employment matters health fundraising calendar grants training and resources childcare
september/ october 2008
voluntarymatters
The Newsletter for Voluntary & Community Groups in Camden
In this issue: Camden LINk News Discretionary Rate Relief Sustainability Survey Support for Trustees Support for Managers Strategic Liaison Group CCEN News Employment Matters Peer Education Project Integrated Working Trafficked Children Mental Health News Computing Corner Training Calendar Fundraising Calendar Funding News Publications and Resources And Finally...
Articles in Voluntary Matters can be made available in braille, on tape or in large print on request. Contact VAC for details.
Page 3 4 4 5 8 8 10 12 14 16 17 18 20 22 29 38 39 40
Empowerment White Paper The Government’s Empowerment White Paper ‘Communities in Control: real people, real power’ was published on 9 July. It describes the government’s vision for a shift in power, influence and responsibility away from existing centres of power into the hands of communities and individual citizens. Whilst emphasising the perspective of the individual citizen the paper also recognises the importance of the voluntary and community (or third) sector as an enabler for individuals to develop a stronger voice and influence. The Government wants us to embed democracy in our way of life rather than treat it as a system of occasional voting. The paper identifies seven themes to explain how this change can happen, and we summarise below some of the key actions proposed within these themes:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
being active in your community; access to information; having influence; challenge; redress; standing for office; ownership and control.
1. Being active in your community looks at how individuals can play an important role in stimulating community activity and taking collective action for change through being active citizens and through volunteering. The paper proposes more support for volunteering. A task force is exploring the role of the third sector in ‘welfare to work’ reform, and a ‘community allowance’ is proposed that would let community organisations pay people to do work that strengthens their communities without it affecting their benefits. The Office of the Third Sector will also provide £2m to support volunteering initiatives for people with disabilities. A new £7.5m Empowerment Fund will give financial assistance to national third sector organisations who support local community organisations working to empower people and their communities. In addition a £70m Communitybuilders Fund will be established (continued on page 2)
Voluntary Action Camden, 293-299 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2TJ Tel: 020 7284 6550 Fax: 020 7284 6551 Email: vac@vac.org.uk
empowerment white paper
to enable community organisations to provide suitable, accessible community facilities where people can meet to run their activities; recognising that neighbourhoods need spaces where people can come together to discuss their local concerns and channel them effectively into local decision-making. Grassroots Grants will provide small grants to grassroots groups that have volunteer time as their main resource. The programme aims to increase immediate grant funding and capacitybuilding support and increase the long term funding available from community owned endowments raised from local donors. £80m will be available in the form of grants between 2008 – 2011, and there will be an additional £50m endowment fund (where recipients will be expected to ‘match’ investment with private donations). Barriers to commissioning services from faith-based groups will be removed, and investment and support for implementing an inter-faith strategy will be announced. 2. Access to information is recognised as a pre-requisite to community empowerment. The Government wants information services to be available and relevant at local neighbourhood level and will work with local authorities to pilot innovative ways of sharing information. A cross-government Digital Equality Action Plan will aim to ensure that all sections of society can enjoy the full range of benefits that digital technologies can bring, and funding will be available for initiatives to engage young people and give them a positive voice in the media. 3. Having an influence focuses on new rights to petition for action and encouraging higher election turnout. There will be a new duty on local
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councils to respond to all petitions relating to local authority functions. If five per cent of the local population sign a petition there will have to be a full council debate. Local authorities will be able to set lower thresholds. Councils will also act as community advocates, for example for petitions related to Primary Care Trusts. A new duty on local authorities to promote democracy will include explanatory information, campaigns, and powers to provide voting incentives such as entering voters into a prize draw. In order to conduct formal democratic decision-making as locally as possible the creation of councils at the most local level will be encouraged. Residents can seek to establish this form of local council and a right of appeal to the secretary of state is planned in cases where a community’s proposal for a local council is denied by the local authority. There is an expectation that participatory budgeting will be used in all local authority areas by 2012. Using participatory budgeting for local community safety budgets and healthrelated spending is also being explored. The local authority’s ‘duty to involve’ will be extended to other public agencies to further engage people in developing and commissioning services. Inclusive participative structures for third sector organisations are recognised for their importance in ensuring the sector has an effective and accountable voice in local decision making. The Principles of Representation for third sector organisations on Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) will help LSPs decide how they can best support this involvement in a sustained way. To enable involvement in planning developers will be able to make fairer contributions to infrastructure through a new Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) providing more opportunities for communities to get involved in decisions
on where to spend money. However, local authorities will be ‘empowered’ rather than required to charge the levy. Section 106 obligations will continue alongside CIL. £3.2m has been provided for Planning Aid to secure constructive input into local and regional plans, along with £1.5m earmarked within the new Empowerment Fund for community engagement in planning. 4. Challenge. This theme looks at how people can hold officials to account through new powers of petitioning, and ways in which more visible and accountable local leaders can emerge through encouraging elected mayors. It will be made easier for citizens to petition and trigger a mayoral referendum. The government is also interested in piloting an expansion of Local Involvement Networks (LINks) beyond their existing remit of health and social care. 5. Redress. A number of initiatives are making it easier to seek redress when services do not meet expectations. Neighbourhoods will be able to develop Community Contracts, bringing together councils, police, local NHS and community groups to agree priorities for action. In return people collectively agree to take on responsibility, for example running after-school clubs or looking after a local park. Community Pledgebanks will also be piloted to help get things done by registering a pledge in return for other people doing the same. Financial redress will be explored for use in appropriate situations. 6. Standing for office. Steps are being taken to ensure that elected representatives reflect the communities they serve. These include: relaxing the rules forbidding council officers above a certain salary band from being active in party politics; a taskforce to help more Black, Asian and minority ethnic women to become councillors; helping people understand local and national democracy, and making it easier and
voluntary matters september/october
empowerment white paper camden LINk
more attractive to become a councillor, and to stop being one (in the latter case through encouraging the continued participation of experienced excouncillors as Aldermen and Alderwomen). 7. Ownership and control is about increasing the number of people engaged in the running and ownership of local services and assets. An Asset Transfer Unit will build on work led by the Development Trusts Association and its partners. The partnership will extend their demonstration programme and lead a campaign to step up the number of transfers where there is a justified outcome. Local authorities will be
expected to make information available to local communities, allowing them to challenge authorities if they think assets are underused. Government is also seeking views on a national framework to support Community Land Trusts which can secure the long term future of vital assets such as open spaces, local shops, affordable housing and meeting halls. A new Social Enterprise Unit is being established to champion the role of social enterprise models in delivering Communities and Local Government strategic objectives in areas such as housing, regeneration and community
cohesion. Local authorities will be encouraged to ensure that social enterprises are able to compete fairly for contracts through advertising in relevant places and breaking down contracts into smaller sections. Some of the policies within the White Paper will require legislation. These will feature in the Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill, which forms part of the draft 2008-09 legislative programme. You can download the full document at www.communities.gov.uk/documents/co mmunities/pdf/886045.pdf For more information, please contact: Donna Turnbull T: 020 7284 6567 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6567) E: dturnbull@vac.org.uk
Getting Going with CamdenLINk CamdenLINk was established in April 2008 as the new body for public and patient involvement in health and social care. It is a network of individuals, groups and organisations that aims to get local people more actively involved in the planning and delivery of health and social care services. Its role is to find out people’s views about their needs and their experiences of local services; to convey those views to those responsible for local services; and to recommend improvements. The ultimate goal of the LINk is that its activities should result in a stronger voice and better care for local people. On 23 July at Friends Meeting House in Euston, 60 individuals attended a public workshop event, “Getting Going with CamdenLINk”. The aim of the event was to update local people on the network’s progress to date and to give them a say in how the network should work
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and what it might focus on in its first year. Through keynote addresses and lively discussion groups, participants looked at:
capturing the views and ideas shared at the event will shortly be available, and will be used to inform CamdenLINk’s next steps.
• Getting Going (What should CamdenLINk be doing? What are the most important local health and social care issues CamdenLINk might focus on?)
In the coming weeks the LINk will use the ideas and suggestions shared by local people at the ‘Getting Going’ event as the basis for developing its first year action plan and work programme, and devising an effective strategy for communicating and engaging with local people.
• Keeping in Touch (How might CamdenLINk keep in touch with what local people think is important? How should it communicate with local people about its work?) • Making Decisions (How should CamdenLINk make decisions about its work and prioritise to ensure it focuses on what is most important?) • Thinking about Success (What might success look like for CamdenLINk?) Participant feedback was very positive – a majority (more than 80%) found the event useful and well-organised, and felt able to participate fully in discussions and activities. A report
For more information If you would like a copy of the ‘Getting Going’ event report, or would like to find out more about how you or your organisation could get involved in the work of the LINk, please contact: Elizabeth Rojas T: 020 7284 6566 (Typetalk: 18001-020 7284 6566) E: camdenlink@vac.org.uk W: www.camdenlink.org
p a g e t h re e
discretionary rate relief sustainability
Discretionary rate relief In the last issue of Voluntary Matters (May 2008) our lead article explained the importance of Discretionary Rate Relief (DRR) as a cost effective way to secure the financial well-being of voluntary and community groups, and described Camden Council’s decision to undertake a review of its current policy on DRR. The outcome of this review, and recommendations for future practice, will be going to the Council’s Executive on 10 September. The receipt of DRR, especially in the current financial context, is central to the financial sustainability of a number of local voluntary and community organisations. Withdrawal of DRR could lead to the closure of organisations and the loss of key services to Camden residents. This would not be confined to services funded through the Culture and Environment Department. A number of voluntary and community organisations funded through other sources, both statutory and independent, will be dramatically
An Update
affected if they have to unexpectedly find funds to meet 20% of business rates. So in effect, the loss of DRR could lead to an additional loss of significant income that is being levered in to the borough. There appear to be two options facing politicians at the meeting in September: To continue a policy within the
existing budget. To increase the budget in
recognition of the cost effectiveness of DRR and the impressive return the Council receives on its ‘investment’. VAC strongly believes that it makes most financial sense for the budget to
be increased and will continue to put forward the arguments to support this case. In the meantime, following a review of the award of DRR for the financial year 2008-09, a number of voluntary and community organisations initially refused DRR, have now been awarded it for this year (with success in future years being dependent on the outcome of the review). For further information, please contact Simone Hensby at VAC: Simone Hensby T: 020 7284 6550 (Typetalk: 18001-020 7284 6550) E: shensby@vac.org.uk
Sustainability – what’s the real picture? Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) is beginning to hear from more and more organisations who are facing real financial difficulties, and there is concern that the numbers experiencing problems may increase in coming months (see the article on Discretionary Rate Relief above). VAC is therefore planning to undertake a piece of work to gather evidence on the current financial state of the sector in Camden, and to examine the key drivers behind any problems identified, eg. no inflationary rises to match actual increases in inflation, or items that used to be
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covered by ‘core costs’ (eg. electricity) increasing way above the rate of inflation. We will consider questions such as the impact of commissioning, particularly with the reluctance of commissioners to meet ‘full cost recovery’, hoping that financial subsidies can be secured from ‘core funding’ which is now virtually non-existent. In the next few weeks you may be contacted and asked if you would be willing to take part in a telephone survey. It will be a small time commitment on your part, but your input will be important. You can help us describe and
analyse the true situation as regards funding and sustainability for groups in the borough, providing information that when collated we can use in support of our work to safeguard the future of the sector. We therefore very much hope you will be able to spare some time to participate in the survey. For further details please contact Simone Hensby at VAC: Simone Hensby T: 020 7284 6550 (Typetalk: 18001-020 7284 6550) E: shensby@vac.org.uk
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trustees news
Legal and governance matters for trustees Our inclusion of information specifically for Trustees in the last issue of Voluntary Matters was very wellreceived so we now aim to make this a regular feature within the newsletter. We hope this will contribute to more Trustees of voluntary and community groups in Camden reading Voluntary Matters and finding it a useful source of information about the policies and issues that affect them. In this issue we provide information on:
If you’re a manager or staff member reading this, why not check to make sure that your Trustees are on the distribution list for Voluntary Matters – or pass on your copy when you’ve finished it to be sure they have access to the information that can help them in their role. If you’re a Trustee and there’s a burning issue that you would like to see covered in a future issue of Voluntary Matters, please contact: Kevin Nunan T: 020 7284 6550 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6550) E: knunan@vac.org.uk
VAC’s new Better Governance Project Incident reporting for Trustees Trustee Recruitment
Better Governance Project In our last issue we announced that the “Better Governance through Workforce Development” project was starting up. This is a vibrant new initiative aiming to contribute to the skills development of management committee members from small and medium-sized organisations based in and providing services in Camden, and working with BME communities, refugees and asylum seekers, people with disabilities or Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender communities. The project aims to: Increase the leadership and
governance skills of management committee members or trustees; Help improve the management and services of their organisations; Create an employment opportunity for trustees in the future. The project provides: FREE tailored training for
management committee members; One-to-one customised support to organisations; An accredited course on “training the community trainer” Level 1, to enable management committee
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members to deliver training on a range of governance areas and to support them in setting up a community enterprise. The project is now up and running and we are pleased to announce that we have appointed a Training & Project Manager, Patricia Garcia, who will be supported in her work by a Project Steering Group. Patricia has begun to enrol management committee members to participate in the training programme, which will run over 10 sessions between October and December 2008 and will cover the following core areas: Leadership and Strategic Planning Fundraising Strategy
Financial Management and Change
The final element, the ‘Training the Trainer’ course, will take place in March 2009.
To take part If you want to participate in this FREE and accredited training programme your organisation needs to be providing services to any of the groups mentioned above. You will also need to: Commit ten days to attend training
between October 2008 and March 2009 Commit to making improvements in your organisation Be able to co-train with VAC staff trainers upon successful completion of the accredited “training the trainer” course.
Management,
For further information please contact Patricia Garcia at VAC:
Management
Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6568) E: pgarcia@vac.org.uk
Governance and Operational Entering into Partnerships
Legal Obligations (eg. employment,
health & safety, etc.)
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trustees’ news
Incident Reporting – Trustees’ Responsibilities When is an incident serious? When should you go to the Charity Commission with your concerns? Such questions have been difficult to answer definitively in the past. Even though the Annual Return to the Commission requires organisations to confirm that they have reported any serious incidents – many have been unsure in this area because they had no clear definition of what constitutes a ‘serious incident’. In June this year, however, the Charity Commission issued guidelines to help trustees/management committee members decide if an incident warrants being reported or not. The legal position is that all Trustees should provide information about serious incidents as soon as possible after they become aware of them. For charities with an income over £25,000 Trustees must, as part of the Annual Return, confirm that there are no serious incidents or other matters relating to their charity over the previous financial year that they should have brought to the Commission’s attention but have not. Failure to confirm this would be regarded as a breach of legal requirements. The guidance up to now has been that any serious incident that has resulted or could result in a significant loss of funds or a significant risk to a charity’s property, work, beneficiaries or reputation should be reported to the Commission immediately, not just on completion of the Annual Return. The Commission now suggest two approaches to assessing if something constitutes a serious incident; the first is to use a series of factors in each case to help you assess the seriousness of the event; the second is to compare your incident to examples given in the new guidance. With the first approach you use a series of factors to try to gauge the
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severity of the incident in relation to the size and character of your organisation. Some of the factors suggested are: the proportion of assets at risk;
the public profile of the charity (for
example if it is a household name);
the public profile of the serious
incident; the risk to the charity’s reputation and to the charity sector as a whole; how far services have been withdrawn as a result of the serious incident; the risk of further harm to the charity or its beneficiaries; and whether the charity has been previously investigated or given advice and guidance on the issue.
The Commission has also listed some specific circumstances that help you decide if an incident is considered serious or not. These are: connections to proscribed (banned)
organisations;
charity links to or support for
terrorism, financial or otherwise;
misuse of a charity to foster criminal
extremism;
fraud and money laundering;
abuse of vulnerable beneficiaries;
not having adequate measures in place
to protect vulnerable beneficiaries;
sham charities, set up for illegal or
improper purposes. Other specific examples of what is considered a serious incident are: Criminal activity You should inform the police and the Commission of any suspected criminal activity within or involving the charity as soon as possible after the incident. If you have reported such an incident to the police, don’t forget to report it to the Charity Commission as well. You should also report allegations if you have reasonable grounds for the suspicion. Fraud, theft or significant loss of funds or other property
You should report any actual or suspected fraud or theft regardless of the scale of funds or value of other property involved as well as any significant loss due to other causes. As a guide, the Commission would expect you to report any loss of funds or other property with a value of 20% or more of the charity’s income, or £25,000, whichever is the smaller amount. Significant sums of money or other property donated to the charity from an unknown or unverified source This could mean an unusually large one-off donation or regular smaller donations from a source that you cannot identify or cannot check. Donations may take forms other than money, eg. shares or goods. You must report any such one-off payments greater than £25,000, or two or more payments that add up to this amount. The charity (including any individual staff, trustees or volunteers) has any known or alleged link to a proscribed (banned) organisation or to terrorist or other unlawful activity If this comes to your attention, or you suspect that another trustee, member of staff, volunteer or anyone associated with the charity has any such links, you should immediately inform the police and the Charity Commission. You can find a list of proscribed organisations on the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk. There is a list of entities or people designated under terrorism legislation on the HM Treasury website at www.hmtreasury.gov.uk, with guidance on designation. Suspicions, allegations and incidents of abuse or mistreatment of beneficiaries You should report if there has been an incident where the beneficiaries of your charity have been or are being abused or mistreated whilst under the care of your charity or by someone connected with your charity, eg. a
voluntary matters september/october
trustees’ news
trustee, member of staff, or volunteer. You should also report serious allegations and suspicions of abuse. The charity has been subject to a criminal investigation, or an investigation by another regulator or agency; or sanctions have been imposed or concerns raised by another regulator or agency (eg. the Health and Safety Executive, Ofsted) You should inform the Charity Commission if the charity has been the subject of any criminal investigation or if another regulator or agency has imposed any formal sanction on it.
The Charity Commission have also listed some circumstances where you may want to look at more detailed guidance on the internet before deciding whether the incident warrants reporting or not. Examples are A person disqualified from acting as
a trustee has been or is currently acting as a trustee of the charity The charity does not have a policy for safeguarding its vulnerable beneficiaries CRB checks not done as required The charity has no vetting procedure to ensure that a trustee
or member of staff is eligible to act in the position to which he or she is being appointed. The full guidance and examples of the sorts of incidents that might necessitate reporting, are available on the Charity Commission website at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Library/investigatio ns/pdfs/rsinotes.pdf. For further information you can also call the Charity Commission on 0845 3000 218, or email them at rsi@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk
Revised Best Practice Guide on Trustee Recruitment Charities should not put quantity before quality when recruiting trustees, according to governance experts the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). The warning comes in a revised version of the institute's best practice guide on the recruitment, appointment and induction of charity trustees. "Charities – especially small ones – often go for quantity over quality," said Louise Thomson, head of not-forprofit policy at ICSA’s policy and development department. They say ‘we need this many trustees' instead of asking what kinds of trustees they need, in terms of skills, experience and commitment, given the charity's strategic plan.” The ICSA guide, first published in the late 1990s, has been updated in the light of new charity and company law as well as new developments in best practice such as the Code of Governance. It also contains a new section on recruiting a wider range of trustees. Thomson said word of mouth should be a fallback method for finding trustees and that charities had to be more open and transparent in their recruitment if they wanted to be
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representational of their beneficiary communities. She also warned against trying to recruit local figureheads as trustees. "They are no use if they aren't going to be able to commit enough time," she said. "Use them as something else, like a patron for fundraising campaigns."
The best practice guide contains useful information on recruitment, appointment and induction processes and can be bought for £15 from the ICSA information centre. For more information, contact ICSA on 020 7612 7035 or by email at informationcentre@icsa.co.uk (Adapted from “Third Sector Online”, 12 August 2008)
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Email: info@whwc.org.uk Website: whwc.org.uk Phone: 020 7328 7389 WHWC has been providing support to women for over 25 years. Services include: Drop-In Crisis & Support, Benefits Advice Surgery, Rape Support Group, Nurse’s Surgery, Asian, Irish & Somali women’s groups, and various classes & workshops.
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support for VCS managers
Support for VCS Managers VAC has been working with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) to develop managers for the future through ‘professional recognition’ and by providing management tools and resources for its members. VAC members are now entitled to a discount when applying for membership with the Chartered Management Institute.
Professional recognition can help you stand out from the crowd; it demonstrates to both current and potential employers your professional commitment and credentials. This can help open the door to promotion and ultimately help you achieve your career plans.
Professional Recognition: Your questions answered
How do I achieve professional recognition?
What is professional recognition? Employers value both qualifications and experience. Qualifications are an important part of both skill acquisition and personal development. Membership of a professional organisation enhances this further by recognising your professional commitment and demonstrating your experience. Professional recognition can form an important part of your continuing professional development.
How can professional recognition benefit my career?
Joining a professional membership organisation such as the Chartered Management Institute is one route to achieving professional recognition as a manager. The Institute is dedicated to raising management standards and they help individuals become better managers by offering a range of useful services and recognising managers’ professionalism. If you have three years’ management experience you will most likely be offered Associate Grade membership (ACMI) as a starting point.
How much does it cost? The cost varies depending on the level of membership you are eligible for. Your employer may be willing to pay for professional recognition. To find out more, visit www.managers.org.uk/membership. If you apply before Monday 30 September you will receive a discount of up to £45* when you apply. You must quote code C2823 on your application to ensure you receive the discount. (*note – £45 discount is applicable to the assessment fee which is not charged for Affiliate grade membership)
Strategic Liaison Group Welcome to our regular round-up of news from the Strategic Liaison Group (SLG). As detailed in past issues of Voluntary Matters, the SLG was established following a recommendation from the Council’s Scrutiny Panel during a review of funding to the sector and its remit is to improve communications between the Council and the voluntary and community sector. The group meets once a month and we set out below a summary of the areas covered in the meetings held in June, July and August 2008.
Terms of Reference A request was made in June for formal terms of reference for the group to be
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drawn up and agreed. An initial draft was considered at the meeting in August. Following discussion, a further draft will be presented to September’s meeting.
case was made that the Council should increase the budget (particularly in recognition of the good financial return for the Council on its ‘investment’ in DRR). For further details see the article on DRR in this issue of Voluntary Matters on page 4.
Discretionary Rate Relief (DRR) At the meetings in June, July and August the facts demonstrating the importance of DRR to the financial sustainability of voluntary and community groups were presented. The group recognised that this was a corporate issue and not simply an issue for Culture & Environment, and the Council was asked to approach this matter in a ‘joined up way’. A strong
Commissioning Concerns about current practice were registered. Points raised included the need for the Council to develop some common standards and approaches, the need for training on the difference between grant aid and commissioning, and the effect this has on the approach to funding and monitoring. These issues are being taken forward
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strategic liaison group
within the Council by a group of Assistant Directors working with Central Procurement. This group is considering the issues of added value and outcome-based commissioning. It is hoped that this work will produce standard templates that can then be discussed with voluntary and community organisations.
Negotiated Funding Agreements (NFA) The Camden Community Centres network, working with Interchange Legal Services, has registered some concerns about the content of the NFA. A further meeting to discuss outstanding issues is scheduled to take place in September.
Annual Accounts and Quarterly Returns It was agreed that groups will not be required to supply copies of their annual accounts until September of each year and that the quarterly returns for Culture and Environment could be returned on the 19th day of the following month.
Repairs In response to requests for information on repairs the Council confirmed it remains responsible for repairs and would not refuse to carry out repairs because there was no lease in place. It was reported that a memorandum of understanding, that will not require a signature from occupiers, will be drawn up to clarify roles and responsibilities in regards to property, which will be sent to all community centres and TRA halls, prior to the roll out of the Council’s area review programme.
Transfer of Funds from the Learning & Skills Council to the Council The concerns of a number of voluntary and community groups were raised and it was agreed that this would be discussed more fully at the meeting in September. A representative from
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Children Schools and Families will be invited to this meeting.
Economic Development Strategy Voluntary and community groups willing to take an active part in this work registered their interest and it was agreed that a breakfast roundtable meeting would be held to take this further forward late August/early September. The overall importance of the voluntary and community sector to the economic well-being of the borough was raised eg. leverage of monies in to the borough, employment of local residents, use of local suppliers, volunteering. Officers were referred to the report from the Office of Public Management on this topic in reference to organisations in Camden.
Legal Service Commission – changes in funding and the impact on Camden A meeting will be arranged with a senior representative of the Commission to secure information on plans for the future funding of legal services in Camden and the potential impact of proposed changes on current providers.
Volunteering Strategy The Local Area Agreement has volunteering as one of its key targets and a delivery plan is currently being drawn up for submission to the Government Office for London. It was agreed that the contents of the delivery plan should be discussed at the September meeting. The group recognised that volunteering is a crosscutting issue and that all partnerships need to make reference to it, but the Council is proposing that the lead body should be the Social Cohesion Forum.
Restructuring – Culture & Environment The group discussed the fact that proposals have been developed to restructure the Finance Unit of Culture & Environment. It was clarified that this would not affect payments to the voluntary and community sector. For further information about the Strategic Liaison Group or any of the issues discussed at these recent meetings, please contact Simone Hensby at VAC: Simone Hensby T: 020 7284 6550 (Typetalk: 18001-020 7284 6550) E: shensby@vac.org.uk
Announcement of New Assistant Director – Culture & Environment, London Borough of Camden Alison Dickens is the new Assistant Director, Regeneration and Partnerships in the Culture & Environment Division in the London Borough of Camden. Alison was formerly the Director of the North London Strategic Alliance, the sub-regional partnership for North London involving four boroughs and other public, private and voluntary organisations in the sub-region. Her background is in urban regeneration and partnership working, including two regeneration partnerships and community development projects in Brent and Tower Hamlets. Alison starts in Camden on 15 September 2008.
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CCEN update
Camden Community Empowerment Network (CCEN) Update CCEN Elections CCEN recently invited nominations for its Executive Board. The deadline for nominations was Friday 18 July. We were pleasantly surprised to get 15 nominations from a wide spectrum of Camden’s voluntary and community sector. The board decided that rather than go through a lengthy and costly ballot we should simply expand the board to accommodate the three extra nominations. The newly elected board members for 2008 – 2010 are as follows:
Front line organisations: 1. Age Concern Camden 2. Bengali Workers Association 3. Camden Central Community Umbrella 4. Camden Chinese Community Centre 5. Kings Cross Brunswick Neighbourhood Association 6. New Horizon Youth Centre 7. Sante Refugee Mental Health 8. Somers Town Community Association
John Shaw Mukid Choudhury Charlie Legg Lincoln Lim Nasim Ali Shelagh O’Connor Ruth Appleton Sarah Elie
Second tier organisations: 9. Camden & Islington Providers 10. Camden Black & Minority Ethnic Alliance 11. Camden Community and Police Consultative Group 12. Camden Training Network 13. Disability in Camden 14. Voluntary Action Camden 15. Volunteer Centre Camden
Aidan Moloney Anju Bhatt Peter Ward Neil Roberts Pat Stack Simone Hensby Hayley Watts
CCEN Seminar: Health & Well-Being From April 2008 the business of the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) shifted from commissioning services through a Local Area Agreement grant to implementing and monitoring the Camden Sustainable Community Strategy and its outcomes for local residents. At each LSP meeting there is a report on one of the themes from the Community Strategy and this gives CamdenCEN an opportunity to hear what is going on and feed in what the voluntary and community sector (VCS) is doing in relation to the Community Strategy themes. We aim to profile the work of the VCS, to raise awareness of how the sector works and highlight the added value it brings in each area. As we outlined in the last ‘Voluntary Matters’, the issues taken to the LSP meetings by the 4 VCS members of the partnership now come in part from the information we gather via our themed CCEN Seminars. Our May CCEN Seminar focused on improving health and well-being and page ten
enabled groups to profile their work in this area and raise issues of common concern. It was well attended by participants from a wide variety of organisations – both voluntary and statutory. The following are just a few of the issues raised during the seminar:
The breadth of work done and difficulties categorising projects Much of the good work being done contributes to meeting the outcome targets not only in the area of Health and Well-Being but across other themes in the Community Strategy. Participants felt it important to recognise that many projects do not fit easily into a ‘health’ category, but they nonetheless contribute to improved health and wellbeing in different ways – for instance, a local open space project may improve both individual and community health and well-being when its users help with gardening, or when young people use the space for football games.
Funding difficulties Many participants talked about loss of funding which has lead to a reduction in services available, and about how the effects of this reduction in services may not really be felt until 2 or 3 years down the line as so much of VCS organisations’ work on health and well-being is about prevention.
Lack of information Several participants felt a barrier to effective working on health and wellbeing in the borough is a lack of information. They talked about a lack of information about what other groups are doing – and about how sometimes even different departments within the same organisation do not know what each other is doing. Many felt this was a major barrier to being able to refer users to an appropriate service and worked against users’ freedom of choice and opportunity.
voluntary matters september/october
CCEN update social worker training
Challenge of meeting monitoring requirements Monitoring and evaluation were also discussed, with a number of people feeling they are overwhelmed with the administration generated by monitoring and evaluation requirements, and that this sometimes affects time available for service delivery – meaning users get less of a service. Monitoring outcomes was also raised as an issue as people do not have systems in place to measure their ‘soft outcomes’ (people feel their life has changed for the better) rather than their outputs (X amount of people were given advice on smoking cessation). CCEN would like to thank all those who attended the seminar, those
groups we visited and those who may not have attended but who sent in information about their services. All the information received was collated and forwarded for inclusion in the report for the 4 July LSP meeting. Future CCEN seminars will look at: Increasing access to skills, education,
The seminars take place between 12 and 2pm and include lunch. Booking is essential so that we get the room size and catering right! Contact: camdencen@vac.org.uk or phone Linda on 020 7284 6565 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6565) to reserve a place.
training and jobs (Sept 08) Working together to manage a
growing population (Oct 08) Camden Town Vision (Jan 09) Culture and leisure opportunities
including the London Olympics (Mar 09) At the end of the year the information received from all the CCEN seminars will be collated and will form the basis of the CCEN Annual Report.
If you can’t attend you can still tell us about your work and let us know your views. Contact Donna on 0207 284 6567 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6567) or email dturnbull@vac.org.uk Information about all CCEN meetings can be found at www.camdencen.org.uk
Can you help train our next generation of social workers? We are looking for organisations able to help in the training of student social workers. Social work students need to spend up to 100 days a year doing frontline face-to-face work including one-toone work with service users, group work, community development, assessment, advocacy, project work and research/evaluation. Voluntary sector and private organisations can provide valuable specialist opportunities for future social workers to: gain insight into user perspectives; understand about empowerment and anti-discriminatory practice; and learn how to be advocates and champions for service users. Offering a practice learning opportunity (a work-based learning placement) will also benefit your organisation. For instance, some of the organisations currently offering placements have said: “Having students keeps me up to date with legislation and keeps me alive and buzzing” (Astha Ltd) “We can offer a more holistic service and not have to turn people away if they come with other issues. The students have the time and training to take on things that normally we would signpost a client elsewhere for.” (Groundwork East London) “Students come with a lot of new ideas and direct
september/october voluntary matters
exposure to theory – they can motivate the staff team.” (Adeza Care Home)
We need more work-based learning placements now! Interested in finding out more? We can give you a booklet which outlines the requirements and some of the benefits of having students (including the fee payment). It gives answers to the most frequently asked questions. We can discuss the possibility of offering a placement with you over the phone and if you’re definitely interested we can visit you and discuss the requirements and possibilities in more detail. To find out more please contact: Juliet Hammond Practice Learning Co-ordinator North Central London – Skills for Care Organisational Development 6th Floor, Mulberry Place (AH) PO Box 55739, 5 Clove Crescent, London E14 1BY T: 020 7364 5035, M: 07908 768143 E: Juliet.Hammond@towerhamlets.gov.uk
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employment matters
Employment Matters Independent Safeguarding Authority Update on the ISA – Implementation delayed for a year, and fees for safeguarding checks set to rise. When we first reported on the creation of the new Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) in the February/March issue of Voluntary Matters, the scheduled start date for the Authority was Autumn 2008. Following consultation, however, this has now been delayed until October 2009, allowing more time for employers and volunteer organisers to understand the new arrangements. The ISA has been created to prevent unsuitable people working with children and vulnerable adults and will be working in partnership with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The ISA will assess the information gathered
by the CRB concerning an individual’s criminal record, police investigations, etc. and will then decide whether they should be barred from working with vulnerable groups, or whether they can be registered as suitable. Once the ISA is fully implemented, only people who are registered with the ISA will be allowed to work as employees or volunteers with children and vulnerable adults. Eventually the register is expected to hold about 11 million names. This extra level of protection and assessment by the ISA experts comes at a cost. The ISA has announced that the total individual application fee for an
employee will be £64, made up of £36 for the fee to obtain a Disclosure from the CRB and an additional £28 for the cost of entering an individual’s details onto the ISA register. There is, however, some relief as (i) the £28 is only payable the first time an individual applies to be put on the register and (ii) for volunteers there will still be no fee charged either by the CRB or the ISA. The ISA will be launching a major publicity campaign in October 2008 – one year ahead of implementation – so that employers and volunteer organisers will understand the need for new recruits to be registered with the ISA from October 2009. Organisations can also receive e-mailed updates by registering via the website – www.isa-gov.org
Flexible Working – 4.5 million parents to gain rights Following the findings of an independent review, the Government has announced that the right to request flexible working will be extended to all parents of children aged up to, and including 16 years of age. Flexible working embraces a wide variety of working arrangements including reducing hours; working fewer but longer days; changing arrival and departure times, or working from home. At present only parents who have children up to the age of 6 (or older children who are adopted or disabled) have the statutory right to request flexible working and to have that request seriously considered by their employer. Employers can reject the request, or negotiate a modified arrangement, if there is a sound business or organisational reason for doing so. From April 2008 carers of adults also gained the right to request flexible working. To qualify employees page twelve
must have a minimum of 26 weeks service with the employer. Imelda Walsh, HR Director of J Sainsbury plc, carried out the review. She has recommended that the parents of children aged 16 or under should be given similar rights, but has stopped short of setting the limit at 18. Her report supported the view that the current arrangements ignore the difficulties experienced by parents as their children go through adolescence and crucial years at school. This change would bring an additional 4.5 million employees into the statutory framework for requesting flexible working. During her review, Ms Walsh found that in practice many
employers seriously considered requests for flexible working from all employees, whether they were parents, carers or not. However, she noted that over time it might become more difficult for employers to agree to employees’ requests if there were already employees in the workplace with flexible work patterns. The Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform will now organise a consultation on bringing in this change. If you have any queries on the matters above, or any other employment issue, please do not hesitate to contact Caroline Jepson, Employment and Personnel Advisor at Voluntary Action Camden. Caroline works Wednesdays to Fridays. She can be contacted at cjepson@vac.org.uk or by telephone on 020 7284 6554 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6554) voluntary matters september/october
private tenants LM3 pilot project
Working together to help private tenants private tenants in Camden, by working with and supporting them to organise and campaign for better protection, rights and services. You may be surprised to know that 23% of households in Camden rent from a private landlord, so private tenants make up a considerable proportion of the local population. You may also be surprised to know that Camden Federation of Private Tenants is one of only two such groups that remain in the whole of London (the other being in the London Borough of Brent). We were set up way back in 1980 as a mutual support group, and we are currently funded by the council to improve the housing conditions of
Who are private tenants? For the purposes of deciding who is able to use our services we deem the following groups fall into this category: Regulated tenants
Assured Shorthold tenants Assured tenants
Housing association tenants Leaseholders (non-Council)
At Camden Federation we believe firmly in the idea that "on our own we can achieve a little but by working together we can achieve a lot". We always welcome enquiries about our
work, referrals, and suggestions about ways we can work with other agencies to improve local housing conditions. Given the numbers and diversity of the local population of private tenants, it is more than likely that a high proportion of your service users might benefit from the support and services we offer. We would be very happy to come and speak to you or your members/service users about what we do and how we could possibly help them. So, if you would like to know more about our work or arrange a meeting, please get in touch. Robert Taylor (Organiser) Tel: 020 7383 0151 Email: rtaylor@cfpt.org.uk Website: www.cfpt.org.uk
Measuring your organisation’s added value Report on LM3 Pilot Project will shortly be available. Four voluntary and community sector organisations in Camden – the Castlehaven Centre, Coram’s Fields, Elfrida Rathbone and King’s Cross & Brunswick Neighbourhood Association – have been involved in an exciting pilot project as a part of the London Borough of Camden ‘Invest to Save’ programme. The ‘Invest to Save’ programme, as we have mentioned in previous issues of Voluntary Matters, aims to improve commissioning and procurement practices across the borough, as well as to enable the voluntary and community sector to better measure and demonstrate its value to the local economy. All four organisations involved in the LM3 Pilot Project reported finding the online tool useful in calculating their added value and a full report on their
september/october voluntary matters
experience and the learning from the project will be out shortly. We will capture the highlights in our next issue of Voluntary Matters. In the meantime, if measuring and proving your economic impact to funders and commissioners is important to you, you can find out more about the LM3 tool by visiting LM3 Online at https://www.lm3online. org/notforprofit/. If you would like to know more about Value Added Tools such as LM3 and VIVA (Volunteer Investment and Value Audit) or other tools that might help you demonstrate the added value of your organisation to funders and commissioners, VAC runs workshops on ‘Value Added’ for groups and organisations in Camden. Please check the VAC Training Calendar elsewhere in this issue of Voluntary Matters for more information.
page thirteen
peer education
h g u o r h t h t l a e h g n i v o r p Im A Successful First Year for Camden’s Reproductive and Personal Health Peer Education Project
For many of us, reproductive and personal health is not an easy topic to talk about and this is particularly so for young people who may come up against all sorts of barriers to discussing the their personal health and relationships. These might range from a lack of trust in, or awareness of, confidential services, to embarrassment, shame or even cultural or religious taboos affecting their ability to talk or to ask questions about personal health issues they might wish to know more about. Camden’s ‘Reproductive & Personal Health Peer Education Project’ aims to help Somali and Bangladeshi young people learn about the subject of personal health and relationships within their own cultural and religious context and from people of the same age. The project, funded by the Kings Fund and through the Local Area Agreement, is a pilot. It aims to assess the pros and cons of a peer education
page fourteen
approach as a way to spread health messages throughout sections of the community sometimes seen as ‘hard to reach’, with anticipated benefits both for the community (better informed) and for the peer educators (who through participation increase their own skills, knowledge and confidence). At the end of its first year, the project has achieved significant success in engaging young people and beginning to disseminate appropriate, accessible information to young people from the target communities. The four delivery partners – Fitzrovia Youth in Action, Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre, British Somali Community and the Somali Community
voluntary matters september/october
peer education
Development Trust – each recruited a Project Mentor, who in turn recruited up to four young volunteers from their community to become Peer Educators. In January the Project Mentors and their recruits completed three days of training over two weekends at the Mary Ward Centre and Woodrow High House in Amersham. They all successfully achieved an Open College Network Peer Education accreditation. Between February and April the Peer Educators, supported by their Mentors, organised 20 workshops reaching 134 young people. The subjects covered at these workshops included: how to stay healthy; cultural and religious considerations; and where to get help and advice. On 26 June a small informal celebration and award ceremony was held at the Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) office in Kentish Town Road. The event was attended by members of the project’s steering group, tutors and future young recruits, and by a couple of special guests – Councillor Nasim Ali, who had kindly agreed to present the awards and Sandra van der Feen, the former VAC staff member who was instrumental in developing the project in its early days. After a warm welcome from Jonathan Merrison, chair of VAC’s Executive Committee, an overview was given of the project with the four Project Mentors each explaining an aspect of the project – the role of the peer educator, the training, the workshops and the
september/october voluntary matters
evaluation. Their lively presentations were followed by a speech from Councillor Ali, who noted how pleasing it was to hear about the positive actions of young people, when everywhere else they receive so much bad press. He applauded their resolve to help their peers and emphasised that by taking part in projects of this kind young people can influence decision-makers and make a difference to their own environment and future. Each Peer Educator was presented with a Certificate of Attendance and a £50 voucher. The Project Mentors also received Certificates of Attendance. Sandra van der Feen ended the meeting on a positive note by reflecting briefly on the birth of the project and the distance travelled from its inception, to funding, to reality and its current success. Year 2 of the project is now well underway. A Community Engagement event will be held on Thursday, 23 October and the next Peer Education training course will run on November 15, 22 and 29 at the Mary Ward Centre.
Project Mentor for male Peer Educators of Somali origin Employer: Somali Community Development Trust: 020 7713 6150 or Youth Development & Resource Centre: 020 7424 1604 Email: m.hanad@gmail.com or somalidev@yahoo.co.uk
Project
Mentor for female Peer Educators of Somali origin Employer: British Somali Community: 020 7485 2963 Email: info@britishsomali.org
Project
Mentor for male Peer Educators of Bangladeshi origin Employer: Fitzrovia Youth in Action: 020 7388 7399 Email: shipon.hussain@fyi.org.uk
Project
Mentor for female Peer Educators of Bangladeshi origin Employer: Hopscotch Asian Women's Centre: 020 7388 6200 Email: hawc2005@hopscotchawc.org.uk VAC Project Officer on 020 7284 6562 or 020 7284 6550 Email: vac@vac.org.uk
If you … want to know more about the project would like to become a Peer Educator are interested in attending the
event on 23 October
would like to arrange a workshop
for your group … please contact one of the Partners below:
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working with children update
Working with Children and Young People An Update on Integrated Working in Camden
As we have reported in previous issues of Voluntary Matters, Integrated Working is being embedded across the children’s workforce in Camden and an increasing number of practitioners in Camden’s voluntary and community sector are using the tools that have been made available to support Integrated Working, and are finding them helpful. Two key elements of Integrated Working are the eCAF system (electronic Common Assessment Framework), and the TAC (Team Around the Child/Young Person) approach. The eCAF system is now being used by many services to assess a child and family’s needs and to refer children, young people and parents/carers on to services appropriate for their needs. The eCAF system can be used to look up who is already involved with a family. In this way it facilitates joining up to ensure good information-sharing at an early stage, and a more coordinated approach to assessments and interventions with families. The TAC approach brings together a team of key practitioners involved with a child/young person as well as the parents/carers and young people page sixteen
themselves. The TAC will get together in regular meetings to discuss needs and agree and review action plans. TAC meetings also give parents/carers the opportunity to discuss their child’s needs with key practitioners. Feedback from those who have experienced the TAC approach suggests that it results in a better service for families, a more effective and co-ordinated service – eg. a reduction in overlap/duplication of work and a better use of practitioners’ time. One of the practitioners involved in the TAC takes the role of the Lead Professional – as agreed by the team. The Lead Professional is the single designated practitioner with the role of co-ordinating the support package developed by the team. Camden Children, Schools & Families Service is currently exploring different settings for trialling the new role of Budget Holding Lead Professional (BHLP) after this role was successfully piloted in a number of local authority areas and found to contribute to more effective and responsive services. Camden is using a number of methods to embed Integrated Working locally – including offering training, running
inter-agency events, and developing information resources. For instance, in June an Integrated Working Event brought together those working with vulnerable young people placed in or needing accommodation through the Young People’s Pathway. The event generated useful networking, information-sharing and discussion between the participants, who included representatives from Children, School & Families (CSF), Housing and Adult Social Care (HASC) and the voluntary and community sector, who were able to look together at ways to improve joint working to meet the needs of a vulnerable group of children/young people. To find out more about eCAF, the TAC and the BHLP role, or to access any of the useful information resources developed by the Integrated Working Team, please contact Nina Hjertager at Camden Council on 020 7974 6687 or Mohamed Hussein at VAC on 020 7284 6572, or visit the Integrated Working website www.camden.gov.uk/iw which contains a range of resources available as downloads as well as information on Integrated Working training courses and events.
voluntary matters september/october
trafficked children
Safeguarding children who may have been trafficked Article 3 of the Palermo Protocol (to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons) defined trafficking of people as: “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat of or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.” Child Trafficking is a covert and highly varied activity, the full extent of which is still unknown in the UK. In 2006, however, the Home Office commissioned the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) to conduct an intelligence-gathering project on child trafficking. Information and data from the period March 2005 to December 2006 was collected and analysed from 41 police forces and law enforcement agencies, 20 Children’s Services, 21 Border and Immigration Agencies and eight Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the UK.
Just as the purposes and nature of trafficking was found to vary, so too did the profile of the traffickers. Whilst some were highly organised and had connections to other forms of organised crime (particularly immigration and vice), others were more opportunistic individuals who had trafficked a child on a more ‘informal’ basis.
If you are worried that a child might have been trafficked, you should make a referral to Social Services and/or inform your Local safeguarding Children’s Board. Some useful contacts are as follows:
There are many different ways through which trafficked children are controlled so that they do not escape from the trafficker. These include:
Out of Hours (5pm – 9am): 020 7974 4444 (Town Hall)
Removal of identity documents Violence or threats of violence
Of the 330 children (under 18s) found to fit the child trafficking profile in the UK:
Threats of reporting to authorities
85% (276 children) were found to be
Debt bondage
between the ages of 15 and 17. 24 children were found to be
Social isolation – being locked up Removal of money
Voodoo or traditional belief
between 13 and 14 years of age. 14 children were documented as 12
and under, the youngest being a 9month-old baby. Both girls and boys were being trafficked (though more girls than boys), and trafficked children came chiefly from Albania, China, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Western and Eastern Africa (particularly Nigeria), and Eastern Europe. The form of exploitation was found to vary by region/country with some forms of exploitation more common to particular areas – for instance, girls from Eastern Europe were found to have been more likely to have been trafficked for exploitation in the prostitution industry.
september/october voluntary matters
How to identify trafficked children? A trafficked child has many similarities to any other child in need. However, due to the specific experiences they have, the trafficked child or young person shows a certain combination of characteristics which can be helpful in identifying them and providing them with effective support. Physical indicators can include: always accompanied by a ‘friendly adult’, a sudden change in style of dress, pregnancy. Psychological indicators could be: the child being scared, showing sexual behaviour, loss of trust, anti-social behaviour and a dependent relationship with friendly adult.
Safeguarding and Social Care Call Centre: 020 7974 6666 Emergency Duty Team (9am – 5pm): 020 7974 1621
Police Child Abuse Investigation Team (Camden): 020 8733 6495/6507 NSPCC (National child trafficking advice and information line): 0800 1077057 ECPAT–UK (provides research, training and campaigning to protect the rights of child victims of trafficking and children in tourism): 020 7233 6887 (www.ecpat.org.uk) Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (specialist knowledge of safeguarding African children including children who have been trafficked): 020 7704 2261 (www.afruca.org.uk) Refugee Council Children Panel (help with asylum process if a young person is picked up by the police): 020 7346 1134 (www.refugeecouncil.org.uk) Missing People: national charity working with runaways and their families: 020 8392 4527 (www.missingpeople.org.uk)
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mental health update
Mental health update We outline below some of the work taking place across the borough on mental health issues at both a service delivery and a more strategic level. Contact us if your organisation has an interest in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing and you’d like to join the Camden Mental Health Network, or if you’d like to profile your organisation’s work on mental health in future issues of Voluntary Matters.
We Need a Chair!
Mental Health Network The last Mental Health Network meeting was held on 3 June 2008 and attended by representatives of 18 local organisations. Lively presentations stimulated debate and discussion as we heard from two local speakers about important local strategies and plans for local services. Frank Earley (Camden’s Joint Strategic Commissioner for Learning Disabilities) spoke about local strategy and services, and Robert Holman (the Mental Health Pathways Coordinator for Camden Council & Camden PCT) presented the new employment strategy for mental health service users. Councillor Kirsty Roberts (Camden’s Champion for Mental Health and Substance Misuse) was also present and spoke about her role.
For the next meeting of the network, the focus will be Camden Local Implementation Team’s most recent Self Assessment, and in particular we hope to consider how far services meet the needs of Camden’s BME and Refugee communities. Our next meetings will be held on 3 September and 2 December. Please check the Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) website for further details of the agenda and venues at www.vac.org.uk/ mentalhealth or contact: Josie Reeder Senior Community Development Worker T: 020 7284 6563 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6563) E: jreeder@vac.org.uk
Bangladeshi Mental Health Forum in Camden The Bangladeshi Mental Health Forum was established in summer 2000 by a group of Bangladeshi community workers following their attendance at a mental health training programme developed by Camden & Islington Health Promotion Service and the Bengali Women’s Health Project.
and share information. The forum has an advocacy role for the Bangladeshi community and influences strategy development within the borough. It also stimulates cross-sector partnership working to influence and develop ways of strengthening community involvement.
It was formed in response to a need that was identified for a platform for statutory mental health professionals, Bangladeshi workers and lay people with a concern about mental health to meet
The forum meets once every three months. Past activities of the forum include inviting speakers to provide information and discuss issues relating to the mental health needs of BME
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The Mental Health Network wishes to elect a new Chair and Vice-Chair. We are looking for someone who would like to be more involved in the strategic element of local mental health services and policy. This person would Chair the quarterly Mental Health Network meetings, as well as attend the quarterly Local Implementation Team meetings. The Chair will receive plenty of support and advice from Voluntary Action Camden so please do not be discouraged from applying if you haven’t had much chairing experience in the past. For more information contact Josie Reeder, Senior Community Development Worker (as above).
communities, and organising training for forum members to support them in their frontline work with clients experiencing emotional distress. For more information about the forum, please contact: Rima Karim Primary Care Mental Health Worker Camden PCT St Pancras Hospital, St. Pancras Way Public Health Department Ground Floor, West Wing NW1 0PE T: 020 7445 8536 M: 07917 505 670 E: rima.karim@camdenpct.nhs.uk
voluntary matters september/october
mental health update
Local mental health services Project Profile – The Highgate Centre The Highgate Centre, based within Kentish Town for over thirty years, has long been part the councils’ – and more recently the local Care Trusts’ – provision for people with mental health issues in the Borough of Camden. People are referred to the Centre by themselves, psychiatrists, GP’s and workers from the community mental health teams (CMHTs). Anybody living in Camden who feels s/he could get something from the Centre can arrange a visit in order to consider the possibility of becoming a client. Placements are regularly reviewed via supportive meetings of the clients, peers and staff.
The centre is structured on the therapeutic community model, offering a programme of formal therapeutic groups and creative groups, supported by oneto-one sessions with a key-worker. The creative groups include pottery, art, woodwork, creative writing, photography and tai chi: some are facilitated by tutors from the Westminster Kingsway College, and some by staff. More formal therapeutic groups include twice-weekly large and small therapy groups, a business meeting and an encounter group, which focuses on social skills and difficult feelings. To discuss a referral or to arrange a visit to the Centre, please contact Tony Creedon (Manager) or Stephanie Wright (Deputy Manager) on 020 7485 5783.
Project profile – Making Space Making Space is a Registered Mental Health Charity providing a support service that is primarily carer-led. The organisation is keen to engage with BMER community groups in Camden to explore ways of working together to support carers in various communities. The Making Space Camden Carers Support Service provides the following: Information and advice about mental
health, medication and side effects Links with relevant support services in
the local area Advocacy in accessing welfare
benefits and other financial support Carer breaks and respite services Dual diagnosis support group Emotional support / informal
counselling Most of the referrals to the team are made by Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) but they are equally receptive to self-referrals. The service aims to improve the quality of carers’
september/october voluntary matters
lives and relationships with those cared for through empowerment from greater knowledge about current mental health legislation and stronger links to relevant health services. They seek to deliver an accessible and responsive service that provides practical guidance and emotional support, advocacy and information in order that carers are able to cope effectively with their caring responsibilities. As a culturally sensitive service the team understands that mental illness can be perceived differently in different cultures. This informs their practice, and this sensitivity has been demonstrated successfully in the extensive work that has been undertaken to date with BME communities across the borough. (Their remit includes 6 CMHTs including Kentish Town, Gospel Oak, East/West Hampstead, King’s Cross and Regents Park.)
Friday and appointments can be offered at the carers’ home or in the team’s offices. For more information, contact: Nahida Matin and Aleksandra Mync Carer Support Co-ordinators Making Space – Camden Carers Support Service Peckwater Resource Centre 6 Peckwater Street London NW5 2TX T: 020 7530 6423. Or by email at: Aleksandra.Mync@makingspace.co.uk or Nahida.Matin@makingspace.co.uk
The service is operational between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to
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s ’ C VA
CORNER
computing corner
COMPUTING
Hello and welcome to Computing Corner, our regular slot within Voluntary Matters where we provide you with useful ICT tips and answer any of your ICT queries. You can email us with your queries or send in top ICT tips of your own to share with others. In this issue we look at the subject of Email and Network Etiquette (or Netiquette!) suggesting some good practice guidelines that individuals or organisations may like to adapt for their own use. Don’t forget that if you have questions about any aspect of ICT for your organisation, you can contact our ICT Outreach project for free, independent advice and support: Mary Sakho T: 020 7284 6573 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6573) E: msakho@vac.org.uk
Emailing – Good Practice Guidelines The world of electronic and online communication can sometimes resemble human, face-to-face communications, but it also has its own rules and regulations which have, over the last decade or so, evolved into some generally accepted dos and don’ts. We list below some of the most useful of these: Always include a brief Subject.
This shows respect to the recipients and emails with no subject can be flagged as spam. The subject field should always
reflect the content of your email. This is fair to both those who want to read it and to those who don't. Feel free to modify the subject field
accurately if the direction of the conversation has changed. Don’t use mixed case. UPPER CASE
LOOKS AS IF YOU'RE SHOUTING. Use symbols for emphasis. Like: That
*is* what I meant *Never* use an old email to hit
reply and start typing about an entirely new topic. Watch CC's when replying. Don't
continue to include people if the messages have become a 2-way conversation. Reply to All *should* be used if
people are still part of the conversation. Typing your emails in all small case
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gives the perception of carelessness or laziness. The same goes if you don’t have blank lines at the end of your paragraphs. Do not use patterned backgrounds
as these make your email harder to read. If you are forwarding or re-posting
a message you've received, do not change the wording. You may shorten the message and quote only relevant parts, but be sure you give proper attribution. When sending emails to a group of
people put their email address in the Blank Carbon Copy (BCC) field. It is unpleasant to get an email containing addresses for people you don’t know. You might also be breaching confidentiality if you let others have the email addresses of your contacts without their consent. If you cannot respond to an email
promptly, at the very least email back confirming your receipt and suggesting when the sender can expect your response. Don't forward emails that say to do
so no matter how noble the cause may be. Most are hoaxes and may not be appreciated by those you send them to. Double check that your anti-
adware, anti-spyware and anti-virus programs are set to automatically update at least once each week so
the software knows what to protect you from. If you have tools that need to be run manually, do so every week. Emails and attachments – both incoming and outgoing – should be included in the scanning process. When sending large attachments,
always "zip" or compress them before sending or use Portable Document Format (PDF) where possible. Keep your emails brief and to the
point. Save long conversations for face-to-face communication. Most misunderstandings can be
avoided by one side or the other not rushing through their e-mail activities, and trying to ensure your e-mail will be received, read and perceived with the desired meaning by the intended recipient. When there is a misunderstanding by email, don't hesitate to pick up the old fashioned telephone to work things out! Avoid ‘flaming’. Flames are violent
written expressions of disapproval. Before sending a message, ask yourself if you would say that to a person’s face and think of a means of conveying your views where the recipient can also express theirs. If you have to send emotional
responses to messages wait overnight before doing so. If you send e-newsletters make sure
to use subscribe and unsubscribe emails to the appropriate addresses. voluntary matters september/october
computing corner
Don't hesitate to say thank you,
how are you, or appreciate your help! Use the urgent flag sparingly, and
only in really urgent cases or people will start to either ignore your emails or not respond to you as quickly as you would expect them to. An occasional joke is fun to receive,
but do not bombard people with jokes or references to websites. Before getting upset because you
perceive someone didn't respond, check to see if their reply was inadvertently deleted or sent to your Trash or Junk folder. Before sending emails make sure
you run a spell-check, read the content again, verify accuracy and double check recipients. A good rule of thumb: Be
conservative in what you send and liberal in what you receive. You should not send heated messages even if you are provoked. On the other hand, you shouldn't be surprised if you get flamed and it's prudent not to respond to flames.
The ICT Quiz Question Answer to the quiz question in our last issue: Social Networking refers to websites where people can seek out other people who share their interests, find out what's going on in their areas of interest, and share information with one another. Quiz question for this issue: For this issue our question is:
What is Assistive Technology?
september/october voluntary matters
Do you need a website? Building on the successful partnership established between Voluntary Action Camden and Birkbeck College, we will soon be starting another round of volunteer recruitment from final year students on Birkbeck’s ‘Foundation Degree in IT’ and ‘IT Applications Diploma’ courses. These are students who are required to complete a workbased module. In the past we have had volunteers design websites, develop bespoke electronic training material, and implement computer networks. The volunteers will not be starting their work until January 2009, but there is always a lot of preparatory work required before the placements begin. If you need a website VAC’s ICT Officer can first help you with guidelines on how to make a start, what design to choose and how best to represent the work of your organisation with your chosen content and graphics.
If you would like to take up this opportunity and have a volunteer assigned to your organisation for developing a website (or some other ICT project) please contact Mary Sakho, VAC’s ICT Development Worker to discuss your requirements:
Mary Sakho T: 020 7284 6573 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6573) E: msakho@vac.org.uk
ICT Training and Conferences Training Needs Analysis Service VAC offers a Training Need Analysis (TNA) service in various areas of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Once you have your TNA report, VAC can help you plan how to meet your staff’s ICT training needs, which might include their attending some of VAC’s own ICT workshops.
Free ICT CLAiT Certification for VAC members Voluntary Action Camden is offering to provide full sponsorship to staff or volunteers from local organisations to attend classes at the Mary Ward Centre for the New CLAiT certification (please note that this course would normally cost £224 per individual).
The taught units and their titles are as follows: Unit 1: File Management and e-
Document Production Unit 2: Creating Spreadsheets and
Graphs Unit 3: Database Manipulation
Organisations are required to give VAC a cheque for £150 per delegate as a deposit – which is returned upon successful completion of the course. If you are interested in finding out more about our Training Needs Analysis Service or free CLAiT Certification, please contact Mary Sakho at VAC: Mary Sakho T: 020 7284 6573 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6573) E: msakho@vac.org.uk
page twenty one
training calendar
VAC Training Calendar Summer 2008 VAC runs regular training sessions throughout the year on a variety of issues and subjects including fundraising, business planning, Better Governance for Trustees, quality assurance, employment law, mental health, etc. All training or workshop sessions are subject to advance registration (you need to book a place in advance). Over time we may add more courses than are listed here, so to check the latest information, visit our website at www.vac.org.uk. As well as the regular training outlined in the training calendar, we still have some places available on our various accredited training courses, which we offer in partnership with the Mary Ward Centre – see below. Also detailed below are some of our other tailor-made training opportunities.
NOCN Qualification in Managing Voluntary or Community Organisations VAC has developed a NOCN (National Open College Network) Qualification in Managing Voluntary or Community Organisations for staff working in the voluntary and community sector. This programme is an opportunity to learn and gain accreditation for the range of skills now required to function effectively in the sector. Participants can choose from several options, and upon successful completion will gain credits that count towards a qualification at levels 1, 2 or 3. The content is customised to ensure relevance to the sector, and all the course tutors are current practitioners within the sector. Places on these courses are highly subsidised and are allocated after interview. A commitment to self-study outside the classroom is required. Previous experience may count towards accreditation. The three options are: Commissioning & Contracting for
the Voluntary and Community Sector Operational Management Strategic Management
Commissioning & Contracting for the Voluntary and Community Sector This course, with nationally recognised accreditation at levels 2 & 3, is a mustdo course for anyone involved in managing in the commissioning culture. Areas covered include: procurement, commissioning, the use of information technology to run contracts, legal structures, marketing strategies when contracting, budgets, staffing issues, legal issues and partnerships. Please note that some IT skills are required for this course. Contact VAC for more details on fees. Bursaries may be available Dates: 24 September to 10 December 2008, every Wednesday 10am – 5pm Contact: Sarah Oyedele T: 020 7284 6559 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6559) E: soyedele@vac.org.uk
This course will look at how strategic management is key to the success of an organisation. Please note that some IT Skills are required for this course. Dates: 29 April to 15 July 2009, every Wednesday 10am – 5pm Contact: Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6556 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6556) E: SAchadoo@vac.org.uk
APM Introductory Certificate in Project Management This is an intensive ‘entry’ level course for people who want skills in project management that could be applied in business or other environments. It has been developed with materials that are of use and relevance to people who work or are involved in the voluntary and community sector. There is a one-hour multiple choice exam. The fee is £389. Bursaries may be available. Contact VAC for more details. (A half-day preparatory course usually takes place prior to the course for all participants to be familiar with concepts of Project Management.) Dates: 28 November to 12 December 2008, every Friday 9.30am to 5pm Contact: Maureen Brewster T: 020 7284 6574 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6574) E: MBrewster@vac.org.uk
Operational Management This course will look at how operations management is key to the success of an organisation. Please note that some IT Skills are required for this course.
Demonstrating the Added Value of your work. Volunteering – VIVA Workshop
Dates: 14 January to 1 April 2009, every Wednesday 10am – 5pm
In the current commissioning funding climate your organisation needs to actively illustrate the added value of volunteers in your work. VIVA (Volunteer Investment & Value Audit) is a measurement tool that assesses the value of volunteers’ time in
Contact: Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6556 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6556) E: SAchadoo@vac.org.uk
page twenty two
Strategic Management
voluntary matters september/october
training calendar
relation to resources used to support volunteers. VIVA was created and developed by the Institute of Volunteering Research. Dates: To be confirmed Contact: Simone Hensby T: 020 7284 6553 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6553) E: vac@vac.org.uk
An introduction to LM3 (Local Multiplier 3) LM3 enables groups to calculate their organisation’s economic contribution to the community. This tool was developed by the New Economics Foundation, and VAC staff team have been trained in the use of LM3 and are available to provide support to any voluntary and community organisation based in Camden that wishes to use this tool. LM3 works by: Measuring an organisation’s income Looking at how the organisation
spends its income Looking at how business and
individuals who receive the income spend the money Performing a quick mathematical
calculation to arrive at LM3 – ie. how much spending by the organisation impacts on the local community. LM3 Online is free for the use of notfor-profit organisations at www.lm3online.org.
Information & Communications Technology VAC can offer a Training Need Analysis (TNA) service in various areas of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Once you have your TNA report, VAC can help you plan how to meet your staff’s ICT training needs, which might include their attending some VAC’s own ICT workshops. Contact: Mary Sakho T: 020 7284 6573 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6573) E: msakho@vac.org.uk
Mental Health Training VAC runs training and workshops on Mental Health, which are suitable for paid staff, volunteers and management committee members of Camden-based voluntary organisations and community groups. We are currently offering training in the following areas: Understanding Mental Illness:
A Basic Introduction Mental Health, Faith & Cultural
Differences Young Men & Mental Health
FREE Training for Trustees – Better Governance Project Free training for Management Committee members of organisations meeting the criteria of our new Better Governance Project (see page 5 of this issue of Voluntary Matters). The training covers: Leadership and Strategic Planning; Financial Management and Change Management; Partnership and Consortia Working; Governance versus Operations Management; Legal Obligations (eg. employment law, health and safety, etc.) There is an option at the end of the programme to attend an accredited ‘Training The Trainer’ course at an Adult Education Community College. Contact: Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6568) E: PGarcia@vac.org.uk Overleaf we summarise our training calendar for Autumn/ Winter 2008. To find out more about any of the courses listed below, or to book a place, contact the named person listed alongside the course details, or download a booking form from our website at www.vac.org.uk
Contact: Josie Reeder T: 020 7284 6563 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6563) E: jreeder@vac.org.uk
Date: To be confirmed. Contact: Simone Hensby T: 020 7284 6553 (Typetalk – 18001-020 7284 6553) E: vac@vac.org.uk
september/october voluntary matters
THE VAC K C E H C E S PLEA R MOST U O R O F E WEBSIT RAINING T E T A D O T UPION AT INFORMAT rg.uk www.vac.o
p a g e t w e n t y t h re e
training calendar
September Date
Training Workshop
Time
Fee
4 Sept
Understanding Dementia: Practical Skills to Support, Work with & Manage Unusual Behaviour Fleur Sharman (Age Concern Camden), is running this session which aims to give an understanding of the impact dementia can have upon an individual and how workers and volunteers can respond and support these individuals in a person-centred manner.
10.00 – 16.00
Free
Josie Reeder T: 020 7284 6563 E: JReeder@vac.org.uk
8 Sept
Quality Assurance Surgery An hour of one-to-one advice and support for organisations in Camden on how to embed Quality Assurance in all areas of work and how to develop a Quality Assurance Policy or Framework. Looking at Quality Marks – PQASSO, MATRIX, IIP & NAVCA
09.30 – 17.00
Free to members. Nonmembers see band fee
Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6556 E: SAchadoo@vac.org.uk
24 Sept
Understanding Mental Health Advocacy This session will give learners an understanding of mental health advocacy and local advocacy services
10.00 – 12.00
Free
Josie Reeder T: 020 7284 6563 E: JReeder@vac.org.uk
24 Sept – 10 Dec
Commissioning & Contracting (Accredited) See course profile on p22. This course is an opportunity to learn and gain accreditation for the range of skills now required to function effectively in the voluntary and community sector.
Wednesdays 9.30 – 17.00
TBC
Contact Mary Ward Centre T: 020 7269 6000 E: mwenquiries@maryward centre.ac.uk Or Sarah Oyedele at VAC T: 020 7284 6559 E: SOyedele@vac.org.uk
25 Sept
Strategic Business Planning: This training will look at familiarising organisations with the principles of Strategic Business Planning and how to set a realistic timetable for the strategic planning process.
09.45 – 16.30
VAC Members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6556 E: SAchadoo@vac.org.uk
30 Sept
Fundraising Ideas Workshop: To explore other ways of fundraising for your organisation apart from Grants or Contracts & Commissioning. Workshop will focus on fundraising activities/events, individual donations, corporate sponsorship, etc.
10.00 – 13.00
Free
Sarah Oyedele T: 020 7284 6559 E: SOyedele@vac.org.uk
page twenty four
Contact details
voluntary matters september/october
training calendar
October Date
Training Workshop
1 Oct
Leadership and Strategic Planning This is part of the Better Governance Project*. This workshop will look at different styles of leadership and competencies to lead an organisation and why it is important to be involved in considering the strategic position and direction of an organisation. The workshop will provide a framework of practice to draw on and encourages strategic thinking rather than imposing a sequence of steps to follow.
10.00 – 16.30
Developing Fundraising Strategies This is part of the Better Governance Project*. Planning ahead for your organisation’s fundraising is essential to achieve sustainability. This training will explore various fundraising sources and help you develop the right strategy for funding your future projects & developments.
10.00 – 16.30
15 Oct
Safeguarding/Child Protection VAC in partnership with Camden Safeguarding Children Board (CSCB), is running a one day Child Protection Training in line with the recommendations of the London Child Protection Committee. This training event is for all staff working with statutory agencies and for voluntary and community organisations that have contact with children through the normal course of their duties.
9.30 – 16.30
Free
Mohamed Hussein T: 020 7284 6572 E: MHussein@vac.org.uk
21 Oct
Financial Management and Change Management: This is part of the Better Governance Project*. This workshop will look at the ability to manage change effectively as a key skill in a society where rapid change has become the norm and new technologies are continually being introduced. It will also look at the financial management needed for good governance of an organisation in the voluntary and community sector.
10.00 – 16.30
Free to trustees & committee members Nonmembers: See band fee
Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6556 E: SAchadoo@vac.org.uk
Young Men & Mental Health A workshop, run by PCT psychologists, for frontline staff working with young men aged 16-25. The aims of this workshop are: To help increase your understanding of how mental health issues affect the young men you work with. To increase your awareness and knowledge of signs and symptoms of mental health problems in young men. To provide information on local and national services that offer support and advice to young men. To help you think about how you might approach a young man you’re working with if you had concerns about their mental health.
10.00 – 13.00
13 Oct
22 Oct
september/october voluntary matters
Time
Fee
Contact details
Free to trustees & committee members Nonmembers: See band fee
For more info on the workshop, please contact Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6556 E: SAchadoo@vac.org.uk
Free to trustees & committee members Nonmembers: See band fee
Sarah Oyedele T: 020 7284 6559 E: SOyedele@vac.org.uk
Free
For the Better Governance Project, please contact Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 E: PGarcia@vac.org.uk
For the Better Governance Project, please contact Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 E: PGarcia@vac.org.uk
For more info on Better Governance Project, please contact Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 E: PGarcia@vac.org.uk
Josie Reeder T: 020 7284 6563 E: JReeder@vac.org.uk
page twenty five
training calendar
October Date
Training Workshop
3 Oct
Chairing Meetings and effective communication. Due to popular demand, VAC is delivering a whole day workshop on communicating and chairing meetings effectively. This workshop will cover: Handling Effective Meetings Communicating with Groups Delivering Presentations Preparing Presentations Facilitating Planning a workshop
Time 10.00 – 16.00
Fee
Contact details
VAC members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6556 E: SAchadoo@vac.org.uk
November Date
Training Workshop
Time
Fee
Contact details Kevin Nunan /Somanah Achadoo T: 020 7284 6557 E: KNunan@vac.org.uk
Governance V/S Operations Management This is part of the Better Governance Project*. This workshop will look at the roles and responsibilities of trustees/management committee members and how and when to be involved in the day-to-day operations management.
tbc
12 Nov
Grant finder Workshop at Highgate Newtown Community Centre Learn to use this database tool to search for appropriate grants to fund your projects and organisation development needs
10.00 – 12.30
VAC Members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
Sarah Oyedele T: 020 7284 6559 E: SOyedele@vac.org.uk
18 Nov
Better Fundraising Applications Understanding key factors that contribute to making successful funding applications.
10.00 – 13.00
VAC Members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
Sarah Oyedele T: 020 7284 6559 E: SOyedele@vac.org.uk
21 Nov
SORP Update This half day seminar is for charity finance directors/managers and accountants and is an opportunity to consider the impact of changes to the trustees’ annual report and accounts as you implement SORP up-to-date.
10.00 – 13.00
VAC Members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
Sylvia Okene T: 020 7284 6583 E: SOkene@vac.org.uk
TBC
page twenty six
Free to trustees & committee members Nonmembers: See band fee
For more info on Better Governance Project, please contact Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 E: PGarcia@vac.org.uk
voluntary matters september/october
training calendar
November Date
Training Workshop
Time
Fee
Contact details
TBC Nov /Dec
Developing Fundraising Strategies: Planning ahead for your organisation’s fundraising is essential to achieve Sustainability! This training will explore various fundraising sources and help you develop the right strategy for funding your future projects & developments
10.00 – 16.30
VAC Members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
Sarah Oyedele T: 020 7284 6559 E: SOyedele@vac.org.uk
End Nov
Partnership and Consortia Working: This is part of the Better Governance Project*. This workshop will look at the key principles in developing partnership and consortia working.
9.30 – 16.30
Free to trustees & committee members Nonmembers: See band fee
Simone Hensby T: 020 7284 6555 E: SHensby@vac.org.uk For more info on Better Governance Project, please contact Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 E: PGarcia@vac.org.uk
28 Nov – 12 Dec
APM – Introductory Certificate in Project Management This is an intensive Entry Level accredited course for people who want skills in project management that could be applied in business or other environments. It has been developed with materials that are of particular use and relevance to people who work or are involved in the community and voluntary sector. There is a onehour multiple choice exam.
Every Friday – 9.30 – 17.00
tbc
Contact Mary Ward Centre T: 020 7269 6000 E: mwenquiries@marywardcen tre.ac.uk Or Maureen Brewster at VAC T: 020 7284 6574 E: Mbrewster@vac.org.uk
December Date 3 Dec
08 Dec
Training Workshop
Time
Legal obligations of trustees: This is part of the Better Governance Project*. The legal buck stops with the Management Committee! Trustees must ensure the organisation has the resources and systems in place to meet its legal obligations and minimise the chances of being involved in time-consuming and costly legal action, particularly from employees and volunteers. The aim of this training is to raise participants awareness of the range of their legal obligations to the public, users and those who work for them. There will be an emphasis on the statutory rights of employees, including health and safety, but we will also touch on other areas of the law such as data protection which go beyond the employment field.
10.00 – 16.30
Budgeting and Costing How to set a Budget and apply budget setting techniques. How to monitor and manage the budget Practical exercise on Budgeting and Costing for small groups
tbc
september/october voluntary matters
Fee Free to trustees & management committee members Nonmembers: See band fee
VAC Members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
Contact details Caroline Jepson 020 7284 6554 CJepson@vac.org.uk For more info on Better Governance Project, please contact Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 E: PGarcia@vac.org.uk
Sylvia Okene T: 020 7284 6583 E: SOkene@vac.org.uk
page twenty seven
training calendar
December Date 17 Dec
Training Workshop
Time
Safeguarding/Child Protection VAC in partnership with Camden Safeguarding Children Board (CSCB), is running a one day Child Protection Training in line with the recommendations of the London Child Protection Committee. This training event is for all staff working with statutory agencies and for voluntary and community organisations that have contact with children through the normal course of their duties.
Fee
Contact details
Free: VAC Members £15 Nonmembers: See band fee
9.30 – 4.30
Mohamed Hussein T: 020 7284 6572 E: MHussein@vac.org.uk
Reminder... new training fees apply from 1 May 2008 As previously announced, from May 2008 some of VAC's services are only available to members, and other services will be provided to members at a reduced rate. One of the services affected by this change is our training programme. Please see the tables below for a reminder of our new training fees. Normally, it is £15 only for members for VAC training unless it falls under the categories below. (Note – Training sessions for the Better Governance Project are free for trustees meeting the criteria to participate. To request a booking form for this programme please contact Patricia on 020 7284 6568 or pgarcia@vac.org.uk) If you are not a member of VAC and would like to be a member to have access to all VAC’s services and significantly discounted training fees, please contact VAC on 020 7284 6550 or 020 7284 6553 for a membership form. Alternatively you can download a membership form and more information about membership from the VAC website at www.vac.org.uk
page twenty eight
TRAINING AT VAC PREMISES: Our new fees for VAC training at our premises are as outlined in the table below for non-members only. For VAC members the fee is currently £15. Size of Organisation
Half-Day Course
One-Day Course
Two-Day Course
Five-Day Course
0-5 paid staff
£28
£55
£104
£233
6-30 paid staff
£43
£83
£154
£347
31 plus paid staff
£67
£135
£245
£545
Statutory and HAs
£122
£245
£449
£1025
Commercial
£170
£330
£620
£1255
IN-HOUSE/CUSTOMISED TRAINING FEES: If you would like VAC to offer in-house, customised training for your staff members, volunteers or trustees, the following charges now apply as of 1 May 2008. VAC members receive a 50% discount on the full fee payable by nonmembers, as the table below illustrates. Size of Organisation
VAC Member Charge
Non-Members Charge
0-5 paid staff
£182 per day
£365 per day
6-30 paid staff
£242 per day
£485 per day
31 plus paid staff
£340 per day
£680 per day
Statutory and housing associations
£340 per day
£680 per day
Commercial
N/A
£830 per day
VAC will be able to deliver training to a maximum of 15 staff members in your organisation for a day’s training. If you would like a half-day in-house, customised training, the fees will be halved. Note: This fee will be reviewed periodically by VAC.
voluntary matters september/october
fundraising calendar
Fundraising calendar September 2008
CAMDEN FUNDERS Grassroots Grants To help build thriving local communities, bringing people from different backgrounds together and empowering them to achieve change. You can apply for up to £5,000. Your group must have been active in your local area for at least 1 year before you apply, with an annual income of less than £20,000. This can relate to your last financial year or be taken as an average over your last three financial years. Deadline: 7 November 2008 Contact: Capital Community Foundation – to speak to someone about applying 357 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY T: 020 7582 5117 E: enquiries@capitalcf.org.uk www.capitalcf.org.uk Or for help with your application contact Sarah Oyedele at VAC T: 020 7284 6559 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6559) E: soyedele@vac.org.uk
Emmanuel Vincent Harris Trust 2008/0 The London Borough of Camden is sole trustee of the charity called The Emmanuel Vincent Harris Trust (EVHT) and administers applications through the Council’s Capacity Building and Funding Management team. EVHT is now open for applications from Camden’s voluntary and community sector.
september/october voluntary matters
There are two schemes currently running for EVHT and they are: Scheme 1: You can apply for a maximum grant of up to £25,000 for one year only. Match funding will be considered and the projects should be innovative and for the benefit of Camden residents. Priorities for this scheme are as follows: 1. Partnership projects of different communities coming together to produce historical and cultural information in a variety of forms, which leads to shared appreciation and understanding of the communities within Camden. Focus on community cohesion. 2. Intergenerational projects within or between communities or neighbourhoods aimed at creating mutual understanding of each generation’s perspectives. NOTE: We want to focus on bridging intergenerational gaps between younger people (under 25s) and older people. 3. Projects aimed at reducing the life expectancy gap in Camden particularly targeting inactive people or focusing around physical activity an example of this can be physical activity to counteract obesity. 4. Projects aimed at reducing antisocial behavior associated with race hate or homophobic hate crime in Camden Scheme 2: You can apply for a grant of up to £5,000 for one year only. Priorities for this scheme are as follows:
£
££
1. Organisational development – e.g. business plans, feasibility studies, systems support 2. One-off grants for ICT and the training linked with new upgrading of technology 3. Training to understand and develop evidence based monitoring to measure the impact of services Deadline: 15 September 2008. Contact: http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/conten t/community-and-living/voluntaryorganisations-and-funding/funding-op portunities-fororganisations.en?page=7
John Lyon’s Charity Camden is one of the selected London Boroughs that the Charity offers grants to. They offer grants for children and young people’s projects in the fields of education, creative activities, recreation, parental support, etc. The Charity only gives grants to groups and organisations that are registered charities or that have automatic charitable status. Small grants programme, awards approximately 50 grants of £2,000 or less per year, in a rolling programme with no specific deadline for applications. To apply to the small grants programme, write in with a project proposal and a budget. Main grants scheme awards from £5-£10K upwards, there are no limits on the amount of grants that may be awarded. Grants can be agreed in principle for up to three years but are subject to monitoring conditions and the release of each tranche is
page twenty nine
fundraising calendar
dependent on the specific approval of the Trustees. Deadline:
Small Grants – Ongoing Main Grants – 28 Nov 08
Contact: The Grants Officer John Lyon's Charity 45 Pont Street London SW1X 0BX Phone: 020 7591 3330 Email: info@johnlyonscharity.org.uk Website: www.johnlyonscharity.org.uk
Developing a business plan or work
programme. Monitoring and evaluating the
organisation's work. Improving the management
committee through trustee training. Report writing.
Deadline: 1 October 2008. Contact: www.bridgehousegrants.org.uk
City Bridge Trust – Young People & Parents Tackling Violence Will fund projects for a minimum of 3 years. Priorities are listed on the City Bridge Trust website. Organisations need to demonstrate a track record of delivery and projects must begin within 6 months of the award. Deadline: 31 October 2008 Contact: www.bridgehousegrants.org.uk
City Bridge Trust Small Grants Applicants are urged to submit applications before the City Bridge Trust Small Grants Fund closes for a review. The scheme's objectives are to: support quality services for older
people; and improve the management of such
services by providing an additional grant to strengthen and sustain the organisation. Grants of up to £20,000 are available to registered charities and voluntary organisations with an annual income of under £50,000 and based in Greater London. Funding is available to meet the costs of consultancy help, expert advice or training on, amongst others, any of the following:
page thirty
Refuge/Homeless Projects –
Organisations running refuges for children affected by domestic violence, ie London Women's Aid and refuge groups. Projects focusing on homeless families with young children, and youth homelessness. Social/Leisure Groups – Arts, drama,
music and sports clubs for less advantaged young people. Special Needs/Health Projects –
Capital 95.8’s Help a London Child (HALC)
LONDON FUNDERS
backgrounds under the age of five.
HALC aims to give opportunities to the Capital's children and young people who experience poverty and disadvantage; have/are experiencing abuse, neglect, homelessness, violence or crime; or who have an illness or disability. HALC has two rounds of funding every year. When applying for a grant, groups can request a maximum of £3,000. However they do ask organisations to be realistic in the amount they apply for; in 2006 the average award was £1,623 and 83% of awards were for under £2,000. The 7 categories of organisations HALC funds are: Community Groups – Playschemes
and activities organised by, and equipment for, community centres, after-school clubs, residents' associations, adventure playgrounds. Cultural activities and projects addressing the needs of children from local ethnic communities. London branches of welfare groups, ie Gingerbread, Home-Start, WelCare. Language & Literacy Projects –
Supplementary and mother tongue schools. Groups addressing nonstatutory educational needs such as local branches of Volunteer Reading Help. Funding is not allocated to schools for buildings, playgrounds, books. Playgroups & Toy Libraries – Projects
Equipment, activities and playschemes for groups supporting children and young people with disabilities and/or special needs. Health projects for young people dealing with issues such as alcohol, drug and physical abuse, bullying and sexual health. Funding is not allocated to hospital equipment or treatments, or medical research. Youth – Clubs and projects focused
on young people aged 11 to 18. Deadline: 5 November 2008 Contact: Rich Horsnell HALC Capital Radio, 30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA T: 020 7054 8396/8395 Email: halc@capitalradio.com W: www.capitalradio.com/halc
NATIONAL FUNDERS Sport Relief 2006 – 2008 Half of the money raised from Sport Relief 2006 will be spent on projects in the UK. In the UK, Sport Relief aims to support projects that use sport and exercise to strengthen communities and provide opportunities for people who are excluded or disadvantaged. This money is being distributed in two ways:
offering primary play facilities to children from disadvantaged
voluntary matters september/october
fundraising calendar
(1) The Community Foundations Programme Over the next two years, up to £4million of Sport Relief money is being distributed through Community Foundations focusing on community groups using sport and exercise to: increase access to sport and exercise for people who face social exclusion and isolation; help people who are experiencing difficulties in their lives to regain their confidence and self esteem. These grants are available up to £10,000 and are being distributed by the Community Foundation Network. Contact: Sport Relief Website (http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-fora-grant/uk/sport-relief) (2) The UnLtd Sport Relief Awards programme These grants will support young people aged between 11 and 21 to set up projects that use sport and recreational activities to tackle conflict in their local area and improve community relations. These grants are available for up to £5,000 and are being distributed by UnLtd. Note – the UnLtd Sport Relief Awards will be closing to all applications on the 1st October 2008. Contact UnLtd on 0845 850 1122 or http://www.unltd.org.uk/template.php ?ID=110&PageName=sportrelief
AERC Grant programmes The main aims of the Council are to increase the capacity of individuals and organisations to deal with alcohol issues and also to develop the evidence base. Two types of projects will be considered. The first will be rigorous research projects that focus upon improving the evidence base. The second will aim to develop people and organisations.
september/october voluntary matters
The Alcohol Education and Research Fund can only be used to pay for project activities that are outside the responsibilities of central or local government agencies and services. The Council's present policy is to give grants for specific projects rather than for general support of the established administration of voluntary organisations. Within the area of interest selected by the individual applicant the Council wishes particularly to be satisfied that the proposal will meet an accepted and urgent need and will not duplicate existing provision. In all applications a sound evaluation will be required. Developing People and Organisations Developing People and Organisations grants are between £5,000 and £50,000. The aims of this initiative are: Improving practice by developing
knowledge skills and motivation – to improve the alcohol-related practice of both generic and specialist alcohol workers. Enabling autonomy and motivation
pilot research studies or demonstration projects with a strong evaluation component. They could also fund projects that increase the capacity of individuals and organisations to deal with alcohol issues. The following criteria are used to judge all applications for small grants including those that are designed to develop people: Will the project make a difference to the alcohol evidence base or to the capacity of individuals or organisations? Are the aims well defined and achievable? Is there a sound evaluation component to check whether aims have been achieved? The Council will give preference to projects that will have a demonstrable impact. Small grants will be rapidly processed throughout the year with no deadline. Contact: AERC Room 178, Queen Anne Business Centre 28 Broadway London SW1H 9JX T: 020 7340 9502 W: www.aerc.org.uk
in dealing with alcohol issues Influencing change: Translating
evidence into policy and practice
Chapman Charitable Trust
Promoting organisational
development: Working with other organisations to facilitate cultural change Evaluation: to obtain evidence of
"what works" that will help others to replicate. Make clear your aim and how the project will develop people and organisations. Outline your plans for leadership, organisation and method, and the timetable you will set for the main stages of the project. Indicate, also, how you will arrange for your project to be evaluated. Small Grants In addition to the above programme the Council will fund small projects up to a maximum of £5,000. Small grants could fund small research projects,
£500 – £1k grants available to small registered charities. The Trust supports culture and recreation, education and research, health, social services, environment and heritage causes. Trustees meet March and September Contact: www.chapmantrusts.org
Elephant Trust The third 2008 round for submission of applications to the Elephant Trust is now open. Grants are available to artists, small organisations and galleries within the United Kingdom. The Trust’s aim is to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete
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projects when frustrated by lack of funds. The Trust supports projects that develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the fine arts. The Trust normally award grants of up to £2,000, but larger grants may be considered. Deadline: 23 September 2008 Contact: The Elephant Trust 512 Bankside Lofts 65 Hopton Street London SE1 9GZ E: ruth@elephanttrust.org.uk W: http://www.elephanttrust.org.uk
Queen’s Award for Enterprise – Innovation Nominations are currently being accepted for the Queen's Award for Enterprise under the categories of International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development. The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious Awards for business performance. They recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies. Awards can be won under any of the following three categories: International Trade – recognising
companies that have demonstrated growth in overseas earnings. Innovation – recognising companies
that have demonstrated commercial success through innovative products or services. Sustainable Development –
recognising companies that have integrated environmental, social, economic and management aspects of sustainable development into their business. Any United Kingdom 'Business Unit' whether large, medium or small which produces goods or provides services can be considered for an award if it carries out activities which meet the specified criteria.
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Deadline: 31 October 2008 Contact: Her Majesty's Government The Secretary The Queen's Awards Office 1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET T: (020) 7222 2277 F: (020) 7215 5770 E: info@queensawards.org.uk W: http://www.queensawards.org.uk
Preventing Violent Extremism – Community Leadership Fund The purpose of this grants programme is to build the capacity of Muslim communities to take practical steps to reject violent extremism and feel a welcome part of wider British society. The Fund focuses on the following five strands: Capacity of organisations and
communities.
Queen’s Award for Enterprise – Promotion Nominations are currently being accepted for the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion celebrates and recognises the activities of individuals that have played an outstanding and significant role in promoting enterprise skills and attitudes in others in the UK. The awards are announced annually on 21 April, the Queen's birthday. Recipients of the award will be presented with an engraved crystal glass commemorative item, a Grant of Appointment and will be invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace. Awards are open to individuals that have made an outstanding contribution to enterprise culture in the UK, and there is no allocation of awards to particular regions or territories. Deadline: 31 October 2008 Contact: Her Majesty's Government The Secretary The Queen's Awards Office 1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET T: (020) 7222 2277 F: (020) 7215 5770 E: info@queensawards.org.uk W: http://www.queensawards. org.uk/individual
Supporting Muslim young people. Supporting Muslim women.
Capacity of Muslim faith leaders.
Local forums against extremism and
Islamophobia. Funding for the first four strands of work will be limited to projects which have national reach/significance. Funding for the fifth strand of work will go to projects which are delivered locally. Eligible applicants are voluntary, not-for-profit organisations with charitable, philanthropic or benevolent purposes, which are based and working in England. Applications are not limited to organisations that define their purposes in terms of the Muslim faith; organisations of any faith or none may apply provided that they can show that their proposal meets the relevant criteria. Grant funding may be spent on startup costs, staff costs, running costs and training costs. Capital expenditure can only be funded if it is linked directly to the project and totals less than 50% of the grant requested. Deadline: 30 September 2008 Contact: Department for Communities and Local Government Preventing Extremism Division 6th Floor Eland House Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DU E: peu@communities.gsi.gov.uk W: http://www.communities.gov.uk
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Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service The vital role played by voluntary and community groups across the UK is celebrated through this Award, which aims to recognise the importance of their work. It is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon groups of this kind and is equivalent in status to the MBE. Winning groups receive a certificate signed by The Queen and a commemorative piece of crystal for display at the group's main place of operation. Award recipients are also entitled to use the Queen's Award emblem on their website, stationary and other printed material. A group (two or more individuals) is eligible to be nominated for the Award if: it is based in the UK;
it has been volunteering for the
benefit of people in the UK or overseas for at least three years; more than half its members are volunteers who have the right of residence in the UK. Deadline: Ongoing Contact: Cabinet Office Adminstered by – Consolidated 22 Endell Street London WC2H 9AD T: (020) 7781 2330 F: (020) 7781 2301 E: tamaracj@consol.co.uk W: http://www.queensawardvoluntary. gov.uk
WREN Small Grant Scheme WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd) is pleased to announce the launch of its new small grant scheme. The scheme has been designed for projects with a total cost of under £50,000 and grants can be awarded between £2,000 and £15,000. Typical projects suitable under the WREN small grant scheme might include village halls or community centres, skates parks and play areas, footpaths or towpaths,
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cycleways or museums. In Cheshire, as an example of how a small grant can make a big difference, WREN awarded £3,500 to the red squirrel captive breeding programme at Walton Hall Gardens in Warrington. The project aims to establish breeding pairs for release in to suitable areas where red squirrel populations have been in decline. Contact: T: 01953 717165 or http://www.wren.org.uk/how-toapply/small-grants
Development Education Fund Funding is available to groups and organisations in England and Wales which are involved in global justice education work and that are in a position to further the strategic goals and education priorities of CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. The four main funding streams are as follows: Justice & Peace Co-funding.
Development Education Funding. Justice Spirituality Funding. Youth Funding.
Groundwork Programmes Groundwork's New Horizons programme, backed by £300,000 of funding from 'v', the youth volunteering charity, aims to provide ex-offenders aged between 16 and 25 years with voluntary work experience. Opportunities range from improving the local environment to constructing environmentally-friendly social housing. Through the programme, the young people gain the experience and skills to help them enter future employment and substantially reduce the risk of re-offending. In addition, the programme is providing accredited training to ensure these new skills are recognised by other employers. Participants will also benefit from mentoring support and work towards personal development plans aimed at building their confidence and raising their aspirations. Contact: Groundwork National Office Lockside 5 Scotland Street Birmingham B1 2RR T: (0121) 236 8565 F: (0121) 236 7356 E: info@groundwork.org.uk W: http://www.groundwork.org.uk
Deadline: Ongoing for applications less than £3,000 12 December 2008 for applications over £3,000 Contact: CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) Romero Close Stockwell Road London SW9 9TY T: (020) 7095 5317 F: (020) 7733 6765 E: deved@cafod.org.uk W: http://www.cafod.org.uk
Hedley Foundation A charitable foundation which supports young people, the disabled and the terminally ill, the Hedley Foundation was set up in 1971 and endowed from a family trust of which the principle asset was the compensation received on nationalisation. It has assets of some £20 million. It is a registered company and a charity. The main objective of the Trustees' grant-making is to assist and encourage development and change. It follows that most grants will be of capital or one-off nature, but the Trustees sometimes agree to help fund the introduction of new and innovative projects with a series of up to 3 annual grants. Few grants exceed £5,000 and most of them go to
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charities where they can make an impact. They do not support large or national appeals.
£2,000 each to fund technologyrelated projects to help them make the most of the internet.
Deadline: Bi-monthly
Deadline: 30 September 2008
Contact: Mrs Pauline Barker The Hedley Foundation, 1-3 College Hill, London, EC4R 2RA Email: pbarker@hedleyfoundation.org.uk http://www.hedleyfoundation.org.uk/
Contact: http://digbig.com/4xdfs or http://www.talktalk.co.uk
Development Awareness Fund Activities which promote public knowledge and understanding of development issues, of the UK's global interdependence, and of the need for international development are supported under this programme. Any UK organisation committed to raising awareness of development issues is eligible to apply and may receive support of between £10,000 and £100,000. Funding of between £1,000 and £10,000 is available under a Mini Grants Programme. Deadline: Mini Grants – 31 October 2008 Main Grant – 30 September 2008 Contact: Department for International Development (DFID) Development Awareness & Education Section Abercrombie House (AH502) Eaglesham Road East Kilbride Glasgow G75 8EA T: (01355) 843144/843684 F: (01355) 843539 E: daf@dfid.gov.uk W: http://www.dfid.gov.uk
TalkTalk Innovation in the Community Awards 2008 TalkTalk Innovation in the Community Awards enables charity and community groups throughout the UK to harness the power of the internet. 30 winners will receive cash grants of
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Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Awards 2008 The 2008 awards opened on 23 June. Recognising, celebrating and rewarding the unsung heroes who change lives every day. The Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Awards scheme is now in its third year and has been set up to reward an individual and a team who have really made a difference in their local community. The winners will receive a prize of £10,000 for their project or organisation to spend on the prevention or treatment of drug misuse. They are looking for people who go the extra mile every day of the week – either working in treatment centres, helping to educate young people about the dangers of drugs or supporting families of service users. Anyone can nominate a drug worker and/or team for the awards, whether they are colleagues, friends, family members or current or ex-service users. Contact: http://www.drugs.gov.uk
v Funding for Young Volunteers v is investing in an expansion in the number of available opportunities – short-term, part-time and full-time – and in a new national framework for volunteering to increase the quality, quantity and diversity of volunteering opportunities for young people. The v Match Fund brings together private sector partners and charities to create innovative volunteering opportunities. The benefits are clear: by harnessing the creativity and energy of young people, they can bring communities together and find solutions to society’s
biggest problems. They can change lives, protect the environment, create safer neighbourhoods, improve the nation’s health and give 16-25 year olds skills, confidence and experience. The v Match Fund matches up to 100% of any new investment in youth volunteering – that’s double the money, and double the impact of the investment. Private companies [large and small], charitable trusts / foundations and individuals are seizing the opportunity to build volunteering initiatives with the promise of more bang for their buck. To date, v has pledges of £32m from the private sector – making a total of £64m that has and will be invested into diverse and high impact projects across England. They want to do more. They want to create opportunities so inspiring that volunteering becomes a valued part of the lives of most 16–25 year olds. They want to reach out to some of England’s most disadvantaged and disengaged young people. They want to create real change in communities, tackling the big issues that the nation’s youth tell them they’re concerned about. Contact V – 5th Floor, Dean Bradley House 52 Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AF T: 020 7960 7000 W: http://www.wearev.com/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=9 8&Itemid=108
Youth Music – programmes Youth Music works alongside the formal and community-based sectors to support music-making and training. Their funding complements music in the national curriculum by supporting activities held mainly outside of school hours and delivered by non-profit making organisations. Youth Music also aims to support wider aspects of music-making through funding
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training for music leaders, as well as working strategically to bring together partnership organisations from across the music, education and social sectors. Youth Music distributes its funds in a variety of ways including: Open Programmes – open for general application; Partnership Programmes potential partnership organisations invited to submit proposals; Action Zones – solicited applications from regional consortiums. All the necessary information on each type of programme can be found in the relevant section of their website (see below). In most cases organisations will be applying to one of the Open Programmes. Each has its own application criteria, but the following list of conditions applies to all Youth Music funding: Funding is available to not-for-profit organisations over a period of six to 24 months; Participants must be 0-18 (or up to 25 year olds with special educational needs (SEN), disabilities or in detention); Organisations over one year old; Activities that involve training and development; Structured music-making activities which are planned to advance children and young people's music skills; Musicmaking activity must take principally outside of school hours. Contact: Youth Music One America Street London, SE1 0NE T: 020 7902 1060 E: info@youthmusic.org.uk W: http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/ looking_for_funding.jsp
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AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INDIVIDUALS Journey of a Lifetime Award
The Journey of a Lifetime award is an annual travel bursary for an individual to undertake a journey in the field of geography that will inspire an interest in people and places. The winner will receive training in radio broadcasting from the BBC and will record their experiences for a BBC Radio 4 documentary. A grant of £4,000 will be awarded for an original and inspiring journey anywhere in the world. Applicants may be of any age. Small teams rather than solo travellers may also apply but this must be made clear in the application. The journey must take place between February and July 2009. It has been announced that the next annual closing date for entries is 26 September 2008. Deadline: 26 September 2008 Contact: Royal Geographical Society with The Institute of British Geographers Grants Officer 1 Kensington Gore London SW7 2AR T: (020) 7591 3073 F: (020) 7591 3031 E: grants@rgs.org W: http://www.rgs.org
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Covering a wide range of modern and traditional crafts, these scholarships are worth between £2,000 and £15,000. The scholarships can be used to fund further study, training and practical experience for the improvement of craft and trade skills. Scholarship winners have included antiques restorers, calligraphers, book conservators, potters, silversmiths and
upholsterers. Eligible applicants are craftsmen and craftswomen of all ages who live and work permanently in the UK. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they already have a high level of skill and are firmly committed to their craft or trade. Deadline: 9 January 2009 Contact: Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust No 1 Buckingham Place London SW1E 6HR T: (020) 7828 2268 E: qest@rwha.co.uk W: http://www.qest.org.uk
British Airways Travel Bursaries British Airways is providing return flights for individuals conducting conservation-related field research or fieldwork outside the UK. For successful applicants, the free flights enable crucial funds to be re-directed and spent on other important aspects of a project. Two bursaries are awarded each year. Destinations must be on British Airways flight routes. Applicants must: be under 35 years of age;
be undertaking a research project at
postgraduate level or be an established researcher; be registered with, or an active researcher in, a UK higher education institution (applicants can be from any nation). Deadline: 28 November Contact RGS-IBG 1 Kensington Gore London SW7 2AR T: (020) 7591 3073 F: (020) 7591 3031 E: grants@rgs.org W: http://www.rgs.org/grants
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Henrietta Hutton Research Grants The Henrietta Hutton Research Grant offers assistance to female students under 25 years of age who intend to undertake field research overseas as an individual or as part of a multidisciplinary team. Two grants of £500 are awarded annually. The intention is that one grant should go to an undergraduate and the other to a postgraduate student. The overseas field research must be of more than four weeks' duration but does not necessarily have to be connected to the student's academic studies. Preference will be given to field research studies with a significant geographical, social and/or environmental science or natural history element. Deadline: 23 January 2009 Contact: Royal Geographical Society with The Institute of British Geographers Grants Officer 1 Kensington Gore London SW7 2AR T: (020) 7591 3073 F: (020) 7591 3031 E: grants@rgs.org W: http://www.rgs.org
LOTTERY FUNDERS New Lottery Fund – Community Spaces Launched towards the end of March, this fund is for not-for-profit community groups based in England, including church-based and faith groups, tenants and residents associations and registered charities. These groups are eligible to apply for the following types of grants: Small grants from £10,000 to
£25,000. Medium grants from £25,001 to £49,999.
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Large grants from £50,000 to
£100,000.
Flagship grants from £100,001 to
£450,000. Projects must be within two miles of a residential area and open to the public. The types of project likely to be supported include: community gardens and parks; informal sports areas and multi-use games areas; nature reserves; squares and village greens; churchyards; ponds and projects which improve the local community’s access to green space. Applications must be from community groups Target Beneficiaries: Neighbourhoods that lack trees Neighbourhoods that require cleaning Priority Areas: A better local environment An increase in access to quality local spaces An increase in people actively involved in a practical environmental project Improvement in partnership between support organisations, communities and authorities. Contact: Groundwork Lockside 5 Scotland Street Birmingham B1 2RR T: 0121 236 8565 E: info@communityspaces.org.uk W: http://www.communityspaces.org. uk/
Changing Spaces: Access to Nature Target beneficiaries should be, the natural environment; projects encouraging the involvement of young people/older people/black and minority ethnic groups/people with disabilities. Grant available is from £50,000 to £500,000.
opportunities to experience the natural environment; More people having opportunities for learning about the natural environment and gaining new skills; Richer, more sustainably managed, natural places meeting the needs of local communities; An increase in communities’ sense of ownership of local natural places, by establishing strong partnerships between communities, voluntary organisations, local authorities and others. Access to Nature will only award grants to: community groups governed by
a written constitution registered charities and trusts
statutory bodies, including schools, colleges, local authorities, town and parish councils, health organisations; companies that are not registered
charities but have a charitable purpose and a community focus (for example, a company limited by guarantee and some community interest companies or social enterprises, where any surpluses are mainly reinvested for community benefit); mutual societies; charitable or not-for-profit
companies; church based and other faith
groups. Deadline: Ongoing Contact: The London regional office 5th Floor 1 Plough Place London EC4A 1DE T: 020 7842 4000 E: general.enquiries@biglotteryfund. org.uk. W: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Priority areas: A greater number and diversity of people having improved
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SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FUNDERS Adventure Capital Fund – Business Development Grants Maximum grant value – £15,000 Target Beneficiaries: Community based enterprises Priority Area: The development of stable and sustainable communitybased enterprises Funding Criteria: Serve one or more clear
communities – of place, interest or identity Be established within the
community you seek to serve and have members of that community involved in and represented in the management and decision-making processes. Please note: applications from national organisations or communities of interest must demonstrate local engagement; Be looking to use entrepreneurial
methods to achieve social goals; Have sufficient basic organisational
capacity to aspire to grow Deadline: Ongoing Contact: Stacy Francis c/o Local Investment Fund Ground Floor, Ibex House 42-47 Minories London EC3N 1DY
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T: 020 7488 3455 E: info@adventurecapitalfund.org.uk W: http://www.adventurecapitalfund
Triodos Opportunities Fund Triodos Bank has launched the Triodos Opportunities Fund, a venture capital fund for social enterprises. Triodos is seeking to invest between £200,000 and £750,000 in social enterprises with a proven business model that are looking to grow and scale up their operations. Contact: http://digbig.com/4xejx or http://www.triodos.co.uk
OTHER FUNDING NEWS – ONLINE RESOURCES how2fundraise.org The most comprehensive, FREE on-line resource for the UK's 16 million volunteer fundraisers, from the Institute of Fundraising. Raising money for good causes is easy and they can show you how. Share what you know and get inspired by others. Made possible by the support of The Vodafone UK Foundation and The Office of the Third Sector.
Fundraise on eBay.co.uk Looking for a new way to raise funds? Look no further. eBay for Charity will help you raise funds and awareness with 21 million eBay users in the UK, and 255 million worldwide. Receive donations – Anyone can give to your charity when they sell on eBay. Rally your supporters, who can give 10%100% of their eBay sales to your charity. W: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebayfor charity/ Trading on eBay - Turn your goods into cash by trading on eBay Run an online charity shop – Set up an online shop in a marketplace with millions of visitors. Hold a special online auction – Fundraising events on eBay are unrivalled for generating awareness and funding. Sell unique and special items to smash your fundraising targets. Get started now! Register with MissionFish: it’s quick, simple and free. Once you’ve registered, any eBay seller can donate to your charity. Register for a seller account on eBay.co.uk, then add your eBay ID as a “Direct Seller” in your MissionFish account List an item, and choose to donate 100% to your own charity. W: http://www.missionfish.org.uk/ fundraise/uk_fundraise.html
W: http://www.how2fundraise.org
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funding news
Funding News & Resources Big Lottery Fund may have been hit by Olympic cash transfer There are fears that the need to earmark funds to contribute to the rising costs of the 2012 Olympics may have resulted in further reductions in lottery funds available for the voluntary and community sector. After last year’s cash transfer of £638m, it is being suggested that a further £13m is being lost this year at least in part to meet 2012 costs. In August the Big Lottery Fund announced the reduction in £13m (£8m from the Young People’s Fund 2 and £5m from its Research Programme). The announcement was greeted with considerable dismay by Voluntary and Community Sector umbrella organisations and campaigning bodies such as NCVO. Belinda Pratten, senior policy officer at NCVO, said: "We would like to know the reason for this cut. If it is a result of money being transferred from the BLF to the Olympics, it would seem to go against the Government's commitment to protect resources for the voluntary and community sector." However, the Big Lottery Fund has refused to elaborate further on its reasons and how far the explanation lies in the spiralling costs of the London 2012 Games.
Crunch-beating Funding Workshops Many voluntary and community organisations, particularly those dependent on public donations or legacies, have voiced concerns about the possible impact of the ‘credit crunch’. In response the Charities Aid Foundation has organised a series of fundraising workshops specificallly to help charities cope with the economic slowdown. The series will begin on 14 October. The one-day and half-day sessions will be held in London and will be led by Panikos Efthimiou, an experienced fundraiser and trainer – and will continue until March 2009. The aim of the sessions will be to give simple advice on issues such as tax-efficient giving, corporate partnerships and increasing donor loyalty. One-day workshops will cost £100 per person; half-day workshops will cost £60. For more details email pefthimiou@cafonline.org
Government pledges £4m for inter-faith relations work On 28 July 2008 the Government accounced its new Framework for Partnership - outlining new support and £7.5m worth of investment over
three years to encourage and enable greater local activity that will bring people from different religions and beliefs together. A key element of this work programme was the announcement that voluntary organisations in England can apply for a share of £4m from a new Faiths in Action Fund newly established to promote inter-faith relations. Organisations can apply for grants of up to £12,000 over two years between 2009 and 2011. The Faiths in Action fund is being administered by the Community Development Foundation on behalf of the Department of Communities and Local Government. Applications will be considered only if they run projects that meet the fund's four priorities. The four areas are: Developing the confidence and skills
to ‘bridge' and ‘link'
Supporting shared spaces for
interaction and social action
Developing structures and processes
that support dialogue and social action Improving opportunities for learning that build understanding Applications must be submitted between 1 August and 1 November. Forms are available at www.cdf.org.uk, tel: 01223 400 341 or email: fundingadmin@cdf.org.uk.
Sustainable Funding or Income Diversification In the current funding climate for the voluntary and community sector, it is highly recommended that organisations adopt a robust financial management and fundraising strategy, that will produce a balanced mix between asking for funds through grants and earning income through contracts or trading goods and services. This is known as ‘sustainable funding’ or more simply income diversification.
training activities and is keen to support groups to consider developing sustainable funding strategies and approaches. Other organisations who can advise on approaches to sustainable funding include the NCVO. They have established a Sustainable Funding Project providing a range of resources to assist frontline organisations to develop a sustainable funding approach.
VAC is encouraging voluntary and community organisations to explore a range of issues around funding through its fundraising support and
A useful element of the NCVO Sustainable Funding Project is its section on publications and case studies, giving real life tales of
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organisations’ experiences in trying to implement a sustainable funding strategy. One of the most recent case studies pasted on the site is the story of WebPlay (an educational arts charity) and how they used loan finance to overcome a reliance on grants and develop a funding mix. Loan finance provided financial stability, enabling WebPlay to focus on scaling up operations and create an earned income strategy To find out more, why not visit http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
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publications & resources discrimination project
Publications & Resources Third Sector Skills Research 2008: Further evidence and recommendations on skills gaps Author: Jenny Clark and Veronique Jochum Publisher: NCVO What skills gaps are organisations experiencing? How do employers assess and respond to these skills gaps? How do employers highlight and address the challenges of skills development? This study is based on the views of third sector front-line employers in England, expressed in a number of focus groups. It explores in-depth some of the findings highlighted within the Voluntary Sector Skills Survey 2007. More information about Third Sector Skills Research 2008 and the Voluntary Sector Skills Survey 2007 can be accessed on the Workforce Hub’s website at www.ukworkforcehub.org. uk/research.
charity, explaining the relevant law and practice in one accessibly slim volume. (Contributors include: Christine Rigby, Alice Faure Walker, Bill Lewis and Rosamund McCarthy.) Available to order now from the Directory of Social Change at: Directory of Social Change 24 Stephenson Way London NW1 2DP Tel: 020 7391 4800 Fax: 020 7391 4808 Email: enquiries@dsc.org.uk Website: www.dsc.org.uk
Working for a Better World New edition – revised and updated As we all know, there is an enormous range of career opportunities available in the charity, voluntary and campaigning sectors – currently over 610,000 people are employed in an incredibly diverse range of roles within charity organisations in the UK.
For young people, or perhaps for those considering a change of direction and wondering if the voluntary and community sector is for them, the sheer number and range of opportunities can make decision-making about where to start quite daunting. Working for a Better World is a thorough, informative handbook for those considering a career in the sector but unsure which direction to go in, where to start. It describes some of the practical ways to get involved in both paid and voluntary work within the sector and using a mix of informative interviews, features and charity career profiles, it outlines what the charity sector is, what paid and unpaid roles are available, and how an individuals’ skills might best be utilised within the charity sector. To order a copy online visit the NCVO website at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk or email publicationsorders@ncvovol.org.uk for more information. Copies cost £5.
Charitable Status A Practical Handbook (New Edition) Author: Julian Blake Publisher: DSC Cost: £14.95
New Discrimination Project at Camden Community Law Centre
"A vital reference book for every local development worker and charity adviser" Kevin Curley, Chief Executive, NAVCA
Camden Community Law Centre have recently started a new
The handbook is a must for charities and would-be charities, and their trustees, staff and advisors. The latest edition of this authoritative handbook has been fully updated to take account of the Charities Act 2006 and other recent developments in charity law. It examines key issues affecting charities (including the Charity Commission's guidance on delivering public benefit) and covers the interplay between charities and social enterprise.
discrimination project, funded by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. A solicitor at the Law Centre now provides free advice, assistance and representation for non-employment related discrimination – including discrimination in the provision of goods or services or relating to education or housing. The project covers discrimination on grounds of race, sex, disability and sexual orientation as well as discrimination on the grounds of religion and belief. To find out more, please contact Kavita Modi on 020 7284 6510 or by email at kavita@cclc.org.uk at Camden Community Law Centre, 2 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5 3LQ.
Julian Blake provides a practical, jargonfree guide to setting up and running a september/october voluntary matters
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and finally...
Hellos and Goodbyes Goodbye to Gloria Oham At the end of July 2008 Gloria Oham moved on from VAC after seven years. Gloria started out at VAC as an Administrative Assistant who developed skills and expertise in areas of health and community development enabling her to move into the role of Project Support Worker. In that role Gloria contributed considerably to the successes of the Camden Health & Race Group (CH&RG) and the Voluntary Sector Health Forum (VSHF). She was in some ways the backbone of those forums in both her administrative and project support roles. As a keen environmentalist Gloria was instrumental in ‘greening’ VAC – leading on many of VAC’s recycling projects. She will be missed by all at VAC, CH&RG and the VSHF, especially for her teas: all types of tea, rice, herbal, saffron, rooibos, spiced, ginger and some very awful bitter teas (!) ……. she had them all.
We wish Gloria all the best in her new post as Policy and Information Officer at the Black Regeneration and Renewal Network.
Welcome on Board to Patricia Garcia Better Governance Project Manager VAC is pleased to welcome to the staff team the new Training & Project Manager for our Better Governance initiative, Patricia Garcia. Patricia, who joined our team in June, has been working in the voluntary sector for the last seventeen years in various different capacities, from leading small community organisations to managing national capacity-building projects, and working with a range of marginalised and excluded groups including refugees, lesbians and BME communities. Patricia brings to the team her advisory, training and organisational development skills in a range of areas
such as equality and diversity, governance and quality assurance. She has extensive knowledge of the voluntary and community sector gained from working as a volunteer, paid staff member, manager and trustee; from working in a range of regional and national partnerships; and also has a strong academic and training background in social sciences, management and research. Patricia is looking forward to her role in ensuring the Better Governance Project meets its objectives and is already enjoying meeting the management committee members and trustees of some of Camden’s diverse voluntary and community groups and finding out more about their training and support needs. You can contact Patricia MondayFriday at VAC as follows: Patricia Garcia T: 020 7284 6568 (Typetalk 18001-020 7284 6568) E: pgarcia@vac.org.uk
Voluntary Action Camden is an independent, grant-aided voluntary organisation that exists to support, encourage, develop and defend voluntary and community action in Camden. VAC works with voluntary and community groups to support their activities through co-ordination, liaison, representation, advice and information. VAC also provides a range of direct services to groups, eg the payroll service, advice on employment policies and procedures and use of the FunderFinder database.
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For more details about how we can help, telephone us on 020 7284 6550. VAC publishes Voluntary Matters five times a year. The deadline for the next issue is Wednesday 12 November for publication in the first week of December. If you have any news items or any event you would like to have publicised in Voluntary Matters, please contact VAC. T: 020 7284 6550 E: vac@vac.org.uk
Edited by Deb James, Research, Resources, Events Management 07885 599362 Designed by Sue Dransfield Printed by Rapspiderweb 0161 947 3700
The contents of Voluntary Matters and inserts included with the newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of VAC.
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voluntary matters september/october