Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care & Public Health

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/138

Contact: Rebecca Lanchbury, Commissioning Officer (Older People) Tel: 07584 481255

Report by Deputy Director for Joint Commissioning (CA11).

The Innovation Fund for Daytime support 2018-19 was open to applications from all community and voluntary organisations to deliver new innovative projects for daytime support in Oxfordshire.

The aim of the funding is to provide one-off funding to support the development of self-sustaining projects, delivering new opportunities for adults in Oxfordshire.

As per the agreed cross-party decision-making process, the cross-party panel reviewed the applications and assessed them against grant criteria. Recommendations for award were coproduced with people who use services and supported by officer recommendations.

This paper sets out the final cross-party panel recommendations for allocation of the Innovation Fund for daytime support 2018-19, for decision by Cabinet.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)        congratulate the voluntary sector for its continued commitment and dedication to innovation and provision of new opportunities to people using services in Oxfordshire;

(b)        review and agree the cross-party evaluation panel’s recommendations for Innovation Fund grant awards as set out at paragraph 10 of the report; and.

(c)        approve utilisation of the remaining amount as set out under 18 above for a third round of applications to the Innovation Fund 2018-19.

Recommendations agreed.

The Innovation Fund for Daytime support 2018-19 was open to applications from all community and voluntary organisations to deliver new innovative projects for daytime support in Oxfordshire. The aim of the funding is to provide one-off funding to support the development of self-sustaining projects, delivering new opportunities for adults in Oxfordshire.

The cross-party panel reviewed the applications and assessed them against grant criteria and recommendations for award were coproduced with people who use services and supported by officer recommendations. Cabinet had before them a report setting out the recommendations of the cross-party panel.

Councillor Afridi, Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Public Health, commended the useful work of the panel and the involvement of service users. However, there was a considerable amount of work involved in the panel process and she highlighted two applications that did not fit the criteria. She suggested that applications be reviewed and only come forward to the panel if they fitted the criteria. Councillor Stratford, noted the comment but felt that it was a balancing act to ensure that the work load was manageable while giving applicants every opportunity to put their application forward. He agreed that the involvement of service users had worked very well. Councillor Stratford moved the recommendations.

RESOLVED:             to:

(a)        congratulate the voluntary sector for its continued commitment and dedication to innovation and provision of new opportunities to people using services in Oxfordshire;

(b)        review and agree the cross-party evaluation panel’s recommendations for Innovation Fund grant awards as set out at paragraph 10 of the report; namely

To approve the requested funding for the following bids: -

(1) Farmability

(2) Witney Day Centre

(3) Cholsey Parish Council

(4) The Cedar Community Club

To approve the requested funding for the following bids subject to conditions (these are specified in the cross-party recommendations at Annex 2): -   

(1)  Paintbuzz

(2)  Farcycles

(3)  The Guideposts Trust

To refuse the requested funding for the following bids: -

(1)  The Royal Voluntary Service

(2)  Fish Volunteer Centre

(c)        approve utilisation of the remaining amount as set out under 18 above for a third round of applications to the Innovation Fund 2018-19.