Grant Funding Programme Guidance notes for applicants to Stream 1 (Community Wide Debt Advice) grant funding programme

Transcription

1 Grant Funding Programme Guidance notes for applicants to Stream 1 (Community Wide Debt Advice) grant funding programme This document contains background information, priorities and conditions of eligibility for the programme, as well as guidance to help you to complete the grant funding application form.

2 1. General Information Timescales Please send us completed application forms by 12 noon on Monday 9 November We plan to assess applications over the period November/December Full terms and conditions, including the schedule of payments and monitoring arrangements, will be finalised over January/February Projects should be up and running by 1 st April How and where to send completed applications The Money Advice Service (MAS) is using an e-sourcing portal for this grant application exercise. The grant application pack is only available in electronic form which can be accessed via your web browser Completed applications and accompanying documents should be submitted via the MAS e- Sourcing portal by the closing date for applications. Instructions for submitting your application are available at Appendix 5. MAS also requires a printed copy of Section J which you have signed. MAS must receive the signed Section J of an application by 5pm on Wednesday 11 November Hard copy documents should be marked and addressed as set out below: Northern Ireland Grant Applications Stream 1: Community Wide Debt Advice For the attention of: UK Debt Advice Programme Money Advice Service Floor 5, 120 Holborn London EC1N 2TD Please contact us if you would like the application form in a different format on Procurement.GMB@moneyadviceservice.org.uk. Enquiries relating to the application If you wish to discuss how to complete your application form or the programme guidance, please submit your query via the secure messaging portal in the MAS esourcing system. Please note we will not be able to provide feedback on your project proposal during the application period. We will circulate on a regular basis questions and answers raised by any applicant to all applicants registered for this opportunity via MAS esourcing portal. 2 P a g e

3 2. The Money Advice Service Northern Ireland Debt Advice grants programme Background to the programme This guidance provides further information about the priorities, eligibility to access funding, and the structure for assessment for Stream 1. Guidance on the Stream 2 funding programme will be provided separately when applications open on 28 th September. Context From available evidence we know that debt and money problems continue to have serious impacts across Northern Ireland. We know that while there are many people affected by debt around 11% are already actively seeking help. This means that around 24,000 people per annum in Northern Ireland are likely to be looking for help with sorting out their debt problems. We want our funding to make sure that as many of these people as possible are able to access good quality debt advice. We want this to add value and capacity to other sources of advice that are already available, including sources of advice by phone and through the internet as well as face-to-face. Stream 1 of our Debt Advice Programme in Northern Ireland will focus on this and we are looking for proposals that will make debt advice available to as many people as possible, within the scale of funds awarded, including a requirement to identify ways of maximising access by better connecting people to other forms or channels of debt advice at the earliest point possible. We anticipate making one grant award under Stream 1 to a Lead Organisation that has put together a project that incorporates a range of participants and external referral partners to make debt advice available across multiple channels. We particularly need applicants to incorporate formal arrangements by which people can be seamlessly connected to one or more national telephone debt advice providers as well as other channels for advice or self-help where this can effectively meet their needs. The programme will be funded across three (3) years, and in the first year we will want the successful project proposal to focus on: establishing core delivery of debt advice embedding arrangements to connect people to other channels of debt advice from within the funded project identify and drive improvements within the project to help as many people as possible to resolve problems 3 P a g e

4 embedding arrangements to refer out to other sources of debt advice where people are assessed as being able to engage effectively with these. As well as general levels of prevalence of debt and a need to focus on tackling expressed demands for advice to resolve problems, we also know that many people who are in debt are not taking steps to seek advice, and that some groups in the population face particular barriers to accessing help to achieve sustainable outcomes from advice. The research provided in appendix 3 sets out the issues and challenges we want our funding to address. Under Stream 2, proposals will be sought on a thematic basis, with proposals invited for projects that would aim to: Improve earlier engagement with help for people facing particular kinds of debt, or Tackle barriers around seeking help for particular population groups, or Focus on particular life events which make people more vulnerable to debt Testing engagement with advice and delivery through the use of digital channels We will invite applications that could test options for innovative ways of getting more people into advice at an earlier stage in their journey, delivering advice through new partnerships, or through testing multi-disciplinary approaches to achieving improved outcomes. This may include partnerships between local support agencies and specialist advice providers. There is an indicative maximum of 200k per annum for proposals under this stream. Proposals and projects should be for a minimum of one year and a maximum of 3 years. We expect project plans for Stream 1 in the first year to be based on the proposal provided at application stage and we will then require the projects to work with us to pilot and incorporate broader learning about improving access to advice as the programme proceeds. In the first year we anticipate this will include work to explore the following issues: How to align effectively with areas of emerging policy from Northern Ireland Executive around co-ordination and delivery of advice beyond debt. This may include exploring options for a single point of entry to advice and how to engage effectively with this Implementation of the Standard Financial Statement Development of initiatives designed to improve financial capability by way of preventative work and also post-advice Development and implementation of arrangements for peer review of debt advice and casework under the organisational framework for quality of debt advice, and also for recognising prior learning under the quality framework for individual advisers. MAS funded services to support delivery MAS will fund directly the following services to support delivery: Access to specialist technical advice and support for advisers engaged in the project Access to language translation services for clients Access to services to support clients with any hearing impairment 4 P a g e

5 Provision of training for advisers to support their work on the project you will need to include estimated costs and the types of training you will need in the first twelve months in the application form. Stream 1 Community Wide Debt Advice The information below is associated with Stream 1 of this funding, Community Wide Debt Advice. Information about Stream 2 (Thematic Programme) will be available separately on the 28 September Stream 1 of the programme is designed to make debt advice available to as many people as possible ensuring appropriate arrangements are in place to access multi-channel advice across all 11 council areas in Northern Ireland. We particularly encourage applications that promote and embed co-ordinated provision of advice and where organisations play to their respective strengths to achieve the greatest reach into the community of people who are already looking for help. Priority Purposes Stream 1 of our funding programme will prioritise the following priority outcomes As many people as possible across Northern Ireland who are affected by debt problems and who are actively seeking advice can access advice which will avoid escalation of their issues and will resolve their debt problems through the full range of appropriate solutions People experiencing debt who access help are guided to the most appropriate source and/or channel of assistance to best meet their needs People who are experiencing debt and who access help achieve sustainable outcomes in line with the MAS evaluation framework they are helped to manage their money better and to better avoid debt problems recurring in the future People are able to access assistance in resolving debt problems that is of a high quality and achieves consistent outcomes 5 P a g e

6 3. Application conditions of eligibility Who can apply for grant funding We will accept applications from: Voluntary or community sector organisations, including: o unincorporated associations, trusts or companies, set up and registered as a charity o unincorporated associations set up as a voluntary and community group o community interest companies o not for profit companies limited by guarantee o community benefit societies o organisations recognised by HM Revenue and Customs as exempt for tax purposes. A partnership of voluntary, statutory or private sector organisations, led by a voluntary sector organisation, which should be the organisation that completes the application form. Exclusions We won t accept applications from: individuals and sole traders profit making organisations as lead organisation (although they may be a participant organisation if advice is free at point of delivery to clients) organisations based outside the UK statutory bodies (unless part of a partnership led by a voluntary sector organisation) branches which don t control how they re run and how their money is spent applications made by one organisation on behalf of another. Other eligibility requirements Funded projects can only help people and communities in Northern Ireland. Lead organisations must have a base/branch from which they operate within Northern Ireland. All organisations involved in the project delivery must be able to evidence that they are working in compliance with one of the recognised quality standards or membership codes that are accredited to the MAS Quality Framework. All organisations involved in the delivery of regulated debt advice must hold the appropriate Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) permissions. 6 P a g e

7 4. Application assessment How we assess your application When we receive your application form and supporting documents we will acknowledge them within three (3) working days. We will check to see if your application is complete. You should use the checklist in Section I of the application form to make sure the application you are sending is complete. If your application: is complete we will then assess your application. is incomplete because we have not received all the necessary supporting documentation or Participant information we will contact you requesting this information to be submitted within 2 working days of that request. If we do not receive all the missing information by the deadline, we will not assess your application and it will be withdrawn from the process. is incomplete because not all the questions in the form have been answered we will not be able to process your application further. We will also check that your organisation, project and costs meet the programme requirements. If they do not we may reject your application. APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED AND WE WILL REJECT YOUR APPLICATION. Assessment Criteria Applications and any supporting material will be assessed as they have been submitted. We will not accept any amendments to the submitted applications or supporting material after the closing date subject to any two working day extension granted in line with incomplete applications noted above. We will assess applications against the following criteria: 1. The project structure and design is clear in evidencing how people across Northern Ireland who are experiencing debt and seeking help can access advice to achieve an appropriate debt solution at the earliest stage 2. The project design is appropriate and reflects evidence of debt advice needs in Northern Ireland 3. The proposal includes evidence of the way that the common initial assessment would be embedded through the project and evidence that arrangements would be in place to facilitate access to sources of help through telephone and online channels responsive to client need 7 P a g e

8 4. The project design is proportionate in terms of scale and scope 5. The proposal includes evidence of how financial capability interventions will be integrated into the advice process to help achieve the most sustainable outcomes for clients 6. The project rationale is focussed on complementing and building on existing relevant provision and is shown to be aligned with other local arrangements 7. The proposal evidences how the project will deliver high quality assistance relevant to the project remit and achieve consistent outcomes for over indebted people 8. Relevant project management experience is demonstrated and the proposal evidences how project management structure is appropriate to maximise delivery through the proposed project design 9. The applicant can evidence that the project implementation plan and timescales are achievable within the project period and there are measurable indicators of success which contribute to the achievement of the programme priority outcomes. 10. The budget is appropriately structured to deliver the outcomes of the project and maximises the number of people helped 11. Relevant and robust financial controls are in place across the lead and partner organisations that are appropriate for the project and budget. 12. The proposal demonstrates a commitment to promote equality, accessibility and diversity both in terms of project design and also in terms of lead and partner implementation of policies for staff and service users. Assessment decision and feedback Applications are assessed against the 12 assessment criteria and applications are ranked in relation to each other. The assessment process has three phases: Phase 1 Individual assessment Phase 2 Consensus assessment Phase 3 Independent Panel Review Once all applications have been assessed and a decision is reached, you will be contacted about the outcome of your application. We intend to notify applicants no later than 22 January While your application may meet the stated assessment criteria, you are not guaranteed a grant. The success of your application rests ultimately on the merits of your proposal against published criteria and in competition with all the other applications considered for funding. Even if successful, your application may not be funded to the amount you have requested. 8 P a g e

9 On request we are able to provide feedback to applicants who seek further information about their particular application. Applicants seeking feedback on a successful or unsuccessful funding application should contact us by ing Procurement.GMB@Moneyadviceservice.org.uk. The feedback we provide to applicants will be focussed on the reasons for our decision against the assessment criteria as set out in the guidance. 9 P a g e

10 5. The application process Funding available There is a maximum of 0.8m expenditure available for allocation under Stream 1 in 2016/17. Under Stream 1, projects can run for up to three (3) years. We anticipate at least the same amount of funds to be available in each of the three (3) years. MAS will use monitoring information from the project about patterns of demand and need for advice to inform the budget-setting process. Budgets for projects will be set prior to the start of each financial year and are subject to the MAS budget being agreed by the Financial Conduct Authority. Section F of the application form provides details about the approach we expect projects to use for structuring their project budgets within this application and across the programme period. Specific guidance for collaborative/consortia applications Collaborative applications involving a number of organisations are preferred. Organisations involved in a collaborative application will need to agree which organisation is to be the lead organisation. Only the lead organisation needs to complete the whole application form, entitled Grant application form: Lead Organisation. The other direct delivery partner organisations are referred to as participants for this programme. Each participant organisation should complete the shortened version of the application form, entitled Grant application form: Participant Organisation. This is designed to confirm that the participants have formally agreed to participate in the project, and this has been agreed through the appropriate delegated authority arrangements for each organisation. We will expect such partnerships/consortia to have formal partnership/project agreements in place following any offer of grant and prior to commencement of the grant period at 1 April MAS will wish to have sight of these and will expect that they reflect the relevant aspects of the projectlevel terms and conditions that shall be in place between MAS and the lead organisation. Please ensure that the same project name is entered at Section C on the lead and participant organisation application forms. All communications between MAS and the project applicant will be made to the lead organisation. We will usually only communicate with the contact named in the application form although we may also wish to speak to lead contacts in any participant organisations, for example the lead Finance Officer. You should consider the following requirements that flow from being the lead organisation. The lead organisation will be responsible for: 10 P a g e

11 being the main point of contact with MAS and working effectively with us as the funder to achieve the programme outcomes, manage performance and identify ways to adapt and optimise the reach of the project as it proceeds through the programme period the financial management and performance monitoring of the project as a whole, and reporting on this to MAS ensuring that all participant organisations are financially viable at the point of application and throughout the grant term informing us if the financial status of any of the participant organisations deteriorates over the time of the project ensuring that costs related to participant organisations are fair and reasonable, specifically avoiding double charging of overheads ensuring that participants have adequate systems in place for collection of monitoring data ensuring that participants abide by the terms and conditions which we agree with you as the lead organisation, including auditing arrangements ensuring that MAS receives any grant repayments when this might be necessary Where possible, please send us documentation relating to the lead organisation and all participants together. All documentation must be received by the closing date. Specific guidance for applications by a single organisation If you are making an application involving only one organisation, you need only complete the Grant application form: Lead organisation. Successful applications If your application is successful, we will ask you to complete a more detailed budget information template. We will also need other details, including your bank details. During the stage preceding final offer of grant, we may make recommendations to applicants to help us achieve the overall purposes of the programme. For instance, we may ask that a project change its project delivery plan and structure. We will publicise successful applications in a press release, including the names of the organisations involved, the name of the project and the amount of funding awarded. We will make available a draft of the Terms and Conditions applicable to Stream 1 funding by 10 th September 2015 and these, including the schedule of payments and monitoring arrangements, will be finalised during January P a g e

12 The precise monitoring and evaluation framework will be agreed between MAS and your organisation after the offer of grant is made. We expect: the monitoring and evaluation of the project to be based on the information you supply in Section C of the application form along with a number of generic indicators which will allow us to measure the achievement of the programme s outcomes the monitoring data including a full report of activity and a case monitoring database as provided to you by the MAS is to be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions You must send us agreed monitoring data before we will pay each instalment of the grant. We will normally pay money electronically into your organisation s bank account. We plan to undertake an evaluation of the programme, which may include case studies of particular projects, so we may ask you to contribute additional information for an independent evaluation of your project. You should not, therefore, include evaluation costs in your application, as we will bear this cost. You must make all project-related equipment, premises and paperwork available for inspection by MAS auditors. We will offer you a grant by letter within seven (7) days of the decision being made. You must sign and return the grant offer to us. Grant payments Subject to terms and conditions, we will make the first payment at the start of the grant term and make all subsequent payments quarterly after we have received the previous quarter s financial return and current quarter s estimate of expenditure. Quality Requirements We require that all successful projects hold a MAS accredited quality standard in advance of planned delivery on 1 st April There must be adequate supervision of advisers for review of case files and working in compliance with a standard accredited against the MAS Quality Framework. MAS has developed peer review arrangements for debt advice work and the successful applicant and participants will be included in the implementation of this. Equalities We also anticipate that projects adequately address equalities issues in line with S75 Policy Screening requirements, collect client feedback on a regular basis and maintain key relationships with stakeholders, which underpin the success of the project. 12 P a g e

13 6. Guidance for completing the application form ELIGIBILITY AND ORGANISATION DETAILS Status of your organisation The information supplied on the type of organisation in your application is not evaluated but must be completed in full. SECTION A INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEAD ORGANISATION Contact details (A1, A2 and A3 of the application form) This person must be able to talk about your project in depth and have access to relevant personnel and other information, if required. This may include financial information. Please let us know if the main contact has any specific communication needs. Please also include the contact information for the person who will be responsible for financial management and reporting. Please also include the contact information for the person who will be responsible for project management If you are a lead organisation applying on behalf of a group of organisations, please make sure that all participant forms are submitted at the same time as your lead application form. SECTION B ABOUT THE LEAD ORGANISATION S WORK Section B is about your experience of delivering debt advice. This is where you should tell us about how you already deliver the types of help that you are asking us to fund in your project. This is to help us understand whether some of this would be a new development for you. Overview (B1 of the application form) We need an overview of your organisation and how giving advice and information already fits within your overall purpose and activities. 13 P a g e

14 Current advice and information services (B2 of the application form) This is the place to provide a detailed description of your current advice and information services. Please specify the range of debt advice delivery provided, including whether this relates to representation. How your organisation currently works with others (B3 of the application form) We expect applicants to demonstrate their organisation s current commitment to working with other organisations that provide advice and other support to clients. This is because advice partnerships, referral processes or established and effective links, will benefit more clients. We are looking for information about how you currently do this in respect of: Achieving co-ordination and avoiding duplication between existing sources of debt advice Referral and co-ordination with providers of advice on other kinds of issue eg benefits, housing Referral and partnership working with providers of other kinds of support Please give examples of organisations you currently work with and explain how this operates. For instance, tell us whether there is a written partnership agreement or more informal working agreements. If you have existing referral agreements with other organisations, give details of these agreements. Please specifically set out any existing referral arrangements to debt advice providers which deliver help and access to appropriate debt solutions through other channels; national telephone services, web-based advice tools and self-help. Please include information about how you already connect with creditors, and any particular arrangements that have already been developed for enabling early connection to debt advice for people. Staff providing advice and information in your organisation (B4 of the application form) We ask about your staffing structure to understand the way the project relates to current roles and also to understand how the scale of the project relates to other areas of responsibility or delivery you already carry out. SECTION C THE PROPOSED PROJECT About your project (C1, C2, C3 and C4 of the application form) Ensure that the same project name is entered on the lead and participant application forms where you are entering into a collaborative application. Please tell us the start and finish date of your project. List all project participant organisations. This will help us to make sure that we have received all the necessary documentation relating to your application. 14 P a g e

15 Confirm that you have carried out necessary checks, detailed in Section F of the guidance as to financial governance and quality assurance for each participant organisation. Please note that each participant organisation must have submitted a participant application form signed by an authorised signatory under any delegated authority arrangements. Please tell us the name and contact details of the project manager if your application is successful. This may be different to the contact listed in section A. Project Design and description This is where you must explain to us what the project will do for people and why it should be set up that way. You must describe how the project design relates to the identified priorities of our programme, rather than a description of existing or previously funded delivery arrangements and what they did. You can tell us about your relevant previous experience under Section B. Section C is forward-looking. We are looking for all projects to meet our priority outcomes and it is therefore important that you can show us how your project will meet these. The Stream 1 priority outcomes are: As many people as possible across Northern Ireland who are affected by debt problems and who are actively seeking advice can access advice which will avoid escalation of their issues and will resolve their debt problems through the full range of appropriate solutions People experiencing debt who access help are guided to the most appropriate source and/or channel of assistance to best meet their needs People who are experiencing debt and who access help achieve sustainable outcomes in line with the MAS evaluation framework they are helped to manage their money better and to better avoid debt problems recurring in the future People are able to access assistance in resolving debt problems that is of a high quality and achieves consistent outcomes The information you provide needs to cover: What your project design/structure is going to be and also Why have you identified this as the priority, taking into account: o o What you know about the current and emerging advice needs that are likely to affect people in the project period How the design of your project will avoid duplication and add value in delivery of advice alongside other sources of assistance for people facing debt and other problems 15 P a g e

16 Operational structure for delivery of advice by participants (C5 of the application form) In the project description section we are looking for information that will help us to assess whether the proposal is well designed and reasonable in scale, in that it will help to meet identified advice needs, deliver the programme outcomes, complement existing provision and align with local arrangements. We are seeking proposals for projects in which the participants can provide access to help for as many people as possible across all 11 local council areas who are looking for help to resolve debt problems. We need you to tell us how the structure and methods of delivery you include in your proposal will facilitate this in as effective and efficient a way as possible. Please tell us where and how face-to-face advice from project staff will be made available, and how access to face-to-face advice will be managed across the participant organisations within your project. We will be looking for evidence in your proposal about: o o o what the staffing structure will be for the project including roles and range of competences staff will have. how people looking for assistance will be able to access the project. Please describe how the assistance will be delivered (for example, face-to-face, telephone, ) and the geographic location and reach of face-to-face delivery. what range of assistance will be provided within the project including whether this will encompass representation (where appropriate). If representation or help at court with debt matters is not within scope of project delivery please explain how access will be facilitated. Rationale for project design why is the project design appropriate? (C6 of the application form) This is where you need to explain to us why your project proposal is well designed to meet the advice needs you have identified and why funding for your project will make a difference, taking into account other existing or planned arrangements for tackling need. This section should include: What evidence you have used to understand the identified advice needs in your area. For example, the information provided in Appendix 3 on need and supply, data collected as part of your day-to-day case recording, client survey s, evaluations or information gathered through involvement with other partner organisations. How this has informed your understanding of the form of advice that might be needed, such as face-to-face or by telephone or and why. If you fail to provide us with the rationale for your project design it will affect the assessment of your project proposal. Identifying and enabling access to appropriate channel for debt advice (C7 of the application form) MAS requires that a common initial assessment (CIA) is carried out within funded projects as a means of consistently identifying the appropriate channels of help which people could be 16 P a g e

17 connected to. We want to ensure that face-to-face advice delivered by project staff is focused on people who most need that form of assistance. We want the grant funded project to encourage and embed arrangements by which other people seeking help can be effectively referred on after assessment at initial contact stage to access appropriate advice and debt solutions through other channels. The project design must include information about how you will implement, manage and monitor the use of the CIA when people first contact the project. MAS expect project participants to use the CIA as developed by MAS, with a strong preference to carry out the assessment using the established online tool. Appendix 2 provide details of the CIA. Your application must set out: The means by which you would plan to implement this across all project participants. How it would be embedded in the project delivery structure for example taking account of any outreach arrangements. How you would monitor and manage implementation, identifying what you assess would be some of the risks or challenges for implementation of change. If you already use the CIA please explain how this is managed and how outcomes are monitored. As well as identifying appropriate channels of assistance, we want the funded project to be able to connect people to those other sources of assistance seamlessly. You need to tell us specifically how you will facilitate effective referral to national telephone advice providers as well as access to self-help, and web-based sources. You have already described existing connections to telephone providers of debt solutions/advice in Section B of this form. You should now describe what the proposed project would mean in terms of enhanced arrangements, or new arrangements for referring people effectively to these providers. In respect of telephone advice, please tell us of specific steps you have taken already to identify the feasibility of these plans with one or more national telephone advice providers, and how this will be appropriate for the operating context in Northern Ireland. Please specify which of the national telephone providers would work with the project to take in referrals if your proposal is successful. If you have evidence of in-principle agreement to work with you and what the referral structure would be like please provide these to us. People who will be helped by your project (C8 and C9 of the application form) You have told us about how you will seek to facilitate access to advice via the project design in terms of publicity/availability in appropriate locations and by appropriate methods, and also how you would help identify people who could be referred on to other providers of advice or solutions where the CIA identifies this is appropriate. By these means we want more people to be helped in total, through the funded direct delivery and also by connecting people to other forms of debt advice and assistance which are not funded through MAS. 17 P a g e

18 Based on the number of Debt Advisers you are proposing to be funded in your project please complete the template in the application form to show: How many NEW clients you anticipate helping each month over the first 12 months of the agreement. A client for these purposes is defined as a person seeking help with a debt issue who is assisted by a project adviser to go through the CIA Please then consider the number of these people who you anticipate being able to refer out after the CIA to assistance accessible beyond the project staffing; this would be referral to receive debt advice via another channel from another provider Please then identify how many clients will go through the CIA and go on to be assisted by project advisers to resolve their debt problems primarily through face-to-face advice. We will work with the successful applicant and request final forecast information prior to offer of grant to understand the mix of channels face-to-face, telephone and online that will be used to deliver the advice. Please also provide a detailed rationale to explain your proposed workload. We need you to tell us: How you have assessed these numbers (please specify how you have used evidence such as from your own existing triage processes, and research findings in Appendix 3 about channel preference), The factors which might affect whether these numbers of people are helped in practise, and The means by which you would intend to monitor and manage workload and workflow across the project participants to enable the maximum number of people to be assisted inhouse and by way of referral to other appropriate channels of help. Achieving sustainable outcomes (C10 of the application form) We want advice delivered through the project to resolve the immediate debt problems and also to achieve outcomes that are as sustainable and lead to longer-term financial resilience. Please provide details about how your proposed project would be seeking to achieve this, covering the aspects below: Your project design must include details about how the lead organisation and participant organisations will build/integrate financial capability principles into the face-to-face advice delivery. You need to include information about the means by which this will be done, the stage in the advice process at which it will be done, and the means by which impact will be tracked. MAS may include specific data requirements within the monitoring framework arrangements for this purpose, but please include any proposed arrangements which you and your partners have already been using/would like to test. 18 P a g e

19 Avoiding duplication and improving co-ordination (C11 of the application form) After telling us about how your project will deliver help please also tell us how you have established that this will focus on unmet need. By this we mean establishing that it will not duplicate other advice provision which will be in place during the project period, that it has the ability to add value and to complement existing provision, and that it has the ability to align with other local arrangements across the three (3) year period for the programme. Applications which have a strong project remit set out but which show no evidence of focusing on unmet need will receive lower marks in assessment. Please tell us how your project design has been based on connection to and co-ordination under the following two themes. Connections to other debt advice provision You have already told us in Section B about how your organisation already works to complement; add value and link in to existing and planned debt advice services. Please now tell us how your proposed project will achieve this. By links we mean either existing, or potential, partnership work or effective inter-agency referral mechanisms, whether formal or informal. You should explain to us how you have already established that these links will be feasible to put in place if they are new ones. If this has informed the way that your project s workload will be prioritised please tell us about that. For example, if your original idea would have focused on direct delivery in certain local settings or to have covered a wider geographic area but that you took steps and discovered other providers were already doing that, please tell us about this. This could also include connections to more specialised sources of help targeted at helping people facing debt problems that have reached particular stages. Connections to holistic advice and other sources of help Please also tell us about how the project will connect to other kinds of organisations which could either be sources of referral to your project, or which could take referrals from your project to provide help for clients in tackling other aspects of their situation. Please focus on connection to providers of advice on issues beyond debt (eg housing, benefits, employment) as well as providers of more practical support (for example food banks, support/advocacy agencies). This is to try and help connect people to the right range of help from appropriate sources at the right time in a holistic way. If you have already had discussions with organisations to establish this, please tell us if they have indicated a willingness to work with you. Please also include connections to creditors, and please include connections to independent advice on problem types commonly found in clusters for people e.g. housing, debt, benefits, employment. 19 P a g e

20 SECTION D - PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION Management of the project (D1 of the application form) This section focuses on how you will deliver the project, by setting out a project plan and relevant management structures. You will need to provide evidence that you and all participant organisations have experience of providing the type of project you are applying to run, including management of staff at project level and in each participant agency. Project management to achieve the strategic outcomes (D2 of the application form) We require that you provide a project plan for the proposed project using the template in the application form. This asks you to provide an implementation plan setting out the key milestones and activities for the first 12 months and indicative milestones and activities for each quarter of the following two years of the three year grant period. We need to see key activities and milestones related to the establishment of your project. We will assess your project plan in respect of the evidence you include of the following: How you will ensure that your proposed project is established and achieves the programme outcomes in the timescales How you will advertise and promote the project How you will develop the project once it has been established and starts to provide assistance How you will monitor project progress and what milestones you will use to evidence progress How you will deal with problems, risks and issues that arise over the course of the project life This must reflect any TUPE-related steps or actions which need to be incorporated as a result of your statement under Section G of this guidance and would impact on the implementation planning. Project management to achieve consistent outcomes for clients (D3 of the application form) We require a clear and well thought through description of the project management oversight. This is not a description of your current organisational management, but specifically about the project for which you are seeking funding. We will expect your proposal to provide evidence of the following: Who will manage all project staff How you will plan and allocate project resources over the lifetime of the project 20 P a g e

21 How staff delivering advice will be supervised, and how their technical advice supervision will be facilitated How you will manage links with other services and projects in your area and ensure that the project continues to complement and enhance those services over the duration of the project How you will maintain links with local planning arrangements during the lifetime of the project If the project is being delivered with partnership organisations and/or across multiple sites, how staff management will be organised and where staff will be based How other arrangements with partner organisations will work, for example appropriate allocation and management of workload, responsibility for meeting objectives, contact between partners, meetings, how problems/issues between partners will be identified and dealt with How and when training needs will be identified for staff involved in project delivery across all participant organisations to support all aspects of project implementation and delivery (please note MAS plans to work with the successful applicant to fund access to training separately from the budget for the direct delivery under this grant) Provide either a description or an organisational chart (also known as an organogram) that explains how the management roles will be set out and how this links to project delivery. Financial controls (D4 of the application form) Please set out what financial controls you will put in place throughout the project period to ensure monies are spent in accordance with your budget and that adequate assurance is provided by participant organisations for expenditure. SECTION E EQUALITIES Equalities (E1, E2, E3 and E4 of the application form) The lead organisation should send us their equalities policy with the application. Set out how your organisation promotes equalities in relation to S75 requirements and protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010 within your organisation. Please provide any evidence that you have of how your current services have been delivered in line with your equalities policy. Alongside showing how your organisation promotes equalities, the lead applicant should set out how your project will be available and accessible to all communities and groups within the project s remit facing these priority problems, and will reflect their needs. MAS will fund separately access to support services for clients with any hearing impairment and those who require translation services to engage with debt services. 21 P a g e

22 SECTION F FINANCIAL INFORMATION Cost of the project (F1 of the application form) We encourage all applicants to base the budget on a fair estimate of all relevant costs related to a project. This will include direct costs (i.e. those that are directly related to the project) as well as indirect costs (a proportion of overhead costs that are necessary for the organisation to operate, but cannot be directly linked to any one project). All costs included in the funding application should be inclusive of VAT where applicable. Employer s liability, including the accrual of any redundancy costs will rest with the lead organisation and other participant organisations and should not be included in the project budget costings. Types of direct costs Direct costs incurred may include: Staff - project: o o Salary, National Insurance, pension contributions Other: recruitment, health and safety, travel. Volunteers - project, travel, other volunteer costs Capital items: computers, other office equipment which will be required wholly for the use of the project Administration: communication (telephones etc. come under communications), IT (not equipment costs though as these are covered in Capital items), stationery, other consumables Compliance: legal fees, other compliance costs Specific case costs where applicable: for example medical reports, court fees Types of overhead costs Overhead costs incurred and allocated to a project may include: Staff - non-project staff (such as apportionment of management time for project), or staff not exclusive to one project: o o Salary, National Insurance, pension contributions Other: recruitment, health and safety, travel. Volunteers non-project, or not exclusive to one project: travel, other volunteer costs Premises Costs which are not wholly attributable to the project: rent, utilities, repairs and maintenance Administration: communication, IT, stationery, other consumables 22 P a g e

23 Project development and governance: publicity and marketing, strategic development and planning, monitoring and evaluation, board meetings Compliance: audit fees, legal fees, other compliance costs Other: financing fees, bank charges, other Overhead costs that are not likely to be considered relevant include: Fundraising Campaigning beyond publicising the project Research Depreciation that relates to a cost previously incurred Allocation of overhead costs (F2 of the application form) The overhead allocation must be appropriate given the nature and extent of project activities, and must be rational, justified, and evidenced. Fixed percentage allocation of overheads across all applicants is not appropriate as it does not reflect the true cost of the project. There are many different methods that can be used for the allocation of overhead costs. Using more than one method may be appropriate if not all projects incur all types of overhead expenditure. These methods, and when they may be appropriate, include: Number of staff: if the number of project staff fairly reflects the size of the projects; adjustments for part-time staff and volunteers need to be considered Premises usage by project: where premises costs are substantial in relation to direct costs Direct project expenditure: if the type of direct costs are very similar in all projects, and overhead costs are small compared to direct costs Number of beneficiaries: if each beneficiary incurs a similar level of costs or if funding is based on number of beneficiaries Staff time: where there are staff that provide input into many different projects, these costs may be allocated based on the amount of time the staff member is spending on each project. This is not an exhaustive list. Each overhead allocation will be analysed on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of which system is used, it is most important that the allocation of overhead is reasonable, proportionate, and reflects the costs incurred for the funded project. Please explain your method in full on the application form so we can consider it fully. All costs should be recovered only once. This is important to keep in mind where there are multiple funders for an organisation or project. Staff (F3 of the application form) 23 P a g e

24 Please detail all staff members directly involved in delivery and management of the project along with Job titles, hours to be worked and employing organisation (if submitting your application in partnership). Training needs and estimated costs (F4 of the application form) Provision of appropriate training for advisers to support their work on the project will be covered outside the grant agreement. We need to understand what the anticipated training needs and costs will be during the first year of the project. Additional information If your application is successful, we will ask you to complete a more detailed project budget template. We may also require other details, including your bank details. Other funding currently received by your organisation (F5 of the application form) We are interested in the period up to the end of 31 st March 2015, following that covered by the accounts you have submitted to us. A significant change in funding is a change that has a material impact on the operation of the organisation or, for local authorities, the team/department. Where you have identified a significant change in funding received we would expect you to: Give the name of the funding organisation in the Source column Include the annual amount of extra funding in the Amount of additional funding column Include the annual amount of funding lost in the Amount of reduction in funding column Give a short description of the aim of the funding in the Purpose of funding column Show when the additional funding will end or the reduction in funding occurred in the Timescale column. Other funding over the period of the project (F6 of the application form) We are interested in the period following the accounts that you have submitted to us, from 1 st April 2015 for 12 months. A significant change in funding is a change that has a material impact on the operation of the organisation or, for local authorities, the team/department. Where you have identified a significant change in funding you expect to receive, you should: Give the name of the funding organisation in the Source column Include the annual amount of extra funding in the Amount of additional funding column don t include any funding you have already shown in F Include the annual amount of funding lost in the Amount of reduction in funding column don t include any funding you have already shown in F 24 P a g e

25 Set out a short description of the aim of the funding in the Purpose of funding column Show when the additional funding will end or the reduction in funding occurred in the Timescale column. SECTION G TUPE TUPE (G1 and G2 of the application form) Applicant s attention is drawn to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 and the Service Provision Change (Protection of Employment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (TUPE). Debt advice provision in Northern Ireland has been funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment via a contract with Advice NI. This contract for debt advice service expires on 31 March Having regard to legal advice, and careful consideration of the activity in question, MAS s preliminary view is that TUPE may apply if this application results in a grant agreement being placed. However, applicability will depend ultimately on a consideration of any proposal submitted by an Applicant, and you may put forward a proposal with different implications. Applicants must therefore take their own advice on this matter and must not rely on the MAS s view being correct in law. The current service provider AdviceNI has provided relevant information relating to staff employed in connection with the provision of debt advice. This information will be made available to bidders on the return of a signed Non Disclosure Agreement attached at Appendix 4. Applicants should note that this information is provided on the basis that it is confidential and must not be used, other than in connection with this grant application. MAS does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of this information and does not accept any liability ensuing from any inaccuracy in, or omission from, the information. Applicants are requested to: 1. Confirm whether your Application is submitted on the basis that TUPE applies and, where this is so, the effects of TUPE taken into account in your project design and costings. 2. If applicants have a contrary view to that of MAS on the applicability of TUPE for this grant funding, it would be helpful if you would provide us with reasons for this position as part of your application. SECTION H IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL Planned exit strategy (H1 of the application form) Set out what you intend to do when the grant ends. The funding for the project will cease at the end of March P a g e

26 SECTION I - CHECKLIST Make sure you have enclosed the relevant documents. Where we have asked for your most recent audited accounts, only enclose a separate document if these are not included in your annual report, or if they are made up to a later date than those in the annual report. All applicants should provide a copy of their equality policy. You must ensure that the main contact, or a substitute, will be available to provide further information if required. SECTION J SIGNATURES AND DECLARATION Signatory 1 This must be the main contact listed in section A1a of the application form. Complete all the relevant details. If you are submitting this by , you should also, separately, send us a printed copy of Section I which you have signed. Signatory 2 For third sector applicants, this should be the chair, chief executive or person of similar authority in your organisation. Complete all the relevant details. If you are submitting this by , you should also, separately, send us a printed copy of Section I that has been signed. 26 P a g e

27 Appendix 1: About the Money Advice Service The Money Advice Service (MAS) is an independent service, set up by government to help people make the most of their money. The Service is funded through a statutory levy on the financial services industry, raised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our statutory objectives were amended through the Financial Services act 2012 to add in new responsibilities to work with partners to improve the availability quality and consistency of debt advice. In particular, those objectives are: assisting members of the public with the management of debt; working with other organisations which provide debt services, with a view to improving: (i) the availability to the public of those services; (ii) the quality of the services provided (iii) consistency in the services available, in the way in which they are provided and in the advice given. Since 2012 the Service has worked with its partners across the UK to initiate a transformation in quality, consistency and access to debt advice. The number of over-indebted people helped through MAS funded projects has increased significantly year on year thanks to efforts made by our partners to more effectively match the channel of advice to client need, learn from best practice and focus resources on those that need most support. Our debt advice work was recognised as achieving value for money by the National Audit Office in 2013 and our ambition is to work with our partners across the UK to ensure as many people as possible have access to high quality debt advice that provides sustainable outcomes and improves financial resilience. With demand for debt advice remaining high we need to find ways of delivering debt advice to more people by improving efficiency further. In our Northern Ireland funding for we are looking to achieve the following key objectives: Maximise the number of over-indebted people in NI who access high quality debt advice to resolve their debt problems through the full range of appropriate solutions Guide people experiencing debt who access help to the most appropriate source and/or channel of assistance to best meet their needs Ensure that over-indebted people who access advice achieve sustainable outcomes in line with the MAS evaluation framework Integrate financial capability support into the debt advice process Develop stronger advice partnerships locally to enable more holistic advice provision 27 P a g e

28 Appendix 2: Common Initial Assessment The MAS Common Initial Assessment (CIA) The objective of the CIA is to assess client need at the point of entry into debt advice and guide them to the appropriate channel of advice. Two versions are available, an online tool and a paper based decision tree. The CIA should take place once you have identified the client has a debt issue. You must fill in all sections of the CIA and use only this information to work out which channel of advice to recommend to the client. In addition to carrying out the CIA, MAS funded projects are required to collect client data in line with the reporting requirements. How to Use the Common Initial Assessment You must assess clients objectively and take care not to lead them towards any one specific outcome. It is important that the client does not feel put to the test. It is also important to ensure the essential rapport building that occurs at this stage is not interrupted. The wording contained within the CIA is not a script but rather a suggestion as to how you should go through each section with the client. You can adapt the wording of questions and explanations to each individual case. You can also ask additional, follow questions if you feel it necessary. However, you must make sure that you gather all the information needed to make the appropriate recommendation. You must perform an active assessment for all clients by working through all sections of the CIA with them. It is not possible to complete the assessment without the client being there, for example by adding information once the client has left room or the phone call has ended. The assessment uses a decision flow format with most questions asking for yes/no answers. Use the tick boxes to record the route through the decision flow. Average completion times are approximately 5-6 minutes. A paper based version is included overleaf. 28 P a g e

29 29 P a g e

30 30 P a g e

31 31 P a g e

32 Appendix 3: Background to the Programme 32 P a g e

33 Contextual data 33 P a g e

34 Debt advice preferences Advice seeking Our recent research indicates that 11% of the over-indebted population in NI are currently seeking advice this equates to 24,000 people and is a lower proportion than in the rest of the UK. Channel preferences Our recent research has identified the channels that people would prefer to use when accessing debt advice. The chart below shows that the majority of over-indebted individuals in NI (82%) would prefer to receive debt advice face to face, which was most significant amongst year olds (90%). Primary channel preferences for debt advice in NI Sources: NI F2F Ad hoc survey + booster interviews (Ipsos MORI) Q10. If you ever wanted debt advice, how would you prefer to receive it? Base: All over-indebted in NI (415) However as the following chart shows, when asked if face-to-face (F2F) was not available, which alternative channels they would be willing to access, 78% were willing to use alternative channels to F2F. 34 P a g e

35 This is broadly consistent with choices made in each of those conditions across the rest of the UK. Secondary channel preferences for debt advice in NI Q11. If face-to-face advice was not available, would you be willing to access debt advice by these channels? Base: All prefer F2F (345) Only one in 20 over-indebted people rejected all channels. One in five of those that prefer to receive advice face-to-face would not go to an alternative channel meaning that 17% of all over-indebted people would not access debt advice were in not available face-to-face. This is similar to earlier research conducted by MAS in the UK, when 15% would not access debt advice were in not available face-to-face. In NI, this response was most common amongst those aged over 55 (36%), single parents (25%). Only 8% of over-indebted people in NI stated telephone as their primary choice but a further 54% of those that chose face-to-face as their first preference would access via telephone were face-to-face not available, equating to a combined total of 56% of indebted individuals in NI that would access telephone debt advice. 35 P a g e