Issue details

The reasons for the decision are:

The Greater Manchester Strategy recognises that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted our people and places, acknowledges that recovery will be tough. In Greater Manchester, we will make every effort to ensure that all our people are supported to live a good life, through all ages and stages in their lives. This includes a commitment to supporting our children and young people to be good learners, with any necessary family help, education recovery, wrap-around provision and health and wellbeing needs being met.

The Inequalities Commission and Build Back Fairer reports both emphasised the need for Greater Manchester to embed a preventative and ‘future generations’ approach. We need to ensure that Greater Manchester is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The GMCA is committed to prioritising work with children and young people, to share expertise and evidence of the success of prevention approaches and continue to build capacity and partnerships to further develop these approaches.

In June 2021, the VRU in partnership with the Innovation Hub held a Primary School Summit, to address growing anecdotal concerns from primary schools in GM that issues of intergenerational violence and knife carrying appeared to be increasingly prevalent and were affecting children at a younger age than had previously been the case.

Of those attendees working in schools 83% indicated that behaviour, particularly in respect to violence or threats of violence, had become worse. Furthermore, when the question was pitched in the context of communities, 90% felt that criminality involving violence, or the threat of violence had become worse.

A recommendation which arose from the Summit, was the recognition of the need to support effective transition between school phases and mentor schemes and ensure support is sustained as children transition to secondary school, drawing on existing good practice nationally and locally, to shape a GM model.

It should be recognised that Greater Manchester has some strong primary schools, and some well-developed family support in schools which works well with early help. However, it has been recognised that some families are facing their greatest challenges which require more support. In addition, there is currently minimal interventions which are aimed specifically at children transitioning into teenage years and secondary school who are at greater risk of disconnection.

A full competitive tender process has been undertaken, supported and moderated by procurement and Information Governance. Salford Foundation were the successful bidder, with an excellent offer to deliver this service.

The service will be contract managed by the Children and Young People’s Principal , and will be subject to ongoing evaluation by the GMCA evaluation partner.