Following a range of successful projects for Slough Borough Council (SBC), we were delighted to be invited to help a multi-agency team develop a successful bid to the Controlling Migration Fund managed by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).  

Chalvey 360 is an intensive multi-agency approach to target and support the Chalvey Roma community to tackle a wide variety of concerns that disproportionately impact on local services and communities. The project will enable the Roma community, and particularly Roma children, to adopt accepted societal and legislative norms while maintaining their unique cultural characteristics. Support will be provided to enable residents to understand each other, reducing the fear that many feel about Roma people.  Chalvey 360 will increase community cohesion; improve outcomes for Roma children and reduce re-offending rates; reduce pressure on public services and funds; and enable all of Slough’s residents to thrive.

The successful bid was awarded £313,900 over two years and we are delighted to now be working with the team to deliver the evaluation and learning for this project, due for completion in October 2020.

Commenting on OCE’s support, Helen Buckland, Risk and Exploitation Co-ordinator, Community Safety Team, Regulatory Services at Slough Borough Council said: 

“Getting OCE involved in this bid was fundamental to its success.  They were able to come in relatively late in the day, understood what we were trying to do immediately and hit the ground running.  Using information we had already collated and identifying other information that would add to the impact, they quickly developed it into a cohesive bid.  Michael and Maria made the process very easy for us and turned around the successful bid quickly. We were delighted to have worked with OCE, and are especially pleased with the outcome.”

Commenting on why SBC invited Our Community Enterprise to deliver the subsequent evaluation of the project, Helen said: “It makes sense to have OCE write the evaluation because they are honest and critical friends who know us and the project well, and can deliver the analysis it deserves.”