Thrive! Oct/Nov/Dec 2014 Issue

Supporting voluntary and community action

Oct/Nov/Dec 2014

In this issue: Supporting young volunteers Age Friendly Streets Pro bono property advice Tips for collaboration Upcoming training and more...

Youth Ambassadors at Babbasa Youth Empowerment Project share their thoughts with other young people about how they can get involved in community action.

Read more about supporting younger volunteers on p26-27.

“Great opportunity to celebrate the work and achievements of the voluntary sector. Excellent networking opportunity.”

Voscur’s Annual Conference and Social Impact Awards

Steve Woodcock, St Pauls Advice Centre, Voscur Annual Conference 2013

Wednesday 22 October 2014, 11am-4pm The Bristol Pavilion, Nevil Road, Bristol, BS7 9EJ This year, our focus is on equalities. Our guest speakers are Stephen Williams, Bristol MP and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and Alison Comley, Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods at Bristol City Council.

Categories for this year’s ‘Voscurs’ include: • Volunteer Team of the Year • Young Volunteer of the Year • Trustee of the Year • Batook Pandya Award for Inclusion • Community Venue of the Year Award • The ‘Thanks for Supporting the Sector’ Award • Happy, Healthy Bristol Award Conference sponsored by:

To book your place, visit: www.voscur.org/content/voscuragm-and-annual-conference-2014 or call 0117 909 9949.

Contents Voscur

Voice and Influence

4 Editorial

24-25 Painting the town green

5

New members

6

Volunteering on the road to recovery

26-27 ‘Investing in our own futures’ - supporting young volunteers

7

Age Friendly Streets

8-9

Celebrating Bristol’s Golden Agers

28-29 No Health without Mental Health - a national strategy 30-31 Hot topics for our sector - a productive VCS Assembly

10-11 Equality Act 2010 – four years on, has the Public Sector Equality Duty worked?

12

Cities of Service

Support Hub 13 FundraiSING! 14-15

Measuring impact - theory of change

16-17

Upcoming Support Hub training

18

Pro bono property advice

20-21 Come together...right now 22-23 Keep calm and TUPE on

Keep up to date with Voscur online:

www.facebook.com/voscur

twitter.com/voscur

www.linkedin.com/company/voscur

www.youtube.com/voscur

Thrive! is also available online as a pdf at www.voscur.org/magazine.

If you require it in another format, please get in touch on 0117 909 9949.

Disclaimer: some of the views expressed in this publication are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Voscur. Publications, events and services mentioned in Thrive! are not necessarily endorsed by Voscur.

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

www.voscur.org

3

Dear members and friends the Golden Agers, a group run

Trustees are, of course, volunteers

by volunteers that provides

and our Trustees Network meeting

social support to older people

in December will focus on an

from Black and minority

important aspect of their role:

ethnic communities. Sing Out

serious incident reporting and

Bristol writes about how the

safeguarding.

organisation’s volunteers have put together a fundraising programme to ensure that no one was excluded from the choir’s activities.

Our information survey this year told us that you are interested in hearing about and learning from local projects, but that you also

Collaboration is another hot topic for local organisations as resources shrink and we look towards working more effectively with partners. Voscur

Bristol’s voluntary and community

has produced a great set of

sector organisations have long

resources for collaboration, and

recognised and celebrated our

our Support Hub team can offer a

volunteers, without whom the

comprehensive service to those of

sector couldn’t function.

you thinking about collaboration.

See p20-21.

want policy and good practice

Those of us running charities

information. With a wide range of

and social enterprises know

Looking forward to seeing you

articles covering topics as diverse

it’s not enough to get a

at our Annual Conference where

as supporting young volunteers,

project up and running; it’s

we will be awarding this year’s

measuring your impact using

about enthusing, inspiring and

‘Voscurs’ - Bristol’s voluntary

theory of change and the sector’s

involving local people. We are

and community sector awards.

role in Green Capital, I believe

regularly being asked to prove

We would like to thank Unison

we’ve met that challenge in this

our value and demonstrate our

South West, our main conference

month’s Thrive!

impact to funders, investors

sponsor this year.

Several articles highlight volunteering projects in the city – all of which have been set up to get people involved and connected. One project aims to support people into volunteering as part of a recovery pathway; another encourages people to become active citizens, carrying out acts of neighbourliness to help to reduce social isolation.

Black History Month and the Celebrating Age Festival give us the opportunity to highlight

4 www.voscur.org

and stakeholders. Getting our governance and good practice

Best wishes,

right is an important first step for

Wendy Stephenson

any organisations that want to be

Chief Executive

sustainable and resilient. Without it, we cannot be confident of providing first-class services to both end users and volunteers that support them. We discuss this on p14-15. Our autumn training programme on p16-17 includes a number of courses that will help organisations to measure their impact and market their services.

Key to symbols Training Information & Resources Event

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

New members Avon Wildlife Trust Working to protect wildlife in the West of England.

Meadow Vale Community Association Working together to benefit the inhabitants of Speedwell, and the wider neighbourhood.

0117 960 5350

www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Mosaic Advocacy Centre CIC

0117 980 0393

A range of advocacy and support services for older

Bristol Academy Community League Trying to break down social barriers through American football teams run all over the city and beyond.

0117 919 2601

Bristol Independent Mental Health Service User Network Membership-based mental health network to monitor, audit and evaluate inpatient and community MH services commissioned by Bristol CCG. 0117 976 6600

people, those with mental health issues, learning disabilities and those in contact with the criminal justice system. http://mosaicadvocacy.com

PAPER Artistic Development CIC Supporting and empowering long-term unemployed young people (18-30 years old) to value their creativity and succeed in the creative sector.

07712 293 108

The Restore Trust

Bristol Reconnect

Supporting ex-offenders and the unemployed into

Working with people with histories of homelessness,

work. www.therestoretrust.org

addictions, mental health issues and/or offending. www.bristolreconnect.org.uk

Theatre Bristol

Free Range Creativity

theatre can be made and experienced in Bristol.

Outdoor learning, arts and play expertise, delivering projects, research and consultancy.

07970 748 042

Growing Creatives Developing community arts projects with people who identify themselves as isolated and unable to access mainstream arts opportunities.

07950 221 800

KTS Training (2002) Ltd Training and supporting young people to enable them to progress into a job, apprenticeship or further education.

0117 960 5184

Love Windmill Hill

Creating the conditions in which the most inspiring http://theatrebristol.net/

Tiny Trowels Creative projects for people who identify as isolated.

07950 221 800

Voluntary Arts Promoting and increasing active participation in cultural activities across the UK and Republic of Ireland. www.voluntaryarts.org

Windmill Hill Community Orchard Improving the planting and bio-diversity and turning this orchard into a community asset for all to use. www.facebook.com/WindmillHillCommunityOrchard 0117 953 2455

Engaging those living and/or working in the Windmill Hill area in activities to

For more information on becoming a

improve and enrich the community.

member of Voscur, visit: www.voscur.org/

07861 399 644

about/joiningonline or call 0117 909 9949.

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

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5

r o e ad h t n to o r g e n i c r o e ver e t n y u ... l o V Volunteer Bristol’s newest

support and guidance readily

these and unlock their potential.

project builds upon its strong

available to people completing

As volunteer recruitment

track record in delivering

substance-misuse recovery

procedures increasingly replicate

supported volunteering

programmes. In addition,

those for accessing paid work,

programmes. The Sustain

Volunteer Bristol continues

support and advice through this

project works in partnership

to promote best practice in

process teaches skills that can

with Bristol Drugs Project (BDP),

volunteer management and is

eventually help individuals to

as part of the wider Recovery

available to advise local volunteer-

secure paid employment.

Orientated Alcohol & Drugs

involving organisations on ways

Service (ROADS), to promote

of developing and improving

and enable volunteering

their practice in working with

opportunities for people with

volunteers from socially excluded

a history of drug or alcohol

groups, so that we can all truly

problems.

benefit from a broad and diverse

Research shows that taking part in volunteering has tangible benefits for people of all backgrounds, as well as their wider communities.

Additionally, as part of a recovery pathway we believe that

volunteer base. We’re keen to hear from volunteer-involving organisations that would like to work with us to increase

confidence, improve skills, find

our Volunteer Centre during

new passions, gain valuable work

our general drop-in hours, we

experience, and therefore help to

can offer Sustain clients a more

sustain all of the positive changes

personalised one-to-one service.

that they have already made.

As there can be specific fears

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bite-size employability workshops.

These will offer key skills and information that can help people to access both voluntary and paid roles.

for accessing one-to-one

all members of the public to

services, with information,

are also developing a series of

available for people in recovery.

create new routines, increase

as an integral part of treatment

treatment and employment, we

Information and referral forms

While we continue to welcome

that volunteering is embedded

can act as a bridge between

the volunteering opportunities

volunteering can help people to

This partnership with BDP ensures

As we recognise that volunteering

appointments with an adviser, or for booking on to employability workshops, can be found on our website: www.volunteerbristol. org.uk/volunteers/sustain

or barriers to volunteering for

To find out more

people with a history of drug or

contact Yaz Brien:

alcohol problems, face-to-face

yaz@volunteerbristol.org.uk or call 0117 989 7734.

appointments with our advisers can really help people to unpick

October / November / December 2014  Issue 26

Photo provided by Age Friendly Streets

Age Friendly Streets is a new campaign to encourage small acts of neighbourliness between residents of different ages. Chris Gittins of Streets Alive tells us about the project and invites us to get involved.

Run by Streets Alive, Bristol’s neighbours and street-party charity, Age Friendly Streets is a response to the growing problem of isolation, especially of older people within our communities.

We are inviting any groups and residents to join in and help us encourage a new culture of neighbourliness on our streets.

Neighbours are not a cliché, or something on the TV. Our years of working with residents promoting street parties in Bristol and the UK have shown us that knowing your neighbours even a little makes us all feel more at home and less isolated.

There are many stories about how isolation of older people is becoming a major issue. Combined

with more mobile and diverse lifestyles, and more fragmented families, our ageing society is resulting in loneliness across all generations. To combat this we have to be proactive and can’t rely on bumping into people like ‘in the old days’.

Streets Alive is a partner of Bristol Ageing Better, a major lotteryfunded plan for age-related solutions in our communities.

But our new Age Friendly Streets campaign takes a multigenerational approach. Research by the Prince’s Trust suggests that “more than a third of young people in the UK aged 16 to 24 also do not feel part of their local community”.

We have a generation gap in the UK where suspicion and avoidance of other ages is common.

Chris Gittins, director of Streets Alive, says: “Neighbours are a critical piece of the jigsaw of where we live. ‘Communities’ can be difficult things to join in with, but our neighbours are right next door – so no matter what their age or

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

background, we might as well make the most of them.”

Over the next year Age Friendly Streets will be trialled in Bristol.

As the street-party capital of the UK, Bristol is rich with neighbourly stories and a great city for this type of campaign.

Our campaign toolkit includes ideas and resources for neighbours to keep in touch and organise informal activities between generations. It usually starts with hello and a chat.

You can download the toolkit for free to make your street Age Friendly, and also find out about the campaign at: agefriendlystreets.org. Do take a look and join in!

To find out more, contact Chris on: 0117 922 5708 or visit: www.agefriendlystreets.org

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7

Celebrating Bristol’s Golden Agers With Black History Month and the Celebrating Age Festival taking place during October, Voscur contacted one of our city’s fantastic BME elders’ organisations to find out more about what they do and speak to some of their members, inviting them to share with us their own histories.

October heralds in Black

Gloria Morris, who, along with

History Month, a time which

other volunteers, helps to run the

offers opportunities for

group, feels it is a lifeline for some

additional knowledge related to

and she checks up on members

perspectives on Black history,

who are absent, delivering meals

culture and topical observations

to some who cannot attend.

for predominantly African and

The group serves as a kind of

Caribbean communities. October

‘lookout’ in terms of members’

(27 September – 12 October) also

mental health, especially in terms

welcomes Bristol’s Celebrating Age

of issues such as dementia, and

Festival, so we felt it appropriate

supporting each other with

to give a focus to a few members

finding help on a more practical

from Bristol’s BME elders’

day-to-day basis.

organisations.

Golden Agers is also part of a

For this, we contacted Bristol’s

Bristol consortium including

Golden Agers Club. Golden Agers,

Malcolm X Elders, Dhek Bhal and

which is based in Easton, provides

Somali Men’s Group who work

social support for older people

towards similar goals in Bristol’s

from Black/African Caribbean and

BME elder communities.

minority ethnic groups, who travel from all over Bristol to attend.

The group meets weekly Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am – 4pm for socialising, advice and information, care, support and training. Social activities include reggae exercise

the UK in the 1960s from his birthplace in the Caribbean, and on arrival first lived with a cousin.

His expectation of Britain was of

We spoke to two members of the

a cold country, but with the plus

group, Euleck Clarke and Marge

side of good prospects for work.

Douglas, about why they got

One of his earliest careers in the

involved with the organisation,

UK was as a cobbler. Over the years

what they get from it and their

Euleck has seen huge changes

own personal histories.

in Bristol. He feels that there is

classes, sewing projects (their

Euleck has been part of the group

work has been displayed at the M

for three years and sees it as

Shed), dominoes, day trips and a

hugely important for combating

hot lunch at every session.

the social isolation that many

8 www.voscur.org

elders can feel. He moved to

a greater sense of unity within communities now: people socialise more and Bristol is generally a friendlier city. For him, though, the club is vitally important. He

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

Some attendees enjoying activities at Bristol’s Golden Agers Club

has noticed that as families move

to Jamaica; she never did. She

hospitals. Marge recalls how things

away and people pass retirement

worked as a psychiatric and

were in 60s and 70s Bristol - the

age, without the socialisation

general nurse for most of her life

working factories in Easton and

of regular work or friends and

and stayed because opportunities

the surrounding area, the care

family close by, many elders are

for learning and work allowed her

British people took over their

vulnerable to becoming isolated

to support her family back home.

gardens (which she feels has gone

and lonely. The group creates a

Marge observes that when she

downhill sharply!), the grandeur

welcoming space for individuals to

first arrived in the UK there was a

of Stapleton Road and the fact

interact, create, and eat together,

lot of ignorance regarding black

that everyone left their doors

and for carers the group provides

people. She would be stopped in

open with no fear of intruders.

some respite and a chance for

the street, people would touch

But now, unlike Euleck, she feels

relaxation.

her skin and were shocked to

Bristol has changed for the worse.

find that her palms and eyes

The demise in factory work has

were white. She didn’t see this

put an end to the 24-hour way

as malicious but purely based in

of life where individuals could

ignorance. Many people at the

feel comfortable walking in the

time had no knowledge of the

city at any time among factory

Caribbean and would often ask,

workers finishing shifts at all times

‘Where are you from in Africa?’

of the day and night. She feels

When she permanently moved to Bristol in 1967 the Jamaican community was so small “they would fit into one room” and were very tightknit and supportive of each other. She feels British attitudes then were less Marge has been part of the group for 10 years now. She left her home in Jamaica in 1959 at the age of 21 and 2 months! Her intention was to stay in the UK for five years and then return

aggravated towards immigrants

there has been a growing lack of respect amongst individuals and communities that has led to people being wary and afraid of each other. The group counteracts this for her; why does she enjoy it? “Because all of the interesting people are here!”

– there was no concept of ‘them taking our jobs’ as jobs were

To find out more

readily available. When she was

about Black History

working in nursing she often

Month, visit: www.

had friends who would move

blackhistorymonth.org.uk

from Jamaica to work in the local

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

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Equality Act 2010 – four years on, has the Public Sector Equality Duty worked?

The Equality Act 2010 was

2) A person who is not a public

that would otherwise be

introduced to cover all protected

authority but who exercises public

prohibited. For example, it would

characteristics (formerly known

functions must, in the exercise of

allow a bus company to offer

as equalities strands) and to

those functions, have due regard

women-only training to encourage

rationalise different pieces

to the matters mentioned in

women to apply for bus driver

of equalities legislation. What

subsection (1).

posts.

It also states:

Commissioning public services: the

remained in the Act from previous legislation was a public sector equality duty (PSED).

Where applicable, the PSED requirements are cascaded on to VCS groups that are contracted to deliver public sector services.

Section 149 of the Act defines the PSED as follows: 1) A public authority must, in the exercise of its functions, have due

3) Having due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity... involves, in particular

local authority remains responsible for meeting the duty but the contractor must also meet the duty for those aspects of the contract which relate to public

a) remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share a relevant protected characteristic that are connected to that characteristic;

functions.

Demonstrating compliance: the local authority should publish information (at least annually) including about its employees

b) take steps to meet the needs

(if there are more than 150)

of persons who share a relevant

who share a relevant protected

a) eliminate discrimination,

protected characteristic that

characteristic and for other

harassment, victimisation and

are different from the needs of

persons affected by its policies

other conduct prohibited by or

persons who do not share it;

and practices, for example service

regard to the need to:

under this Act;

c) encourage persons who share a

users.

b) advance equality of opportunity

relevant protected characteristic

Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)

between persons who share a

to participate in public life or

is a tool to ensure that proposals

relevant protected characteristic

in any other activity in which

do not disproportionately

and persons who do not share it;

participation by such persons is

affect those with protected

and

disproportionately low.

characteristics. Although these are

c) foster good relations between

Positive action: the Act justifies

persons who share a relevant

positive action which may involve

protected characteristic and

‘treating some persons more

persons who do not share it.

favourably than others’ but does not permit differential treatment

10 www.voscur.org

not mandatory, they are seen as good practice. In discrimination cases, the courts acknowledge that a timely and carefully conducted EqIA is one way to give

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

Photo by Big Dubya CC BY 2.0

proportionate consideration to relevant equality matters.

Powers of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC): the EHRC is the regulatory body for the Act; it can serve a notice and ultimately apply to the courts for an order requiring compliance if it thinks a public body has failed to comply with the Duty.

Yet between October 2007 and October 2013 it had only issued a total of six compliance notices (three under the gender equality duty and three under the race equality duty) and had conducted three formal assessments.

Cases and breaches: from July 2005 to mid-October 2013 the High Court for England and Wales

do the right thing to meet the

review in 2016? It is too soon to

heard 95 applications alleging

equalities duty rather than wasting

know what steps will be taken or

breach of the equality duties.

their own time and taxpayers’

what value the next government

Of these 27 were successful or

money.”

will give to the achievement of the

partially successful, and six further cases succeeded on appeal.

A year later an Independent

equality goals of the PSED.

Steering Group concluded that it

For the voluntary sector: any

Review of the PSED: this was

was too early to evaluate whether

changes may impact on the

undertaken in May 2012 to assess

the duty is ‘working as intended’

communities we support. There

its effectiveness. In November

and recommended that this

could be less onus on local

2012, the Prime Minister

should take place in 2016. Lacking

authorities to ensure equality

remarked:

sufficient data, it had been unable

principles are prioritised in

“Take the Equality Act. It’s not a

to do a cost/benefit analysis of

their decision making and more

bad piece of legislation. But in

the PSED and the evidence it

complex processes for challenging

government we have taken the

received was either contradictory

unfair policies and practices.

letter of this law and gone way

or inadequate.

beyond it, with Equality Impact

What does the future hold for

Assessments for every decision

the PSED? Any major change is

we make... We don’t need all this

unlikely before the next election.

extra tick-box stuff. So... today we

What may already be changing,

are calling time on Equality Impact

however, is the weight public

Assessments. You no longer have

authorities feel obliged to give to

to do them... policy makers are

complying with the PSED.

free to use their judgement and

This article has been adapted from the European antidiscrimination law review: goo.gl/oA7Olz

Will there be the comprehensive

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

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11

Cities of Service On 10 September, Bristol officially became a ‘City of Service’. Dominic Murphy, Chief Service Officer, Bristol Cities of Service, tells us more about the movement, and what being a City of Service will mean for Bristol.

Photo by Mosman Library CC BY 2.0

The concept was devised by Mayor Bloomberg in New York City in 2009 and since then has grown to involve 170 cities across the US. What cities of service share is a commitment to look at how far volunteering and social action can be used to meet citywide priorities. The approach lays a very heavy emphasis on the impact that is being achieved through volunteering – not a moment of a volunteer’s time should be wasted, and it should be possible

concept, the idea of Cities of

residents (in particular those who

Service draws on many of the

have been bereaved).

principles of active citizenship that

We will be starting small, making

to measure the impact they are

we are keen to promote in Bristol.

achieving.

Bristol has a long tradition of

right, and then plan to scale the

Over the past three years this

volunteering and social action

programme up to reach as far

and has been actively exploring

across the whole city as possible.

approach has been moved across the Atlantic with the emergence of Team London, which has built on the undoubted success of the (Olympic) Games Makers in 2012,

how far citizens can play a role in running their neighbourhoods.

Across the city, local residents are taking action and meeting local

and ‘Count on Me’ in Madrid.

needs. What attracted me to my

On 10 September, the new

is the idea that we can take the

Minister for Civil Society, Rt. Hon. Brooks Newmark M.P., and George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, formally launched the service plans of the seven newly participating UK cities - Bristol, Kirklees, Plymouth, Portsmouth,

current role with Cities of Service commitment and enthusiasm of the people of Bristol and apply it to the issues that affect the city as a whole.

sure we’ve got the process

For me, volunteering is just a part of what we are seeking to achieve with Cities of Service, enabling people to take action in all sorts of ways to benefit their communities and the city as a whole. I hope that over the coming two years we can build the concept of an ‘active city’, where all our citizens are encouraged and able to play their part in the life of their city,

To start with we are going to

on their terms.

focus on two priorities: the needs of our children (in particular those

For more information,

Wrekin.

who have fallen behind with their

contact Dominic Murphy: dominic.

Though essentially an American

reading skills) and preventing social isolation amongst our older

murphy@bristol.gov.uk

Barnsley, Swindon and Telford &

12 www.voscur.org

October / November / December Issue 26

Support Hub

FundraiSING! Sing Out Bristol has been making beautiful music whilst tackling isolation and promoting inclusion in Bristol since 2007. Nick Stephenson, Performance Lead at Sing Out Bristol, tells us more about the group and shares some of the successful tactics that they use to raise vital funds...

We are a choir based in the

us worked through a fundraising

annual diversity survey so had this

lesbian, gay, bisexual and

programme which included

information to hand. This has also

transgender (LGB&T) communities

applying for grants, asking for

led to the choir being very clear

of the region with objectives to

donations and developing our own

about how it wants to change and

remove isolation and promote

fundraising events.

develop in the future.

Our objective was to ensure

Being really certain about these

that no one was excluded from

three things and having done

attending the festival for reasons

this groundwork meant that it

of finance, and to our surprise we

was relatively simple for us to

were successful in achieving this!

complete application forms and

inclusion. Worthy aims, I’m sure, but there’s something hugely satisfying and enjoyable too: we’ve grown from six people meeting in front rooms to the largest LGB&T community organisation in the South West; and we’ve always valued the ‘community’ nature of the choir – we don’t audition, we try to be accessible, we have a social life outside of rehearsal, and our charitable/fundraising aims are about bringing people together.

What worked for us?

build good feedback – linking the

really clear about what the choir

responses we had from the choir

was about, what inclusion and

to our development objectives.

participation meant to us. We reviewed the choir objectives: what do we come together for?

What outcomes do we want to

to Dublin to take part in an

achieve in our communities?

choirs called Various Voices.

Eighty choirs performed over four days; the social and learning opportunities were huge and Sing Out Bristol took best possible advantage of both. We attended a similar event in London in 2009 and learnt so much that we

sponsorship. It also helped us to

1. In the first instance we were

In June the choir travelled international festival of LGB&T

write to organisations asking for

Now all we have to do is make sure we build on the amazing opportunity that taking the choir to Dublin gave us and give back to Bristol...

2. We worked really hard at understanding what the benefits of attending Various Voices

Sing Out Bristol

would be – what learning and

rehearse every

development opportunities were

Tuesday evening in

available (including social ones),

central Bristol and are always

and how they would help meet

interested to meet new

the choir’s objectives.

singers or others who wish to

wanted to get as many people to

3. We also looked at how the

Dublin as we possibly could. So,

choir has changed over the

over two years, a small group of

years; we undertake a thorough

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

support the work of the choir.

For more information, visit: www.singoutbristol.com

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13

Measuring impact - theory of change Your organisation aims to

Most organisations have thought

capture key aspects of what you

make an impact on people and

about the long-term goals of

do.

communities, perhaps even to

their work and the outcomes they

change the world. You believe

are aiming to achieve. A theory

in your work and can see that it

of change takes this thinking

makes a difference, but can you

further and sets out a roadmap

clearly demonstrate the impact

of how the long-term goals will

that you make? More and

be achieved, including all of the

more organisations are using

building blocks that contribute to

a ‘theory of change’ approach

this.

to explain how they make an impact and more funders value this information.

A theory of change is usually summarised by drawing a onepage diagram such as the example

When spending money

opposite, which is quick to read

on a project, funders and

and understand. This creates a

commissioners want to know what

clear view of your work, breaking

outcomes will be achieved with

it down into simple steps that

the money that they are spending.

However, on top of asking what will be achieved, funders are increasingly interested in the detail about how an organisation will make that impact. This is where a ‘theory of change’ can be useful.

Step 1 The approach starts by thinking about what you want to achieve, not what you are already doing, so you begin with the problem you’re trying to solve (including the underlying causes) and your long-term goals (which should be realistic and clearly defined).

14 www.voscur.org

Step 2 Working backwards, you then identify the steps needed to achieve these goals, including outcomes (the changes that need to take place along the way) and activities (the things that need to happen to achieve these changes).

You then put things in order, looking at causes and effects to enable you to establish the links between your outcomes. You should question whether one outcome really does lead to the next and what your reasons are for believing that. You also link activities to show what effect your work has.

Used well, it should give you a clear and testable understanding of how change will occur, a framework for monitoring and evaluation, and provide the basis for both accountability and learning.

Step 3 The other key things to consider and include in a theory of change are: 1. Underlying assumptions or evidence – for example, you may assume that a service user will be supported by their family, or that regularly attending a day-centre session will enable a person to make new friends.

2. What else is needed? Does the success of your work depend on other stakeholders or resources being involved?

3. Indicators and targets – What specifically will you measure?

A good theory of change can reveal whether your organisation’s current activities make sense, given your goals; which activities and outcomes you can achieve alone and which you cannot; plus how to measure your impact.

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

An example theory of change in practice: 150 lonely people receive six social confidence building sessions

Social confidence building sessions delivered

Lonely individuals have increased self-esteem

Individual’s peers/friends/ family members provide encouragement

GP identifies individual is lonely

Individual is partnered with an activity buddy

Sector evaluations indicate that this will improve social confidence by 80%

Factors that increase loneliness are identified

Factors that increase loneliness are addressed

Lonely individual’s social skills are improved

Individual spends less time alone

Individual gains social confidence

Individual’s personal motivation to socialise increases

Key:

Problem:

that your beneficiaries face

Activities: the services you deliver

Outputs: what the service provides

Outcomes: changes you want to achieve

Evidence: why you think one outcome will lead to another and cases where it will not

Ultimate goal: what the organisation is trying to achieve

A theory of change can help your organisation, because: • It can be a great basis for a strategic plan, because it works methodically from the need you are trying to address to the change you want to achieve.

• It provides a theoretical framework for measuring a charity’s impact.

• It can also be used to think more broadly about how different organisations within a sector are working together, and how they could achieve greater impact through collaboration.

Need more help and support? Voscur can help! For information on a training course in October, visit: goo.gl/1D8T23. For further resources, visit: goo.gl/GdtQqV. Our development workers can also provide support and advice. Call us on 0117 909 9949.

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

www.voscur.org

15

Upcoming Support Hub training Writing Small Fundraising Bids Wednesday 1 October 2014, 9:30am - 3:30pm Make it easy for funders to say “yes” to your bids.

Whether you want £200 for a community event or £2,000 for new equipment for your services, you need a strong, clear proposal. This one-day course will take you through the essentials for writing a strong bid that’s appealing to funders, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls.

Preventing Injury to Children and Young People Wednesday 8 October 2014, 1pm - 3:30pm With around 13,500 preventable childhood injuries being treated by emergency departments in Bristol every year, this is a big issue for families and those who work with them. Get the most up-to-date knowledge about serious childhood injury and how to prevent it in the course of your work. This free session includes an experiential tour of the Lifeskills centre.

Commissioning: Building and Maintaining Relationships when Working Collaboratively Tuesday 14 October 2014, 9:30am - 1pm

Supervision Skills for Volunteer Managers Wednesday 5 November 2014, 9:30am - 3:30pm Supervision is a formal way of supporting volunteers on a one-to-one basis or in groups. This course is for people with some existing experience in managing volunteers and who would like to know more about how to offer supervision effectively.

Making Your Message Mighty - the Power of Words Thursday 6 November 2014, 9:30am - 12:30pm Your communication processes are powerful tools of your organisation. Find the right words and identify powerful stories to interest the media, support a funding bid, recruit the right people, engage through social media or enliven your website content.

Hot Shots – the Power of Images Thursday 6 November 2014, 1pm - 3:30pm What do your images say about your service? This course will show you how to take great photographs and showcase your organisation’s activities. Some basic camera, photography and computer skills will be beneficial but not essential.

There are many advantages to working collaboratively, but there are pitfalls too. This training will explore the common issues which can arise when working together and will identify strategies for avoiding breakdowns in working relationships. You will learn about a simple tool which helps to identify and analyse the risks. This session will give you opportunities to make links with other voluntary and community sector organisations who are interested in collaborating.

An A-Z of HR

Crowdfunding

management and appraisals.

Thursday 16 October 2014, 9:30am - 12:30pm Fundsurfer makes crowdfunding simple. Develop a fully formed project or idea and learn how to create, market, manage and promote your crowdfunding campaign to achieve success.

16 www.voscur.org

Tuesday 11 - Wednesday 12 November 2014, 9:30am - 3:30pm This two-day masterclass, delivered by Cornhill HR, covers the essentials of employing staff; it will guide you through best practice in recruitment, employment law, redundancy, sickness and absence, storing staff records, employee relations, performance

Finance Forum: Pensions Thursday 13 November 2014, 10:30am - 12:30pm A chance to meet others with financial responsibilities and find out what is happening in the world of finance.

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

Being an Even Better Trustee Thursday 13 November 2014, 6pm - 9pm Focused on governance, managing risk, effective meetings and how to make the most of the skills in your trustee team. This course is designed to support your development beyond the basics of being on a board. A natural follow-on for people who have previously attended ‘Being a Good Trustee’ or have some trustee experience.

Good Customer Services for Office Based Staff Wednesday 19 November 2014, 9:30am - 3:30pm The course offers the opportunity to reflect on the service you provide to internal and external customers.

You will be given tips and techniques to develop your expertise to delight your customers and deal with customer complaints and challenging behaviour. This course is practical and delivered in an imaginative and engaging way at your pace.

Mind the Gap: How Decisions are Made in the City Thursday 20 November 2014, 12pm - 2pm What goes on in the corridors of power? Bristol has a number of locally based institutions both formal and informal that make decisions that have an impact on our communities. As community and voluntary sector activists it is important that we understand what these organisations are and how they make decisions.

Basic Book-keeping

Theory of Change: Taking Your First Steps Thursday 27 November 2014, 9:30am - 3:30pm This course will guide you through the key steps to develop systems that can determine your organisation’s impact and the changes which result from it. This session will be extremely beneficial to your project planning, funding applications and project evaluation.

Mind the Gap: How You Can Influence Decisions that are Made in the City Tuesday 2 December 2014, 12pm - 2pm This practical lunchtime workshop will give you the tools to influence decisions that are made in the city.

This session will focus on how you can identify your key issues and what you want to achieve, find out who has the power/resources to address these issues and build allies and partnerships. Utilise campaigning or lobbying techniques and plan what you’re going to do and do it!

Trustee Network: Reporting Serious Incidents and Whistleblowing Tuesday 9 December 2014, 6pm - 8pm What should trustees do when they are aware of serious problems in their charity? This network meeting will look at a case study and will give you the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons. Join trustees from charities operating in the Bristol area and share your experiences.

Tuesday 25 November 2014, 9:30am - 3:30pm This course will give an overview of prime entry books (cash basis), typical income/expenditure streams and transactions for small VCS groups. It will include practical completion of a set of books, bank reconciliations, a case-study-based facilitator-led group exercise to demonstrate a basic key financial control for any organisation and review of Charity Commission receipts and payments entries for the annual return.

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

Early-bird rates available!

To book, or for further training beyond December, please go to: www.supporthub.org.uk/training-hub or call us on 0117 909 9949.

www.voscur.org

17

Pro bono property advice Photo by DAXKO CC BY 2.0, goo.gloL8Sdq

With over 40% of charities seeing their building as their greatest risk*, the availability of high-quality property advice is essential to maintaining much-needed voluntary and community sector (VCS) services across the city.

The risk is increased if your organisation is not incorporated, as then it is the individual trustees or management board that will own the freehold, leasehold or tenancy for your building.

Property can present a host of potential challenges for VCS

For more information visit: goo.

LawWorks for community groups

gl/e2Hht1.

offers free legal advice in four

organisations and knowing exactly

Ethical Property Foundation

where to turn can save your

gives independent, ethical advice

organisation’s resources. Here are

by taking a holistic approach,

some of the pro bono options

offering wide-ranging support

available:

that is initially free of charge. For

The Royal Institute of Chartered

full details visit: goo.gl/74Ua86.

Surveyors (RICS) aims to provide

The Community Asset Transfer

high-quality property advice on a

(CAT) process is one way to secure

wide range of topics to the VCS.

a property to deliver much-

The service offers a minimum

needed services and support to

one-hour consultation with a RICS-

your local community. Recognising

regulated firm free of charge,

that CAT can seem daunting

visit: goo.gl/xEVM3v.

the Support Hub at Voscur has

CAN Mezzanine offers free advice to charities and social enterprises that includes reviewing existing

developed an advice sheet to

factsheets; clinics; mediation. For information on how LawWorks could support your community group, go to: www.lawworks.org. uk/community-groups.

If the process of buying, renting, leasing or managing a building falls outside of the expertise of your management board, the free support available can help provide the best protection for your organisation. * source: Third Sector

guide you through the process, visit: goo.gl/KA8Bqb.

accommodation; buying and

Property and more… Some

selling property and lease-related

organisations may need more

issues; and landlord-and-tenant-

than property advice or even

related disputes.

something completely different.

18 www.voscur.org

ways: free legal assistance;

For more information, contact Voscur’s Support Hub team on: 0117 909 9949.

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

Photo by peteself CC BY-SA 2.0

Have a happy, healthy team Human Resources & Employment Law Support Service In response to requests from the organisations we support, Voscur’s service – delivered in partnership with Cornhill HR – provides tailored support to local voluntary and community sector groups about day-to-day human resource management. Areas include:

• TUPE (employee transfers) • Redundancy • Dismissals • Disciplinary and grievances • Pension auto-enrolment

“Cornhill HR really put us on the right track – the adviser was very clear, really made sure we understood the details, very supportive, and made lots of calls.”

For further details, call: 0117 909 9949 or visit: www.voscur.org/content/HR-support

HR Service user, 2014

Come together...right now Voscur has been working on a range of collaboration projects in recent months. We want to share the learning from this work with other local groups, to encourage them to come together, share their expertise and resources and deliver stronger, interconnected services in the city.

Over the last year, Voscur has been

These materials are designed to

to inform planning and

participating in Building Health

support VCS organisations in three

decision-making about

Partnerships – a joint project with

types of collaboration:

collaborations.

NHS England, NAVCA (Voscur’s umbrella body), the Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group and Bristol Public Health. Bristol was successful in a competitive process to win project funds and became one of just 12 projects across the UK. The purpose of the project was to build new partnerships and demonstrate the value of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in health delivery.

Voscur worked on three different approaches: preventing falls among older people, to maintain

• Peer partnerships: those

• Providing practical activities

involving a number of broadly

and template documents as

similar organisations in

starting points for the various

terms of size, resources and

stages of putting together a

influence.

real collaboration.

• Public partnerships: those

• Giving organisations more

where a funder requires one

confidence and determination

or more collaborative bids per

to enter into discussions

geographic/local authority

about collaboration, rather

area, each led by one

than reject collaboration

organisation, and leaves it to

as an option without due

the stakeholders in that area

consideration.

to organise the relationships between themselves.

• Prime partnerships: those

The materials are presented in an order that loosely matches stages in a commissioning cycle, from

their independence; using social

with a prime contractor, or

strategic planning to contract

assets to improve diabetes

lead agency, that holds a

negotiation. We have done this

prevention and treatment in Asian

main service contract with

so that organisations can dip

and Somali communities; and

the public commissioner,

in, according to their level of

building the provider market by

and is typically larger than

development of collaboration, and

supporting the collaboration of

its partners, and has more

so that collaboration is considered

smaller, specialist organisations.

resources and more influence.

in a logical sequence. The diagram

For the third approach, Voscur’s

Including briefings, workshop

Support Hub has produced a

plans, document templates and

suite of materials to support

references to real examples, the

organisations to work together so

resources are intended to be as

that they can deliver health and

practical as possible in:

other public services.

20 www.voscur.org

on the next page indicates steps towards partnership and some of the resources available. You can access the full toolkit at: www.voscur.org/ collaborationresources

• Providing practical information

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

Steps towards collaboration

Important thoughts and questions

Resources in our toolkit • Is a partnership what we

Internal evaluation

A partnership might be best. Are we ready? What are our options?

need?

• What does working in partnership mean?

Assess structures

We’re ready to collaborate. How do we choose a structure?

• Choosing a partnership structure • What can small organisations contribute to partnerships?

Find partners

Who can we best work with?

• Selecting a lead agency • Meeting potential partners

We want to work together. What Provisional commitment

key principles and requirements should we agree first?

• Memorandum of Understanding • Preparing for

Partner evaluation

We’re ready. What about our partners?

collaboration • Partner information • Due diligence • Lead and partners agreement

Formalise the

We’re all ready. How do we make it

collaboration

formal?

• Joint working agreement • Consortium collaboration agreement • Introduction to contract

Bid / tender

We won the contract. Should we sign it?

law • Example public body contract and grant

Voscur’s Support Hub offers a range of services to help Bristol VCS organisations improve their capacity, sustainability and quality. Support offered includes one-to-one support with a development worker, intensive support over a period of time, facilitation of discussions, and strategic/business planning. Our support can be provided to organisations that are collaborating with others – please contact us on 0117 909 9949.

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

www.voscur.org

21

a service delivery contract) or new employer (that has won a contract to deliver services). In this case, it is possible that employees of the former contract holder could transfer to the new organisation.

Those employees would retain their terms and conditions.

KEEP CALM AND TUPE ON

Why is it important to know about?

There have been several recent commissioning processes where the transfer of employees has been difficult and presented problems for VCS organisations. Examples include: • No workforce information available for bidders – the lack of information about employees’ terms (salary, payscale) has made it difficult for bidders to draw up detailed budgets and proposals.

• Lack of consistency amongst commissioners – in some cases,

The transfer of employees between service providers (TUPE) arises in commissioning processes and is relatively new to many VCS organisations. There is confusion and it deters some from bidding to deliver public service contracts.

Mark Hubbard, Compact Liaison Officer, describes some recent changes that should make TUPE easier for VCS organisations.

What is it?

Essentially, TUPE (short for ‘Transfer

22 www.voscur.org

of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations’) is the process that protects employees’ continuing employment and terms.

It applies in two situations: (1)

commissioners have given views on the application of TUPE; in others, providers have been advised to form their own views.

• Lack of familiarity of TUPE

when a business or undertaking is

amongst VCS organisations

transferred to a new employer (for

– many VCS organisations,

example, merger or acquisition)

particularly smaller, local,

and (2) upon a service provision

specialist organisations, have

change, that is, when a service that

not previously been involved

was provided by one organisation

with TUPE. Lack of familiarity

changes to being provided by

effectively means that energy

another.

and resources are diverted

VCS organisations involved in commissioning processes are likely

to this process, away from developing innovative services.

to come across the latter – either

Another important thing to note

as the current employer (that held

is that, as of January 2014, TUPE

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

has changed significantly. The

employer will be bound by

UK government has amended

the collective agreement in

specialist advice on HR matters

TUPE with the new Collective

place on the date of transfer.

including TUPE.

Redundancies and Transfer of

If, for example, local authority

Undertakings (Protection of

employees transferred into a

Employment) (Amendment)

VCS organisation, their terms

Regulations 2014. This was part of

on the transfer date would

the government’s employment law

apply; any subsequent changes

review, which aims to ensure that

to local authority workforce

employment laws offer maximum

terms, such as payscales, would

flexibility for employers and

not apply to the previously

employees.

transferred employees.

What has changed?

There are many things to note and those most relevant to VCS organisations are briefly described here.

• Service provision changes – the new regulations state that, for TUPE to apply, the new services should be “fundamentally the same” as the previous services.

This means that there will still be debate about whether or not TUPE applies.

• Changes to terms and conditions – a disputed change

• Redundancy consultation –

changes to terms previously negotiated through collective agreements one year after the transfer (as long as the change

standardises commissioners’ approach to TUPE, including a TUPE questionnaire and a requirement to facilitate the collation of workforce

experience.

employers to hold pre-transfer redundancy consultation about the transfer and redundancies at the same time.

There is still work to be done. VCS organisations need to become more familiar with things like TUPE to engage with commissioning

• Employee liability information –

and win public service contracts.

former employers must provide

Commissioned contracts need to

information (including identity,

include ‘early disclosure’ clauses so

age, employment details) to

that employee liability information

the new employer 28 days

must be shared at a meaningful

before the transfer (rather than

time in the commissioning cycle:

the previous 14 days).

28 days before contract start date is better than 14 but still woefully inadequate; disclosure prior to bidding would be most helpful. We are working on these things.

continue to work to improve commissioning so that VCS organisations can win contracts to deliver public services. The following activities address some of the issues with TUPE. • TUPE support for decommissioned services –

employees involved).

we provided support for six

are now static – the new

Commissioners. This guidance

It is now possible for both

is no less favourable to the

• Links to collective agreements

Council’s TUPE Guidance for

market without TUPE

Voscur and Bristol Compact

will be able to negotiate

Compact co-wrote Bristol City

required to consult separately.

this has been removed.

agreements – new employers

commissioners – Bristol

information from a provider

automatically unfair previously;

• Changes to collective

• TUPE guidance for

previously, each employer was

What has Voscur done about tackling TUPE-related issues?

in work location was deemed

• Voscur’s HR service – provides

organisations whose drug and alcohol services were being

Useful links TUPE Changes, January 2014: goo.gl/eBVUh1 TUPE Guidance for commissioners: goo.gl/IcfZEh Voscur’s HR service: goo.gl/90YFDo

decommissioned last year.

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

www.voscur.org

23

Painting the town green Activists filled St Werburghs community centre for an intensive day of debate and action planning when 100 small voluntary and community sector groups working in sustainability across the city’s most excluded communities came together to Paint the Town Green.

Assistant Mayor Gus Hoyt, Bristol Green Capital (BGC) co-chair Liz Zeidler and Bristol 2015 Company Chief Executive, Kris Donaldson, addressed the audience on their vision for Bristol as European Green Capital 2015.

The event, supported by Bristol 2015 Company, comprised panel discussions and questionand-answer sessions with key members of Bristol Green Capital partnership and Bristol 2015 Company. Discussions on food poverty and food production; reduce, reuse, recycle; fuel poverty and community energy solutions; and reclaiming green spaces were the key workshop themes.

Participants got to grips with Bristol Green Capital objectives and the role of the local voluntary

24 www.voscur.org

and community sector in working with partners to achieve them.

To read about some of

Sustaining the legacy of this

the ideas proposed at

initiative was a high priority.

the event and our next

The purpose of the event was

steps, visit: goo.gl/Qrw7lN

twofold: groups not already

Are you doing ‘green’

linked in to BGC activities had

work in the city? Do

the opportunity to raise issues

you need help with

they felt Green Capital partners

funding this work?

should act on and at the same time enhance their organisations’ profile and promote their activities.

Voscur and the Big Lottery Fund are holding two half-day events in Bristol to increase local awareness of the Big

Voscur was pleased to be able

Lottery’s Awards for All (A4A)

to involve many groups not

programme. The sessions are

previously connected with the

aimed at community groups

BGC agenda, working at grassroots

across Bristol who are already

levels with local communities to

delivering or are in the process

increase sustainable living.

of developing local green

Delegates from local groups

projects, to support them to

included those working with refugees and asylum seekers

take part in and celebrate the Bristol Green Capital Status

and in disadvantaged wards.

throughout 2015.

During the panel debate some

Details of the events:

expressed concern that Bristol 2015 Company would sidestep their local knowledge and contacts

15 October 2014 21 October 2014

and opt to engage with more

10am - 3:30pm, Southville

high-profile, public sector activity.

Centre, Beauley Road,

Bristol 2015 Company assured

Southville, Bristol, BS3 1QG

delegates this would not be the case.

To book, visit: goo.gl/ynpnIs

Voscur is meeting with BGC and Bristol 2015 Company and other

Photos overleaf by Louise Wender,

stakeholders to plan the next

www.louisewender.com

steps.

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

“Good, thought provoking, community focused. Great networking opportunities.”

Julie Evans Community Learning West

“Well planned.

Has enabled me to have a plan to change things.”

Ella Davidson, Places for People.

“Very good mix of groups and individuals. Glad to see both ‘green’ and community/grassroots participants - all willing to talk and listen.”

Martin Fodor, Make your home eco

www.voscur.org

25

‘Investing in our own futures’

- supporting young volunteers

Young volunteers have a vast

25-year-olds logged on to browse

sector can offer flexible roles that

amount to give to voluntary

opportunities. Of these, 15,678

are of interest to young people,

and community organisations,

young people were accepted on to

and be creative in how they reward

yet a lot of charities are missing

volunteering opportunities. Local

and incentivise volunteering, then it

out on this opportunity.

data for Bristol, obtained from

could well be a win-win situation.

“If charities don’t support young volunteers, then we are not safeguarding our own futures by supporting the next generation of volunteers and, more importantly, we’re missing out on all the benefits that young volunteers can bring to our organisations,” said

Volunteer Bristol (now merged with Voscur), shows that in 2013, 583 local young people between the ages of 15 and 18 years and 1,993 young people between the ages of 19 and 25 years either applied or made enquiries about volunteering

We approached two local organisations, Babbasa Youth Empowerment Project (BYEP) and The Prince’s Trust, and asked them to tell us how and why they involve young volunteers.

Poku Pipim Osei, Programme

positions.

Lead, BYEP, writes:

Rebecca Brookman, Volunteering,

The incentives around volunteering

Citizenship and Social Action

are clear for young people, but

“BYEP is a Bristol-based social

Manager at the Jewish Lads’ & Girls’

what is in it for organisations?

enterprise empowering young

Brigade, in a recent Guardian article

Along with the increase in capacity

people (16-25), from mostly inner-

on youth volunteering.

that all volunteering provides,

city communities, to pursue their

involving young volunteers

professional ambitions.

The benefits of volunteering for young people can include making new friends, improved health and wellbeing, influencing strategy and services, gaining new skills and experience and utilising volunteering as a route to education and employment.

in particular can have its own benefits. Involving young people in decisions and planning (either on management committees or specific task groups) allows organisations to gain a different perspective which can be especially useful for those which aim to

“Young people are at the heart of what we do, and part of how we engage them is through volunteering on our projects.

We typically involve our young volunteers in all phases of BYEP projects - from design to delivery.

We call these young volunteers

National data from vInspired.com

involve or benefit young people.

(a UK website which helps young

Young people could also bring a

people find volunteering roles, and

strong set of skills, for example in

“Our Youth Ambassadors are

helps charities find new recruits)

areas of new technology, software

invaluable. They provide us with

shows that between March 2013

and social media. If the voluntary

intelligence around key youth

and April 2014, 25,570 14- to

26 www.voscur.org

BYEP ‘Youth Ambassadors’.

issues and trends, as well as views

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

Photos provided by BYEP

on activities that would appeal to

while helping to develop leadership

boost because I’ve been able to

their peers. They also contribute at

and communication skills.

share my personal story with large

a strategic level through the youth leader on our board.

“Young Ambassadors undertake roles including speaking to a

“Besides making new friends,

range of audiences, supporting

acquiring work experience

outreach and programme delivery,

and learning about workplace

and contributing their views to

values, we have now introduced

influence government and help

an accredited certificate to

shape services for young people.

acknowledge the contribution of our youth ambassadors. To further make it a win-win relationship, BYEP also offer all Youth Ambassadors additional support to access further training or employment.

“Working with young people can help them to develop transferable skills that may help them gain future volunteering or employment opportunities.

audiences at a range of events – something that I never would’ve considered before. But, I’m happy to do it because The Trust has supported me so much; it’s great to give something back and inspire other young people to find out how it can help them.”

Volunteering is just one way in which we can value the voices and skills of young people in Bristol.

Other local examples include the Bristol Safeguarding Board, the

We are also normally happy to act

“The benefits to The Prince’s Trust

Youth Select Committee, Youth

as their referee. All young people

of using volunteers are huge - we

Mayors, and the BME Youth Forum,

interested in volunteering are

simply would not be able to do

facilitated by Bristol City Council,

encouraged to get in touch.”

what we do without volunteer

Bristol Youth Links team and

support. We do not have the

Listening Partnerships, which is part

capacity for staff to support young

of the West of England Centre for

people post programme and this

Inclusive Living.

Hayley Court, Volunteering and Secondment Manager at The Prince’s Trust, says:

is a key stage in young people’s

“The Prince’s Trust is the UK’s

personal development when it

largest youth charity. We use

is important that they keep up

volunteers to support young

their motivation to gain a positive

people into work, education,

outcome.”

training or volunteering themselves.

Our Young Ambassadors empower young people to actively participate in the work of The Prince’s Trust, engage with public decision making and inspire other young people,

Tiff Ridd, 25, has been volunteering for The Prince’s Trust as a Young Ambassador since November 2013.

BYEP’s Website: www.byep.org.uk The Prince’s Trust’s website: www.princes-trust.org.uk For information on our Children and Young People’s

She says: “Volunteering for The

Network, contact Asma

Trust has given me a big confidence

Ahmad on 0117 909 9949.

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

www.voscur.org

27

No Health without Mental Health – a national strategy In 2012 the national strategy ‘No Health without Mental Health’ was launched which, in summary, stated that if we are to improve people’s mental health and wellbeing, everyone needs to play their part.

There are many surprising facts

for change in communities. Local

about mental health, which were

leaders can tackle the causes

identified in a 2012 report by the

of mental and ill health, and act

London School of Economics,

quickly and effectively to improve

‘How mental health loses out in

services.

the NHS.’ • Among people under 65,

have good physical health.

• More people in Bristol to have positive care and support.

• Fewer people in Bristol to

At the heart of the strategy is a recognition that if we are to

suffer avoidable harm.

• Fewer people in Bristol

nearly half of all ill health is

improve the mental health of

to experience stigma and

mental illness.

the nation we need not only to

discrimination.

• Mental illness is more debilitating than most chronic physical conditions.

• Only a quarter of those with mental illness are in treatment, compared with the vast majority of those with a physical condition.

• The cost of psychological

provide good services but to change society’s attitudes towards mental health, and that everyone has a part to play in shifting

• More people in Bristol to have good mental health.

A large meeting was hosted in

attitudes.

June 2014 by The Care Forum,

Bristol activity includes initiatives

Bristol Public Health on the

like ‘The Little Book of WOW (5 Ways of Wellbeing)’, ‘The Wellbeing Workplace Charter’ and the promotion of national initiatives

therapy is low and recovery

such as ‘Time to talk, time to

rates are high.

change’.

who have been working with initiative. The aim of the meeting was to encourage organisations to set up their own pledges and to discuss current activities, local gaps and needs. A further meeting is planned for the autumn. Notes

Local stakeholders were also asked

and presentations of the meeting

for 25% of the country’s

to create their own mental health

can be found on The Care Forum’s

combined ‘burden of disease’

charters and a set of pledges,

website: www.thecareforum.org/

(taking into account economic

based on the following objectives:

pagebristol-adults-events-archive.

• Mental health accounts

impact), yet receives only 13% of NHS expenditure.

The national strategy focuses on action at a local level. The reasoning is that working at a local level will act as a catalyst

28 www.voscur.org

• More people in Bristol with

html

Mental Health problems to

Caroline McAleese of The Care

recover.

Forum said of the meeting

• More people in Bristol with mental health problems to

and the mental health charter initiative: “The vibrancy of the mental health voluntary sector

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

Photo by Earl - What I Saw 2.0, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

and the breadth of local expertise

Following on from the national

within mental health services was

strategy another important

clear at the No Health Without

national document was published

Mental Health event in June.

by the Department of Health in

Workshops showcased many of

January 2014 - ‘Closing the Gap’.

the high-quality local voluntary

(www.gov.uk/government/

services that support people with

publications/mental-health-

mental ill health and highlighted a

priorities-for-change).

general shift towards prevention, recovery, reducing stigma and working towards the No Health Without Mental Health objectives.

This document highlights the gaps in services for those with mental ill health, and the document sets out 25 priorities for change. At a local

bullet).

• No health without mental health initiative, for more information contact Blanka Robinson at Bristol Public Health: Blanka.Robertson@ bristol.gov.uk • Bristol City Council Workplace Wellbeing Charter: www.bristol.gov.uk/ wellbeingcharter

“We hope a further mental health

level Avon and Wiltshire Mental

• Time to talk, time to change

event - ‘Spectrum’, being led by

Health Partnership, NHS Trust,

– a national campaign to

Bristol Public Health in October,

launched ‘Bristol Active Life’ which

encourage everyone to start

of which The Care Forum, Voscur,

supports people in community-

talking about mental health

Safer Bristol and Mental Health

based activities, with a focus on

problems. Visit: www.time-

Bristol are partners - will build on

physical activities. The programme

to-change.org.uk

some of the work around mapping

has supported over 600 people

of services that was discussed

locally, and has run sessions for

at the No Health Without Mental

sports workers on mental health

Health event in June.”

issues.

Other local activities include a

There are many local and national

on mental wellbeing:

new ‘mental health concordat’:

resources available; a selection

www.facebook.com/

a pact between hospitals, police,

includes:

mentalhealthfoundation)

ambulance services and the local authority to ensure those in mental health crisis are supported appropriately.

• The Little Book of Wow (5

• www.mentalhealth.org.uk (sign up to their Facebook page to receive useful updates and information

• The national strategy: www.

Ways of Wellbeing – 5 Great

gov.uk/government/

Tips for Improving Personal

publications/the-mental-

Wellbeing). For copies contact

health-strategy-for-england

Blanka Robinson (see next

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

www.voscur.org

29

Hot topics for our sector - a productive VCS Assembly

• Commissioning practice

Over 100 voluntary, community

transparent discussion and to

and social enterprise activists

getting to a place where grant

is inconsistent across the

gathered at the Trinity

funding gives the best impact for

Council.

Community Centre in Lawrence

our communities and is visible for

Hill in July of this year to take

communities to see in one place

part in Voscur’s assembly event

where spend is going. We are

organised on behalf of the

committed to retaining a grants

city’s voluntary and community

‘pot’ but want to ensure spend is

sector (VCS).

efficiently managed and supports

• There is a perceived bias against small, local, niche organisations.

• There are conflicting messages about collaboration.

the council priorities.”

Recommendations from this

three policy discussions, followed

A full discussion followed. The

session included training for

by three training opportunities.

City Council will, of course, carry

commissioners, standardisation of

out a formal consultation on any

(good) practice and a clear, easy-

proposed changes.

to-find policy on services that will

The agenda for the day combined

The first group discussed possible changes to the City

be commissioned.

Council’s voluntary sector grants

The second workshop focused

programme.

on “How can we improve

Voscur was asked to help small

commissioning?”

VCS groups to work with larger

Voscur’s CEO, Wendy Stephenson, and Board member Joanna Holmes

Mark Hubbard, Compact

led this discussion. Di Robinson,

Liaison Officer, talked about

Service Director, Neighbourhoods

improvements to commissioning

and Communities, gave the City

practice to date, and highlighted

Council’s perspective. She said:

some of the problems that the

“The Council is committed to

sector still faces:

groups and facilitate more public involvement with the process.

Voscur is now working directly with the City Council at strategic director level to ensure that these issues are addressed.

ensuring there is an open and

30 www.voscur.org

October / November / December 2014 Issue 26

“

I find learning and networking with colleagues in the voluntary sector very valuable to my work.

”

Attendee, VCS Assembly, July 2014

Photos by Louise Wender, www.louisewender.com

Paul Hassan introduced the third workshop, which posed the question “How can the sector engage with the new opportunities afforded by the Local Enterprise Partnership?”

exclusion.

The audience asked questions around how the funds would be allocated and eligibility criteria.

Paul Hassan talked about an event

Finally Max Boon from Spirit PR introduced delegates to a range of techniques and approaches to get the best out of the local media.

scheduled for 2 October 2014

Despite difficult acoustics at

The LEP has allocated £6m against

which would begin the process of

times, the attendees found

the specific activity of: ‘Removing

answering these questions.

the topics relevant and useful.

barriers to employment’. This includes £3m ‘opt in’ Big Lottery Funding. The VCS is in the best

After a short break, the Assembly split into three training workshops.

The Assembly concluded with a networking lunch provided by FareShare South West.

position to ensure those facing

Paula Cannings from Voscur

multiple barriers to economic

delivered an entertaining

activity are brought into the

workshop to allow delegates to

For information and

mainstream.

explore key issues in negotiation

resources from the

processes.

day, along with minutes

Voscur, Voluntary Action North

from the workshops, visit:

Somerset, South Gloucestershire

Jonathan Crutchlow and Ruth

CVS, Social Enterprise Works,

Summersbell from Lloyds Banking

Quartet, the Care Forum, the

Group ran a session on working

For more information

West of England Rural Network

with the private sector, and

on the VCS Assembly

and WESPORT have set up a

took delegates on a tour of the

and how to get involved,

partnership to ensure social

different ways we can engage

contact Paul Hassan on

inclusion funds are allocated to

with the private sector, from

0117 909 9949 or email:

the VCS sector to tackle economic

funding to volunteer support.

paul@voscur.org

Issue 26 October / November / December 2014

goo.gl/V6oq1m

www.voscur.org

31

Voscur Ltd. Royal Oak House Royal Oak Avenue Bristol BS1 4GB

Tel: 0117 909 9949 Fax: 0117 933 0501 Email: info@voscur.org Web: www.voscur.org

Voscur training and events October 2014 Date

Time

Event/training

Location

1st

9:30am - 3:30pm

Writing Small Fundraising Bids

Phoenix Social Enterprise

2nd

9:30am - 1pm

The Voluntary and Community Sector and the Local Enterprise Partnership: Next Steps

The Station

8th

1pm - 3:30pm

Preventing Injury to Children and Young People

The CREATE Centre

14th

9:30am - 1pm

Commissioning: Building and Maintaining Relationships when Working Collaboratively

Easton Community Centre

15th

10am - 12pm

Children and Young People’s Network meeting - Children and Young People’s Community Health Services’ draft commissioning plan - what are your views?

Barton Hill Settlement

16th

9:30am - 12:30pm

Crowdfunding

The Greenhouse

22nd

11am - 4pm

Voscur Annual Conference and Awards

The Bristol Pavilion

November 2014 Date

Time

Event/training

Location

5th

9:30am - 3:30pm

Supervision Skills for Volunteer Managers

St Werburghs Centre

6th

9:30am - 12:30pm

Making Your Message Mighty - the Power of Words

The Gatehouse Centre

6th

1pm - 3:30pm

Hot Shots - the Power of Images

The Gatehouse Centre

11th - 12th

9:30am - 3:30pm

An A-Z of HR

St Werburghs Centre

13th

10:30am - 12:30pm

Finance Forum

Royal Oak House

13th

6pm - 9pm

Being an Even Better Trustee

Barton Hill Settlement

19th

9:30am - 3:30pm

Good Customer Services for Office Based Staff

The Gatehouse Centre

20th

12pm - 2pm

Mind the Gap: How Decisions are Made in the City

Royal Oak House

25th

9:30am – 3:30pm

Basic Book-keeping

St Werburghs Centre

27th

9:30am – 3:30pm

Theory of Change: Taking Your First Steps

Easton Community Centre

December 2014 Date

Time

Event/training

Location

2nd

12pm - 2pm

Mind the Gap: How You Can Influence Decisions that are Made in the City

Royal Oak House

9th

6pm - 8pm

Trustee Network: Reporting Serious Incidents and Whistleblowing

TBC

For details of all the above training and events, and those taking place beyond December, visit: www.voscur.org/training-and-events

Voscur is a registered charity and a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Company no. 3918210. Charity no. 1148403.

Printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable-based inks