3. FRSC Priorities for 2526 final
Renfrewshire Council · 26 March 2025
Back to Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee — 26 March 2025 and its agenda
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1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 26 March 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Fairer Renfrewshire Programme – Priorities 25/26 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. This report provides an overview of the proposed 2025/26 Fairer Renfrewshire programme, which will be submitted to the Leadership Board in April 2025. Members are asked to consider the key priorities for officer/partnership focus during 2025/26 as outlined in Section 5 of this report. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee note the information provided in this report. 3. Background 3.1 As previously reported to the Sub-Committee the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme brings together a number of existing programmes of work focussed on achieving fairness and equity. A range of specific activities are being delivered against 4 key themes: · Improving financial security · Advancing equality of opportunity · Building community capacity and resilience · Listening to lived experience 3.2 Some of these activities are longer term in nature and have been progressed through the previous Tackling Poverty programme or through the pandemic or cost of living crisis, whilst others are new and have been brought forward by the Council and its partners in recognition of identified local need or opportunity e.g. Stronger Start service.
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2 3.3 An overview of the current programme is provided within Appendix 1. £1.3m in funding remained available at mid-February to support the delivery of the programme going forward prior to budget decisions taken on 27 February 2025. 4 Programme priorities for 25/26 4.1 Officers have been developing a Fairer Renfrewshire programme for 2025/26, reviewing existing programmes of activity across 2024/25, and informed by discussions at the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee and relevant partnership groups. The proposed programme also reflects the specific commitments agreed as part of the approval of the Council’s budget on 27 March. At this meeting it was agreed that £0.450m of additional funding would be allocated to the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the following targeted interventions: • A targeted programme of summer activities for children and young people from low income families, working across Council services and with community groups and third sector organisations across Renfrewshire to ensure that our most vulnerable families are able to access a range of activities and healthy food over the summer period • Continuation of the £50 winter school clothing payment to each school child eligible for school clothing grant • Continuation of the successful Winter Connections Programme. 4.2 It was also agreed that £0.095m would be allocated from existing Fairer Renfrewshire funding to support the Welfare Rights Advocacy service and schools advice support delivered by Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau. 4.3 It is proposed that an additional £0.585m of Fairer Renfrewshire programme funding is allocated to support the delivery of the programme in 2025/26. This includes provision for officer resource to deliver the programme and will allow the Programme to continue to deliver targeted support across communities in Renfrewshire in line with agreed priorities. 4.4 In addition it is proposed that the following priorities be progressed as additional areas of focus during 2025/26: • Continuing to explore place based approaches to supporting low income households informed by the learning from the community needs assessment in Gallowhill • Mapping the provision of money advice across Renfrewshire and linked forms of support such as energy advice in light of the cost of living crisis. It is proposed that this is further informed by survey and engagement work to assess ongoing impacts of the cost of living crisis on local households. • Exploration of opportunities and new developments relating to the provision of breakfast club supports across Renfrewshire and nationally to identify best practice and learning • Developing our local Fair Food Renfrewshire Partnership and co-ordinating our first Good Food Plan for Renfrewshire based on anticipated national guidance being launched in 2025.
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3 • Undertaking further analysis in relation to the increasing levels of diversity across Renfrewshire’s communities, with a particular focus on considering the supports available to New Scots in Renfrewshire such as ESOL. Renfrewshire Council is also due to develop and set new Equalities Outcomes in 2025, and an action plan in place to support the delivery of these outcomes. • Working with partners to publish our Local Child Poverty Action Report by end of June 2025. 4.5 As with previous years, it will be important for officers and partners to remain alert to emerging needs due to factors at a local and national level, and to respond flexibly to these as required over the course of the year within the officer/partners resources available. 4.6 A paper outlining the 25/26 programme proposals will be submitted to Leadership Board in April 2025 for formal approval. Members of the sub-committee are asked to consider the priorities and information contained in this report and provide feedback on the additional priorities at 4.4 as part of this process. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – There are no financial implications associated with this report, as the recommended funding will be met within existing funding allocated to the Fairer Renfrewshire programme. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – The Fairer Renfrewshire Programme is a key driver in achieving the ‘Fair’ strategic outcome and theme within the Council Plan, and covers a number of the key actions identified in the plan. It also represents a significant partnership programme of work which supports the ‘Fair’ theme within the Community Plan, with dedicated partnership governance being established to ensure alignment between these areas of work. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights – Equality and human rights are a key pillar of this plan, and it is anticipated that the programme will likely advance equality of opportunity. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. Climate risk – none
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4 13. Children’s rights - the articles within UNCRC underpin the work that is being progressed in Renfrewshire through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, particularly in relation to rights in relation to aspects such as life, survival and development, food, clothing and a safe home and supporting the best interests of the child and their families. Child poverty and family wellbeing are key local partnership priorities. 14. COSLA Policy Position – none Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships
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5 Appendix 1: Fairer Renfrewshire Work Programme 2024/25 Fairer Renfrewshire – Work Programme 24/25 Improving Financial Security Additional provision of dedicated welfare rights service contracted to RCAB Schools Support Service - Dedicated advice provided within all secondary school settings Family Advice – Dedicated advice provided to families with children, including primary schools, early years settings, and the Healthier Wealthier Children pathway working with expectant and new parents Energy Advocacy – Provision of one energy advocate as part of Council’s Energy Management Unit Winter school clothing top-up – Provision of further £50 top-up payment per child in receipt of School Clothing Grant Supporting health and wellbeing for low-income families with children Breakfast clubs – Provision of breakfast clubs in some schools Cost of the School Day fund – Discretionary fund distributed across all schools to mitigate the Cost of the School Day Peer Health programme – Training young people across secondary schools to because peer educators on a range of health and wellbeing topics Summer of Fun – A programme of activities and food for children and young people over the summer holidays Skoobmobile – Mobile library service promoting a love of reading and reading together for children Building community capacity and resilience Winter Connections – A programme of activities hosted by local groups that support people to connect to others within their community over the winter period Fair Food Renfrewshire – A partnership of organisations working together to ensure access to good food for all Renfrewshire Affordable Credit Alliance – A partnership of organisations working together to champion fair and honest finance Advice Partnership Renfrewshire – A partnership of organisations providing advice services across Renfrewshire Digital Inclusion – Provision of digital champions embedded within OneRen Advancing equality of opportunity Development of equalities workstream within Fairer Renfrewshire programme – under development Work to explore inequalities faced by older people in Renfrewshire and pilot preventative interventions, delivered by ROAR Developing understanding and insight Cost of Living Dashboard – Data and analysis to understand the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on local people and services Data Deep Dive – Detailed analysis to understand the nature and depth of child poverty locally, particularly for priority families and at locality level Renfrewshire Community Survey – A community survey to build understanding of impacts of the pandemic and cost of living crisis on individual households Gallowhill – Developing partnership, place-based approaches to tackling rising child poverty at neighbourhood level Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel - Developing models of participation for people with lived experience of poverty to inform the Council’s policy and practice