General Resources

Awards

Media Trust’s Volunteer Filmmaking Awards – deadline 2 August (noon)
Volunteer Filmmaking, a project run by Media Trust to encourage small charities to apply to have a professional film produced about their organisation, work and impact, has relaunched for the sixth consecutive year. Applications are now open for charities or CIC's registered in England with an annual turnover of less than £2 million.

Through the scheme, we match professional filmmakers with the successful charities to create short promotional films at a fraction of the normal cost. The short films, usually up to five minutes long, are also guaranteed a broadcast slot on our national television channel, Community Channel.

Volunteer Filmmaking has produced more than 125 films for small charities in England working in a wide range of areas including the environment, youth, health, disability, community, sport and the arts.

Visit the Media Trust’s Volunteer Filmmaking website at http://www.mediatrust.org/get-support/productions/volunteer-films/ to view last year’s films, and to find out more.

National Grassroots Action Awards - deadline 13 August
The London Centre for Social Impact's (LCSI) new national Grassroots Action Awards aim to reward and acknowledge the contribution of community and grassroots groups.

The programme seeks to recognise the achievements of local grassroots-based organisations and social entrepreneurs who have been at the forefront of championing social change and improving the quality of local lives by making an everlasting impact at the community level.

The Awards embody the vision on which LCSI is founded, which is “moving societies forward by developing and enhancing innovative community based actions”.
Nominations are invited in the following eight categories:

Award for Best Innovative Grassroots-based service.
Award for Best Community Involvement.
Award for Best professionalism in Grassroots-based Service Provision.
Award for Best Actions in Influencing Public Services.
Award for Best Actions in Influencing Policies.
Award for Lifetime Community Champion.
Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community.
Award for Best grassroots supporter.

Nominations close on 13 August at 5pm, with the awards ceremony set to be held in London on 29 October. More information can be found at the dedicated Grassroots Action Awards website.

Information and Advice

Update your Details
Make sure you don’t miss out on vital information, advice, and guidance by updating your organisation’s details on GAVCA’s database of the voluntary and community sector.

The main contacts of all the organisations in the database have already been emailed a bespoke link which grants you access to your own details in our online portal.

If you haven’t already received this email, then you can also visit the Volbase website and click on the link ‘I've forgotten my user name or password, or need to register’ to request a password and login.

Any questions or queries about using the online portal or updating your details can be sent to GAVCA’s Information Officer,

Accounting Services for the Third Sector: Extra Discounts for GAVCA Members!
John Price is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and has a Diploma in Charity Accounting. His services include:

Annual accounts
Financial management
Charity start-ups
Financial Strategy

2010 Annual Accounts: Fee Guarantee for GAVCA Members
For charities with up-to-date accounting records, the total fee for the preparation of SORP-compliant financial statements, Independent Examiner’s Report and filing with the Charity Commission (including VAT and expenses) will be at most:

- Charities with income less than £50,000: £250
- Charities with income between £50,000 and £500,000: 0.5% of income up to a maximum fee of £1,000

For more information, contact John Price by emailing jp@johnprice.org.uk, visiting the website www.johnprice.org.uk or ringing 01242 262556, or download his flyer. Find out further information about becoming a member of GAVCA here.

Business Link Offer Advice for Social Enterprises
If you run a social enterprise or established community organisation and need good advice to develop your ideas further, here is an opportunity for a one-to-one chat with one of Business Link’s qualified advisors. The advisors are social enterprise specialists and will provide no-obligation, practical advice on how to grow your organisation to the next stage.

The dates of the advice sessions are:

17 August: Stroud
13 September: Gloucester
8 November: Cheltenham

Appointments can be booked for one hour between 10am and 4pm.

For more information and to make your appointment contact Marie White by emailing marie.white@co-active.org.uk or phoning 0845 519 5759.

Hit the Small Screen Big Time
Community Channel, an initiative of Media Trust, is the UK's only TV station dedicated to highlighting issues from the community, voluntary and charitable sector, both locally and internationally. The Channel is aimed at the general public and seeks to inspire them to become engaged in the work of the sector, or to publicise the work of organisations to viewers.

The channel is available 24 hours a day on both SKY (ch. 539) and Virgin TV (ch.233) and 3 hours a day, between 5am-8am, on Freeview (ch.87). Our website www.communitychannel.org also shows a wide range of videos on demand. Each month around 600,000 viewers watch the Channel. The Channel and the website are free for community, voluntary and charitable organisations.

How Can Your Organisation Get involved?
If you have a video, no matter how long or short that you think the Channel could show contact Adam Perry (adamp@mediatrust.org) to discuss further. If you don't have a video then the Community Channel website has a feature that enables you to post news about campaigns, call for volunteers or donors, or simply let people know more about your organisation. Check out www.communitychannel.org/yourspace for more info.

For all information about any of the above visit www.mediatrust.org or www.communitychannel.org and follow the relevant links. Alternatively contact: Adam Perry on adamp@mediatrust.org or call 020 7217 3642.

Important Changes to Charity Law: News from Sandy Adirondack
Sandy Adirondack has summarised some important changes to the laws affecting registered charities on her website. Her summaries cover changes to laws concerning:

Financial Returns to the Charity Commission for small charities
Sending Annual Accounts and Report to the Charity Commission
Threshold for preparing Accrual Accounts
Threshold for Independent Examination
Threshold for Full Audit

For further information on any of the above, visit Sandy Adirondack's website or look at the Charity Commission website.You may also find useful the Charity Commission Q&A pack on independent examination and audit for charitable companies.

For information about other changes to charitable companies with regard to financial accountability, see Sandy Adirondack's website.

Promoting and helping volunteer management
Volunteering England has a new "signposting tool for people managing volunteers", helping them to find a range of resources.

Read more on South West Forum.

Does your organization or community group need IT Support?
iT4Communities introduce charities, voluntary organisations and community groups needing help with IT related projects to volunteer IT professionals.

Read more on South West Forum.

Law Works
LawWorks is a small independent charity which matches volunteer lawyers with opportunities to use their skills for the public good (pro bono). The Choices project is designed to match unemployed lawyers with pro bono activities. The solicitor members are always looking for opportunities to undertake pro bono work.

For more information visit www.lawworksiea.org.uk. In addition, LawWorks offers a brokerage service for small not for profit groups in need of casework assistance from a solicitor. If this is of interest to you please go to Law Works' website.

Alternatively please email Alison Ingram at alison.ingram@lawworks.org.uk

Monitoring & Evaluation Consultancy Service
Do you need to:

Develop a new service/project based on service user needs?
Evaluate your service to ensure needs are met and best possible service is being delivered?
Gather rigorous and reliable information to share with partners and funders?
Draw out relevant data and present in an accessible way?
Develop systems and tools to ensure effective monitoring & evaluation?

Barnardo’s TLC provides a professional and experienced service to support you. Our extensive knowledge of both the voluntary and statutory sectors has been drawn from across Health, Education and Social Care settings and our particular expertise in service user participation. So whether you require a needs assessment, service or project evaluation or more specific research/consultation service, TLC can provide individually tailored support to you. We have the capacity and skills to step in and complete work, on the ground, within short timeframes.

For more information call Jacqui Cuthbert 0117 937 5500 or email: tlcinfosouthwest@barnardos.org.uk

Free Legal Advice about Starting a Charity
Get Legal is a free online reference tool which offers a helping hand for anyone looking to set up a charity, social enterprise or co-operative. It has been developed by NCVO, with support from BWB, to enable organisations and their advisors to access clear information and guidance on the most appropriate legal form and governance structure for delivering their goals.

Find out more at: http://www.getlegal.org.uk/

Emergency Planning in action
Communities in Gloucestershire have used their Emergency Plans in the past months. To find out more, visit the GRCC website.

During the snow in January Weston sub Edge put their plan on standby and instigated their telephone helpline. Requests for prescriptions were collected from the pharmacy by a volunteer with a 4X4 vehicle.
After a traffic accident ruptured a gas main Lechlade opened up their Memorial Hall as a place of safety within 15 minutes, when 150 people needed to be evacuated from their homes at 6.30 am.

These are the sort of practical actions which can be put in place by local communities and pre-planning makes it work that much more smoothly.

All rural parishes in Gloucestershire should have received a copy of the GRCC 'Your Community Emergency Plan Toolkit' which gives a framework to help communities develop a plan.

For more information, please contact Marilyn Cox at GRCC: marilync@grcc.org.uk or ring 01452 528491

Compact Advocacy Advice Line
The advice line run by Compact Advocacy in conjunction with the Public Law Project provides free detailed Compact and legal advice to voluntary organisations on disputes involving public bodies' decisions and failures.

To contact the Advice Line, email evsadvice@ncvo-vol.org.uk or ring 020 7520 3161 from Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm

Helpline for LSC-Funded Providers
Third Sector National Learning Alliance has launched a new telephone support service for third sector organisations to help with the transition from the LSC to the successor agencies.
Are you a third sector organisation currently receiving LSC funding directly or via another LSC provider and:

Have a question about the transition arrangements?
Have a particular issue that you want advice on relating to the new system for managing and funding learning and skills?
Want help to clarify the implications for your organisation of these changes?

Then call 01225 792500 and ask for the TSNLA helpline, or find out more from the South West Forum website.

Small Charities Coalition
The Small Charities Coalition exists to help small charities access the skills, experience and resources they need to achieve their aims. The Coalition is like a voluntary sector matchmaking service, matching small charities with other organisations that have the skills that the small charity lacks.

Visit the website of the Small Charities Coalition for more information.

Help for Community and Social Enterprises improving basic rural services
Would you like to improve the quality of life of people living in your rural community? Do you want to improve the provision of services in your community? Could you help to secure the long term future of an existing service? If you have a project that would help secure or broaden the range of basic services available locally, you could be eligible for funding through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) in South West England.

Read more on the South West Forum website.

Recession Helpline
The council is also committed to supporting residents and businesses through the recession. A recession helpline has been set up to help people find the right professional support and advice. There are two numbers for the helpline - a freephone number (0800 068 8918) and a local rate number (01452 426261), cheaper for people who wish to call from their mobiles.

The helpline is an extension of the successful recession signposting service, which is online at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/recession

KnowHow
KnowHow is a free information resource and online community. The site covers every aspect of running a nonprofit organisation. Content is practical and includes links to many other sources of help. People are increasingly using it as a first port of call to begin their research. The site is also a place where they can ask questions and share their experiences to help others.

Visit the KnowHow site.

Business Link: Update on Regulations
Business Link in the South West has brought together a summary of the regulation changes that have come into force on 1 October.

Visit the Business Link website to learn more.

Legal Advice from LawWorks
LawWorks is a small independent charity which matches volunteer lawyers with opportunities to use their skills for the public good (pro bono). The Choices project is designed to match unemployed lawyers with pro bono activities.

If a VCO has an opportunity for the volunteer solicitors, they can contact Lorna Heselton (lorna.heselton@lawworks.org.uk) with a description of the work to be done, the location, and the hours / days that are required. I can then advertise this on the members only area of the LawWorks Choices website, and the volunteers can then apply for a position.

LawWorks also offer another free legal advice scheme, staffed by qualified lawyers, called Initial Electronic Advice. This is an automated, web-based system, which allows not for profit organisations and advice agencies to submit a short legal query and have this answered by a lawyer via email, completely free of charge.

For more information, and to register to use either scheme, please visit the LawWorks website.

NAVCA Advice on Communications
NAVCA have launched a new webpage on the importance of communications strategies and how NAVCA can help if you are developing a strategy. www.navca.org.uk/localvs/communications

‘Heart of the City’ vision - a step nearer
The vision of a new ‘heart of the city’ development in the centre of Gloucester has moved a step nearer. A shortlist of developers has been invited to come forward with detailed proposals for regenerating the King’s Quarter area of the City. They are being asked to produce a rich and vibrant design for the area around King’s Square, the bus station and surrounding streets.

Their brief is to design and deliver a major new 25,000 sq metre shopping scheme together with housing, leisure and employment uses. The scheme must use high quality materials and is required to be of innovative design and exceptional architectural quality. The scheme is to include new, modern bus facilities, high quality public toilets, attractive and comfortable public spaces connecting through to the railway station and will integrate with the proposed regeneration of King’s Square.

For more information, visit the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company’s website at http://www.gloucesterurc.co.uk/kings.asp

Commissioning and Procurement Advice
Do you know your PQQ from your ITT? If not, you need to contact NAVCA's Local Commissioning and Procurement Unit (LCPU) enquiry service.

BME ebulletin
The fortnightly Voice4Change England (V4CE) e-alert keeps subscribers up to date with the work of V4CE as a policy advocate for the BME Third sector. It contains information, news, policy developments, and funding opportunities specific to organisations working with BME communities.

Download back issues and subscribe from the V4CE website.

New network for service-user controlled organisations
SOLNET is a networking community for organisations controlled by service-users. It allows organisations to share knowledge and experience with other groups in their region.

For more information, visit the SOLNET website at www.solnetwork.org.uk

New CRB Code of Practice
The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has revised its Code of Practice recipients of Disclosure information. The new Code of Practice brings together all of the legislative changes which have come into force since 2001.
The new Code can be downloaded from the CRB website at www.crb.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=5299

South West Religion and Belief Equality Network
If you are interested in Religion or Belief, you are invited to join the South West Religion or Belief Equality Network.

Visit the South West Forum website to find out more.

For more resources, visit www.gavca.org.uk/resources.html

Research, Reports and Publications

Volunteer Rights Inquiry: Results to Date
In November 2009 the Volunteer Rights Inquiry was established by Volunteering England as a response to a number of high profile cases of volunteers being poorly treated by volunteer involving organisations.

In December 2009 the Inquiry commenced a three month evidence gathering exercise that sought input from volunteers, volunteer involving organisations, volunteer managers and many other stakeholders. Inquiry members have been considering the contributions received and are now able to share their thinking in the Volunteer Rights Inquiry Interim report.

Find out more from the Volunteering England website at http://www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Policy/Volunteer+Rights+Inquiry

Gloucestershire E-Learning programmes for Adult Social Care and Support Services
Download the latest programme brochure here (please note, this is a large file).

Latest Criminal Justice Women’s Strategy Team Newsletter Available
Read the latest newsletter from the Department of Justice’s Women’s Strategy Team.

New 'Stepping Up Guide' Available: Planning
Download the latest 'Stepping Up Guide' here, or contact jane.grindey@co-operativefutures.coop if you would like help with your planning processes.

Briefing Sheet on Volunteering
Ladder4learning have produced a briefing sheet on volunteering. This and other volunteering information resources, plus the current edition of the ladder4learning newsletter can be found at: www.ladder4learning.org.uk

Clinks Volunteering Guides
Clinks has also just launched four new volunteering guides that focus on setting up a project; managing volunteers; demonstrating effectiveness; and quality standards.

Download all the guides from www.clinks.org.

Guidance on Equality Impact Assessments
For up-to-date guidance on carrying out Equality Impact Assessments, download a comprehensive pdf from the website of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Defending local grants: resources you can use
NAVCA has produced this publication which cites the resources you can use at local level which will help you to convince councilors, commissioning officers and procurement professionals that grants should continue to be used to fund local organisations and groups.

Download the document from the NAVCA website.

Digital Switchover Information Pack
A new information pack from Digital UK is available from the Digital Switchover team based at The Care Forum. The pack has been designed to help your organisation share information about switchover with a wide range of groups in the community. The packs contain explanatory DVDs, leaflets, posters and bookmarks, as well as CD-ROMs with factsheets for printing out or emailing on.

To order your pack, contact Dildar Singh on digitaloutreach@thecareforum.org.uk or 0117 9654444. There is also up to £500 per event available through the Digital Switchover small grants programme for events which help raise awareness of the coming change.

Defra research published: Benefits of third sector organisations in waste management
Defra has funded three research projects relating to social enterprise and waste management.

The first of these has been published and provides evidence of the wide range of social, economic and environmental benefits that are gained when social enterprises engage in the delivery of waste services. The report is entitled "Benefits of Third Sector Involvement in Waste Management".

This research used an abridged version of Social Return On Investment to understand, measure and report on the social, environmental and economic value that is being created by third sector waste management organisations. The research was carried out on behalf of Defra by Resources for Change and nef (the New Economics Foundation) with strategic input from Resource Futures and Community Environment Associates.

Find out more here: http://www.r4c.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=416

SW Transport Enquiry - Only 6% of regional capital investment going to public transport
The South West Transport Enquiry invited regional stakeholders to answer some of the big questions facing transport in the region. Members heard that the South West has the most congestion of any UK region, the most expensive train fares, the worst access to bus travel and some of the greatest disparity of access to transport facilities.

A key theme was the failure of the most recent Regional Funding Allocation (RFA) to take account of national and regional policy on sustainable transport, health and the transition to a low carbon economy. The RFA prioritises our capital investment in transport.

More information about this enquiry, plus a summary of results from an independent report commissioned by the South West Sustainable Transport Round Table is available on Sustainability South West's November bulletin. (680KB PDF) www.sustainabilitysouthwest.org.uk

New publication from Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)
The JRF have produced a new report examining the impact of the economic downturn on deprived neighbourhoods.

Download the report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website.

Helping Parish and Town Councils Work with Unitary Local Authorities
This short guide has been developed to support county associations of local councils in their work to help parish and town councils engage effectively with principal authorities.

Access the guide on the South West Forum website.

Latest national statistics on Attitudes to Mental Illness
Since March 1993, the Department of Health has surveyed public attitudes towards mental illness. From 1993 to 1997 the questions were asked on an annual basis and then every third year up until 2003. Since 2007 the survey has again been carried out annually. The surveys serve as a benchmark, enabling measurement of whether attitudes are improving or worsening over time.

Visit South West Forum for more information.

Grandparental care: where older people’s poverty and child poverty meet’
In June 2009, Grandparents Plus published ‘The Poor Relation? Grandparental care: where older people’s poverty and child poverty meet’.

Visit South West Forum for more information.

Support for Young Carers
Ofsted have produced a report criticising local authorities in England for failing to properly identify and assess young carers and recommended that children’s caring roles are always taken into account when services are delivered to disabled parents.

Toolkits

Ladder4Learning
Ladder4Learning have recently published a short briefing sheet about the options for distance learning, and learning at your own pace. To find out more, or download the briefing sheet, visit Ladder4Learning.

Stepping Up Guide on Cash Management
A new guide on Cash Management has been published by Stepping Up. Download the guide from the Stepping Up website.

New Toolkits form the Charity Commission
The toolkits provide charities with a clear framework within which to decide whether collaborative working or merging would help them and their beneficiaries. The toolkits use practical tips and case studies to set out the risks, challenges and opportunities that collaborative working and mergers can bring.

Two toolkits are available:

For more information about the work of the Charity Commission, please visit their website.

Free climate change resources for your event
Sustainability South West are offering free resources to support climate change awareness events.

For more information, visit South West Forum.

NAVCA and IDeA guide to Comprehensive Area Assessment
The NAVCA and IDeA guide to Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) is now available online. Inside you'll find straightforward information about what CAA is, how it works in multi-tier local authority areas and how third sector organisations can contribute to it. There's also information on the new public 'duty to consult' and 'duty to involve' and references to other resources for detailed follow-up.

It will be available to order in hard copy later this month but to read it now, voluntary and community organisations can sign up to ILP's Representation, voice & empowerment group on navcaboodle: NAVCA's social network (registration required). Contact NAVCA for more details: www.navca.org.uk

Kite Mark for the Third Sector
South West Forum reports that the Charity Commission has announced its endorsement of the PQASSO Quality Mark - the new ‘kite-mark’ for the third sector.

Organisations that achieve the PQASSO Quality Mark at levels 2 and 3 will be able to use the Charity Commission’s Charity Quality Standards stamp confirming that they are accredited by standards that meet the Hallmarks of an Effective Charity.

For more information on the PQASSO Quality Mark website or visit the South West Forum website.

Programmes

Grundtvig Assistantships Available
Would you like the opportunity to live and work in another European country? If so, and you're currently working within the adult education sector (or intend to in the near future), then applying for a Grundtvig Assistantship may be just the professional development activity you've been looking for.

Current and future adult education staff can spend over 12 weeks and up to 45 weeks in an organisation in another European country gaining practical teaching experience and sharing best practice within the adult education sector. For further details about these and other opportunities, please visit the Grundtvig website.

Ladder4learning
ladder4learning provides a regional workforce development resource for the Community and Voluntary sectors and social enterprises across the South West of England and parts of the South East. The service is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and is managed by The Learning Curve (Charity No. 1090735 Company No. 4324686). The newly rebranded site currently holds somewhere in the region of 1,000 courses with around 800 organisations registered currently as course providers.

ladder4learning is currently concentrating some of its efforts on training needs analysis and has already held one free “Get Skilled” session for VCS leaders. These sessions offer practical tools, access to funding and support to help develop staff and volunteers in the sector. These sessions will now be rolled out. If you are interested in attending a future event please email Joanne@learningcurve.org.uk with “Get Skilled session” in the subject and include your contact details in the email body, we will contact you when new sessions become available.

ladder4learning have also produced a TNA/Skills Audit Portable Resource for Development Workers which collates some of the resources available to support your TNA process. If your work involves supporting groups to carry out training needs assessments and you would like a copy of this please email Emma@learningcurve.org.uk with your contact details.

www.ladder4learning.org.uk
Helpline 01225 792505 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
Email: ladder4learning@learningcurve.org.uk

Futurebuilders launch third sector "match-making" service
Futurebuilders England has launched a new online match-making service for third sector organisations considering working together though merger, collaboration / forming consortia. Organisations are asked to provide details such as what service delivery area they work in, what region they service, and what sort of partner they are looking for.

To visit the merge-maker web page go to:
www.futurebuilders-england.org.uk/what-we-offer/services/merge%11maker

Organisations interested in having their details posted should contact Hannah Grant at Futurebuilders on 0207 927 6356 or hannah.grant@futurebuilders-england.org.uk.

Only Connect Visit Scheme open for applications
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get paid to visit another organisation so you could learn from their experience of public service delivery? That is what you can do if you access the Only Connect scheme through NCVO.

Find out more.

Step up to your Potential with the ladder4learning
ParpParaladder4learning is a project, funded through the Big Lottery Fund, which provides a dedicated helpline and comprehensive website for training and development needs as well as offering impartial, practical advice.

Visit the website at www.ladder4learning.org.uk

Rural groups: Survive and Thrive
Survive and Thrive is a new programme which aims to help existing and aspiring rural social and community enterprises build a better business, make more money and achieve better social and environmental impacts. There are a series of events planned for rural groups in the South West and participation and travel costs are supported.

Find out more by visiting www.thrivingenterprises.net/ or contact Diana Moore, DTA regional manager on 01392 824266 or email d.moore@dta.org.uk

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