Social Justice programme
Report
The principles of social justice – equal citizenship, access to resources to meet basic needs, equality of opportunity, fair distribution – are now widely recognised, but remain contested. They are absent in the reality of many lives. Through our Social Justice programme, with a particular focus on the integration of marginalised individuals and communities in the UK, we are interested in supporting innovative ways of effecting social change.
We see integration as an evolving, two-way process in which society at large and specific communities adapt, understand and benefit from each other. Our view is that increasing social segregation is a cause for concern and needs to be tackled by increasing opportunities for exchange, collaboration and shared decision-making between individuals and communities, and across generations. There is no straightforward path to a more integrated society. Charitable foundations such as ours can highlight social injustice where it exists, support people to improve their lives, and push for wider change by working closely with others.
This programme seeks to influence at the level of ideas and action through its open grants scheme, special initiatives and research. We support direct interventions at the level of day to day practice – encouraging organisations and individuals to think and act differently. We also aspire to influence public policy, helping shape how issues are understood, and how practice on the ground can provide new ways of tackling injustice.
In 2007-08 the programme continued to support social change. Our aim has been to encourage long-term approaches and to ensure that through evaluation of work and close dialogue with grant recipients, we can respond helpfully to the new challenges thrown up by rapid social, economic and environmental change. We encourage organisations to take developmental risks where they think the positive benefits for young people would be substantial.
In our open grants scheme we encourage applicants to experiment with arts, education and learning based approaches. This has led to applications coming from both arts and voluntary organisations, and partnerships between the two. The open grants scheme supported around 50 organisations across the UK to undertake work which allows young people’s voices to be heard, and which gives them a genuine involvement in the design, delivery and evaluation of activity; gives young people the chance to participate more fully in society by, for instance, providing supportive pathways into education or employment; facilitates the mutual engagement of different sections of society and with marginalised groups, and builds bridges between different communities; and fosters understanding of and respect for difference.
The last year has deepened our commitment to supporting young people and communities making difficult transitions, and given us insights that will inform how the programme develops in the future.
Much of the work we support is – either explicitly or implicitly – about improving the quality of the relationships young people need to negotiate difficult transitions. These may be with peers, with adults, or with organisations. Feeling valued, listened to, and able to exercise some control over one’s life requires the support of others, particularly during difficult transitions – for example, as young people go through prison resettlement; or seek to build self confidence and basic skills that they were unable to gain in school; or cope with life in the UK as an asylum seeker, refugee or migrant. How the most vulnerable young people develop and sustain supportive relationships is a growing concern for us.
Young people’s right to be heard in decisions that affect their lives is a value which underpins the programme, and beyond this we want to encourage more organisations to embed youth participation in their operating culture, systems and processes. This can be very challenging to many organisations and adults, and we will continue to explore ways of increasing the influence young people themselves have over grants we award.
While most of our funding is directed at those under the age of 30, we inevitably support work that fosters better understanding between generations. The focus is strongly on youth, but we recognise that in tackling the social problems that communities face, young people and older people need to co-operate and collaborate effectively.
Special Initiatives
Reading and Libraries Challenge Fund
Opening access to books and reading
The fund (which is closed to new applications) aimed to effect long-term change to the way libraries work with marginalised young people and communities. Libraries offer resources and informal learning opportunities free of charge, yet often remain under-utilised, particularly by those who stand to benefit the most.
The fund’s three streams were Right to Read, for looked-after children and young people; Free with Words, for prisoners and young offenders; and Libraries Connect, for communities like refugees and asylum seekers who were being neglected. In line with our ambition to make lasting change, all three streams emphasised the importance of libraries working in partnership with other local authority departments, particularly education and social/children’s services, and with the voluntary sector. The Fund has had a significant impact on both practice in libraries, prisons and amongst practitioners and carers. There have been major gains too in terms of the young people’s attitudes towards books, reading and libraries. We are now embarking on the final dissemination of the programme’s findings to highlight what has worked and the changes that need to be made to ensure libraries are relevant to all sections of the community.
Refugee and Asylum Seeker Fund
Averting alienation among the most marginalised
£723,603 awarded in 2007-08 (including support costs)
The fund has a special focus on the integration of 11-18 year old asylum seekers and refugees, including those who are unaccompanied, and also aims to develop the capacity of refugee community organisations, particularly those from outside London. £3.3 million has been awarded to 69 organisations across the UK: 28 were RCOs and the remainder other organisations working in partnership with RCOs. The Fund has now closed to new applications.
The ongoing evaluation of the fund is revealing the emerging impact of the fund. Nearly all the work supported involved organisations working together in partnership – these were often challenging to establish and maintain but were recognised as important to the work being effective. Staffing capacity has grown as a result of this funding, and staff themselves report having developed new skills and supportive networks. Young people have been involved in the planning and delivery of nearly all projects. Organisations and their staff often had a major positive impact on the lives of individual young people.
Right Here
Building resilience among 16-25 year olds
In partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, we are embarking on a five-year action research programme to explore how mental health needs can be addressed early on. Mental health problems among children and young people have risen substantially in the UK in the past 50years. This initiative aims to reverse the trend, particularly of those aged 16 to 25 not being heard and not accessing services as they move into adulthood. The current situation reflects stigma attached to mental illness and points to significant gaps in policy and provision. Working with up to five voluntary and public sector partnerships across the UK, the programme will pilot new ways of working to build resilience in young people, families and communities, and promote mental health. Young people will be involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of provision.
Each project will also break down barriers to understanding mental health; improve the commissioning of services; offer training to non-specialist staff and disseminate good practice. The voluntary sector will have a primary role. Recruitment of the partnerships will take place from October 2008, and action research will start in 2009. Baroness Molly Meacher, chair of East London Foundation NHS Trust, is the chair of the Right Here steering and advisory groups.
Young Undocumented Migrants Research
What happens to young people at risk of isolation ,destitution, exploitation, harassment and criminalisation?
In 2007 we commissioned City University’s Department of Sociology, working in partnership with the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University and the Evelyn Oldfield Unit, to carry out qualitative research into the lives of young undocumented migrants in the UK. The research will last around one year and explore the experiences of people living here from China, Turkey (including Kurds), Brazil, Zimbabwe and Ukraine. One special feature of this work is our commitment to developing both the skills and capacity of individuals from these communities in the UK, who will work as social researchers in the fieldwork stage, and organisations working with undocumented migrants.
Open grants scheme
Grants awarded in 2007-08
Save the Children, Wales
A voice for refugees and asylum-seekers
£100,000 awarded over two years
As evaluation of our Refugee and Asylum Seeker Fund initiative has shown, many refugee community organisations(RCOs) struggle to involve young people effectively in their work and consequently their voices are often absent in policy debate about issues which affect their lives. Save the Children will address this need by setting up and coordinating a network to help young migrants influence policy and practice in Wales. The work will help develop the skills and confidence of individual young people and develop community bodies’ capacity to involve young people effectively in their wider policy work.
Whiterock Creche Association, Northern Ireland Integration in West Belfast
£86,000 awarded over three years
After a successful pilot supported by the Foundation, Whiterock Creche Association is developing its work to welcome and help integrate black and minority ethnic families who have settled in West Belfast. Integration has twin dimensions, directed at families and the wider community. Whiterock will offer support to families via a confidential advice service, English language courses,signposting to services and internet access. Secondly it will promote integration through activities that are intended to re-educate the local community about living in a multi-cultural environment – in school, through training for community activists, and anti-racism awareness training for local young people.
“Every week from Monday to Friday I cross the city from south to west,spending at least two hours on four buses to the Whiterock Centre…Without it, I would still be a lonely and helpless lone mother with a young boy.”
– Young Chinese woman who began using the centre as an asylum-seeker in 2005
Revolving Doors Agency, London
Putting young adults in position to lead campaigning
£144,180 awarded over three years
As we seek to promote greater influence for young people over the services they use, we are supporting Revolving Doors Agency to set up a forum that will empower young adults who have experienced mental health problems and offending to lead policy and campaigning work. Young people on the panel will commission and conduct user-led research projects, produce media articles, take part in interviews and debates, speak at events, engage with other service users, policy makers, service providers and local community groups; and speak directly to government policy makers at a series of user-led policy seminars.
Clore Duffield Foundation, UK Social Leadership Programme
£70,000 awarded over two years
Paul Hamlyn Foundation was a founding supporter of the Clore Leadership Programme for the cultural sector. Now, by funding a Paul Hamlyn Fellow, we are helping the establishment from 2009 of a new Social Leadership Programme to bring on the next generation of UK third sector leaders. Around 20 Fellows a year will take part in a programme tailored to their needs, with bespoke activities and training for their particular situations and learning styles. Each fellow will have a mentor and the opportunity to network with people of influence in the sector, while being part of a mutually supportive cohort of talented voluntary sector leaders.
Red Rose Chain, Ipswich
Drama support for prostitutes
£50,000 awarded over two years
This initiative works with young women in Ipswich who are either involved, or at risk of involvement, in street prostitution. Red Rose Chain works with a range of agencies to offer more effective support to these young women who, over two years, will take part in a drama project leading to the production of a new play. It will help young women develop skills including communication and literacy, with an opportunity to achieve formal accreditation, improve their self esteem and discover potential creative careers. The young women who take part in the creative workshops will have access to support with their housing, health, education and childcare needs from partner organisations involved in the project.
“Red Rose Chain has had such apositive impact on my life, as I amstronger, determined and focused,my children seem happier. My past is now my past. I still allow hurt now and again, but I’m looking forward to all the good things I want to achieve.”
– Project participant: care leaver and single mother
Foundation Training Company, London
Alternatives to custody programme
£100,000 awarded over two years
We have funded over 50 organisations in the last decade working with young offenders or young people at risk of offending, and have recently commissioned a review of our grant-making in this area. Much of the work has beenaround supporting young people to reintegrate into thecommunity, helping them engage in education and learningwhen in prison or afterwards. In 2008 we awarded a grantto FTC to help develop, alongside their wider resettlementwork, an “alternatives to custody” programme for youngpeople in its new training and resource centre in Lambeth.In terms of criminal justice, this is a new area of funding forthe Foundation, and the success of the work will be in largepart down to convincing magistrates, the probationservice, the police and other organisations of theeffectiveness and value of the programme.