News

The local network fund is designed to get cash to those who are best placed to run projects for young people - local people. Althea Efunshile describes the approach.

This summer, the Children and Young People’s Unit publishes Creating Magic, promoting good ideas that have been funded through the local network fund for children and young people. The £70m fund provides grants direct to local community groups and this publication highlights some of the 1,500 projects it has supported, in its first year, to improve opportunities for young people.

The fund was launched by the government in May 2001 as a key element of its drive to tackle child poverty. The fund aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people by supporting local groups to enable young people to reach their full potential.

The fund is piloting an innovative model of grant making with the aim being to develop a means for government funding to reach those that can make best use of it in supporting children and young people. We believe that local people by their commitment to the areas they live in are best placed to run projects that improve opportunities for their children and young people. The fund has been set up so that decisions on grant applications are taken by local people with an understanding of the issues faced by local young people.

The publication highlights initiatives that local groups have developed across the local network fund’s four themes of aspirations and experience, economic disadvantage, isolation and access and children’s voices.

The local network fund operates through a partnership between this unit, the Community Foundation Network, a national voluntary organisation, and local voluntary organisations responsible for administering the fund. Key to the success of the fund’s first year has been the enthusiasm of local voluntary organisations and the community groups that run projects for young people.

Call 0845 113 0161, or see www.cypu.gov.uk  for more details on Creating Magic.

Althea Efunshile is director of the Children and Young People’s Unit.

Dyspraxia support

One of the projects highlighted in Creating Magic (see column left) is Dyspraxia Connexion. Dyspraxia is a condition of the brain resulting in messages not being properly transmitted to the body. It affects at least 2 per cent of the population in varying degrees and can result in some difficulty with physical co-ordination. Five families created a support group in Nottinghamshire in 1993, which has now developed into an independent charity with more than 1,500 families using the drop-in support services and telephone helpline. A grant from the local network fund has enabled a specially developed residential adventure programme to be provided for young people from Dyspraxia Connexion.

Further details from Anne Taylor: 0115 968 1100

On stage in Liverpool

Another project given the spotlight in Creating Magic is Liverpool’s Kensington Fields Community Association, which provides arts and drama as diversionary opportunities for young people aged 13-19 years old who have been identified as at risk of offending, or exclusion from school. Association staff found that younger siblings were often brought along to the sessions in the care of their older brothers or sisters. To provide a full service for those aged between eight and 13 years old, a local network fund grant is funding a new programme. A 12-week course culminating in a stage performance has been developed.

Manchester gets more united

The Children’s Fund in Trafford is looking to build on its provision of diversionary activities as part of the government’s wider initiative on street crime this summer. It has provided sports activities at Old Trafford in the evenings and at weekends for those children and young people at risk of falling into bad behaviour, young people on the fringes of offending and those already known to the police and youth offending teams. The project has been run by a voluntary organisation in partnership with SRB5, the youth offending team, sports development, the youth service and Children’s Fund. Since February, 804 children and young people aged from seven to 20 have attended. Crime and general nuisance have been reduced when the service is provided.

For further details, Sheryl Cocks, Children’s Fund North West 0161 952 4462.

Birmingham engagement

Birmingham Children’s Fund has been involving children in choosing the services they are provided with. Not only have they engaged children from various schools, after-school clubs and play centres, but they have worked with specific groups including traveller children, children with special needs and newly arrived children. There are already plans to include children homeless in hostels in the near future towards the commissioning of a relevant service. Children who have taken part in the child selection activities were asked what they liked about it. The responses included “the way the people gave us answers”, “doing the interviewing and joining in”, “because we got to do what we wanted,” and “getting messy with paint”.

For further details contact Barbara Jagus, Children’s Fund West Midlands - 0121 212 5399.

Film of cohesion

The Children and Young People’s Unit has been working with the Peacemaker anti-racist youth development organisation in Oldham to develop a film resource. The video, developed with support from Bob Geldof’s production company, aims to trigger discussion about identity, segregation and the role of political and community leaders.

Further information from 020 7273 4883.