Annual Review

2013 –2014

“Making lives and communities better in South Staffordshire”

SSCVA champions the

voluntary sector and

volunteering in South

Staffordshire. We connect,

represent and support

voluntary organisations.

Each day, lots of people across South

Staffordshire make a difference to the

causes they believe in through voluntary

organisations and volunteering.

This thriving voluntary sector and volunteer

movement are essential for a better society

– especially in times of challenge and

change.

That’s why, inspired and empowered by

our 160 member organisations, we

champion the voluntary sector and

volunteering. We do this by connecting,

representing and supporting voluntary

organisations, from the smallest community

groups to the largest charities.

We connect organisations with the

people, partners and resources they need

to make the biggest difference.

We represent the voluntary sector and

volunteering to local government

We support voluntary organisations

through our development and

volunteering officers, specialising in

funding, governance, training, project

management, enhancing health and

wellbeing, Disclosure and Barring and

building effective networks across the

District.

“..you’re always there if we want or

need you”

Contact us, visit us - We

promise you a warm

welcome

Welcome to SSCVA’s Annual

Report for 2013-14

This has been a busy year with a

significant amount of change.

However, one very sad event during the

year was the loss of Howard Stemp, who

died in March this year. Howard was a

staunch supporter of SSCVA over many

years, having served both as Treasurer and

Chair, in addition to being involved in a

wealth of other voluntary activity in the

District. He will be sorely missed.

SSCVA is now established in new offices at

the Council Offices in Codsall, which both

staff and Trustees are agreed is a better

central location for us and a more pleasant

and productive working environment. We

wish to record our grateful thanks to South

Staffordshire Council for their help and

support in making this move possible.

We were also successful in securing funding

from the Lottery-funded Bigassist

programme. This helped us to buy in

professional expertise to develop a new

business plan for SSCVA and a clear

direction for the future. We are now busy

translating words into positive action –

watch this space.

As part of this process, we made a very

important decision on whether or not to

merge with our CVS colleagues into the

new Support Staffordshire model.

SSCVA ultimately decided to withdraw from

the merger process, convinced of the

many alternative benefits to local voluntary

and community organisations and key

stakeholders of our retaining an

independent status as a locally-focused

body serving a rural community. We wish

Support Staffordshire well in their new

venture and aspire to retain a productive

working relationship with them.

However we remained firmly focused on

the “day job” during this period of

transition. We continued to help a large

number of local groups with development

advice and support from the CATALYST

project, represented their interests through

our Community Voice Forums and Third

Sector Forum and the wider South

Staffordshire Partnership, and developed

the work of the AT Home service for

vulnerable residents of South Staffordshire.

We were also successful in several funding

bids for new project work commencing in

2014.

We hope you find this report interesting,

and look forward to continuing to work with

you over the coming years.

Thank you

As ever, we wish to place on record

our grateful thanks to funders, local

groups, key stakeholders and the

many other individuals and

organisations we have worked with

over the year who have helped us to

continue to make a difference to

building strong, cohesive

communities in South Staffordshire.

Rolf Levesley | Acting Chair

David Leese | Chief Officer

Building Voluntary Sector

Capacity

Using our skills and expertise, we help

voluntary and community

organisations to develop, grow and

become more effective to meet

local needs.

During the year:

We provided outreach development

support to 50 new & existing

community groups using the SKild framework

We provided 1-2-1 best practise

support to 27 community groups to

help them secure more than

£127,236.50 funding for local projects

Training

62 community groups took part in

training needs surveys with 138

volunteers/staff discussing their

individual training needs

We provided 8 training courses run for

community groups/volunteers/staff,

including; Volunteer Management,

First Aid, Committee training & more.

90 volunteers/staff from 35 groups

undertook CATALYST training, all

reporting improved life skills and

confidence as a result

“CATALYST is like a parent providing

support, our group would feel

isolated and alone without them”

We held our Annual Celebration/

Funding Fair at the Church at Perton

on the 21st of June. 300 people came

through the doors, enjoying the

exhibits and fun activities put on by

over 50 diverse voluntary and

community groups

Gavin Williamson MP opened

proceedings and we handed out 80

certificates to volunteers who had

been nominated by their groups in

recognition of their hard work and

dedication.

The event marked the launch of Gavin

Williamson’s Community Award and

awards sponsored by Staffordshire

Council of Voluntary Youth Services

and SSCVA.

“CATALYST feels like an extension of

our group and community”

Enhancing Community

Wellbeing

The work of local groups has a huge

positive benefit on people’s lives. We

help groups to establish new

activities and provide them with tools

to measure the impact of their work.

During the year:

98 young people and 142 older

people we worked with expressed an

increase in confidence, quality of life

and reduced isolation as a result of

engaging in community activities

We provided hands on support to get

local projects off the ground,

including; Seasons Amateur Dramatic

Society, Bishops Wood Art & Creativity

Group, Great Wyrley Skatepark, Busy

Mind Intergenerational Day & more.

My Independence Matters

SSCVA and the British Red Cross

joined forces to deliver a new

independent living project enabling

volunteers to demonstrate assistive

technology & mobility equipment to

residents in South Staffordshire.

“Friendly service and good advice”

During the project:

524+ people benefitted from the

project, of which; 247 were vulnerable

older people and 393 people had a

physical disability, long term illness or

learning disability

314 people were able to continue to

live at home safely as a result of home

adaptations and aids provided

9 volunteers supported the project, 2

of whom got jobs as a result of support

& training from the project

Since having contact with the project:

60% felt able to do more for

themselves & live more independently

“We are both over 80 yrs old and

can’t easily leave the house, John

(volunteer) visited us with a selection

of different bath mats; he helped us

to choose the most suitable one”

53% felt better about themselves and

more confident

47% felt safer at home when

performing daily tasks

67% felt more informed about what is

available to help them

Networks & Representation

We make sure voluntary and

community organisations have a

voice and can influence policy and

decisions that affect them and the

people who use their services

During the year:

We organised 10 Community Voice

Forums attended by +250 individuals

We facilitated 5 Voluntary and

Community Sector Partnership

meetings for key local agencies

“CATALYST brings our community

together through the forums, without

which we would not know others”

VCS Partnerships

The VCS Partnership is well established with

specific terms of reference agreed during

the year.

It is well attended by key local VCS

organisations including; Age UK,

Community Council of Staffordshire, Carers

Association, South Staffordshire Housing

Association, Staffordshire Community

Foundation, Healthwatch, SCVYS, VAST

and others. Public sector representatives

also attend including the District

Commissioning Lead, Public Health

Development Officer and Partnership

Development Manager.

Topics discussed during the year included

the public health agenda, County Council

updates, locality working and

commissioning, work on refreshing the local

Compact, grants processes, the work of

local VCS agencies, ongoing consultations

and involvement in local residents panels.

Masterclasses: During the year we

supported a large variety of partnership

events, including Masterclasses on welfare

reform and building resilient families, public

health funding, community learning best

practice, the Good Life Hub events and the

Lets Work Together initiative.

Funding

We continue to signpost groups to

local (Community Budget, Capital

Grants & Loans Scheme and The

Commissioning Prospectus) and national

funding opportunities and provide groups

with support in completing application. We

also attended meetings of the Community

Budget grants panel.

“…I do feel that without the help of

[SSCVA], our application would have

definitely failed.”

SESSP CCG

We ran focus groups in Featherstone and

Kinver targeted at older people, those with

disabilities and their carers seeking views on

how NHS services can be improved as part

of the “Call to Action” process.

A number of consistent themes arose: the

importance of good communication,

person-centred care, prevention & self-

responsibility.

Building Health Partnerships

A bursary of £50,000 (only 12 were available

nationally) enabled ourselves, Tamworth

and Lichfield CVSs to work in partnership

with SESSPCCG on a new project designed

to develop best practice and enable more

effective engagement of voluntary and

community groups in meeting health

outcomes

“Involving charities, community

groups & social enterprises in the

design / delivery of health & social

care services improves local services

and offers value for money...bringing

real and lasting benefits to local

communities…”

The work included:

Developing a database to map

services available for the frail elderly

and those with long term conditions.

The aim is for this to become an online

resource accessed by GPs and other

health professionals

The formation of a new Health

Improvement Partnership as an

innovative model for commissioning

services from the voluntary sector

A variety of events including a Seminar

on social value, diagnostic events and

a final partnership event to showcase

the work and celebrate achievements

Capturing the impact of voluntary &

community sector support on health

outcomes and the additional value of

volunteering

“...The lessons we learn have the

potential to make a difference

beyond health & care services to

influence the commissioning of all

public services” ~Neil Cleeveley

Policy & Communications Director, NAVCA

Volunteering

Our Volunteer Duty Officers have been

supporting people into a whole range of

volunteering opportunities locally over the

last 12 months

2 new volunteering projects launched

Autumn 2014 included:

Supported Volunteering Encouraging residents over 50 or with a

physical or learning difficulty who are

unemployed or economically inactive to

volunteer to significantly enhance their

chances of finding employment.

“I'd been bringing up my family for

last 20 years, I hardly left my house

and had no confidence at all. Since

volunteering I have met new people,

am a lot more confident and I was

given a reference which enabled me

to get a paid job which I love.”

Work Club Support Project Encouraging job seekers to undertake

volunteering and work experience

opportunities to enhance their self-esteem

and employability prospects.

“Volunteering is a very good use of

my free time whilst I am unemployed,

and everyone makes me feel

wanted and valued” ~Volunteer went on to secure paid

employment

“We know you’re there and will give

support and answers quickly:

a well-established team”

Our volunteers are essential to the smooth

running of our organisation

Daniel Swift: Marketing Support (who won

the ‘Young Volunteer’ Award at the South

Staffs Council 40yr Community Awards)

Jen Egerton: Volunteer Duty Officer

(nominated for ‘Community Volunteer’)

John Hollingshead (nominated for the

‘Inspiration Award’), Sue Jones & Margaret

Winwood: AT Home volunteers

Our Patron: Gavin Williamson MP

Did you know?

SSCVA is governed by a 6 person trustee board.

We are looking for new trustees to join our board

to support our new business plan

The Team

We are dedicated to providing you

with a high quality and

professional service

Ros Burton &

Timon Scheven |

Development

Outreach Officers

catalyst@sscva.org.uk

Support of new, emerging & existing

organisation to achieve their

objectives & deliver high quality

services within the community

Provision of funding advice &

support

Development and delivery of

training Louise Baker |

Administration & Finance

Officer

info@sscva.org.uk

CATALYST administration support

Financial management

Buzz & e-bulletin newsletters

Emily Simmonds |

Community Support &

Volunteering Officer

emily.simmonds@sscva.org.uk

Management of Supported

Volunteering project

Volunteering Officer at Work

Clubs

Coordinator Community Support

Project

David Leese | Chief

Officer

david.leese@sscva.org.uk

Leadership

and management of the

organisation

Development of strategic

partnerships and external

relationships

Membership

We have a diverse community of over 160

member organisations – a third of the

voluntary sector workforce in South

Staffordshire. We help them thrive in what

they do: by providing expert support and

advice, by saving them time and money,

and by keeping them up to date with the

news and developments that affect them.

We’re here to help our members make

even more of a difference.

“Ros and Timon have always

provided more than we expected”

What SSCVA membership can offer

you and your organisation:

Keeping you informed and connected:

Exclusive access to best practise &

information sheets

Discounts on training & events

Tailored email updates

Networking opportunities

Saving you time and money:

Discounted or free services

Exclusive information and signposting

Consultation with our Finance Officer

Championing and supporting your work:

Our 30 plus years of sector expertise

Over 160 member organisations

A successful track record of influencing

local government on your behalf

A strong voice that gets heard.

Developing your skills:

With access to advice on any topic:

Fundraising to governance

Volunteering to social media

Impact and public sector delivery

Raising your profile

We have the expertise and a range of

resources voluntary and community

groups can use to raise their profile and

get their message across

During the year:

Our quarterly newsletter BUZZ had a

circulation in excess of 300

Our website had 1,181 unique visitors

We have +500 twitter followers

“[SSCVA] helped with getting

outsiders involved”

Did you know?

We have launched our fortnightly e-

bulletin with the latest local / current

news & updates for the voluntary

sector in South Staffordshire

South Staffordshire Community & Voluntary

Action is a Company Limited by

Guarantee in England and Wales

Registered Number: 4388223

Registered Office:

C/o South Staffordshire District Council

Wolverhampton Road Codsall | South Staffs

WV8 1PX

Charity Registration Number: 1093899

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“Without SSCVA’s advice we could not have known where to start…

It was fundamental to enable us to move forward with our vision and objectives”

www.sscva.org.uk

@SouthStaffsCVA SouthStaffsCVA

info@sscva.org.uk

01902 851 675

C/o South Staffordshire District Council |

Wolverhampton Road Codsall | South Staffs | WV8 1PX

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