1. THE NEWSLETTER FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN YOUTH WORK IN
DEVON AND PRODUCED BY VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES
Issue 11 – DECEMBER 2010
BIG COMMITMENTS NEEDED FOR CONTENTS
A ‘BIG SOCIETY’! Devon/Regional News
Events
As we approach the end of the year, it is timely to inform
Training Courses
you of a number of important developments that have
taken place over the past six months. Publications and Resources
Grants / Awards / Competitions
In June I was invited, along with many others, to National News & Information
contribute evidence to the Local Authority’s Scrutiny
Committee, which was focussing upon the youth services.
The report of the committee’s work and their conclusions
We must now ensure that the Local Authority
and recommendations, were made public last month and it
implements these recommendations for the benefit
is pleasing to note a number of positive recommendations
regarding the voluntary sector, these being (in italics): of our young people and all of the many thousands
of voluntary staff who work in the sector. If we want
to develop further our ‘Big Society ‘, we need big
♦ That good practice and innovative ways of Devon
commitments from policy makers, locally and
Youth Services working with the voluntary sector be
nationally!
recognised and promoted across the county. The
committee heard, recognised and valued the many
The other major development has been a Devon
excellent examples of good practice involving voluntary
Youth Services ‘Options Appraisal Exercise’ to:
organisations - and are keen to see this supported and
’identify which future delivery model and
developed further.
governance arrangements will best meet the future
♦ That local consultation is strengthened via the county needs and challenges ahead of Devon County
committee structure to encourage working with district, Council’. This is in the context of the need to reduce
town, parish councils, the voluntary sector and the spending and the need to be: ‘in line with the
Local Youth Networks. That communities have local government’s big society agenda and to provide the
fora to ensure a link up between Devon Youth opportunity to retain the best possible offer to young
Services, uniformed services and any other youth people in Devon’. This exercise began with a two
groups in an area. I am especially pleased that there is day meeting in August, to which VYS were not
a commitment to this as VYS has been concerned for invited due to an oversight by local authority
some time about the inconsistencies across the county officers.
and of poor co-ordinated planning of services for young
people in some localities; something of which individual
members of the committee also had first hand (continued over)
experience.
VYS, YFC Centre, Retail Park Close, Marsh Barton Road, Exeter EX2 8LG
Tel / Fax: 01392 250976 E-mail: admin@vysdevon.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1054442
www.vysdevon.org.uk

2. In mid October VYS was invited to take part in a ‘critical objectives process’, which involved scrutinising lots
th
of detailed papers culminating in attending a meeting on November 8 for the consideration of five potential
future delivery models for the Devon Youth Service, all of which had been formulated from August onwards.
th
The VYS Executive met on 4 November and came to the view that due to the short notice and the fact that
we had not been involved in a lengthy and complex process from the outset, we were not in a position to
take an informed view of the best delivery model for the future. Neither had we been give time to consult
th
more widely within the sector. We were able to send a representative to the meeting on the 8 of November
who, as mandated by the executive, abstained the VYS vote on all options. We now await the decision of
the Local Authority of which option will be chosen - and it is anticipated that this will be made early in the
New Year.
We very much hope that this will be known in time for the VYS Annual Conference, which this year will be
held on Saturday 5 February and which will focus on the theme: ‘Big Society and the opportunities it
provides’. There will also be updates on: the role of VYS and its new membership package; safeguarding;
and funding and support opportunities. And of course there will opportunities meet and discuss with others
what you are doing with regard to the big society and what the future opportunities might be for your group.
You will also have the opportunity to put your concerns and questions to a panel.
We are really pleased that Susanne Rauprich, who is the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
Chief Executive, will be our key speaker. We are also hoping that our vice presidents, Councillors Christine
Channon, Vanessa Newcombe and Saxon Spence will be there to update us on developments regarding
the implementation of the Scrutiny Committee recommendations and the future delivery model that has
been chosen for the Devon Youth Services, within the context of the funding that will be available. At the
time of writing this article, Local Authorities are being informed of their funding for the next two years by the
government, so the implications of this for Devon, and youth services in particular, should be known at the
time of the conference.
In the meantime I wish you, your young people, your organisation and your family a happy and peaceful
Christmas - and a New Year that will be successful and satisfying in your work with young people in
particular. I also look forward to meeting you in February at the Annual Conference.
Paul Allan, VYS Chair
DEVON NEWS
VYS (Devon) Level 2 Child Protection Training – VYS has only two remaining dates to
fill - only £10 per candidate: 22nd Jan 2011 in Tiverton, 12th Feb 2011 in Exeter. These
courses are open to anyone working with children and young people in the voluntary
sector – paid or unpaid. For a booking form contact 01392 250976 or e-mail
admin@vysdevon.org.uk Numbers are limited on a strictly first come first served basis –
so hurry to avoid disappointment!
VYS (Devon) New Members – the following groups have recently joined VYS (Devon):
♦ Balloons
♦ Community Arts Network
♦ Open Door Exmouth
♦ Ottery and District Skate & BMX Trust
♦ Seize the Moment
♦ Soundwaves Music Project
♦ Tepee
♦ The Future Generation Youth Group
♦ X-Centre
To find out more about these groups or for contact details visit the members section of the
VYS website http://www.vysdevon.org.uk/page/members. New groups are enquiring about
membership all the time. Remember that it is FREE and that membership will in future
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3. provide reduced costs on training events and other perks! If you are interested in joining
then please contact the VYS office on 01392 250976 or admin@vysdevon.org.uk.
Devon’s Youth have their say in new Health Bill - Devon teenagers, Siobhan Filsell
from Braunton and Lauren Adams from Barnstaple, recently joined 16 others aged 13-18
from across the UK to comment on the Government’s White Paper about the future of the
NHS, at a National Children’s Bureau consultation day with the Department of Health. The
girls got involved as part of a new health watchdog supported by Devon’s Local
Involvement Network (LINk Devon) to represent young people’s views on health and
social care services in Devon. Learn, Observe, Gain and Organize (LOGO) is growing
group of over 30 young people are currently developing on-line consultation, health DVD’s
and school workshops for their peers, which will be appearing in the New Year. LINk’s
Community Engagement Worker and co-ordinator of LOGO, Pam Hogan said: “Siobhan
and Lauren represented the views as part of a 30 strong group, who have been debating
the new Coalitions proposals and services that are currently available to them across
Devon. The first message they sent back to the Department of Health was that the
documents and consultations surrounding the white paper were not young people
friendly. The group were generally positive about the proposal for GP consortia, where
GP’s make the decisions about which services are provided, and want be involved,
working alongside GP’s and their commissioning teams. They also want to be involved
with Healthwatch to make sure the agenda is not dominated by adult issues.” The group
made a series of recommendations that will be passed to the Department of Health in a
report authored by the young people. The highlights include:
♦ Money should be used to improve facilities already in place. Such as making drop-
ins more inviting for young people.
♦ Establish a mobile counselling service, e.g. dealing with eating disorders.
♦ Increase mental health help for 16-18 yr olds in the community.
♦ A confidential Sure Start service for 11-25 year olds that covers all aspects of health
care. Opinion was divided about whether this should be attached to school, GP
surgery or a completely separate one stop facility.
♦ Accommodation for parents to enable them to stay close to critically ill children in
hospital.
♦ A Website dedicated to young people’s health.
Their prime recommendation is to get young people involved in all decisions that affect
them, directly and indirectly.
Ivy Project mentoring programme for young people - an exciting new programme is
starting in the first part of 2011. Ivy have teamed up with the Mentoring & Befriending
Foundation, and the CVS local business partnership co-ordinator to provide adult
volunteers from the business sector to mentor and coach unemployed young people
towards finding a job. They are looking for a handful of young people between 16-25 who
are unemployed but genuinely interested in receiving some brilliant help to find a job!
There will be a period of simple but effective training to prepare them to be mentored and
the mentoring itself should take about 4-6 months depending on the pairing. For details of
how the programme works see http://www.vysdevon.org.uk/news/2287 and if you work
with a young person who you think would benefit from this project please get in touch with
Dan Thompson on 01392 686688 or taskforce@theivyproject.org.uk
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4. EVENTS
9th January Get Dragon Boat Racing - Here’s a brilliant opportunity to try an exciting,
unique and fun way to get fit and healthy and meet new people. Join Execalibre Dragon
Boat Club for a ‘Get Dragon Boat Racing!’ session at Haven Banks in Exeter. Open to
men, women and children of all ages the session is an introduction to the basic technique
and principles behind Dragon Boat Racing and is designed for both complete new-comers
and those with some experience of either dragon boat racing or other water sports. The
cost is £5 per person and spaces are limited to 20 so contact Lisa on 07921 554378 or e-
mail for a booking form to secretary@execalibre.co.uk
18th January Health & Safety:one-stop-shop is a training course from Cascade Training
being held at Sparkford, nr Yeovil. This workshop is designed for staff at all levels who
are new to Health and Safety responsibilities, and want to cut though to the essentials.
The aim is to provide an overview of key responsibilities and signpost you to practical
solutions. If you want to ensure your health and safety arrangements are fit for purpose,
this training can help you make sense of the legal requirements and understand what you
need to do. There will be plenty of opportunity for delegates to share experiences and
discuss any particular concerns during the day. See www.cascadetrainingplus.co.uk or
contact lauren@cascadetrainingplus.co.uk
19th January Big Network Meeting - This meeting will be from 10am-4pm and is being
held at Taunton Conference Centre, Somerset College. The day will be both inspirational
and motivating. The morning speaker Rob Long has a fantastic reputation for getting
people to think ‘outside the box’ and all of the workshop facilitators will be providing
delegates with useful resources and toolkits to take away. The day is FREE and there will
be a great lunch with a chance for networking. After Lunch each delegate will complete
two one hour workshops of their choice with these being on :
♦ HR – Jo Wheatley
♦ Impact on Infrastructure – Fiona Phur
♦ Safeguarding/Big Society – Kerstin Neason
♦ Developing a Social Enterprise – RISE
♦ Representation – Sharon Long
For further details or to book a place contact Hayley Lazarus on 01823 365 435 or email
her at Hayley_Lazarus@learning-southwest.org.uk
1st February Valuing Your Volunteers - This workshop from Cascade Training is being
run in Taunton and is for team leaders and managers who are responsible for recruiting
and supervising volunteers. In the current economic climate, many organisations rely
heavily on volunteers and these important people are often undervalued. The day will
discuss the particular difficulties of implementing effective selection procedures. It will also
focus on how important it is to encourage senior management level interest in volunteers
and how this affects volunteer morale. It will also cover the issues of supervision and
support for volunteers and how to understand their motivational needs. See
www.cascadetrainingplus.co.uk or contact lauren@cascadetrainingplus.co.uk
5th February VYS (Devon) Annual Conference – The theme will be around “Big
Society”, with the Key Speaker being Susanne Rauprich, NCVYS Chief Executive, and
“Funding/Support for Local Groups”. There will also be an update on Safeguarding
issues. There will be will be something of interest for everyone – from those working in
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5. small local clubs to the countywide organisations so book your place now. FREE lunch
included! For details and a booking form see
http://www.vysdevon.org.uk/uploads/documents/programme_and_booking_form_v2.doc
9th February Modernising Volunteering: The Way to a Bigger Society -This is a South
West event open to any organisation interested in the future of volunteering, hosted by
Exeter CVS and Modernising Volunteering National Support Services to be held in
Exeter. It will showcase the research and findings of the Modernising Volunteering
programme with local examples. For small (turnover of less than £40,000 per annum)
Devon based VCOs there is a £25 subsidy from Total Support (book via the website and
send a copy invoice to: totalsupport@teigncvs.org.uk to receive the subsidy). For further
information and booking details see:
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/WhatWeDo/Events/Volunteering+England+Events/Moderni
sing+Volunteering++%e2%80%93+The+Way+to+a+Bigger+Society+%28Exeter%29
14/15th February Effective Supervision Skills- this 2 day training from IDT is being run
in Plymouth and again in Exeter 24/25th February. It is a practical, process-focused
course which builds confidence, incorporates existing skills, and provides a flexible
structure for managing supervision meetings. Essential training for newly or recently
appointed Supervisors/Managers. Also invaluable for skills updating and affirming practice
for those with more experience. For details ring 01803 299049, email
mail@idttraining.com or visit www.idttraining.com
TRAINING
Active Devon runs a number of training courses including the following:
♦ Emergency First Aid - This course follows the Health and Safety Executive’s syllabus,
but is tailored towards sport. As the course is HSE recognised, certification is valid for
not just your sporting environment but can also be used professionally in your place of
work.
♦ Safeguarding and Protecting Children - This workshop aims to increase awareness
of safeguarding and protecting children, helping coaches to recognise signs of abuse
and poor practice, and deal sensitively and effectively with issues that arise.
♦ Safeguarding and Protecting Children 2: Reflecting on Practice - By working
through this course you will reflect on, and learn from, your own and others’ coaching
experiences. The workshop aims to ensure that the learning from the first Safeguarding
and Protecting Children workshop is consolidated and updated. It aims to provide a
valuable opportunity to build on knowledge gained since the first workshop and share
best practice through scenarios and reflection upon the experience of participants. It
also satisfies the requirements of the UKCC and Clubmark in relation to basic
safeguarding and protecting children awareness training when attended as a ‘refresher’
workshop within three years of attending the first ‘Safeguarding and Protecting
Children’ workshop or an equivalent recognised direct delivery workshop.
If you are interested in attending one of these courses contact active@devon.gov.uk or
ring 01392 263674.
DACVS Training Programme – courses include the following:
♦ Volunteer Management and Support - The indispensible course for third sector
managers: learn how to effectively communicate, support, motivate and review your
volunteers. Teignbridge 25th January.
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6. ♦ Improving Funding Applications - Make sure your organisation doesn't miss out on
the funding it deserves - learn to 'talk the talk' and ensure your applications are relevant
and compelling. Tavistock 27th January.
♦ Volunteers and the Law - Understand the law as it relates to volunteers and develop a
legal and ethical ‘volunteer policy’ for your organisation. Exeter 16th February.
♦ Volunteer Recruitment - This will look at how to recruit and keep the right volunteers
by learning how to implement fair and appropriate advertising and recruitment policies.
Torridge 23rd February.
♦ Planning & Running Events - Learn How to plan and manage events both large and
small. With the right preparation, the day can only go well. South Hams 24th February
For further information please see www.dacvs.org.uk or contact your local CVS.
Cost: Half day courses £25 (CVS members) £50 (non-members). One day courses £50
(CVS members) £75 (non-members) and concessions are available.
Peer Education and Peer Mentoring Award and Certificate Edexcel BTEC Level 2 -
The Progress project will enable UK Youth to support voluntary and community sector
youth organisations to access this training for their learners at a fraction of the real costs.
For details contact Charmaine Simpson, Education & Training Administrative Officer, on
0203 137 3827 / 07702 958544 or email peer@ukyouth.org
Safer Recruitment and Allegations Management – this nationally accredited training
being run in Devon on 26th January in Buckfast, 10th February in Barnstaple and 4th
April in Tiverton. For details see http://www.devon.gov.uk/sc-nov1043025.pdf
Tackling Domestic Violence and Abuse Level 1 Foundation (one-day) course - there
are places that need filling as follows: 14th January in Okehampton and 27th January in
Tiverton. For details of other dates see www.adva.org.uk following the links for
Professionals and Training Courses. Bookings can now be made through an online
booking system at www.devon.gov.uk/onlinebookings or contact Claire Birch on 01392
382567 and by e-mail: claire.birch@devon.gov.uk. If you work in the Voluntary Sector all
courses are FREE but there is a limit of three free spaces on each course (except for
Level 1 where there is no limit).
PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
Charity Commission has produced new web resources "for small charities and anyone
thinking of setting up a small charity" (actually useful for any charity starting up).
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Charity_requirements_guidance/Specialist_guidanc
e/Small_charities/default.aspx
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched an online starter kit to
help make sure that the private, public and voluntary sectors understand their obligations
under the new Equality Act. http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-
guidance/new-equality-act-guidance/equality-act-starter-kit/
Getting Better All the Time: Case studies of improving youth work services is a new
book that aims to share widely lessons that can be learned from services that have
brought about significant changes to the ways they work in order to raise standards of
youth work provision and practice. Particular themes have been selected that impact on
quality outcomes for young people. Available from sales@nya.org.uk
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7. Governance stories - A practical guide to setting up your management committee
and sustaining its work is a book from Russell House Publishing that uses the actual
experiences of local groups to illustrate the roles of management committee members,
covering issues such as conflict of interest, liability, being an employer, running meetings
and complaints procedures. It also includes material such as a model agenda, data
protection and equal opportunities policies. http://www.russellhouse.co.uk/
Make Space for Health Campaign provides free health activity packs to support young
people in leading healthier lifestyles. The campaign has developed these simple, fun,
activity kits specifically for use in youth clubs and they are available to download FREE
from www.makespace.org.uk
Social networking services, social media and sport: Guidelines for safeguarding
children and young people - The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit has been
commissioned by Sport England to provide these safeguarding guidelines and though
primarily aimed at sports organizations, there is lots of information that would be useful for
anyone working with young people. This guidance focuses on the use of social networking
media and provides a simple safeguarding checklist to enable you to update your current
safeguarding policy.
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/cpsu/Resources/Briefings/social_networking_services_wdf
69029.pdf
Think Fathers is a new website from The Fatherhood Institute that is a community for
sharing expertise in father-inclusive practice. Fathers and practitioners are invited to join
the members’ forum, log in and take part in discussions. www.think-fathers.org
Trustee Recruitment Resources for smaller organisations is an online resource from
NCVO that has been developed with small voluntary and community organisations
(VCO’s) in mind. See www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/trusteerecruitmentforsmallorganisations
Up Front: About Young People’s Well-being is a booklet written and designed for
teenagers that will amuse, engage and inform them on issues such as safe sex, drugs,
alcohol, healthy eating, smoking, managing money, coping with stress and more. It can be
used in youth groups and there are free workshop notes that can be downloaded from the
web. www.southgatepublishers.co.uk/
What is Youth Work? is a highly accessible and up to the minute introduction to youth
work that would provide both stimulus and guidance for the reader to explore subjects
further. It encourages plenty of personal practice reflection, the key to keeping youth work
innovative and effective. See www.cypnow.co.uk/bookstore
GRANTS/AWARDS/COMPETITIONS
Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation provides grant funding in support of a wide
range of charitable projects that aim to improve the quality of life for the young, deprived,
disadvantaged, disabled and elderly in the UK. Grants are normally in the range £500 to
£10,000, but may exceptionally be greater. There is no application form, you write to the
Director giving details of your charity and its objectives, the need and purpose of your
project and how much it will cost, the size of grant requested, how much has already been
raised and from whom, and how you plan to raise the shortfall. Include annual report and
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8. accounts and any other documentation you feel will help to support your appeal. Contact
details as follows: The Director The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation 20 Berkeley
Square London W1J 6LH Tel: (020) 7408 2198 Fax: (020) 7499 5859 E-mail:
office@sunleyfoundation.com
Big Lottery Fund in partnership with ITV, and with the approval of Buckingham Palace, is
marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a special roll-out of 60 Lottery grants. Details
of how to apply can be found on www.biglotteryfund.org.uk or by phoning 0845 10 20 30.
The deadline for applications is 4th February and the projects that receive the most votes
will be awarded the funding in the summer in order to be up and running in time for the
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, 2012.
David Knightly Charitable Trust - grants of £500 to £5,000 are available for projects
helping to make local communities better places to live. Projects supporting community
groups will be prioritised. The next application deadline is the 28th February. For further
information, write to: Gillian Binks, David Knightly Charitable Trust, Pride of Place Awards,
22 Ferndene Road, Withington, Manchester M20 4TT or ring 0161 445 6452.
Greggs Foundation operates a regional grants programme to support charitable
organisations through the provision of small grants of up to £2,000. Funded projects must
make a positive difference to people in need in local communities. Priority is given to
projects which benefit people with caring responsibilities, people with disabilities and
homeless people. http://www.greggsfoundation.org.uk/regionalgrants.html
Prince’s Trust Explore Enterprise Programme - Do you work with unemployed young
people aged 18-30 years? If yes, you may be interested in passing onto them details of
this new programme. Having their own small business may be something they’ve
considered and this new programme is an opportunity for them to look a bit further into
whether this might be a good direction for them to take. The Programme is free and is
aimed at 18-30 year olds who are unemployed or working less than 16 hours.
http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/need_help/enterprise_programme.aspx
SCM Philanthropy aims to support small charities and individuals who undertake work in
the community and help them to help others by funding non‐profit making activities,
projects and individuals that have the passion and solutions to positively effect change in
ailing sectors of society and the environment. On average, grant requests range from
£5,000 to £40,000 per year. See http://www.scmphilanthropy.com/contact
True Colours Trust provides a small grants programme to small, UK-based organisations
to carry out projects that provide help for disabled children and their families. Up to
£10,000 is available for projects that support programmes for children, their siblings and
families, including young carers. www.truecolourstrust.org.uk/application_guidelines.aspx
Waitrose Community Matters - This unique scheme gives each branch £1,000 (or £500
in its convenience shops) to share out between three local good causes each month such
as welfare organisations, community groups, schools or local divisions of national
charities.
http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/display.aspx?masterid=1d1b3ed8-af38-4649-88fb-
ad44b0a97ae9&navigationid=622
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9. Wooden Spoon is a children’s charity dedicated to helping underprivileged children
(disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially) and young people to live happier, richer
lives. Previous support has been capital toward sports and activity areas, sensory rooms
and gardens and playgrounds. See www.woodenspoon.com/
Youth Music Open Programme – this programme has been re-launched and funds
music-making projects that:
♦ Provide regular and structured music-making for children and young people, including
performance opportunities
♦ Meet at least one of the fund goals of Early Years, Challenging Circumstances or
Encouraging Talent and Potential
♦ Work with participants aged 0-18 (or aged up to 25 if they have special educational
needs or disabilities, or are in detention)
♦ Involve children and young people in decision-making and development
♦ Employ at least one trainee
♦ Can raise at least 10% match funding
Applications are made through an electronic application form but they strongly advise that
you contact your nearest Regional Executive Officer for advice and support before
completing an application. See
http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/looking_for_music_funding.html
NATIONAL NEWS AND VIEWS
Better together: preparing for local spending cuts to the voluntary, community and
social enterprise sector - Published jointly by NAVCA and the Office for Civil Society this
document highlights examples of local public bodies and the voluntary and community
sector successfully working together to manage the impact of public spending cuts. At this
point in time the way in which local areas prepare and plan for forthcoming spending
reductions is key. The document identifies five principles of good practice:
Communication; Collaboration; Transparency; Strong leadership; and Robust evidence.
http://www.navca.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A8502145-D5BB-4A5F-9BB8-
B1550A4E03C3/0/Bettertogetherpreparingforlocalspendingcutstothevoluntarycommunitya
ndsocialenterprise.pdf
Cabinet Office response to Spending Review. The Cabinet Office has written a letter
to the voluntary and community sector on the outcome of the Spending Review and the
opportunities and challenges it presents. It refers to the report Exposure of the voluntary
and Community and Social Enterprise Sector to cuts in public funding which urges
councils not to cut the VCS first. The report has been sent to local councils and
government departments to warn them not to cut funds to the voluntary sector first, as an
easy option. The report also notes that charities working with people who are socially
excluded, have mental health needs or have learning difficulties are most likely to be
reliant on government funding. The report is at http://www.i-
volunteer.org.uk/assets/profile/newshound/files/exposure-of-the-voluntary-community-
and-social-enterprise-sector-to-cuts-in-pub.pdf and the letter is at
http://www.vysdevon.org.uk/uploads/documents/civil_society_letter_nov10_.pdf
Children's Commissioner - The DfE has published an independent review into the
impact and future of the Children's Commissioner. The review by John Dunford concluded
that the overall impact of the Children's Commissioner has been "disappointing" because
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10. of its current limited remit, but that the role should remain. Dunford concluded that
dissolving the Children's Rights Commissioner's role into that of the Children's
Commissioner would enhance its remit and also save money.
http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/pressnotices/a0069882/review-of-the-childrens-
commissioner-for-england
Commissioning Children’s Centres: a rural perspective is a short guide from the
Commission for Rural Communities focusing on families with young children in rural areas
and the implications for Children’s Centre commissioning and delivery. Sarah McAdam,
Chief Executive says ‘The countryside offers many benefits for children but is also
associated with particular problems and disadvantages, including distance, isolation and
reduced access to services. Those disadvantages impact most significantly on the poorest
families. The challenge for commissioners and providers is how best to adapt the
children’s centre model to meet the needs of rural communities and to support those
families most in need’. http://ruralcommunities.gov.uk/2010/11/25/childrens-centres/
Consultation on Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and
Sentencing of Offenders which is a green paper that features a series of proposals for
youth justice. The green paper sets out plans to break the destructive cycle of crime and
prison by ensuring that jails become places of hard work, that rehabilitation programmes
are opened up to innovation from the private and charitable sectors, paid by results, and
that the priority will now be to reduce the re-offending by people after they have been
punished. Other proposals include increasing reparation to victims through greater use of
restorative justice and diverting more offenders with mental health or drug problems into
treatment programmes. The paper suggests that the Government may consider ‘wiping
the slate clean' of juvenile offences at 18 for all but the most serious offences. See
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/1045579/?DCMP=EMC-
DailyBulletin. The consultation closes on 4th March.
Consultation on Modernising Commissioning: Increasing the role of charities,
social enterprises, mutuals and cooperatives in public service delivery - This
consultation seeks views on how the government can create a level playing field for
charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises who want to bid for public service
contracts. It aims to bring about a more effective collaboration between civil society and
the public sector. It focuses on opportunities to introduce 'payment by results' contracts
under which funding is linked to the delivery of outcomes; setting proportions of specific
services that should be delivered by non-statutory agencies; and ways to reduce the
regulatory burden on third sector organisations delivering public services. The green
paper will advise the Public Service Reform White Paper to be published in January.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/modernising-commissioning-green-paper-published
In it Together II - this study by the Children’s Services Development Group found that
local authorities can save more than £100m a year by diverting care leavers away from
entering prison and unemployment. It says that massive efficiencies can be made if
authorities focus on four key themes: early intervention, appropriate provision, avoiding
placement breakdown and providing a transition from care to adulthood services. The
report states that difficult public spending circumstances should be seen as an opportunity
for innovation.
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/1046514/?DCMP=EMC-
DailyBulletin
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11. Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) will not be re-licensed as a sector skills council the
government has announced. LLUK is one of the sector skills councils for youth work along
with the Children’s Workforce Development, which is losing its status as a non-
departmental public body by 2012. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Youth-Work-
Weekly/news/1046274/?DCMP=EMC-YouthWorkWeekly
Lottery funding for voluntary and community sector protected Projects that benefit local
communities and the voluntary sector in England have received a boost, after a new
policy direction was issued by Tourism and Heritage Minister John Penrose to the Big
Lottery Fund. The direction requires the Big Lottery Fund to focus its funding in England
on projects that support the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and follows the recent
changes to increase the share of lottery funding going to arts, heritage and sport.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7627.aspx
Music Licences – An amendment to music licensing law will mean that charities and
other not-for-profit groups will lose their exemption from the royalty fees. The amendment
says public venues, including those used by charities and not-for-profit groups, will need
licences in order to play music from records, CDs, the radio or television. The law will be
introduced on 1st January 2011, but the licensing body PPL is "giving a grace period of
one year for charities to allow them time to adjust to the new arrangements". A statement
from the Intellectual Property Office said a charge of £40 a year would apply to 60% of the
buildings where voluntary groups met. See http://www.ppluk.com/en/Music-
Users/Information-for-Charities/.
Myplace - the government has confirmed that it has secured the £134m to enable all 57
remaining projects planned under the Myplace scheme to continue.Since 2008, the
scheme has given 70 youth centres a share of £270m. While 12 centres have already
opened across the country, 31 are currently under construction and 26 are yet to have
their plans rubberstamped.
National Compact - The publication of the renewed national Compact has been delayed
for an unspecified period. A draft new version of the voluntary and public sector
partnership agreement was published on 19th September by the Office for Civil Society
and Compact Voice, which represents the voluntary sector on the Compact. Consultation
on the document was limited to six weeks so the final version could be in place by
November, in time to protect voluntary organisations from badly managed funding cuts
caused by the comprehensive spending review. But neither the Compact nor the promised
accompanying measures to strengthen the agreement have materialised.
Reducing demand, restricting supply, building recovery: supporting people to live a
drug-free life - The Home Office has published the new strategy that sets out the
Government's approach to tackling drugs and addressing alcohol dependence. It
proposes putting more responsibility on individuals to seek help and overcome
dependency and a more 'holistic' approach by addressing issues such as offending,
employment, and housing.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/drugs/drug-strategy/drug-strategy-
2010?view=Binary
Strength in numbers – small charities’ experience of working together is a new
report published by the Charity Commission in which small charities have said that
collaborating with other charities works and brings real benefits. The research shows
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12. collaboration is more likely to happen and more likely to succeed when charities network
and get to know each other first. In response, the Commission is encouraging charity
trustees to consider getting to know potential local partners, since many charities who had
not collaborated said it was because they had never been approached. The report is
based on a survey of 2,500 charities with incomes of less than £250,000, as well as in-
depth interviews with charities and sector experts. The research shows that the main
factors contributing to successful collaborations were the quality of the pre-existing
relationship with their charity partner (55%) and the compatibility of organisational aims,
values and mission (52%). Key ingredients for successful collaboration included effective
leadership, planning and communication.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/publications/rs24.aspx
Vetting and Barring Scheme - The High Court has ruled that vetting and barring
legislation for people working with children and vulnerable adults breaches human rights
law. Under the legislation, the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) keeps lists of
people who are barred from working with children or vulnerable adults. Once barred, the
restrictions on work last from a minimum of one to a maximum of ten years. The High
Court ruled that automatically banning those convicted of, or admitting to, crimes with
children and vulnerable adults, without allowing them to make representations, breached
their rights to a fair trial. http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2010/2761.html
Young People in Governance is a report from sector research consultancy nfpSynergy
looks at removing barriers for young people in governance. It has a useful summary
section at the beginning that highlights that there is no one-size fits all model when it
comes to engaging young people in governance and that when recruiting young people
for governance roles, it is important to be clear about the expectations of those young
people. Support for the young people is also key, whether in the form of a mentor, a
project worker or member of staff charged with the role, or other trustees.
www.nfpsynergy.net/includes/documents/cm_docs/2010/y/young_people_in_governance.pdf
Youth Access Report has found that information, advice, counselling and support
services for young people are more cost-effective and efficient than statutory mental
health provision, according to a report seen by CYP Now. The study found that child and
adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are significantly more expensive than
information, advice, counselling and support services, when analysed on a case-by-case
basis. The outcomes achieved by both types of intervention are broadly comparable, with
information, advice, counselling and support services proving slightly more successful.
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/1045192/?DCMP=EMC-
DailyBulletin
YWCA Rebrand - The 155-year-old organisation, which supports girls and women, said
its former name "no longer stood for anything" and led it to be confused with YMCA
England. In a statement, Platform 51, which adopted the new name on 1st December,
said: "Our new name more accurately represents who we are and what we do: 51 per cent
of people are female, and girls and women use us as a platform to have their say and as a
place from where they can move into the next stage of their lives."
DISCLAIMER – VYS (Devon) accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure details are correct, VYS (Devon)
cannot endorse events or items mentioned in this newsletter.
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