Funding for Engage Renfrewshire 2025-26
Renfrewshire Council · 23 April 2025
Back to Leadership Board — 23 April 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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___________________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 23 April 2025 _________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Funding for Engage Renfrewshire 2025/26 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This paper outlines proposals for the allocation of grant funding to Engage Renfrewshire for 2025/26. Engage Renfrewshire is Renfrewshire’s Third Sector Interface and this funding from the Council is provided in addition to national funding allocated by the Scottish Government which enables Engage Renfrewshire to fulfil this role and deliver a range of targeted activities locally. 1.2 The quantum of funding allocated by the Council is recommended to be set at £360,610. This is in line with previous funding allocations and subject to approval, will be supported through a grant funding agreement which will set out key priorities to be delivered by Engage Renfrewshire in line with this grant funding. Subject to board approval, the Council’s allocation of grant funding would continue to allow the organisation to deliver at the scale required by local third and community sector organisations and to target the specific additional priorities which have been identified by the Council as set out at Section 5 of this report. Engage Renfrewshire will be expected to actively manage any resourcing pressures experienced over the medium term. As outlined in Section 6 of the report, the Connected Communities programme currently under development will shape the Council’s future commissioning requirements in terms of third sector and community support.
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1.3 The grant funding agreement is designed to be flexible in order that new and emerging priorities can be progressed in partnership. In 2024, this flexibility was evidenced following the inspection of Community Learning and Development partnership arrangements in Renfrewshire conducted by HMI/Education Scotland, with Engage Renfrewshire proactively working with the Council to implement new governance and partnership working arrangements in relation to community learning and development, with the Chief Executive of Engage Renfrewshire now chairing a new partnership steering group. 1.4 The role of Engage Renfrewshire in responding to the inspection findings was recognised by HM Inspectors as part of a recent inspection progress visit, with Engage Renfrewshire’s leadership role recognised as a key strength within Renfrewshire’s approach. 1.5 Information is provided in Section 4 in relation to the activities delivered by Engage Renfrewshire in 24/25 in relation to the grant funding allocated, whilst section 5 highlights the priorities that will be progressed during 25/26 subject to approval of the grant funding. These are additional priorities which Engage Renfrewshire will be required to deliver on over and above core priorities identified by the organisation and its other funders, and progress against these will be closely monitored by officers. 1.6 As elected members will be aware, the Council is progressing its Connected Communities programme which is being led by the Head of Policy and Partnerships. As part of this, work is being undertaken to map existing mechanisms and resources for developing community capacity in Renfrewshire, with the funding for Engage Renfrewshire included within the scope of this review. 1.7 Officials from Engage Renfrewshire have worked proactively with officers to provide detailed information on the activities undertaken by the organisation. This is being used to inform more detailed design work being progressed to develop the Connected Communities model. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that elected members: • approves grant funding of £360,610 to Engage Renfrewshire to deliver the priorities outlined in section 5 of this report. __________________________________________________
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3. Background 3.1 Engage Renfrewshire is the designated Third Sector Interface (TSI) for the Renfrewshire Council area. The organisation provides services to support the operation and growth of community and voluntary sector organisations (also known as the third sector), including Social Enterprises, within the area. The organisation: • supports social enterprises, community development trusts, charitable groups, mutual aid groups and more. • helps groups to build capacity and to be safe, by providing information, advice and training for everything from charitable structures to funding. • support volunteer involving organisations with recruitment and volunteer support, and work with individuals to find them rewarding volunteer opportunities. They also work with local charities and public sector bodies to promote volunteering for all. 3.2 Engage Renfrewshire is funded to provide support to local community and voluntary sector organisations by the Scottish Government, and to deliver against the TSIs outcome framework for Scotland. 3.3 Engage Renfrewshire is based in the Engage Hub in Ferguslie Park, and a number of local organisations from both the third and public sector are tenants within the Hub. Membership of Engage Renfrewshire is free to organisations and individuals. 3.4 Engage Renfrewshire also generates its own income through trading, through the provision of financial and payroll services to individuals, organisations and voluntary groups. 3.5 Renfrewshire Council provides grant funding to Engage Renfrewshire to ensure support is provided to third sector and community organisations in Renfrewshire. This is provided in addition to any national funding or income generated, and has been vital in ensuring close partnership working, particularly during COVID and the ongoing cost of living crisis. In recent years the quantum of funding has been retained at £360,610, requiring Engage Renfrewshire to actively manage any resourcing pressures. The funding agreement which is put into place has been strengthened to ensure there is a much stronger focus on the delivery of agreed priorities – ensuring there is a much closer alignment between the funding allocated and the deliverables required by the Council.
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4. Key activities delivered during in 2024/25 4.1 In May 2024, Leadership Board approved the allocation of £360,610 in grant funding to Engage Renfrewshire for 24/25 and a grant support agreement was subsequently put into place to deliver a number of identified and agreed priorities. Progress against this programme of work has been regularly monitored by officers with key activities including: • Building capacity within the community and voluntary sector by supporting members to access development, support and funding. Engage Renfrewshire’s membership continues to grow and now has a membership of 454. • Co-ordinating the Renfrewshire Social Enterprise network, enabling over 140 members to access specialist support to develop their organisations. For 2024/25, RenSEN members and other local community providers secured £431,883 from Whole Family Wellbeing Support grants and £25,750 of Community Benefits were awarded to 16 enterprising organisations. A fully funded business mentoring programme was offered to 10 RenSEN organisations, with 9 completing the programme. • Co-ordinating national and local partners to provide information and support on Community Asset Transfer. • Chairing the Community Learning and Development (CLD) Partnership Executive Group and supporting the CLD Partnership Forum, with this role recognised as a key strength by HM Inspectors / Education Scotland. • Collaborating with Renfrewshire Council’s procurement team to pilot a new approach to the Community Benefits menu, with a focus on raising the importance of community engagement at a pre-tender stage • Supporting and promoting various local funding initiatives including Multiply, the Winter Connections programme, Culture Arts and Health Social Care and Cultural Heritage and Event Funding. In particular over 2024/25, Engage Renfrewshire played a key role in supporting the design of community funding approaches as well as assisting with partnership decision making. • Managing and distributing over £0.5m of funding from the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund - the overarching aim of the Fund is to support community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population. This has been confirmed for 2025/6 and 2026/7. • Engage Renfrewshire are continuing to deliver the Renfrewshire Wellbeing Network alongside the HSCP, with regular network meetings and opportunities provided to network members.
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• Supporting the Community Planning Partnership, including chairing the Forum for Empowering Communities, connecting Renfrewshire’s third sector to the wider Community Planning agenda and supporting other partnership groups and activities relating to children and young people, employability, connectedness and mental health and wellbeing • Children’s Services Partnership development, providing insight and voice of third sector and also facilitating the Our Children Network • Representatives on all Local Partnerships, and in particular supporting a partnership approach to identifying appropriate community funding sources. In practice this means working to support applicants and to identify new or additional funding streams which support financial sustainability of organisations, or new initiatives. • Supporting local volunteering activity, promoting Volunteers Week and co- ordinating Saltire Awards across Renfrewshire, with 553 Saltire awards received in 24/25. There are 1,932 potential volunteers registered on Team Kinetic system, receiving updates on volunteer opportunities from 138 providers. • Continuing to lead the Renfrewshire Affordable Credit Alliance, and supporting third sector organisations to support people around affordable credit options. • Establishing and growing the Renfrewshire Integration Network (IN-Ren) and supporting wider community integration of New Scots in Renfrewshire. 4.2 Further information on Engage Renfrewshire’s full range of services and activities for 2023-24 can be found within their Annual Report 1 published on their website. 5. Grant funding for 2025/26 5.1 As outlined in Section 1, officers recommend that funding of £360,610 is allocated to Engage Renfrewshire for 2025/26. Whilst this funding is important in terms of supporting the organisation to continue to operate at the required scale and pace required in Renfrewshire, it is also vital to ensuring that the correct resources are deployed to deliver on the following identified priorities: • Building Renfrewshire’s community and voluntary sector capacity • Representing the third sector in the delivery of our Community Plan and its strategic priorities • Providing the strategic and operational lead for volunteering in Renfrewshire 1 Engage Renfrewshire Annual Report 2023-2024
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5.2 A refreshed outcomes framework will be developed to support this funding arrangement if approved. As outlined in Section 1, this remains flexible in order that support can be requested by the Council and community planning partnership in relation to emerging priorities. Particular strategic priorities for 2025/26 include supporting emerging programmes of work in relation to Fairer Renfrewshire, Digital, Equalities, Migration, Asylum/New Scots and Community Learning and Development. 5.3 Appendix 1 sets out a one-page summary of Engage Renfrewshire’s Business Plan for 2025/26, which will be used to inform monitoring of performance during 2025/26. 5.4 Engage Renfrewshire will continue to submit a quarterly performance monitoring report to officers in Renfrewshire Council Chief Executive’s Service for review and agreement. 6. Connected Communities programme 6.1 When considering funding arrangements for 24/25, elected members were asked to note that work has commenced to formally review the funding arrangement with Engage Renfrewshire going forward, linked to the Connected Communities programme led by the Head of Policy and Partnerships. 6.2 Several areas have been identified where there may be further alignment and efficiencies which will be explored as the Council develops and implements its new model. These include: • reviewing how we support community and voluntary organisations to build their capacity more broadly, including the balance of tasks carried out by various Council services as well as partners such as Engage Renfrewshire • reviewing the Council’s strategy and resources related to both its own investment in communities, but the effectiveness and opportunities in levering in additional external investment to support the voluntary and community sector, • the potential role of the third sector interface in the transition to greater locality-based working, particularly the support to Local Partnerships and support and resourcing of the Local Action Plans under development. • how the Council supports social enterprise, and connection to wider economic development activity • where Engage Renfrewshire provides direct support to the delivery of key Council services, such as the support offered in co-ordinating the distribution of community benefits 6.3 Officers will continue to work very closely with the Chief Executive of Engage Renfrewshire to continue to develop and strengthen this relationship as the
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review progresses and proposals are brought forward for consideration by elected members. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – commitment of £360,610 in grant funding to Engage Renfrewshire which can be met from the Chief Executive’s Service budget for 25/26. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None 3. Community/Council Planning – funding for the Third Sector Interface supports the third sector contribution to all priorities detailed within both the Council and Community Plans. 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology - None 7. Equality & Human Rights - No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. Supporting the Third Sector Interface would have a positive impact on equalities outcomes, by developing and engaging a range of diverse voices in the community planning process and supporting the development of equalities-led third sector organisations. 8. Health & Safety - None 9. Procurement - None 10. Risk – Funding the Third Sector Interface mitigates risk of community and voluntary sector organisations not being able to contribute to community planning outcomes. 11. Privacy Impact - None 12. Cosla Policy Position – Cosla supports the principle of community planning as a means of improving outcomes and reducing inequalities and the importance of Third Sector Interfaces in delivering this. 13. Climate implications - no direct implications, however Engage have supported all partnership work in this area and encouraged active participation across the sector.
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14. Children’s rights – no direct implications, however Engage Renfrewshire are core members of the Children’s Services Partnership in Renfrewshire, which has a key focus on involving and engaging with children and young people, and meeting the needs of this group. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers - None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships.
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Engage Renfrewshire – Business Plan 2025/26 Quarterly updates prepared for Engage Renfrewshire board & Renfrewshire Council Annual report for Scottish Government Our aim is to help charities and community groups to be well managed, well resourced, well represented and well connected. Schedule of Monitoring Volunteering - key to health, wellbeing, and employability Organisations accessing increased amounts of sustainable funding Local organisations - well governed and delivering quality services Local organisations are contributing to a strong local social economy Improved levels of cross sector collaboration Community Empowerment central to local governance During 2025/26 we will: •Strengthen strategic collaboration with the Scottish Government, Renfrewshire’s Community Planning Partnership, and local communities to drive meaningful, long-term change. •Enhance cross-sector partnerships by fostering deeper collaboration across Community Learning & Development (CLD), Drugs & Alcohol services, Whole Family Wellbeing initiatives, and other key areas. •Champion the Third Sector’s role in recovery by aligning with and amplifying the impact of the National Social Enterprise Action Plan and the Volunteering Action Plan. •Maximise the impact of the Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund over the next two year by ensuring funding leads to sustainable improvements in local support services. •Elevate volunteering standards across our membership while positioning volunteering as a key pathway to employment and economic participation. •Expand social enterprise opportunities by delivering high-quality workshops and training, empowering organisations to thrive as sustainable businesses. •Equip partners with a deeper understanding of the Third Sector’s role, fostering stronger, more effective collaboration. •Scale up access to Engage Financial Services, ensuring all members and partners benefit from tailored financial support and sustainability planning. •Support and facilitate area-based initiatives that strengthen community assets and build resilient local networks. •Advance equality and inclusion by supporting the delivery of the IN-Ren Network and advocating for systemic change. •Maximise external funding success by providing expert guidance on funding applications and strategic development. •Provide rapid and informed support in response to crises, while encouraging a compassionate Third Sector response. •Measure and showcase the impact of volunteering, reinforcing its role in community resilience and social cohesion. •Drive digital engagement, by Co-chairing #DigiRen, and in turn leveraging technology to enhance Third Sector visibility, outreach, and service delivery. •Deliver a range of training that is fully responsive to the evolving needs of our members, equipping them for future challenges. •Increase financial inclusion by raising awareness and facilitating access to fair and affordable credit solutions. •Strengthen private sector collaboration by deepening engagement with Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce and other business networks. •Champion strong financial governance as a core responsibility for local organisations and trustees, ensuring long-term sustainability. •Continue to support a collaborative response to the National Health & Wellbeing Survey, shaping policy and service provision based on local insights. This will include supporting a new role that will tackle 'smoking & vaping' cesssation. INTELLIGENCE CAPACITY CONNECT VOICE Understanding the needs of our network Building a strong culture of volunteering Helping to strengthen local organisations Supporting social enterprise start up Providing practical and responsive financial support Helping more organisations work collaboratively Creating new partnerships and new ways of working to bring resources into Renfrewshire Connecting people and organisations, ensuring our networks are strong and effective Working with public and private sectors to ensure we’re making the most of all resources Ensuring the voice of our network is heard & understood by decision makers and funders Ensuring our networks influence, engage with, and promote emerging social strategies Helping to enhance health & promotes life chances Medium Term Outcomes (2025 to 2028)