eNews

The annual Small Group Project Special Event more than lived up to its name when around 200 people gathered at the Dome in Buxton to celebrate the work of the High Peak CVS Small Group Project and its associated groups.

Nancy, Sandy and Louise pulled out all the stops to make this an EXTRA special event packed with interest, imagination and inspiration. You can see pictures from the day via the bold links below.

The day began with an interesting and insightful talk on Group Dynamics by keynote speaker Alistair Macdonald. This looked at the different types of people who are useful in forming a successful team.

At midday there were nine varied workshops to choose from - IT; Dance/Pilates; Chinese Exercise; Motivating Volunteers; Personal Presentations; Extend Exercise; Quiz; Cookery Demo; Shadow Puppets.

During the buffet lunch people could wander around and view the many display stands of SGP groups and of voluntary and community organisations from High Peak and Derbyshire.

At the same time entertainment was provided by demonstrations of juggling from Mayhem Circus Skills; songs from the shows sung by Whaley Bridge Uniting Players Choir; and The Billerettes strutting their stuff in the Dome arena.

Fresh from his performance as Leader of the Billerettes, Bill Weston donned a shirt and tie to deliver an inspirational talk on voluntary and charity work.

The special day finished with an opportunity for groups to talk briefly about their latest activities and the help they have received from High Peak CVS.

Throughout the event, Digital Umbrella ran a live blog of proceedings with articles, comments, pictures and videos.

Thanks go to Derbyshire County PCT, Tameside and Glossop PCT and the University of Derby for funding toward the event.

Make Sense of ICT in Your Organisation
at the East Midland Regional ICT Conference
Monday 16th June 2008

East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham

Need to make sense of ICT for your organisation?

Want to explore new ways to use technology?

Come and hear from nationally-renowned ICT projects and speakers at this one day conference commissioned by the East Midlands Infrastructure Steering Group. This conference is particularly relevant to:

front line third sector organisations including trustees and management committees
small groups
infrastructure organisations and in particular development workers
established and emerging social enterprises
funders
suppliers of ICT support from the third sector

Further details and a booking form are available at item3.org.uk

Barriers Facing Disabled People Entering Higher Education

Focus Group Event, University of Derby Buxton
Friday 6th June 10am-3.30pm

This event is open to all disabled people and people working for disability organisations. The aim of the event is to identify and examine barriers to Higher Education faced by disabled people. It's a chance to share experiences, inform research and 'network' over a lovely lunch served in the Dome at the University of Derby Buxton.

To book your place email Debbie Enever, Disability Adviser d.enever@derby.ac.uk

Equality and Diversity Officer, Tameside and Glossop PCT

Job Title: Equality and Diversity Officer
Area of work: Equality and Diversity
Employer: Tameside and Glossop PCT
Department: Workforce and Organisational Development Directorate
Location: Denton
Salary: £19,683 – £25,424
Working Pattern: 37.5
Job Type: Fixed Term Temporary/Secondment
Pay Scheme: Band 5
Closing date: 16th June 2008

This 12 month temporary post provides an exciting fixed term post or secondment opportunity within the Equality and Diversity team in the PCT.

The post holder will provide advice and support across the PCT in relation to the Equality and Diversity agenda. This will involve assisting the Equality and Diversity Manager in the implementation of the PCT Equality Schemes and action plans and ensuring that the PCT is involving the community of Tameside and Glossop within its work.

Working across the organisation and with its partners, you should have good communication, influencing and team working skills. You will be self-motivated and will have experience of working within a statutory or voluntary sector organisation.

For further information please telephone Joanne Marvell, Equality and Diversity Manager 0161 304 5824. To apply for the post please go to www.jobs.nhs.uk

Supporting Those Dealing With Mental Health Issues

The Shaw Trust has created a website to provide information and advice on how to support staff who are dealing with mental health issues. Looks like a useful resource for managers and personnel departments: www.tacklementalhealth.org.uk

Rights for Agency Workers

The Government has agreed a deal between unions and employers which will mean that workers employed via an agency will receive equal treatment (with other employees) in terms of employment rights after 12 weeks. Implementation of this is subject to European Union agreement, with legislation hoped to be introduced in the next parliamentary session (which starts in the autumn). www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/161038

NCVO Job Shop

www.ncvo-jobshop.org.uk is the first point of call for anyone looking for a job in the voluntary or social enterprise sectors. It provides a cost-effective recruitment solution for voluntary organisations and NCVO members save 10% on advertising rates. To find out more visit www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/recruitment

Debating the Care and Support System

The debate on England's care and support system that was launched recently by the Prime Minister and Health Secretary has a dedicated website at www.careandsupport.direct.gov.uk It raises and explains issues around how we can improve, provide and pay for care and support in the future and encourages people to comment online.

Requirement for Annual Reports to be Kept

Charity News Alert, from Plaza Publishing, reports that the Charity Commission is likely to recommend dropping a proposed change in reporting thresholds for charities which would have exempted those with an income of under £25,000 from submitting a Trustees' Annual Report.

The Commission wanted to see wider support for the suggestion if it was to be workable, and the public trust and confidence survey (see news item below) also showed that the public see annual reports as important.
See news item at www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=1899

Public Trust and Confidence in Charities

The 2008 Charity Commission Study into Public Trust and Confidence in Charities, carried out by research company Ipsos MORI, has been published. The headline story is that overall trust and confidence in charities has increased slightly but significantly since 2005, when the research was last carried out. Another statistic may create greater discussion amongst volunteering experts, as the number in the survey who said they had given time rose from 23% three years ago to 32% now.

The report (pdf, 695KB) and the Commission's initial analysis can both be found via www.charitycommission.gov.uk/news/pbsurveyint.asp Or see Charity Finance news item at www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=1902

Studying What Makes a Successful Local Compact

The Commission for the Compact has launched a research study to identify the key factors behind successful Local Compacts and positive local partnership relationships. Although most local authority areas in England have such agreements between local government, local public bodies and the local voluntary and community sector, there are varying degrees of success. The Institute for Voluntary Action Research is due to report in August, with guidance and workshops to follow. See Commission for the Compact.

Call for Statutory Compact

Umbrella bodies Acevo and NAVCA, the umbrella bodies for sector chiefs and local support organisations, have called for the Compact to be backed by statutory powers. According to Third Sector, the letter to Third Sector Minister Phil Hope cites "widespread cynicism" about the agreement's ability to improve relationships between the public and third sectors. News item at www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/810393/ (registration required).

Accredited Learning for Trustees

A suite of accredited learning units for charity trustees which connect with the relevant National Occupational Standards has been developed by the Governance and UK Workforce Hubs. This will be promoted under the new Qualification and Credit Framework, which goes live in September, although delivery and accreditation is possible before then. See Workforce Hub article on Trustee Accredited Learning at www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=11326

User Comments Invited On Running Your Group Advice

Voluntary Arts England has added a comments feature to its web pages which aim to provide answers to the most common questions which come up when setting up and running a voluntary arts group. They invite site visitors to add their own experiences, flag up useful information or report broken links. (Your editor hopes VAE have monitoring set up to ensure this doesn't wander too far off course.) Running Your Group section is at www.vaengland.org.uk/ryg

Tesco Charity Trust - Community Awards Scheme

The Tesco Charity Trust has been in existence since 1987 and supports local charities and not-for-profit organisations, and also gives a 20% top-up to monies raised by Tesco employees for charity. To find the other ways Tesco supports local communities, please visit their website: www.tesco.com/charitiesandfundraising

The Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards Scheme provides one-off donations of between £1,000 and £4,000. The funding they give goes towards providing practical benefits, such as equipment and resources for projects that directly benefit children, the elderly and adults and children with disabilities, living in the local communities around their stores in the UK. Applications can be made via their website: www.tescocharitytrustcommunityawards-applications.co.uk

There are two rounds of funding every year for each category, with the timescales: Grants for children’s education and children’s welfare – applications can be made between 1st December and 31st January: Decisions are made in April. or between 1st May and 30th June. Decisions are made in September; Grants for elderly people and adults and children with disabilities – applications can be made between 1st February and 31st March. Decisions are made in June or between 1st August and 30th September. Decisions are made in December.
Please note charities can only make one application each year. Decisions are made by the Tesco Charity Trustees in conjunction with the regional Community Co-ordinators who are based across the UK. There is a lot of competition for the Community Awards and unfortunately this means that many good applications that meet their criteria will have to be refused.

Tesco Charity Trust, New Tesco House, Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Herts EN8 9SL
Telephone: 01992 646768
Website: www.tescocorporate.com/charitiesandfundraising.htm

Opportunities for Volunteering

Opportunities for Volunteering (OFV) is a Department of Health initiative which provides grants to local health and social care organisations in England. OFV grants aim to enable organisations to involve volunteers in the delivery of their services. Approximately £6.7 million is distributed every year to over 300 local projects.

Opportunities for Volunteering 2009-10: Volunteering England would like to confirm that they will be advertising an OFV grant scheme for 2009-10 shortly. Information on how to apply including the funding priorities, criteria for assessment and terms and conditions will be available later in the year. At this stage in the process they are unable to confirm the date they will be open for applications. Keep checking their website below for further details.

Volunteering England is one of 16 national charities that distribute OFV grants on behalf of the Department of Health. These organisations are known as national agents. If you wish to apply for an OFV grant you must apply to the most appropriate national agent. Applying to the wrong agent could affect your chances of securing funding. National Agents have different application deadlines and priorities. You must check these before deciding which National Agent to apply to and a full list is available on website below.

Full information will appear on the Volunteering England Website:
www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Funding/ofvfunding/index.htm

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Launches New Funding Strands

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is launching three exciting new approaches to its funding: a new funding strand based on Food, a pilot programme of work in Northern Ireland and a Finance Fund.

Food: Aims to promote an understanding of the role of food in enhancing quality of life. We are interested in work that influences policy and practice across a range of food-related areas, enabling as many people in the UK as possible to access, prepare and eat nutritious, sustainable food. The budget is £3 million over the next three years.

Northern Ireland Pilot: Aims to support the development of a strong and resilient voluntary sector in Northern Ireland and, in particular, to encourage new thinking and a new generation of leaders. Year one will be a pilot programme to road-test the design of the programme with five or so organisations selected from an invited field; if successful, a longer programme will be launched. A budget of up to £1 million has been set for the pilot. The strand is being run in conjunction with The Henry Smith Charity.

Finance Fund: Offers financing to projects or organisations that can demonstrate the need for investment and the capacity to manage the demands of non-grant funding. Arrangements could include loans, guarantees, equity or quasi-equity finance. At this stage, the programme will not be open to unsolicited applications. Up to £15 million will be available for funding of this kind.

Fuller information on these and the main funding streams, guidelines and application forms are available on their website.

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, 11 Park Place, London SW1A 1LP
Telephone: 020 7297 4700
Fax: 020 7297 4701
Email: info@esmeefairbairn.org.uk
Website: www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk

Derbyshire Policy Officers Housing and Health Group

Derbyshire County PCT is working in partnership with local authorities, voluntary sector and housing associations to provide funding to address the needs of vulnerable people and communities to help develop new innovative projects and pump prime projects.

Does your project link into the aims and objectives of any of the following strategies:
 Local Housing Strategy
 Homelessness Strategy
 Housing and Health
 Inequalities
 Health Delivery Plans / Choosing Health
 Supporting People Strategy

Does your Project Plan promote housing and care needs of vulnerable people such as:
Young people including teenage parents
Victims of domestic violence
Energy efficiency
Homelessness
Alcohol and drug misuse
Mental health
Ex offenders at risk of re offending

For an electronic application form and guidance notes please contact:
jane.horton@derbyshirecountypct.nhs.uk
anne.wayne@derbyshirecountypct.nhs.uk
01773 525025

Victims of Discrimination Get New Service

Derbyshire based legal charity, Chesterfield Law Centre, have been successful in receiving funding from the new formed Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to expand its FREE, service to people who have been discriminated against when accessing goods or services to cover residents of the whole of the East Midlands region. Now anyone who believes they have been discriminated against on the grounds of their gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, faith or belief when accessing goods or services can get help.

Many people find that shops, banks or other service providers are not accessible to them because of, for example, poor attitudinal and cultural barriers. This behaviour can offend or may even prevent people using those services and might mean that they receive a lower standard of service, or no service at all. The new ‘human rights’ based service means that Chesterfield Law Centre now provides legal support to everyone who finds themselves the victim of discrimination when accessing services.

Tony Ashwell, the project worker, started at Chesterfield Law Centre as a disability discrimination worker in May 2006 and since then he has assisted over 100 disabled people living in East Midlands by removing barriers that prevent them from using services. He is very excited at the extent of the new project
“There are many areas in life where people are discriminated against. It’s wrong and unlawful and now that we can assist them, people no longer have to put up with lower standards!” said Tony.

Sometimes small changes are all that is necessary, for instance hotels and B&Bs must allow double rooms to same-sex couples if requested, pubs and restaurants cannot ban travellers from entering and using their premises. Other small changes could be service providers installing loop systems for hard of hearing people, removing steps or creating ramps to assist disabled people entering buildings or training staff on measures to avoid discrimination.

People living in East Midlands who have problems using a service as a result of discrimination can get support and advice on their rights by contacting Tony Ashwell, Equality and Human Rights Adviser at Chesterfield Law Centre on 01246 550674 or email him at clc@chesterfieldlawcentre.org.uk

eNews Bulletin from High Peak CVS

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Bulletin Contents - 28 May 2008

Small Group Project EXTRA Special Event

Make Sense of ICT in Your Organisation at the East Midland Regional ICT Conference Monday 16th June 2008