CFO and ESF related news and recent information. Check back often.
You may also be interested in our Good News Stories
March 2020 by CFO
HMPPS CFO has been awarded £60M additional funding from the European Social Fund Managing Authority. This fund will be used to commission 16 community Activity Hubs and 1 prison based Activity Hub (to be based at HMP Holme House). The Hubs will sit alongside current delivery under CFO3 and will offer complementary services for offenders in the Community. The HMP Holme House Activity Hub will provide additional services predominantly for Veterans.
The commissioning process has now reached the Invitation to Tender stage, with activity commencing early 2021. Additional detail can be found here
November 2019 by CFO
Overview
CFO3 helps offenders move towards mainstream provision or into employment by addressing their barriers via appropriate support mechanisms tailored to individual need. HMPPS CFO3 operates under the ESF social inclusion thematic objective for the 2014-2020 ESF programme, which allows an appropriate focus on the client group and the needs of the individual. HMPPS CFO receives a national top-sliced allocation from the ESF Managing Authority. Other organisations operate an ‘Opt-In’ model in conjunction with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). ESF Allocation to HMPPS CFO3 is £196 millionfor delivery between 2015-2023.
October 2019 by CFO
Hi everyone,
The 2019 ESF England Case Study Booklet has now been published on GOV.UK. Thank you all for your help in getting so many positive stories to demonstrate how ESF is helping people across England.
If you have any means of publicising the booklet to a wider audience then please do let people know about the booklet in your bulletins, messaging and social media etc.
We will also be tweeting throughout the week so please do help us by retweeting if you have a Twitter account.
Thanks again and speak soon!
February 2019 by CFO
On Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 February the Head of the European Social Fund (ESF) Programme, Dr Catherine Blair, visited Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) ESF delivery sites in the North West. She spent time with the HMPPS Co-Financing Organisation (CFO) Staff and the Senior Management Team to find out about the diverse region with both large urban and rural areas, requiring different approaches to deliver effectively.
During a visit to the offices of Achieve North West Connect on Monday, Catherine heard about the range of ESF provision being delivered to support offenders with complex barriers into mainstream opportunities. Staff highlighted their specialist work, including female-specific provision at HMP Styal for women who have experienced trauma. She also heard about bicycle repair work delivered via the Margaret Carey Foundation, which offers opportunities for offenders with mental health needs to gain practical experience and skills. A trip to the Liverpool Probation Office in the afternoon also enabled Catherine to find out more from stakeholders, staff and project participants.
Tuesday brought a visit to HMP Risley, to see the prison education, workshops and other facilities for its 1000+ adult male prisoners. Meeting the Deputy Governor and Head of Resettlement was an opportunity for Catherine to hear about the current challenges involved in delivering services within a prison setting. HMPPS staff also shared details about some of the systems in place, including their Case Assessment and Tracking System (CATS+), during her afternoon visit to HMPPS CFO Headquarters at Daresbury Park.
HMPPS CFO staff enjoyed the opportunity to showcase some of the specialist delivery being provided in their area. Speaking about her two-day visit Catherine said: “I met participants who were actively encouraging those around them to make use of the services of the CFO provision as they felt they had benefited from it so much. I met participants who described coming to see the provider in the community as something they actively looked forward to and participants with goals and optimism for the future, whatever lay behind them. Belief in the participants, advocacy, and never letting up has an impact on participants, and clearly shone through for me. Challenges undoubtedly remain, but lives are being transformed.”
29 January 2018 by CFO
Happy New Year! This is the sixth edition of the European Social Fund Project
Bulletin. The bulletin, issued by the ESF Managing Authority in the Department for
Work and Pensions, is aimed at partners delivering ESF projects to keep you up-
to-date with the latest news and developments in the programme, and help you
deliver your project in line with requirements.
Click here to download the PDF
29 January 2018 by CFO
A collection of Good News Stories of particiapnts helped by our provides has been published on our website.. Click here to read more
6 November 2017 by CFO
Congratulations to the award winners
In October, HMPPS CFO hosted an award ceremony to promote the great work which is being done with offenders by providers in prisons and the community across England. CFO3 is part funded by the European Social Fund and delivers provision to increase mainstream opportunities for offenders. Providers were asked to nominate individual staff members or small projects within their delivery for a range of award categories. The nominations gave us great insight into the work carried out by Case Managers and Projects, in order to help support the hardest to reach offenders, the group targeted by CFO3 provision.
We were fortunate enough to have some key spokespeople at the ceremony; Catherine Blair (Head of European Social Fund Division), Sue Taylor (Community Interventions Operational Delivery Unit) and representatives from the Managing Authority Publicity Group, who said they enjoyed the evening and appreciated being able to see the hard work being done in prisons and the community.
We would like to thank all who attended, especially those who had to travel long distances. The feedback has been really positive and we hope it has given staff positive recognition and the drive to continue with the good work.
As a recap, you can click here for more information on the categories, nominations and winners.
6 November 2017 by CFO
The Department for Work and Pensions, who is the Managing Authority for the European Social Fund are promoting “The Growth Programme Week 2017”. This is a chance to recognise the excellent work of numerous projects that receive funding from the European Social Fund, including us here at the CFO3. To read the highlighted activities and achievements of some ESF funded projects across the country, please click here
15 September 2017 by CFO
Congratulations to Charlene
As some of you may be aware, we requested nominations for this year’s Festival of Learning Awards. The Festival of Learning was established to inspire and support people from all backgrounds to celebrate the benefits of lifelong learning, however, much to our disappointment, we learned that there was no funding this year for an ESF award category. On a positive note, the nominations from CFO3 were still recognised. We are really pleased to have received the below certificate from the team at the Festival of Learning for the achievements and hard work along the journey of a Participant for the Shaw Trust Contract.
We would like to pass on our congratulations to Charlene. We are extremely pleased to hear of such achievements and wish her continued success for the future.
04 August 2017 by CFO
The HMPPS Co-Finance Organisation, winners of the Collaboration and Partnership award
The first ever Ministry of Justice Group Awards were held in July this year, recognising exceptional work across the department, including agencies and arm’s length bodies.
HMPPS Co-Financing Organisation won the Collaboration and Partnership category. The team was responsible for accessing external funding to provide interventions for hard-to-reach individuals, and since 2010, they have secured approximately £300m.
The awards provided an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments, dedication, and work of teams and colleagues who, every day, work together to protect and advance the principles of justice, providing important services to the public.
01 June 2017 by CFO
A collection of Good News Stories of particiapnts helped by our provides has been published on our website.. Click here to read more
01 Feb 2017 by CFO
Festival of Learning celebrate the many benefits learning can have for everyone, and recognise individuals, tutors, employers and projects where learning has changed lives.
You can nominate within any of the following four categories. Awards within these categories include Young Adult Learner, Learning for Work, Social Impact, Outstanding Individual, Patron's and President's awards. Nominations close at 5pm, Friday 31 March 2017. Please email [email protected] with nominations.
Building on the success of 24 years of Adult Learners’ Week, The Festival of Learning is a national celebration of lifelong learning organised by the Learning and Work Institute. There will be awards specifically for learners and projects funded through the European Social Fund.
There will be awards for outstanding individual learners, young adult learners, innovative projects and provision
1 December 2016 by CFO
The 2016 ESF (Equality and Sustainable Development) Leader Awards took place on the 17th November at the NEC Skills Show in Birmingham. The awards celebrated ESF projects who ‘go the extra mile’ in promoting equal opportunities and sustainable development. The awards aim to move the ESF mainstreaming agenda forward by promoting the award winners’ good practice with other partners across the programme.
The categories of the awards, Mainstreaming Leader and Mainstreaming Leader Specialist Project, reflect the dual approach to mainstreaming which the ESF program promotes by:
CFO nominated two prime providers for each category for their ongoing commitment to Sustainable Development and Equality and are happy to announce the winners were;
CFO would like to congratulate all the nominees and award winners and thank you for your contribution.
14 September 2016 by CFO
European Social Fund Outstanding Individual Learner Award Winner annouced. Click here to read the full article
22 April 2016 by CFO
Festival of Learning (previously Adult Learners’ Week) is a national celebration of lifelong learning, with 'Have a Go' learning events taking place during May and June.
Nominations for this year’s awards have now opened and we are seeking your support to help identify and attract as many eligible ESF nominations as possible (given this year’s awards fall across two programme periods.) The closing date is 20th May 2016. Please email [email protected] with nominations. Click here for more information
Building on the success of 24 years of Adult Learners’ Week, The Festival of Learning is a national celebration of lifelong learning organised by the Learning and Work Institute. There will be awards specifically for learners and projects funded through the European Social Fund.
There will be awards for outstanding individual learners, young adult learners, innovative projects and provision
26 January 2016 by CFO
Employment Minister Priti Patel announced the programme
The official launch of the ESF 2014-2020 programme for England took place on Monday (25th January). Employment Minister Priti Patel announced the programme, which will fund employment, skills and inclusion projects - including support for offenders both in custody and in the community - during her visit to HMP Styal which is receiving ESF funding to help female prisoners get ready for the world of work.
"There is no better place to launch this funding than HMP Styal, where the money is already having such a positive effect. The funding announced today will support countless projects which are reaching out to people just like this one. It is an inspirational example of how the funding can change lives and move people closer to employment."
Employment Minister Priti Patel
More information available from the offical press release.
July 2015 by CFO
The CFO3 provision for the European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020 Operational Programme is now delivering throughout England.
March 2015 by CFO
The CFO3 provision for the European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020 Operational Programme tender process has concluded, with contracts awarded in nine Economic Contract Areas (ECAs). For more information on the awarded contracts, click here.
