Residential Care Providers Group -
December meeting now cancelled
The Residential Care Providers Meeting scheduled for 16 December has been cancelled. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by this.
The meeting dates for 2010 are as follows:
20 January / 21 April / 21 July / 20 October
The group will convene at 2pm on each of the above dates at MountOsborne Business Centre, Oakwell View, Barnsley.
Quarterly meetings of this group (which arefacilitated by the VAB Participation Team and chaired by Andy Barlow from Carehomes Barnsley) provide an opportunity for Independent Sector providers of Residential Care to meet with other providers in order to share knowledge, good practice, resolve shared issues and have a voice in the planning and commissioning of services in the borough. Information for the next meeting will be circulated in due course, but if you have any queries or would like to attend, please call James on 01226 320106 or email
One Barnsley Forum - Places still available!
To be held on 2 December from5pm to 7pm
at The Core, County Way, Barnsley
An opportunity to find out more about Barnsley’s new neighbourhood arrangements
As requested at the last One Barnsley Forum event, this is your chance to hear about the new arrangements in more detail and ask a panel of experts questions on the Neighbourhoods Framework and how you/your organisation can get involved in influencing decisions.
A buffet will be provided. This is a FREE event and is funded by Take Part Pathfinder. RSVP to or call 01226 773416.
Adult Health & Social Care Provider Forum -
Free information giving event -
Lunch provided
It's been a while, but the VAB Participation Team are pleased to announce that the next Provider Forum will be held on 2 February 2010 at 9.30am at The Core, County Way, Barnsley (the agenda will be circulated shortly).
The Provider Forums are held quarterly and are an excellent way to meet and share information with other people working in the health and social care field, from both the Third and Independent Sectors. By attending, you can also hear guest speakers address the latest topics and take part in consultations in order to get your voice heard and influence decision makers.
We want the Provider Forums to be really useful events for everyone in the sector, so if you would like to reserve a slot on the agenda to talk about your work or promote your organisation, please let us know. Alternatively, if you have suggestions for guest speakers, subject areas or consultations that we could include in the agenda of this forum (or future ones), then we would love to hear from you. For more information or to book your FREE place at the February meeting, please contact Gail on 01226 320106 or email
Implementing the UK Vision Strategy - Information from RNIB
The Vision UK 2009 Conference Report (on implementing the UK Vision Strategy) is now available to download from the UK Vision Strategy website:
The report brings together summaries of the recent Future Sight Loss UK research, the World Class Commissioning Guide for improving community eye health services and the UK Vision Strategy country implementation plans. Taken together, these provide a powerful framework and resource for delivering the aims of the UK Vision Strategy. The report also highlights how the strategy is being implemented at local level and gives examples of good practice.
The report is also available in alternative formats, upon request. Please contact the team at if you would like a copy.
Funding Opportunities
Allen Lane Foundation
The Allen Lane Foundation awards grant funding to registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations involved in small-scale projects in the UK.
Grants of between £500 and £15,000 are available to organisations working in areasthat benefit people in the following groups:
- Asylum seekers and refugees.
- Gay, lesbian, bisexualand transgender people.
- Gypsies and travellers.
- Offenders and ex-offenders.
- Older people.
- Migrant workers.
- People experiencing mental health problems.
- People experiencing violence or abuse.
Applications are welcomed from registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations in the UK seeking funding for charitable projects within the Foundation's areas of interest.
Applications can be made at any time.
Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust
The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust awards grants to charitable organisations in the UK and overseas. Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are available for projects in the following areas for the next three years:
- 2009: Community and Disability.
- 2010: Children, Youth, The Elderly and Medical research projects dealing with the ageing population.
- 2011: Music and the Arts and Overseas.
Applications are welcomed from charitable organisations in the UK and overseas, although overseas projects will only be considered in the stated years.
The deadlines for application are 1 June and 1 November each year.
NAVCA’s Improving Local Partnerships Unit presents
Skilling Up for Stronger Voices resources
As the VAB Participation Team is always on the lookout for potential Representatives (or Deputy Representatives) for the Expert Partnerships, the following training information may be of interest to those who are looking to apply for such a role in the future:
NAVCA’s Improving Local Partnerships (ILP) unit has produced five unique learning units to help Third Sector representatives who are active within local public decision-making structures to develop their knowledge and skills to feel more confident and supported in their roles.
Unit: 2 - Skills for Partnership
Date: Wednesday 3 February 2010
Time: 9.30am to 1pm(including lunch)
Venue: Voluntary Action Rotherham
Trainer: Rose Aardon, Associate Trainer for NAVCA
Aim: To raise awareness of the different types of engagement and expected outcomes in a partnership environment.
By the end of the session course participants will be able to:
- explore motivation for engagement;
- identify the types of engagement;
- explore and identify expectations of engagement within our partnership;
- define participative and representative engagement;
- look at levels of engagement;
- plan for improved participation in the partnership.
Who the workshop is for: Training session for new, potential or existing representatives.
Other Units will include:
Unit: 3 - Roles and responsibilities of representatives - Wednesday 17 February 2010 - 9.30am to 1pm (including lunch); Unit: 4 - Skills for Influence - Wednesday 3 March 2010 - 9.30am to 1pm (including lunch).
For more information, please contact Shaun Masterman on 01709 361214.