GMCVO NEWS
How are the spending cuts affecting your community?
How are local people and communities managing in a climate of economic difficulty?
If you are an organisation working in a local community or with service users, you can help us raise awareness among decision-makers of the impact of the downturn on real people in communities all over Greater Manchester.
GMCVO would like to capture some of your knowledge of what is really happening on the ground and invites you to participate in a survey about this issue.
The survey, which has been devised and is being delivered in partnership with local support organisations, has a combination of tick box and open-ended questions, so it allows you to provide as much or as little detail as you see fit.
Respondents will also have the opportunity to obtain a copy of the final report about the results.
Please click on the link below to access the survey – it should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, depending on your responses.
The deadline is Wednesday 29th February 2012.
www.gmcvo.org.uk/how-are-spending-cuts-affecting-your-community-0
If you have questions about this survey, please contact .
Greater Manchester receives £2.75m from local support fund
GMCVO is one of eight support organisations in Greater Manchester to benefit from a share of the Cabinet Office’s £30 million Transforming Local Infrastructure (TLI) Fund.
Projects supported by the TLI Fund focus on bringing together different voluntary sector support providers to offer high quality local services at lower cost. These projects will also make it easier for the organisations to forge better links with local businesses, develop stronger partnerships with local public sector bodies and for people to volunteer.
Nationally, over 70 partnerships of local support and development organisations will receive TLI funding. In Greater Manchester, the following organisations have been awarded funding totalling over £2.75 million.
● Bolton Community and Voluntary Services£331,064
● Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation £289,915
● Manchester Alliance for Community Care £399,800
● Voluntary Action Oldham £277,778
● Salford Community and Voluntary Services £361,478
● Tameside Third Sector Coalition £337,645
● Voluntary and Community Action Trafford £383,000
● Wigan And Leigh Council For Voluntary Service £373,000
The TLI Fund is being managed by Big Fund, the non-lottery funding operation of the Big Lottery Fund. The list of successful applications can be seen via www.gmcvo.org.uk/gm-receives-275m-local-support-fund.
□ The Big Lottery Fund is planning a distinct and additional investment in funding support services for voluntary organisations of at least £20 million.Detailed proposals about their plans will be published later this year. It is planned that the majority of this investment will go to frontline voluntary organisations in order to give them greater choice and control over the support services which they need.
New market opens up in Greater Manchester
A phased programme of work that will take Greater Manchester’s voluntary sector into a new market was launched by GMCVO on 24th January.
The initiative was outlined at a trade fair event, Get Connected – Go to Market, which came in response to the exciting news that Greater Manchester is to be one of four pilot sites for the Whole Place Community Budget initiative.
Groups came together in a friendly and welcoming environment with the aim of forging links between their services and exploring the opportunities for collaborative partnership.
Within themed service headings, derived from the Whole Place priority areas of work, organisations were asked to consider what the supply chains might look like in the delivery of these services. As the event progressed it became apparent just how enormous the contribution from the sector could be to improving the wellbeing of local people simply by joint delivery and co-operation.
Event organiser, Neil Walbran, said: “This is just the beginning of our sector gearing up for some real contracting opportunities. We’ll be running more events such as this within specialised themes over the coming months.”
Further details from: Neil Walbran, Senior Policy and Partnerships Officer, GMCVO, 0161 277 1036, .
St Thomas Conference Centre
The St Thomas Centre is an accessible and fully equipped conference centre in Ardwick providing high quality meeting rooms to a wide range of groups and organisations.
Managed by GMCVO, the Centre includes a main hall that can hold over 100 people, plus five meeting rooms with capacity for up to 30 (dependent on layout).
Discounted rates are available for both GMCVO members and voluntary organisations.
Excellent catering at competitive rates can also be arranged.
The venue is within easy reach of Manchester city centre and Piccadilly railway station.
For further information, please call 0161 277 1010, e-mail , or visit www.gmcvo.org.uk/stc.
NEWS AND INFORMATION
Work Programme charities exposed to financial risk, according to NCVO
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has warned that the Work Programme could threaten the sustainability of many of the charities involved.
The umbrella body has published research that indicates that more than half of the charities delivering the welfare-to-work programme said their prime contractor had not protected them from financial risk, as they are required to do.
The research shows that 39 of 72 charities surveyed by the NCVO said their prime contractor had not shielded them from financial risk and a further 14 said their prime has only done so to a small extent. Twelve said their prime contractor had shielded them to some extent and just two said they had been protected "extensively".
According to the Merlin Standard, the supply chain agreement between the DWP and welfare-to-work providers, every prime contractor should be able to demonstrate "how its funding arrangements support and provide equitable risk transfer, including financial risk for small, specialist and third sector providers".
Under the programme, groups delivering services must fund the work themselves and are only paid by the DWP once a person from their programme has completed six months’ employment.
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, said: "The prime contractor model is supposed to safeguard small providers from financial risk, but these findings suggest it is currently falling far short of expectations. The Government must take these concerns on board and ensure that no bad practice is allowed to slip through the net."
[from: Third Sector Online 17.1.12]
Four NCS providers in Greater Manchester
The National Citizen Service (NCS) programme will be operated by four providers in Greater Manchester during 2012: Bolton Lads and Girls Club, Catch 22, The Challenge Network and Salford Foundation.
NCS is a voluntary eight-week summer programme for 16-year-olds administered by the Office for Civil Society and the Department for Education. It aims to help young people develop the skills and attitudes they need to become more engaged with their communities and become active and responsible citizens.
Across England, the programme this year will give up to 30,000 16-year-olds the chance to learn new skills and get involved in their community. During the pilots in 2011, 10,000 places were available.
Bolton / Bolton Lads and Girls Club
Bury / The Challenge Network
Manchester / The Challenge Network
Oldham / The Challenge Network
Rochdale / Catch 22, The Challenge Network
Salford / Salford Foundation, The Challenge Network
Stockport / The Challenge Network
Tameside / The Challenge Network
Trafford / Salford Foundation
Wigan / The Challenge Network
Information on the scheme’s launch: www.gmcvo.org.uk/providers-2012-citizen-service-scheme-announced
Online signpost to funding sources
Voluntary sector groups in Greater Manchester seeking information on sources of funding for their work can get help from a free online service set up by a partnership of support organisations in the sub-region.
GMFunding.net includes an online database containing details of over 5,000 funding schemes that are available in the UK from European and national sources, directed at the public, private, charitable, and voluntary and community sectors. This information is continuously researched and updated.
The online funding portal has a number of useful features for the local fundraiser. These include:
● The latest published information on funding from national Government, the Lottery and trusts;
● A dedicated ‘local support’ section, useful to those wanting to know about local support organisations;
● An easy-to-use print function for detailed grant information;
● Links to useful online resources such as information sheets and fact packs.
Youwill need to complete a short, online registration form which will give you immediate and unrestricted access to the comprehensive database of funding opportunities. Registration is necessary to measure the use and value of continuing to provide this information service.
To access GMFunding.net, click on www.gmfunding.net.
Funding announced for new third sector apprenticeshipsThird sector apprenticeships are brand new training programmes specifically designed for charities and social enterprises to help them make a difference to people and communities. They develop practical skills in three key areas for third sector organisations – campaigning, fundraising and volunteer management.
An apprenticeship is a combination of paid employment and training. The coalition Government wants to increase the number of apprenticeship places available, and has increased funding to encourage people to take them up.
Skills - Third Sector has developed the three apprenticeships specifically for charities and social enterprises so you have training programmes available specifically tailored to meet the needs of your organisation. The organisation, Fair Train, exists to build capacity in the third sector to employ apprentices and can provide organisations with help, advice and support, and match them with a training provider. If you are considering employing an apprentice, contact Fair Train in the first instance. www.fairtrain.org.
For further information about the apprenticeships and the new funding available from the Skills Funding Agency, go to: www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk/qualifications_learning/apprenticeships/.
ERDF boost for loan finance to community enterprises in the North West
The Social Enterprise Loan Fund (TSELF) wants to hear from social/community enterprises in the North West with innovative business ideas after being awarded money by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The ERDF funding will enable TSELF to provide loans of up to £50,000 for social/community enterprises across the region as part of the Government’s Solutions for Business scheme. However, applications of up to £250,000 for the right proposal can be considered, with TSELF making up the difference from its own funds.
Roy White, North West Regional Director at TSELF, said: “The work of social/community enterprises is invaluable. This is a vibrant sector in the North West which we want to see grow. The grant from the ERDF is a great boost, and we are looking forward to working with more social enterprises and charities across the region.
“We are particularly keen to hear from organisations that are exploiting innovation and knowledge. We have the funds available to support innovative enterprise ideas which can be translated into economically valuable products and processes, generating turnover, market share and new employment opportunities.”
The Social Enterprise Loan Fund (TSELF) is a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) and a registered charity which has, to date, invested £8 million in social/community enterprises across the UK, helping clients to generate job opportunities as well as training places.
TSELF has until March 2013 to lend the ERDF money to social enterprises across the region.
For further information and to find out more about TSELF in the North West, visit www.tself.org.uk or call 01829 261019.
Views sought on nature partnership
As part of the consultation process regarding the proposed establishment of a Local Nature Partnership (LNP) for Greater Manchester, an online survey is currently being conducted.
The LNP would have an interest in all facets of the natural environment – including biodiversity, green infrastructure and eco-systems services – across all areas of Greater Manchester: urban and rural areas, on land and in the water, from forest to farmland.
The LNP, which would aim to complement work being done in Greater Manchester on climate change, will seek to engage with organisations working across all sectors: environmental groups, businesses, health organisations, education providers, transport providers, land owners, and any other organisation whose work interacts with the natural environment.
The partner organisations that have come together to develop the LNP idea in Greater Manchester would very much like your views about whether such a Partnership is a good idea, what its priorities for action ought to be, and how it should be organised.
The survey can be accessed at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/XZ3HNRR.
The deadline for responses is 29th February 2012.
For further information, contact: Paul Burroughs, LNP Development Coordinator, 0161 872 1660, .
Data protection advisory visits
Charities as well as small businesses are being encouraged to invite an 'advisory visit' from the Information Commissioner's Office to provide advice on issues relating to data protection.
This is an alternative to a full-blown audit, and involves a one-day visit from a member of ICO's good practice team to see what they do with data and how they do it.
The benefits include:
● identifying good practice;
● helping to raise awareness of data protection;
● providing an opportunity to use the ICO’s resources at no expense;
● helping identify your data protection risks and provide practical, pragmatic advice on how to avoid getting it wrong; and
● allowing you to share knowledge with trained, experienced, qualified staff.
There is no charge, and a short report is produced at the end summarising action to take.
If you would like to register your interest in having an ICO advisory visit, e-mail .
Climate change risk assessment
Over 700 potential impacts of climate change have been reviewed in the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) published by the Government on 25th January. The assessment is the first of its kind for the UK and the first in a five-year cycle.
Detailed analysis was undertaken for over 100 of these impacts across 11 key sectors, such as health, transport, the built environment and biodiversity services.
The outputs provide an evidence base that can be used by central Government in identifying priorities for action and appropriate adaptation measures that will be required to minimise risks to the UK’s economy, environment and society.
Although the primary audience for this work is central Government, the outputs from the CCRA are also of value to other public, voluntary and private sector organisations.
The CCRA can be downloaded from: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/government/risk-assessment/