eNews

On Wednesday 21 April 2010 a panel of five Prospective Parliamentary Candidates for the High Peak seat in the 2010 Election met to answer questions on voluntary and community sector issues from a local audience. The panel were given prior knowledge of the questions.

>> VCS Election Question Time in the High Peak

The session was organised by High Peak CVS working with the Voice Project and the Uniting Church of Whaley Bridge. Initally each candidate gave a brief introductory outline of their policies in regard to the third sector.

>> View VIDEOS of the panel answering the questions

Training Events at High Peak CVS

How to Get Money from Grants for the Arts!

Do you need money for an arts related project? ‘Grants for the Arts’ is a competitive, open access funding scheme for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. They are for activities carried out over a set period, which engage people in arts activities, and help artists and arts organisations carry out their work. ‘Grants for the Arts’ is funded by the National Lottery.

This short course aims to give you:

details of what can and cannot be funded;
a greater understanding of how ‘Grants for the Arts’ applications are processed and assessed; and
enough knowledge to produce better quality ‘Grants for the Arts’ applications.

Date and time:    Wednesday 12 May 2010, 10.00 am to 1.00 pm
Venue:                 High Peak CVS, Bingswood Trading Estate, Whaley Bridge
Tutor:                   Nigel Caldwell
Nigel is the Arts and Creative Business Manager and Development Programme Manager at High Peak CVS. He has attended Arts Council East Midlands briefing sessions and has Arts Council training materials to share with you in this session

Microsoft Publisher

Designed for beginners this fun and informal training session will look at what makes a good poster and enable you to create your own poster using both Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Word. This session will also include basic ‘must haves’ in poster design and printing, and useful resources including free online image banks.

Date and time:    Thursday 13 May 2010, 10.00 am to 1.00 pm
Venue:                 High Peak CVS, Bingswood Trading Estate, Whaley Bridge
Tutor:                   Claire Mitchell

Cost for both courses:	Half Day	Full Day
Voluntary and Community Groups without paid workers	£10.00	£20.00
Voluntary and Community Groups with paid workers	£30.00	£60.00
Statutory Organisations & Other	£75.00	£150.00

For more information on these training courses please contact Louise McNeil, Development Team Support Worker at High Peak CVS, on 01663 736431 or email louise@highpeakcvs.org.uk

All of High Peak CVS’s courses are advertised on www.highpeakcvs.org.uk/training

Christmas Photo Competition Launched

Christmas is coming (oh yes it is!) … and countryside charity Friends of the Peak District is calling for festive entries to its photo competition.

“I know it sounds a bit bizarre, with all the lovely weather we’ve been having,” says Carol Robinson, Chief Executive, “but we’re a charity and we rely completely on donations and our own income including sales from our Christmas cards – so we have to plan ahead!”

Friends of the Peak District is looking for strong Peak District images with a wintry angle, including photos of people, animals and landscapes.

Prizes include: a family ticket to see Haddon Hall at Christmas; two main course dishes at the Old Pump in Barlow; and ten packs of the Christmas cards featuring your photo. The closing date is Friday 9 July, and people can enter as many times as they like.

Rules and entry forms are at www.friendsofthepeak.org.uk or ring 0114 266 5822.

Innovative Ideas for Positive Change Using the Internet?

The Better Net Awards is an exciting new programme from UnLtd and Nominet Trust to provide individuals with funding and support to improve and encourage the development of a safe, educational and inclusive Internet.

Up to £5,000 is available to individuals to develop and lead Internet based solutions to the problems that affect our society.

The programme will find and support individuals who want to “make cyberspace a better place!” by addressing one or more of these specific criteria in addition to UnLtd’s normal Awards criteria:

Increases education about the Internet & Information Technology
Promotes and addresses online safety
Provides an Internet based solution to social, educational, health and environmental issues
Increases digital inclusion and the use of new media for a social purpose

For more information www.BetterNetAwards.co.uk

If you have any questions please call Shamiela Ahmed or Andrew Burman on 0121 766 4570

VCS LAA Bulletin

Inside this issue are articles giving an update on NI7, political party policies around the VCS and a Derbyshire third sector database.

Download LAA Bulletin #7

Domestic Abuse Helpline 24/7

A free confidential helpline – 08000 198 668 – to support people affected by domestic abuse will now be answered by a trained advisor 24 hours a day seven days a week. DCC are launching it under the banner 'Stop Hurting – Start Talking'.

One woman is killed every three days in Britain by a violent partner or ex-partner and around 40,000 women a year go to women’s refuges to escape domestic abuse. In Derbyshire there were almost 10,000 calls to police relating to domestic abuse last year.

Support available includes talking through the situation, helping people to find an urgent refuge place or other temporary accommodation, financial and legal assistance.

SAM - Men experiencing domestic abuse will soon have a helpline aimed specifically at supporting them. The Derbyshire Support and Advice for Men helpline, SAM, is scheduled to launch in Derbyshire in June and there will be information and support tailored to helping men who are being abused by someone close to them, for example their partner, a parent, a sibling or other family member.

Can You Help? Perceptions of Derbyshire

Victoria Moore, a final year Events Management and Public Relations student at the University of Derby, Buxton. She is currently undertaking her dissertation and within this conducting research into the public opinion and perception of Derbyshire. She would be very grateful if you could spare a few minutes complete a small questionnaire to aid this research – www.surveymonkey.com/s/LTRH65W

Invitation to Derbyshire Homeless Watch Launch

Wednesday 19 May 9.30am – 2.00pm at the Arkwright Centre, Chesterfield.

This is an opportunity to hear about the findings from the latest survey and to discuss the implications of some of the findings for homeless people and services in Derbyshire.

Development of Credit Union Services across Derbyshire Event

Wednesday 26 May 9.30am to 1.30 pm
at the Whitworth Centre, Darley Dale DE4 2EQ – lunch is included.

The event programme includes: About Credit Unions; Implementation of Credit Union Services across Derbyshire’ Report; and Next Steps’ Workshops.

A key part of the Derbyshire Financial Inclusion Strategy is the development of credit union services across the county. A study was commissioned from the Association of British Credit Unions (ABCUL) to look at how we can make that happen. The report has been produced and this event is to share the findings with agencies from all sectors that have an interest in financial inclusion, and discuss next steps, as well as providing an opportunity to consider how your agency can participate.

Booking is essential by 12 May. For a booking form please contact Emma Bates, Financial Inclusion Manager:
by email: e.bates@ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk
by post: c/o Rural Action Derbyshire, Church Street, Wirksworth, Derbyshire DE4 4EY
by phone: 01629 821929

VCI Vetting and Barring Event

Thirty places are still available for the Vetting and Barring Scheme Event on 20 May at South Normanton Community Centre. Follow this link for more information: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/images/MF80_tcm9-135910.doc

Follow this link for a booking form: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/images/MF81_tcm9-135911.doc

Completed forms should be returned to Tracey Broll at Children’s Links (contact details on the booking form).

Participatory Budgeting Workshop

Sick of the old style of politics and want to see how it can be done better? This free half day workshop is for you. Participatory Budgeting is an exciting new way to revolutionise your community engagement and refresh local politics. Already adopted by dozens of authorities it can place residents at the heart of local decision making, and bring a welcome sense of being part of a local community.

East Midlands Empowerment Partnership has launched a series of free workshops introducing participatory budgeting to local authorities, the voluntary sector and other local partners (such as Health, Housing and Police authorities.) These will be running across the East Midlands over the next two months.

The first is very soon in Derby, so don’t delay. Online booking and detailed information available at: www.emep.org.uk/ourdecisionderby

Vacancies at Amber Trust

Amber Trust is a social care charity that aims to promote mental wellbeing by providing professional support services to adults with mental ill health, enabling them to live successfully in their local communities.

Support Worker Amber Valley Area
£17,582.26 rising to £18,404.28 pa + generous contributory pension scheme
Full-time 37½ hours per week

Finance Administrator Belper Office
£17,993.27 - £18,838.72 pro rata
Part-time 22½ hours per week, working pattern to be agreed

Closing date for both posts: 9.30 am, Wednesday 5 May 2010.

More detailed information about these posts will be sent out with application packs. To request an application pack, please visit www.ambertrust.co.uk Alternatively, contact us on 01773 599599, email debsm@ambertrust.co.uk or write to Deborah Maddocks, Suite 4A, East Mill, Bridge Foot, Belper DE56 2UA.

Sport Inclusion Project

This project is focussing on the gaps between community activity that uses sport as a means for inclusion and participation and the relationship with formalised sport activity and asks the questions:

Can sport be used as a tool for achieving social inclusion and combating inequality? and if so
What could be done to enable this to happen and who should have responsibility for guiding the process.

One East Midlands would like to know the views of community groups engaging in sport on this issue. Is mainstream sport activity a target for your activity? What barriers to you come across in working with sporting groups and bodies and what resources or support would help improve access to sport for all?

Please contact Michele Payne, Development Manager at One East Midlands, on 0115 934 8419 or michelepayne@one-em.org.uk

Advice for Small Organisations on Employee Health

Small organisations can access professional occupational health advice from NHS Plus on any individual employee occupational, physical or mental health issue at no charge. The Health for Work Adviceline (for England) is on 0800 0 77 88 44, or see www.health4work.nhs.uk

Sample Policies and Case Studies on Workforce Issues

NCVO's Workforce Development team has collected a set of case studies from a variety of voluntary sector organisations on topics such as changing pension schemes, developing and implementing training programmes and improving recruitment and retention. www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/hr-case-studies

Their HRBank has also recently been updated, since January adding over 80 new sample policies and job descriptions which can be requested online, www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/workforce-development/hrbank. (Info via Improving Support website)

Handling Unexpected Absence Outside of Employee Control

The recent air travel disruption is the latest major incident leading to forced absences from work outside employer or employee control. Hopefully you already have policies and procedures for such a situation, but the advice from ACAS may still be of use: www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2913

Measuring The UK Voluntary Sector

The latest figures on the voluntary sector across the country and covering the financial year 2007/08 have been published in 'The UK Civil Society Almanac 2010'. Headline figures include:

Voluntary organisations employ 668,000 people. The more widely defined "Civil Society" organisations employ an estimated 1.6 million people, over five per cent of the total UK workforce and a similar size to the NHS.
The voluntary sector workforce grew by 23% between 1999 and 2008, as against 18% in the public sector and 7% in the private.
While funding received as government grants and contracts almost caught up with that from individual donations and membership fees, more than three quarters of all charities receive no government funding at all.

See NCVO's news item, Third Sector coverage at www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/998132/ or Society Guardian commentary.

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