We’d like your feedback please….

As you may be aware, York CVS recently underwent the renewal of its Navca Quality Award. Navca is the national body for support and development organisations. We are delighted to announce that our renewal was successful and we received a grading of 3+ in almost every category; we gather a grade of 4 is rarely achieved but we will be working towards that for our next renewal in 2013!

Two points were made in connection with the services and support we are able to provide for black and minority ethnic groups, which we intend to address before our next assessment. These were:

1. “CVS already supports many existing, new and emerging BME organisations. However there is scope to increase the support that these organisations receive”.
2. “There is a level of inconsistency in the strengths of the different representational structures. There are particular issues with representation for BME organisations”.

We would be really pleased to get your views on these comments.
• Are you able to give us any feedback on what you would like to see us do differently?
• For example, do we need to adapt our offer, provide more outreach services, or do things differently to encourage and facilitate access to services based at the Priory Street Centre?
• How can we work together to increase our reach to minority ethnic groups and enable them to access necessary support services, such as funding advice, governance support, community accounting and volunteering that other groups access readily?
• What do we need to do differently to encourage more minority ethnic groups to nominate representatives for the many forums and structures that exist in the city?
• How can we work together to achieve this?

We would be really interested to get your views and to discuss ways of improving our services to meet the needs of York’s rapidly changing population. Please feel free to pass this email on to anyone who you think will be interested. All views will be treated in confidence and will only be used in an anonymised way. My contact details are Angela.harrison@yorkcvs.org.uk, telephone 01904 621133.

And now for something completely different…..
It’s a girl! Congratulations to York CVS Office Administrator Lydia and her husband Jamie, on the birth of baby Jasmine. She was born on the 21st January, weighing 7lb 4oz.

Happy New Year from York CVS

Welcome back and Happy New Year to you all. It feels like the world is changing so quickly it is impossible to make predictions for what 2012 will bring. So, I will confine myself to some of things I know we will be dealing with.

Child Poverty Strategy for York. The Strategy was launched on December 20th and was a sobering reminder that for many children and young people life is not as comfortable as we would wish it to be. The latest data for York tells us that 4705 children and young people are living in poverty. That is the equivalent of 3 decent sized secondary schools. Please take a moment to read the strategy and more importantly, the action points it contains. We know these actions will be challenging given the current economic situation. If you think your organisation can help in any way or you have ideas for innovative ways to tackle these issues please get in touch with either myself or Bernie Flanagan at City of York Council.

City of York Council budget for 2012-14 As you are aware, the Council has some tough decisions to make about its future budgets. There will be a consultation meeting on Monday 16th January from 10am – 12 here at CVS where you can talk to politicians and officers about their budget plans. Please come and have your say on how funding should be used in the next 2 years. If you can’t get to the meeting but have a question to ask or comment to make please let me know and I can speak on your behalf.

Volunteering in York Volunteering enquiries continue to rise but the world of volunteering faces a number of challenges. What is the difference between a volunteer and an intern? Are we taking advantage of young people to get routine tasks done at low cost, or providing them with much needed experience for their CV’s? What is the role of volunteering in the health and wellbeing of the city’s residents? Is volunteering replacing some more structured forms of activity for vulnerable people and how can that be supported? How can we help more organisations to provide good quality, meaningful and enjoyable volunteering opportunities?

In 2012 the Volunteer Centre, as part of a Volunteering Partnership in York, will be launching a Charter for Volunteering – the main aim of the Charter will be ensure a consistently good quality experience for volunteers through establishing standards that organisations sign up to. Support and training to achieve the standards will be provided. Liz Hamilton is the Volunteering Manager at York CVS and can be contacted on 01904 621133 or liz.hamilton[at]yorkcvs.org.uk

Apprenticeships Did you know there are 3 new apprenticeships available to support voluntary sector employers? The roles focus on campaigning, fundraising and volunteer management. We are working with Your Consortium and City of York Council to see how we can support voluntary organisations in York to take young people into their organisations via this apprenticeship route. Please get in touch if you are interested to find out more.

Localism and the Big Society The Localism Act was passed in November. Many of the measures included in the Act, including Community Rights, will come into force in April 2012. Urban Forum has produced a useful briefing on the final Act that you may find helpful. It will be interesting to see how this translates locally in the coming months. One of our questions for the CYC budget consultation is to ask how the Council intends to facilitate more detailed discussions about changes to service delivery and the role of the voluntary sector in that delivery.

The Public Administration Select Committee has published its findings on the Big Society. Their press release can be found here. In summary the Committee says “Big Society doesn’t do enough to help ‘the little society’: Without a coherent implementation plan, there is confusion over message, whilst smaller charities face barriers in contracting and commissioning policies”. Whatever your thoughts or views, the “Big Society” debate hasn’t gone away and this report makes interesting reading and highlights some of the issues that many of us have been facing in recent times. I am sure this will continue to be a lively point of interest for 2012 too.

Health and social care As discussed last month, 2012 will be a huge year of change in the world of health and social care, covering everything from the way in which services are commissioned and delivered to how patients and the public have their say on local services. We will be talking to you early in 2012 to make sure the sector is represented as effectively as possible in the new structures that are emerging.

And finally…I am delighted to say that York CVS successfully renewed its Quality Award with our national body NAVCA (The National Association of Voluntary and Community Action) in December. This involved much gathering of evidence of our work and its impact, as well as a full day’s audit visit. Many of you received random phone calls to check out your experience of the services we provide. But this Award can’t be something that sits on the shelf till it expires in 2014, so if you have views or ideas on what CVS should be doing to support you, or have feedback on a service you have received please get in touch.

With very best wishes for 2012
Angela Harrison

December News from YCVS CEO

November has felt like a busy month for policy news and items to reflect on and contribute to. York’s Fairness Commission Interim Report will be available from 29 November. We will be looking closely at the report and talking to you about how the voluntary sector can contribute to the next phase. As you know, in 2012/13, City of York Council will be identifying approximately £12m of savings and is seeking your views on how to do this. At the same time, CYC is developing a Thriving Voluntary Sector Strategy for the city. Today’s Strategic Forum discussed the detail of the strategy and will be asking you for your views during December and January. York’s Compact Group is also asking for views on your experiences of the Compact, prior to conducting a refresh of the local Compact to reflect changes to the national one. All these items are connected and we will be doing our best to ensure that we join them up for you wherever we possibly can. Please see specific items below for more information.

You may be aware that I have a seat on what will be the Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board. The next meeting is Friday, 9 December. Among other items, the meeting will consider the findings of the Independent Review of Health Services in North Yorkshire and York and their implications for the work of the Board. As you may know, work is also underway to produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for York by the end of this year, so if you are able to contribute to that please do. The purpose of the JSNA is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the local health and wellbeing needs of children, adults, older people, geographic and vulnerable groups. It comprises a mix of quantitative and qualitative data and will inform the development of the local health and well being strategy and in turn inform priorities and commissioning decisions. Please send any relevant information to Becca De Koning, telephone 01904 554358 Wednesdays & Thursdays, or email Rebecca.dekoning@york.gov.uk

Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, has been speaking about how government can simplify impact measurement – read what he has to say here. http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/bulletin/third_sector_daily_bulletin/article/1106127/nick-hurd-says-government-needs-simplify-impact-measurement/. We know this is an area of work that concerns many of you (and ourselves here at CVS!) so if you want to talk through your options or get advice and support please give us a call.

Angela Harrison

News from York CVS

Hello everyone to another packed edition of Voluntary Voice. We take many of the items from the news pages of our website, so if you want to be featured please send your content to lydia.austin@yorkcvs.org.uk

The end of October saw the submission of our partnership bid to Big Lottery for the Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund. To find out more read a summary of the bid on our website and how the funding will be used if we are successful.

On 2nd November we had our second shared conference with North Yorkshire colleagues, which included the AGMs of both York CVS and North Yorkshire and York Forum. It was great to see so many of you there. For those who couldn’t attend or who want more information, there are copies of some of the speakers’ slides and speeches on our website at www.yorkcvs.org.uk/event/facing-forward-joint-conference-york-cvs-nyyf-include-both-annual-general-meetings. If you have any feedback about the event or ideas for next year please do let us know.

The next few weeks up to Christmas are equally busy. Watch out for information about your opportunity to contribute to a revised Compact for York and a Thriving Voluntary Sector Strategy. The Local Strategic Partnership is proposing changes to the way in which it is organised, and the Transition Board takes its first steps towards becoming a Health and Well-being Board. There is a lot to take in!

Please get in touch if you have any questions or issues you want us to raise on your behalf.

Angela Harrison

October Update

We promised to keep you updated on the additional £100,000 awarded to the voluntary sector by City of York Council. We are pleased to announce that the £30,000 of additional funding awarded for volunteering is now in place and the Volunteer Centre is now open 9-5 mon-fri with additional drop-ins, appointments and group sessions. A £70,000 bursary scheme for front line organisations will shortly be announced by City of York Council so watch this space for how to apply. We will forward details through our usual networks as soon as we receive them.
CVS and partners have been working hard in September to co-ordinate a bid to the Big Lottery’s Transforming Infrastructure Fund and we have more to do to get the bid completed by 31st October. 3 themes are emerging around enterprise, support for front line groups, and improving our strategic working as a sector. More information can be found on our blog at www.yorkcvs.wordpress.com. Craig Waugh, our Development Officer for Children, Young People and Families, has also been helping groups in York to co-ordinate a bid to the Big Lottery’s Realising Ambition Programme to support projects that help young people aged 8-14 avoid pathways into offending.
So, although money remains tight for many, there are some glimmers of hope. If you haven’t already booked your place at the Funding Landscapes conference on 18th November in York do so now! There are free places for organisations with a turnover of under £30,000 and a host of prestigious national speakers including Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of Big Lottery Fund. And remember you can arrange to meet our very own expert Funding Advisor Melody Clarke to discuss your particular funding needs.
It’s great to see so many of you tweeting about what you are up to. York now has 60 voluntary organisations tweeting but there could be more of you we haven’t yet found. If you want us to follow you and retweet on your behalf, just let us know and please return the favour if you think we’ve got something helpful to pass on.
This month we have some Top Tweet Awards!
“Best in class” goes to @OurCelebration for their shameless advance marketing of their 2012 Valentine Ball. These guys put the Olympic Committee in the shade!
“Most improved” goes to @YorkPlayspace who have gone from being self-confessed timid early tweeters to confident promoters of their “Chill out Zones” and other activities. (We just wish we weren’t too old for the Chill out Zone!)
A “merit” award goes to @YUMIYork for their tastebud-tantalising tweets about international food, although they do make our packed lunches feel very dull.
And finally a “Highly Commended” to @thebesominyork for their uplifting tweets about distributing kindness in York. We always know when we open a tweet from you we’ll feel so much better about how the day is going.
We’ll include a summary of their information every month from now on. http://twitter.com/YorkCVS/york-voluntary-orgs (you need to be logged in to see them all!)

Angela Harrison

Transformation not Tinkering – time to think the unthinkable!

As you may be aware the government has recently released via the Big Lottery the Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund. This follows much consultation by the government in 2010 about how charities and voluntary groups receive support.  We have been told it is the final opportunity for infrastructure organisations like CVSs to bid for funds to transform – and indeed revolutionise – their services.  The government will address the transformation of national infrastructure through further changes to its Strategic Partners programme in the coming years.

The Lottery guidance gives the government’s view that infrastructure varies from “best in class to inconsistency, unnecessary duplication and fragmentation of resources”; that this programme is not about “business as usual” but that they are looking for us to adapt to economic reality and the changing needs of frontline groups.

 

The programme will support consolidation and collaboration, e.g. rethinking business models, asset consolidation, merger of back office functions and shared services; fresh thinking about the support civil society needs, integration of services, better links with local business, more peer to peer support within the sector, stronger partnerships with strategic bodies and long term sustainability that does not rely on government support

 

York CVS is the lead partner in this bid for York and will be working closely with core partners (so far identified as York Cares, Your Consortium, North Yorkshire and York Forum) and a range of other organisations to develop a bid by 31^st October 2011. As you can see, timescales are tight!  We will also work closely with NYYF who are the lead partner for a North Yorkshire bid to make sure that where work crosses over our local authority boundaries that we maximise the benefits of working together and make sure that groups in York and North Yorkshire can seamlessly access the same services, wherever they are based.

 

We would like to hear from you if you want to see things change.  Do you agree with the government’s aims?  Can you tell us what transformed services will look like to you?   Don’t hold back! If you think a service is poor, or we offer something that is no longer needed and should stop or close, be replaced by something else, or look very different in the future, then please tell us.  If something doesn’t currently work for you or frustrates you, we need to know.

Here are some questions to start you off but please feel free to comment in any way or to write your own questions for us to answer or for us to pass on for others to answer.

×          What do you want from the services that support you?

×          Do you want fewer places to go? A one-stop shop?

×          Do you care if your services are provided by a charity, or a private company or the state?

×          Is the Priory Street Centre a suitable place for you to access services? If not, why not? Where else would you prefer to go?

×          Are there places you go for help that all need to be located together?  Can you tell us what they are?

×          Are there any services which you would be prepared to pay for? If so what? Why?

×          Are there services you would never be prepared to pay for? If so, what? Why?

×          What needs to be different? How?

×          What needs to be better? How?

 

There are a number of ways you can get in touch.  It would help if you could do this by Friday 14^th October.  You can email bigtif@yorkcvs.org.uk.  You can ring us on 01904 621133.  You can ask for a freepost envelope.  You can arrange to come in and talk to someone about what you think.  You can leave a comment on our blog or you can tweet us using #bigtifyork. Thank you!  We look forward to hearing from you and will keep you updated on how the partnership and bid are progressing.

Angela Harrison

Transforming Infrastructure

York CVS is the lead partner for the bid from York to the Transforming Infrastructure Fund.

To start our discussions internally with our staff, trustees and volunteers we used the attached presentation which we are happy to share.  We started with the question “what do groups and individuals need to enable voluntary action to flourish..?” Here’s our presentation of the session:york-cvs-the-future-of-infrastructure.

Progress to date; a meeting of the potential partners was held on 10th August. A number of themes for further discussion were identified and meetings subsequently arranged.  A letter to partners 26 aug was issued explaining how York CVS proposes to register the preliminary partnership.

Please post any thoughts below that can contribute to a winning bid for York!

Many thanks.

Angela Harrison, Chief Executive, York CVS

More information is available from Big Lottery.
And on the York CVS website.