Principles for LSP partners under pressure

02 September 2010

Principles for LSP partners under pressure:

North East Lincolnshire Strategic Partnership (NELSP) has recognised the pressures on its members to become more efficient and to make savings. Taking seriously Prime Minister David Cameron’s assertion that “we are all in this together,” and believing that “trust and confidence between partners is central to success,” they have agreed a set of principles and protocols setting out “the broad terms of negotiation and deliberation when looking at delivering joint initiatives and sharing resources”. These include mutual support, sharing expertise, jointly tackling barriers and issues, and understanding each other’s priorities and difficulties. Partnerships, including their voluntary and community sector representatives, may want to consider proposing and developing this sort of model for their own areas, alongside local Compact agreements.

The Big Society or Civil Society

02 September 2010

The Big Society or Civil Society:

The Third Sector Research Centre has released a report looking at the key commitments of the Big Society agenda and the ideology behind them. It explores some of the contradictions which lie behind the Big Society plans and questions what threat the Big Society may have to third sector unity.

Read the report.

Good practice examples of managing cuts

02 September 2010

Good practice examples of managing cuts:

With the effects of public spending cuts being felt across the country, it is encouraging to hear of examples of good practice of how organisations are managing the cuts and preparing themselves to weather them. Below are some links to examples of these, and advice on how to prepare and manage cuts is available on our public spending cuts pages.

• The solution to easing the pain of cuts is to manage them together
• Merton is managing cuts together - so can you
• Thurrock - no cuts to local groups despite difficult times
• ‘We took early action to prevent cuts’

Big Society threatened by lack of volunteers

02 September 2010

Big Society threatened by lack of volunteers:

While the coalition Government’s Big Society agenda is still rather vague, the central idea is the assertion that there is a willingness and capacity to get involved in voluntary action. Recent research from the Third Sector Research Centre, however, highlights that while the level of volunteering in the UK may have remained steady over recent years, it is disproportionately distributed over the country. The research concludes that, in general, the number of volunteers is greater in wealthier areas and fewer in those areas where it is most needed.

IVAR launches Thinking about… series

01 September 2010

IVAR launches Thinking about… series:

The Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) recently announced the launch of its new ‘Thinking about…’ series of publications.

IVAR say that the ‘Thinking about…’ series is “based around a straightforward idea. Drawing on the findings from previous research (our own and that of others) we want to provide practical, useful information for voluntary organisations that is grounded in the experiences of others.”

The first publication in the series is ‘Thinking about… merger’ and it is available from the IVAR website.

New Big Society 'Community of Practice'

01 September 2010

New Big Society 'Community of Practice':

A Big Society community has been established on the Communities of Practice website. The Big Society community exists to give the wide variety of people it involves an opportunity to share approaches, learning and experience. By sharing this knowledge, people can easily identify what works and what doesn’t, and help to develop tools to help contribute to its success.

Growing the Big Society report

01 September 2010

Growing the Big Society report:

With Big Society emerging as an important theme for the coalition Government, North West Together We Can commissioned ippr north to identify the critical success factors for social and community enterprises and inform the wider debate.

Skills consultations

01 September 2010

Skills consultations: Minister John Hayes launched two skills consultations in July, Skills for Sustainable Growth and A Simplified Education and Skills Funding System and Methodology.

• Skills for Sustainable Growth - This outlines the BIS vision for skills and seeks views on key areas of policy including adult and community learning (see pages 24 to 26) and also on how to measure success.
  
• A Simplified Further Education and Skills Funding System and Methodology - This consultation also seeks views on how to get more voluntary and community sector organisations involved in providing and advocating for learning.

The overall aim of the consultations is to ensure smarter investment in the development of a skilled workforce to promote economic growth. The content of the two consultation documents is of much relevance to the third sector, both as an education provider and as a growing workforce; short synopses of the consultations are below. ACEVO and the Third Sector National Learning Alliance are hosting two events to produce a joint response to these consultations - in London on the 14th September and in Sheffield on the 17th September, both from 2pm - 4:30pm. NAVCA is pleased to be hosting the Sheffield event and will also be submitting a response on behalf of members. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will be at both events.

Please email Nick Carey (nickc@acevo.org.uk) if you are interested in attending either of these events, stating the event you would like to attend.

Synopses of the consultations

In the policy consultation, the government is keen to ensure that there are incentives to prioritise support for disadvantaged learners. A simple training offer is to be created for the unemployed, bringing together the various training options currently available. Training providers are encouraged to make the most of alternative sources of funding, such as the European Social Fund, to supplement mainstream provision with additional training in “employability skills” such as self-management and team working. Greater freedom is also to be given to colleges and training organisations to help create a system which is more responsive to learner and employer demand. This will require a joint approach with employers, requiring strong leadership and co-operation. Key policy initiatives include a personalised system of learning accounts to help guide learners through further education; simplification of the skills system, with fewer national bodies; a reinvigoration of adult and community learning; and the replacement of specific targets with broader indicators.

In terms of funding, the government are keen to ensure greater flexibility in providers’ budgets and management structures. This will be produced via a greater focus on outcomes, such as delivering jobs for learners, and cost-effective systems with minimal government intervention. Greater financial simplification is to be achieved through a single route of obtaining public funding, with fewer bodies and processes involved. The consultation will explore how to significantly reduce the number of contracts which currently exist through the introduction of a system of minimum contract levels and an approved provider list. This will increase the scope for sub-contracting in order to retain smaller providers. The consultation also explores a number of ways to incentivise providers to support disadvantaged learners/underrepresented groups, such as a premium for learners in particular categories (e.g. benefit claimants); a premium for flexible provision targeted at the unemployed; an additional outcome payment for those supported into work; measurement of engagement with the disadvantaged included in assessments; and a greater reliance on each provider’s engagement with the community.

A new government skills strategy will be published following the findings of the Comprehensive Spending Review and the end of the consultation period on 14 October. It will be essential for the sector as a whole to feed into the strategy in order to ensure that high-quality training opportunities are available for the sector’s workforce and that public investment benefits disadvantaged learners.

1 September 2010

LEP proposals - live updates

27 August 2010

LEP proposals - live updates:

The Local Government Chronicle (LGC) website now includes a regularly updated blog providing the latest information on proposed groupings and boundaries for local enterprise partnerships.

The information provided can help to inform local voluntary & community sector (VCS) support & development organisations’ thinking about possible future partnership working, both with other local VCS groups and with public and private sector bodies.

The deadline for the submission of LEP proposals, set by the Secretaries of State for Business, Innovation & Skills and for Communities & Local Government, is 6 September.

• LEP blog

27 August 2010

Equality Act 2010 - Changes at-a-glance

27 August 2010

Equality Act 2010 - Changes at-a-glance:

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (acas) has published a useful A4 chart showing the changes to existing and newly-defined equality strands, or protected characteristics, effected by the Equality Act 2010, which comes into force in October.

• Equality Act 2010 chart (pdf 25kb)

27 August 2010

The Merlin Standard

26 August 2010

The Merlin Standard:

We have received enquiries recently about the Department for Work and Pensions and the Merlin Standard.

The final version of the Merlin Standard has now been published and will be put into use. The standard is a code of conduct developed by DWP for managing their supply chains on large contracts, such as the upcoming Work Programme which will require all contractors to sign up.

The code aims to help relationships between prime and sub contractors on large government contracts.

The development of the Standard responds directly to concerns raised by providers, especially those not operating as prime contractors, around potential unfair treatment within supply chains.

Public spending cuts and the voluntary and community sector

26 August 2010

Public spending cuts and the voluntary and community sector:

This paper was prepared by NAVCA Chief Executive Kevin Curley for NAVCA’s Cuts Seminar held on 25 August 2010 in Birmingham.

Public spending cuts and the voluntary and community sector (Word, 210 KB).

Local Compact champions pack launched

24 August 2010

Local Compact champions pack launched:

Compact Voice and the Commission for the Compact have published a new resource pack online for voluntary & community sector Compact champions.

The pack includes tools to help champions promote Compact working in their own organisations and with their local partners.

The tools provide options for designing a champion role, reporting to a local implementation group, logging disputes and developing a training schedule. They have been designed to be used together or as stand-alone tools.

You can fill in local details and save the document electronically for printing and using at local events.

• Compact champions pack

24 August 2010

Active Citizens link Bury and Mirpur

24 August 2010

Active Citizens link Bury and Mirpur:

Two groups of young people from Bury in Greater Manchester and Mirpur in Pakistan have been involved in the British Council’s Active Citizens programme to promote understanding of identity, culture, dialogue and citizenship, and to establish social action projects.

The British Council’s Active Citizens programme links civil society networks and leaders in 24 countries across the world.

In February, young people from Bury visited Mirpur, where Active Citizens run educational and environmental projects. A reciprocal visit from Mirpur took place in May, to see Bury’s domestic violence awareness, gardening and reading projects.

Active Citizens is about informing, training and equipping individuals and groups for social and political engagement and empowerment. The Active Citizens approach takes a wide range of practical forms, from locally-based Train the Take Part Trainers initiatives - like ILP’s programme of Democracy Days - to international projects.

• Bury Live article
• Democracy Days

23 August 2010

LEP proposals lead to boundary disputes

20 August 2010

LEP proposals lead to boundary disputes:

The Secretaries of State for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and Communities & Local Government have invited local areas to submit proposals for forming local enterprise partnerships, to take over the economic regeneration role of regional development agencies.

Local Government Chronicle (LGC) chief reporter Allister Hayman expresses concern, however, that “local government is about to blow the opportunity it has been handed.”

He writes that, “in some regions councils are becoming engaged in increasingly fractious disputes about who [sic] they ought to partner with as they put together LEP proposals ahead of the 6 September deadline.”

Mr Hayman highlights places such as north Humberside and Leicestershire, where local authorities and local businesses disagree about the ‘natural economic boundaries’ on which LEPs are supposed to be based.

In other, multi-tier areas, such as Cambridgeshire and Lancashire, he reports that county councils are in dispute with groups of district, borough or city councils.

In contrast, Mr Hayman cites Sheffield and its neighbours as having developed “thoroughly sensible plans” that break with existing administrative boundaries to bring together parts of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire as a natural economic area.

• LGC article (subscription required)
• Map of proposed LEPs (pdf 12.7MB)

20 August 2010

Campaigning - FREE NCVO guide for trustees

20 August 2010

Campaigning - FREE NCVO guide for trustees:

NCVO has published a new free campaigning guide for trustees of voluntary & community sector organisations.

Linking ideas of advocacy, influence and voice, the Trustee guide to campaigning and influence outlines both legal requirements and good practice in the development and implementation of effective campaigns.

The guide recommends trustees ask themselves four key questions when considering a new campaign:

• Is there a clearly identified end goal?
• What is the likelihood of success?
• What are the resources necessary to achieve this and do we have them?
• Is it clear how the goal relates to you achieving your charitable purposes?

It describes the ‘campaigning cycle’ and includes guidance on political links and the implications for charities of campaigning during an election.

• Download the free guide

20 August 2010

Pathfinders explore cross-sector partnership in service delivery

20 August 2010

Pathfinders explore cross-sector partnership in service delivery:

Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, has announced details of twelve public sector projects to be run as mutuals by public sector staff working with voluntary & community sector organisations.

They will receive free mentoring advice from staff at several firms including the John Lewis Partnership, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The twelve Pathfinder projects will address issues around education, health, housing and homelessness, multiple disadvantage, and support for children and young people.

Mr Maude said, “This is a big society approach, decentralising power so people can deal with the issues that concern them. We must not be afraid to do things differently if we are to provide better services for less money.”

• Cabinet Office news release

20 August 2010

The role of the sector in LEPs - stakeholder consultation

20 August 2010

The role of the sector in LEPs - stakeholder consultation:

Government has asked local authorities and businesses to submit proposals, no later than 6 September 2010, for forming local enterprise partnerships (LEPs).

LEPs are intended to take over many of the roles of regional development agencies in promoting local economic regeneration and sustainability.

NAVCA, like many other national and local voluntary & community sector (VCS) organisations, is making the case for the inclusion of local VCS organisations in LEPs, based on the enormous contribution these organisations make to local economies.

Drawing on a wide range of local reports and examples, NAVCA has submitted evidence to the Inquiry into LEPs currently being undertaken by the Business, Innovation & Skills Select Committee.

Locally, VSF Cornwall is promoting Cornwall Council’s consultation with key stakeholders on its proposed LEP, as “a key opportunity for VCS organisations and social enterprises to make their value known”. A vitally important question is

• Who are the key partners, other than business and the public sector, that should be involved in the management of the LEP?

A white paper is due to be published soon, setting out the government’s economic development plans in more detail.

• Cornwall Council consultation
• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Enterprise Partnership
• more on LEPs

19 August 2010

Audit Commission scrapped

20 August 2010

Audit Commission scrapped:

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles has announced the disbanding of the Audit Commission, in accordance with the coalition government’s strategy of ‘decentralisation’.

A new decentralised audit regime, applicable to local government, police, and local health bodies, will be developed to

• shift power from Westminster to local people, giving new powers to local councils, communities, neighbourhoods and individuals, underpinned by audit reporting to local people
• strengthen the powers of the Local Government Ombudsman, to give residents greater rights when local services go wrong
• free councils to appoint their own independent external auditors from a more competitive and open market among audit firms, thus reducing costs
• maintain robust auditing standards for councils and local health bodies
• ensure independence, competence and quality, including audit quality regulated within a statutory framework, overseen by the National Audit Office and profession
• strengthen the National Audit Office’s role in research
• protect children and vulnerable adults, ensuring that inspection and intervention remain for children’s services and adult social care

Mr Pickles said, “these proposed changes go hand in hand with plans to create an army of armchair auditors - local people able to hold local bodies to account for the way their tax pounds are spent and what that money is delivering.”

• Read the announcement

  
  19 August 2010

'Empowering VCS at heart of Big Society' - Mackintosh

20 August 2010

'Empowering VCS at heart of Big Society' - Mackintosh:

“Empowering these [voluntary sector] organisations to lead the way is at the very heart of the Big Society concept,” according to Northamptonshire County Councillor David Mackintosh.

Writing in the Local Government Chronicle (LGC), Mr Mackintosh, who is also chair of a local children’s charity, acknowledges the fears that many public and voluntary & community sector organisations feel about the challenges facing them. He says, “many voluntary sector bodies are not yet equipped to take on the roles which the Big Society could gift them but I am sure they will have the vision.”

“Northamptonshire County Council has an ‘empowering councillor’ scheme… to provide local communities with small amounts of money to make schemes a reality in their neighbourhood.”

“I have seen first-hand how this small funding really brings communities together to do things they had never dreamed of with a sense of pride you only ever get from doing something yourself.”

“Local authorities should be quick to embrace this new concept and help the voluntary sector equip itself for the exciting opportunities ahead.”

• Read the LGC article (subscription required)

19 August 2010