Academics at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have exposed the impact of funding gaps on third-sector organisations (TSOs) helping those furthest from the labour market into work, education or training. TSOs provide tailored, one-to-one support for individuals with multiple barriers to progress towards positive outcomes and improve their self-confidence and well-being, with many benefitting from ESF funding. While this funding has nominally been replaced by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the amounts on offer are significantly reduced, and funding being made available for ‘people and skills’ priorities’ has been delayed. The funding environment has also become more fragmented, with third-sector providers required to make multiple funding bids to different local authorities for relatively small pots of short-term funding, typically of 12 months or less. Many TSOs regard this as inefficient, diverting resources from supporting users. It also makes long-term planning extremely difficult for providers and makes it harder to recruit and keep knowledgeable key workers. Short-term funding also makes it harder to meet the needs of vulnerable users who require long-term support. Click here for more.
