thrive - april, may, june 2015 edition

Supporting voluntary and community action April/May/June 2015

Bristol - a learning city

Volunteers’ Week

May’s elections - our local parties’ intentions for our sector

A look at social prescribing

Upcoming training

and more...

In this issue:

Photo: Local young person involved in APE Project’s Bike Exchange Scheme. For more information about APE, see p8.

www.voscur.org April / May / June 2015 Issue 282

Contents

Disclaimer: some of the views expressed in this publication are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Voscur. Publications, events and services mentioned in Thrive! are not necessarily endorsed by Voscur.

Voscur

3 Editorial

4 New members

5 Member focus - “Think Big” - Friends of Headley Lane Park

6 Neighbourhood focus: Dundry View

7 Bristol launches ‘Batook’s Blueprint’ - a Manifesto for Race Equality

8-9 Grasping the nettle - support around volunteering for groups running sustainability projects

10 Celebrating our city’s fantastic volunteers

11 Stronger together - a look at Voscur and Volunteer Bristol’s new joint membership scheme

Support Hub

12-13 Upcoming Voscur training

14 Embracing change - local organisation has support from Voscur to take its next steps

Voice and Influence

15 Putting victims first

17 ‘This is me’ - interview with a VCS Advocate

18 Bristol: a learning city

19-23 Thinking outside the box - May’s elections and the voluntary and community sector

24-25 A united voice is a stronger voice - Bristol BME Voice’s Knowledge and Share Programme

26-27 Just what the doctor ordered - a look at social prescribing in Bristol

28-30 City devolution and communities

31 Think local - Neighbourhood Partnerships’ conference February 2015

Thrive! is also available online as a pdf at www.voscur.org/magazine.

If you require it in another format, please get in touch on 0117 909 9949.

Key to symbols

Event

Training Information & Resources

Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 3

Bristol’s voluntary and community

sector (VCS) works with and

supports some of the most

vulnerable people in the city.

We do this by anticipating and

responding to need, standing

up for social justice and equality,

being creative, innovative, frugal,

maximising resources, involving

volunteers, and not giving up.

Voscur is a member of Navca,

a network of VCS organisations

operating across the country,

carrying out important behind-

the-scenes work to support this

frontline activity.

In this time of austerity, funders

are understandably keen to

protect frontline services, with

infrastructure sometimes not

seen as a key element of that

protection. Recognising this,

Navca set up an independent

commission to look at the future

of voluntary sector infrastructure.

The Commission’s report, ‘Change

Dear members and friendsfor Good’, was published in

January 2015.

The Commission argues that it

is generally understood that our

physical infrastructure requires

regular investment to help it cope

with new and changing demands

- the case for investment in

VCS infrastructure is just as

compelling.

The research shows that

infrastructure will be needed, as

long as people come together

to form VCS groups. New groups

and existing ones will need advice

on legal forms, governance,

compliance, fundraising and

income generation, financial

and organisational management

and demonstrating their value.

Additionally, an independent voice

for and of the sector is vital.

The Commission identified a

number of key challenges for

social action; we’ve highlighted

some of them here – they’re

probably familiar to you too:

• Coping with the problems

of today leaves no time for

foresight.

• Direct financial support to

organisations is declining,

while demand is increasing.

• New forms of organising and

advancing social causes are

emerging.

• Cashless and informal

economies are growing but

need more support.

• Lack of capacity is placing

governance, leadership and

succession planning under

strain.

• Poor inter-sector

understanding is resulting in

lost opportunities.

• Too few infrastructure bodies

and local groups demonstrate

impact.

• Understanding of new forms

of finance is weak.

The Commission addresses these

issues in its recommendations,

and these will inform our future

plans. The Commission’s findings

will be combined with Voscur’s

local knowledge of capacity and

need across the VCS in Bristol

to give direction and focus to

our work to ensure that we are

effective in the challenging times

ahead.

To read the Commission’s report

in full, go to: www.navca.org.uk/

commission-report

Best wishes,

Wendy Stephenson Chief Executive


New Voscur members

For more information on becoming

a member of Voscur and the range

of member benefits, see p11, visit

www.voscur.org/about/joiningonline

or call us on 0117 909 9949.

Buzz Lockleaze A social enterprise which runs an employability

project; does work around food and healthy eating

and is developing a community food shop and

coffee/smoothie bar. www.northbristoladvice.org.uk/community-projects/buzz-lockleaze

[email protected]

0117 269 0006

Steiner Academy Bristol A new school offering an education that is creative,

engaging and environmentally conscious.

[email protected]

0117 965 9150

Friends of Headley Lane Park See case study on following page.

http://headleyparkers.btck.co.uk

Picton Street Fayres

A community group which organises street fayres

throughout the year in Montpelier.

www.facebook.com/pictonstreetfayre.montpelier

[email protected]

07760207310

Bourne Family Project Family support centre based in Kingswood

which aims to provide a safe and confidential

space where families and individuals can

seek practical and emotional support. [email protected]

0117 9478441

Old Market Manor A factory in Old Market, now a community-built,

community-led space: a design centre for excellence

built by people who are dedicated and passionate

about ‘making’/creative arts. [email protected] 07921 765 909

Keep up to date with Voscur online:

f/voscur l/voscur x/voscuri/voscur


Friends of Headley Lane Park

was formed by three mums who

wanted a better play area in their

local park for their children. In

August 2013, finding no Council

funds available to assist them,

they set upon the task of raising

at least £50k to make their aim a

reality.

They began by holding family

fund/awareness-raising events

in the park. They also applied for

several grants and wrote to local

businesses asking for help. This

achieved some success, but they

quickly realised that they needed

to be more ambitious to reach

their target.

For that, they decided to enter

the ITV People’s Millions. Their

application was successful and

they were chosen to be one

of the charities put up for the

public vote; these projects made

campaign films which were

televised before voting opened.

“Groups were encouraged to

drum up support from their

community,” says Hannah Knight,

one of the original founders

of the group, “so we set about

spreading the word through

social media, flyer distribution,

posters, banners and more. Our

film showed children playing in the

park and was lots of fun to make.”

All of this hard work paid off -

Friends of Headley Lane Park were

successful, winning £50,000!

“We are now able to realise

our dream for a new improved

play area, and the park will be

finished while our children are

still young enough to enjoy it,”

says Hannah. “At the beginning,

none of us had any experience

of fundraising or of running a

voluntary group - Voscur has

been a great help with everything

from grant finding to setting up.

Our Neighbourhood Partnership

has also been invaluable and we

have taken advice from websites

such as Community Matters.

Finding and applying for grants

is hard work but well worth the

effort. We found it important to

decide on our ethos and values

early on so they shone through in

our applications. It is also vital to

spread the workload and get on

well with your group - especially

when working together intensively

and under pressure.

“Our advice would be to think

big and don’t give up. Our

determination has paid off and

given us drive to keep going and

make more future plans.”

To read more about

Friends of Headley

Lane Park, visit: http://

headleyparkers.btck.co.uk

Starting a new group? Voscur’s

Support Hub can help. Call

them today on 0117 909 9949.

“Think big”Friends of Headley Lane Park

Local children promoting the ITV People’s Millions campaign


Neighbourhood focus: Dundry ViewDundry View Neighbourhood Partnership gives us a rundown of what they have been up to in their neighbourhood...

Dundry View Neighbourhood

Partnership has an inspirational

story to tell about how we have

been able to influence the future

plans for an empty building in

Bishopsworth (a part of the

Dundry View area).

Bishopsworth Swimming Pool was

closed in February 2012. The pool

site is very important to the local

community and is often referred

to as “the heart of the village”. At

the Bishopsworth Forum in June

2012, the community and the

Council pledged to work together

so that the community would be

fully involved in determining the

future of the site. It was agreed

that any decisions about the site

would be made together with the

Neighbourhood Partnership.

The community quickly rallied

around and formed a steering

group consisting of residents

and local councillors from both

the Bishopsworth and Hartcliffe

wards. The steering group,

supported by Council staff

and Hartcliffe and Withywood

Community Partnership, organised

a comprehensive engagement

and information-sharing campaign

which included door-knocking in

the local area, mapping existing

local resources, a programme

of community workshops, and

lots of publicity. Using all of

the information gathered, the

steering group gained a really

good understanding of what local

people wanted for the future of

the site.

The community wanted to retain

the building for community use

rather than knock it down. Criteria

based around community input

were set so that expressions of

interest could be invited from

organisations that could run and

deliver a service from the site

in the future. Six expressions of

interest were received, and the

community was then asked to take

part in a week-long consultation

to decide on the preferred option.

The final recommendation to the

Neighbourhood Partnership was

for ‘Transitions Skate’ to open an

indoor skate park and to support

the development of a ‘village

hub’ on the outside space. Lots

of residents, including a good

representation of young people,

came along to the meeting to

pledge their support for the

project. After a lively debate,

the Neighbourhood Partnership

supported the proposal with an

overwhelming majority.

Work is now taking place on the

building, and it is hoped the new

facility will be open later this year.

A ‘Friends of the Bishopsworth

site’ group has been set up to

manage this and the Council’s

parks service has agreed to fund

the maintenance of the outside

space for five years.

Without the Neighbourhood

Partnership, the result may have

been quite different and the

community is delighted with the

plans.

For more information,

email Gemma Dando:

[email protected]

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March 2015 saw the launch of

Batook’s Blueprint – Bristol’s

Manifesto for Race Equality. The

Manifesto was initiated by the

late Batook Pandya (founder of

SARI) and developed by Bristol

BME Voice, in partnership with

local agencies and community

representatives.

The launch event, held in a packed

Trinity Centre, was chaired by

Chief Inspector Norman Pascal,

Chair of Avon and Somerset Black

Police Association, who introduced

Mayor George Ferguson as the

keynote speaker. The Mayor

celebrated the achievements of

people from BME communities

within Bristol, but acknowledged

that there is a lot more that we

can achieve together. Reflecting

on the fact that real change

comes from grass-roots activism,

George welcomed the Manifesto

for Race Equality and pledged his

support for it.

In 2014, Bristol came 7th in the

Runnymede Trust’s list of areas

with the most inequality between

ethnic minorities and white

British* (in the areas of education,

employment, health and housing).

In terms of representation, Bristol

currently has five Black councillors,

a rate of 7%, whilst the BME

population of Bristol is 16%.

The Manifesto is a challenge to

both public agencies, business and

communities to transform race

equality in Bristol. It lays down

seven principles:

1. Ensure fair representation

2. Address the impact of

multiple discrimination

3. Increase decision making and

voter registration

4. Eliminate racial stereotyping

5. Make race equality a high

priority

6. Ensure adequate resources to

enable change to happen

7. Improve social and economic

opportunities

and asks local agencies to sign

up to these principles and work

together to produce an action

plan for change.

Roger Griffiths, chair of Ujima

Radio CIC and a member of the

Manifesto steering group, said,

“The Manifesto has to involve

the large strategic organisations

working with groups and our

communities – partnership

working is essential.”

Alex Raikes, interim director of

SARI and also on the steering

group, added, “Race equality in

Bristol should have, at the very

least, the same priority as the

profile given to Bristol Green

Capital.”

Sue Mountstevens, Avon and

Somerset Police and Crime

Commissioner, was pleased to add

her support to the Manifesto.

* for more information, visit: goo.gl/SFkjJS

Bristol launches ‘Batook’s Blueprint’ - a Manifesto for Race Equality

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Read the Manifesto at:

http://goo.gl/ZlMJK8

George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, supporting the launch of the Manifesto with members of the steering group.


Grasping the nettle Support around volunteering for groups running sustainability projects

To be the first UK city awarded

‘Green Capital’ status is an

enormous achievement, of

which we are all justly proud.

This achievement also brings

unprecedented opportunities for

local communities and voluntary

groups, including those with no

previous record of environmental

or conservation activity, to

engage with the Green Capital

programme and share in the

‘greening of the city’. Many of

these projects will involve the

contributions of local people,

confirming that community action

and volunteering are central to

keeping Bristol green.

Organisations undertaking

community, environmental and

sustainability projects will need

to make preparations in order

to maximise the impact of their

projects. Voscur recognises

that small community groups

will want to know how best to

attract and retain helpers and

supporters. Even well-established

charities may need advice about

safeguarding young volunteers or

additional insurance that may be

required for outdoor work.

Voscur has been commissioned

by Green Capital 2015 to deliver

a comprehensive programme of

training and support covering a

full range of matters related to

volunteering, and has created

a suite of training workshops

tailored around the needs

of community organisations

undertaking environmental

sustainability projects. The

programme will be delivered from

April to July 2015, in order to put

organisations on the front foot

at the very start of their Green

Capital projects.

The training will consist of a

series of four half-day workshops,

delivered in small groups. Each

workshop will be held at several

community venues across the city

to help ensure access for different

communities. It will be possible

to book individual workshops, but

we advise organisations to sign

up for the full package in order to

gain a comprehensive overview of

volunteering issues.

Thanks to funding support from

Green Capital 2015, Voscur is able

to offer this training at the heavily

subsidised charge of £10 for all

voluntary and community sector

organisations taking part in green

projects. We anticipate high levels

of demand for this training, and

recommend that organisations

book early to ensure their places.

One local group that is already

signed up is the Ape Project

C.I.C., a non-profit organisation

which works with children,

young people and their families

across Bristol.

Passionate about the

importance of play and its

ability to transform both

individuals and communities,

APE uses a mixture of practical

skills, tool work, craft and

cooperation to promote

creativity, healthy lifestyles,

community development and

environmental awareness in

communities. The project

manages a children’s bike

exchange scheme and has

previously benefitted from

Green Capital support. Guy

Dobson, Co-Executive Director,

is looking forward to taking

part in the Voscur volunteer

training course, and explains:

“Ape Project’s involvement of

volunteers has really taken off

this year. We wish to manage

our volunteers effectively and

provide them with as good an

experience as possible, so this

course is ideal for us.”


Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

• What volunteering is (no contract, no compulsion, no payment, expenses).

• Why people volunteer.

• What stops people volunteering.

• Who can volunteer (including supported volunteering).

• Where to recruit (role descriptions, adverts).

• Selection of volunteers (interviews, references).

Recruiting Volunteers21 April, 29 April, 23 June 2015 (with addition of 28 April for

Green Capital Grant recipients only).

• Why people stop volunteering.

• Volunteer induction.

• Supporting and supervising volunteers.

• Valuing volunteers.

Supporting and Retaining Volunteers5 May, 13 May, 30 June 2015 (with addition of 20 May for Green

Capital Grant recipients only).

• Planning for volunteering.

• Volunteer policies and procedures.

• Anticipating issues that can arise when working with volunteers.

• Exit processes.

Managing Volunteers – Having Everything in Place21 May, 4 June, 8 July 2015 (with addition of 11 June for Green


• What is safeguarding?

• The main categories of abuse.

• Safeguarding volunteers and vulnerable groups.

• Safeguarding policy and procedures.

• Getting support.

Safeguarding10 June, 16 June, 15 July 2015 (with addition of 7 July for Green


For a full list of courses and to book, visit: www.voscur.org/

content/managing-volunteers-training. For more information,

please contact Nikki Smith at Voscur: [email protected]

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includes template certificates of

thanks that can be downloaded

and presented to volunteers.

Volunteer Bristol is planning

events across the city to mark the

week, and up-to-date details of

these will be added to our website

(www.volunteerbristol.org.uk)

closer to the time.

National Volunteers’ Week is the

annual celebration of volunteering

that aims to recognise the

enormous contribution made by

millions of volunteers across the

UK. Volunteers’ Week has taken

place every year since 1984, and

is bigger and more diverse each

year. This year, Volunteers’ Week

will take place from 1 - 7 June, and

during the week a broad range

of activities and initiatives will be

taking place across Bristol, with

support from Volunteer Bristol

@Voscur.

Sian Bunn, Volunteer Development

Manager, explains, “We want every

volunteer-involving organisation in

Bristol to join in – it’s a wonderful

opportunity to thank our fantastic

volunteers and let everybody

know how much we value them

and rely upon their support.

There are so many different ways

an organisation can show its

appreciation for volunteers - some

charities present awards or give

out themed merchandise, like

Volunteers’ Week mugs.

“Why not organise a volunteers’

picnic, or invite your local

community radio to present a

feature about your volunteers?

Whatever you do for Volunteers’

Week, we are urging all voluntary

and community organisations

across the city to let us know

what is planned. We can help with

ideas, publicity, promotion and

resources.”

Last year LinkAge hosted a

‘LinkAge Volunteer Big Thank You’

event during Volunteers’ Week

in June which was attended by

120 volunteers. They premiered a

‘thank you’ film they had made,

together with speeches from

existing volunteers, their chief

executive and trustees. This

year LinkAge is looking forward

to hosting another event along

similar lines, but with a secret

twist!

Volunteer Bristol @Voscur can

provide advice and assistance to

help organisations celebrate their

volunteers, including a toolkit that

For more information

on what’s happening

locally for Volunteers’

Week, call Sian Bunn or Emily

Bonney on 0117 989 7734

For national Volunteers’

Week, visit: http://

volunteersweek.org

Celebrating our city’s fantastic volunteers

Radio Lollipop volunteers at the Bristol Royal Children’s Hospital provide care, comfort, play and entertainment to sick children in hospital


short-term strength and longer-

term sustainability. Not only does

our merger enhance the network

you are directly connected to for

collaboration and advocacy, but

membership fees remain no more

than 0.5% of your annual income.

We’re also launching some exciting

new services for 2015, including:

• More targeted funding

support: www.voscur.org/fars

• Low-cost volunteer

management training to

support your involvement in

Green Capital.

• Additional HR support to help

recruit and develop the staff,

volunteers and trustees your

organisation needs.

Working in partnership is a

defining characteristic of

our sector and it’s helping to

achieve great things in Bristol.

For example, we are starting to

close the gaps between different

systems that support people

with complex needs (Golden Key),

address social isolation in our older

communities (Ageing Better), fight

to not just eliminate racism but

create equality of opportunity

(Manifesto for Race Equality) and

ensure that economic growth

includes, rather than excludes,

disadvantaged communities

(Local Enterprise Partnership

investment).

These schemes are possible

because, as well as our individual

and organisational loyalties, we’re

also part of something bigger,

and tapping in to that makes us

all stronger, smarter and more

influential.

One of Voscur’s key roles is to

offer local groups the chance to

benefit from our community of

peer members. We help establish

and maintain relationships built

around common goals and values,

then turn those relationships into

action and, if that is what our

communities need, collaboration.

Doing this more responsively and

effectively was a primary reason

for Volunteer Bristol and Voscur’s

merger a year ago. In 2014 our

separate membership schemes

ran in parallel as we integrated

services and systems. This year we

will consolidate membership into a

single joint scheme that gives you

access to a larger, more diverse

network of peers and a range of

new member benefits.

What’s changing?

We’re combining membership

benefits to create the best-value

investment in terms of your

For more details, go

to www.voscur.org/

membership2015

Stronger togetherA look at Voscur and Volunteer Bristol’s new joint membership scheme

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Upcoming Voscur trainingPreparing your Accounts for your End of Year ReportThursday 16 April 2015, 9:30am - 3:30pm

This course is designed to identify key areas associated

with the production of statutory accounts for those

who have had limited exposure to this specialist area.

Safeguarding and WhistleblowingThursday 30 April 2015, 9:30am - 1pm

How do you manage issues of safeguarding in your

organisation? Do you have a whistleblowing policy?

How are concerns shared and how are decisions

made about escalating whistleblowing processes?

This training will answer the above questions, help you

identify steps to take when issues arise, and inform

you about how to develop and maintain relationships

with Bristol City Council staff and the support they can

offer to help you meet good practice standards and

legislation.

Being a Good TrusteeThursday 23 April 2015, 6pm - 9pm Tuesday 9 June 2015, 9:30am – 12:30pm

Governance has never been more crucial; in challenging

times, a strong board is essential to survive and thrive.

Yet many trustees are unclear of their duties and

boundaries with staff. This course sets out trustee roles

and responsibilities and suggests tools to help ensure

your board leads your organisation’s impact.

Contracts of Employment – How to Get it RightWednesday 13 May 2015, 9:30am - 1pm

Organisations are only as effective as the staff that

work for them, and employment contracts should help

both employers and employees get the most out of

their relationship. This course will help you create, alter

and end employment contracts using procedures that

comply with all the relevant legislation and treat staff

as people, not just ‘human resources’. This course is

being delivered by ACAS.

Working Together to Prevent and Support Young People Being Drawn into Terrorism and ExtremismThursday 14 May 2015, 9:30am – 12:30pm

The workshop builds our understanding of how young

people can become radicalised and be vulnerable to

extreme views and actions which could lead to acts of

violent extremism. Practitioners working with young

people may well become aware of changes and signs

that might indicate the early stages of vulnerability

to extremism. This workshop will enable practitioners

from all agencies to recognise signs, to know what

action to take in response to concerns, and to cascade

the learning to others in their teams.

Finance Forum - Insurance for Voluntary Sector OrganisationsTuesday 2 June 2015, 1:30pm - 3:30pm

This session will cover the reasons why VCS

organisations need to consider insurance; the legislative

requirements; the types of insurance cover required

(including good practice measures in undertaking risk

assessments); and where and how to obtain suitable

quotations. This course will be delivered by Martin

Ladbrook, of Ladbrook - specialist advisers to the

voluntary and community sector.

Minute Taking for AdministratorsWednesday 3 June and Wednesday 10 June, 9:30am - 1pm (course over two half-day sessions)

All organisations need accurate records of meetings.

They are essential if teams, committees and boards are

to have a clear account of the decisions made and the

actions required. The aim of this course is to provide

you with tools to ‘minute’ with confidence.


Writing Small Fundraising BidsThursday 4 June 2015, 9:30am – 3.30pm

Make it easy for funders to say “yes” to your bids.

Whether you want £200 for a community event or

£2,000 for new equipment for your services, you need

a strong, clear proposal. This one-day course will take

you through the essentials for writing a strong bid

that’s appealing to funders, and how to avoid the most

common pitfalls.

Introduction to Time ManagementWednesday 17 June 2015, 9:30am - 1pm

Do you find that there are not enough hours in a day?

Are you always rushing around? You may think that

you don’t have time to attend this course, but you’d

be wrong! Take half a day out of your schedule to learn

how to identify your bad habits, reduce stress (using

proven time-management techniques) and discover

how to manage that daily flood of e-mails.

Being an Even Better TrusteeThursday 18 June 2015, 6pm - 9pm

Focused on governance, managing risk, effective

meetings and how to make the most of the skills in

your trustee team, this course is designed to support

your development beyond the basics of being on a

board.

Telling Your StoryThursday 25 June 2015, 9:30am - 1pm

This practical workshop will equip attendees with the

correct tools to be able to communicate effectively

with a range of audiences, from members of the public

to stakeholders and beyond. Attendees will be able to

try their hand at various disciplines and will be offered

advice on PR, marketing, social media and website

management.

Early-bird rates available!

To book your place or to find out more,

please go to: www.supporthub.org.uk/

training-hub or call us on: 0117 909 9949.

Doing ‘green’ work/running a project around sustainability?

Find out more about a range of courses that are taking place around volunteering between April and July 2015 on p8-9.

Trustee NetworkWednesday 1 July 2015, 6pm - 8pm

The Trustee Network is open to any trustees, from the

brand new to the very experienced. As well as a short

presentation on a relevant topic, Trustee Network

meetings offer a chance to meet other trustees and

share good practice.

How Decisions are Made in the CityWednesday 8 July 2015, 12pm – 2pm

Bristol has a number of locally based institutions

making decisions which have an impact on our

communities. As VCS activists, do you understand what

these organisations are and how they make decisions?

This session will inform you about our elected Mayor,

Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), business-led

bodies such as the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)

and how they make decisions.

Evidence and Intelligence to Support Funding Bids – How Can Council Data Help?Thursday 9 July 2015, 9:30am - 1pm

This course can help enhance your funding applications

and project planning. It offers a chance to look in

more depth at the range of data and intelligence freely

available online via the City Council and how to make

best use of it. This course is being delivered by Bristol City Council.


local people, and is willing to

take on constructive feedback

and embrace change,” says

Steve Watters, Support Hub

Development Worker at Voscur.

“I am sure lots of local people will

benefit from the new services.”

The Lockleaze Hub is now open,

with lots of activities each week

for the community as well as

rooms for hire. The organisation

continues to develop and there

are more exciting plans for the

future in the pipeline.

Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust

(LNT) is a local charity run by

residents and professionals to

help improve quality of life in

Lockleaze. They achieve this by

working to bring better services to

the area and building public pride

and community spirit.

Richard Reddrop, Chair of Trustees

at LNT, approached Voscur last

year for support as LNT prepared

for the move to a new community

hub. “As an organisation we had

been a little consumed by the

process of planning and building a

new community centre – and now

wanted a development plan to

drive us forward,” he said.

Following an organisational ‘health

check’, Voscur worked with LNT to

produce an action plan, breaking

the work into clear steps for the

trustees and staff at LNT to tackle.

Our first step was to work

with trustees to review the

organisation’s strategy, and a key

action for LNT was to listen to

the views of local people. Voscur

helped to design a survey to find

out about local views and needs.

“We sent out the survey to all our

partners and users, asking about

their perception of LNT, what they

valued and what they felt needed

to change,” said Richard.

Once some of the key themes

of this listening exercise became

clear, the organisation could start

further strategic planning with

Voscur’s advice and support.

We also gave advice on the

development of the board of

trustees through training and

recruiting new members. This led

to new people with relevant skills

joining the board and a plan for

future development.

Following Voscur’s support, LNT

restructured the staff roles and

gained funding for new projects

including the promotion of social

inclusion in the community.

“It’s great to be able to work

with an organisation that wants

to make a difference, listens to

Could Voscur’s

Suppot Hub help your

organisation? Get in

touch on: 0117 909 9949

Embracing change

Charlotte Leslie MP and Mayor George Ferguson officially open ‘The Hub’ community centre in Lockleaze with the help of some local children and volunteers.

Local organisation has support from Voscur to take its next steps


Police and Crime Commissioner

(PCC) Sue Mountstevens set a

clear priority in her Police and

Crime Plan to ensure that victims

are at the heart of the criminal

justice process. As part of that

commitment, over the last year

the Office of the Police and Crime

Commissioner (OPCC) has been

working hard to put in place local

support services for victims of

crime and anti-social behaviour

(ASB).

When the Integrated Victim

Strategy was published,

recognising the importance

of working with providers and

partners, two of the key principles

were that the approach should be

consultative and collaborative. This

meant that we aimed to enrich

our process with the knowledge,

expertise and experience of

voluntary and community sector

(VCS) providers, partners and

other stakeholders from the very

start.

The OPCC has worked with the

VCS in a number of ways:

Consultation – we consulted on

our commissioning intentions

both online and in person from

February to May 2014. This

allowed the team to attend and

co-host a number of meetings

and events with the VCS.

Ultimately, it was this feedback

that enabled us to publish a

clear commissioning plan, which

responded to individual comments

and outlined the changes we had

made in response.

Market events – we hosted two

market events which gave us the

opportunity to answer questions

from potential providers, better

understand their views (and

service user needs), and make

clear our vision for victim services.

Purchasing methods –

recognising the importance of

smaller specialist services and

providers, the OPCC uses its

funding in a variety of ways,

opening up opportunities to the

market.

Updates – we continually sought

to keep stakeholders - including

VCS organisations and providers

- up to date with publications,

events and decisions.

Next steps…

We are now working with our

new providers, alongside criminal

justice and other partners, to

realise the PCC’s ambition. As

a relatively new commissioning

body, we are keen to continue

working in this way and to evolve

our working relationship with

partners and the VCS to bring

about the very best outcomes for

Avon and Somerset.

VCS groups can read the PCC’s

‘VCSE Charter’ online (goo.gl/

KTW2oD) and are welcome to get

in touch with the PCC’s Custody

Visiting and VCSE Officer, Anna

Hill, by emailing: Anna.Hill@

avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk

Putting victims first

Read the PCC’s

full Police and

Crime plan at:

www.avonandsomerset-pcc.

gov.uk/

Article written by Alice Jones, Grants Officer and Violence Against Women and Children Champion, Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.

Local organisation has support from Voscur to take its next steps

a new approach for support services

putting victims first

#whyvotebristol15Ask your parliamentary candidates how they will represent your needs and aspirations if they are elected ...

On Thursday 7 May there is a General Election and everyone will have the chance to vote for an MP to represent them in Parliament. Bristol West will be a close competition between the candidates. Book your place at goo.gl/7IzCfT

Thursday 16 April6 - 8pm

Trinity CentreSend us your questions by 10 April

Book your place

#whyvotebristol15 gov.uk/register-to-vote

S u p p o r t i n g V o l u n t a r y A c t i o n

Celebrating twenty

years!

We are now collecting questions to ask at the event. If you have a question you want candidates to answer, send it to [email protected] or [email protected]

We’ll choose a good mix to cover a range of subjects. There will be time on the night for questions from the audience.

Send your questions

Organised by:

For more information: 0117 909 9949 0117 954 2834


There are opportunities that

young people don’t even know

exist – it’s about making them

understand that people aren’t

going to knock on your door and

invite you, but you can apply like

everyone else and they will snatch

your hand off! I’m on a governing

body for a local school. I say,

“You’re over 18 now, you can go

and be a governor in a school.”

It wouldn’t be something they’d

ever considered.

When you’re younger you

perhaps feel that you haven’t

got anything to give or

anything to say, but actually, it is

a really valuable insight that young

people can bring – we need young

people to be more involved in

local decision making.

Ultimately I would like to see

them being the VCS Advocates.

When they see someone they

know and trust doing things, they

are more likely to follow when

those opportunities come up.

My favourite spot in Bristol

is Brandon Hill. You only know

about it if you’re a Bristolian really.

Tourists walking up Park Street

wouldn’t even know it’s there. I

love all the history around it - the

uprisings of the working classes in

the 1800s.

Words are cheap and easy to

say; what’s important is the way

people act.

My relationships have got to

add something to my life; they

have to bring something that isn’t

already there and I haven’t already

got. They have to enrich and not

drain.

I have been a fan of snooker

from a young age. Anyone who

remembers Pot Black will get the

idea…I have been around the

country to watch it live. It’s a fiver

and you get 4-5 hours of live sport

– now that’s value for money!

There are things that need

to be changed in the world,

particularly around injustice

and inequality. It is about

standing up and speaking out –

not everybody is able to.

As you get older you can get

caught up in the systems,

the bureaucracy – you can get

battered down a bit; not speak up,

not speak out. But young people

don’t have that, they have a real

sense of justice, and it is really

empowering to see them using

that as a group of young people

to make changes. The young

people at Integrate have achieved

great changes in a short amount

of time and that drives me to do

the work I do.

Get more

information about

our VCS Advocates,

watch video updates

and find out how to get

in touch with them at:

www.voiceandinfluence.org.

uk/advocates

This is meChristine Townsend is the VCS Advocate on the Bristol Safeguarding Children Board. With a background in education, she has a strong interest in safeguarding and empowering young people. Christine is co-founder and trustee at Integrate Bristol, a charity working with young people on projects that promote equality and integration in our communities. Here is a flavour of what she does and who she is...

#whyvotebristol15Ask your parliamentary candidates how they will represent your needs and aspirations if they are elected ...

On Thursday 7 May there is a General Election and everyone will have the chance to vote for an MP to represent them in Parliament. Bristol West will be a close competition between the candidates. Book your place at goo.gl/7IzCfT

Thursday 16 April6 - 8pm

Trinity CentreSend us your questions by 10 April

Book your place

#whyvotebristol15 gov.uk/register-to-vote

S u p p o r t i n g V o l u n t a r y A c t i o n

Celebrating twenty

years!

We are now collecting questions to ask at the event. If you have a question you want candidates to answer, send it to [email protected] or [email protected]

We’ll choose a good mix to cover a range of subjects. There will be time on the night for questions from the audience.

Send your questions

Organised by:

For more information: 0117 909 9949 0117 954 2834


For more

information, contact

[email protected]

Paul Jacobs is speaking at

Voscur’s next Children and

Young People’s Network

meeting on 6 May 2015 -

for more information, visit:

www.voiceandinfluence.org.

uk/cyp_meetings

Bristol: a learning city

Learning Cities are being developed

across the world to promote

the importance of learning and

encourage participation.

In Bristol, we’re ambitious for our

city and know that learning is at

the heart of our success, and so

we are developing the concept

of Bristol as a Learning City. Since

June we have been working with a

group of Leaders from across the

city - called the Founders Group -

including voluntary and community

sector colleagues.

We want to develop a city that

promotes learning and encourages

a culture where everyone is proud

to learn - at school, work and in

communities. We also want a city

that supports the development of

a highly skilled workforce, joining

the skills taught in schools with

business needs for the future,

resulting in an enterprising, diverse

and sustainable world-class city.

We are establishing a Learning

City Partnership, including

influential and inspirational leaders

from across the city, to change

perceptions about learning

and our schools, and deliver

change through some ambitious

challenges. We want to increase

participation and achievement

of learners and promote and

celebrate learning.

The Founders have agreed four

themed groups to drive action

in 2015. The themes and some

examples of the activities are as

follows:

Learning for life – to reduce the

social isolation of older citizens, we

will be working with Bristol Ageing

Better to support their ‘schools

for all ages’ strand, focusing on

intergenerational learning.

Learning for everyone – to

engage care leavers in learning and

employment, we will work with

partners and employers to improve

care leavers’ life chances and

outcomes.

Learning in education – to raise

young people’s attainment, we

will work with schools and other

education providers to narrow the

achievement gap.

Learning for and in work – to

develop an engagement hub which

joins together the skills taught

in schools with the needs of city

employers; we will work with

schools and businesses to establish

a shared Engagement Hub in the

Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone and

create a young person’s Passport

for Employability.

We believe voluntary and

community sector organisations

have a great contribution to make

and so look forward to engaging

with colleagues throughout the

year - look out for more updates

from Voscur.

Article written by Paul Jacobs, Service Director Education and Skills, Bristol City Council, who tells us what it means to be a ‘learning city’

Mentors from BYEP, working on enterprise ideas with young people.

Photo by Monkey Boy42 CC BY-NC 2.0

In the run-up to May’s general election, Voscur will be partnering with other organisations and agencies in the city to raise vital awareness in our communities about how to make your vote count. To kick things off, we approached the four main parties in the city and asked them what their party will be doing locally to assist in the support and development of the city’s voluntary and community sector - here is what they said...

his year’s elections offer voters a

beguiling choice between a firm

Conservative commitment towards

deficit elimination by 2017-18, and a more

woolly debt reduction plan offered by Labour.

However, what is clear from consideration of

the nation’s perilous finances is that whichever

Party is returned to Parliament, the voluntary

and community sector will be expected to

work within a political landscape of ever-

shrinking budgets.

To further this end, the Coalition has pursued

various community-based initiatives over this

Parliament, including the setting up of the Big

Society Network, the Big Society Bank and the

Localism Act 2011, which included numerous

provisions allowing charitable trusts and

voluntary bodies to apply to carry out formerly

council-provided services.

Locally, in addition to the Mayor’s Fund for

Bristol, the Council is still responsible for

ristol has a strong tradition

of voluntary sector

organisations, which has

changed over the last few years,

especially as a result of the

Coalition Government’s austerity

programme.

With less money around, the City

Council has altered what it does,

and voluntary and community

organisations have changed to

reflect that. Many organisations

that were principally funded

previously by the Council have

put together new partnerships,

collaborating with each other and

working with other funders to

continue to deliver and develop

their services.

Labour councillors recognise – and

celebrate – the value of the sector

to Bristol and to our communities.

We encourage councillors to work

closely with organisations in their

wards, signposting residents to

services and supporting their

activities.

Labour led the Council’s Third

Sector Commissioning Strategy

to develop a transparent

and common approach to

commissioning across the

Council. However, we know

there are real problems here,

with inconsistent practice across

different departments, and

smaller, local niche organisations

often missing out. Labour

would ensure that every Council

service commissioned follows

the guidelines and best practice,

working with the sector, involving

organisations right from the

start in scoping work. Done well,

this would inform the way other

public (and quasi-public) sector

organisations across Bristol

commission, making life easier for

the sector and enabling individual

organisations to engage, focussing

on the outcomes we all want – not

just the process.

Even when the Council improves

commissioning, Labour still

supports the retention of a

grants pot, recognising this is

an excellent way to support

innovation in the sector, keeping

flexibility for issues that arise, and

testing ways of working that can

shape future service delivery.

Labour strongly supports

Neighbourhood Partnerships.

We want to see more powers

and responsibility passed from

the Mayor at the centre, out to

communities. At national level, all

allocating £7.5 million worth of

strategic grant funding across the

city. Conservatives have previously

been prominent in championing

community causes; in this year’s

budget we secured an extra £250k

into neighbourhood sports grants.

Councillors have an essential

advocacy and leadership

role within Neighbourhood

Partnerships and other

representative forums. We are

committed to redistributing the

locus of power and resources away

from the central administration

and out into the city’s disparate

communities.

Underpinning our approach to the

third sector is a conviction that

non-government organisations

can do a better job than the state

and are much more responsive

to variations in local need. We

will continue to press for much

simpler and open procurement

processes that give small

organisations a fairer chance at

securing local authority work

contracts.

For a more in-depth exposition of

this subject, I would refer readers

to “The Blue Book of the Voluntary

Sector: Civil Society and the

Conservative Party After the 2015

Election”.

A state-centric model for the

supply of public services is no

longer an option or even always

desirable. In fact, this concept

has failed all of us on a number of

levels. Aside from the great cost

and inefficiencies it has invoked,

such an approach has resulted in

the creation of a burdensome,

overblown, wasteful and often

intrusive bureaucracy. We are

convinced voluntary organisations

can and will do better.

In any event, given the pervasive

economic constraints confronting

central and local government

following May’s elections, we really

don’t have much choice in the

matter.

political parties are talking about devolution.

They mean from “Whitehall to the town

hall”, but we don’t want to see it stop there,

believing that many more decisions about

local services and spending should be taken at

the most local appropriate level. We envisage

local voluntary and community sector groups

having a greater role in that decision-making,

using their knowledge and experience to shape

policies and projects.

Finally, Labour councillors want the Local

Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to work in a much

more transparent and accountable way, and to

value the voluntary and community sector for

the huge impact it has on our city.

For more information, email:

[email protected]


[email protected]

Cllr Mark WestonConservative Party

he Green Party

acknowledges the social

value of volunteering and

of the voluntary sector in general.

Volunteers should be treated

with respect and valued for their

contribution.

Strong community groups mean

strong communities. This has

enormous benefits in terms of well-

being, engagement, looking after

your neighbours, improving your

local environment and much more.

The role of the Council is to enable

this, to encourage it, to allow such

groups to get on with it.

Where it is good, the Council should

provide large-scale stable processes.

It is far less good at innovation.

There is a role for the third sector

in starting projects up and getting

them going. The Council should

promote tendering processes

which support the third sector to

participate (along with SMEs).

We support the Bristol Compact

and measures which improve

the way in which statutory and

voluntary (and other) bodies work

together. We do not support the

wholesale replacement of Council

services with volunteers.

There is however a discussion

to be had about when and if

a service should be run by the

voluntary sector or the statutory

sector. If you go back far enough

in history, education was a

charitable activity. Clearly, it is

correct that it has become a right

for all, and state funded. Recycling

has gone from voluntary sector to

Council-run to being privatised. The

question to be answered is, when is

it right to do this?

Of course, in the current climate,

any response has to be much more

defensive than that. Facing 40%

Council budget cuts - no one can

or should pretend that somehow

it is going to be all right. Services

will suffer, possibly all of them. The

most vulnerable will be hit hardest.

Cuts will be made to the easiest

targets, and this will undoubtedly

include funding for the voluntary

sector. In this environment it is

critical that we give principles

for funding priorities. As Greens,

this means funding for the most

vulnerable.

Finally, the Green Party believes that

the voluntary sector should play a

iberal Democrats believe community and

voluntary organisations, by virtue of their

independence and close understanding of

their members, volunteers and beneficiaries,

are a powerful means by which residents can

shape and change their local communities.

Many also have far deeper connections to

the communities they seek to represent than

council officers. These officers, however

effective they are, could never realistically wish

to profess such a detailed understanding of

the needs of the many and varied communities

that make up our great City of Bristol.

It was the Liberal Democrats who brought

in devolution of many decisions to local

neighbourhoods, via Neighbourhood

Partnerships, and we want to see that role

enhanced and developed. Neighbourhood

Partnerships have the potential to act both

inside and outside the institutions of the

Council. They also have the potential to re-

engage people with the political system,

key role in campaigning within the democratic

process. In this context Bristol councillor Rob

Telford campaigned with local groups against

the Coalition’s Lobbying Bill, which tragically

placed restrictions on the role of charities and

the voluntary sector in campaigning on the

issues that people care about. The Green Party

will continue to work to repeal this affront to

the democratic process.

helping to organise citizens in

their own communities, to restore

legitimacy and a strong sense of

public purpose to our democracy,

thereby making it fit for the

challenges of our generation.

Regrettably, progress has stalled

since the Mayor took office. We

believe our citizens must have a say

on how we are governed locally.

Current legislation denies Bristol’s

residents a say over whether they

want to keep so much power

concentrated in the hands of one

person. There is now cross-party

consensus to give Bristol the power

to choose its own local governance

arrangements and in so doing

further devolving power to the

residents of Bristol.

Many people have told me they feel

the Council is now only interested

in the City Centre and surrounding

areas. I want to see more clarity

from the Mayor about what is

expected from the voluntary

sector in terms of work done and

outputs, and a transparent system

of ‘value mapping’ introduced to

ensure consistent value for money

for the Council Tax payer across all

contracts with the voluntary and

community sector.

The City Council must work for

all of Bristol, and working with

the voluntary and community

sector is an essential way to do

this. As everyone knows, Local

Government finances are likely

to remain tight for several years

(whoever wins the elections in

May). There will always be more

demand from projects and

organisations that need funding

than there are funds available, so

Bristol City Council must become

more accessible to voluntary

organisations that truly connect

with local communities.


[email protected]


[email protected]

Voscur and Up Our

Street are organising an

event in Bristol West to

give local people the chance

to ask questions of their local

parliamentary candidates

(more information on p16).

Are you registered to Vote?

Check by 20 April 2015 at:

www.gov.uk/register-to-vote


A united voice is a stronger voiceBristol BME Voice’s Knowledge and Share Programme

It has been 50 years since the

creation of the Race Relations

Act of 1965, which, although

tentative, edged the way towards

race equality recognition and

legislation in the UK. Although a

huge amount has been achieved

in this arena, few will disagree

that there is still some serious

work to be done to achieve true

racial equality in the UK and, more

specifically for us, in Bristol.

Knowing how important

having influence in local

public and economic life is

for the advancement of BME

organisations and communities,

the Bristol BME Voice team

created the Knowledge and Share

Programme. This Programme

ran between September and

December 2014 and engaged

with ten BME organisations from

a diverse range of backgrounds

including West African, African

Caribbean and Polish.

The Knowledge and Share

Programme brought local BME

people together to continue the

conversation around race equality

in the city, and encouraged closer

partnership working. The purpose

of the work was twofold: on

one side it dedicated time and

resources to skills development

and confidence building – on the

other, effecting change through

discussions with city leaders. In

practice this was achieved through

four separate sessions of training

followed by a chance to talk with

key city strategic figures.

These included Bristol’s elected

Mayor, George Ferguson, Police

and Crime Commissioner, Sue

Mountstevens, Judith Brown,

Director of Operations for the

Clinical Commissioning Group, and

Malachy McReynolds from the

West of England Local Enterprise

Partnership Executive Board.

Some common themes/concerns

emerged from participants.

It is apparent that there is a

sense of distrust of public

agencies’ abilities to meet the

needs of BME communities,

which is further emphasised by

a lack of representation within

the various agencies. Another

recurring concern was connected

to commissioning processes.

Many BME groups felt that they

had been used, sidestepped

and swallowed up by bigger

organisations that had more

capacity to tender for and win

large contracts. It was clear that

a key action point is for more

monitoring on contract delivery

and clauses within contracts,

ensuring that large firms utilise

and subcontract to smaller

organisations with local knowledge

and links to their communities. All

four of the leaders acknowledged

the issues raised, and took away

their own list of action points to

follow up.

Three months on, we revisited

some of the participants.

Effiom Ene-Obong is the founder

and director of an alternative

inner city employment agency

- The Society Community Group

“I know a wider network of people as a result of these meetings and have made use of these new contacts.”


(TSCG). He explained that he

has utilised the training and

networks to extend discussions

and plan for future work, both

with other participants and

strategic leaders. “I’m happy that

I have developed some great

networks through participation

in the programme,” he explained.

“TSCG directors have been hosted

at NILAARI and, consequently,

we have been collaborating on

recruitment into the health and

social care sector, and even

achieved internal outcomes of

building skills/knowledge. I also

found the leadership topics most

useful towards my development

as the Founder of TSCG and as a

community leader. Overall, I feel

that this remains a great platform

to raise issues or concerns, and I

am grateful for the opportunity.”

Like Effiom, veteran activist and

If you have any

questions about

the Knowledge and Share

Programme, email Ruth

Pitter: [email protected]

For further information

about Bristol BME Voice, visit:

www.bristolbmevoice.org.uk

respected elder, Clementina

Johnson-Martin, has become

“better equipped” to realise her

vision of creating an elder people’s

forum in Wick, where she lives, as

well as gaining vital support and

skills for her Bristol-based roles at

OSCAR and the Malcolm X Elders.

All participants stated that they

had increased their knowledge

and skills following involvement

in the Knowledge and Share

Programme.

“Personally I know a wider network

of people as a result of these

meetings and have made use of

these new contacts,” says Ruth

Soandro-Jones, Fundraising and

Communications Manager, Bristol

Refugee Rights. “Further sessions

would be helpful to take more

practical and coordinated actions

and to identify what the barriers

are to greater influence and

bringing about change.”

Ph

oto b

y Lou

ise Wen

der

Photo taken at Voscur’s ‘Feeling Bristolian’ Bristol BME Conference in 2014

“A great platform to raise issues or concerns, I am grateful for the opportunity.”


‘Social prescribing’ refers to a

formal process of enabling general

practitioners (GPs), practice

nurses and other health care

practitioners to refer patients to a

range of holistic, local, non-clinical

services to help their wellbeing.

There is no uniform agreement,

but the main elements of social

prescribing are usually:

• Formalised referral

mechanisms from GP/

Primary Care to a ‘community

connector’ (or other such

named person), who identifies

a range of activities and

organisations suitable for the

patient.

• Excellent knowledge of local

supportive organisations and

activities.

• A holistic approach to

identifying appropriate

services (the ‘prescription’).

• Reports back to the GP/health

practitioner regarding the

‘prescription’.

• Encouragement for patients to

help them play a central role in

managing their own care.

Some social prescribing projects

refer to a limited range of

activities whilst others refer to

a wide range of activities. Social

prescribing might be offered to all

patients, but usually it works with

patients who:

• Have mental health problems.

• Are vulnerable/at-risk.

• Are frequent attenders of GP

practices/clinics.

• Are socially isolated.

• Have untreatable or poorly

understood long-term

conditions.

• Are not benefitting from

clinical medicine/drug

treatment.

What’s been happening in Bristol?

Holistic assessments and

preventative approaches are

common in the voluntary and

community sector (VCS). Bristol

City Council, Bristol Clinical

Commissioning Group and the

likes of the Big Lottery Fund have

funded a wide range of social

prescribing-type services for some

years.

In November 2013, Bristol’s Health

and Wellbeing Board considered

a report on social prescribing in

Bristol (the Kimberlee report).

They agreed that a pooled

budget should be established

with appropriate commissioning

arrangements in order to develop

and extend the provision in Bristol.

The Joint Commissioning Group

met, but a joint commissioning

plan did not materialise. There are

probably three reasons for this:

1) Right idea, wrong time -

given the redesign of Public

Health in Bristol, the absence of

a permanent Public Health lead

and massive pressures on local

authority budgets, it was not the

best time for social prescribing.

2) Understanding evidence

- social prescribing suffers

from what might be described

as ‘evidential biases’. Rules

of evidence for short-term

interventions do not fit for

preventative work with a

longer time span. Sometimes

it is not clear if it is the social

prescribing mechanism or a

particular intervention that is

being evaluated. The Kimberlee

report concluded that a variety

of evaluation tools were used in

Bristol, making it difficult to assess

the different projects.

3) Value for money - the

Kimberlee report concluded that

the varying models of delivery

Just what the doctor orderedA look at social prescribing in Bristol


in Bristol had varying costs; just

looking at staff costs alone on

four projects in Bristol, they

ranged from £223 to £883 per

client per annum. Not all decision

makers are convinced that social

prescribing is value for money.

Where now for a strategic approach for social prescribing?

Bristol Clinical Commissioning

Group has taken the lead in

developing a strategic approach.

The potential of social prescribing

is recognised in reducing hospital

admissions for older people, and

in strategies for supporting people

with long-term conditions and

improving mental health.

Voscur continues to be involved

with this work, and links are

being developed with Bristol

Ageing Better. Bristol Public

Health has funded a staff post,

seconded to the Bristol Clinical

Commissioning Group. The post

holder will continue with mapping

of local activities started by the

Joint Commissioning Group and

looking at evidence and evaluation

models.

Elsewhere, a significant report on

Social Prescribing was published

by Rotherham Voluntary Action

in 2014. NHS Rotherham Clinical

Commissioning Group funded

the work for two years. It was

part of a wider GP-led project

to increase the capacity of GP

practices to meet the non-clinical

needs of patients with long-term

conditions.

Around £1m was invested. Just

over £600,000 was distributed

to enable VCS organisations to

deliver a menu of 31 separate

social prescribing services. Twenty

nine (out of 36) GP practices in

Rotherham referred 1,607 patients

to the scheme.

This large-scale pilot provides a

comprehensive evidence base

that supports the case for social

prescribing. The evaluation

identified improvement in patient

wellbeing, and social prescribing

was found to help reduce hospital

admissions by between 12% and

21%.

Whilst Bristol might not be as far

ahead as Rotherham, we seem

to be moving towards overall

‘buy in’ for social prescribing as a

significant tool in improving health

and wellbeing in our city.

To see more on social

prescribing, visit: www.

voiceandinfluence.org.

uk/hsc_resources

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Devolution is defined as the

transfer of power from central

government to a subnational level.

It can be divided into two main

types: functional public sector

service based (e.g. transport, skills)

and fiscal (taxes) devolution.

Greater Manchester has recently

announced its landmark

devolution agreement with

Government: the first for local

government and local partners. It

is far-reaching and includes major

plans for local transport, control

of a major housing investment

fund, and control of local skills

funding and health and social

care, with the objective of being

able to direct funding and services

to identified local priorities and

needs and support economic

growth and wellbeing.

Sheffield also agreed a devolution

deal shortly after that focuses

mainly on skills and transport.

This follows major developments

in policy from the Government,

Opposition and the Scottish

referendum on devolution last

year.

Along with other Core Cities and

City Regions, the Government

has indicated that it would

welcome a commitment from

the four unitary authorities in

the West of England to form a

combined authority to secure

devolved powers for strategic

functions such as transport,

planning, housing, skills, economic

development and health and

social care in an offer similar to

that agreed with Manchester, with

the Chancellor George Osborne

advising all that his door is open

for discussion.

Voscur has taken an active interest

in this debate; as well as attending

the Core Cities Summit in Glasgow

alongside the City Council, we

hosted a debate in March (in

association with the Bristol

Festival of Ideas) to consider the

role of communities in these

new developments. Community

activists from across the West of

England (WoE) contributed to the

discussion, which was opened by

Mayor Ferguson. The majority of

attendees said that the event had

increased their knowledge of City

Devolution, and many planned to

share information with others to

continue the debate. Many were

sharing information and opinions

live from the event via Twitter,

which recieved over 160 tweets

with the #futurecity15 hashtag.

“Packed conf. room today inc.

politicians, volunteer groups &

media, shows level of interest

in devolution” tweeted one

attendee. “Enjoyed @voscur

debate on devolution today”

added another, “Need for

leadership & vision and for third

sector to rise to the challenge!”

Voscur is keen to ensure that any

change in city region governance

is also an opportunity to develop

neighbourhood accountability and

enhance community democracy.

This view is shared by the think

tank ResPublica who said in

their recent report ‘Restoring

Britain’s City States’*, “Local

authorities should be given

a duty to involve, empower

and work with communities.

Legislation should be introduced

to enable the formation of

neighbourhood councils and to

enshrine their rights to draw down

City devolution & communities City devolution has been the hot topic in politics over the last few months. But what does this mean and what are the opportunities and risks for the voluntary and community sector?

Scott Jacobs-Lange @Scott _ Sovereign

“Some great debate and discussion about

#westofengland devolution today at #futurecity15

event. Thanks to @voscur and partners for organising.”


politicians, volunteer groups &

media, shows level of interest

in devolution” tweeted one

attendee. “Enjoyed @voscur

debate on devolution today”

added another, “Need for

leadership & vision and for third

sector to rise to the challenge!”

Voscur is keen to ensure that any

change in city region governance

is also an opportunity to develop

neighbourhood accountability and

enhance community democracy.

This view is shared by the think

tank ResPublica who said in

their recent report ‘Restoring

Britain’s City States’*, “Local

authorities should be given

a duty to involve, empower

and work with communities.

Legislation should be introduced

to enable the formation of

neighbourhood councils and to

enshrine their rights to draw down

responsibilities and resources.

This would need to build on the

spirit of the Localism Act, which

aims not to restrict but actively

encourages the potential for

legitimate bottom-up community

action, by allowing for greater

cooperation and collaboration

between partners.”

Bristol and neighbouring WoE

authorities are looking at potential

devolved powers and funding

that responds to the economic

needs and priorities of the WoE

and Bristol area. Currently, there

is no agreed statement of intent

between the four West of England

authorities to secure devolved

powers and functions from

Government.

As well as an opportunity to

further improve community

democracy and accountability,

supporters of this approach

argue that there are many other

benefits that devolved powers and

governance could bring. These

include:

• Single point of decision-

making on agreed functions,

leading to quicker and more

visible decisions. Unlike the

Local Enterprise Partnership,

a combined authority also

has the relevant democratic

accountability.

• Secure more long-term

funding, and retain more of

the benefits of local growth to

reinvest in local priorities.

• Provide resilience and

sustainability to a range of

functions that will be hardest

hit by predicted budget

cuts and ensure that each

local authority continues to

undertake its community

leadership role of promoting

the social, economic and

environmental wellbeing in

their areas.

• An avenue to formally

combine resources and efforts

in regard to economic growth

and wellbeing that respond to

local priorities and needs.

Clearly there are also risks for the

sector. For example, one question

was about how we will ensure that

neighbourhood and community

priorities are reflected in any long-

term strategic plans of an entity

covering a much larger

Continued on next page...

Photos taken at the City Devolution event in March 2015, hosted by Voscur, in association with the Bristol Festival of Ideas.


www.collecteco.co.ukE: [email protected]

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Continued from previous page...

geographical area. How will new commissioning

arrangements that emerge from any new entity

impact VCS organisations? As the ResPublica

report states: “In many respects the challenges

faced in devolving to communities mirror

the obstacles that need to be overcome in

transferring powers from the centre to local

government. The approach requires a complete

transformation in philosophy and approach to

change the culture of how things are done and

having the confidence to let go.”

The case that was presented at the core cities

event in Glasgow was that devolution to a city

region offers a much greater opportunity to

influence local services, rather than a national

policy approach that takes no account of local

need.

Time will tell if this approach prevails. Voscur and

the rest of the sector will continue to watch with

interest as the devolution debate continues.

*Core Cities UK are: Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Cardiff, Glasgow. They are a unique and united local authority voice to promote the role of their cities in driving economic growth and the case for city devolution. They represent the councils of England’s eight largest city economies outside London along with Glasgow and Cardiff. For information visit: www.corecities.com

Some useful links:

ResPublica report: ‘Restoring

Britain’s City States‘ http://goo.gl/P5RjZz

Core Cities’ ‘Modern Charter for Local

Freedom’ http://goo.gl/N1PKkq

A round-up of the Tweets from Voscur’s

event in March: goo.gl/F4X1J5


To find out more

about your

Neighbourhood

Partnership, go to:

goo.gl/TLKRMC

Neighbourhood Partnerships’ conference February 2015

“We must excite people that this

is their local governance,” said

Mayor Ferguson, speaking at the

Neighbourhood Partnerships’

conference held at Circomedia

on a cold Saturday morning in

February.

The Mayor said that problems are

not understood from the centre,

and reminded us that the UK is

more centrally governed than any

other European country, but cities

and neighbourhoods are where

the problems and solutions lie.

The Mayor referred to Councillors

as drum beaters for local issues;

Councillors must be embedded in

their Neighbourhood Partnerships,

and Neighbourhood Partnerships

must be part of the ‘bigger

picture’.

He emphasised that devolution is

very relevant to Neighbourhood

Partnerships and said that if

Bristol, as part of a city region,

has more control over transport,

for example, we would be better

able to deal with how we move

efficiently around our city,

without reference to central

government.

The Mayor said that there is an

absolute desire to devolve as

much (to neighbourhoods) as is

feasible. Strategy must come from

the centre, where the joining-up

happens, but local areas should be

able to respond to local issues.

Councillors are drum beaters for local issues and must be embedded in their Neighbourhood PartnershipsThe Mayor recognised that

there is a differential in terms

of Neighbourhood Partnerships’

ability to deliver, and indicated

that there is a deal to be done

in terms of how Neighbourhood

Partnerships are resourced to

respond to local issues. Some

areas in Bristol face more acute

problems than others. But how

would others react if some

Partnerships were to receive more

resource than others, because of

the disadvantages that some

people face?

Concern about lack of

participation in Neighbourhood

Partnerships was raised. The

Mayor saw it as his role to illustrate

the benefits of Neighbourhood

Partnerships. “The biggest job is

to get people to recognise that

they exist, what they are doing

and what their potential is.”

Following a joining-up of

neighbourhood plans by City

Council officers, there will be

a relaunch of Neighbourhood

Partnerships in the autumn and a

drive to get more people involved.

www.collecteco.co.ukE: [email protected]

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For details of all the above training and events, visit: www.voscur.org/events/upcoming/voscur

Voscur Ltd. Royal Oak House Royal Oak Avenue Bristol BS1 4GB

Tel: 0117 909 9949 Fax: 0117 933 0501 Email: [email protected] Web: www.voscur.org

Voscur is a registered charity and a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Company no. 3918210. Charity no. 1148403.

Printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable-based inks

April 2015Date Time Event/training Location

16th 9:30am - 3:30pm Preparing your Accounts for your End of Year Report The GreenHouse

16th 6pm - 8pm #WhyVoteBristol15 Trinity Centre

23rd 9:30am - 12pm Health and Social Care Network event - Better Care Fund The Park

23rd 6pm - 9pm Being a Good Trustee Windmill Hill City Farm

30th 9:30am - 1pm Safeguarding and Whistleblowing St Werburghs Centre

May 2015Date Time Event/training Location

6th 10am - 12pm Children and Young People’s Network Meeting Barton Hill Settlement

13th 9:30am - 1pm Contracts of Employment – How to Get it Right The Southville Centre

14th 9:30am - 12:30pm Working Together to Prevent and Support Young People Being Drawn into Terrorism and Extremism

Phoenix Social Enterprise

June 2015Date Time Event/training Location

2nd 1:30pm - 3:30pm Finance Forum: Insurance for Voluntary Sector Organisations

Royal Oak House

3rd 9:30am - 1pm Minute Taking for Administrators (part one) The Southville Centre

4th 9:30am - 3:30pm Writing Small Fundraising Bids St Werburghs Centre

9th 9:30am - 12:30pm Being a Good Trustee The GreenHouse

10th 9:30am - 1pm Minute Taking for Administrators (part two) The Southville Centre

17th 9:30am - 1pm An Introduction to Time Management Windmill Hill City Farm

18th 6pm - 9pm Being an Even Better Trustee Windmill Hill CIty Farm

25th 9:30am - 1pm Telling Your Story The Gatehouse Centre

July 2015Date Time Event/training Location

1st 6pm - 8pm Trustee Network TBC

8th 12pm - 2pm How Decisions are Made in the City Royal Oak House

9th 9:30am - 1pm Evidence and Intelligence to Support Funding Bids – How Can Council Data Help?

Barton Hill Settlement

16th 10am - 2pm VCS Assembly The Park

Voscur training and events

thrive - april, may, june 2015 edition

Documents