AQW 25455/17-22


Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford


Tabled Date: 09/11/2021
Answered On Date: 09/12/2021
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline the outcomes achieved by the Communities in Transition Programme .


Answer:
The Communities in Transition Project is a significant community facing aspect of the Executive’s Action Plan on Tackling Paramilitary Activity, Criminality and Organised Crime.
The Communities in Transition Project is designed to support and empower those communities which have been most impacted by paramilitarism, criminality and ongoing coercive control, and therefore operates in 8 geographic areas where residual paramilitary activity and associated criminality continues to have a negative impact on communities. These are:
Shankill (including Woodvale);
East Belfast (The Mount & Ballymacarrett);
North Belfast (New Lodge & Ardoyne);
Lurgan/Craigavon (Kilwilkie & Drumgask);
Carrickfergus/Larne (Northland & Castlemara and Antiville & Kilwaughter);
North Down (Kilcooley & Rathgill);
Derry~Londonderry (Brandywell & Creggan); and
West Belfast (Lower Falls, Twinbrook, Poleglass, Upper Springfield, Turf Lodge & Ballymurphy).
During its first phase of activity (December 2019 to June 2021) the Project supported 34 individual interventions covering a variety of themes in these areas, with a supporting budget of approximately £8.5 million.
With such a breadth of activity, we shall focus on a number of significant outcomes.
In Derry~Londonderry, an employability programme has been delivered. This programme was focussed on those deemed to be most at risk of being drawn into paramilitarism or associated criminality. The Programme worked with 66 young people from the area and provided a 24 week paid work placement while also providing wrap-around skills development and mentoring support.
Of the 66 young people who took part in the programme, 59% have gone on to secure immediate full-time employment locally – examples include with a local newspaper, youth clubs, and a range of private businesses.
In Shankill, through the Arts and Culture theme, a strand of work which was focussed on positive re-imaging of space has resulted in the installation of a new piece of street art. Entitled ‘Night Taxi’, the piece of street art on the end of Enfield Street has attracted widespread recognition at a national level.
The project worked directly with young people in the area to co-design imagery with world-renowned street artist Dan Kitchener. The final piece is focussed on the hopes and aspirations of young people, particularly broadening their horizons.
In Lurgan/Craigavon, as part of the Community Safety project a local Community Safety Engagement Forum has been established to help develop relationships between the community and statutory bodies, such as the PSNI, PCSP and Education Authority. This is the first time such a forum has been established in the area and those involved have recognised it as a positive development for the community.
In its first year of operation, the Forum co-developed a community safety strategy which includes priority issues to address by the various partners.
In Carrickfergus/Larne, a collaboration of all local delivery partners has resulted in the development of the ‘Be Aware’ campaign. ‘Be Aware’ is a drug awareness campaign and support network in one place. The campaign has a very local focus, taking account of drugs which are particularly prevalent in the area. It has involved local celebrities, influencers and football teams in its promotion.
Through the project, Extern has run a dedicated addiction and mental health support service in the area which has accepted referrals and provided significant help to those in need.
On a regional basis, the restorative practice project (entitled STARS – Striving Towards an Active Restorative Society) has had a significant impact in training and developing both statutory and community organisations in restorative practice. During its first phase, STARS has worked with 96 individual organisations (which includes the PSNI, NIHE, community development organisations, schools, youth groups, church groups, etc.) and almost 280 individuals.
In line with current policy evaluation methods that have been introduced across the Executive, the Communities in Transition Project employs an Outcomes Based Accountability (OBA) methodology. OBA is a system of working and management that aims to improve outcomes for individuals, communities and populations. OBA concentrates on impact, not quantity. However, to understand the impact our projects have, it is still important to show what is being delivered (our outputs or processes) to see what effect they have had (our outcomes). As the Communities in Transition Project is an area-based schemes which is focussed on making a difference within very narrow geographical boundaries, it is specifically focused on ‘project level’ impact as opposed to population impacts.
Additionally, the Tackling Paramilitarism Programme Team has worked to embed a benefits management approach to monitoring and evaluating the Programme overall going into Phase 2. The Communities in Transition Project will contribute to the ‘Increase in Community Resilience’ intermediary benefit going forward.
A mid-term evaluation of the project was completed in November 2020. The mid-term evaluation noted that positive impact and significant good practice had been delivered during the first phase of the Project, which was particularly impressive as much of this was delivered against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic. The evaluation set out a range of recommendations which are being taken into account within the implementation of phase 2.
The final evaluation for Phase One of the Communities in Transition project is currently in draft. It has used a blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to assess the impact of the project on increasing participation, building skills and confidence and developing collaboration to address issues exploited by paramilitary and organised crime groups.