Improving Practice
YOT Funding
Grant payment - quarters 3 and 4, 2006/07
Following the YJB’s decision to authorise funding payments relating to support to YOTs, ISSP and prevention, quarterly and in arrears, there have been queries raised by some YOTs as to when the final payment will be paid.
In order to ensure full payment of all three funding streams prior to the end of the 2006/07 financial year, the third and fourth payments of these grants will be made as a single payment in February 2007, following receipt of the third quarter data returns.
As YOTs are aware, the YJB reserves the right to withdraw 2% of a YOT’s grant as a penalty for late quarterly data returns. In view of the YJB’s decision to authorise the final quarter’s payment prior to the deadline for returning the final quarter’s data, should the final quarter’s data not be submitted within the specified time periods, the YJB will require repayment of 2% of the final quarter’s payment already paid – this will be deducted from 2007/08 allocations.
Underspend of YJB grants
If you have underspend from a YJB grant for 2006/07, there is only a small possibility that we will allow you to carry it over into 2007/08. Even if this becomes possible, the YJB would not be able to make such a decision until July 2007 at the earliest because of the audit certification process. We would therefore advise YOTs to work on the assumption that they will not be permitted to carry over underspent YJB grants.
Variations of grant – prevention and ISSP
If YOTs do have a potential underspend from 2006/07, they may wish to apply to vary their grant within this financial year and should consult their prevention monitor or the ISSP central team, who will be able to advise further. Variations of grant will be looked at on a case-by-case basis, but, in the case of prevention funding, the YJB is likely to approve re-allocation of funding to other areas of prevention work, for example in support of individual support orders, or to buy in parenting training. Click here to download the prevention and ISSP variation of grant forms.
Breach of YJB grant conditions
The YJB is accountable to Parliament and has a responsibility to monitor the use of prevention, support to YOTs and ISSP grants to ensure value for money is achieved. This section provides details on the conditions of these grants.
In the vast majority of YOTs, every possible effort is being made to ensure value for money and high quality services to young people and families. However, in a few isolated cases relating to new prevention programmes we are aware that lack of delivery or non-compliance with monitoring requirements could mean that YOTs have breached the conditions of their grant. In those circumstances, we will write to the chief executives of local authorities and discuss the steps we will take, which could include suspending funding.
Writing to Chief Executives is clearly an approach we do not wish to take in respect of any funding to YOTs, but YOTs are reminded that breach of conditions of YJB grants can include:
- Not providing required data (as set out in Sections 11, 21 and 22 of YJB Standard Terms and Conditions of Grant 06-07). We recognise issues around counting rules and management information systems (particularly for prevention schemes) and will continue to offer our support through our Information and Planning Team and through Prevention Monitors. We have also provided a new tool for YOTs to use to ensure simple validation of data, and easy transfer of prevention data into Themis. This tool will also help prevention programmes which need to make manual returns to YOTs because of management information system issues. Click to download this tool [59Kb Excel spreadsheet], and for additional technical information relating to prevention counting rules.
- Using funding for activities/services not agreed by the YJB through the variation of grant procedure (see above).
YOTs are reminded that the conditions of grant permit the YJB to suspend all three grants (Support to YOTs, Prevention and ISSP) simultaneously if there is a breach of conditions in any one grant area.