Transforming Voluntary and Community Sector Support Services
1
What is supposed to achieve? Co-ordinated, coherent and customer-focused. Providing services that build capacity, quality and sustainability 2
Support offered under seven performance areas 1. Improving your funding and financial stability Help to consider generating income; advice on setting up a bank account; developing a basic book keeping system. 2. Providing better services Help to identify a vision, mission and aims; monitoring and reviewing what you do. 3. Managing your organisation better Help to improve how you govern your organisation: how the board meets and operates; help to develop and review policies. 4. Improving how you manage volunteers and staff Help to identify roles and responsibilities of volunteers; volunteer induction programmes or handbooks. 3
Support offered under seven performance areas 5. Developing Skills within your organisation Help to assess the skills in your organisation and how they are best being used; identifying training needs. 6. Improving your premises and environmental impact Help with an audit of your premises; updating your Health and Safety policy or environmental policy. 7. Getting your voice heard and increasing your Influence Help to get linked in to the VCS and local networks; supporting to have a role in making decisions that affect the sector. 4
Services offered in units of support To help groups improve their performance
A free one-off support session (one unit)
A series of free support sessions (up to four units)
A bursary scheme for Voscur training sessions
Support provided by Voscur staff or partner agencies. 5
How will these be provided?
Face to face: such as an outreach visit, or attending a training course
Telephone support: discussions that support a group to work through a range of issues
Electronically: on-going email support and signposting to web-based / other resources
Research based: VCS support staff preparing information, resources and data for a group.
6
The criteria for qualifying Criteria set by Bristol City Council, groups:
1) working with socially excluded groups in a deprived area of Bristol, or working with equalities communities 2) with under £50,000 annual turnover 3) seriously thinking about being contracted to deliver services 4) who are new and planning on meeting a gap in services 5) experiencing financial or operational crisis 6) meeting specific goals aimed at improving the lives of children and young people in Bristol. 7
What will the support sessions measure? ď Ź
1) How a group has developed or improved from the support received.
ď Ź
2) The impact of our help to the group. Support given by: Voscur staff and external specialist agencies, so far: Volunteering Bristol, Ethical Property Foundation. 8
What is the process for applying?
Step one: direct contact or third party referral. Step two: discussions about what area(s) of support the group requires under the 7 performance areas Step three: a short screening questionnaire based on Bristol City Council’s qualifying criteria. Step four: an assessment from the information the group provides to find out if it qualifies for the free support service. Step five: a decision made; the group advised. Step six: if eligible, agreement between Voscur and the group about what support will be provided. 9
After the assessment ď Ź
If a group does not qualify: we will aim to refer them to other help or resources.
ď Ź
If a group does qualify: we will discuss the type of support they need; one-off support, a series of support sessions (up to 4units), or a training bursary.
10
A one-off support session Group’s needs discussed towards achieving improvement under one or more of the seven performance areas. Group asked to indicate their current situation; type of support agreed and provided, such as:
a grant finder session help reviewing their polices support, or bursary for Voscur training advice on commissioning an organisational health check. An evaluation completed at the end to assess improvement achieved.
11
A series of support sessions Group’s needs discussed towards achieving improvement under one or more of the seven performance areas.
Agreement between Voscur and group about how, what and why Assessment / health check carried out to identify current situation Actions planned and support provided.
Support can include: Help to become constituted meetings with the Board to work through an organisational crisis on-going feedback on a funding application help to develop policies. An evaluation completed at the end by both parties to assess improvement achieved.
12
Who can apply for the service?
Any VCS group whether new or well established
Social enterprises or CICs if needing support on Governance
Individuals considering setting up a group
Voscur members and non-members.
13
Contact details
From more information or to request a screening please contact us on:
Tel: 0117 909 9949
Email liz@voscur.org paddy@voscur.org support@voscur.org ruth@voscur.org 14