Developing Women in the Community Programme Phase Two 2022 - 2024 - project specification

The Developing Women in the Community Programme Phase Two

The Department for Communities (DfC) wishes to appoint suitably qualified and experienced organisations to deliver the Developing Women in the Community Programme Phase Two. The programme must be delivered within local communities in District Electoral Areas (DEAs) that have been identified as part of the location process, identifying areas of most need. Applicants must have experience of working in their local DEAs and be able to identify a minimum of 45 women who would benefit most from the programme. Applicants may employ suitable facilitators to deliver training and provide family support.

Programme delivery

It is intended that the structure of the programme will involve four key stages, with the opportunity for volunteering, and include a Family Support element adopting a trauma informed approach, to be provided throughout the duration of the programme:

• stage 1 - Identification and recruitment of women onto the programme
• stage 2 - training, focusing on the individual and their specific needs
• stage 3 - training, focusing on skills to assist/equip them to take on roles within their community
• stage 4 - evaluation/lessons learned, forward planning/exit strategy and celebration event
• throughout stages 1 to 4 – Family Support and provision of a volunteering opportunity to put learning into practise, including the opportunity to develop and deliver a small programme within the community

Many of the participants may not have taken part in a learning experience since leaving school, and may not hold any qualifications. This must be taken into consideration and training and support should be tailored, where required, to ensure that participants are comfortable within the learning environment.

Mandatory content

Modules will include:

Personal

• confidence & self esteem – boosting confidence, emotional intelligence, motivation and self-respect
• communication skills
• personal development – including essential areas such as confidence building, public speaking, money management and any other skill linked to promoting personal growth
• self-awareness – understanding your own identity, rules and biases, to enable you to become more comfortable with new and diverse perspectives

Community

• teamwork & collaboration
• problem solving – help to identify causes, implement solutions and encourage problem prevention
• role of women in community safety
• role of women in peacebuilding

Evidence indicates that women participants in peace processes usually focus on reconciliation, economic development, education and transitional judgement. Training on the role of women in both community safety and peacebuilding should provide women with the opportunity to reflect in a safe space and provide them with the support required to better understand how women have had an impact in community safety and peacebuilding to date, and how they as individuals can have a positive impact going forward.

Families

• role of women in families

The initial focus will be on developing and building women’s confidence and self-esteem, providing them with the skills, tools and belief to consider taking on a role within their community. These skills are transferrable in everyday life and will open up opportunities including improved employability, volunteering or further training opportunities.

The women will learn how to identify their existing strengths and build upon these. They will be given opportunities to develop themselves to gain the confidence and skills needed to become involved in community roles. The programme will equip women to take action to make their communities a better and safer place to live.

The programme will include training on the role of women in families, promoting the impact that women can have, influencing and encouraging good decision making to achieve positive outcomes.

The programme will require the provision of support from the outset. Support will be provided taking a trauma informed approach to participants, and their families if required, by identifying, addressing and/or signposting women who require help with needs which include domestic abuse, mental health, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse, offending, parenting skills, educational needs, adverse childhood experiences, finance/budgeting. This list is not exhaustive.

Participants should be provided with support to address difficult or challenging behaviour from young people in their families/communities, enabling them to encourage young people to make positive life choices.

It is essential that the women are assisted with key issues of concern in their lives in order for them to be able to focus on themselves going forward and how they can become positive influencers within their families and community. An Individual Needs Analysis should be carried out to identify if support is required.

The women will also be encouraged and provided with the opportunity to take on a volunteering role for an adequate period of time within their community. It will be a requirement of the delivery organisation to identify and facilitate a suitable volunteering opportunity for each woman who takes up the opportunity and provide support throughout this period.

The women will also be given the opportunity and support to develop and deliver a small project using the knowledge and skills they have gained. This may be undertaken as a solo activity, or as a group with other participants from the project. It may be built into the volunteering role, if applicable. The project should relate to the Fresh Start Programme’s aims and objectives and examples could include active citizenship, community safety awareness, educational programmes, health and safety. Funding required for this will be included in the contract and should be included in your breakdown of costs at application stage. If participants decide to avail of this opportunity their proposals must be discussed with and approved by DfC in advance.

Core compulsory information sessions

Core compulsory information sessions will form part of the programme(s), to include:

• trauma informed practice and safety
• legacy and the role of women in peacebuilding
• participatory budgeting/exit strategy building on successes
• end celebration event

These compulsory information sessions will be arranged by the department and/or through partnership of successful organisations, for both delivery organisations and for participants. Attendance at these sessions will be a mandatory requirement of the programme.

The plenary sessions will provide opportunities for shared learning and networking amongst the delivery organisations and participating beneficiaries across the programme(s). A timetable will be provided at a later date.

Project aims and objectives

Objectives

1. to provide training and support to women, empowering them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to become involved in community development
2. to identify and recruit women who will benefit most from the support and guidance provided
3. to increase the number of women involved in leadership and decision making roles within their communities
4. to increase community capacity
5. to improve mental health and emotional well being
6. to support families and strengthen the family unit

Outcomes

1. Improved community relations
2. Safer communities
3. Increased resilience to paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control
4. Increased community capacity
5. Individual women enhance their capacity to engage in community development
6. Enhanced parental capacity – improved resilience, self-esteem, confidence and knowledge in managing their children’s behaviour and providing guidance
7. Support services available and clear pathways to access those services
8. Individual women increase their participation in transformative community development

Programme management

• successful applicants will be required to attend regular meetings (mostly online) with DfC and be willing to share learning and experience with other successful applicants
• delivery organisations and participants will be invited to attend and provide feedback in discussion/focus sessions
• funding will be awarded through Grant Funding. All successful applicants must adhere to the conditions of their contract
• applicants must aim to ensure participants complete online pre and post project surveys. This includes a post programme survey approximately 3 months following completion of the programme
• progress reports to be completed quarterly and include case studies
• a management fee of up to ten percent of the total grant awarded for delivery of the programme may be included in your breakdown of costs at application stage

Project requirements

• organisations will submit a proposal for delivery within their local eligible DEA(s)
• applications to be submitted on the official online application form
• project proposals will target participants from the eligible DEA(s) in which the programme will be delivered
• applicants will recruit women who will benefit most from the programme and the intervention it provides. Those who are most at need, young people and parents/carers/partners of those vulnerable to the influence of criminal behaviour should be prioritised
• applicants should ensure that underrepresented groups e.g. women from an ethnic minority background and women with a disability are made aware of the opportunity and recruitment process
• applicants must be willing to provide a volunteering opportunity for the participants within their own organisation or arrange this with another local community/voluntary group
• applicants should have mitigation factors in place to address Government restrictions which may be imposed due to the COVID-19 situation
• applicants will be required to provide travel expenses to participants upon receipt of valid receipts. This will be provided at no additional cost to the participant and should be included in the applicants cost schedule
• applicants will be required to provide child care arrangements, with a registered child care provider, for the participants and also support for those participants who have caring responsibilities for elderly or ill relatives from a registered organisation. These services will be provided at no extra cost to the participant and should be included within the applicants cost schedule
• successful applicants will be required to submit a minimum of two quotations from two different suppliers for the items requested in the breakdown of grant. The Department will request these at a later date