Year 3 Evaluation Report Summary 2019

About this report

In March 2019 Economic Research Services Ltd (ERS) was commissioned by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) to evaluate the Neighbourhoods That Work Programme (NTW). This is the Year 3 Evaluation Summary Report that considers the activity undertaken to date, the impact of the investment and opportunities for the future as the NTW Programme progresses into the final 15 months of activity. This summary report is based on a more detailed evaluation report and is intended to draw out the headline messages from the evaluation.

Supporting the economic growth agenda

The investment has directly evidenced supporting 114 long term unemployed people into sustainable employment (see below). The actual number is likely to be much higher due to the complexity of tracking the impact of community-based support and intervention. More widely, almost 300 people with complex needs reported improved confidence in competing for jobs following volunteering or work placement/taster. Almost 700 local people have enhanced their skills as a direct consequence of programme activity. Future monitoring will continue to track their journey, and potential transition into work.

The total estimated net economic impact (net GVA) across Great Yarmouth is almost £1.2m. In addition, additional tax-payer savings from a reduction in employment related benefit is estimated at £562,577, with housing benefit savings of a further £187,320 per annum. On a local level, sustained employment has increased Council Tax generation by £24,497 per annum through a reduction in non-working households.

Since October 2018 there has been less direct emphasis upon the employability agenda since the emergence of the complementary Building Better Opportunities (BBO) programmes and the cessation of NTW roles that previously underpinned employability support activity. However, the NTW programme still contributes to this agenda through community based opportunities. Our research has identified that more could be achieved by building relationships with local businesses and matching work placement, apprenticeships and job opportunities to residents supported via NTW. There is also scope for the NTW approach to more effectively support residents into opportunities generated through large capital projects emerging via the GYBC economic growth agenda.

The definition of sustainable employment used in the NTW programme is: a job (part time or full time) that lasts for more than six months or a work-related skill or capability that enables a person to be in continuous work via temporary contracts.

Strengthening communities, improving services and overall wellbeing

Around 4000 people have participated in community events and made new connections within their community. Almost 500 people have progressed to join a new group or network, reinforcing community infrastructure.

Over 900 people have experienced smooth, seamless referrals into services from single contact points and in excess of 50 service providers reported that the investment has improved their reach to most vulnerable residents. Almost 500 people have reported improved well-being from having issues addressed, half of which were supported to overcome at least one personal challenge.

Over £1.5m of additional funds have been levered into NTW communities via Community Development and GYBC Neighbourhood Management support since 2015, through supporting voluntary and community groups to apply for and secure external grant funding.

The neighbourhood approach and Theory of Change

The focus on three geographical areas provides the programme with a clear focus on a cohort of local people who statistically are in significant need. The approach of targeting NTW Programme activity at the most disadvantaged communities remains appropriate, enabling a real focus of resources on the people most in need of support.

The continuation of the neighbourhood management model is a priority. The GYBC Neighbourhoods and Communities staff underpin the whole approach and are a lever for improving mainstream and externally funded services (reducing duplication, etc.) whilst also potentially providing the bedrock for any future bespoke community development programme and projects. However, a greater resource commitment from partner agencies should be explored to progress this work post 2020.

The evaluation has identified the scale of work undertaken and the 'golden threads' that link activity and positive outcomes for participants. However, there is limited discernible change in headline indicators for neighbourhoods - the areas benefitting from NTW remain the most disadvantaged across the borough. To some extent this reflects the scale of the problem, especially in relation to wider social changes. For example, welfare reform and the introduction of Universal Credit, in addition to the continuing reduction in services to support the most vulnerable.

We also know that the communities (albeit some more than others) are dynamic in nature. In addition to those already living in the NTW neighbourhoods, many new people to the borough, especially those most in need of additional support services, tend to arrive into the three identified neighbourhoods, presenting a continual challenge for those seeking to lead the creation of resilient communities.

The NTW programme is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and for the final year of funding, the amount has tapered. However, additional funding has been sourced and aligned from Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Norfolk County Council, via the integrated commissioning group. This has been utilised to retain a full complement of Community Development work, as the underpinning function of the success of the NTW Programme. In addition, a part-time post has been established to provide development support to small Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations.

Transforming services

NTW has had an impact upon the design and delivery of a number of key services:

• the Head of Integrated Commissioning for Great Yarmouth and Waveney CCG and Norfolk County Council (NCC) understands the value of the connector-type approach, and in 2016 championed the alignment of VCSE infrastructure development resource with the NTW programme
• the NCC Better Together Programme aims to tackle loneliness and isolation via a team of NTW inspired Life Connectors and a complementary Community Development Worker, aligned to NTW delivery
• the health led Social Prescribing programme has connector posts, directly modelled on NTW learning and in line with the programme's theory of change
• the East Coast Community Healthcare project is undergoing service redesign, being shaped by NTW partners to develop a model embedded in communities
• the Mancroft Advice Project drew from the NTW model and utilised it to develop a successful application to the Youth Investment Fund, creating a youth focussed delivery model to operate alongside NTW and link into neighbourhood management teams and projects
• DIAL have extended their core delivery to better meet community needs by operating out of hours in evenings and over weekends, based on intelligence gained from working within NTW
• Voluntary Norfolk has adopted a more 'systems' approach mindset to how it plans and delivers services. For example the Carers Matter service for young carers has adopted a 'Life Connector' type approach
• MIND created a replica volunteer coordinator in Waveney as they found the Great Yarmouth volunteer coordinator post to be a great benefit
• East Coast College directly drew upon the NTW approach and were able to present a convincing and successful bid for European Social Fund BBO Programme funding, including a micro grant scheme directly investing in employability via community based infrastructure