NVSC - Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium
March 15, 2007
NVSC Annual General Meeting
NVSC are set to hold their AGM on March 27th at Durning Hall. At our AGM, we will be looking to elect people on to our Board. NVSC has a Board of 12, and as stated in our Constitution, these 12 are made up of 3 Local Infrastructure Organisations, 3 Voluntary, 3 Community and 3 Faith sector organisations.
We have vacancies for reps from the following organisation:
• 3 Local Infrastructure
• 2 Community
• 1 Voluntary
If you are interested in standing for one of the vacancies then please contact Saifur Valli on 020 8519 9500 who will then send you an application form.
The Board meetings for NVSC are held every six weeks, normally during the day.
If you would like further information or have any questions please contact Sarah Ruiz on 020 8522 5352
The Compact Implementation Group is now up and running
The Compact Implementation Group is now up and running and working really well.
We have set ourselves an ambitious work programme but are confident that it can be achieved.
To date we have agreed a disputes process that enables groups to use external mediation to resolve disagreements that they may have with statutory authorities.
Work has also started on developing a Consultation Toolkit for partners to use. We hope befor long that there will be Compact Champions in all Council departments, across Health services and in the local police service.
If any organisation would like to receive a presentation on what the Compact is and how you can best use it please contact Sarah Ruiz - Sarah@nvsc.org.uk. Sarah will then arrange for someone from the Compact Implementation Group to visit your workplace.
We are also very keen to ensure that all groups working in Newham sign up to the Compact, you can download a simple form from the website. It is really important that the Compact is supported by the sectors.
We have spent 3 years negotiating on your behalf to ensure that the Compact is what you want. Now you need to sign up to it!! The more groups we have signing up the more potent the document.
A further development is an on line discussion forum. Our hope is that we can encourage groups to share issues which they have and hopefully look at solutions based on sharing experiences.
To participate visit newhamcompact.org.uk/am
For full information on the Newham Compact please visit newhamcompact.org.uk
Profile - Roma Support Group
Roma Support Group (RSG) is a community organisation working with and for East European Roma refugees and migrants in Newham. We are a registered charity and company limited by guarantee which has worked with the Roma community since the first wave of Roma people fleeing persecution in East Europe settled in Newham in 1998.
The majority of our clients in Newham are Polish Roma, although we work with families from all 8 countries (mainly Slovakia, Czech Republic, Lithuania) as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Albania. At present we provides services to some 500 Roma families, who permanently reside in Newham.
RSG are a distinct ethnic group descended from migrants who left north-west India in the first millennium, settling in most parts of Europe by the 16th century. There are an estimated 8 million Roma across Europe, making them the EU's largest ethnic minority. Roma people have faced persecution and discrimination since their arrival in Europe, culminating in the Nazi holocaust during which up to 500,000 were murdered.
While Communism officially recognised no ethnic minorities, in practice Roma were treated as second-class citizens. Roma children were isolated from their non-Roma peers and taught a curriculum intended for children with learning disabilities. This segregation persists today, and in some Central and Eastern European countries more than half of Roma children are educated in "special schools."
RSG delivers many services to serve the needs of the Roma community in Newham. Since 2000, our Advice and Advocacy service has been at the heart of our work in Newham. Over the years we have been working from many different venues, including the Froud Community Centre, Harold Road Centre, Mansfield House and the Junction in Canning Town. We provide advice and representation on a range of different issues, such as employability, debt management, welfare rights, access to housing, health and education. The service was awarded with the Quality Mark in 2002.
Our work also focuses on Roma children and youth. Sport activities, such as football, indoor sports and fitness training attract many Roma children and their non-Roma friends. Their enthusiasm can be seen through achievements such as taking part in the National Final in BBC "Your Game" football competition as the Men's Fairplay Winners for London at St. James' Park Stadium in Newcastle last year.
One of the most well known aspects of the RSG's work is the Romani Rad cultural project and other traditional Roma dance and music groups, who act as cultural ambassadors for the Roma community in London. They perform regularly on many high profile British stages and festivals, including Womad, Romafest, Respect Festival, etc. The RSG also published a CD with traditional Roma music and songs, entitled Journey.
The enthusiasm and creativity of Roma children and youth, who want to share their culture with others, shines through our publication, Colours of Hope: Little Book by Roma children for everybody and DVD entitled Be Roma or Die Tryin'. Both are distributed amongst the schools in Newham, where the need for more information about Roma culture and history is particularly acute due to very high numbers of Roma children in the borough.
We are addressing this need by delivering Roma Culture Workshops in schools, which aim to enhance the understanding of Roma culture amongst school age children and teachers.
Our partnership with Early Start Little Ilford and Newham College of Further Education resulted in providing highly successful ESOL classes for Roma adults in Newham.
For more information on Roma Support Group, visit:
romasupportgroup.org.uk or call us on 07949 089778
Funding news
CONNECTING COMMUNITIES PLUS
The Connecting Communities Plus grants programme (running from April 2006 to March 2009), provides funding for activities which encourage race equality and community cohesion. Up to £1 million has been made available in the second round of the grants programme's Community Grants which are open to applications from 12 December 2006 till 29 March 2007.
These grants (up to £12,000 per organisation) will aim to support smaller community organisations in their work to increase race equality and community cohesion. They will also be open to local community organisations seeking funding to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the passage of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade.
For more information, visit www.cdf.org.uk
THE PEOPLES MILLIONS
The People's Millions is an exciting partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV in which viewers vote for the project they want to receive funding. We have made 139 grants of up to £50,000 since the competition launched in 2005, but this year it will be even bigger and better.
This time round organisations will be able to apply for grants of up to £80,000 plus VAT. In previous years we have been looking for projects across the UK that help communities to transform their local environments by improving green spaces, buildings and amenities. We still want to fund great projects like these, but this year we are also looking for projects that help people to use and enjoy their local environments. The programme will be open to voluntary and community groups, local authorities, schools and health organisations. The TV voting will take place towards the end of November 2007.
Application forms will be available from 13 March 2007 and the deadline for submitting them is 17 May 2007.
Last year's winners
In 2006 Big Lottery Fund awarded more than £4.6 million through the People's Millions programme to a 86 projects across the UK, taking the total awarded so far to just over £7 million. Projects funded in 2006 included a skate park, a community garden, children's play facilities, a climbing boulder, a therapy centre, a community garden and even a baby café bus - a mobile drop in facility for new or expectant mums.
There is a lot of public interest in the programme, with projects featured in 'The Mirror' and numerous regional or local papers as well as on TV. Competing projects were showcased on ITN regional news in November - and received twice as many votes as the previous year!
For more details visit: biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_peoples_millions
Sector news
Voluntary
Following the success of the 2005 Funding Fair, a decision was made to hold another Fair in 2006. The day dawned bright and early for the organisers, London Borough of Newham, NVSC and of course the exhibitors. The exhibitors included Local and National Funders including The Big Lottery Fund, Bridge House Trust, Volunteer Network Centre, Newham Volunteers and Black and Ethnic Minority Community Care Forum…to name but a few.
'The trainer was very knowledgable'
Taking into account the feedback from attendees at last years Fair, the programme for the day was kept simple with a handful of key presentations and workshops. These included information on the London Borough of Newham's Grants to Commissioning Process, the Go for It Grants and a wonderfully well received seminar run by Luke Fitzherbert from the Directory of Social Change on the Big Lottery Fund's Reaching Communities Programme. Many of the sessions were full throughout the day with over 100 people attending the event without actually booking, making a total of over 250 attendee's.
'Good opportunity for people to find out more about what we do'
Each attendee was asked to complete an evaluation form, answering questions about the event. 55% of those in attendance said the event was very useful. 63% of attendee’s felt that the information was relevant and 55% liked the presentations to some extent. 100% of those individuals that used the Grantfinder Programme were satisfied with the outcomes and many have since contacted NVSC to use the programme again to refine their search.
Overall the event was a roaring success, many felt that similar events should be held regularly throughout the year and that it was a useful exercise meeting face to face with funders.
However, it is with immense sadness that I have to finish this article with the news that Luke FitzHerbert, who many of you will know from the funding fair and his work within the sector, was tragically killed in a road accident on Sunday January 7th 2007 and his wife Kay was badly injured. There is to be an inquest.
The DSC has provided a space on their website for those who would like to remember Luke and share their thoughts and memories. When the immediate formalities have been dealt with, arrangements will be made for a memorial event, details of which will be posted on the site.
Faith
Women in Newham Together
These events are open to all women regardless of faith, culture, language, nationality, or ethnicity, to access information, advice and support on a wide range of important issues. Common issues and interests include healthy eating, exercise, parenting, child safety, domestic violence, substance misuse, crime, teenage pregnancy, amongst many more.
We would like to invite your organisation to attend as many of the three events being held as possible, to staff a stall or/and to hold a small workshop.
Wednesday 7 March @ St. Bartholomew’s Church Community Centre, Barking Road, East Ham E6 from 10am - 3pm
Thursday 15 March @ The Froud Centre, Romford Rd, Manor Park E12 from 10am - 3pm
Monday 19 March @ St Mark’s Community Centre, Tollgate Road, Beckton E6 5YA from 10am - 3pm
For more information, please contact Becci Fryatt on 020 8522 5356 or email becci@nvsc.org.uk
LSP Update
Grants to Commisioning - update
The past few months have been even more stressful than normal, and instead of groups waiting to see if their application has been successful, projects have been waiting for news of progress on the shift from grants to commissioning.
The uncertainty has not been helped by the lack of clear information, readily available. I am sure this was not the intention but circumstances have meant that without any information we tend to make up our own!!
I believe that fairly soon the process, with a clear timetable, will be available. I hope that the Council will have taken account of the numerous submissions received during the Consultation period. Currently we have no indication of the areas to be commissioned, the money available or the timetable.
However what we do know is that the criteria for who can submit a bid is unlikely to change. So we know that, for example, having a quality assurance system either in place or being worked towards is likely to play a major part in the awarding of your contract.
NVSC would advise all projects who are thinking of submitting an expression of interest to go through the check list in order that they can at least start preparing the documentation that will be needed.
You can download this information - details below. NVSC are also running some training on procurement and full cost recovery - details of which can be found on the ChangeUp news in this newsletter or on www.newhamchangeup.info
I am sure that you will agree that it is far better to get this right than to rush ahead and get it wrong. I hope that when we eventually receive the full information we can see the changes that so many people asked for and that the process and the outcomes will provide a more positive relationship, one that meets the needs of the communities in Newham.
Full details and information you can either go to the Councils website at www.newham.gov.uk. click Community and Living tab - Grants - Council Funding.
Or you could phone Stephen Collins on 020 8430 2433 or
e-mail him at: Stephen.collins@newham.gov.uk
Elections to the Local Strategic Partnership
The Children and Young People's Local Area Partnership Board is the latest addition to the LSP family.
NVSC is now inviting nominations from Voluntary, Community and Faith organisations for the sectors representatives on this Board.
We are looking for 4 representatives, 2 of whom will deputise for the main reps. We have agreed that there will be 2 representing children's services and 2 representing Young People's services.
You will need to be a service provider, be able to attend day time meetings of the Board, and be confident to represent the views of the sector. In order to do this you will need to attend meetings with the C&YP service providers who meet on a regular basis.
If you are interested then please send a short statement, outlining your experience, what you could offer in this role and why you think you could represent the sector.
Please also state whether you wish to be the representative or the Deputy or if you would be happy to be either. Statements should be sent to
Sarah Ruiz - Sarah@nvsc.org.uk. By no later than midday on the 23rd of March.
If necessary we will hold elections for these positions.
If you would like any further information then please give Sarah a call on 020 8519 9500.
ChangeUp
Over the past month, the ChangeUp partners have been working on developing programmes of support to the Voluntary, Community and Faith (VCF) sector in 'Moving from grants to commissioning and procurement'.
As most of you will know, many local authorities, including the London Borough of Newham, are moving away from traditional grant funding to contracting with voluntary, community and faith organisations. For those of you who have so far solely been in receipt of grant funding, this can be a complex and difficult process.
Preliminary research to identify potential support needs, undertaken by Amy White, Aston Mansfield, based on work carried out by the Community Involvement Unit, shows that the most common areas organisations wanted to improve were:
• Financial controls, accounting procedures and fundraising strategies.
• Adequate and up to date staff and volunteer polices and handbooks
• Quality assurance.
• Recruitment of management committee members, including induction and
appraisal systems, roles and responsibilities and skills audits.
• Business planning.
• Recruitment & retention of staff and volunteers, incl. contracts & task descriptions.
• Marketing and PR strategies.
To see the full report and other information on commissioning, see www.newhamchangeup.info , click on 'Commissioning and Procurement'. We are interested to hear from you what you see as potential barriers for your organisation in participating in the commissioning and procurement agenda - please get in touch with Renate Ruether-Greaves to discuss any issues you may have.
Find out about quality systems for your organisation
One identified prerequisite for tendering for work are for organisations to have quality systems in place. To help organizations choose the best system for them, the Newham ChangeUp Partnership is running the following event:
'Choosing a Quality System'
Fri 27 April ‘07, 9.45 - 16.30 hrs.
St. Johns Church, Stratford E15
The course will give you an overview of quality systems and the different quality standards and models available: such as EFQM Excellence Model, Investors in People, PQASSO, The Charter Mark, CLS Quality Mark and in-depth explanation of each, who should use them, their costs and benefits and how to implement them.
Do you want to develop specialist skills & knowledge in Full Cost Recovery?
Leading funders and Local Authorities are in the process of adopting the principles of Full Cost Recovery and are encouraging organizations to submit bids using full cost recovery principle.
'Full Cost Recovery (FCR) Training Day'
Thurs, 3rd May 2007, 10.00 - 15.00 hrs.
Luke's Community Centre, 89 Tarling Road, London, E16 1HN
The course will give you the knowledge, skills and tools to implement FCR in your organisation, and includes a guide and toolkit on cost allocation.
For full detail of these courses, see www.newhamchangeup.info and click 'diary' and go to the relevant dates.
Both courses are free, but places are limited and you will need to book. If you are interested in attending, please contact Renate at NVSC on 020 8519 9500 or e-mail renate@nvsc.org.uk If there is sufficient interest, we will arrange for further courses.
Additional information and supporting documentation for all the above areas of work are accessible through the ChangeUp website.
For more info , contact Renate Ruether-Greaves, ChangeUp Co-ordinator, NVSC.
Charities Act 2006
It was recently announced that the Charities Bill has received Royal Assent following the completion of its passage through Parliament. This means that the Bill has become the Charities Act 2006 and is law.
The Charities Act 2006 provides a modern framework under which charities in England and Wales will operate. Certain provisions also extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Act will reform charity law and regulation to:
• enable charities to administer themselves more efficiently and be more effective;
• improve the regulation of charity fundraising, and reduce regulation on the sector - especially for smaller charities;
• provide a clear definition of charity with an emphasis on public benefit;
• modernise the Charity Commission's functions and powers as regulator, increase its accountability, and preserve its independence from Ministers.
The Act will be implemented in stages. The first provisions will begin to come into force in early 2007 and the whole process of implementation is expected to take between 18 and 24 months. The Cabinet Office for the Third Sector will shortly be publishing a timetable for implementation.
For more information visit
cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Community Centre Managers Forum
Aston Mansfield - Community Involvement Unit has helped to set up a new Forum that brings together voluntary sector managers and coordinators of Community Centres in Newham. The group meets to share knowledge, experience and good practice. The group also runs an e-mail discussion forum which provides a really good support mechanism.
If you work in a voluntary sector managed Community Centre and would like to join the Forum, please contact Kevin Blowe on 020 8536 3825 or e-mail kevin.blowe@aston-mansfield.org.uk.
Free, easy and simple fundraiser for your organisation
FoneAid is a fantastic fundraising initiative, which will help you raise money for anything that your voluntary organisation needs without costing you a penny. The concept of FoneAid is very simple, but it delivers big rewards for any volunteers looking to raise money. All you need to do is collect mobile phones of any age and condition and in return you’ll receive £3.00 per phone. On top of this, FoneAid donate £100.00 of vouchers for every 100 phones collected, so making money for your organisation couldn’t be easier.
The campaign has already been endorsed by The Irish FA and Macclesfield Town Football Club and others look set to follow. Jef Tyler, Sales Manager at MTFC said; “We are delighted to have joined FoneAid to raise money for the club. It is a fantastic joint venture that we would recommend to any organisation as a way of raising funds by getting the community and supporters to hand in unwanted mobile phones of any age and condition. FoneAid have been very successful in implementing this venture and Macclesfield Town are delighted to be the first of many organisations to participate”
FoneAid guarantee that every phone is either reused in developing countries or recycled. In addition 100% of the phones collected are diverted from landfill sites where they can cause serious environmental problems. The campaign is completely free to participate in, as FoneAid provide all the promotional material and even courier the phones back to the warehouse at the end of the campaign.
Simply register your organisations at foneaid.org.uk or call 01625 667 867. For further information please contact:Gemma Bullivent, PR & Marketing Co-ordinator, Fones4Schools.
Tel: 01625 665 787 Email: gemma.bullivent@fones4schools.co.uk
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