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Are you interested in health and social care in Derbyshire?
Would you like to help voluntary and community groups promoting wellbeing in the county to work effectively with the NHS and County Council?
Then this one year post is for you. Your role will be to explore the way in which existing liaison in Derbyshire, between the voluntary sector and health and social care related statutory agencies, works and to develop options for improvement.

NDVA are looking for someone who is a self-starter who can use their own initiative. Experience of dealing with a wide range of people, being able to draw from them constructive ideas and report this information in a quantitative and qualitative way will be essential. You must be able to develop your own understanding of specific issues and services, involving some personal research.

You will need good communication and negotiation skills and have the ability to maintain computerised records of your activity and contacts.

Base to be mutually agreed, but the post will be managed from Chesterfield and require travel throughout Derbyshire.

This post could be available as a secondment. For more information about the post and an application pack please contact North Derbyshire Voluntary Action on 01246 555908, or email ndva@btconnect.com for application pack.

Closing date for applications: 12th September
Interviews will take place: week commencing 22nd September

Transitional Provisions on Challenge Events

The revised guidance on the VAT Charity Fundraising Exemption in connection with charity challenge events came into effect from 31st July, but HM Revenue and Customs has now said that it accepts that where contracts were signed or negotiated before then, or the event has been publicised prior to the publication of the new guidance, charities can account for VAT using their previous procedures.
www.hmrc.gov.uk/briefs/vat/brief3608.htm

Increase in VAT on Agency Staff Costs

Voluntary organisations which can't recover VAT (in full or part) need to ensure their budgets from April 2009 take into account VAT charged on the whole costs of employing staff via an agency (or other third party). Currently the tax is (or should be) only charged on the agency's commission or management fee, not on the salary itself, but this arrangement will cease from 1st April 2009. More details on Sandy Adirondack's Legal Update at www.sandy-a.co.uk/managing.htm#vat-staff

Get the Support and Advice You Need and Join NCVO

Funding, leadership, campaigning, marketing, policy updates and the Compact are just a few of the areas in which we can help you.

Over 6,000 organisations and their staff are already benefiting from NCVO membership. Are you one of them? Join the growing NCVO community today or sign up to our free monthly email update at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/volresource

Surveying Innovation in Public Service Delivery

Building on a recent report on achieving world class public services, the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury are surveying third sector providers on their innovation in public service delivery. They want to reach organisations that are currently delivering public services or have been involved in their delivery in the last 12 months, with responses due by 8th September.
See www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/080811_survey.aspx

Impact of Climate Change on Charitable Purposes

The Baring Foundation is building on previous work around environmental audits for voluntary organisations to explore the wider impacts of climate change on voluntary organisations and their beneficiaries.

They have published a report from a roundtable meeting on the links between climate change and the charitable purposes of non-environmental organisations and are also inviting tenders for a project on this. It will connect up experts in climate change with experts in non-environmental areas of the voluntary sector to generate new perspectives on the urgency for action. News item with tender link at www.baringfoundation.org.uk/News.htm and meeting report (pdf, 23KB) with some examples of action, at www.baringfoundation.org.uk/Primarypurposemeeting.pdf

Meanwhile, Charity Finance Directors' Group has made public commitments to sustainability with a web page detailing their approach, declaring that "the threat of climate change is a real and present concern to every individual and every organisation". This could well give some practical inspiration to other organisations, and CFDG is also working on sustainability reporting guidance for charity finance directors, hopefully to be available spring 2009, www.cfdg.org.uk/cfdg/influencing_sustainability.asp

And don't forget the green office guide from Every Action Counts (actual title 'Changing the Way We Work') -
downloadable at www.everyactioncounts.org.uk/en/fe/page.asp?n1=230&n2=281

Sector Participation in Local Strategic Partnerships

'Principles of Representation: A framework for effective third sector participation in Local Strategic Partnerships' has been published by the Communities and Local Government Department, with input from local sector support body NAVCA and the Office of the Third Sector. It ‘provides advice to the third sector on how best to organise themselves to maximise their input on Local Strategic Partnership boards’ and NAVCA hopes it will help the local third sector strengthen its voice on LSPs.
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/principleofrepresentation

Increasing Diversity of Volunteers

The InVolved project at the Consortium of LGBT Voluntary and Community Organisations has launched an online toolkit and case studies on involving LGBT volunteers (sorry, due to email filters we aren't expanding that abbreviation). It covers the why and how of reaching out to LGBT volunteers and aims to be a practical resource in increasing diversity. www.lgbtconsortium.org.uk/lgbtvolunteering

New and Updated on VolResource

Specialist software, umbrella bodies: UniServity is reported as dropping its web-based software for voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisations, focusing on the education sector instead. Support will continue for the duration of existing customer contracts.

A Smart Care Distributed Environment July 2008 Competition for Funding

The Assisted Living Innovation Platform aims to significantly advance technology to meet the demand for independent living from those suffering from long term adverse health conditions. The technology needs to have greater capability, be easier to use and cheaper.

Current care models are unsustainable, and major changes will be needed. The Assisted Living Innovation Platform was launched at ‘Innovate07’ in London (8th November 2007). It is funded by the Department of Health (DH), the Technology Strategy Board, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The Platform enables industry, academia and health and care professionals to collaborate in order to significantly advance the technology to meet the needs in this area. A variety of activities are being supported.

The competition has been called the Smart Care Distributed Environment to emphasise the need to look at communications technologies within the context of a large population of users with multiple devices, and within a personalised health and care system.
Project development will be through a three stage process:

Individuals must submit an expression of interest describing their expertise, area of interest, and if they wish to do so, broad project idea description. These will then be independently evaluated and successful applicants will then be invited to a workshop.
A project and consortia building workshop.
Consortia may then submit full proposals, normally with an industry lead partner.

The expressions of interest (EoI) stage is to enable potential participants to describe the area in which they are interested in working.

For more information about this and other events and details on how to register and apply visit www.technologyprogramme.org.uk
Helpline telephone: 01355 272155

Key dates: Competition Launch 27th June 2008; Deadline for submission of Compulsory Expression of Interest Form 4th September 2008; Successful Expression of Interest Applicants Informed 6th October 2008. Compulsory Consortia Building Workshop 30th October and 1st November 2008. Registration of Intent to Submit 28th November 2008. Compulsory Project Application Briefing 16th January 2009. Deadline for submission of Project Application Form 29th January 2009. Successful Project Applicants Informed 13th March 2009.

The Technology Strategy Board, B1 North Star House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1JF. Telephone: 01793 442700. Full details on website:

DH Third Sector Investment Programme – England

The Third Sector Investment Programme replaces the Section 64 General Scheme of Grants from 2009–10. The Investment Programme, which replaces the Section 64 General Scheme of Grants from 2009-10, has been informed and developed through a wide ranging consultation with third sector organisations.

The funding programmes opened for applications on Monday 21st July 2008. First stage applications must be submitted by Monday 8th September 2008.

Third Sector Investment Programme: Innovation Excellence and Service Development Fund

The Innovation Excellence and Service Development Fund aims to provide three year funding that supports projects with an explicit focus on supporting and driving innovation, excellence and service development in the health and social care field, with a potential national impact. The Innovation Excellence and Service Development Fund replaces the Section 64 General Scheme of Grants.

The Total Fund Value available for 2009-10 is expected to be 17.2 million for both strands of the Third Sector Investment Programme, with approximately £7 million available for new applications. Funding will be awarded for three years. DH expects to fund around 300 projects.

Grants under the Third Sector Investment Programme will be made using Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, which gives the Secretary of State for Health the power to make grants to voluntary organisations in England whose activities support the Department of Health's priorities.

The Third Sector Investment Programme has two strands, the Innovation Excellence and Service Development Fund and the Strategic Partner Programme.

For more information please refer to the Information Pack downloadable from websites below.

The Third Sector Investment Programme, which replaces the Section 64 General Scheme of Grants from 2009-10, has been informed and developed through a consultation with third sector organisations. The ‘Response to Consultation’ document available at: www.dh.gov.uk/thirdsectorinvestment

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust funds work in Britain under the following headings: Peace; Racial justice; Power and responsibility; and
Quaker concerns.

Most grants made under these four programmes are to organisations based in Britain for work at a national level (apart from racial justice work at local level in West Yorkshire). The Trust also supports a small number of organisations under these four programmes that are based elsewhere in Europe for work at a European level.

Forthcoming application deadline 8th September 2008, for decision by 24th November 2008.

Full details are on website below.

JRCT, The Garden House, Water End, York YO30 6WQ
Telephone: 01904 627810
Fax: 01904 651990
Website: www.jrct.org.uk

The Philip Lawrence Awards 2008

You can make a nomination online from website below.

The Philip Lawrence Awards reward outstanding achievements in good citizenship by young people aged 11 to 20.

The national scheme recognises groups that are making a real contribution to their local community and the lives of others; and groups that promote respect and understanding of faiths, culture and communities internationally. The focus is on exemplary activities – examples of young people working together, promoting citizenship and overcoming the difficult situations some young people face.

Please note that The Philip Lawrence Awards are an awards scheme, not a grant giving scheme.

Nominations are now open for The Philip Lawrence Awards 2008. The closing date for entries is Friday 12th September 2008.

Website: www.4children.org.uk/pla/

Refugee and Asylum Seekers Initiative – The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund

The core focus of the Refugee and Asylum Seekers Initiative is to change legislation and policy to meet international standards on children's rights.

The objective of the grants round is to provide support to community organisations providing direct services and advocating on behalf of children and young people seeking asylum in the following areas: Detention; Destitution; Enabling access to services such as: healthcare, legal provision, housing, and education; Providing support to unaccompanied children.

The grants round will have a two stage application process consisting of a brief first stage application, following which selected organisations will be asked to complete a full second stage application. Organisations applying for a grant must be: An impartial, legal, community-led and non-profit making organisation, charity or company; Working with children and young people under 21 who are refugees or seeking asylum; Based and operating in one or more of the four nations of the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales)

You can check your organisation online to see if it is eligible for a grant. You can also download the Guidance Notes for Grant Applicants and Grant Application form. Applications will only be accepted if completed on the form provided on the grants section on the Fund’s website - www.theworkcontinues.org

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