Annual Review 2013/2014
The last year has been another busy and challenging year for Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector (SCVS), but as an organisation we have continued to work with, and on behalf of our 278 member organisations in Sutton. The voluntary sector continues to face many challenges and we have worked closely with local organisations to help them find new funding streams, demonstrate their impact and ensure they can continue to grow. In 2013/14 we provided 453 one to one advice sessions to organisations, provided 16 training sessions on a number of topics and represented the sector on at least 22 strategic partnerships or groups. We also continue to administer the Sutton Community Fund, and last year distributed £100,078 in grants to deliver work beneficial to the local community. Over the last year we have also made significant improvements to how we communicate with our members. We have launched a new website, revamped our ebulletins and bi-monthly newsletter - The Networker, and developed our social media presence. Our regular forums and events also give our members a chance to network and keep up to date with both local and national developments. Planning for the future was a big focus of our work in 2013/14 and the result was a new Strategic Plan, designed to make us fit for the future challenges we face. We have also continued to build good relationships between the voluntary and public sectors in Sutton, and the Sutton Compact signed in February 2013 has been highlighted as an example of excellent partnership work, winning national Compact Awards in both November 2013 and 2014. 2013/14 saw us lay the foundations for Sutton’s first voluntary sector consortium, Sutton Together, launched in June 2014 and developed to promote greater partnership working across the voluntary sector and better services for the local community. We have also continued to work to try and secure a Voluntary Sector Hub for Sutton – an ambition which we hope will be realised in the not so distant future. As ever, my thanks to the staff of SCVS, my fellow trustees and all our partners and supporters for all their hard work and commitment that has made these achievements possible and I look forward to another successful year with SCVS. Denise Crone, Chair of SCVS Board of Trustees
Our mission
to develop a strong, diverse and vibrant voluntary and community sector in Sutton
SCVS “outstanding and effective”
In 2013 our NAVCA Quality Award was renewed and we did really well scoring 3+ (effective/outstanding on all outcomes) on three of the standards, and 4 (outstanding on all outcomes) on one standard (liaison). NAVCA (National Association of Voluntary and Community Action) is our national body and the award demonstrates a consistently ”high level of achievement" in delivering all the core services expected of a centre for voluntary service (CVS).
Developing SCVS supports local voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) in all the key areas of their development to enable them to be as effective as possible. Support is given in areas such as fundraising, governance, quality standards, organisation , project development, joint working, HR and premises.
Small groups and organisations 57 one to one support and advice sessions were given to small organisations. We also worked with ten groups on achieving the PQASSO quality mark – three of them have now achieved accreditation at level one and the others are working towards this.
Health and social care Specialist support was provided for voluntary and community organisations working in health and social care. This support included mapping of all health and social care services, helping organisations to understand and contribute to the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and increasing voluntary and community sector involvement in the borough’s sport and physical activity strategy.
Children, young people and families Over 40 voluntary sector organisations working with children, young people and families were provided with training, advice and guidance to help them diversify their income streams. We helped organisations secure over ÂŁ400,000 in external funding.
Training
16
In 2013/14 we provided training sessions, with courses including First Aid, Commissioning, Roles and Responsibilities of Trustees, Safeguarding, Financial Management, ICT and Fundraising.
Support for digital development
In August 2013 forty organisations in Sutton were involved in a Crowdfunding workshop SCVS held with JustGiving. This resulted in 12 crowdfunding projects – two of these successfully surpassed their fundraising targets and as a direct result a third organisation was asked to run a local project for a national organisation. SCVS also now works in partnership with Superhighways (a voluntary sector ICT support provider) to offer Sutton organisations reduced rates on ICT training courses – for example Mailchimp, Google Analytics and Digital Storytelling.
Master classes From Jan—March 2014 master classes were held to help organisations get to grips with monitoring and evaluation. 6 participants took part in the sessions, each developing an outcomes framework for their organisation.
Influencing SCVS makes sure that Sutton’s voluntary and community sector organisations have their say on key developments and decisions made that affect them, both at a local and a national level, so that their views have real influence. SCVS currently represents the sector on 22 strategic groups including Sutton Partnership/Operation Group, Health and Wellbeing Board, Safer Sutton Partnership Board, Safeguarding Adults Board, Children’s Trust and Local Safeguarding Children Board.
Sutton Compact
In July 2013 a working group of 11 organisations including SCVS was set up with the intention of establishing the first voluntary sector consortium in Sutton, to promote greater partnership working across the voluntary sector and better services for the local community. This work culminated in the launch of Sutton Together in June 2014 and the consortium is now working in two main areas: information and advice and planning how we can respond to tender opportunities in 2014 and social care – looking at opportunities arising from the Care Act.
The new Sutton Compact setting out how the public and voluntary sectors in Sutton could best work together was launched in February 2013 and signed by representatives from the London Borough of Sutton, local voluntary organisations, the Metropolitan Police, Fire Service and Clinical Commissioning Group . In November 2013 this work won the national Local Compact Partnership Award at the Compact Awards 2013, highlighting Sutton as the best example of local Compact work in the country. In their summing up, the judges said of the work in Sutton: “there is a focus on practical support to enable effective partnership working”. They added, “they have done excellent work in areas such as facilitating the transition to new ways of working and providing leadership on issues such as social value." In 2014 the Sutton Compact has again won a Compact Award in the Impact category (announced 5th Nov 2014).
E-bulletins
Connecting
During 2013/14 we sent out 29 general e-bulletins to our members, and 31 targeted e-bulletins.
One of SCVS’s core functions is to make sure that voluntary and community sector organisations in Sutton are well informed about national and local policies and developments, funding opportunities, consultations and relevant training and events. We do this by providing information through our website (www.suttoncvs.org.uk), bi-monthly newsletter the Networker, ebulletins and social media, as well as through one to one advice sessions, emails and through our forums and events.
The average open rate for our e-bulletins is 33%, compared to an industry standard of 22.5%.
2013/14 saw an overhaul of many of our key communications channels including a new website, a re-vamped online newsletter, The Networker, with an increased circulation, re-vamped ebulletins and the introduction of social media for SCVS (Twitter and Facebook).
The Networker During 2013/14 four editions of our newsletter The Networker were produced.
Website At the beginning of 2014 we re-launched our website with a new, responsive design that can easily be read on mobile devices. We now get an average of 500600 unique visitors per month.
Networking SCVS hosts and facilitates a number of networks and forums for Sutton’s voluntary sector based around specific topic areas. The forums involve presentations on relevant topics, training, consultations and discussions. They are a way that organisations can share information and network and they provide an opportunity for partnership working. In 2013/14 there were: 2 Voluntary Sector Forums 3 Health and Social Care Networks 2 Chief Officers Networks 4 Social Enterprise Networks 4 Children, Young People and Families Forums 4 Small Groups Forums Which altogether were attended by over
300 people.
Trustees’ Week 2013 In November 2013 we held our first event especially for trustees as part of Trustees’ Week 2013. The networking event was attended by more than 50 trustees from across Sutton. During the evening the first ’Sutton Trustee of the Year Award’ was presented to Muriel McIntosh, trustee for Sutton Opportunity Pre-School in recognition for her excellent work as a Sutton trustee.
"Thank you so much for an enjoyable & informative evening, great workshops and really good to network with such worthwhile people." Ann Crago, Sutton Women's Centre on our Trustees' Week event 2013
Funding Sutton Community Fund SCVS administers the Sutton Community Fund which since 2000 has allocated small grants to the VCS to deliver work of benefit to the local community. During 2013/14 three funding rounds were held with panel meetings in July, October and February. 50 applications were received, 19 of which were successful.
ÂŁ100,078 was distributed in grants to support a range of projects
e.g. Oaks Way Centre were granted money to purchase new kitchen equipment, appoint a new chef and revamp their kitchen which opened in April this year. From this work the Centre has now redeveloped a dining room area where members can sit down restaurant style. Gary Mason Rhythmical Empowerment received a grant to provide weekly drumming workshops in Roundshaw and Riverside, they have seen participants grow in confidence week by week as they learn a new skill. SCVS delivered a workshop to support VCOs applying to the fund and helped 7 individual organisations to complete their applications.
ASSHH grants SCVS also administers a small grants scheme on behalf of the Adult Social Services and Health Directorate of the London Borough of Sutton. In 2013/14 19 projects to support vulnerable adults were funded with grants totalling ÂŁ7,665; many organisations applied for funds for social activities such as outings or speakers to attend their meetings, as well as rental and equipment costs.
A sustainable future 2013/14 has been another tough year for the voluntary sector. However, SCVS has continued to generate additional income from training and the sale of support services, alongside income from financial services.
Creative Payroll Solution (CPS) Ltd The trading arm of the Charity, CPS Ltd provides bespoke payroll services to voluntary organisations in Sutton and beyond. The company continues to grow despite the challenging economic circumstances and in 2013/14 ran payroll for 114 organisations.
Accountancy services During 2013/14 we generated income by delivering accountancy services to 12 organisations, as well as providing free management advice for small voluntary and community organisations.
Voluntary Sector Hub It has been a long held ambition to secure a voluntary sector hub in Sutton and The Grove in Carshalton has been identified as the preferred building option. Over the last year the focus has been on consulting with the local community, establishing a viable steering group and submitting a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to return the Grove to the community and refurbish the interior as a hub for heritage and voluntary sector activity.
In April 2013 Healthwatch Sutton replaced the Sutton Local Involvement Network as Sutton’s consumer champion for health and social care. SCVS is the support organisation for Healthwatch Sutton, working in partnership with SCILL who deliver the information and advice service, and Sutton CAB who deliver the independent complaints advocacy service.
Our Accounts
Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31st March 2014 Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total funds (£) funds (£) funds (£) funds (£)
2013 (£)
Total incoming resources
379,834
-
331,359
711,193
1,021,250
Total resources expended
364,336
-
402,383
766,719
1,042,777
15,498
-
(71,024)
(55,526)
21,527
(100,000)
100,000
-
-
-
Net movement in funds
(84,502)
100,000
(71,024)
(55,526)
21,527
Total funds bought forward
181,448
268,421
155,163
605,032
262,559
96,946
368,421
84,139
549,506
605,032
Net incoming (outgoing) resources before transfers Gross transfers between funds
Total funds carried forward
The financial statements have been produced in a format to comply with both Company and Charity Law and the full document is available on request.
The team SCVS
CPS Ltd (Payroll Services)
Trustees
Chief Executive – Susanna Bennett Development Team Manager – Toni Walsh Development Manager (Children, young people & families) – Tom Strannix Organisational & Volunteering Development Officer – Razia Sattar Project Worker (Faith, Cultural & Community Groups) – Julie Duffy (to May 2013) Business Partnerships Manager – Keren Miller (to Sept 2013) Finance Manager – Glory Sivaraja Community Accountants – Helen Varley, Sue Bell (to Oct 2013) Information & Training Manager – Judy Sampson (to Nov 2013) Communications & Marketing Co-ordinator – Claire Avery (from Sept 2013) Office Administrators – Jackie Parr, Sandra Harvey (to July 2013)
Payroll Officer – Julie Jarratt (to April 2013), Karen Adorjan (from May 2013) Payroll Assistant – Melanie Brannan (from Aug 2013)
Jeff Cashier Denise Crone (Chair) Neil Frater Candida Goulden Paul Harper David Jones Golem Morshed (Vice-Chair) Jenny Sims
Healthwatch Sutton Manager – Janice McCullock (to Nov 2013), Pete Flavell (from Nov 2013) Outreach & Engagement Officer – Pam Howe Admin, Comms & Marketing Assistant – Sara Thomas
Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector Granfers Community Centre, 73-79 Oakhill Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 3AA Tel: 020 8644 2867 Email: enquiries@suttoncvs.org.uk
@SuttonCVS
www.suttoncvs.org.uk
SuttonCVS Company Limited by Guarantee registration No. 3336660
Registered Charity No. 1063129 (registered in England and Wales)