Big Society Policy Resource {26 Aug 2010}  
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As developments around Big Society continue, VSNW’s Big Civil Society policy resource will continue to summarise the latest key announcements and thinking for the sector.
(Sourced from VSNW Bulletin 28)
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Big Society Policy Resource Localism and the BME Third Sector {26 Aug 2010}
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One North West has produced a short briefing, Big Society, Localism and the BME Third Sector, raising concerns that the shift of power from Westminster to local people might impact disproportionately on the BME sector and communities throughout the North West.
(Sourced from VSNW Bulletin 28)
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Consultation on the new Regional Growth Fund {26 Aug 2010}
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The government is consulting on the new £1 billion Regional Growth Fund which will provide support for projects that offer significant potential for sustainable economic growth and can create new private sector employment.
(Sourced from VSNW Bulletin 28)
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Policing in the 21st century {24 Aug 2010}
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Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting Police and the People sets out the government's vision for policing, including a greater role for members of the public in cutting crime. The deadline for responses to the consultation is 20 September.
(Sourced from VSNW Bulletin 28)
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Take action NOW to support government presence in the regions {24 Aug 2010}
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Voluntary Sector North West is asking organisations to sign their petition to ask government to halt its decision to close regional government offices until it has carried out a full consultation with stakeholders in order to identify which elements of Government Offices' work are vital to the decentralisation of power from Westminster.
(Sourced from VSNW Bulletin 28)
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Third Sector asked for 'more for less' ideas {24 Aug 2010}
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According to VSNW the government is now asking third sector organisations
for cost-saving suggestions
on how to improve or provide frontline services in new ways. In the context of
the current and forthcoming programmes of large-scale cuts, contributors may
wish to emphasise service improvement and innovation
ideas.
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The DORIC Partnership {19 Aug 2010}
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The DORIC (Data Observatory and Research and Intelligence Collaborative) Partnership brings
together the Councils, Primary Care Trusts, Police and Fire & Rescue Services in the Cheshire,
Halton and Warrington areas to make information about people and places easier to access.
June saw the launch of the Phase 1 Data Observatory website, bringing together
online information sources that people find useful for a variety of purposes in
employment, research, advocacy or education.
For example, users such as public sector managers, researchers, community
groups, business and the public can now access authoritative information about local population
and communities, crime, health, the economy and much more. Performance information for
public service providers is also accessible through the observatory, as are the results of public
opinion surveys about local services.
For more information and to see how DORIC can help you go to:
http://www.doriconline.org.uk or
contact Claire Irving on 01244 977567 or e-mail:
claire.irving@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
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Communities and Local Government – Structural Reform Plan {27 Jul 2010}
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This new action plan marks a radical
shift of power from Whitehall to local councils and communities that will make
the Big Society part of every day life. The plan sets out a new 18 month
programme for the department that will deliver radical decentralising and
transparency reforms that put citizens and councils in control of their
communities.
The main priority of the plan is –
‘Make localism and the Big Society part of everyday life’. It seeks to do this
by five aims:
· by
decentralising power as far as possible
· by meeting
people’s housing aspirations
· by putting
communities in charge of planning
· by
increasing accountability
· by letting
people see how their money is being spent
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NCVO update on Big Society and coping with the cuts {27 Jul 2010}
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At NCVO, we
recognise that many of the principles underpinning the Big Society are positive
and provide real opportunities for voluntary and community organisations and the
communities they work with.
There is a
small window of opportunity for us to influencethe Government so that
they develop policies which support the voluntary and community sector.
Some of the
key things we are working on, and you can contribute to,
are:
- Building the evidence base - Add to our new webpages which bring together some of the key
evidence sources on the Big Society agenda, to inform the debate and contribute
to current thinking about how the different dimensions might be taken forward.
Further details
here.
- Crowdsourcing
the cuts - If you’ve been told
that your statutory funding will be cut, fill in our survey and we will use this
vital data tobuild up a real picture of how the sector is being affected. Further details
here.
- Coping
with cuts - We have launched a
new support service on our website to give you information to help you and your
organisation. Further details
here.
- Spending
Review – We will be submitting
detailed evidence as part of the Treasury consultation process and we would like
to hear from you about the impact significant cuts would have on your
organisation and your ability to deliver services. Further details
here.
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Social Return on Investment {27 Jul 2010}
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The Race Equality Foundation has produced a paper with a list of links
to a range of resources and websites on social return on investment topics.
Download the paper from http://www.vsnw.org.uk/activities/health
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The Work Programme {27 Jul 2010}
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The Work Programme is
planned to be a new, single, integrated welfare to work programme which will
cover people claiming the full range of ‘not in work’ benefits, and will replace
all previous unemployment support programmes. VSNW Briefing #35 outlines the latest news on the Government’s
proposed new Work Programme and framework for delivery, plus early news of
linked initiatives: business mentors, work clubs and
volunteering.
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Marmot Review: Fair Society, Healthy Lives Update {22 Jul 2010}
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The spotlight has returned to the work of Professor Sir Michael Marmot with the publication of the National Audit Office report highlighting health inequalities and the growing gap between the rich and poor in the UK. The Marmot Review now has a dedicated website: http://www.marmotreview.org/ which provides information and resources.
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NW Regional Offender Health Team – Directory of VCS Organisations {22 Jul 2010}
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The NW Regional Offender Health Team aim to reduce health inequalities in order to improve people’s lives and reduce re-offending. They have produced a directory of organisations working to improve the health of people in the North West and would like to hear from Voluntary and Community Sector organisations who would like to be included or make amendments to the Directory. Download the Directory at http://www.vsnw.org.uk/activities/health
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Big Society – the VSNW policy resource {5 Jul 2010}
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The Big Society concept is a growing part of the coalition government’s language and thinking. As yet it is not a clearly defined concept except that, very loosely, it speaks of a rolling back of the state and the stepping in of ‘Civil Society’ (defined as third sector plus). In a small way, Big Society offers a platform for engaging with the new government. If there’s a serious and concerted will to make it happen, it could be a very important context for how we as a sector seek to define ourselves.
To help highlight the debate and draw your attention to how it will affect the third sector we have pulled together a resource to help keep you up to date with the developing issues. For the next few months we will build on this informal resource and you may wish to subscribe or comment.
At the moment the site outlines the beginnings and background context of the debate:
· from its roots in the Conservative Think Tank, The Centre for Social Justice
· its transformation into a Conservative Party policy (Stronger Society to Control Shift)
· launch of the Big Society Network and latest news from their blog
· to the pre-election open letter to the voluntary sector from Francis Maude and Nick Hurd
· the formal early outline of the Big Society programme plus launch video
· early responses from national third sector bodies
· early thoughts and biography of the new government advisor on Big Society, Nat Wei
· latest thoughts, via twitter, of Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society
To get up to speed, get involved in the debate or sign up for updates and simply follow the issues go to: VSNW’s Big Society Policy Resource
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Call for applications for Social Enterprise NW’s mentoring programme {5 Jul 2010}
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Social Enterprise North West's second Mentoring Programme for social enterprises and enterprising third sector organisations will start in July 2010 and applications are now being invited for the programme.
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Certificate in Campaigning course - now open for bookings {5 Jul 2010}
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Would you like to improve your skills in areas such as planning, delivery, evaluation and strategic thinking? The Certificate in Campaigning course being offered by the Capacitybuilders' funded National Campaigning and Advocacy workstream is the first course of its kind for campaign and policy professionals, and covers all aspects of good practice campaigning over 10 modules. For further details, and to book your place please visit: www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/certificateincampaigning
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Community - tell us how the cuts will affect you {5 Jul 2010}
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Have you been told your statutory funding will be cut or withdrawn? Or is there likely to be an increase in need in your service area? Then please take a moment to fill out our NCVO online survey and help us gather intelligence on the scale of the challenges ahead. We're sharing a spreadsheet with all the results but if you don't want your data to be shared you can also email your thoughts to almanac@ncvo-vol.org.uk.
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Consultation on the distribution of Lottery money {5 Jul 2010}
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The Department of Culture, Media and Sports is consulting on how Lottery money for good causes should be distributed in future, with the ultimate aim of restoring shares of the National Lottery Distribution Fund to 20 per cent each to sport, heritage and the arts, and reducing BIG’s share from 50 to 40 per cent.
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Coping with the Cuts {5 Jul 2010}
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The Public Service Delivery Network is working closely with NCVO’s capacity-building and policy teams to help voluntary and community groups find ways to work with reduced income. NCVO has an updated offer of resources and support for organisations who are seeking to or being forced to change the way they are working. If you are expecting your incoming resources to be significantly reduced now or in March 2011, get in touch with us now.
Read about our cuts package on the new web pages
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/advice-support/coping-with-cuts
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Develop your voluntary sector management skills course - now open for bookings {5 Jul 2010}
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NCVO's Working For A Charity online course Effective Voluntary Sector Management' course is intended for people new to the voluntary and community sector who want to find out more about how the sector works, and for people considering a move into the sector from other backgrounds. It has been designed to enable people to study in their own time and at a location that best suits them, and commences in October 2010. To find out more, and book your place please visit: www.wfac.org.uk
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