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E-Bulletin - 13/07/06
Welcome to the CVS North Wiltshire e-bulletin. To view this e-bulletin online click here.
Community Lunch, Calne, 19th July - IMPORTANT CHANGE
Due to the interest generated by the CVS North Wiltshire Community Lunch on Wednesday 19th July in Calne, we've had to hire a bigger venue to accommodate everyone! Please note that the lunch will no longer be held at The Wharf but at The Corn Exchange. The time is still the same: 12noon-2pm. We look forward to seeing you on the 19th.
New Job Opportunities Online
Click here to see job opportunities within the Voluntary Sector. Please let us have your opportunities to advertise on the site!
On Tuesday July 12th, the North Wiltshire drop-in for single people who are homeless or facing homelessness, launched its Roadshow, ‘Words and Pictures’, at The North Wiltshire District Council Offices, Monkton Park. Words and Pictures is an exhibition of photographic images and creative writing done by guests at the Doorway drop-in during a 10 week project facilitated by artist Julia Warin from the Bradford on Avon-based group, ArtSpark. The ‘Words and Pictures’ Roadshow will remain at the NWDC offices until July 25th and will then move to other venues, including libraries, in North Wiltshire. To find out more information about the Roadshow, click here.
Free Information and advice from nextstep Wiltshire and Swindon
Do you have a client that would benefit from some information and advice on learning and work. The service is free. nextstep Wiltshire and Swindon brings together organisations in the area that are involved in supporting adults aged 20+ to make choices about learning and work. The purpose is to expand and improve the services, so that all adults have FREE access to local, high quality, information about learning and work. nextstep Wiltshire and Swindon is a free service with information about local learning opportunities for both work and leisure, we can provide advice on career and employment opportunities. This is provided within your community, work, and college settings by professionally trained Learning Advisers, their advice is impartial, tailored to your requirements and all discussions are completely confidential. Contact nextstep on 01985 217567.
Wiltshire Community Web Update
www.wiltshirecommunityweb.org.uk - Wiltshire Community Web (WCW) has been live for 2 months now and already has over 100 registered users and over 80 sites upon it set up by community groups, small local businesses and voluntary sector organisations. Wiltshire Community Web gives you a chance to create and maintain your very own website for free, and no technical stuff! A tutorial to help you get started is available on the site. A link to this can be found upon each district home page.
Recruitment to the Learning and Skills Council VCS Working Together Strategy Committee
Your chance to make a difference - The Learning & Skills Council has a vision that by 2010, young people and adults in England will have knowledge and productive skills that match the best in the world. The LSC currently has a budget of £9 billion and responsibility for more than 6 million learners. It is the leading body in post-16 learning and skills development in England. The Working Together strategy was published in May 2004. It has three main themes – to work with the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) as provider; employer and as a source of expertise and communication channel. The LSC needs people with ideas, practical experience and a real commitment to learning and skills to join its Working Together Strategy Committee. Click here to find out more and download an application form.
Third Sector Summit
At a recent Public Services Conference, Phil Woolas MP the DCLG Local Government Minister, set out what he wanted to see in order to improve support for the local VCS:
1. A fully fledged Third Sector support body in all parts of the country.
2. Three-year funding as the norm for the VCS from 2008 mirroring the three-year funding local authorities will receive from central government.
3. Leadership on Third Sector commissioning and procurement from the North East Centre of Excellence together with IDeA.
4. Building Compact principles into local government finance and into the Comprehensive Performance Assessment.
5. A Senior Engagement Board to build the relationship between local government and the local VCS.
At the same conference, Ed Miliband, the new Third Sector Minister in the Cabinet Office, said three things of particular interest:
1. The local VCS has a crucial role in challenging both the private and the public sector. Advocacy is just as important as public services delivery.
2. DfES will be setting up a Children and Young People's Forum. This will ensure that commissioning services takes place at the right level. Three-year funding would be the norm and longer periods will be given where necessary. Full Cost Recovery will be implemented.
3. Office of the Third Sector will work with the new Compact Commissioner to drive out bad local practice.
The Future of Area Committees - Have Your Say
The
District Council holds an
Area Committee bi-monthly in
each of the five Community
Areas, which aims to engage
people in the local
democratic process. We are
currently reviewing how
these Committees are working
and with this in mind we are
consulting with our partners
who either currently attend
meetings or might wish to in
future.
Please click here to
complete the short survey,
and return to North
Wiltshire District Council
or email
woulton@northwilts.gov.uk
by Friday 28th
July 2006. We appreciate
that this is tight deadline
for its’ return, but would
really value your views. We
also plan to hold
consultative workshops at
the July round of Area
Committees on the following
dates: (all start at 7pm)
|
Tuesday, July 11th |
Corsham Area (4) Committee |
Corsham Town Hall |
|
Monday, 17th July |
Chippenham Area (3) Committee |
Council Offices, Monkton Park |
|
Wednesday, 19th July |
Malmesbury Area (1) Committee |
Malmesbury Town Hall |
|
Tuesday, 25th July |
Calne Area (5) Committee |
Calne Town Hall |
|
Wednesday, 26th July |
Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Area (2) Committee |
Wootton Bassett Memorial Hall |
In addition to submitting the survey we very much hope you will be able to come along and contribute to the debate, as workshops will present an opportunity for you to discuss issues. For planning purposes we would be grateful if you could contact Will Oulton on woulton@northwilts.gov.uk to say if you will be attending. We particularly welcome people who never or infrequently attend Area Committees. The information gathered in these exercises will inform the debate by the meeting of Council in September 2006 that will consider the future of Area Committees. This is your best opportunity to inform the debate and shape the future.
Apologies from CVS that
we are sending this
information out at short
notice but we have only
recently received it
ourselves, and we feel that
the e-bulletin is the best
way of reaching you quickly.
Greathouse Cheshire Home taking advantage of the summer weather……
The Greathouse home at Kington Langley is hosting two performances of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream on the 13th and 14th of July. We are grateful to the Malford Players, who put on the play in June, for adding another two performances for the benefit of Greathouse. It was so popular that a number of the original audience are going to come along again!! All profits from these two performances will go towards helping to enrich the lives of the residents at Greathouse. Door will open at 6.00pm for picnics and the performance will begin at 7.30pm.
Not content with Shakespeare, a week later on the 22nd July, we are holding an evening of easy to listen to jazz, played by local band “FRENCH CONNECTION”. Again bring along a picnic and the evening will start at 6.00pm. There will be a bar at both events. Tickets for both events are available from the Tourist Information Centre, in Chippenham, priced £6 and £4, concessions, for Midsummer Night’s Dream, and £7 for French Connection. Alternatively telephone Greathouse on 01249 750326, and book them direct with the Cheshire Home.
Sustainable Funding Project - July/August Newsletter
Are you looking for
funds?
The Fundraising Conference
Thursday 26 October 2006: London
-
This conference will help you
maximise success with many
different revenue streams. Our
experts know where the funds are
and how to get them! A
conference for Chief Executives,
managers and fundraisers from
every size of organisation.
There are three streams of
seminars to mix and match for a
broad perspective:
The Donor Perspective,
Increasing Effectiveness, and
Skills.
For full programme details and
to BOOK NOW - Click here.
Resources
and information for managers of
volunteers, mapped against
National Occupational Standards
The Workforce Hub have used the
NOS for Management of Volunteers
to produce a guide to the
resources available to managers
of volunteers. It’s designed to
help managers of volunteers find
the resources they need, and
includes links to useful
websites and references to
books, organisations, toolkits
and documents. Download a free
copy from the
http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=8699.
Find more NOS news from
http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=8828
External Funding Network - Latest Bulletin
Please click here to view the latest bulletin from the External Funding Network at Wiltshire County Council. If you would like to be added to our funding mailing list please click here to email us.
University Certificate of Achievement in The Voluntary Sector and Volunteering
There is a new course offered by the University of Derby - The Voluntary Sector and Volunteering - which may be of benefit to your staff. This course gives volunteers and voluntary sector employees an opportunity to receive accreditation for the service they carry out. The advantage is the course is available fully online, which means it can be studied away from the University and in student's own time. We currently have 20 sponsored places which means you only pay £50 for a 30 credits Certificate (instead of £300). Please click here for a leaflet which will provide you with more details. However, should you have more questions please do not hesitate to contact us: Asia Alder or Caroline Simone on 01332 591315.
Institute of Fundraising South West
Click here for the latest updates from the South West Institute of Fundraising, including a Charities Bill update event in Bristol, training bursaries towards the costs of achieving the Certificate in Fundraising Management and the South West Internet Discussion Group for fundraisers.
SAVAGE e-Communique
Workforce Hub
responds to Third Sector Review
Mark Freeman,
Learning and Skills Manager at
the Workforce Hub, is calling on
voluntary and community
organisations to make workforce
development a priority in the
Government’s Third Sector
Review.
He is urging staff and
volunteers in the sector to
think about workforce
development issues and to feed
their answers back. “The bottom
line is that the sector will not
be able to increase its capacity
or play a bigger role in meeting
Government aims if the needs of
its workforce are not
prioritised,” he says. Mark has
put together a list of questions
and comments that staff and
volunteers can use to help
formulate their views on
workforce development. As well
as suggesting a need for a
voluntary sector skills council,
Mark asks what skills are needed
by the sector, whether these
skills needs are being met and
what funding is available to
meet these needs. Visit the
Workforce Hub website to
read Mark’s questions, and email
your responses to us at
learning@ukworkforcehub.org.uk.
Advocacy Works - Important Notice: Closure of Service
Advocacy Works’ contract, with Wiltshire County Council, Kennet & North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust & West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust, ends on 30th September 2006. Advocacy Works can no longer accept any referrals for advocacy. Its office, phone lines and email will cease on 20th July 2006. Its remaining personnel will work from home during August to ensure the safe closure of the advocacy service. From 20th July 2006, any billing or other enquiries should be made to: The Chair, Advocacy Works, c/o Voluntary Action West Wiltshire, Bridge House, Stallard Street, Trowbridge, BA14 9AE. SWAN (South Wiltshire Advocacy Network) continues to provide advocates for people living in South Wiltshire. Contact SWAN at mail@swanadvocacy.org.uk Enquiries about future provision of independent mental health advocacy for people living in Kennet, North & West Wiltshire should be addressed to the County Council and the Primary Care Trusts.
Full Cost Recovery - Are you doing it?
Historically, third sector organisations have struggled to secure funding for their overhead costs, leading to underinvestment in management and leadership, internal and external infrastructure, strategic development and governance. This difficulty has been exacerbated by a trend on the part of the sector's funders towards funding the direct costs of projects rather than overheads or "core funding". Failure to secure funding for overhead costs makes important services unsustainable. Both government and third sector representative have agreed on a solution: Full Cost Recovery. Under Full Cost Recovery, organisations and their funders ensure that the price of contracts reflects the full cost of delivery, including the legitimate proportion of overhead costs. CVS North Wiltshire has some factsheets available to groups on Full Cost Recovery including this one from CASHOnline (click here).
Wiltshire Law Centre - Increase in Staff
The Wiltshire Law Centre will be increasing the number of legal advisors it has over the next 2 months with the addition of 3 more staff members. This doubles our advisors to 6 staff. This means we can see and help more people. The Wiltshire Law Centre is a registered charity that provides FREE legal advice on Housing, Welfare Benefits and Debt. For advice or an appointment, please call 01793 486926.
Charities Delivering Public Services - Have Your Say as the Debate Hots Up
On 22 June, the Government announced its vision for a partnership approach between public, private and the voluntary sector to deliver public services. The Charity Commission wants to help inform this debate in terms of the number and range of public services currently being undertaken by charities and the views of charities considering this as an option. Our on-line survey of charities working in, or considering, this area aims to gather information from as many charities as possible, whether or not they're currently engaged in this work. The survey is at http://www.dscsurvey.org.uk/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=3. It asks information which should be readily to hand and shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes to complete. Tell us about your experiences and have your say.
DSC Charity Fair
The Directory for Social Change is this year holding a Charity Fair in Oxford. You are invited to attend the lively training sessions which are great value for money. For more information please visit www.charityfair.org.uk or wait for the August edition of the CVS newsletter as full copies of the programme will be included.
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