Memorandum submitted by Pertemps People
Development Group
INTRODUCTION
1. This document forms Pertemps People Development
Group's contribution to the inquiry into Community Sport. It seeks
to set out our views on how a greater level of sustained participation
in sport might best be achieved. These views are based on our
experience of delivering sports based programmes over the past
five years, and also on our experience of using sport as a medium
to deliver other, primarily employment focussed programmes. The
Annex to this document explains who PPDG are and the level and
type of involvement in Community Sport, in order to provide some
context to our views. We would welcome the opportunity to provide
further contributions to this inquiry, should the Committee find
this useful.
BARRIERS TO
SUSTAINABLE PARTICIPATION
Funding Streams
2. Much of the funding which is made available
for Sports Development is both small scale and short term. In
general, funding will cover the cost of the key workers or coach,
but rarely allows scope for the further development of the programme
for example; reward programmes such as awarding body qualifications
or visits to see the "professionals" at work. These
types of activities can be particularly motivating for young participants.
3. In general, a funding stream which lasts
up to 12 months, does not allow sufficient time for providers
to work with other organisations, in order to develop partnerships
which might add value to the funding being given. By extending
funding periods and contracts to 24 or 36 months, it might be
possible to secure additional funding for specific activities
from the private sector or professional sports clubs under sponsorship
arrangements.
4. Often funding streams are also set up
to deal with single issues, such as sports development, ignoring
other areas of development which need to take place in order to
make the sports development work sustainable. For example, the
barrier relating to local ownership below may be related to low
levels of qualification amongst the adult population of a neighbourhood.
Without addressing these needs, the sports specific funding loses
its ability to sustain activity once the funding ends.
Local Ownership
5. Our experience shows that very often
local people are very willing to volunteer to help programmes
operate, whilst external providers such as ourselves are involved.
This willingness to volunteer rarely, however, develops into a
willingness to lead the activity once the funding has ended, thus
an opportunity to build social cohesion is lost. There may be
a variety of reasons behind this which are likely to include issues
such as low levels of educational achievement and the consequent
fear of failure preventing them working towards coaching qualifications,
unwillingness to take responsibility for potentially difficult
children, and the fear of other parents' reactions to their attempts
to maintain a good standard of behaviour.
Lack of Strategic Aims
6. As stated previously, many very short
term programmes are set up for very specific reasons, for example
school holiday play schemes. In these cases very often little
thought is given to the longer term potential of what may be a
taster session for a good number of people. Therefore opportunities
to build social capital by linking up with local sports clubs
or to set up new community teams are lost.
7. The presence of sporting activities in
an area can have a positive economic effect. Where residents are
involved in legitimate sporting activities, there is less of a
propensity towards the sort of street crime and vandalism which
blights many areas where young people in particular have few or
no appropriate facilities. The presence of sporting activity can
therefore help an area become a better place to live and more
attractive to other people and potentially businesses which are
looking to relocate. In this way sport can start to regenerate
an economy so long as it provides a permanent facility. In effect
it is the first step to economic recovery and therefore the strategic
links to other initiatives are vital if the funding provided is
to be used to best effect.
Environmental Issues
8. Whilst deprived communities are in desperate
need of support in setting up activities which will divert residents
of all ages away from anti-social and criminal pursuits; opportunities
to develop sustainable participation in sports are limited through
the lack of a safe environment in which participation can take
place. For example, in areas where drug abuse and gun crime are
prevalent, fears for personal safety or the safety of one's children
is likely to prevent residents undertaking the journey to the
new basketball court, or indeed any new indoor facilityregardless
of the quality and safety of the facility once access has been
gained.
THE FUTURE
FOR COMMUNITY
SPORTS
9. Through our delivery of sports and related
activities in the community we have identified a number of clear
benefits for the economy and for communities in general which
span the whole age range of participation. In addition to the
obvious health related benefits which clearly have a positive
effect on the economy, PPDG would suggest that the following benefits:
Reductions in: Anti Social
Behaviour, Truancy, Criminal Behaviour Role of Private Sector
in Community Sports Developmenteconomic drivers.
Increases in: Community Cohesion,
participation in education/training, self esteem, motivation and
confidence amongst participants.
10. PPDG would strongly recommend that the
further development of community sports is done in conjunction
with other political and social agendas, in particular that the
Social Inclusion, Social Justice and Health Agendas are combined
to ensure that the barriers to sustainable participation are tackled
through a single project. This could be achieved by developing
projects which have clear, definable targets related to sustained
sports participation in addition to outputs set by other funding
bodies, for example achievement of qualifications or job outcomes.
Our experience of Employment Zone, where funding is combined into
a single budget in order to address the whole gamut of barriers,
both work and non work related, has clearly demonstrated that
a holistic approach to issues improves both overall success rates
of programmes and in particular, the sustainability of their outcomes.
11. Through our use of sport as a medium
of engagement, we have engaged clients who would normally not
consider entering training or employment centred provision. We
have not only given these clients' sporting skills, but also the
confidence and motivation to enter or re-enter the labour market.
Thus were sport to be the first line of attack in a co-ordinated
approach to regenerating communities, providing a permanent hub
for social activities onto which other services could be attached,
the likelihood of sustained participation in sport would increase,
possibly in line with the rate at which the community and its
economy improves. The key to ensuring the continuing participation
in sport, therefore, is to enable programmes to have sufficient
longevity to allow the sport itself to become a part of each participant
and communities life. In addition to forming a springboard for
further growth, this would also enable programme providers to
work with partners to provide value added services, such as sponsorship
which ensure that additional support is provided and an effective
exit route to independently funded provision can be found. Key
points we would suggest the Committee should consider are:
Ensure that both strategic and operational
objectives of any initiatives are clearly defined and linked to
key local agendas.
Ensure that allocation of funds is
made on condition that specific outcome targets are met. (Outcomes
need not all be numericalan exit strategy to ensure continuing
participation could be a key criteria for funding).
Pooling funding with other departments
to ensure all the needs of the participants and their communities
are met.
Longer-term projects. Three years
would be ideal to ensure the programme could produce "value
added" outcomes.
Greater use of the private sector
providers when allocating funds. The drivers of the private sector
are different to those present in public and voluntary sectors.
Whilst traditionally this has been seen as negative in this arena,
the private sector are more likely to ensure that outcomes are
exceeded and to develop innovative partnership arrangements to
ensure programmes are efficient. The success of Pertemps Coachright
as a not for profit organisation has demonstrated the benefits
of private sector drivers in the not-for-profit sector. Additionally
"value added" may be achieved by involving companies
with an active Corporate Social Responsibility Agenda.
The development of "whole family"
programmes. Sport is an inter-generational medium and can help
with a path to a healthy retirement just as it can to the development
of a healthy young adult.
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