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Derbyshire Disability Action Network (DDAN) is holding a free event on the 21 April for Voluntary and Community Sector Groups and Organisations. DDAN is focused on supporting groups and organisations in raising standards for disabled people, whether in the services you provide or for your employees. This event will look at mainstreaming the disability agenda and includes a networking lunch.

The event is open to infrastructure and front line organisations and any groups in the 3rd Sector that have an interest.

09:30 Registration for 10:00 start, the event finishes at 15:00. A networking lunch is included. Please note this event is free – if you would like a programme and an application form, please email Karen.duke@dcil.org.uk

Manchester Epilepsy Action Conference

The theme of the Conference is ‘Epilepsy 60 Years of Progress’ and will be held at the Friends’ Meeting House, central Manchester on Saturday 24 April 2010.

Due to the generosity of our sponsors we are able to offer the following ticket prices which include refreshments, a light lunch, a delegate pack and access to free information materials:
Full price: £19, Epilepsy Action member rate: £12
Concessionary rate: £10, Epilepsy Action member concessionary rate: £8

This conference is part of a series of one-day conferences that Epilepsy Action holds every year. These are primarily aimed at people with epilepsy, their families and anyone else with an interest in epilepsy. This Conference includes a “Have your say” session led by our director, Philip Lee. This is an opportunity for you to find out future plans of Epilepsy Action and give us your opinions about the organisation. The keynote speaker will be Professor Raymond Tallis who will be talking on epilepsy and older people. There will be sessions from Lorraine Reynolds, epilepsy nurse, on epilepsy and younger people; Carole Brown, specialist pharmacist, on medication and Nicole Crosby-McKenna, of Epilepsy Action, on women and epilepsy.

There will be an opportunity to speak to Epilepsy Action staff and volunteers. Epilepsy Action wants a society where people feel free to talk about their epilepsy, where diagnosis is clear and treatment effective. If you would like to join us please call 0113 210 8800 to ask for a booking form and return it to Regional Services at the address below, together with your payment to reserve your place.

Regional Services – North
Epilepsy Action
PO Box 1082
Bradford
BD1 9LJ

Alcohol: A Family Affair

The 3rd Annual DAAT Alcohol Conference held at The Derbyshire Suite, Swanwick Hayes Conference Centre, 9.00 am to 4.30 pm, Friday 14 May 2010

Keynote Speaker: Professor Alex Copello, PhD, Professor of Addiction Research at Birmingham University.

Back by popular demand… Following the success of last year, Brief Candle Theatre Company will be delivering a Performance of ‘Shattered’ a hard hitting piece of Theatre in Education delivered to young people post 16. It explores links between alcohol misuse and violence and tells of the experiences of two ordinary teenagers, Jon and Hannah. Experiences on one ordinary night and how the events of that night shattered their lives…

Aims of the day are to:

enhance participants’ knowledge and skills related to reducing alcohol harm;
introduce local initiatives and services – especially those recently begun – and to provide an opportunity to share good practice;
build understanding of the alcohol issues facing young people, adults and families in Derbyshire and what is being done to address those issues;
encourage discussion, debate and the sharing of experience; and
build on the shared commitment throughout the wider Derbyshire partnership to reduce the harm caused by alcohol misuse.

This event will be of interest to those with both a strategic and operational interest in alcohol harm, including health and community safety professionals, elected members, service users, carers and staff from a range of organisations, such as: County Council; District/Borough Councils; Fire Service; Police and Police Authority; Primary Care Trust; Probation Service; Registered social landlords; Youth Offending Service; voluntary sector organisations; Community Safety Partnerships; and service providers.

Delegates will have the opportunity to attend two workshops. Please complete the booking form and send it to alison.boyce@derbyshire.gov.uk by Friday 16 April. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Common Assessment Framework Project Worker for Signpost Service in Chesterfield

37 hours per week NJC Scale 5 Pt 23 - £20,198 p.a.

Derbyshire Dales CVS supports local voluntary and community groups in a mixed rural and urban setting. The Signpost service is managed by the CVS and provides information, advice and support to children and families, in the Derbyshire Dales, High Peak and Chesterfield. The main base for this post will be in Chesterfield and travel throughout the Chesterfield area will be required. The post holder will also be expected to spend some time in the DDCVS office at Bakewell, and to attend occasional meetings and events throughout Derbyshire.

Funding from Derbyshire County Council for this pilot project is secured until 31 March 2011.

Job Purpose:

To facilitate and minute initial Common Assessment Framework (CAF) meetings.
To provide initial support to children, young people and parents / carers who are involved in the CAF process.
To provide initial support to professionals who have not previously been involved in the CAF process and to promote the use of the CAF with a wide range of organisations throughout Chesterfield.
To provide an effective response to children, young people and families referred to Social Care who do not meet the threshold for Social Care services by offering short-term support and signposting them to other services.

The Person:

Experience of working within the Common Assessment Framework (CAF).
Experience of undertaking assessment and planning intervention.
Commitment to, and enthusiasm for the CAF process.
Experience of working with children and families in voluntary and community sector, education, health, or social care settings.
Experience of organising, facilitating and minuting meetings.
Good self-management, administration, organisational and communication skills.
Understanding of child protection and the needs of vulnerable children and families.
Experience in working with a broad range of groups or partnerships.
Ability to work as part of a team and within an Equal Opportunities framework.
Good ICT skills including, word processing, databases, e-mail and internet.

For job pack contact: Tel: 01629 812154 or it can be downloaded from www.ddcvs.org.uk
If you would like to discuss the post before you apply, call 01629 810901.

Closing date: 5pm, Tuesday 13 April 2010
Interviews will be held on Friday 23 April 2010

Community Health Champions Project Worker Vacancy

Salary NJC Scale 6 pt 26-28 is £21,937 (P/T 21 hours pro rata)

Can you recruit, support and motivate local residents to be peer health mentors?
Do you have a background in volunteer recruitment and support?
Do you have an understanding of the health issues effecting deprived communities?

CVP is seeking to employ a self starter that can continue to establish an exciting and innovative project called ‘Community Health Champions’. You will be responsible for:

promoting the project to local people
recruiting volunteers onto the scheme
supporting the delivery of training for local volunteers
organising and facilitation volunteer forums
monitoring and evaluation the effectiveness of the project

CVP is the umbrella organisation (CVS) for Bolsover district and has been commissioned by Bolsover District Council, Bolsover District LSP and Derbyshire PCT to deliver a Working Neighbourhoods Fund funded volunteering project until 2012.

For further information/application pack:
email cvpadmin@bolsovercvp.org.uk or
download from the website www.bolsovercvp.org.uk.
Tel: 01623 747147.

Closing date 16 April
Short listing week commencing 19 April and interviews will take place week commencing 26 April.

Full Guidance on Vetting and Barring Scheme for Organisations and Individuals

The Home Office has now put online full guidance to help employers and voluntary groups implement the Vetting and Barring Scheme. It covers every aspect from who is covered to how the process works and the implementation timetable. Organisations are expected to start at www.businesslink.gov.uk/vbs while employees or volunteers would find www.direct.gov.uk/vetting more appropriate. Hard copies of the guidance for those who do not have internet access are available via the VBS helpline on 0300 123 1111. Home Office news release.

Factsheet Update on Induction

Personnel professionals' body CIPD has recently updated its factsheet on induction for new employees, giving background, guidance and an induction checklist. www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/recruitmen/induction/induction.htm

Accruals Accounts Pack for Small Non Company Charities

The Charity Commission has produced a new "accruals accounts pack for small non company charities" to help Treasurers and Trustees of smaller charities prepare their accounts. It consists of a pro-forma layout (pdf or Excel) with accompanying completion notes – www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Publications/cc17.aspx

Volunteer Managers Wanted for Skills Research Interviews

The Institute for Volunteering Research is looking for people who manage volunteers to take part in biographical interviews. This part of work for Skills Third Sector to explore the skills gaps and development needs of volunteer managers and the volunteers they support. See Improving Support.

Capacitybuilders £1m Bursary Scheme for Volunteer Managers

Bursaries of up to £1950 are available to fully fund an approved skills development package; each one is aligned to the National Occupational Standards in Volunteer Management. There are three levels of access available based on individual experience and role. You also have the option of obtaining an award from a nationally recognised accreditation body.

More at capacitybuilders.createsend2.com/t/r/l/ojkjkk/zutght/r

Volunteering and Health and Social Care Services

The Department of Health have produced a strategic vision for 'Volunteering: involving people and communities in delivering and developing health and social care services.'

Government Pilot of Youth Community Action Programme

The "youth offer" announced by the Prime Minister on Tuesday 23 March includes the aim of providing volunteering and community action opportunities for all young people "so they can play a positive role in their communities, helping to close the generation gap". Gordon Brown said "From today, our new Youth Community Action programme will ensure the experience of being a volunteer is more appealing, relevant and rewarding for those taking part. Our objective is that it becomes a feature of the lives of the majority of young people, as commonplace as joining a sports club or even taking exams". The Youth Community Action programme will be piloted in Lincolnshire, Kent, Salford, City of York and Brighton and Hove. See Office of Third Sector news item for more.

The Future of Charity Membership

The latest title in NCVO's Future Focus series asks 'What will membership be like in 5 years time?’ It looks at six "drivers": Changing sources of identity, Changing attitudes to money and consumerism, Increasing availability of (no cost) information, The rise of the social web, Changing expectations of participation and The commodification of membership. Series ordering information at
www.3s4.org.uk/about/publications/future-focus or download (pdf, 3.21MB).

Comic Relief Local UK Grants

One in five people in the UK live in poverty. Poverty in the UK today is much more complex than simply being a measure of homelessness or unemployment; it can affect old and young, families and single people, and many whole communities face deprivation. People living in disadvantaged communities face a range of issues such as poor employment opportunities and reduced levels of physical and mental health.

Comic Relief has made a longstanding pledge to place funding into disadvantaged communities. We believe that local people should have a say in the decisions that are made about where they live, and are often best placed to know what is needed to bring about change. They want to enable groups to create strong, thriving communities; this could involve helping people of all ages to feel more included in their community, provide more accessible services, or supporting people to build new skills. They also want to make sure that communities are equipped to respond to challenging economic, social and cultural trends. Whether it is unemployment or older people living in isolation, many individuals need help coping with challenging times.

The funding for our communities programme is devolved to the Community Foundation Network. Please contact them directly for details of their funding application procedures: www.communityfoundations.org.uk
Website: www.comicrelief.com/apply_for_a_grant/uk/local_communities

Bright Blue 'Progressive Conservatism' Think Tank

A new think tank promoting "progressive conservatism" plans to team up with voluntary sector organisations on campaigns. Bright Blue has been set up to encourage the Conservative Party to put policies that improve the lives of the most vulnerable at the heart of its policy agenda.

Co-founder Ryan Shorthouse, a researcher for shadow children's minister Maria Miller, said "We'd like to see government give charitable organisations more freedom to deliver outcomes. We want to make sure more state-funded services can be put into the hands of the voluntary sector."

Bright Blue is putting together an advisory panel and hopes to get representatives from the third sector to take part in it.

www.brightblueonline.com

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