WIREDGOV

Every child has the potential to succeed in life and yet each year thousands of young people find themselves entering the criminal justice system.

Yesterday the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) opens its search for a UK Partner to help deliver a new £25 million programme that will support young people at-risk to avoid the pathways into offending.

BIG’s new Realising Ambition programme is to look for outstanding projects across the UK that have already proven their effectiveness in diverting young people from crime and will provide funding so these effective approaches can be replicated elsewhere. The programme is focused on young people aged 8-14 years old who have not yet had any formal contact with the justice system.

The UK Partner will bring specific policy and practical expertise to help implement this new targeted investment and is likely to be a group of organisations working together. This partnership would be led by a major voluntary and community sector organisation (a registered charity, incorporated voluntary organisation or social enterprise), but may include organisations from both the private and public sectors.

Once appointed, BIG’s UK Partner will work closely to identify the best 20 to 30 initiatives to  replicate or scale up their approaches. Up to £3 million will be available for individual projects through three to five year grants.

Anna Southall Big Lottery Fund Interim Chair said: “Through Realising Ambition we want to make sure that the very best practice reaches more young people. We believe that by piloting this more systematic approach to implementing best practice, more young people will be able to achieve their true potential and avoid pathways into offending.

“We will also commission a rigorous evaluation of the impact and value for money of our investment in replicating these models, to see what wider lessons might be drawn for BIG and other funders.”

Welcoming the launch of the programme, Anthony Salz, Chair of the Independent Commission on Youth Crime said: “Our Commission’s report Time for a fresh start calls for a structured and cost-effective programme of investment in the most promising preventive approaches that will make it less likely that children and young people will commit crime.

“It also voices concern at the lack of existing mechanisms for spreading best preventive practice and ‘scaling up’ the most effective programmes. Too often, good work has gone unrecognised or been allowed, through lack of proper evaluation and funding, to wither on the vine. We are delighted that the Big Lottery Fund has recognised the problem and committed substantial resources to replicating the very best approaches.”

Organisations interested in applying to become a UK Partner are invited to register their interest in attending a briefing event held on 26^th May in London by contacting BIG at realising.ambition@Biglotteryfund.org.uk by no later than 2pm  on Monday 23^rd May.

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 46% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £25 billion has now been raised and more than 330,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
• Time for a Fresh Start: The report of the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour’ (2010: The Police Foundation). Chapter 3 on prevention.www.youthcrimecommission.org.uk
• There are a number of research reports about funding for replication of voluntary sector initiatives. For example:
• ‘Replicating Successful Voluntary Sector Projects’, Diana Leat, Association of Charitable Foundations, 2003. Available here: http://www.baringfoundation.org.uk/ACFRepReport6.pdf
• ‘Scaling up for the Big Society’, Martin Brookes et al, New Philanthropy Capital, May 2010. Available here: http://www.philanthropycapital.org/publications/improving_the_sector/improving_charities/Scaling_up.aspx