Action News Update: July 2014

Sounding BoardHave your say about adult social care and support services (and earn a bit of money).

Sounding Board is a ‘virtual panel’ we have set up to hear your views. We want to hear from adults who have an involvement in care and support services (eg care at home, day opportunities or residential/nursing care). As well as individuals, we are asking organisations to become panel members so they can feed in the views of their beneficiaries and service users.

Every time you complete and return a new survey, we will pay your organisation £100.

If your organisation fills in an application form and joins the panel, we will send you a survey every four months. Every time you complete and return a new survey, we will pay your organisation £100. Please note that you will need to consult fully with your service users when completing the survey.

who should join? Any organisation working with:

adults using care and support services

carers of people using these services

anyone who might use these services soon

We want to hear from a wide range of different people. We are particularly keen to hear from people whose voices are less often heard, such as black or minority ethnic people; lesbian, gay or transgender people; people with learning difficulties. We are particularly keen to hear from people whose voices are less often heard. For further information and to join Sounding Board, please go to our website: http://tinyurl.com/mj9j7kz or ring us on 01962 857350 or email us at info@actionhants.org.uk

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EventsImpact of Hampshire Local Welfare Assistance Scheme - free seminar Friday, 25 July, 9.30-12.30 Winchester In 2013 Hampshire County Council made provision for a Local Welfare Assistance (LWA) scheme. The scheme was designed to support vulnerable people in crisis using money transferred from the Department of Work and Pensions following the abolition of crisis loans and community care grants. Hampshire County Council has funded the Bill Sargent Trust to commission a short independent evaluation of the impact of the scheme following its first year of operation and to place this work in the wider context of social, economic and political change. The research and presentation will include feedback from a range of Hampshire organisations that support local vulnerable people. It will focus on how far the scheme met its initial aims and explore the possible future development of the LWA in the context of changing needs of residents and services and recent central government funding decisions. This work has been carried out by research consultants Urban Pollinators supported by Papworth Research and Consultancy. You will hear the key findings of the research, receive a free copy of the report and have an opportunity to ask questions, add information and points of concern. Workshops will look at what the key challenges are for individuals, families and services moving forward and the role LWA can play in supporting this. There will be an opportunity for networking and further discussion at the buffet lunch. This seminar and research report should be of interest to all those working with individuals and families in Hampshire who may face points of critical need that cannot be met by existing statutory and/or non statutory services. To book go to www.bstrust.org.uk and click on the link to complete the online booking form. The deadline for bookings is 21 July but early booking is advised.

ConsultationsCommunity Foundation tests the Vital SignsThe Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) has launched a survey as part of a discussion about the issues facing our communities. The results will give them a better idea of what is going on and allow them to direct their attention, resources and philanthropy to targeted areas.

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They want as many people in the county as possible to complete the survey to provide a comprehensive report about Hampshire & Isle of Wight in 12 key areas: the local economy; education & learning; arts, culture & heritage; the environment; work; healthy living; safety; housing & homelessness; strong communities; fairness; rural & transport. Vital Signs will be used by HIWCF philanthropists and others to identify community needs and strengths. The findings will be used to inform HIWCF grant-making and future resources, allowing them to map trends, evidence and outcomes against Vital Signs.

Top priorities for action that are currently emerging are housing & homelessness, safety and environment.

http://tinyurl.com/l4rb8vc

Refresh of Joint Hampshire Commissioning Strategy for Older People’s Mental Health Ends: 11 JulyYou are invited to comment and add to the draft strategy document which is an update and refresh of the 2008-13 Joint Hampshire Commissioning Strategy for Older People’s Mental Health (OPMH). Strategic priorities which have been identified for 2014-17 are:

supporting carers

promoting wellbeing, prevention and independence

balancing specialist and mainstream services

hospital pathways

working together

http://tinyurl.com/lj5cjjj

Shaping services for the futureDon’t forget that each department within Hampshire County Council publishes an engagement schedule.

These are useful to see what consultations or service changes might be coming up, and also to identify whether what your organisation does fits with the outcomes the Council is trying to achieve. Importantly, there are named contacts so you can get in touch. http://tinyurl.com/n9oba32

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Changes to the Annual Return for 2015 Ends: 12 August

The Charity Commission has developed a number of proposals for changes to the annual return for 2015, including:

a requirement for charities with income between £10,000 and £500,000, and all CIOs with an income under £500,000, to provide key financial information (at present this requirement only applies to those with income over £500,000);

collecting information on how much money is spent on campaigning, and how much of a charity’s income comes from a) public service delivery b) private donations.

The Commission is also proposing the addition of the following questions:

whether or not charities have a remuneration policy for paying their executive staff;

whether or not a charity has carried out a review of its financial controls during the reporting year.

http://tinyurl.com/pfsq7wd

Your Voice Our Vision - join the conversation and share your viewsBig Lottery Fund is carrying out a strategic review that will examine its role as a funder and help shape its vision and plans from 2015 - 2021. It would like to hear from you about how it can best help communities and people in need. This is a great opportunity for you to discuss issues specific to smaller, more local charities and get your voice heard, so make sure you get involved! The four major themes of the conversation are:

vibrant communities

addressing disadvantage

working together

stronger sector 4

Your views and ideas will help influence how the Big Lottery Fund can make the biggest difference for people and communities in the UK, focusing specifically on the issues facing small charities.

The conversation is open until July 2014 so don't delay in getting involved! You can join the conversation at

http://tinyurl.com/oj5kjmf

Care Act 2014: launch of care and support consultation Ends: 15 AugustThe Dept of Health is seeking views on how councils should deliver the care and support reforms in the 2014 Care Act. This consultation on the draft regulations and guidance for Part 1 of the Act centres on the changes that will come into effect from April 2015. The Dept has clearly tried to make it fairly simple for people to comment on the topics of interest to them, such as advocacy, direct payments, personal budgets, transition, carers, etc. When you visit the consultation website, you can pick areas of interest and on the right hand side of the screen, there is an option to select particular chapters and you can then easily answer online those questions relating to those topics. http://tinyurl.com/n5tl7l8

Work Capability Assessment: 5th and final call for evidence Ends: 15 AugustThis is the 5th and final statutory independent review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), as required under the Welfare Reform Act 2007. So if you have something to say about the effectiveness of the WCA or further improvements you think need to be made, now is the time to say it. This call for evidence is intended for organisations and individuals who have information on how the WCA is operating and further changes that may be needed to improve the process. http://tinyurl.com/nhff9dm

What are your public health training and development needs? Ends: 18 JulyThe Wessex School of Public Health knows that many VCS organisations are involved with the provision of health and wellbeing or social care, and it is keen to explore how it can support the training, education and development of the VCS workforce. It has commissioned a project aimed at organisations which play a role in delivering public health and wellbeing to their local communities. The aim is to:

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1. begin to understand the public health training and education needs of VCS organisations that contribute to health and wellbeing;

2. understand where and how these organisations currently access health and wellbeing related training and education, and their continuous professional development (CPD) needs;

3. identify individuals who may be interested in having a career in Public Health or becoming a registered Public Health Practitioner.

To kick things off, they have developed a short survey which should take less than 10 minutes to complete. The purpose of the survey is to begin to understand the public health training and development needs of the VCS workforce so that the Wessex School of Public Health can assess the type of support it may be able to offer. This is particularly important as the voluntary and community sector continues to grow in playing a key part in the delivery of health and wellbeing in the new system. You can access the survey at http://tinyurl.com/lxs32yb If you would like any further information, please contact PH.Development@wessex.hee.nhs.uk

Hampshire’s household waste recycling centres Ends: 22 AugustThe County Council is carrying out a consultation on its household waste recycling centres (HWRCs). They’ve been looking at different and innovative options for running the HWRC service, partly as a response to financial pressures, and now want your views on the future of the service. Even if you don’t currently use the sites, they’d still like to hear from you. The outcomes of this consultation will inform recommendations for the new HWRC management contract from April 2015. http://tinyurl.com/lvoxaws

Action Hampshire newsWelcome to our newest members!

Sustrans: works with communities, policymakers and partner organisations so that people can choose healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys, and enjoy

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better, safer spaces where they live. www.sustrans.org.uk/ See also http://tinyurl.com/oyevbej for the Active Steps South Hampshire Facebook page.

Y Services For Young People: a new youth work charity in Hampshire that aims to support young people mainly between the ages of 11-19 years, and to provide voluntary opportunities for young people which meet the “Every Child Matters” outcomes. It also wants to develop educational and research opportunities which support the professional practice of youth work. http://tinyurl.com/o4fl648

Spectrum Centre for Independent Living (SCIL): an organisation of disabled people rooted in the Disability Movement, which believes disability issues are human rights issues. They work to the Social Model of Disability which defines disability in terms of negative attitudes and discrimination caused by a society which fails to meet the needs of people with impairments. www.spectrumcil.co.uk

Society of St James: Hampshire-based homelessness charity, providing accommodation and support to over 1,000 people at any given time. The people that they work with often have diverse and complex issues surrounding homelessness, including substance/alcohol addiction and mental health problems. www.ssj.org.uk/

MSLipreading (Multiple Strategies Lipreading): working across Hampshire and Wiltshire to make a lasting difference to the lives of people who have lost or are losing their hearing. They teach the theory of lipreading and coping and communication strategies to enable people with hearing loss manage their disability in a hearing world.

Hampshire Art and Craft CIC: Rum's Eg was set up as a creative centre by Hampshire Art & Craft CIC, (a community interest company), dedicated to supporting artists, promoting and conserving the rich and varied art and craft of the region and to encourage education and participation in arts and crafts in the community. Rum’s Eg is an art & craft gallery and cafe in Romsey, featuring work by Hampshire based artists. http://tinyurl.com/n3se5ho

Hart Citizens Advice Bureau: provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and

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information on a wide range of subjects. www.hartcab.org.uk

EjectorSeat Arts: a co-operative run by volunteers, all activity currently is around organising the free EjectorSeat Arts Festival in Southampton on 14 June, but they are also working on developing legacy strands. Their ethos is to promote and celebrate arts and culture in the South. They hosted their first festival in June 2009.

Fieldfare Local Action Group (Winchester): a not-for-profit group that brings together people from rural businesses, farming and rural communities in order to support economic growth and improve quality of life. www.fieldfareleader.org.uk/

Parkinson’s UK: provides expert information and training on every aspect of Parkinson's, funds research, offers friendship and support, and campaigns to change attitudes and improve services. www.parkinsons.org.uk

LinkedUp Fundraising: based in Portsmouth, their work is to add value to a charity's fundraising team by providing fundraising services that the existing teams don't have time or resources to do, or they can project manage a whole fundraising campaign. www.linkedupfundraising.co.uk

Community Empowerment Ltd: offers free advice to people looking to start their own co-operative social enterprises and create/sustain employment in the UK. They also champion 'mutual-self-help' - groups of people and communities working together and co-operating to meet their needs. www.empower.coop/

BCHA (formerly Bournemouth Churches Housing Association): a specialist housing and social care support provider, offering a wide range of help to people in vulnerable circumstances and to professionals trying to equip those in need. Bournemouth-based, they work across a wide geographical area including Dorset, Hampshire, Devon, Wiltshire, Reading and Oxford.www.bcha.org.uk/

Hampshire Riding Therapy Centre: a registered charity dedicated to the provision of riding tuition and

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therapy to adults and children with all kinds of disabilities and special needs. http://tinyurl.com/papr9uk

Youth in Romsey: provides a confidential support centre for young people aged 11-25 years. They can support young people on any issue including counselling, employment, education, financial help, sexual health and mental health. http://tinyurl.com/o72g6o3

Healthwatch Hampshire: works to give people and communities a stronger voice to influence and challenge how health and social care services are provided within their locality. http://tinyurl.com/l478chd

Age Concern Romsey & District: helps to meet the needs and interests of older people in Romsey town itself as well as the whole of southern Test Valley. http://tinyurl.com/mzle74s

Portsmouth Samaritans: people call the Samaritans for all sorts of reasons - they listen to people at all levels of distress and despair. http://tinyurl.com/ms3z3mz

Pelican Cancer Foundation: dedicated to curing and improving quality of life for patients with bowel, colorectal, bladder, prostate and secondary liver cancer through supporting clinical research and advancing precision surgery and treatment. www.pelicancancer.org/

Drayton & Farlington Action Group: offers community self-help, information and advice, and supports socially isolated and older people, and those facing challenging life experiences through the provision of: an information centre; a community newsletter; coffee mornings; shopping, chiropody and listening services; and, with other local organisations, establishing and supporting other community facilities, eg youth facilities. www.draytonandfarlington.com/

Schedule C member:

Focus4Future (private consultancy): building a portfolio of paid and unpaid work in supporting the development of small enterprises in all sectors, training and coaching, project management, and mediation and collaboration.

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Funding & awards

Have you got Big Potential? Big Potential, a BIG Lottery grant fund, will deliver approximately £10m of grant funding over three years to eligible VCSE organisations. The aim is to help them improve the sustainability, capacity and scale of their organisations so that they can deliver greater social impact. The programme also aims to raise awareness of the social investment market and support VCSEs who want to prepare themselves for social investment. Eligible VCSE organisations will be able to access specialist one to one support from the Big Potential programme partners before making an application for grants between £25,000 and £75,000 to undertake more in-depth investment readiness work with one of Big Potential’s approved providers. You can start the application process now on the website of the Social Investment Business, who are managing the fund on behalf of BIG Lottery. http://tinyurl.com/omhwxsy

“New” Green DealThe second round of the government’s Green Deal energy saving programme for homeowners opened on Monday, 9 June.

The first round was criticised for being too complicated which led to low take-up. According to the Energy Secretary the government has learned from this and has now set aside £120m for the revamped programme with money being awarded on a “first come first served” basis.

A key difference with the second round is that it is grants, not loans, that are being awarded. If people meet all the conditions that are set, households in England and Wales will be able to get up to £7,600 back. The Green Deal Home Improvement Scheme helps people install energy efficiency measures such as solid wall insulation and new heating systems by providing them with money back on the contributions they make towards improvements. Under this new incentive scheme domestic energy customers can get:

up to £1,000 for installing two measures from an approved list; and/or

up to £6,000 for installing solid wall insulation

up to £100 refunded for their Green Deal Assessment

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up to an additional £500 is available to those who have bought a property in the 12 months prior to application if they carry out energy efficiency measures

The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund also applies to private or social landlords, who can benefit if they undertake to improve the property and are paying the costs themselves.

Unfortunately when it comes to heating, only natural gas boilers requiring replacement are included in the scheme – which rules out rural residents who are on oil or LPG. If they wanted to benefit, they would have to spend many thousands of pounds putting in a completely different heating system.

http://tinyurl.com/oz27yhd

£10m Uniformed Youth Social Action Fund The Youth United Foundation and the Cabinet Office are inviting bids for a new fund to enable young people living in disadvantaged areas, or from hard to reach communities, to get involved in social action by joining uniformed youth organisations. The money has come via the Treasury from LIBOR fines.

Bids for funding are now being invited from members of the Youth United Network and from other uniformed youth organisations, that are not members of the Network, but which offer social action opportunities and structured activities.

http://tinyurl.com/kfr5ptp

£16m Youth Engagement Fund Government has published a prospectus for the Youth Engagement Fund which will fund social impact bonds to support young people at risk of becoming NEET. The Fund will pay for positive education and employment outcomes achieved by projects that support disadvantaged young people between the ages of 14 and 17 across areas of England, and aims to support up to 18,000 young people in over 100 schools. Applications open in early July – register your interest to receive full bidding documentation and details of bidder information events. In the meantime you can start conversations with potential partners in your area.

http://tinyurl.com/o7sy3zy

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 Denplan Community Fund  Denplan operate around Winchester, from Portsmouth in the east to Basingstoke in the north, Southampton in the south and through to Bournemouth in the west. They have helped a large variety of organisations -schools, scout clubs, sports clubs, homeless charities, as well as local athletes, fundraising events, district choirs and hard-working individuals making a difference in their communities.

The Community Fund assists the local area and local people supporting or promoting health and wellbeing, including the environment, sport, music and dance. The Fund also supports those less able to support themselves and local charities. http://tinyurl.com/qbcwgb6

ESF Community Grants programme open for applications There is one more round left to apply for an ESF Community Grant. This programme is all about funding small organisations to develop the skills and employability of people who are currently unemployed.

To be eligible, organisations must be based in south-east England, be clearly not-for-profit, employ no more than nine full-time equivalent staff members, and have an annual income of £300,000 or below in the previous financial year. This income figure applies to the organisation as a whole, not just the specific project for which funding is being sought (but donations received by your organisation can be excluded from the income figure).

 Your complete, signed application (paper copy, with supporting documents as outlined in the application pack) must be with us by 1pm on Monday, 1 September. The deadline for spending grants from this programme is 31 March 2015 so please think in terms of short pilot projects or extensions to work that you are already doing. 

Full details and the application paperwork are at http://tinyurl.com/l8fpbx2 Alternatively, please email communitygrants@actionhants.org.uk or call 01962 857358.

 Finally, please note it is vital with this grant scheme that you check your application very carefully. Due to strict rules from the European Social Fund and Skills Funding Agency, who provide the programme’s funding, any error or omission on your application will lead to it being rejected. We cannot pick mistakes up as we are only permitted to check your application after the round deadline.

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Innovation in Waste Prevention Fund (England) This is an £800,000 scheme that will run for two years with grants being awarded in three phases. Funded by Defra as part of their Waste Prevention Programme for England, the scheme is overseen by WRAP, an organisation that encourages recycling in homes and the workplace.  The fund will support communities to take forward innovative waste prevention, re-use and repair activities in their local areas. Examples of possible projects include: 

businesses working with local charities to prevent food waste by distributing surplus food to those who need it

community groups and councils working with businesses to set up local sharing groups for electrical items, furniture, etc

working with local companies to re-use and repair items businesses no longer need

Grants of up to £50,000 (minimum £5,000) are available to groups of two or more organisations working together, including local businesses, councils, charities, voluntary groups, and educational establishments. Applications for Round 1 need to be returned to WRAP by 1 September. www.wrap.org.uk/iwp

 Ernest Cook Trust The Ernest Cook Trust (ECT) gives grants to registered charities, schools and not-for-profit organisations wishing to encourage young people’s interest in the countryside and the environment, the arts, or in science, or aiming to raise levels of literacy and numeracy.

 Since the ECT is a land-based Trust, work which encourages or ensures the continuation of rural skills and crafts is of particular interest to the trustees. All applications are expected to link in with either the national curriculum or with recognised qualifications. A large grants programme for awards of over £4,000 and a small grants programme for awards of under £4,000 operate throughout the year.

http://tinyurl.com/kuqpaob

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 CLA Charitable Trust The Country Landowners Association Charitable Trust gives grants mostly in the range of £1,000 - £2,000. They want to help improve education and access to the countryside for young people, and those with disabilities, and prefer to support smaller projects and organisations. The trustees meet in February, May, August and November.

http://tinyurl.com/kmujlcm

 Country Crime Fighters Awards 2014 These awards from NFU Mutual will help to recognise and celebrate unsung rural heroes by providing them with financial and practical support to help fund anti-crime initiatives. The categories for 2014 are: 

 Crime Prevention through Social Media

  Equestrian Crime Prevention

  Farm Crime Prevention

  Local Community Crime Prevention

  Wildlife Crime Prevention

  Rural Business Crime Prevention

 Crime Prevention through Technology

 The winner will receive a trophy and a cheque for £1,500. Regional winners will receive a trophy and £500. The closing date for nominations is 11 August.

http://tinyurl.com/bowu27g

2014 Smarta 100 Awards  

The O2 Smarta 100 is an annual celebration of the most resourceful, inspiring and disruptive small businesses in the UK.

They are not just looking for those who make the most money, but the businesses that have the most original ideas and make a true difference. They want to find the beacons of enterprising Britain, the small firms that are pushing the economic recovery forward, be it a brilliant social enterprise, an inspiring young tech start-up or a small manufacturer.

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There are a number of categories including ‘biggest social impact’, ‘start-up of the year’ and ‘best people business’. The winner of each category will receive a £1,000 cheque. The overall Business of the Year will be awarded a £10,000 grand prize. The deadline for entries for the 2014 awards is 12 September.

http://tinyurl.com/msqe36f

Power to Change fund  

A new grant–making trust has been set up with the aim of encouraging and supporting community-led enterprises. The BIG Lottery has awarded a contract to a consortium led by Locality, the Plunkett Foundation and UnLtd to lead on the £150m Power to Change fund due to be launched in the autumn.

 Power to Change will support community enterprise across England. Projects supported will be those where the ideas and needs of local people are driving change and developing sustainable business models. The BIG Lottery hopes that the new fund will provide a springboard for communities to flourish and thrive as enterprises take charge of assets for community benefit.

http://tinyurl.com/k98bp29

Rural Rural Housing Policy Review 2014  

A National Review of Rural Housing Policy is being undertaken by government and being chaired by Lord Richard Best. The intention of the Review is to examine whether the delivery of rural housing has improved over time and if not, what further measures are needed to ensure that this can happen.

 The review will focus on three main areas: funding, planning and the mechanisms for delivery.

 It is hoped that the review will report its findings and recommendations by September 2014.

Rural Housing Week 30 June - 6 July  

Several local and national events and initiatives are taking place during this year’s Rural Housing Week.

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Action Hampshire’s Rural Housing Enablers are working with its partners in Hampshire Alliance for Rural Affordable Housing (HARAH) to showcase the great projects that have been delivered to tackle the problems of lack of affordable homes in rural communities.

 A list of the local (HARAH) events in Hampshire for Rural Housing Week 2014 can be viewed at www.harah.org.uk

 In addition, The National Housing Federation will launch a new document called Rural Housing: Countryside in Crisis, illustrating the impact of the housing crisis in rural areas. It will cover affordability and issues with workers and families being priced out, the increase of second homes, fuel poverty and ageing populations, and will showcase best practice from rural housing associations.

take the ‘Yes to Homes Challenge’ for Rural Housing Week Local opposition is now one of the biggest barriers to new homes in rural communities. All too often the people in desperate need of new homes or those who support more homes in their area are missing or crowded out by a handful of people who put a lot of pressure on local politicians to say ‘no’ to homes.

 The National Housing Federation (NHF) is calling on housing associations to take your support for Yes to Homes to the next level by signing up for the ‘Yes to Homes Challenge’ to collect more than 100 signatures for our petition in your community.

 You can sign the petition at http://tinyurl.com/mr9hfz6

Remember to let the NHF know if you’re up for taking the challenge by emailing john.pierce@housing.org.uk

Community buildings news

Advice and support for all organisations that manage a community building  

Do you want to ensure your community hall, centre or other building is managed effectively and according to best practice? Do you need support with fundraising, good governance, health and safety, charity law, or marketing?

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 Action Hampshire’s Advice Service, for all organisations that manage a community building, is entering its third year. If you aren’t currently a subscriber, then you are welcome to join the Advice Service for support, advice and resources regarding all aspects of the management of your community building If you already subscribe then you should have heard from us recently, but do get in touch if this is not the case. Call 01962 857358 or email kevin.sawers@actionhants.org.uk

 We have held the subscription fee at £66 (including VAT) for the third year running. There will be an increase next year, but you can avoid this by joining the Advice Service for two years, from 2014 to June 2016. The cost of a two-year subscription is just £120 (inc VAT), saving you £12 over the single-year cost before considering next year’s price increase.

 Please see our website for full details and a joining form, or call 01962 857358 for more information.

http://tinyurl.com/nsldheu  

ACRE Rural Community Buildings Loan FundLoan finance can be a valuable solution if your building project needs short-term bridging finance, or if you are raising funds for work to reduce your building’s running costs. ACRE manages a loan fund specifically for rural community buildings, with flexible repayment terms and a low interest rate. 

The typical maximum loan value is £20,000 but larger loans can be considered, particularly if needed as bridging finance to address cashflow issues (perhaps because a grant will only be paid out on production of invoices). Please contact Kevin Sawers for more information, on kevin.sawers@actionhants.org.uk or 01962 857358.

Resources

Help for trustees 

The Charity Commission has produced two new audio podcasts to help charity trustees understand their duties under charity law. Over two podcasts, trustees can hear from experienced Commission staff about the principles of some of the regulator’s guidance. The new episodes cover Beneficiaries as trustees and Managing disputes.

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 Other podcasts available cover internal financial controls, conflicts of interest, big board talk, and protecting your charity from harm from extremist abuse. http://tinyurl.com/mj7och7

 Youth work qualification starts July  

4Youth Hampshire & IOW is offering Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice training, starting on 19 July. This nationally accredited, JNC recognised qualification is designed for people already working with children and young people in a youth work role (paid or unpaid) in an assisting or supportive role and who are supervised when working with young people. The course supports learners to develop and build the skills and knowledge they’ll need in their current role as well as preparing them for progression onto further learning in the future.

 The course will be taught via a mixture of compulsory group learning sessions, self-guided learning, 1-2-1 learning with your tutor and workplace learning. Group learning sessions take place in Eastleigh.

http://tinyurl.com/kftoxfb

Setting up and registering a charity - but are you sure this is what’s best?  The Charity Commission has published revised guidance on setting up and registering a charity.

How to set up a charity is designed as a practical and concise ‘how-to’ guide, broken down into seven steps.  It is accompanied by more detailed guidance on writing charitable purposes, choosing a charity name, recruiting trustees and applying to register.

 The Commission has also published revised guidance on Charity types: how to choose a structure and on How to write your governing document.

The Commission hopes the user-friendly format will encourage people to think carefully before setting up a charity. The guidance suggests alternatives to creating a new charity, such as volunteering for an existing charity, setting up a named donor fund with a Community Foundation or establishing a charitable trust with the Charities Aid Foundation. http://tinyurl.com/q8y5el7

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Leading employers prove disabled apprentices boost business  

An Employer Toolkit has been developed through consultation with a number of employers - including Barclays Bank, Tottenham Hotspur FC, The National Theatre, Novartis PLC, Leicester City Council and Luton & Dunstable Hospital – all of which have hired disabled apprentices who are making a key contribution to their workplace.

Commissioned by the Skills Funding Agency, the new online toolkit has been launched by NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education). It demonstrates the simple and cost-effective actions that employers can take, including around recruitment and ongoing support, to make their apprenticeship programmes open to disabled apprentices. There are also details of the business benefits that have followed.

http://tinyurl.com/n8w53gr

First World War centenary toolkit for local communities  

The Dept for Culture, Media & Sport has published help and advice for local communities commemorating the First World War. The First World War centenary programme toolkit provides facts and suggestions to help local communities get more from the centenary programme.

http://tinyurl.com/nqsajdr

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Other

Church of England steps up fight for better lending  

Last year the Archbishop of Canterbury said he would like to drive payday lenders out of business. A task force on better lending was set up led by Hector Sants, a former chief executive of the Financial Services Authority.

It has launched the Church Credit Champions Network (CCCN), aiming to create a network of people who will bring together churches, communities and responsible lenders. The scheme is being piloted in three Church of England Dioceses - Southwark, Liverpool and London. The members will act as advocates for community finance providers. The core mission of these Champions will be to: 

support local community finance organisations, such as credit unions, to help them grow and develop. This would include raising awareness among, and encouraging active membership by, the church community;

ensure that those in financial distress have access to quality debt advice appropriate to their needs;

work with the education initiative in the local primary schools;

provide information and help for those who wish to save and borrow through ethical organisations;

encourage the use of church premises for the delivery of community finance, such as hosting the branch of a credit union.

The aim of the task force is to promote responsible credit and savings. Speaking at the launch Hector Sants said they have grouped actions into four work streams:

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education – they want to spread financial education into primary schools, which would be combined with the experience of opening and running an account in a local credit union;

influencing – adding their weight to the many existing initiatives designed to promote the development of community finance;

 

direct service provision – at present they are just contemplating the question, could the Church community be encouraged to save and borrow within itself, using the opportunities provided by new technology, for example in peer to peer lending? The Church’s Mutual Credit Union is due to launch this autumn for church employees;

church community support, under which falls the launch of the CCCN.

http://tinyurl.com/od3rd6s

 People use their right to list over a thousand community assets Communities across England have used new powers to help protect around 1,200 local assets from sell off. Under powers created by the Localism Act, people can put forward a community asset to their council to have it listed as a protected asset; if approved, this gives a six month window for the community to put in a bid to buy it, should it be put up for sale.  

The fast growing list of treasured community assets now includes:

  374 pubs

  91 parks

 37 libraries

  35 village halls

  24 sports grounds and stadiums

  12 theatres and museums

http://tinyurl.com/k8cr627

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You can now register to vote online  

Since 10 June, people have been able to register online just by providing their name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number. The online registration service is compatible with all platforms, including smartphones and tablets, to make it easy for everyone to register.

 The move to online registration is part of the government’s digital transformation and Individual Electoral Registration (IER). IER replaces the traditional household registration system with individual registration. Government also says IER will prevent fraud by enabling them to check that everyone on the register is who they say they are.

http://tinyurl.com/mkqb9bf

 

 

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The text is available in large print and other formats, on request. Call (01962) 854971 or email info@actionhants.org.uk 

© CAH 2014

Action Hampshire, Westgate Chambers, Staple Gardens, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8SR

Telephone: 01962 854971 Facsimile: 01962 841160 Email: info@actionhants.org.uk www.actionhampshire.org

A company limited by guarantee. Company No: 3162873 Registered charity No: 1053806 VAT registered No: 568 5238 06

Legal name is Community Action Hampshire

Please note that, due to increasing postage costs, we have made the decision to stop providing Action News Update in hard copy (ie on paper).

September’s ANU will be the last time that we provide it on paper, and from October onwards it will be an electronic newsletter only. If this presents you with accessibility problems, please contact us on 01962

857350 or info@actionhants.org.uk 

In the meantime, we are using up old stocks of paper, so apologies for not using our new brand. If you currently receive a paper copy only, please let us have your email address so we can continue to send you our newsletter

(you will have the option to unsubscribe if you wish). You can contact us via the phone number or

email address above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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