Statutory Belfast City Council Eamon Seydak Supporting Consultant Copius Consulting

Belfast East Steering Group

Bernadette McConnell Voluntary/Community East Belfast Community Development Agency Michael Briggs Voluntary/Community East Belfast Community Development Agency Samuel White Voluntary/Community Charter NI Steven Irwin Voluntary/Community Old Belmont School Preservation Trust Chris Lyttle MLA Political Alliance Jim Wilson Political PUP MLA Political DUP Sharon Skillen Political DUP Joan McCoy/ Statutory Belfast City Council John McGrillen Statutory Belfast City Council Joe McVey Supporting Consultant Copius Consulting

Belfast West Steering Group

Geraldine McAteer Voluntary/Community West Belfast Partnership Gerry McConville Voluntary/Community Falls Community Council Jackie Redpath Voluntary/Community Greater Shankill Partnership Jim Donnelly Voluntary/Community Upper Springfield Integrated Strategic Framework Group Cllr Brian Kingston Political DUP Cllr Jim McVeigh Political Sinn Fein Cllr Stephen Corr Political Sinn Fein Rosie McCorley MLA Political Sinn Fein Suzanne Wylie Statutory Belfast City Council Liam McStravick Supporting Consultant Copius Consulting

Derry/Londonderry Steering Group

Alison Wallace Voluntary/Community Newbuildings Community Centre Charles Lamberton Voluntary/Community Triax Darren Kirby Voluntary/Community Outer North Neighbourhood Partnership Noel McCartney Voluntary/Community Community Restorative Justice Cllr Ann Donnelly Political SDLP Cllr Drew Thompson Political DUP Cllr Paul Fleming Political Sinn Fein Marion Quinn Political SDLP Tina Gillespie Statutory Derry City Council Declan Mackin Supporting Consultant RSM McClure Waters Southern Steering Group

Hilary Singleton Voluntary/Community Mid Armagh Community Network Irene Mackle Voluntary/Community Coalisland Residents Forum Richard Mealey Voluntary/Community PLACE Initiatives, Portadown Roy McCartney Voluntary/Community Mullacreevie Community House MLA Political Sinn Fein Cllr Political DUP Cllr Colin McCusker Political UUP Cllr Thomas O'Hanlon Political SDLP Liam Hannaway Statutory Banbridge District Council Joanne Wallace Supporting Consultant Wallace Consulting

South Eastern Steering Group

Adrian Bird Voluntary/Community People Support Project Annie Armstrong Voluntary/Community Colin Neighbourhood Partnership Cathy Rice Voluntary/Community Community Network David Stitt Voluntary/Community Charter NI Cllr Mervyn Oswald Political DUP Cllr Paul Porter Political DUP Cllr Philip Smith Political UUP Cllr Willie Clarke Political Sinn Fein John Dumigan Statutory Down District Council Colin Mounstephen Supporting Consultant Deloitte

Northern Steering Group

Ann McNickle Voluntary/Community Coleraine Rural and Urban Network Conor Corr Voluntary/Community Cookstown and Western Shores Area Network Helen Dunn Voluntary/Community Action for Children William Adamson Voluntary/Community Enterprise Cllr Billy Ashe Political DUP Cllr Colm Thompson Political Independent Jnr MP Political DUP Robin Swann MLA Political UUP Geraldine McGahey Statutory Keith Wilson Supporting Consultant RSM McClure Waters

Western Steering Group Dr Norman Baxter Voluntary/Community

Gerard Harkin Voluntary/Community Strabane Neighbourhood Renewal Management Group Liz Kavanagh Voluntary/Community Barnardo's Maureen McKeague Voluntary/Community Derg Valley Healthy Living Centre Cllr Alison Brimstone Political DUP Cllr Derek Hussey Political UUP Michaela Boyle MLA Political Sinn Fein Sean Lynch Political Sinn Fein Liam Flanagan Statutory Limavady Borough Council John Lavery Supporting Consultant RSM McClure Waters This series of 5 In-Briefs includes the following research:

• An analysis of the Local Government Reform delivery structures; • Results of a survey of local community organisations on the current needs and priorities of the sector; • Results of a survey of Council community development and good relations staff on their knowledge and experiences of the RPA, community planning and the Social Investment Fund to date; • Details of all 26 District Councils’ grants policies, analysed in terms of what they will and will not fund and the amounts available per Council area; • Analysis of the membership of all the Social Investment Fund Steering Groups, including a breakdown of political parties, statutory agencies and types of voluntary and community interests represented.

For a copy of any of these publications or to furtherdiscuss the project, please contact:

Kat Healy Policy, Research and Evaluation Officer 028 7137 1547 / [email protected]