NVSC - Newham Voluntary Sector Consortium
August 30, 2007
LSP Review
Over the past 8 months the LSP has been reviewing its structures. The review was carried out by the Warwick Business School. Warwick conducted a series of telephone interviews with key members of the LSP family - these were fairly lengthy interviews and I think involved a real cross section of the community.
In June they presented their findings, again to a cross section of the LSP family. A number of questions were raised and assurances given that before any changes were made, the officers of the LSP would ensure that, at the very least, each of the Local Area Partnership Boards would be consulted.
On the 20th July the LSP Executive agreed the revised structure - there had been no further consultation.
There are major changes - and all affect the Voluntary, Faith and Community Sectors. I think that it is fair to say that the level of involvement by the sectors has been greatly reduced - and at a time when the Government is quite clearly expecting greater involvement by the sector as indicated in the Third Sector Review - it is clear from this revised structure that the message has been lost somewhere in transit to Newham.
So what are the changes?
The LSP will now be known as the Newham Partnership. The Executive Board will no longer exist and along with the Civic Partnership will be replaced by the Newham Partnership Board (NPB) This Board will have 37 members - 21 of which will be elected members of the Council appointed by the Mayor. The Sectors will have 4 representatives - one from Faith, one from the CEN and 2 large Voluntary Sector organisations. There is at the moment a slight impasse on the Voluntary Sector. The Mayor assumes that he can select and NVSC are quite clear that the 2 representatives from the Voluntary Sector will be elected by the sector.
It is also NVSC's view that the creation of the NPB is a bit of a déjà vu moment. The Civic Partnership was originally set up to carry out the functions now proposed to be carried out by the NBP. The Executive Board was created because the Civic Partnership was too unwieldy i.e. couldn't be controlled.
Only time will tell whether the Executive Board will be resurrected. NVSC supported the move to disband the Civic Partnership in the hope that whatever replaced it would be more democratic. NVSC is also very concerned that the NPB lacks diversity - a Board that is made up with a majority of white men is hardly representative of the Borough.
The Community Board, which brings together the 9 Community Forum Chairs plus the respective Lead Members, and the Community Forum representatives on the Civic Partnership, have been deleted to be replaced by a once a year event. If that was not bad enough, the Steering Groups of each of the Community Forums have also been deleted and replaced with Active Community Teams which will be lead by the Lead Councillor. It remains to be seen just how effective these "teams" will be, but it will very much depend on the competency of the Lead Member. It is fair to state that the Community Forums and the Steering Groups were totally unaware that these changes were about to happen. After years of work and some 6, well funded, years of NRF money - the Community Forums which had in the main become yet another Council controlled community participation exercise, will now become even more Council controlled. I wonder how the LSP are going to explain their decision?
The LAPB's will continue to exist and will be answerable to the Newham Partnership Board - this is just a slight change as they were responsible to the
LSP Executive Board. Currently each LAPB elects or selects its own Chair, in future the Chairs and Vice Chairs will be appointed by the NPB. We can hopefully look forward to increased participation on all the LAPB's by the Third Sector.
The only positive action recommended by the Warwick Report that directly effects the sectors has been ignored by the Council. The key findings of the report have almost all been addressed - on paper at least. In a key area for improvement - further debate is needed about the effective engagement of the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sectors - the suggested way forward is to pass the responsibility to the Newham Compact. There is clearly a total lack of understanding of what the Compact is.
NVSC has made representation to the Council and hopes that a positive way forward can be achieved. We wrote to the Council on the 25th July and have so far only received a holding response. In 2009 the Government have stated that the Third Sector will become an important and vital part of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment. Newham have got less than 2 years to get it right.
Sarah Ruiz
NVSC Director
Grants to Commissioning - August 07
What does Commissioning Mean for the 3rd Sector?
As Head of Culture and Tourism for Newham Council, I have recently taken ever responsibility for the management of the council's main grant programme. Following discussions with some 3rd sector organisations it became apparent that not all organisations were aware of the council's change from a grant funding programme to a programme based on commissioning, and what this would mean. I am also aware that following the initial consultation with you in 2006, we had not fed back the comments and how they would be incorporated into the commissioning process.
By the end of December 2006 we had received 28 written responses to the consultation from local organisations, including one from an organisation responding on behalf of 43 others. Many of the comments welcomed the move to full cost recovery, but there were also a number of concerns. These cover a wide range of areas, including recommendations on the areas for commissioning and length of contracts. There were also concerns about the capacity of organisations and the need to ensure that sufficient funding was available to resource consortium bidding and to ensure the process is in line with Compact principles. We are planning to hold a further event in the coming month to provide you with details on how these concerns have been addressed and also to give you support and guidance, through workshops with officers, on the commissioning process.
As a Council we are committed to working with the sector, to understanding issues and working in partnership with infrastructure organisations to further develop and support the sector, and trust that the transition to commissioning will be part of this ongoing process of development.
I accept we may not also get this right first time, but over the coming months we are committed to involving as many 3rd sector organisations as possible to ensure we are open and transparent in our work.
Grant Aitken
Head of Culture and Tourism
News in brief - August 07
WORKING TOGETHER TO SUPPORT DISABLED PARENTS
This new guide explains how adults and children’s services, along with other agencies, can develop local joint-working protocols to improve services for disabled parents (including those with physical, sensory or learning disabilities, as well as those with mental health or substance misuse problems or serious illnesses). It outlines each step services must take to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate a local joint-working protocol and includes principles of good
practice, policy and legislative framework and examples of case studies.
Download the full report from:
www.scie.org.uk/publications/resourceguides/rg09/files/rg09.pdf
YOGA @ THE HUB
Every Mondays for 8 weeks from
3rd Sept to 22 Oct 2007
12.00pm - 1.00pm
The Hub 123 Star Lane
Canning Town, London E16
Yoga is a combination of breathing techniques, stretch, workout, relaxation
and meditation. These classes are open to all abilities What does it do?
• It improves general fitness
• It gives greater focus
• It calms, refreshes & soothes the mind and the body
Cost: Waged Unwaged
per session £3 £2
for 8 weeks £20 £12
Want to help organise future courses at The Hub? then please contact
healthy.hub.club@gmail.com or Tel. 07761 770 997
EKTA PROJECT - JOB VACANCY
Post of: Outreach Worker
Hours: 12 1/2 per week
Salary: £10 per hour plus 5% pension
You will need:
• Experience of working with Older People from Asian community
• Awareness of Elder Abuse
• Ability to speak a community language
• Facilitate Elder Abuse Awareness Training
• Organise outreach sessions with Asian Older People's groups on Elder Abuse
Awareness
• Excellent communication skills to work with wide variety of people
• Excellent planning, administration and I.T. skills
To request an application, contact Ekta Project on 020 8514 5221
WHEAT MENTOR SUPPORT TRUST
Wheat Mentor Support Trust has now moved. The new address is:
St. Mark's Community Centre
218 Tollgate Road
Beckton
London E6 5YA
Tel. 020 7476 4588
VOLUNTEER NETWORK CENTRE
Volunteer Network Centre has now moved to. The new address is:
Emmanuel Parish Church
Romford Road
Forest Gate
London E7 8BD
Tel 020 8536 1937
ChangeUp - August 07
Report 'Are you ready for Commissioning?
Through funding from ChangeUp, Aston-Mansfield, NVSC and The Renewal
Programme have prepared the report with the aim to find out to what extent:
• voluntary community and faith sector organisations are informed and prepared for the change from grants to commissioning
• the level of confidence they have in their ability to participate and
• their perceptions of the degree of understanding statutory bodies have about the obstacles that might prevent them from delivering public services.
To see the full report, please go to www.newhamchangeup.info/Commissioning+Report
The research specifically highlights areas organisations will need to implement and improve on in order to meet the proposed eligibility criteria. Below are some recommendations:
• Newham Voluntary, Community and Faith organisations are given basic training on the concept and culture of commissioning so that they fully understand how it works and what is involved.
• Case studies and examples are used to show the processes involved and to high light examples of where it was successful and unsuccessful.
• Training is provided on the idea and principles of partnership working.
• Capacity building training offered by local infrastructure organisations to address the gaps in development that represent an obstacle to organisations
participating in commissioning.
• Specific training to be made available, in partnership between London Borough of Newham and local infrastructure organisation, that looks at the monitoring requirements of any organisation wishing to consider delivering public services in the future.
Whilst the research is not conclusive, it shows up important issues that will need to be addressed: by frontline organisations making the necessary commitment to meet the criteria set by commissioners, by supporting organisations providing coordinated support and by LBN working with the sector to enable VCF organisations to effectively participate in the commissioning process.
The importance of quality systems. The research shows that:
• 58% of the respondents do not have or are not working towards accreditation under a nationally recognised quality standards system,
• 32% are partially meeting this requirement.
• Only 11% have a nationally recognised quality system.
Over the past year, we held quality systems training events to help groups to choose. We have now set up a library with documentation on a range of quality systems, based at Aston Mansfield CIU. ChangeUp partners are also providing one2one support sessions to help you work towards obtaining a recognised quality system. Please contact Kevin Blowe of Aston Mansfield on 020 8519 2244; Sahdia Warraich of BEMCCF on 020 7473 9516 or Ali Ahmed of NVSC on 020 8522 5354 for an appointment and for further information.
The research also highlighted that - 78% had fears about the process of tendering for a contract. The ChangeUp Partnership will aim to work together with Newham Council to provide information and briefing events to create a better understanding of how tendering will work in Newham and how groups can fully participate. We will also be working to provide support to help VCF organisations in tendering and will in particular focus on developing tendering partnerships.
For more information, please contact Renate Ruether-Greaves on 020 8522 5359 or email renate@nvsc.org.uk
Profile: OMEGA Community Living
Omega Community Living is a charity located in Plaistow E13. Omega Community Living (OCL) works to counter the negative effects of social exclusion and deprivation experienced by mental health support needs. OCL achieves its objectives by providing access to rehabilitative interventions, and community support services. Our target group have mental health needs. They are considered to be vulnerable i.e. 'one whose life chances maybe compromised or who is at risk of social exclusion'. The target group experience poor mental health; poor physical health; risk taking behaviour; vulnerability; social exclusion; hopelessness; reduced job opportunities; exposure to a wide range of dangers and stress; increased dependence on support and crisis intervention services; low self confidence; low self esteem and low expectation and aspiration levels.
The overall aim of our project is to provide support to people suffering from mental health illness and those that are going through rehabilitation. We provide activities designed to improve the personal independence of people from our target group and support them play a more active role in their family and the wider community.
OCL provides a joint service that facilitates rehabilitative interventions and enables service-users to begin to redress the causes of poor mental health and hopelessness, whilst simultaneously addressing their need for financial independence and preparation for a productive life.
OCL works closely with the statutory sector and other organisations to achieve meaningful outcome for our service users.
Accredited OCR, LOCN, Health & Social Care training and development opportunities provided to give our service-users more chances in life. These include:
ICT - How to use a computer, internet, email and learning Microsoft Word and Excel and how to use a digital camera and video camera.
LITERACY & NUMERACY - To compliment the ICT activities, we provide weekly sessions on improving their writing skills and use of numbers.
LEISURE - To compliment the above we provide outdoor group activities. Many of our service-users experience isolation and tend not to go outdoors due to lack of confidence and fear. We have developed some innovative techniques that build the confidence of people with mental health needs in structured learning sessions (as above). This learning is then transferred to outdoor activities during which they continue to apply what they previously learnt.
Much of the work we do also supports family relationships where there is difficulties caused by impaired mental health. They are supported with ADVOCACY AND COUNSELLING as they take part in the activities provided by OMEGA Community Living. Individuals receive advocacy and counselling by qualified and experienced counsellors. It is often the case that our service-users just need someone to talk to someone who is able to listen. The provision of these services gives users the confidence to speak up about issues affecting their personal development and barriers to improving their chances in life.
Our project provides new opportunities for our users to progress further by going on WORK PLACEMENTS or becoming a VOLUNTEER.
This provides them with the opportunity to further develop their skills and confidence they have gained at the first phase of the project and to contribute back to the wider community as they start to play a more active role in society.
We also provide semi independent Unit and respite care holidays.
The project will span East and South London and a project office will be situated in Croydon.
For more information, please contact Gloria Awosika on 020 7476 7876 or email: gloria@omegacommunityliving.org.uk
Omega Community Living
Race Equality in Newham
478 Barking Road,
Plaistow London E13 8QB
www.omegacommunityliving.org.uk
Events & Training Diary - August
QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR ADVICE AGENCIES
4th & 12th September 2007
9.30am - 4.30pm
Stratford Advice Arcade
107-109 The Grove
Stratford E15 1HP
This two day course has been designed to provide an overview of current quality assurance systems for advice services. It is aimed at staff or management committee members who want to learn more about quality standards and are aiming to achieve an external standard soon.
Some of the quality standards the course will cover include:
The Legal Services Commissions’s Community Legal Quality Mark, The Office of the Immigration Services (OISC’s) regulation of immigration advisors, MATRIX, the nationally accredited quality framework for the delivery of information and QASRO (for refugee organisations).
To book a place, please contact Manjit Notta on 020 7474 3176 or email manjit.notta@bemccf.org.uk
WHAT IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE?
13 & 14 September 2007
NVSC
Social enterprise is not new and is expanding sector; according to NCVO the not-for-profit sector now generates £12.8bn. Over the past ten years trading income in the sector has risen by nearly 15% and voluntary income has fallen by around 2% over the same period. Total sector income in 2003/04 was over £26bn, of this, nearly 40% of the sectors income is derived from the public sector and the recent Third Sector Review (2007) is preparing the ground for movement towards a contract culture, consideration of social enterprise is timely and important for the voluntary sector.
Social enterprise is not about abandoning the sectors traditional practices to become a business. It is essentially about considering the options and increased sustainability offered by an additional income.
To get a practical and understandable view on how social enterprise may benefit your organisation, we warmly invite you to attend our workshop ‘What is Social Enterprise’.
Social Enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives, whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.
Who would benefit from the course?This course is for VCF organisations who are interested in learning more of about Social Enterprise.
If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact Ali Ahmed on 020 8522 5358 or email ali@nvsc.org.uk
This course is free for participants, however each participant MUST pay £25 which is fully
refundable on full attendance.
Sector News - August 07
Future role of the Third Sector in social & economic regeneration
Following a wide consultation, the Government published its long awaited review of the future role of the third sector. The review sets out a strategy which seeks to encourage future work between the government and the third sector organisations over the next 10yrs to promote social and economic regeneration.
The review was carried out by the Office of the Third Sector and HM Treasury's Charity and Third Sector Finance Unit. It followed the Government's largest ever consultation with the third sector and built on previous investments in third
sector organisations.
New Funds
The recently established Office for the Third Sector (OTS) would lead this Initiative. The key theme of the review is the promotion of partnerships between the government and the sectors. Most of the measures will be led by the OTS who will invest more than £515 million in Third Sector programmes.
The report also outlines plans to ensure a stronger voice for the sector and strengthen the communities and transform public services. To give a voice to the Third Sector organisations The Government will give Third Sector organisations more of a voice and ensure that the organisations are able to speak out and represent their communities, without the fear or threats of grant withdrawal. The Government will develop innovative approaches on consultation, work to protect the rights of organisations to campaign and mechanisms to ensure ministers hear the views of Third Sector organisations on policy.
Strengthening communities
The Government will also work with Third Sector organisations to bring people from different backgrounds together and improve life in their communities, thus generating a more cohesive community. The Government will invest £50 million in endowments for community foundations to make sure they can provide grants in the future. £10 million of new investment will be made to community anchor organisations and enterprise development. In addition, the Government will also provide £117 million of new resources for youth volunteering.
Transforming public services
The report acknowledges the vital role of some organisations in helping to deliver public services and contains a commitment to improve public services by fully drawing on the understanding and experience of the sector in designing,
developing and delivering services. The Government will build the capacity of Third Sector organisations to improve public services. It is intended that this is carried out though the Future Builders, which provides loans and grants to organisations looking to deliver services and work to build the evidence on
opportunities for the Third Sector.
Encouraging social enterpriseThe Government will encourage Social Enterprises with social and environmental aims. The Government will promote awareness of the social enterprise business model and support its departments to investigate areas for social enterprise delivery, including getting social enterprise into the Key Stages of the curriculum framework from 2008. Supporting the conditions for a thriving Third Sector.
Finally, the Government aims to improve the environment of all Third Sector organisations work. To achieve this, it will start to improve funding arrangements and make 3 year funding a formality and create a new national research centre as part of a programme to build the Third Sector evidence base which implements a new skills strategy.
There will also be an investment of over £85 million of new resources in developing Third Sector infrastructure through the Capacity Builders agency and continue to focus on the Compact as a means to build positive relationships
between the Third Sector and all levels of Government.
If you would like the full report which gives details of all the proposals, please see:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/documents/review/ots_review.pdf
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/documents/review/ots_guide.pdf
If you need support in understanding the paper, contact Ali Ahmed on
020 8519 9500 or email ali@nvsc.org.uk
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