New Priorities
As reported in July’s Messenger the BNDfC Partnership agreed the New Deal programme should move away from prescribed themes to a set of priorities that best reflect the future challenges and opportunities facing the programme in Burngreave. Just to recap the new priority areas are:
Children & Young People
which covers for example, activities for young people, school education and childcare.
Employment & Skills
which covers for example, jobs, adult training, skill development and self employment.
Physical Environment & Safety
which covers for example, building evelopment, green spaces and crime related issues.
community strenght & Welbeing
which covers for example, health, communication and community empowerment.
The meetings for the new structure are now bi-monthly with the first of the meetings starting with the Strategy Groups in September followed by the Residents Forum in October.
Venues for meetings will be posted shortly on the BNDfC website.On Thursday 28th September there will be an event to formally launch the new Structure which will include information workshops, a tour with a chance to visit some of the excellent projects in the area. If you want to know more about the new priorities or how you can be involved please contact the Burngreave New Deal for Communities team.
Partnership Board Report Back
28th June at Forum House
Programme Director, Mushall Khan, presented the mid-term evaluation of the Burngreave Learning Campaign project. There was discussion around the sustainability of this and all other projects within the programme with the Board agreeing that the programme will encourage projects to seek out future funding opportunities.
The Board agreed to endorse the recommendations of the evaluation, including the recommendation to continue funding the project. The decision was subject to an Action Plan being formulated in line with the outcomes of the evaluation and recommendations of the Education Theme Strategy Group.
The Community Childcare Consortium Project gained approval for Phase 2 of the project to continue at a cost of £133,047 from April 2006 to 31st March 2008. The Board asked for an update report and a sustainability strategy from Early Years Education and Childcare in January 2007.
The Streetworxs project was unanimously approved to move to Phase 2 of the project. The Board requested that an Advancing Together agreement with Sheffield Futures be put in place by August 2006 and be brought back to the September Board meeting. The Board also requested to review the project in six months.
The BCAT project also gained approval from the Board at a cost of £84,027. After negotiations between BNDfC and BCAT a way forward towards one agenda has been agreed with the aim of benefiting all the community.
26th July at Forum House
Programme Director, Mushall Khan reported to the Board on both the LEA Advancing Together Evaluation and the forthcoming Joint Area Review (JAR). Mushall presented the mid-term evaluation of the eight projects, seven of which are already up and running and one that has not yet started. The final evaluation will be carried out next summer with an Action Plan being prepared for this September’s Board meeting.
The JAR, a new form of combined inspection which provides a comprehensive report on the outcomes for children and young people in a local area, will begin in Sheffield in September. Burngreave and Firvale have been chosen for the more detailed Neighbourhood Study. Chief Executive, John Clark reported to the Board that at the half way point BNDfC have spent £26.5m, with this year’s Transformational projects taking a large chunk (approx £10m) of the remaining monies.