voscur magazine thrive! jan 2012

Supporting Voluntary & Community Action January / February / March 2012

New – Trustees network

New – membership offer for small groups

Free access to GRANTnet

Governance code updated

NAVCA commissioning guide reviewed

BOOST your organisation with a skilled volunteer

Winter/spring training programme

New guidance for joint working

Assembly and Network news

Sign up for a young apprentice

Inside this issue:

On Site Bristol Electrical Apprentice Martina Waberseck of Montpelier, Bristol on her way to Bronze Medal at the National SkillELECTRIC final.

Photography by Roger V Moody

Trustee NetworkWednesday 7 March 2012

(6.30pm-8.30pm)

This new network gives you the opportunity to meet with other trustees, directors, and management committee members in an informal and friendly environment.

Charity HR will talk about The Board as Employers, covering the basics of employing staff, policies and procedures and contracts of employment.

The best support often comes from others facing similar challenges - come along and tell us how this network can meet your needs.

To book contact Voscur on 0117 909 9949

New small groups offerFree Voscur membership for groups with an income of under £10,000 per year.

Benefits include: free or discounted places on training courses, free quarterly magazine, weekly e-bulletins, free access to GRANTnet, discounted job adverts, promotion of events and news on the Voscur website diary, and online notice-board.

To find out about membership fees for your group and to join Voscur see below:

www.voscur.org/about/joiningonline

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voscurads.pdf 1 15/12/2011 15:37

Issue 15 January / Febuary / March 2012 www.voscur.org 3

Contents

twitter.com/voscurwww.facebook.com/voscur

Thrive! is available on disc. Please contact the office if you would like to receive your Thrive! this way. The newsletter is also available online as a pdf at www.voscur.org/magazine

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

Welcome

Keep up to date with Voscur online:

4 Editorial

5 New Members

6 Voscur NewsNew Voscur Board members elected

7 Voscur Website NewsWebsite improvements and sign up for GRANTnet

8-9 Support Hub: Finance and GovernanceFinance resources and code of good governance updated

10 Support Hub: CommissioningNAVCA guide for Trustees reviewed

11 Support Hub: Baseline StandardsUse the standards to improve your performance

12-13 Support Hub: BOOSTSkilled volunteers support VCS organisations

14-15 Support Hub: Training and learningIntroducing new training courses

16-17 Support Hub: Training and learning programmeWinter – spring courses

18-19 The Compact: Collaboration New guidance for joint working

20-21 VoiceandInfluenceAssembly and network news

22 Black and Minority Ethnic VoiceandInfluenceConsultation on priorities for BME voice launched

23 Child Poverty StrategyNational and local strategies to tackle child poverty

24 Backing Young BristolSign up for a young apprentice

25 Children and Young People’s Organisations: NAVCA TrainingBusiness skills for people from local development organisations who support groups working with children and young people

26-27 Neighbourhood Planning Local groups take back the power

28-29 Community First Fund and Community OrganisersGovernment supports communities

30-31 MemberProfile:Crisis Centre MinistriesThe impact of the Secret millionaire

32 Diary

Trustee NetworkWednesday 7 March 2012

(6.30pm-8.30pm)

This new network gives you the opportunity to meet with other trustees, directors, and management committee members in an informal and friendly environment.

Charity HR will talk about The Board as Employers, covering the basics of employing staff, policies and procedures and contracts of employment.

The best support often comes from others facing similar challenges - come along and tell us how this network can meet your needs.

To book contact Voscur on 0117 909 9949

New small groups offerFree Voscur membership for groups with an income of under £10,000 per year.

Benefits include: free or discounted places on training courses, free quarterly magazine, weekly e-bulletins, free access to GRANTnet, discounted job adverts, promotion of events and news on the Voscur website diary, and online notice-board.

To find out about membership fees for your group and to join Voscur see below:

www.voscur.org/about/joiningonline

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voscurads.pdf 1 15/12/2011 15:37

www.voscur.org January / Febuary / March 2012 Issue 154

Key to symbols

Editorial

2011 has been a big year for

Voscur – in February, Voscur’s

board signed a contract with

Bristol City Council to deliver

infrastructure support services.

When this contract was designed,

it described sector needs, and

envisaged the provision of support

for the growth of a sector which

would be responding to a range of

opportunities.

The reality of the political and

economic climate means that the

sector needs that were identified

three years ago have changed

enormously. Support for growth

is an important part of our new

service but we are also now

often asked to respond to crisis

situations triggered by a reduction

in funding.

Our aim is to reach a position

where we are working through

the Support Hub and Voice

and Influence initiatives to

help groups improve their

performance, develop strong

relationships and work together

to achieve change.

The changes that we have been

through as an organisation

over the past year have been

challenging for the Voscur staff

team and board. However, we

can look back on some big

achievements in 2011 that

included:

•moving offices to Royal Oak

House, which means that our

office is more central and

that we are close to Quartet

Community Foundation and

Volunteer Bristol;

• developing and launching a

range of new services under

the banner of the

Support Hub;

• completing a comprehensive

consultation on a new

Voluntary Sector Assembly;

and supporting a number of

Network meetings

• working in partnership with

Bristol City Council, the Legacy

Commission and the Bristol

Race Forum to set up the Black

and Minority Ethnic (BME) Voice

and Influence Steering Group

which has commissioned a piece

of work to look at how BME

people can be more influential

in Bristol;

and

• developing and securing

funding for a project with the

University of Bristol that will

measure the economic impact

of the sector over the next

two years.

The most significant achievement

is that we have provided

direct support to around 150

organisations.

In 2012 we look forward as a

stronger and enthusiastic team

to the challenges that the new

Dear members and friends

Wendy Stephenson Chief Executive

Equalities Article

Training

Information & Resources

Event

year brings, and assure you of our

continued support for Bristol’s

Voluntary and Community Sector.

Wendy Stephenson Chief Executive Voscur


New Voscur Members

New Members

Action First Plus

02920257319

[email protected]

Delivers grass-roots services to

assist vulnerable individuals and

marginalised groups.

African Voices Forum

07862729407

[email protected]

www.africanvoicesforum.org

The Forum supports African-

Caribbean community organisations.

Association of Filipinos in Bristol (AFB)

0117 9095904

info@

associationoffilipinosinbristol.org

www.

associationoffilipinosinbristol.org

The Association supports the local

Filipino community.

Avon Counselling and Psychotherapy Service

0117 9304447

[email protected]

www.acps-bristol.org.uk

The Service provides counselling

and psychotherapy to adults.

bibic

01278 684060

[email protected]

www.bibic.org.uk

A national charity offering practical

help to families with children who

have conditions such as autism and

Down’s syndrome.

Bristol Indian Association

0117 9397290

[email protected]

The Association is for people

over 65 to socialise and

exercise together.

Develop Enhancing Community Support

01249 654089

[email protected]

www.developecs.org.uk

DEVELOP provides services for the

voluntary and community sector in

Wiltshire and B&NES.

Keynsham & District Dial-a-Ride

01225 395321

[email protected]

www.keynshamdialaride.co.uk

A door-to-door service for people

who might not be able to walk far.

North Somerset People First

01934 426086

katemaconachie.nspf@yahoo.

co.uk

A self-advocacy organisation

run by and for people with a

learning disability.

Pierce Glynn Solicitors

0117 317 8133

[email protected]

www.pierceglynn.co.uk

A legal aid firm of solicitors

specialising in public law and

human rights.

RSPCA Bristol & District Branch

01179 714197

[email protected]

www.rspca-

bristoldogsandcatshome.org.uk

The organisation aims to

prevent cruelty and promote

kindness to animals.

Siri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Bristol

0117 9397290

[email protected]

The Gurdwara arranges wedding

ceremonies and classes.

The Junction Project 0117 9603326

[email protected]

The Project provides

accommodation and support

for adults affected by alcohol or

substance misuse.

World Stage Festival

0117 9249 976

[email protected]

www.worldstagefestival.com

The organisation runs a new festival

of international performing arts in

Bristol in July.


Voscur News

Taking up new challenges in 2012

Voscur’s new board members –

elected at our November Annual

General Meeting can feel smug

at the start of 2012. They have

already ticked off a worthy New

Year’s Resolution: to contribute to

the continuing development and

support of Bristol’s voluntary and

community sector. Only another

49 resolutions to tackle before the

year’s out…

Anyone involved with the

voluntary and community sector,

whether as paid staff member,

volunteer, or funder, knows the

weighty commitment of stepping

forward to join a board. There

are countless reasons behind this

action: maybe you were cajoled?

Perhaps you were inquisitive about

what goes on behind the scenes

of a particular organisation? Or

you have been a service user

for many years and want to give

something back? Whatever the

reason, voluntary and community

sector organisations could

not survive without volunteer

management committees.

A board member’s role

encompasses both governance

and management. The Board

works to ensure the organisation

remains true to its objectives

and purpose. It plans the

future strategic direction of

the organisation. Responsibility

for monitoring the finances

also lies with the Board. Equally

importantly, it provides support

to the Chief Executive.

That’s enough about the role;

now let’s introduce our new

Board Members.

Narinder Kaur already juggles a

paid role as Co-ordinator of the

Sikh Resource and Community

Development Centre with being

a non Executive Director of

NHS Bristol.

Phil Parry works as an

independent consultant in

Bristol’s voluntary and community

sector. He has particularly been

involved with organisations

working with young people,

See pages 8 & 9

for information on

the Code of Good

Governance

including a current voluntary

role with the Prince’s Trust.

Deana Stone has managed

Hartcliffe and Withywood Teenage

Parents’ Project for 13 years.

During this time, she also set up

local community organisations,

such as an after-school club and

Tenants’ Association.

Hen Wilkinson is Chief Executive

of Community Resolve which

works to deflect conflict in

communities. She is a Visiting

Fellow at the University of the

West of England.

Richard Pendlebury, a Deputy

Lieutenant of the County and City

of Bristol, works at Emmaus Bristol

which supports homeless people.

He brings 20 years’ experience

of a range of roles at trustee and

senior management level.

Our new members join Max

Beseke, Abdullahi Farrah, Frances

Fox, Joanna Holmes, Paul Hazelden

(who was re-elected this year), and

Anna Smith.

Welcome and thank you in

advance for all your hard work!

Max Beseke, Chair of Voscur, welcomes new Board Members at the AGM


Web NewsIf you follow Voscur on the web

you’ll have noticed that the

Voscur website has a fresh new

look, making it easy to navigate

and find the information you’re

looking for.

As well as updating Voscur.org

we’ve launched a portal to the

new Support Hub service at

www.supporthub.org.uk with all

our latest training and funding

material in one handy place, and

information on how and when

the Support Hub can help your

organisation. There are also details

of our bursaries and information

from organisations who are

delivering the Support Hub

service with us.

We’ve been working hard on

Accessibility as well and aim to

achieve W3C AAA compliance

as we continue to develop and

improve the sites.

At www.voscur.org, all the old

favourites for promoting your

events, your services and jobs

are still in place. You’ll need to set

up an account to take advantage

of these areas, it’s a simple

process very similar to creating an

account on Facebook or Amazon.

The link to Create New Account is

on the homepage.

Once you have an account and are

logged in you can go to the jobs,

noticeboard, or events pages and

choose to add your content.

Once submitted, a member of

the Voscur staff will make sure

everything is OK (we’ll contact

you if there is a problem) and in

less than 24 hours it will be up

on the site. Every Wednesday we

add the latest items uploaded by

members to the Ebulletin which

goes out to 1500+ subscribers

every week (so post before

Tuesday 5.00 pm if you want in

this week).

Voscur is now offering free access to GRANTnet – a service you can run in your own time from your own computer.

Voscur is pleased to be able to

offer a free GRANTnet facility to

our members. GRANTnet is an easy

to use system that enables you

to search for potential funders.

Groups can identify the area of

activity that they are seeking

funding for. GRANTnet has an

extensive database of funders.

There are a number of ways in

which you can access GRANTnet,

and they are all free:

• Using your own computer via

the Voscur website

• Using an external computer via

the Voscur website

or

• If you need help to use

GRANTnet, by making an

appointment to attend a

GRANTnet assisted search

session at the Voscur office.

You will be supported to run a

search by a member of staff.

You will need to be a member

of Voscur to access any of the

above as you will be asked to

supply your email address and

membership number. If you are

not a member but would like to

use the GRANTnet facility then

please contact us and we can

provide you with information on

how to join. Membership bursaries

are available for groups with low

incomes.

Voscur is offering members one to

one GRANTnet assisted sessions on

Friday mornings. Please contact

the office or speak to Lucy or

Charlene if you wish to book an

appointment. 0117 909 9949.

Voscur Website News


Support Hub: Finance and Governance

Good Governance‘A Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector’

Governance is about ensuring that

your organisation runs effectively

and follows good practice. The

private and public sectors have

their own governance codes;

there is also a code for the

Voluntary and Community Sector,

including charities.

Good Governance: a Code for the

Voluntary and Community Sector

has been written by the sector,

for the sector. It is a practical and

easy-to-use guide to help charities

to develop good practice.

An independent Steering Group

including representatives from

ACEVO, the Institute of Chartered

Secretaries and Administrators

(ICSA), NCVO and the Small

Charities Coalition (SCC) is

responsible for developing the

Code, with support from the

Charity Commission. A new version

for smaller organisations has

been produced: www.charity-

commission.gov.uk/Library/

guidance/good_governance_

small_orgs.pdf (November 2011)

The Code is based on six key

principles describing how an

effective board provides good

governance and leadership:

1. understanding their role;

2. ensuring delivery of

organisational purpose;

3. working effectively both as

individuals and a team;

4. exercising effective control;

5. behaving with integrity;

6. being open and accountable.

It explains why each principle is

important, and gives examples of

how to apply them in practice.

Good governance is essential for

the success of any organisation

and is now more important than

ever. Board members play a

vital role in serving their causes

and communities. They bring

passion and commitment as

well as skills and experience to

the organisations they lead. An

effective board will provide good

governance and leadership by:

Principle one: an effective board will understand their role

• their legal duties

• their stewardship of assets

• the provisions of the governing

document

• the external environment

• the total structure of the

organisation and in terms of:

• setting and safeguarding the

vision, values and reputation of

the organisation

• overseeing the work of the

organisation

•managing and supporting

staff and volunteers where

applicable.

Principle two: an effective board will ensure delivery of organisational purpose

• ensuring organisational

purposes remain relevant

and valid

• developing and agreeing a long

term strategy

• agreeing operational plans and

budgets

•monitoring progress and

spending against plan and

budget

• evaluating results, assessing

outcomes and impact

• reviewing and/or amending the

plan and budget as appropriate.

Principle three: an effective board will work effectively both as individuals and a team

• finding and recruiting new

board members to meet the

organisation’s changing needs

in relation to skills, experience

and diversity

• providing suitable induction for

new board members

• providing all board members

with opportunities for training

and development according to

their needs

• periodically reviewing their

performance both as individuals

and as a team.


Support Hub: Finance and Governance

Principle four: an effective board will exercise effective control

• the organisation understands

and complies with all legal and

regulatory requirements that

apply to it

• the organisation continues to

have good internal financial and

management controls

• it regularly identifies and

reviews the major risks to

which the organisation is

exposed and has systems to

manage those risks

• delegation to committees,

staff and volunteers (as

applicable) works effectively

and the use of delegated

authority is properly supervised.

Principle five: an effective board will behave with integrity

• safeguard and promote the

organisation’s reputation

• act according to high ethical

standards

• identify, understand and

manage conflicts of interest

and loyalty

•maintain independence of

decision making

• deliver impact that best meets

the needs of beneficiaries.

Principle six: an effective board will be open and accountable

• open communications,

informing people about the

organisation and its work

• appropriate consultation

on significant changes to

the organisation’s services

or policies

• listening and responding to the

views of supporters, funders,

beneficiaries, service users and

others with an interest in the

organisation’s work

• handling complaints

constructively, impartially

and effectively

• considering the organisation’s

responsibilities to the

wider community, e.g. its

environmental impact.

Is your organisation fully aware

of the financial procedures it

should have in place? Managing

financial affairs can be a daunting

prospect for organisations

particularly in the current climate

which presents additional

challenges for generating income.

The Support Hub website has a

range of resources for groups

to help improve your funding

and financial stability. We have

produced a number of fact sheets

such as ‘Financial Procedures’

and ‘How to Write a

Fundraising Strategy.’

You can also find tools to

assess whether your organisation

is ready for commissioning, or

health check your organisation’s

financial procedures.

The site includes a range of

useful links to agencies and

other resources. For more

information please see:

www.supporthub.org.uk

For the full version of

the Good Governance

Code please see:

www.supporthub.org.uk/sites/

supporthub.org.uk/files/Good

%20Governance%202010.pdf

or for the Good Governance

Code website: www.

goodgovernancecode.org.uk

Support Hub Training

Tips for More Successful

Fundraising, Costing

Your Project, and Developing a

Fundraising Strategy – see pages

16 and 17 for details

Finance Forum in

February will be looking

at VAT and Charities

with an expert from Her Majesty’s

Revenue and Customs (HMRC) –

see diary page 32 for details

Resources to help improve your funding and financial stability


Support Hub: Commissioning

New NAVCA guide, At Your Bidding – useful commissioning information for trustees A recent guide – NAVCA’s At Your Bidding – for charity trustees should help with improved understanding of commissioning. Mark Hubbard (Compact Liaison Officer), who works with commissioners and the VCS, reviews the guide for The Support Hub and adds Bristol context.

I was pleased to see this guide,

which is aimed at the trustees of

smaller charities and those new to

public service delivery. It is a useful

summary of commissioning for

trustees, which covers

• implications and impact of

commissioning

• the differences between

‘grant funding’ and

competitive tendering/

commissioning processes

• issues for trustees to consider

• how to become ‘contract ready’

•managing risks, and

•many signposts to useful

resources.

It provides a good mixture of

guidance, challenges (what the

authors think trustees need to

consider), hints and tips and useful

links. Generally, I think this is a very

useful guide and it should help

Bristol trustees better understand

and consider their organisational

responses to commissioning. There

are, however, a few things to bear

in mind about the guide. It is ...

• an introduction and it is not

possible to include all details

about commissioning and

procurement.

• about commissioning in

general and, of course,

cannot include specifics about

commissioning in Bristol.

• not about decommissioning

– this is an important aspect

and the guide would have been

improved with this information.

• in a rapidly changing policy

landscape, especially the new

Localism Act, the Health and

Social Care Bill, and the Open

Public Services White Paper;

things are changing fast.

The other main point I would make

is that the guide is rather limited

in how it presents VCS roles in

commissioning. There is a focus

on the tender/procurement/

purchasing part and little

mention of the different roles

that VCS organisations can have

throughout the commissioning

cycle (analyse-plan-do-review*).

It almost promotes a passive role

of VCS; rather than the active,

collaborative engagement that is

forming in Bristol’s commissioning

developments. In my opinion, the

VCS should not be seen (or see

itself) as a passive player simply

waiting for contract opportunities;

Bristol’s VCS and commissioners

should be working collaboratively

to develop commissioning

plans that are informed by the

VCS’s excellent understanding

of community needs and what

works. When those are built

into early stages (analyse-plan),

the contracting/procurement

(do stage) will present better

opportunities for the VCS.

There are several other points (for

example, about consortia, TUPE)

that I believe are relevant to Bristol

VCS organisations but missing or

not emphasised in the guide. I have

provided a detailed commentary

on a pdf version of the Guide so

that Bristol trustees can see how

the guide can help them, especially

in the light of commissioning

developments in Bristol.

*For more information,

see article in Thrive Sept

2010 issue: http://issuu.

com/voscur/docs/commissioing-

procurement-sept-nov2010

To see the guide and more

detailed commentary on it:

www.bristolcompact.org.uk/

news/at-your-bidding


Support Hub: Commissioning

After a period of consulting with Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, Bristol City Council has released its revised Baseline Standards for the sector.

The purpose of the revised

standards is “to safeguard the

City Council’s investment in the

VCS and ensure that all Bristol City

Council funded organisations are

well managed and provide good

quality services.”

It is important that Baseline

Standards are seen as central

to a healthy and sustainable

organisation. Organisations will

need to be able to demonstrate

that policies and procedures are an

‘active’ part of the running

of the organisation and are

reviewed regularly.

The standards cover the

following areas and include

suggested ways for organisations

to meet the standards.

Baseline Standard 1: Governance

Baseline Standard 2: Financial

Management

Baseline Standard 3: Equalities

Baseline Standard 4: Employment

Baseline Standard 5: Insurance

Baseline Standard 6: Service User

Involvement and Participation

Baseline Standard 7: Complaints

Baseline Standard 8:

Information Sharing


Health, Safety & Wellbeing


Safeguarding


Monitoring and Evaluation


Environmental management

and sustainability

In November 2011, the revised

Baseline Standards were approved

by Bristol City Council’s Enabling

Commissioning Board. There is

a plan for the standards to be

reflected in the standardised Pre

Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)

and apply to all public, private

and VCS organisations that have

contracts or funding agreements

with Bristol City Council.

Achievement and active

implementation of these

standards will demonstrate to

funders, investors, service users

and members alike, that your

organisation is well run.

To read and download a copy

of the baseline standards from

the Support Hub website follow

this link:

www.supporthub.org.uk/sites/

supporthub.org.uk/files/BCC-

Baseline-Standards-sept2011.pdf

We know that it is a

challenge for some

organisations to meet

the Equalities standard,

that is, to ensure that their

Equalities practice is up to date

and their collection of Equalities

data reflects current requirements.

The Support Hub’s Equalities

training will help your organisation

to get it right.

Equalities Monitoring – Getting it Right

Monday, 30 January 2012,

9:30am-1:00pm

Many organisations have

concerns about asking their

service users for equalities

information. Organisations need

this information in order to

understand who they are

reaching and how to reach a

wider audience.

Updating your Equality and Diversity Policy

Tuesday 13 March 2012,

9:30am-3:30pm

The Equality Act 2010 brought in

new legislation and this means

organisations need to be clear

about how that impacts on their

service. This course will help you

to review your Equality and

Diversity Policy.

See pages 16 & 17 for more

courses and booking information.

Bristol City Council’s Baseline Standards finalised


Do you need a bit of a Boost! for the New Year?

“So Regina, tell me, how did you

get on with that radio interview?

I want to hear all about it.” So

begins another eventful day for

Jennifer (Jenny) Stevenson as a

Boost! PR volunteer at KWADS,

where she has been volunteering

for just over a month. As a

journalist and editor with many

years’ experience, she is finding

that her media skills are highly

valuable to a busy charity such

as KWADS.

The Boost! programme, which

is being run by Volunteer Bristol

for The Support Hub matches

volunteers with specialist

professional skills with voluntary

organisations who are small, in

crisis, or who work with vulnerable

people. A Boost! volunteer may

have a background in fundraising,

business planning, finance,

photography or many other

professional work fields which can

be important to a voluntary or

community organisation.

The aim of the programme is

for the volunteer to make a big

difference to an area of work

in a short space of time, usually

over a few weeks or months, and

to give other staff or volunteers

at the organisation the skills

and confidence to carry on with

that work in the longer term. In

return, they gain the reward of

helping to make an impact for

the voluntary organisation and

utilising or developing their hard-

won specialist skills. Volunteers

need to have at least two years of

work experience and want to work

with the organisation to increase

its capacity in the chosen area.

Jenny’s role involves helping the

organisation with PR, Media and

Communications. Her tasks range

from writing media releases,

training and supporting staff in

undertaking radio and television

interviews, communicating

changes in organisational focus,

to developing a PR plan for the

year. The staff at KWADS has an

interest in and some creative ideas

around media work, but they

often find themselves too busy to

take them forward.

Jenny describes her current

situation as juggling “job hunting

and trying to use my professional

skills and also perhaps stretching

them into new areas.” She wants

to keep these skills alive whilst

also being able help a group doing

worthwhile work. It was important

for her to have current work that

she was happy with that she can

then refer to when looking for

paid employment. “For a small

organisation I think the main

thing is having someone whose

focus is Media & PR because

they are unlikely to be able to

afford to have someone to do

this”, she says.

KWADS is a small charity, based

in Knowle West, but who support

the whole of Bristol. Their aim

Support Hub: BOOST

Jennifer Stevenson, Boost! PR volunteer: “I’ve never worked for a charity before

and I’m really enthused by the nature of the work.”

Lesley Willmott, Clinical Manager, KWADS – Supporting Drug & Alcohol Affected Families: “It’s been wonderful! We have really made a lot of progress in such a short time,

whereas before we weren’t sure what to do.”


is to help families affected by

drug and alcohol abuse. With a

dedicated team of seven staff,

and supported by the work of

volunteers, they were keen to

have someone to assist with

media work. Lesley Willmott,

Clinical Manager at KWADS,

co-ordinates Jenny’s work and

has been pleased to see how

the charity’s work is being more

widely communicated. She

explains “Families and carers are

often hidden, as drug and alcohol

users are usually stigmatised, but

helping the supporters can also

mean more help for the user. It

takes a long time for people to

seek help themselves and some

may have lived with a problem

for many years and are at the

end of their tether. Jenny wrote

a media release timed to coincide

with Alcohol Awareness week

(14-20 Nov), where we could

communicate clearly how the

charity was assisting our client

group, and we had some nice

coverage for this.”

For organisations or individuals

interested in the Boost!

programme there are some steps

to go through to make sure that

the organisation is eligible and

that the volunteer can support

them in the required way. So

that as many organisations as

possible can be helped, only one

Boost! volunteer can be placed

with an organisation each year.

Some preparation and flexibility

is needed on both sides, but the

rewards can be significant for

both too. Jenny has found the

organisation very welcoming

and is enjoying keeping her skills

alive, whilst Lesley says that she

wouldn’t hesitate to host another

Boost! volunteer.

Jennifer Stevenson, Boost! PR volunteer at her desk Jenny discussing radio interviewing techniques with Regina from KWADS

Could your organisation

do with a Boost! or

perhaps you think you

might like to become a Boost!

volunteer? If so, please contact

Anja Dalton, Boost! Project

Coordinator at Volunteer Bristol.

0117 989 7734 | 07963 831882 |

[email protected] |

www.volunteerbristol.org.uk

Support Hub: BOOST

Photos courtesy: Christina Meyer-King – www.christaimages.com


Support Hub: Training and learning

It’s the New Year – time for some training!Training for new groups

Bristol has a thriving voluntary and

community sector, with over 1000

organisations already in existence

and new ones springing to life.

What about support for these

infant organisations?

An organisation’s early days are

a vital stage requiring a range of

skills and effective leadership. You

will need to look at vision, policies,

fundraising, marketing, finances

and legal structures. Getting it

right from the start is the way

to make organisations grow and

develop with good health.

“Kick Start your Organisation”, a

new 6 session course, starting 31

January, is aimed at new groups or

groups that have been running for

some time but need to focus on

what next.

It will help you get going and give

you all you need to have in place

to make sure your ideas are put

into action.

It has been developed so that

groups can work in line with

Bristol City Council’s (BCC) baseline

standards (see page 11). Meeting

these standards will help with

future funding and commissioning

opportunities.

During the training you will:

• Get new ideas to develop

your group

• Find out how to provide

evidence to funders, investors

and volunteers of the need for

your services

• Make a clear plan of practical

next steps for your group

• Network with other groups at

a similar stage

• Learn about quality standards

for organisations

• Find out how you can get

further support

Run by skilled development

workers, with over 20 years’

experience of working in the

sector – don’t risk missing out

on this course!

Fundraising courses for you, whatever your needs.

Funding sources for the

voluntary and community

sector are becoming scarcer.

New and innovative ways to

raise funds is a must for most

organisations today. The Support

Hub fundraising courses will take

you through all the stages of

fundraising to help you focus

your attention on what works

best for you.

Courses include

• Tips for Successful Fundraising

• Commissioning and Outcomes

• Prove it – convincing funders

your project is needed

• Costing your Project

• Ten steps to the perfect tender

• Developing a Fundraising

strategy


Support Hub: Training and learning

Support Hub Marketing Courses.

When Bristol City Council carried

out a sector needs analysis in

2009-10, a significant number of

organisations identified marketing

support as a need. Two years on

and organisations are still coming

to the Support Hub to ask for help

to promote their organisations.

In response, we are running two

marketing courses: Marketing on

a Shoestring and Developing a

Marketing strategy. See pages

16 & 17.

Free places on courses

We have a number of free places

on all of our courses and have

developed new criteria in

response to need.

Full Voscur members can get a

free place, provided you meet 2

of the following criteria:

• You are a new group (less

than 2 years old)

• Have a turnover of less than

£50,000 per year

• Are providing services for

people/ groups in areas of

deprivation or for equalities

communities.

If you qualify for a free place on a

course, call us on 0117 909 9949.

To find out more and how to

book see page 16.

Since February 2011, the Support Hub has delivered training courses to over 200 people. Here’s what some participants had to say:

From “Making the Most of the Media” July 2011

• Fantastic quality training, very knowledgeable and balanced

approach to training

• The trainer was excellent, she involved everyone and shared

her expertise, wit and warmth in a very encouraging and

informative manner.

From “How to deal with difficult issues in volunteer management” July 2011

• Excellent training and Excellent trainers

• Interactive and enjoyable training that I would recommend

• Excellent training that provides useful information.

From “Handling Disciplinaries and Grievances” May 2011

• I really got a lot out of this training. It has given me the

knowledge that I can take and use in my role

• Excellent session, very informative and comprehensive.

HR is so hard to get a handle on.


Support Hub: Training and learning programme

Prove it! – Convincing funders your project is needed FULL

Wednesday 11 January 2012, 9:30am-3:30pmThis basic course will equip you with the skills and

resources you can use to prove to funders there is a

need for your new or existing project.

Ten Steps to the Perfect Tender Tuesday 24 January 2012, 9:30am-3:30pmThis session will help you focus on Bristol City Council’s

pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) and invitation to

tender, as well as highlighting the steps your organisation

needs to take to make a successful proposal.

Equalities Monitoring – Getting it RightMonday 30 January 2012, 9:30am-1:00pmMany organisations have concerns about asking their

service users for equalities information. Organisations

need this information in order to understand who they

are reaching and how to reach a wider audience.

Kick Start your Organisation6 evening sessions starting Tuesday 31 January 2012Are you a group of people with an idea for an

organisation but don’t know where to start?

Or

Has your group been running for some time and

needs to focus on what next?

This six week course will help you to get your group

running or make it more active. It is aimed at new

groups and those that have been running for less

than two years.

Commissioning and OutcomesThursday 2 February 2012, 9:30am-3:30pm Outcomes and commissioning go hand in hand. In order

to understand how your organisation can engage in

commissioning, you will need to understand outcomes.

This course is aimed at people with some understanding

of income generation, fundraising or tendering.

Tips for more successful FundraisingThursday 23 February 2012, 9:30am-3:30pmThis intermediate course will help you develop your

fundraising skills. You will need some experience of

fundraising but want to know more about writing

successful funding applications.

Costing your Project Tuesday 6 March 2012, 9:30am-3:30pmThis course will give you an introduction to the theory

and methods of Full Cost Recovery (FCR) to ensure

projects are costed effectively. This is for anyone who

needs to know more about how to cost projects, unit

costs and FCR.

Updating your Equality and Diversity PolicyTuesday 13 March 2012, 9:30am-3:30pmThe Equality Act 2010 brought in new legislation and

this means organisations need to be clear about how

that impacts on their service. This course will help you

to review your Equality and Diversity Policy.

Developing a Fundraising StrategyWednesday 21 March 2012, 9:30am-3:30pmThis course will help experienced fundraisers focus on

developing a fundraising strategy for your organisation

and action plan for future development.

Support Hub Training Courses

To book onto any of these courses or to find out more please go to www.supporthub.org.uk/training-hub.

To book over the phone or find out if you can get a free place call us on 0117 909 9949.


Support Hub: Training and learning programme

Don’t miss out! In response to your requests, we are running new marketing courses in 2012.

Marketing on a Shoestring Tuesday 28 February 2012, 9:30am-4.00pm

This Workshop will cover:

• The basics of marketing

• Key messages

• Developing a useful brand

• Enhancing and maintaining a positive

organisational image

• Using free media to promote

your organisation

• Getting the right message across to

the right people

• Producing effective marketing materials

Developing a Marketing Strategy (2 day course)27 & 28 March 2012 9:30am-4.00pm

This event will cover:

• Setting marketing objectives

• The importance of branding

• Developing Unique Selling Points (USPs)

• Matching the message to the medium

• Developing key marketing messages

• Development of a marketing strategy

• Communicating effectively with

target audiences

• Action planning

Sayer Vincent, consultants and auditors, is offering

Voscur Full Members the opportunity to access

their current courses and seminars. Sayer Vincent

was established over 25 years ago specifically to

work with charities and social enterprises and are

committed to the charity and not-for-profit sector.

Voscur is pleased to offer these events half price.

You will need to make sure you are a Full member

and use your membership number when you book.

For further information and to book please visit:

www.sayervincent.co.uk

Upcoming courses:

Trustee ResponsibilitiesThursday 26 January 2012, 9:30am-12:30pm

This session is ideal as an induction for new trustees

or a refresher for existing trustees, explaining the

responsibilities and duties of charity trustees.

Venue: Orchard Street Business Centre,

Central Bristol

Costs: A limited number of reduced fee places

available to Voscur Full Members at £37.50 plus VAT,

please provide your membership number in the

notes section of the booking form.

Preventing fraud with good controlsWednesday 29 February 2012, 9:30am-12:30pm

This session will look at effective controls to prevent

fraud, ways to detect fraud and then response plans

if you do suspect fraud.

Venue: Orchard Street Business Centre,

Central Bristol

Costs: A limited number of reduced fee places

available to Voscur Full Members at £37.50 plus VAT,

please provide your membership number in the

notes section of the booking form.


Working together to work better togetherWith diminishing resources, there are increasing pressures for the VCS to work

collaboratively. Mark Hubbard (Compact Liaison Officer) who works with public sector

commissioners and VCS groups, reports on the positive development of tools to

support Bristol collaborations.

Bristol Compact

Context

The reduction in funds available

for public service delivery is

leading to increased pressure

on commissioners and service

providers. That pressure,

alongside some assumptions

that are commonly attached

to collaborative working such

as, collaborative working offers

better value for money and

improved integration of services,

is leading to fewer and larger

contracts. There is also an

assumption that, in managing

fewer contracts, the resources

needed in contract management

will be lessened.

The drivers for collaboration are

coming from several sources

(including Big Lottery as well as

the state) and consequently,

it is likely that more funders

will require collaborations and

partnerships.

Recent developments

There have been several recent

activities in Bristol that indicate

a significant shift in thinking-

commissioners now recognise

the need to support the

provider market* in developing

collaborative working. The

following examples illustrate

the shift.

• Big Lottery’s Improving

Futures and Improving

Financial Confidence

programmes – these new

funds made it necessary for

a VCS collaboration to have

endorsement and involvement

of the local authority. There

was, therefore, a need for

some facilitation of Bristol’s

response, so that the sector

could collaborate and make

strategic proposals through a

fair and open process. These

activities were facilitated by an

independent project team**

and resulted in proposals

being submitted by VCS-led

collaborations.

• Bristol Youth Links (BYL) –

this commissioning process

will result in more integrated

services to meet children and

young people’s needs. The

c. 70 current grants/contracts

will change to 9 larger

contracts. This means that

many VCS organisations will

need to work collaboratively

if they are to continue to

deliver BYL services. BYL

commissioners and Voscur held

a ‘speed-networking’ event and

published a list of organisations

so that VCS organisations

interested in collaborating were

able to introduce themselves.

This process is ongoing.

• Flexible Support Fund – Bristol

City Council (BCC) has received

funds from Jobcentre Plus to

establish a project that will

support jobseekers to return

to the labour market. BCC’s

innovative proposal outlined

the delivery by a VCS-led

collaboration, instead of

delivery by the local authority.

A similar project team (BCC

and Voscur) has formed to

work with the VCS to facilitate

the rapid formation of a VCS

collaboration to take advantage

of this £400,000 opportunity.

The service should be in place

Feb/Mar 2012.


Supporting collaborations

At the same time as those

facilitation activities, BCC’s

Enabling Commissioning

Board*** has established

several ‘workstreams’, one of

which is focusing on Market

Development. It is working on a

set of tools (based on the learning

from the above activities) for

commissioners so that they can

support and develop the market

in forming collaborations.

In addition the Enabling

Commissioning Framework will

offer guidance and templates

for the VCS to use in its

collaborations. The documents

include descriptions of the

different forms of collaborations

(listed in the information box) and,

importantly, guidance on BCC’s

procurement/commissioning

requirements from them. These

should enable VCS organisations

to take decisions about which

form of collaboration is most

appropriate.

The Consortium Agreement

template will be very useful to

Bristol’s VCS. It is intended to be

used in Lead partner consortium,

Non-lead partner consortium

and Partnership arrangements.

The Enabling Commissioning

Framework has provided this

template so that individual

providers will not need to develop

their own agreements. It has

been approved by BCC’s legal

advisors and it is recommended

that providers take their own

legal advice after being awarded

a contract. The provision of

this template and the timing of

legal advice will mean that VCS

organisations will not need to

spend resources on the

paperwork until they know they

have a contract.

Another important aspect of the

template is that it includes Bristol

Compact principles: full-cost

recovery, payment in advance,

proportionate monitoring and

evaluation, and fairness in

decommissioning. This should set

the scene: that lead organisations

are expected to act with decency

and fairness, and that smaller VCS

organisations should experience

fairness in their collaborations.

From a Compact perspective,

these are very positive steps

that will help address some of

the concerns and issues that VCS

organisations have reported about

working collaboratively.

Bristol Compact

Different forms of collaborative arrangements

• Lead partner consortium

• Non-lead partner consortium

• Sub-contracting

• Special purpose vehicle

• Merging

• Partnership

More information

www.bristolcompact.org.uk/

vcse/collaborating

Mark Hubbard

(Compact Liaison Officer)

[email protected]

0117 909 9949

* Provider market – range of

organisations/groups/companies

that may wish to deliver services

** Bristol City Council (BCC)

Strategic Commissioning and

Procurement Service, CYPS’

Joint Commissioning Team,

Homelessness Policy and

Bristol Compact.

*** responsible for

the development and

implementation of the Enabling

Commissioning Framework,

BCC’s standardisation of

commissioning processes.

www.bristol.gov.uk/

commissioning


Voice and Influence

Voice and Influence – representing the views of the voluntary and community sectorConsultation ended in October on

the proposals for a new voluntary

and community sector (VCS)

Assembly to ensure that the VCS

in Bristol has a ‘strong voice’ and

can ‘influence decisions’. The

consultation responses have been

considered and proposals adapted

to reflect the feedback.

Voice and Influence activities will:

• Provide a place for the VCS to

network, offer mutual support,

to raise and discuss issues

• Influence decisions on issues of

importance to the VCS

• Enable clear and structured

ways for consultation and

the views from the VCS to be

represented

• Promote good communication,

networking and support for and

with the VCS

• Support VCS capacity building

to engage with decision makers

• Build awareness of VCS in the

public and private sector

These values will underpin Voice

and Influence:

Equality and Inclusion – creative

positive action will be undertaken

to encourage the involvement of

groups within the VCS who are

marginalised or excluded.

Advocate – active participants will

advocate for the voluntary and

community sector through clear

communication channels showing

how the views from the sector are

represented.

Partnership – working through

co-operative and inclusive

partnerships. We will aim to

minimise duplication, to promote

unity and to encourage and

facilitate co-operation between

voluntary and community

organisations.

Respect – working on the basis of

mutual respect and demand that

respect in return for and from

its membership. Particpants are

expected to be open and honest.

Compact – working in line with the

Compact, respecting the Compact

Codes and championing its use.

Find out more about Voice and Influence

Visit

www.voiceandinfluence.org.uk

Advocates for the voluntary community sector

Voice and Influence will seek to

ensure that the knowledge and

expertise from the voluntary

and community sector in Bristol

is engaged at decision making

partnerships. A nomination

process to identify and support

VCS Advocates has begun. VCS

Advocates’ nominations are

currently being identified for

the following decision making

partnerships:

• Children & Young People’s

Outcomes Board

• Children and Young People’s

Attainment and

Progression Board

• Children & Families Early

Intervention Standing Group

• North Area Partnership

Executive Group

• South Area Partnership

Executive Group

• Central and East Area

Partnership

• Executive Group

• Health and Wellbeing Board

• Health and Social Care

working group

• Safer Bristol Partnership

• Community Safety Joint

• Commissioning Group

• Reducing Re-offending board

For full details about the

VCS Advocate roles, terms of

reference for these partnerships

and the nomination process visit



Updates from Voice and Influence Network meetingsV&I Neighbourhoods and Communities Network

At the November meeting we

looked at parts of the Localism Act

and what it might mean for the

VCS. The Act received royal assent

in November 2011 with many

of the powers due to come into

effect in spring 2012.

A directly elected mayor for Bristol?

Bristol is one of 13 cities that will

hold referendums in May 2013 to

decide whether to change from

having a leader of council to a

directly elected mayor.

The N&C Network meeting

discussed the government

consultation on what powers

directly elected mayors could

have. These are some of the

comments that were submitted

as part of the government

consultation:

• Elected mayors may need

to have authority to address

issues outside of the Bristol

City Council boundaries (issues

such as transport and economic

policy were highlighted).

• Elected mayors should have

powers to decide the cycle for

election of councillors.

•Whatever powers elected

mayors have, it should mean

more not less decision making

for neighbourhoods.

An evaluation of Bristol’s

Neighbourhood Partnerships and

the new ‘Assets of Community

Value’ legislation were also

discussed. For more details and

notes and resources from the

Neighbourhoods and Communities

Network meeting visit www.

voscur.org/111130networkmeeting

V&I Health and Social Care network

In December the H&SC Network

discussed concerns around Bristol

City Council H&SC funding and the

implications for VCS groups. The

issues raised included:

• The risks for small voluntary

organisations from spot

contracts (as opposed to block

purchasing).

• Concerns about how VCS

organisations will be able to

market the services that they

provide to people who have

personalised budgets.

A number of participants from

VCS organisations will form a

working group to take these

forward and develop better links

between Bristol City Council

Health and Social Care

department and the voluntary

and community sector.

For more details, notes

and resources from the

Health and Social Care

Network meeting resources

available at www.voscur.

org/111209networkmeeting

Bristol City Council’s Adult Social Care Consultation underway

Bristol City Council is now

carrying out two exercises. One

to consider residential services,

and one to plan the future of Day

Opportunities. Both consultations

will run until 29th February 2012.

A consultation questionnaire is

available to complete at:

www.citizenspace.com/bristol

Voice and Influence

Voice and Influence event dates for your diary

Localism Act briefing sessions

in partnership with Bristol

City Council

January (to be confirmed)

for more details see


Children and Young

Peoples Network

Wednesday 22 February 2012,

10am-12, The Southville Centre

Neighbourhoods and

Communities Network

Thursday 15 March 2012, 5:30-

8pm, Easton Community Centre


Black and Minority Ethnic Voice and Influence

Improving Voice and Influence for Bristol’s Black and Minority Ethnic CommunitiesNumerous decisions are made

everyday at national and local

levels which have a profound

impact on people’s lives. For

Bristol’s wide and diverse Black

and Minority Ethnic (BME)

communities, developing more

effective ways in which voices

can be heard will improve how

services are planned, designed

and delivered to meet needs.

Statutory organisations have a

legal duty to involve residents and

community groups in decisions

about priorities and service

delivery. Voscur as Bristol’s lead

infrastructure organisation is

committed to ensuring that BME

voices are integral to informing

the new VCS Assembly structures

and its decision making.

It is essential that organisations

such as Bristol City Council (BCC)

and Voscur are accountable to,

and responsive to the needs of

BME communities.

The BME Voice & Influence

(V&I) steering group was jointly

established by Voscur and BCC as

a result of a public event in June

2011; it recognises the need to

improve engagement, equality

and service delivery through

effective and appropriate BME

V&I structures. It is keen to

ensure that new structures

will have the confidence of

BME communities, be valued,

respected and represent a wide

range of BME voices. The steering

group is pleased to have engaged

‘Skyers-Poorman Consulting’ to

carry out consultation towards

achieving this.

For further information and for

updates on the BME V&I initiative

please go to our website:

www.voscur.org/VCSAssembly/

BMEVoice

BME voice and influence – get your voice heard

Skyers-Poorman Research and

Consulting have been appointed

to undertake a consultation

with Bristol’s BME communities

under the banner ‘BME Voice

and Influence.’

The initiative responds to a shared

desire of BME led organisations

in Bristol, the wider VCS, and

the public sector generally, to

develop new and innovative

ways of engaging. This is

underpinned by the specific

purpose of strengthening the

voice and influence of Bristol’s BME

communities in order to develop

and foster a political climate in

which BME communities are

represented at all decision-making

levels within institutions, and a

climate in which a broad range of

voices can be heard and acted on.

The consultation, which began

in October, 2010, runs until the

end of January 2012. We have

been consulting with a diverse

range of organisations and

individuals by means of telephone

interviews, face-to-face interviews,

attendance at group meetings,

on-line, visits to local shops,

barbers, markets and a range of

other ways that suit individuals

and organisations.

It is important that all voices are

heard, and in particular, those

voices that often go unheard.

So, please do get in contact with

either of us and let’s talk. We are

flexible so let us know how you

would like to be engaged. You can

contact us by:

Telephone: 07956 572 983 or

Email: [email protected]

Sophia Skyers and Janet Poorman

Skyers-Poorman Research and

Consulting


Tackling Child Poverty in Bristol

Child Poverty Strategy

The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets

targets to be met by 2020. The

Government must focus on four

different measures of poverty,

including relative income poverty.

Children are said to be living in

relative income poverty if their

household’s income is less than 60

per cent of the average national

income. In Bristol this figure is

approximately 27% of the total

children and young people.

Income measures do not give

the full story about the causes

and consequences of childhood

disadvantage. The national

strategy sets out a new set of

indicators, including, but not

limited to, the income targets

set out in the Act.

Tackling poverty is about more

than just raising family income.

It is about supporting parents

into work; strengthening families

so that they can support their

children; and ensuring that all

children have access to high

quality early years education

and schooling.

The Government published its

UK-wide child poverty strategy in

April 2011, “A New Approach to

Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes

of Disadvantage and Transforming

Families’ Lives”

In May 2011, the Government

announced proposed

amendments to the Child

Poverty Act. These mainly affect

the relationship between the

Government and the proposed

Social Mobility and Child

Poverty Commission, and the

requirements on the Government

to report annually on its progress

in reducing child poverty.

Moving from the national to

the local picture: the Bristol

Child Poverty Strategy 2011-

2020 recently concluded its

consultation period. Voscur

circulated the draft strategy to

voluntary and community sector

members for comment. This

was followed by a Children and

Young Peoples network meeting

in October which included

discussion on the priorities in

the strategy. These priorities

themselves arose from the needs

assessment carried out over the

summer and autumn 2010. The

needs assessment has also been

used for the Children and Young

People’s Plan and for the Bristol

Safeguarding Children Board plan.

It will regularly be updated – so

you can continue to inform the

needs assessment at http://

bristolchildren.wordpress.com

where you can view the draft

strategy as well.

The Bristol Partnership identified

child poverty as one of its

two key priorities in 2011. This

acknowledges that the level of

child poverty in Bristol presents

both a risk to aspirations for

the city and need for ‘common

purpose’ in addressing its causes

and effects. Ending child poverty

requires action from central

and local government working

in partnership with voluntary

and community services, as

well as the private sector, to

make a difference to the lives of

disadvantaged families.

Youth unemployment is another

key concern, particularly with

numbers rising quickly. A number

of actions are being implemented,

such as a £250 million pilot to

give employers power over skills

training, incentive payments

to employ young apprentices

and wage subsidies to employ

unemployed young people –

see the article on page 24 on

“Backing Young Bristol”.

For details of the national

Child Poverty Strategy go to

www.education.gov.uk/

publications/standard/

publicationDetail/Page1/

CM%208061


Backing Young Bristol: Help Bristol Partnership Tackle Youth Unemployment

Young people and employment

With unemployment levels rising,

the challenge facing a young

person in getting that vital initial

work experience and finding

employment is increasing. This

early experience of working life

is critically important in helping a

young person develop the right

skills for employment, and start

to shape a career for themselves.

Prolonged periods without

employment and training at this

time of life is known to have a

long term damaging impact on

a person’s future employment

prospects and income levels.

Young people are the city’s future.

Employing and training a young

person helps to develop a skilled

workforce to meet your future

business needs and helps to make

your workplace more productive. It

also brings in new ideas, energy and

enthusiasm to your organisation

and ensures that your workforce

includes an important group

of customers.

What can you do?

Your organisation can play a

key role by:

• Offering apprenticeship, work

experience and employment

opportunities to unemployed

young people

• Encouraging your organisation’s

suppliers, sub-contractors,

partners and networks to do

the same

• Raising awareness of the

challenges facing young

people, the rewards and

benefits of training and

employing a young person,

and publicise success stories

Go to www.bristolpartnership.org

or contact Karen King

[email protected]

0117 922 2016 for more

information about Backing

Young Bristol and how you can

get involved.

Backing Young Bristol

You can start now in supporting Bristol Partnership’s campaign

Employ a young person as

an apprentice and help to

increase the number of young

people in the City starting an

apprenticeship this year to 2,000.

For more information contact

Mark Howard

mark.howard@apprenticeships.

gov.uk or George Elliot

george.elliot@apprenticeships.

gov.uk or go to

www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Offer a young person a work

placement

For more information contact

Chris Mitchell

[email protected]

0117 922 2719

Bristol Partnership’s Executive Board is asking all partners to join the Partnership’s campaign ‘Backing Young Bristol’ to reduce unemployment amongst young people. The campaign aims to increase the number of employers offering young people training and employment opportunities, and to promote youth employment, increasing awareness and publicising success stories.

Working in partnership with NAVCA – Voscur is pleased to promote this free training opportunity.

Every business matters – Wednesday 8 February 2012 9:30am-4pm, Bristol

A training and information day designed to help you develop your business skills to use with groups and organisations working with children, young people and families.

NAVCA is offering 15 free places for a business skills training and information day.

This training and information day is for development workers in local support and development organisations who are working to support groups working with children, young people and families.

The day will cover a range of topics exploring business skills and looking at how you could adapt these to support the groups and organisations you work with in your local community.

The course will look at:

• Branding

• Marketing

• Entrepreneurship

• Competition

• Pricing

• Business planning

Time: 9.30-4pm Date: Wednesday 8 February 2012

Venue: The Terrace Room, Barton Hill Settlement, 43 Ducie Road, Barton Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX. (http://www.bartonhillsettlement.org.uk)

Please email [email protected] for more information.


Neighbourhood Planning

Local groups take back the power

We asked Ben Barker from the

BS3 Planning Group to explain

how one of the ‘Front Runner’

Neighbourhood Planning projects

is going.

Name: Myrtle Triangle BS3

Location: Land around Myrtle Street, off North Street, Bedminster.

What is the Myrtle Triangle?

The Myrtle Triangle is near Myrtle

Street in the Greater Bedminster

Community Partnership. Some

of it is privately owned, but

most, an area about the size of

College Green, belongs to Bristol

City Council (BCC). Currently, it

contains Hayleigh, a home for

older people.

What are the future plans the site?

The Council may close the older

people’s home, but a final

decision has not been made.

Normally, speculating developers

might be buzzing around looking

for potentially profitable sites

that might be coming up for

redevelopment. The Council, as

land owners for much of the site,

would normally be looking for

short-term financial return from

the sale of surplus land.

How would local people like the site to be developed?

The BS3 Planning group, and

people who’ve been leafleted, and

spoken with would like to see a

park rather than, say, flats or a car

park. However, a park would not

generate profits, so this option will

not come from developers, nor

be particularly attractive to BCC.

Ideas for the space are beginning

to emerge from the BS3 Planning

Group’s discussions, these initial

ideas include:

• keep existing trees on the site

• Improve walking routes to the

North Street shops

• Create a space for children

to play.

The discussions have considered

whether there should be new or

existing buildings as part of the

plan. Some new houses along

the edge of the site would give

some passive surveillance for

what is otherwise a secluded

site. Buildings would also bring in

some revenue to offset securing

most of the site as an open green

space. An alternative to housing

might be a Wellbeing Centre and

the groups are also discussing this

option with a local GP partnership.

Who else has been involved in the site?

The BS3 Planning Group is also

working with the University

of Bristol and have four

civil engineering students

looking at possible alternative

energy sources that might be

incorporated into any plans.

How effective will the Neighbourhood Planning powers be?

As a ‘Front Runner’ project

we’re testing the proposals in

the Localism Act and have been

following its rules – although the

rules and guidance have not been

finalised. The effectiveness of

this legislation and the reality of

its claim to transfer ‘downwards’

remain uncertain. But, the BS3

Planning group and local people

would be pressing for a new

The government’s Localism Act includes proposals for Neighbourhood Plans (NP) where local residents and/or local businesses can come together to draw up proposals. The government announced a number of Neighbourhood Planning ‘Front Runner’ pilot schemes in Bristol. These are in Bedminster (Myrtle Triangle BS3), Redcliffe (Redcliffe Futures), and Lockleaze (Lockleaze Voice Neighbourhood Planning Forum).



Find out more

Details of the


proposals can be found in

the Plain English Guide to the

Localism Act on the Department

for Communities and Local

Government website:

www.communities.gov.uk/

documents/localgovernment/

pdf/1923416.pdf

Frequently asked questions

about Neighbourhood Planning

on the Planning Advisory service

website: www.pas.gov.uk/pas/

core/page.do?pageId=1240896

Bristol Neighbourhood

Planning Network

The Neighbourhood Planning

Network (NPN) is a network of

voluntary groups within the

Bristol area, working together

to help themselves and each

other get better involvement in

how their neighbourhoods are

developed, through the planning

system: www.bristolnpn.net

park on this site, even if the

Localism Bill didn’t exist. The

Neighbourhood Planning powers

may help us deliver one, but it’s

too soon to say.

To find out more about the

Myrtle Triangle BS3 project

contact Ben Barker

(BS3 Planning Group).

[email protected]

0117 963 3652

Bristol’s other ‘Front Runner’ Neighbourhood Planning projects are:

Redcliffe

The Redcliffe Futures group

is leading the project. The site

incorporates the land along

Redcliffe Way and is adjacent

to a number of significant

historic buildings including

St Mary Redcliffe church and

Chatterton’s House.

Lockleaze

Lockleaze Voice Neighbourhood

Planning Forum is leading this

project.

The Lockleaze site is focused

around Gainsborough Square.

Ben Barker, BS3 planning group

Myrtle Street

Hayleigh


Community First – Neighbourhood Match Fund

The Office for Civil Society (OCS)

launched the Community First

Neighbourhood Match Fund

in October which will provide

small grants for community-led

projects, in targeted communities

in Bristol. Di Robinson, Bristol

City Council’s Service Director for

Neighbourhoods and Communities

writes about this funding and how

decisions about how it is spent will

be made.

The Community First Fund has

been allocated to wards with

significant levels of deprivation

and low social capital (as

assessed by government teams).

The funding programme is

being managed nationally by

the Community Development

Foundation (CDF) but decisions

about how it is spent will be made

locally in each area.

The wards in Bristol included in

this programme are as follows:

Ashley £50,865

Avonmouth £33,910

Bishopsworth £33,910

Easton £33,910

Henbury £33,910

Hillfields £33,910

Lawrence Hill £33,910

St George West £33,910

Whitchurch Park £50,865

The money awarded is a matched

fund programme, which means

that every £1 provided in funding

must be matched by a similar

amount of in-kind donations (this

means donations of cash, services,

free products or volunteer time).

The total funding allocated to

each ward is the total to be

spent over a 4 year period. The

intention is that the fund will

work at a neighbourhood level by

the creation of Community First

Panels in each of the areas. The

panels will need to bring people

together to decide how funds

should be used strategically in

their local area to meet identified

needs. The Panels are also

required to:

• have an active web presence

through a community website

or a blog

•match funds with their time,

money or other resources on

a 1:1 basis

• create a neighbourhood

plan which seeks to improve

the quality of life in the

neighbourhoods, including

everyone’s voice in shaping

the future.

Bristol City Council has been

approached to support the

development of these panels,

as local authority involvement

is a requirement as well as the

involvement of local councillors.

The council has decided to

initially register the existing

Neighbourhood Partnership

Wellbeing Panels as Community

First Panels. The Neighbourhood

Partnership panels already have

the involvement of local people

including councillors, they

have the processes required

to deliver small grant funding

and monitoring, and the

Neighbourhood Partnerships

also already have neighbourhood

priority plans.

Bristol City Council have agreed

this approach with CDF, as well

as discussing this with voluntary

community sector partners

locally who agreed it made sense

to use the existing structures.

The Council is currently waiting

for some feedback from CDF

regarding when the work can

start and if any other groups

in the areas have shown an

interest so we can make those

connections. Once next steps are

confirmed, the Council will use

our Neighbourhood Partnership

networks and those of VCS

partners to advertise the funds

in those areas.

For further information about

the Community First Fund

please contact:

[email protected]

For information regarding

progress in your specific

area, or for more information

about Wellbeing Funds and

Neighbourhood Partnerships

please use the website at www.

myneighbourhoodbristol.com

Community First Fund and Community Organisers


Community First Fund and Community Organisers

Bristol’s Community Organisers hit the streets

Bristol has 4

of the first of

the 47 people

recruited to

be trained as

Community

Organisers as part of the

government funded programme.

The recruits will be trained from

now until 2015 and they will be

based in local groups (in Bristol

this is Barton Hill Settlement),

bringing people together around

various local issues. It is hoped

that the Organisers will be involved

in assisting communities to take

advantage of the Community

First Fund.

Barton Hill Settlement is hosting the Bristol Community Organisers

The Bristol Community Organisers are:

Name: Rebecca Cant

Area: Barton Hill

For more details visit: cocollaborative.org.uk/users/rebecca-cant

Name: Steve Crozier

Area: Easton

For more details visit: cocollaborative.org.uk/users/steve-crozier

Name: Richard Parkes

Area: Southmead

For more details visit: cocollaborative.org.uk/users/richard-parkes

Name: Leo Singer

Area: St Pauls

Find out more: Locality has launched a website where you can find out

more about the community organisers. Visit: cocollaborative.org.uk


The Secret Millionaire Experience

Setting the scene

We are a Christian charity which,

since 1984, has tried to help

anyone in Bristol with ‘life-

disrupting’ problems such as

homelessness, addiction and

mental health issues. Amongst

other things, we run the Wild

Goose, a drop-in centre for

homeless people. We think the

Wild Goose is the oldest project

of its kind in the country. That’s

something to be proud of!

For all this time, we have been

providing free and cheap food

to people with life-disrupting

problems – not just those

sleeping rough, but anyone

without a proper home, without

access to cooking facilities, or

money for food.

The aim is to help people move

on; we do it by love, unconditional

acceptance and really good, tasty

food. We also do lots more – see

the box opposite for some details.

For some time, with the help of

around 250 regular volunteers,

we have been serving around 300

meals most days at the Wild Goose,

out of a small building in St Pauls –

a kitchen which was crowded with

three people in it, and a dining

area which could seat 14 people if

they were friendly. It worked, but

a lot of the time we had to serve

the food in takeaway trays as there

was no place to sit. This seriously

limited the help we could offer.

The Secret Millionaire

For several years, we had been

looking for a suitable building

which could provide the Wild

Goose with the space it needed.

Finally, in 2009 we found it – a pub

in Stapleton Road. We liked the

idea of using an ex-pub to help

alcoholics. We had no money in the

bank, but prayed and decided to

go ahead and try to buy it.

Then a TV production company

asked if they could do a little

filming for a programme on

volunteering. Not wishing to

sound too blasé about it, this

is something we are fairly used

to: the BBC and ITV have both

recorded items on our premises

on several occasions, as well as

numerous smaller production

companies.

So they came and filmed for

a week, then told us who they

were. Dawn Gibbins, the ‘Secret

Millionaire,’ was wonderfully

generous, and gave us £100,000

for the new building, plus another

£25,000 for other purposes.

The New Building

To cut a long story short, we

raised the remaining money and

bought the ex-pub. Renovation

and conversion cost more than

initially estimated (surprise!), and

the whole project was completed

for almost exactly £500,000.

Dawn’s gift helped us with the

fundraising, and the publicity from

the programme must have played

a significant part, too. The Wild

Goose moved in November 2010,

and the offices moved into the

space upstairs in April 2011.

The new building is wonderful:

the new kitchen is a reasonable

size, and the dining area can seat

40 people comfortably, with

comfortable chairs at the ends for

those who are not eating. We have

space for outside people to come

in and provide additional services,

ranging from a health clinic to a

library. Our clients can come and

eat at tables, and then sit and

chat afterwards.

We are now regularly serving

over 400 meals in a day, but the

Member Profile: Crisis Centre Ministries

Lots of people in Bristol watched the ‘Secret Millionaire’ when the programme visited the city. Crisis Centre Ministries was fortunate to be chosen as one of the three charities. We have been asked to describe the impact it had on us, and to provide an update on what’s happened since then.


point of having better facilities

is not to serve more food – it is

to enable us to care for people

more effectively. We can always

do more, and we can always do

better, but feedback from the folk

who use our service says the move

has been a great success. Last

year, we served around 90,000 hot

meals and helped 247 people into

supported accommodation.

A year on, and we are able to help

more people than ever before.

With the support of the people

in the Congregational Church

next door, the LITE Course (see

the box) has moved back on

site, and we have just started to

use the same space overnight

(currently two nights a week) to

open a Ladies’ Night Shelter as a

partial replacement for the one

the Council have just closed. The

challenges continue …

For more information, please visit

www.crisis-centre.org.uk.

Member Profile: Crisis Centre Ministries

Other projects include:

• The LITE Course (‘Lifeskills

and Initial Training for

Employment’) – this teaches

people how to keep their

accommodation, and how to

get and keep a job; and

• The East Bristol Foodbank –

this provides food parcels to

people in food poverty, with

referrals from the statutory

services and other charities.

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

Company limited by Guarantee registered in England no. 3918210Printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable based inks

January 2012Date Time Event Location11th 9:30am-3:30pm Prove it! Convincing funders your

project is neededSt Pauls Learning Centre, Grosvenor Road, St Pauls, Bristol, BS2 8XJ

24th 9:30am-3:30pm Ten steps to the perfect tender Malcolm X Centre, 141 City Road, St Pauls, Bristol, BS2 8YH

30th 9:30am-1:00pm Equalities Monitoring – Getting it right Easton Business Centre, Felix Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0HE

31st (6 week course)

6:30pm-9:30pm Kick Start your organisation St Werburghs Centre, Horley Road, Bristol, BS2 9TJ

February 2012Date Time Event Location2nd 9:30am-3:30pm Commissioning and Outcomes St Werburghs Centre, Horley Road, Bristol,

BS2 9TJ22nd 10:00am-12:00pm Children and Young People’s Network

Meeting- Safeguarding Children and Young People

The Southville Centre, Beauley Road, Southville, Bristol BS3 1QG

23rd 9:30am-3:30pm Tips for more successful fundraising @Symes, Symes District Centre, Peterson Avenue, Bristol, BS13 0BE

28th 9:30am-3:30pm Marketing on a Shoestring The Gatehouse Centre, Hareclive Road, Bristol, BS13 9JN

29th 10:00am-12:30pm VAT and Charities – Finance Forum Room 209, Crescent Centre, Temple Back, Bristol, BS1 6EZ

March 2012Date Time Event Location1st To be confirmed Assembly event To be confirmed6th 9:30am-3:30pm Costing your project Barton Hill Settlement, 43 Ducie Road,

Lawrence Hill, Bristol, BS5 0AX7th 6:30pm-8:30pm NEW – Trustee Network including

‘The Board as Employers’ session delivered by Charity HR.

To be confirmed

13th 9:30am-3:30pm Updating your equality and diversity policy

Greenway Centre, Doncaster Road, Southmead, Bristol, BS10 5PY

15th 5:30pm-8:00pm Neighbourhoods and Communities Network

Easton Community Centre, Kilburn Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 6AW

21st 9:30am-3:30pm Developing a Fundraising Strategy The Green House, Hereford Street, Bristol, BS3 4NA

27th & 28th

9:30am-3:30pm Developing a Marketing Strategy To be confirmed

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

Training and Events Diary — January / February / March 2012

voscur magazine thrive! jan 2012

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