Community Support Fund Organisations Information Pack, July 2012

7/31/2019 Community Support Fund Organisations Information Pack, July 2012

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Community Support Fund Information Pack for:

Disabled Peoples User Led Organisations / Voluntary andCommunity Sector Organisations

This pack is divided into the following sections:

What is the Community Support Fund (CSF)Local organisations role in the CSFCommunity Support Fund criteria and conditionsHow decisions to award funding will be madeExamples of CSF fundingOther local organisations in your areaDisabled Peoples User Led Organisations AmbassadorsCommunity Support Fund Application FormCommunity Support Fund Guidance Notes

3 Road to the Community Support Fund Diagrams (in separate Powerpoint documents)

Further information on the Community Support Fund can be found on the Office for DisabilityIssues website at:

http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/communitysupportfund

Or you can send enquiries by email to:

[email protected]

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Section 1 What is the Community Support Fund (CSF)?

Background

The Minister for Disabled People announced a 1.5m Community Support Fund as a part of thecomprehensive 8m People Help and Support Package for disabled Remploy employees whohave been made redundant.

The Community Support Fund will offer financial and non-financial support to local disabledpeoples user led organisations (DPULOs) and voluntary sector organisations (VSOs) to deliverprojects and activities to meet the specific needs of disabled ex-Remploy employees.

The aim of the Community Support Fund

The overall aim of the Community Support Fund is to make a positive difference to the lives of theindividuals and families affected by the Remploy factory closures.

Section 2 Local Organisations role in the CSF

The Community Support Fund is targeted at local organisations, such as DPULOs, charitable andvoluntary sector organisations, in geographical areas where ex-Remploy employees live.

Local organisations in the areas surrounding the factory closures will have the opportunity to applyfor funding to take forward a variety of projects and or activities to support groups of ex-Remployemployees.

To qualify for funding organisations will need to work with individuals affected by the factoryclosures to identify activities and interests, which will help them to become more involved in thelocal community, maintain links with work colleagues or move into a new job.

What the project/activity looks like is for the organisation and the ex-Remploy employees todetermine. To help organisations with applications for funding the Disabled Peoples User LedOrganisations (DPULO) Ambassadors will be available to offer advice or support to develop ideas.

Details about the ambassadors are is included in section 7.

To provide stronger outcomes for the local area the Community Support fund will welcome andencourage partnership working. Applications will be considered to be stronger if they show thedevelopment of, or demonstrate effective partnership working.

To support you with this a list of other local organisations in the area is included in the next sectionof this pack.

If you are aware of any other organisation who should be added to this list, please email the

details to us at: [email protected]

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Section 3 Criteria and Conditions

To qualify for funding local organisations will need to complete an application form, which clearly

demonstrates input from disabled ex-Remploy employees and provide details of projects, oractivities that deliver one or both of the following two key outcomes:

Community-

To support disabled Remploy employees affected by factory closures to play a more activerole in the local community. This could include taking part in a variety of group activities tomaintain relationships with ex-work colleagues, or create new friendships within thecommunity.And / or

Employment

To support ex-Remploy employees to move from sheltered to mainstream employment.

This could include taking part in volunteering opportunities or learning and developmentactivities to develop new skills.

Who can apply for funding?

Local organisation in the areas around the factory closures can apply for a modest amount offunding and fall into one of the categories below:

A Disabled Peoples User-Led Organisation (DPULO)

A Voluntary and Community Sector Organisation

A Charity A Social Enterprise

A Community Interest Company

A Non-Profit Organisation

How much funding is available?

There is no maximum amount an organisation can apply for, however the Community SupportFund Board is likely to request more detailed information about outcomes and value for money forany application that is at the higher end of the range of awards (above 15,000).

There is no minimum amount an organisation can apply for, however, applications will beconsidered by the Community Support Fund Board to ensure a fair geographical spread in theareas affected by the Remploy factory closures.

How many applications can an organisation make?

Organisations can make more than one application for funding for example, if an organisationsproposes to work in partnership across several geographic areas, applications will be consideredas long as:

- The application differs from any other application- There is a proven need for the funding

-Capacity to deliver across all the applications is proven

- Funds are still available having taken into account the funds distributed to date.

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July 2012 Shropshire

Worcestershire

Herefordshire

Northamptonshire (South)

BirminghamEmail: [email protected]

Further information about the Strengthening DPULOs Programme, National Lead / DPULOAmbassador roles, and financial support available through the Facilitation Fund can be found at:http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/odi-projects/user-led-organisations.php

Section 8 - Community Support Fund Application Form

Thank you for considering applying to the Community Support Fund.

To assist you in completing this form we have created some guidance notes. Accessible versionsof this form and the guidance notes are also available. All of these can be found on our website:http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/communitysupportfund

Please read the guidance notes before you complete this application form. They contain usefulinformation about the Community Support Fund, including by when your application should besubmitted for consideration in each funding round.

If you have any questions about your application please contact us by [email protected].

Your contact details

Name of your organisation:Name and position in the organisation of the person completing this form:Postal address:Telephone number:Mobile phone number:

Email address:Organisation website:

1. About your application

1.1 Is this a partnership/joint application?Yes (see questions below) / No (proceed to Section 2)

Please note: Applications to the Community Support Fund from organisations working incollaboration that can develop and demonstrate effective partnership working, especially with

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July 2012disabled people and their organisations will be particularly encouraged. See Section 9.2 Area3 of the Guidance Notes.

1.2 Are you the lead contact/organisation? Yes / No Please note only the lead organisation can make the application

1.3 List the name(s) of the organisation(s) who you are working with you in this project/activity

1.4 Is/Are the organisation(s) you are working in partnership with one or more of the following:

A Disabled Peoples User-Led Organisation (DPULO) Yes / No

A Voluntary and Community Sector Organisation Yes / No

A Charity Yes / No

A Social Enterprise Yes / No

A Community Interest Company Yes / No

A Non-Profit Organisation Yes / No

An employee- or member-owned organisation Yes / No

Other (please specify) Yes / No

Working in collaboration with another organisation (Please provide details) Yes / No

2. About the lead organisation

2.1 Are you:

A DPULO Yes / No

A Voluntary and Community Sector Organisation Yes / No

A Charity Yes / No

A Social Enterprise Yes / No A Community Interest Company Yes / No

A Non-Profit Organisation Yes / No

Other (please specify) Yes / No

3. Your location

3.1 Are you:

In one or more local community/communities affected by a Remploy Factory closure?

(A list of geographical areas is included in the Guidance Notes.) Yes / NoPlease state which area(s):

3.2 If not, can you demonstrate a clear understanding of the needs of the localcommunity/communities affected by the Remploy Factory closure?

Please supply supporting evidence.

4. Funding

4.1a Can you confirm that your organisation has not received funding for this particularproject/activity from UK Government or the Devolved Administrations

Yes/ No

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4.1b Can you confirm that this project/activity is over and above what your organisation isdelivering with any funding from central government or the Devolved Administrations

Yes/ No

4.1c Have you received or applied for funding from either the Community Support Fund orStrengthening DPULOs Programme Facilitation Fund1 before?

Yes / No

If yes, please provide your reference number(s):

4.2 Please provide confirmation that you are applying for the funding as the lead officer for theorganisation and have regularly audited accounts that could be made available on request:

Yes / No

4.3 Please confirm you can receive payment of any award made through the Community

Support Fund Yes / No

4.4 Please provide confirmation that you have read and understand your obligations withregards to de minimis awards received, detailed in Schedule 3

Yes / No

4.5 What is the total amount of de minimis aid your organisation has already been grantedduring the previous two fiscal years and the current fiscal year?

4.6 Please confirm that the amount of grant applied for will not result in the total amount of de

minimis aid received during the previous two fiscal years and the current fiscal year exceeding200,000:

Yes / No

4.7 Please confirm that you will retain details of this grant and produce it on any request by theUK public authorities or the European Commission:

Yes / No

5. About your proposed activity / project

5.1 What is the name of your proposed activity / project?

5.2 How much you are applying for?

5.3 Please summarise your proposed activity / project (150 words max)

5.4 Please use the Project Plan template contained at Schedule 1 to tell us your proposed keyactivities, outputs and associated timescales

5.5 For each activity and associated output(s) please use the Budget Breakdown templatecontained at Schedule 2 to tell us what money you require

1 Question only applicable to England-only organisations pre-July 2012

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6. Delivering the outcomes of the Community Support Fund

6 How will your proposed activity / project make a positive difference to the lives of disabled

people affected by the Remploy Factory closure?

To do so, it should cover one or both of the following bullets:

Support individuals to become actively involved in their local communities

or/and

Support individuals to make the move from sheltered to mainstream employment. (100words)

(See Sections 2 and 3 of the Guidance notes for more information about the the aim andobjectives of the Community Support Fund)

7. Developing Communities and working in partnership

Important note: you must clearly demonstrate how disabled people affected by the RemployFactory closure have been involved in developing the proposed activity / project. See Area2 of the Essential Criteria in the Guidance Notes.

7.1 What individuals or groups have you engaged with to develop your proposed activity /project? Please list all of them here.For example:

Ex-Remploy employees?

Remploy factory?

A DPULO Ambassador/National Lead?

Other local organisations?

Local Authorities?

Local employers?

Anyone else?

7.2 How have you engaged these individuals / groups to develop your proposed activity /project? (100 words)

7.3 How will you be taking forward the partnership working to meet the objectives of thisproject/activity? (100 words)

7.4 How will your activity / project develop, or strengthen links within the local community? (100words)

7.5 If you havent discussed this activity / project with anyone else, please tell us why (100words)

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July 2012Please enclose any relevant letters of support with your application as this will strengthen yourapplication.

8. Capturing impact, sustaining involvement and sharing learning

8.1 How will you capture and understand the impact the proposed project / activity has toensure it makes a positive difference to the lives of people affected by the a RemployFactory closure? (100 words)

8.2 Where possible, we would like to see the impact of the Community Support Fundextend beyond the funding period. How will you try to sustain the involvement of peopleaffected by the Remploy Factory closure in your work beyond the time of the formalproject? (100 words) Please note: This question is for information only. It will not bemarked.

8.3 How will you capture the wider learning from your activity / project for the benefit ofDPULOs and VCS organisations more generally, especially in working with disabled people? (100words) Please note: This question is for information only. It will not be marked.

9. Confirmation

I confirm that if my application is successful I am happy for details of my award and myorganisations name and any partner names to be published on the ODI website and used in pressreleases to publicise the fund.

Yes / No

This application form has been completed and authorised by:

Signature:

Print name:

Position:

Organisation:

Date:

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10. Sending us your Community Support Fund application

Your completed application form for the Community Support Fund should include all of the

following:

This application form

Letters of support

A completed project plan (Schedule 1)

A completed budget breakdown (Schedule 2)

Once you have completed your Community Support Fund application form, please send it to theMaking a Difference team at:

Email: [email protected]

Post: Office for Disability Issues, Ground Floor, Caxton House, 6-12 Tothill Street, London

SW1H 9NA

You will receive confirmation from us that we have received your Community Support Fundapplication within 7-14 working days.

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Community Support Fund Application: Schedule 1 Your project plan

Name of your organisation:

Please complete this project plan template to tell us more about your proposed activity / project in more detail (to answer Question 5.4 of theapplication form).

Activity Output Timescale

1.

2.3.

4.5.

Please add further rows as necessary

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Community Support Fund Application:Schedule 2 Budget breakdown

Name of your organisation:

Please provide a breakdown of the costs you think will be covered by any funding awarded(to answer Question 5.5 of the application form).

Item of expenditureActivity number thisrelates to (from yourproject plan)

Budget (UK sterling)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Please add further rows asnecessary

Total:

This budget breakdown has been completed and authorised by:

Signature:

Print name:

Position:

Organisation:

Date:

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Community Support Fund Application: Schedule 3 State Aid requirements

What is State aid?

Where a public body provides financial support to an organisation engaged in commercialand economic activity, it is necessary to consider whether such support constitutes State

aid.State aid applies if:

Aid is granted by a Member State or through its resources;

It favours certain undertakings or the production of certain goods

It distorts threatens to distort competition ; and

It affects trade between Member States.

Key questions to consider if a payment will fall within the state aid regulations:

1. Is the support provided granted by the State?This includes all public and private bodies controlled by the state to distributepublic funds. For example, Lottery, tax exemptions, grants, subsidies.

2. Does the support confer a selective advantage to an undertaking?A benefit which is granted for free or on favorable (non-commercial) terms tosome selected organisations (but not others), could be state aid.Definitions:Advantage: An advantage can take the form of direct payment of stateresources in the form of grants and subsidies as well as indirect benefits thataffect the public budget such as tax breaks, rate rebates, low interest loans, saleof public land below market value and the provision of services for free or atbelow-market rates.Selectivity: Support that targets particular businesses, regions or types of firm

e.g. SMEs or particular sectors and not others is selective.Organisations - do not have to be profit-making as long as the activity carriedout is one which, in principle, has commercial competitors. This can includevoluntary and non-profit-making public or public authorities when they areengaged in economic activity. Charities, universities, research institutions,voluntary entities, social enterprises and public sector bodies will be consideredwhen they are engaged in economic activity.Economic activity: Offering goods or services on a given market and whichcould, at least in principle, be carried out by private actors in order to makeprofits.

3. Does the support distort or have the potential to distort competition?

If the funding has the potential to strengthen the position of the organisationrelative to other competitors then this criteria is likely to be met.The potential to distort competition does not need to be substantial orsignificant, and this criterion can apply to relatively small amounts of financialsupport and firms with little market share.

4. Does the support affect trade between Member States?Commission's interpretation ofthis is broad - it is sufficient that a product orservice is tradeable between member states, even if the recipient of supportdoes not itself export to other EU markets. This test is not met only in verylimited circumstances.

If all four questions are met State Aid applies.

Additional information about de minimis aid previously received

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You are being considered for assistance under the De minimis Regulation (Regulation1998/2006). This may allow an enterprise to receive up to 200,000 de minimis aid overany period of three fiscal years.- To establish whether you are eligible to receive de minimis aid you must declare the full

amount of de minimis aid which you have already been granted during the previous two

fiscal years and the current fiscal year.- Any assistance you may have received from a public body could potentially be de

minimis aid. This might include assistance received from central, regional, or devolvedgovernments, as well as from other agencies or local councils.

- You should have received a letter informing you if you were given assistance under thede minimis regulation. If you are unsure as to whether or not any public assistance youhave received is de minimis aid, please contact the granting body to clarify.

Please provide information about any public assistance under 200,000 you have receivedin the last three years in question 6 of the application form.

The following is not a comprehensive list of all possible forms of aid. However, it shouldprovide an indication of some of the most common forms of de minimis aid which you mayhave been awarded over the past three years.

Forms of possible aid:

State grants;

Interest rate relief;

Tax relief;

Tax credits;

State guarantees or holdings;

State provision of goods or services on preferential terms;

Direct subsidies;

Tax exemptions;

Preferential interest rates;

Guarantees of loans on especially favourable terms;

Acquisition of land or buildings either gratuitously or on favourable terms;

Provision of goods and services on preferential terms;

Indemnities against operating losses;

Reimbursement of costs in the event of success;

State guarantees, whether direct or indirect, to credit operations preferential re-discount rates;

Dividend guarantees;

Preferential public ordering;

Reduction of, or exemption from, charges or taxes, including accelerated depreciationand the reduction of social contributions;

Deferred collection of fiscal or social contributions;

Assistance financed by special levies;

Capital transfers;

Certain State holdings in the capital of undertakings.

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Section 9 - Community Support Fund Guidance Notes

Thank you for considering applying to the Community Support Fund. To assist you incompleting the application form we have created these guidance notes.

Please read these guidance notes before you complete your application form. Theycontain useful information about the Community Support Fund.

Accessible versions of the application form and the guidance notes (including versionswith no tables) are also available. All of these can be found on our website, along withmore information about the Community Support Fund at:http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/communitysupportfund

If you have any questions about the Community Support Fund please contact us byemailing [email protected].

ContentsName of your organisation:..................................................................................................13Please complete this project plan template to tell us more about your proposed activity /project in more detail (to answer Question 5.4 of the application form)..............................13Name of your organisation:..................................................................................................14Please provide a breakdown of the costs you think will be covered by any funding awarded(to answer Question 5.5 of the application form).................................................................14

What is State aid? ................................................................................................................................15

1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 182. Aim of the Community Support Fund ...............................................................................183. Objectives of the Community Support Fund ....................................................................184. Principles informing the operation of the Community Support Fund ...............................195. How much can I apply for?............................................................................................................................................. 196. When will a decision be made on my application? ..........................................................207. What the Community Support Fund can support ........................................................... 218. Exclusions and limitations to the Community Support Fund ........................................... 21

8.1 Fund Exclusions ............................................................................................................................21

8.2 Fund limitations ............................................................................................................................22

8.3 State Aid ........................................................................................................................................229. Assessment criteria ..........................................................................................................23

9.1 Qualification criteria ......................................................................................................................23

9.2 Essential criteria ............................................................................................................................23

9.3 Scoring criteria ..............................................................................................................................25

13. Terms & Conditions ..................................................................................................... 25Annex 1: Other support available to individuals affected by the Remploy factory closures 26

1. Introduction

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In the UK Governments response to the Sayce Review, the Minister for Disabled People,Maria Miller MP, announced a comprehensive 8m people help and support package fordisabled Remploy employees affected by the Remploy factory closures. The help andsupport package contained a mixture of individual and community support. 1.5m of thishas been allocated to the Community Support Fund.

In July 2012, the Minister formally opened the Community Support Fund for bids fromdisabled peoples user-led organisations (DPULOs) and voluntary and community sector(VCS) organisations2.

The overall aim of the Community Support Fund is to make a positive difference to thelives of the individuals and families affected by the Remploy factory closures.

It will do this through financial support to local DPULOs and VCS organisations to deliversupport and services. The Community Support Fund will be focussed around thegeographical areas affected by the Remploy factory closure. DPULOs and/or VCSorganisations that are locally based or have local knowledge are able to apply for a

modest amount of funding to support individuals affected by the Remploy factory closuresto become actively involved in their local communities or/and support individuals to makethe move from sheltered to mainstream employment.

Applications received from organisations working in collaboration that can develop anddemonstrate effective partnership working, will be particularly encouraged. See Section9.2 Area 3 below.

In addition to the Community Support Fund there is a range of support available for peopleaffected by the Remploy factory closures including, for example, Personal Budgets. Foryour information, further detail on this People Help and Support Package is included inAnnex 1 below.

2. Aim of the Community Support Fund

The overall aim of the Community Support Fund is to make a positive difference to thelives of the individuals and families affected by Remploy factory closures.

3. Objectives of the Community Support Fund

The objectives of the Community Support Fund are to:

Support individuals affected by the Sayce announcement to:

Support individuals to play more of an active role in the local community, by takingpart in a variety of group activities. These could include maintaining relationships withex-work colleagues from Remploy, or creating new friendships within the community.And / or

2 Please note: by DPULOs and voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations we mean all non-profitdistributing organisations, including: disabled peoples user-led organisations, voluntary and community sectororganisations, charities, social enterprises, Community Interest Companies, non-profit organisations andemployee- or member-owned organisations

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Support individuals to move from sheltered to mainstream employment. This couldinclude taking part in learning and development activities to develop new skills.

Furthermore, projects supported through the Community Support Fund should:

Cover local areas affected by Remploy factory closures

Clearly demonstrate how disabled people affected by the Remploy factory closure havebeen involved in developing the proposed activity / project

Appropriately cover all disabled people and impairment groups, i.e. learning disabilities,long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, physical impairments andsensory impairments.

Appropriately cover all people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act2010

Support a range of levels of innovation in the activities funded.

Maximise other resources both financial and non-financial that can encourageparticipation in mainstream employment or activities in the community.

4. Principles informing the operation of the Community Support Fund

The principles which inform the operation of the Community Support Fund were co-produced with key stakeholders and are presented below.

The Community Support Fund is accessible, inclusive and approaches this work fromthe social model of disability

It aims to be proportionate and light touch, as applied to:

The application process

The approach to accounting for spending

The approach to monitoring

It aims to be open:

Decisions will be clearly communicated with applicants, including the reasonswhy a bid was / wasnt successful

General information that is not bound by the Data Protection Act will be madeavailable, including assessment criteria and general information on awardsmade (e.g. average values, types of work supported, coverage etc.)

5. How much can I apply for?

We are keen to encourage applications such that the Community Support Fund isappropriately distributed across all of the areas affected by Remploy factory closures.

To this end, we have provided some guidance on how the broad amounts of financialresource could be distributed. There is also, however, a common pot available to reflectparticular demand where it can be suitably evidenced.

Before developing or submitting any application, we strongly suggest you make contactwith your local Ambassador to discuss how much can be bid for from the Community

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Support Fund. You can find out who your local Ambassador is and what their contactdetails are here: http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/communitysupportfund

Key points:

There is no minimum amount you can apply for. However, applications will beconsidered by the board to ensure a fair geographical spread in the areas affected by

the Sayce Announcement.

There is no maximum amount you can apply for, however the Board is likely torequest more detailed information about outcomes and value for money for anyapplication at the higher end of the range of awards available for each area affected bythe Sayce announcement.

More than one application from an organisation for example, if an organisationsproposes to work in partnership across several geographic areas, applications will beconsidered as long as:

o The application differs from any other application

o There is a proven need for the funding

o Capacity to deliver across all the applications is proven

o Funds are still available having taken into account the funds distributed to

date.

More than one application from an area will be considered as long as:o There is no duplication with any other application

o There is a proven need for the funding

o The number of bids is proportionate with the scale of activity anticipated (see

Annex 2 for further information)o Demand in all other areas has been meto Funds are still available having taken into account the funds distributed to

date.

6. When will a decision be made on my application?

The decision to award funding will be made by the Community Support Fund Board. Thisdecision making group will be drawn from DPULO Ambassadors and representatives from

VCS organisations. It will be jointly chaired by the DPULO Programme National Leads.

The Board will consider applications in a series of rounds. The closing dates associatedwith each round are published on the website:http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/communitysupportfund

Alternatively, you can contact [email protected] to find out thedates.

7. What the Community Support Fund can support

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We strongly suggest you make contact with your local Ambassador to discuss what theCommunity Support Fund can support. You can find out who your local Ambassador isand what their contact details are here: http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/communitysupportfund

The Community Support Fund will provide one-off or short-term payments which willsupport organisations to support individuals affected by the Remploy factory closures

which will: Deliver focused outcomes that make a positive difference to the lives of the individuals

and families affected by the Remploy factory closures.

Support individuals affected by the Remploy factory closures to play an active role intheir local communities

Support individuals affected by the Remploy factory closures who want to make thetransition from sheltered employment to mainstream employment.

By short term, we mean typically less than 18 months. Examples of activities / projects thatcan be supported include (but are not limited to) the following:

Enabling disabled people affected by the Remploy factory closures to have morechoice and control over their lives

Providing disabled people with support to participate and have a voice in their localcommunity

Developing a range of projects and activities that build skills, offer volunteeringopportunities and provide training to support disabled people moving from shelteredemployment into mainstream work.

Empowering individuals to understand and take control of the support available tothem, including funding packages.

8. Exclusions and limitations to the Community Support Fund

We strongly suggest you make contact with your local Ambassador to discuss what theCommunity Support Fund cant support. You can find out who your local Ambassador isand what their contact details are here: http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/communitysupportfund

8.1 Fund Exclusions

For the purposes of the Community Support Fund the following which is not exhaustive listwill not be funded:

For ongoing running costs including day to day wage/salary costs, but this exclusionshall not apply to funding required for day to day wage/salary costs for a project whichthe Community Support Fund wholly or partly funds

To buy ongoing or regular services from a third party (note: one-off or short-termservices are permissible)

To reimburse travel/childcare costs

To pay for rent/estates

To fund IT equipment in excess of the 1,000 capital threshold

To pay for refreshments

To pay for gifts To fund working capital or retained to cover future running costs and expenditure

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To fund contributions in kind

Interest payments or service charge payments for finance leases

To fund any other UK Government Department or anybody funded from centralgovernment.

8.2 Fund limitations

Any funding given to support individuals affected by the Remploy factory closures whichmight be novel or contentious, or which could potentially bring the UK Government intodisrepute, requires advance approval by the Office for Disability Issues.

Funding can only be agreed and made to organisations that have auditable accounts. Theonly exception to this rule may be where an organisation is being set up to deliverCommunity Support Fund outcomes.

If a problem arises after funding has been awarded, ODI reserves the right to recover anyfunding that has been fraudulently claimed. A fraudulent claim for these purposes includes:

Submitting false receipts Submitting receipts for purchases that are unassociated with the Community Support

Fund

Submitting receipts that are not duly reflected in the organisations auditable accounts.

The decision to award funding may be revoked if the organisation closes before funding isawarded, or where an invoice is not submitted within three months of the decisionnotification and no reasonable explanation is given for the delay.

The Office for Disability Issues has discretion not to reimburse costs where a receipt, or

invoice shows any materially misleading, or inaccurate information.

DWP/ODI may also recover funding in the following instances:

When the Organisation does not spend the grant within 3 months of the payment(where applicable) and has failed to provide the Community Support Fund Board with areasonable explanation for delay;

The Organisation obtains duplicate funding from a third party for the same costs;

The Organisation ceases to operate for any reason within a period deemed reasonableby the Community Support Board and proportionate to the level of funding awarded.

8.3 State Aid

The Community Support Fund is classified as State Aid as defined under Articles 107 and108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and is granted as de minimisaid under the De Minimis Aid Regulation.

Where a public body provides financial support to an organisation engaged in commercialand economic activity, it is necessary to consider whether such support constitutes Stateaid.

State aid applies to your organisation if:

Aid is granted by a Member State, or through its resources

It favours certain undertakings, or the production of certain goods

It distorts, or threatens to distort competition

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It affects trade between Member States.

If all four questions are satisfied State Aid applies and we would need to consider detailsof any/all State Aid funding your organisation has received.

Grants offered under the terms of the state aid de minimis regulations, funding will not be

awarded where the Organisation has received funding, in three years, in excess of the deminimis limit of 200,000Euro.

9. Assessment criteria

Applications to the Community Support Fund will be assessed against two sets of criteria:

Qualification criteria

Essential criteria.

These are explained in more detail below.

9.1 Qualification criteria

The information below explains each of the qualification criteria and which questions (inbold) we will consider to determine if your application meets these criteria.

Your application must be able to meet each of the qualification criteria below (unlessstated otherwise).

Qualification criteria EvidenceThe lead organisation is a DPULO or VCS organisation Question 2.1

If you are not thelead organisationyou cannot apply

The proposed activity / project takes place within one or more localcommunity / communities affected by the Remploy factory closures

Questions 3.1, 3.2

The application is for a piece of work / project that is not already fundedby the UK Government or any of the Devolved Administrations

Question 4.1a,4.1b, 4.1c

The organisation has regularly audited accounts (unless it is anorganisation in the process of being set up) and can receive payment of

any award

Questions 4.2, 4.3

Declaration received from DPULO that de minimis aid in excess of200,000 in past three year period has not been awarded (Evidencefrom)

Questions 4.4, 4.5,4.6, 4.7

9.2 Essential criteria

The information below explains each of the essential criteria areas and which questions (inbold) we will consider to determine if your application meets these criteria.

Essential criteria Evidence

Area 1:Individual outcomes The proposed activity / project will:

Meet the aim and objectives of the Community Support Fund

Questions 5.3,5.4, 6

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Essential criteria Evidence

information on them

There is information on how involvement of individuals could besustained beyond the formal project

Wider learning from the project is captured for the benefit of DPULOsand Voluntary and Community Sector organisations more generally,

especially in working with disabled people

9.3 Scoring criteria

Applications to the Facilitation Fund will be scored against the essential areas above asfollows:

3 points answer clearly meets the criteria and provides good evidence to support this

2 points answer partly meets the criteria and provides some evidence to support this

1 point answer hardly meets the criteria and provides little/no evidence to support this

0 points no answer to the question

The scoring criteria:

A score of 18 will indicate the essential criteria are met in full

A score between 13 and 17 will indicate a strong application

A score of 12 will indicate an acceptable application

A score below 12 will indicate a weak application

Please note: Decisions will be made based only on the information provided in theapplication form, supporting letters and any clarification answers provided in response toquestions from the ODI.

12. Frequently Asked Questions

The Community Support Fund was launched in July 2012. We will update these GuidanceNotes with Frequently Asked Questions based on the questions and queries we receive.

13. Terms & Conditions

1. The decision to award funding will be made by the Community Support Fund Board.

Decisions will be made based on the quality and detail provided in application. TheOrganisation will need to demonstrate how they meet the aims of the fund.2. The Organisation will be advised in writing once the decision is made. If funding isawarded, the Organisation will then have the responsibility for purchasing the itemsagreed and submitting an invoice and associated receipts to the Office for DisabilityIssues for reimbursement within a 3 month period from the date stated on the awardletter (where applicable). Schedule 1 should be completed and returned with theapplication form to provide a breakdown of the proposed spend.3. DWP/ODI forbids use of its DWP logos or imagery/copyright material or anyIntellectual Property by Organisation and/or indication to any affiliation to the DWP/ODIby references in documentation or spoken words unless through express writtenconsent granted by ODI.Details of financial fund limitations are included in this guidance at section 9.

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Annex 1: Other support available to individuals affected by the Remploy factoryclosures

The people help and support package is designed to be flexible so that support can betailored to meet each individuals specific needs, including providing support to help peoplewho have difficulties fitting into mainstream employment. The support package will consistof the following key elements:

One to one sessions with employees and families to offer work and financial advice, a

skills audit, and identification of any barriers to employment;

Local Rapid Response Service teams will provide initial information and signpostingsources of help to meet employment, financial, tax and benefit advice and supportneeds. This will include identification and referral to suitable job and work relatedopportunities;

A Personal Case Worker to act as the central point of contact for the duration of the

support period (up to 18 months). They will help each disabled person developindividual action plans to address their specific range of needs, assist them select themost appropriate route back to work and signpost them to appropriate support;

Referral to mentoring and befriending services, supplied by local charity and thirdsector organisations. Mentors will support individuals adjust to life outside of Remployand provide support, advice and encouragement to help them find alternativemainstream employment;

Referral to existing back-to-work support the Department offers such as Work Choice,Work Programme, Access to Work, Disability Employment Advisers and Work

Psychologists.

A personal budget to use on services not covered by other funding streams. We expectthe average personal budget to be in the region of 2500.

Support from locally available Remploy Employment Services, who work with manyindividuals with similar disabilities to those who may be displaced from the factorynetwork.

Access to other work related opportunities available from Remploy and Jobcentre Plusemployer networks. Remploy found 20,000 jobs for disabled and disadvantaged peoplelast year and hold around 600 - 700 vacancies a week.

Referral to local Disabled Peoples User-Led Organisations, charities and third sectorprovision of social and care support functions. This will include personal assistance toaccess local provision and funding streams.

Work is also be taken forward with employers and the Employers Forum on Disabilityto offer targeted work opportunities for those affected by these announcements.

Section 10 - Road to the Community Support Fund

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Documents

Community Support Fund Organisations Information Pack, July 2012