GMCVO NEWS, EVENTS and TRAINING
How does poverty affect your service users?
GMCVO is making an urgent appeal to you for informationabout how poverty affects your services users.
We urgently need your first-hand knowledge to pass on to the Greater Manchester Poverty Commission as GMCVO believes that you will know more than anyone about the causes and effects of poverty on people and communities.
Please let us know:
● How poverty affects your services users ● Is their situation getting worse? ● What difference would it make to your service users if their current financial situation, well being or life chances were improved?
● What changes do you think would have to happen to improve the situation of your service users?
Your responses can be brief, just a paragraph or two (although you can submit a more substantial response if you wish). The key thing is that we get as many responses as quickly as possible.
Please e-mail your responses to .
For further information about the Greater Manchester Poverty Commission click here.
Consultation on revised Greater Manchester Strategy
The Greater Manchester Strategy, Prosperity for All, is being refreshed this year to bring it up to date.Some initial work has been done towards a first draft, and there will be wide consultation from the end of August.
There will be a specific consultation event for the voluntary sector organised in partnership with GMCVO – date to be confirmed, but to REGISTERYOURINTEREST please click on the link below.
The Greater Manchester vision, as set out in the original 2009 version of the Strategy, is: “By 2020, the Manchester city region will have pioneered a new model for sustainable economic growth based around a more connected, talented and greener city region where the prosperity secured is enjoyed by the many and not the few”. The vision, and the emphasis on economic inclusion alongside growth, remains unchanged. The refresh will re-organise eleven “priorities” into three themes focusing on place, people and business and will identify the high-level transformative actions required to drive progress towards the vision.
The refresh of the Strategy gives the voluntary sector a real opportunity to probe into the finer detail of the proposed transformative actions and challenge whether they really will help create “prosperity for all”; we can also put forward suggestions of our own.
The current Greater Manchester Strategy can be seen via: www.gmcvo.org.uk/consultation-revised-greater-manchester-strategy.
Converge website launched – organisations can now apply online
Converge, the Greater Manchester wellbeing consortium hosted by GMCVO, has a new website which contains a list of members, the consortium'sbusiness plan and membership prospectus along with other useful information.
There is a members’ area and non-members can submit their first-stage application through the website.
Converge website: http://gmconverge.org.uk/
GMCVO Training Programme – Autumn 2012
● Project Management
A 3-day workshop designed for those who manage or are about to be managing projects.
5th, 6th and 7th September
● ILM Level 4 Award in Management
This course will provide you with a full understanding of the management role, enabling you to develop your management skills.
13th and 27th September, 11th and 25th October, 8th and 22nd November 2012
● Managing Multiple Priorities
This course will help you establish your priorities and goals and deal effectively with your workload
18th September
● Strategic Planning
A two-day course to give a practical insight into how to plan strategically
20th and 27th September
● Customer Service for Managers
A course to help managers understand the importance of stakeholders and their relevance to community and voluntary organisations
24th September
● Dealing with Conflict
A course for participants to explore the causes of conflict and learn techniques to manage it
25th September
● Emotional Intelligence
An insight into how to gain the tools to understand yourself and those around you
28th September
● Introduction to Counselling Skills
A two-day course to help front-line staff develop a greater awareness of the attributes and the boundaries of helping service users through listening
2nd and 9th October
● Building Positive Partnerships
If you would like to able to build better relationships with your co-workers, funders and potential partner organisations, then this course is for you
11th October
● Groups and Teambuilding
A two-day course to enable understanding of group dynamics and how to build effective teams
17th and 24th October
● Customer Service Course
The course will give you the skills to develop customer loyalty and will teach you how to feel confident in any customer situation
18th October
● Effectively Managing Change
This training looks at what our understanding of change is
2nd November
● Stress Management
This training will provide you with the skills to recognise the symptoms of stress and will help you to manage the impact of stress
30th November
● Project Management
A 3-day workshop designed for those who manage or are about to be managing projects
19th, 20th and 21st December
All courses to be held at the St Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester M12 6FZ.
For further information, contact Tanya Coutts at GMCVO, 0161 277 1002, , or visit www.gmcvo.org.uk/gmcvotraining2.
Room hire discount at the St Thomas Centre in AugustThe St Thomas Centre is offering a 10 per cent reduction on room hire charges for any new bookings made for August 2012.The Centre, which is managed by GMCVO, is within easy reach of Manchester city centre and Piccadilly railway station. The main hall can accommodate 140 people, while smaller rooms can hold up to 30 people. Please call 0161 277 1010 or e-mail check availability.www.gmcvo.org.uk/stc
Generating Success launch
6th September
Stockport
Generating Success is a new two-year project to encourage and support the take off of community renewable projects in rural areas of Greater Manchester, everything from wind turbines and solar panels to hydro projects and retrofit. Run by GMCVO, in partnership with Carbon Co-op and MERCi, the programme will see a series of training events, social enterprise supply chain seminars and networking events as well as the creation of three/four trailblazer community renewable projects. This launch event will consist of the following three linked sessions:
Supply chain/community renewables seminar (2pm – 5pm)
Public launch (5.30pm – 6.30pm)
Fuelling Manchester social (7pm onwards)
You can attend one, two or all of the events.
Further details and booking forms for the seminar and launch will follow shortly.
Contact: Ian Taylor, GMCVO, 0161 277 1040, .
NEWS and INFORMATION
Greater Manchester targeted in new BLF scheme to combat youth unemploymentGreater Manchester is one of 21 areas of England that will receive a share of a new five-year £100 million fund to tackle youth unemployment.
The Big Lottery Fund is inviting organisations in the selected areas to develop partnerships that will submit bids for funding from the scheme. The areas in the initiative, known as Talent Match, have been chosen because they have high levels of unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds.
Grants will range from £1 million to £10 million and there can be only one partnership per area.
The schemes will need to demonstrate that they will achieve outcomes such as improving access to better quality local employment and training and developing confidence and optimism in young people who have been unemployed for more than a year.
According to the BLF, the partnerships are likely to be led by voluntary and community sector organisations, and are expected to include local stakeholders including councils, colleges and employers.
Up to £10,000 of development funding will be made available in each area, and final decisions onawards are expected to be announced inJune 2013.
□ The indicative amount of funding for Greater Manchester is £9.6 million over five years (but please note BLF does not guarantee that all areas will be funded, or will receive the amount initially allocated – final awards could be more as well as less).
GMCVO is co-ordinating the development of a delivery partnership which will undertake the programme design for Greater Manchester – further details will be announced in due course.
If you want to be kept informed, please leave your details on the form attached to this webpage:
www.gmcvo.org.uk/greater-manchester-targeted-new-lottery-scheme-combat-youth-unemployment
Sharing resources to reduce costs
Charities in Greater Manchester working with disabled children and adults are being invited to consider joint working in order to reduce their costs.
In the current economic climate, it is proving increasingly difficult for the voluntary and community sector to source funding to maintain and develop projects, and negotiate contracts which result in full cost recovery. VCS organisations therefore need to think about doing things somewhat differently.
Stockport CP, which provides support to children and adults who have physical and learning disabilities (not just cerebral palsy), is looking for potential partners with whom it might share resources, such as HR and training. There may also be opportunities for partnership working to deliver similar projects operated by different organisations and thereby share costs. Merger may be a possibility too.
As well as providing services in Stockport, the charity also operates in Manchester, Trafford, Derbyshire and East Cheshire.
Organisations interested in discussing opportunities for joint working should contact Fergus Lomas, Chief Executive, Stockport CP, 0161 432 1248, .
Capital grants for places of worship
A one-off capital grant scheme worth £1.1 million has been made available for listed places of worship until April 2013. The Church of England and the National Churches Trust will distribute the funds, which have been provided by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
The Church of England has received £781,000 which it will allocate across its dioceses. The National Churches Trust has received £319,000 and will run a grant scheme open to all listed places of worship that are not in the Church of England’s care. The deadline for applications to this scheme is 30th August 2012.
Grants will allow listed places of worship across the country to create new extensions and facilities, including toilets and kitchens, and to improve access and energy efficiency.
Further information about the two grants programmes can be seen via: www.gmcvo.org.uk/capital-grants-places-worship
Boost for sustainable transport in Greater Manchester
GMCVO is delighted with the announcement that Transport for Greater Manchester has secured £32.5 million from the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund. GMCVO contributed to the bid’s development and provided formal support for it.
Of particular relevance to the voluntary sector is that the money will support the delivery of:
● targeted community transport schemes connecting people to employment;
● a range of cycling and walking initiatives.
Other major priorities for the funding package are:
● improving the use of technology to provide better traffic management;
● reducing carbon and other emissions arising from transport;
● supporting the delivery of TfGM’s smart ticketing programme.
These build upon the transport priorities already being delivered (increasing commuter cycling, Metrolink expansion, faster bus routes etc).
The funding will support a three-year programme of investment to 2014/15. GMCVO and local voluntary sector infrastructure in the 10districts will be working with TfGM to consult, engage and involve the voluntary sector and local communities as the programme develops.
TfGM news release can be seen via: www.gmcvo.org.uk/boost-sustainable-transport-greater-manchester.
Voluntary sector workforce bigger than previously thought
Analysis by the Third Sector Research Centre of the data from the 2008 National Survey of Third Sector Organisations has given a larger estimate of the sector workforce than previously thought.
TRSC has come up with a figure of over 1.1 million full-time equivalent employees in England, comprising just over five per cent of the workforce. Estimates based on the Labour Force Survey for the same year were around 750,000.
The research also looks at employment on a regional basis, with London having at least a 25 per cent share, followed by the South East, with 17 per cent. Much of this can be explained by the number of head offices based in those two regions. Further details via: www.tsrc.ac.uk
Funding for health and social care volunteering projects
The third round of local funding from the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund(HSCVF) opened on 2nd July.
Support from the HSCVF ‘local grant and capacity building scheme’ is designed to build the capacity and capabilities of voluntary sector organisations working in the health and social care field, as well as providing them with grant funding to develop volunteer-led service delivery through a discrete project.
It is anticipated that between 40 and 45 organisations will receive funding up to a maximum of £50,000 for multi-annual projects. Criteria for applying include: being locally constituted, having a track record in health and social care activity, having an established volunteer base, and having policies on equality, health and safety, and safeguarding of children and adults already in place.
Local volunteering charities, community organisations, social enterprises, co-operatives, mutuals and other not-for profit organisations with social aims will be able to make an application and will be asked to apply under one of the following themes:
● Individual Choice and Control: Care and Support
● Delivering Better Health and Care Outcomes
● Improving Public Health
● Improving Health and Social Care
● Building Capable Communities
Grants will be awarded for projects that demonstrate their potential to develop new, improved and/or streamlined systems in health and social care volunteering rather than projects that aim to simply supply core services. Ongoing funding for existing services will not be supported.
Successful projects will also participate in the support package which aims to build organisational capacity that will assist with longer term sustainability. Organisations should be prepared to dedicate 6-10 days to these activities per annum, and should include travel costs to activities within their project budget.
The deadline for applications is 14th September 2012.
Further details from: www.volunteeringfund.com.
Rethinking reserves
A new publication on the strategic management of financial reserves aims to help charities make the most of these resources (if they have any).
Managing charity reserves has traditionally been viewed as the preserve of the finance team; however, it impacts on all parts of the organisation.
The guide challenges charity trustees and managers to consider whether they are using reserves effectively – or if they could be made to work harder for the charity and its beneficiaries – and includes insights and case studies from chief executives, finance and fundraising directors from a range of organisations.