Appendix 1: East Sussex CRF Delivery Framework – Final Draft
· All figures are indicative and subject to governance and formal approval processes
· Although this information is presented in 4 categories, in practice there will be significant overlap, e.g. some services categorised as ‘Crisis Payment Scheme’ will have a resilience function/element.
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Crisis Payments Ø Expected expenditure in Year 1: £3,825,000 (57%) of CRF Ø Spending will be dependent on demand and will be monitored throughout Year 1; this is a maximum spend Ø Spending expected to reduce in Years 2 and 3 as Huggg vouchers cease and other services address need, freeing up additional spend for resilience services and community coordination in Years 2 and 3. Ø Spending will include some administration and service costs Ø Residents/households in receipt of Crisis Payments will be supported to engage with prevention/resilience support |
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Outline Proposals: · Continue HUGGG vouchers for Easter and May half term in 2026 based on FSM pupil numbers of 20,000 and a 94% take-up: Easter holidays - £30 voucher, May half-term - £15 voucher. NB this would then discontinue and families would be signposted to others support from Summer 2026. This is Year 1 only expenditure. Expected cost £850,000 · Deliver Crisis Payments through ESCC Children’s Services departments in the following ways, with all families being supported holistically and with access to prevention and resilience-building services. Expected cost up to £1m. o Operational teams supporting level 4 vulnerable families o Prevention and early intervention through the Family Help service o Intentionally homeless families o Care Leavers · Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) – extend scope and reach of HAF to reach more families, targeting areas of highest need. Expected cost - £325,000. · East Sussex Crisis Payments Scheme – set up VCSE managed service/services for Crisis Payments for all other cohorts not benefitting from other schemes, targeting areas of highest need. Expected cost up to £1.5m (inclusive of admin, service costs) · Goods in Kind – set up a VCSE managed fund to support direct access to goods in kind, where this is the greatest need and most effective solution to address underlying need. Expected cost up to £150,000 (inclusive of admin, service costs)
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Resilience Services Ø Expected expenditure in Year 1: £2,075,000 (30% of CRF) Ø Funding is expected to be allocated through grants or existing contracts, to reduce service disruption and maintain flexibility
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Outline Proposals:
· A CRF funded Advice Offer, delivered through trusted partners, which will include: o General advice services to focus on financial resilience e.g. housing insecurity, barriers related to disability, mental health, caring responsibilities, financial literacy, digital exclusion, community support and social networks, access to income smoothing tools such as affordable credit and insurance. Expected cost £250,000 o Specialist money advice services – accredited specialist money advice focussing on increasing income, reducing priority debt and building savings. Expected cost £250,000 o Welfare Benefits services - ensure benefits maximisation support is available all age and cross-County. Expected cost £125,000 o Funding to support service co-location (see below in Community Coordination) · Employability support. Employability and wellbeing for NEET young people (16–24) and adults furthest from the workplace across East Sussex. Help with employment skills/progression and with financial literacy/capability. Expected cost £525,000 · Food Partnerships – food sustainability and food security projects. Expected cost £300,000 · Tenancy-finder and tenancy sustainment support - co-located with housing authorities. Expected cost £275,000 · Small Grants programme, accessible to small grassroots organisations working with seldom heard, protected characteristics or specific vulnerabilities which other services may not reach. Expected cost £250,000 · Information, education and capability. Projects will include but are not limited to below. Expected cost - £100,000 o Income Maximisation campaigns o Financial education and capability projects o Digital Inclusion projects o Support to manage care costs o Cost of Living communications
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Community Coordination Ø Expected expenditure in Year 1: £325,000 (6% of CRF)
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· Co-located advice. Additional funding to support the co-location of advice and specialist advice in priority locations to support a holistic and person-centred resilience offer. Expected cost £200,000 (NB will be built into advice offer above, increase total advice offer budget to £825,000) · Training, staff support and development, to support the workforce to be skilled up across the system to take a trauma informed, empowering approach to understanding the behaviours within households/families experiencing poverty, and to support staff welfare and resilience. NB this will link with other related programmes where appropriate. Expected cost £75,000 · VCSE – volunteering/infrastructure support. Expected cost £50,000
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Scheme Management and Development Ø Expected expenditure in Year 1: £450,000 (7% of CRF)
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· ESCC staffing. Expected cost £300,000 o To include staff working in Financial Inclusion Team, Children’s Services, Public Health o Includes scheme management, administration, development and support, central costs and delivery support costs.
· Evaluation, lived experience, equalities and engagement. Expected cost £150,000 o Evaluation of the scheme o Lived experience and resident/customer engagement o Costs of inclusion practice to ensure scheme meets the needs of protected characteristics |