E-Bulletin

Welcome to the CVS North Wiltshire e-bulletin. To view the latest e-bulletin online click here.

The next Voluntary Sector Forum is to be held in Chippenham on Tuesday 15th May, 10am – 12noon at CVS North Wiltshire, 3-4 New Road (top floor), Chippenham. We will be hearing from guest speakers Sue REDMOND, Director of Community Services, who will give an update on her department’s work, and David ASHMORE, Chair of the North Wiltshire Partnership (LSP), who will talk about the work of the Partnership. The VSF is a place for the voluntary and community sector to have a stronger voice within the district. The VSF is where representatives from different voluntary and community organisations can meet to discuss the issues that affect the sector and network. As the voice of the voluntary and community sector, it feeds into the North Wiltshire Partnership and provides a concerted response when the views of the sector are sought. If you would like to book your place please email beth@cvsnw.org.uk.

CVS North Wilts has opened a new ‘Wellbeing Centre’ at its premises in 3-4 New Road. A small group of complementary health practitioners are offering low-cost treatments, or therapies, to anyone referred to them by a voluntary or community group based in the north of the county, whether they be paid workers, volunteers, trustees or clients. “We wanted to find a way of reaching out to people who can’t afford the sort of fees charged by practitioners based at many of the other complementary health practices in Chippenham” said Karen Scott, who is an Emotional Freedom (EFT) Practitioner and Life Coach, as well as being the Training Worker at CVS. “There was a comfortable room for hire at the CVS premises and we realised that it would be the perfect space for local practitioners to use at an affordable rent. This means that we can pass the benefits onto voluntary and community groups in the way of discounted fees”. Click here for more information.

Please note our new fax number: 01249 656969. Our telephone number remains the same: 01249 654089.

What is the Children and families Voluntary Sector Forum? It brings together all voluntary groups operating in Wiltshire and, through regular meetings, inform the local authorities of the wants and needs of local groups. Do you run a voluntary group ? Would you like to help Children and Young People to be heard? Would you like to be involved in improving services and facilities for Children and Young People in Wiltshire? Would you like to know how Children and Young Peoples’ services are being developed? For more information, click here and to download a poster about the forum click here.

The fifth issue of the Wiltshire Community Web Online Newsletter has now been uploaded. These newsletters provide information on Training Events, Hints and Tips on using WCW and Spotlight on a Wiltshire Community Web Site. Further information and the newsletter can be found here: http://www.northwilts-communityweb.com/site/WCW-Newsletters/index.htm

Oaksey Youth Club is holding two training evenings soon. Wednesday April 18 - Child protection, and Wednesday April 25 - Managing Challenging Behaviour. Both taken by Wendy Gidley. Charge £10 each. If you are interested in taking part in these training sessions please contact Lindsey Weatherley on 01666 577828.

Smokefree Wiltshire - A Guide to Producing a Smokefree Policy

From 1st of July 2007 virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England will become smokefree. A smokefree England will ensure a healthier environment, so everyone can socialise, relax, travel, shop and work free from secondhand smoke. Employers, managers and those in charge of smokefree premises and vehicles will need to: display 'no smoking' signs in smokefree premises and vehicles , take reasonable steps to ensure that staff, customers/members and visitors are aware that premises and vehicles are legally required to be smokefree, remove any existing indoor smoking rooms and ensure that no one smokes in smokefree premises or vehicles. Click here for a practical guide on creating your smokefree policy. Find out further information about the new legislation here.

'Getting to Know You' Invitation to ESF+ Network Meeting

SAVAGE would like to invite you to our next ESF+ Network meeting for the West of England area on Thursday 19^th April 2007 from 10.00am - 12.30pm to be held at Bristol Easton Salvation Army, Corps & Community Centre, Hassell Drive, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, BS2 0AN. With the 2000-2006 funding framework coming to an end and the 2007-2013 framework coming in at the end of the year we invite you to our ‘Getting to know you’ Network Meeting. This will be a chance for organizations from the Public, Private, Voluntary and Educational sectors to find new partners to work together in the future. Click here for the agenda and booking details.

FREE Open University Training for all Children's Voluntary Sector Staff

The CWLN (Children’s Workforce Learning Network) are offering a series of four e-learning seminars between April - July 2007. The seminars will enable workers to begin studying the latest free openlearn modules, to complete later in their own time. The topics are (1) e-Learning; (2) Life Stories; (3) Children and Violence; and (4) HR Recruitment & Selection. A brief summary of the four units is here. Each 2-hour seminar will be delivered in Plymouth, Wimborne and Bristol. Dates and details are attached. There is no charge, but numbers are limited - contact me on either daniel.moore@barnardos.org.uk or 0117 937 5527 to reserve your place.

Volunteers & The Law

The majority of calls to Volunteering England’s information line touch upon legal issues in one form or another. Many organisations are unclear about the legal status of their volunteers and the responsibilities they have towards them. Worries around issues such as benefits and the reimbursement of expenses are perennial concerns. Volunteering England decided there was a need for this book because, although there have been books on legal issues for voluntary organisations in the past, it is clear that the time has come for a book that focuses solely on volunteers. Eighteen million people make a gift of their time each year. There is increasing government attention on volunteering, with growing numbers of people being encouraged to volunteer. It is therefore very important that organisations understand both the good practice and the legal implications of volunteer involvement, in order to ensure that volunteering remains a valuable experience for all. Volunteers and the Law is not intended to be a textbook or a technical reference guide to legal issues. The aim has been to create a readable overview of legal issues for volunteer managers and anyone who works with volunteers. It was written to cover the law as it applies to England and Wales. Recent legislation referred to in the text can be found at www.hmso.gov.uk. Click here to download the book as a pdf, or pop in to CVS North Wiltshire and borrow the hard copy book from our library!

Local Involvement Networks (LINks) Bulletin

Welcome to this first monthly edition of the Local Involvement Networks (LINks) Bulletin, keeping you up to date with developments on LINks. We are still at the very early stages of introducing this new system. The establishment of LINks forms part of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, currently under consideration by the House of Commons. The establishment of LINks is still subject to the passage of legislation, as a result we cannot give a definitive time scale for establishment at the moment. Click here to download the bulletin.

Spring Training Programme from Voluntary Action West Wilts

Click here to download the new training programme from Voluntary Action West Wilts.

Swindon Half Marathon Nominated Charity

The Prospect Foundation has been the nominated charity of the Half Marathon for the past couple of years but this year we would like to have another nominated charity alongside the Prospect. To this end we would like any local organisations (who work within the Borough) and who are interested, to complete the application form and return it either by post or email by the closing date of 20th April.

SAVAGE March Newsletter

Did you know….. 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the ‘Treaty of Rome’, which established the European Economic Community and the European Social Fund. Today, ESF is helping to improve the employability and skills of people across 27 Member States. Click here to read the March newsletter from SAVAGE.

Reducing the Risks - A Guide to Trustee Liabilities

We are all concerned about managing risk in whatever activities that we undertake. It is important that people who give their time to run charities and similar organisations are aware of, and feel comfortable with, those limited risks involved with this type of role. This guidance looks at the risks that might affect charity trustees. It is not an attempt to look at the full range of risks affecting organisations that they govern. If an organisation does not have limited liability, the risks that affect the organisation may become risks for the trustees. This happens where the organisation has not got the funds to effectively protect the trustee. This guidance is brief and deals with a complex area. Where possible, we have included helpful examples, preventative advice and also explained jargon. The guidance also provides signposting to further sources of information. Click here to download the booklet.

Commissioning for Health & Wellbeing

Regional Seminars for the third sector are taking place. CSIP South West is pleased to announce four dates for social enterprises, voluntary and community sector organisations and interested groups to find out more about the Commissioning Framework for Health and Wellbeing. The Commissioning Framework for Health and Wellbeing seeks to enable health and social care organisations to achieve the outcomes from the White Paper “Our Health Our Care Our Say” as well as the Local Government White Paper “Strong and Prosperous Communities”. The Third Sector has a role to play in achieving this, so if you’d like to find out more, come along to one of the events. Click here for the dates venues and more information.

Free Level 2 Qualification - Supporting the Development Needs of Vulnerable People