VAWG Fund Tranche 4 – Exiting Prostitution Service

Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a key priority in the Mayor’s Policing and Crime Plan (2017-21). In February 2019, the Mayor announced he was investing an additional £15m to help services supporting victims of VAWG. PCD 448 and PCD 559 set out how the funding for the Mayor’s VAWG Fund would be allocated.

Funding for tranche 4 of the fund, the VAWG Services Fund, was allocated via an open and competitive process and initially five bids were approved for funding. A further project, the Anita Project, to improve the London response to prostitution, met all the criteria for grant award, pending identification of any unallocated funding across the entire Fund.

This decision asks the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to allocate the final funding for the Mayor’s VAWG Fund, via grant award, to Nia for the delivery of the Anita Project. The proposed grant award is for £500,000 over two financial years (2020/21-2021/22), beginning in April 2020.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve a grant award of £500,000 for two financial years (2020/21 – 2021/2022) to Nia for the delivery of the Anita Project.

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC

1. Introduction and background

1.1. Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a key priority in the Mayor’s Policing and Crime Plan (2017-21). The refreshed London VAWG Strategy (2018-21) aims to reduce the prevalence of VAWG in London, tackling perpetrators and supporting victims and survivors. The refreshed strategy underwent substantial consultation with victims, survivors and the members of the VAWG Board.

1.2. Following an increase in demand and cuts in central government funding the Mayor has had to rethink what needs to be done centrally from City Hall to tackle VAWG and ensure appropriate support is available to victims and survivors. In February 2019, the Mayor committed to invest £15 million of new money, across a three-year period, to improve and increase the support that is available to victims and survivors of VAWG.

1.3. The budget has been allocated across three financial years 2019/20 - 2021/22, with an emphasis on maximising immediate investment in services which are struggling to meet demand as well as allowing for funding to be allocated over a 30-month period supporting the sector’s need for more sustainable access to resource. This funding will be delivered in four tranches:

1. Maintain existing investment.

2. Sustain current innovation.

3. Competitive grant allocation – developing grass-roots based provision.

4. Managing an increase in demand.

1.4. This decision concerns Tranche 4 Managing an Increase in Demand. Decision PCD559 set out the strategy for the funding allocation and commissioning approach for this tranche. The public facing name of Tranche 4 is the VAWG Services Fund.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. An indicative amount of £6.8 million of the Mayor’s VAWG Fund was allocated to tranche 4, based on the evidence base presented by MOPAC’s Evidence and Insight (E&I) service. Decision PCD 559 also enabled the virement of any unspent funding from the other three tranches to this tranche 4.

2.2. As part of the evidence gathering a wide data exercise was carried out to inform the priority areas for the VAWG Services Fund prospectus, and bidders were asked to submit bids that tackled at least one of the following five areas identified as the areas where demand is outstripping service provision: Young people (14-24yrs), Women with multiple disadvantages, Non-crisis support, Harmful practices and Women with no recourse to public funds.

2.3. The prospectus and bid documentation for the VAWG Services Fund was released with a bid submission deadline of 11 September 2019. Following evaluation and moderation five bids were approved for grant awards from tranche four. Funded projects are due to deliver from October 2019 to March 2021. Bidders were able to submit proposals for projects or services between £500,00 - £2,000,000 across the funding cycle.

2.4. A further project (The Anita Project, delivered by Nia) met all criteria for grant award and was held pending the final allocation to tranche four of any unallocated funding from the other tranches (PCD559, 2.2). The Anita Project will improve the London response to prostitution and address the cycle of disadvantage and deprivation that accompanies this type of VAWG.

2.5. Following the final allocation of funds across all tranches of the Mayor’s VAWG Fund, sufficient funding has been identified to enable the award of a grant to the Anita Project, and this decision seeks approval to do this.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. This decision seeks approval to award a grant to the value of £500,000 across 2020/21 – 2021/22 to Nia for the delivery of the Anita Project, profiled at £250,000 per annum commencing 1st April 2020.

3.2. The grant award is funded from the tranche 4 allocation within the £15m Mayor’s VAWG Services Fund announced by the Mayor in February 2019 to tackle violence against women and girls.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. MOPAC’s general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must “secure the maintenance of the metropolitan police service and secure that the metropolitan police service is efficient and effective.” Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 MOPAC has wide incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements.

4.2. Section 143 (1) (b) of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides an express power for MOPAC, as a local policing body, to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.”

4.3. The recommendations in this decision are in line with the legislation and MOPAC’s Scheme of Consent and Delegation. In line with section 4 of the Scheme, the DMPC has authority for the:

4.3.1. approval of business cases for revenue expenditure above £500,000 (section 4.8); and

4.3.2. approval of the strategy for the award of individual grants and the award of all individual grants (section 4.8).

4.4. In line with section 5.22 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation, the Chief Executive Officer has authority for the finalisation of planning and contractual/grant arrangements, including relevant terms and the signing of contracts and grant agreements.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. The funding for the VAWG Services Fund, Tranche 4 of the Mayor’s VAWG Fund, has been allocated following an open and competitive grant award process. These processes are conducted in line with MOPAC’s governance processes and contract regulations.

6. Public Health Approach

6.1. These Grant Awards are informed by the Mayor’s public approach to violence reduction and therefore part of MOPAC’s contribution to overall efforts led by the Violence Reduction Unit.

7. GDPR and Data Privacy

7.1. A full Data Protection Impact Assessment will be completed by the provider if required as part of the mobilisation for the services, to ensure that all delivery is fully compliant with the requirements of the GDPR.

7.2. The grant agreement will include clear provisions relating to compliance in this area, and in relation to the processing of personal data. These terms have been drafted following consultation with MOPAC’s Data Protection Officer.

8. Equality Comments

8.1. The Equality Act 2010 puts a responsibility on public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity.

8.2. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

8.3. The promotion of VAWG support services supports MOPAC’s equalities duties.

8.4. MOPAC is clear that the outputs from this programme of work will provide a better standard of provision to victims of survivors of VAWG whilst having a greater positive impact on certain groups in society who are disproportionately vulnerable to and affected by crime.

9. Background/supporting papers

9.1. PCD 448

9.2. PCD 559

9.3. PCD 633