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Supporting Voluntary & Community Action December 2009 & January 2010 Inside Voscur’s Magazine Bumper Recession Support Edition Protection for your Organisation Freebies and Resources New Advice Services Available 10 New Year Resolutions for a Thriving Third Sector Green Pages Cycling City Changing Face of 14-19 Education Training and Learning Image: Creative Kids International

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Page 1: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Supporting Voluntary & Community Action December 2009 & January 2010

Inside Voscur’s Magazine

Bumper Recession Support Edition

Protection for your Organisation

Freebies and Resources

New Advice Services Available

10 New Year Resolutions for a Thriving Third Sector

Green Pages

Cycling City

Changing Face of 14-19 Education

Training and Learning

Imag

e: C

reat

ive

Kid

s In

tern

atio

nal

Page 2: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Charity no. 1018963

TACT is a well respected fostering and adoption agency. TACT will offer you excellent training with 24hr support and a break from caring when you need it.

TACT pay between £322 & £574 per week per child as well as additional allowances for birthdays, festivals and holidays.

Although fostering can be challenging it can also be very rewarding. If you believe you have the capacity and commitment to support vulnerable children and young people between 10-16 years old, then we would like to hear from you. To make a difference give us a ring now on: 0117 927 7725 or email [email protected]

www.tactcare.org.uk

Shape a life. Be a foster carer.

Page 3: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Charity no. 1018963

TACT is a well respected fostering and adoption agency. TACT will offer you excellent training with 24hr support and a break from caring when you need it.

TACT pay between £322 & £574 per week per child as well as additional allowances for birthdays, festivals and holidays.

Although fostering can be challenging it can also be very rewarding. If you believe you have the capacity and commitment to support vulnerable children and young people between 10-16 years old, then we would like to hear from you. To make a difference give us a ring now on: 0117 927 7725 or email [email protected]

www.tactcare.org.uk

Shape a life. Be a foster carer.

Welcome

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 3

4 Editorial

5 VoscurAssembly

6-7 VoscurWinners

8 NewVoscurMembers

9 VoscurNewsVoscur staff changes

New Voscur board members

Help for Volunteer Managers

Catch up on the Funders’ Fair

10-11 MemberprofilesCreative Kids

Fareshare

12–13 SectorNewsAdvice services merger

CAB/Macmillan joint work

Community at Heart services on offer

Planning Watch

14–15 10NewYearResolutionsforaThrivingThirdSector

16 ThrivingThirdSectorStrategy

17-23 SafeguardingtheSectorVoscur’s Recession Support

Freebies

Protection for your organisation

Resources

24-25 PlaceSurvey

26–27 ComprehensiveAreaAssessmentUpdate

28 TheCompactWorking in a Compact Way

29 TheQueen’sAwardforVoluntaryService

30-34 GreenPagesGreen ICT

Cycling City

Peak Oil

35 VolunteeringBristolSupport for Volunteers and their Managers

36–37 ChildrenandYoungPeopleThe Changing Face of 14–19 Education

1625 Independent People

39 VoscurTrainingandLearning

40 Diary

Contents

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

Whynotadvertise?SpecialdiscountsforVoscurmembers.DeadlinesforFebruary/MarcheditionofThrive!:Monday4JanuaryforadsandMonday25Januaryforflyers.Detailsofpricesatwww.voscur.org/magazineorphonePollyStewarton01179099949

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.

Cover photo: Banner made with ‘chitenge’ (Zambian fabric) at Lusaka International Community School, Zambia. See page 10 - Creative Kids, Voscur Member profile.

Page 4: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Editorial

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 84

A huge amount of planning

went into our Annual Event,

held on 21 October, which

attracted lots of people and

was a great success. Thanks to

everyone who made the effort

to come and support us and to

everyone who put so much into

making it work.

Our keynote speaker, Debra

Allcock-Tyler from the Directory

of Social Change was inspiring and

controversial. To see what Debra

said visit: www.youtube.com/

user/voscur

More controversy followed during

the questioning of the media

panel – we were beginning to get

into a meaty discussion with the

deputy editor of the Evening Post

when we ran out of time...

The Voscur awards gave us all a

warm glow; Councillor Barbara

Janke, the Leader of the Council

presented our winners with their

certificates and great prizes

including a balloon ride and a

year’s subscription to the Venue

magazine.

Sally Pickering, CEO of Gloucester

CVS and board member of the

National Association of Voluntary

and Community Action (NAVCA)

presented Voscur with our very

own NAVCA quality award.

Unfortunately, it’s not all

good news, earlier in October,

Rachel Robinson from The Care

Forum, Ayannah Griffith from

the Black Development Agency

and I had met with the Leader

of the Council in different

circumstances. We met Councillor

Janke, Jan Ormondroyd (the Chief

Executive of the Council) and Will

Godfrey (the Strategic Director

of Resources) to talk about

‘Voluntary Sector Funding’.

This meeting was a warning shot

that cuts are anticipated, belts

will be tightened and ‘smarter’

working is required. We voiced

concerns from our member

groups about the lack of clarity of

commissioning processes, stressed

the importance of investing in

local voluntary and community

sector organisations, and the

value of the sector to the city.

One commissioning process that

has been clear so far has been the

commissioning of infrastructure

support services. By the time

you read this, you will have

been invited to comment on

the Council’s ‘Voluntary Sector

Support Services strategy’.

The strategy proposes radical

changes to the way support

services are delivered. We will be

discussing these at our meeting

on 15 December (see page

opposite). If you can’t get to the

meeting, but would like to talk to

me about this issue, or anything

else that you think we can help

with, please get in touch.

Wendy Stephenson

[email protected]

EqualitiesArticle

Training

Resources

Event

Keytosymbols

Dear Voscur Members and Friends

Cllr Barbara Janke and Wendy Stephenson

Page 5: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 5

Tell us what you think about the Council’s Commissioning Infrastructure Strategy. Find out

how council proposals will affect you and tell us your views on the proposals.

Voscur staff will be offering one to one advice sessions – drop in and get advice on:

• Help during the recession – Ruth Pitter

• Funding Advice – Eva Pollard

• Workforce development and training – Sophie Bayley

• Representation – what matters to you? – Matthew Symonds

• ICT advice – Sean Kenny

• Governance and managing finance – Rebecca McDougall

Alan Eaton from Peninsula will provide information and answer questions on Voscur and

Peninsula’s employment protection offer (see page 17).

Plus network with others over a FREE festive lunch.

JoinusattheVoscurAssemblyon

Open invitation to Bristol’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations

Tuesday 15 December, 1:00 – 4:30pm (including lunch)KnowleWestMediaCentre,LeinsterAvenue,KnowleWest,BristolBS41NL

Tobookpleasevisit:www.voscur.org/[email protected]:01179099949

AdatefortheNewYear:VoscurAssembly–CriminalJustice

ThepushforlocalpartnershipsincriminaljusticeHow can the local partnership between voluntary and community sector and statutory partners working within the criminal justice system in Greater Bristol be improved?

20 January 2010, 9.30am to 1.00 pm at

The Southville Centre, Beauley Road, Bristol BS3 1QG

For details and to book please visit: www.voscur.org/networks/assemblies

Page 6: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Voscur Winners

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 86

The 2009 Voscur Award Winners Announced

The Most Active Community Activist

Prize provided by GWE Business

West with particular thanks to

James Durie the Deputy Chief

Executive – a flight in a hot air

balloon.

This year’s award is dedicated to

the memory of Sue Njie, former

community development worker,

15 July 1951 – 15 July 2009

Winner: Musnilya Babatunji (St Pauls)

“Musnilya’s door is open to her

community day and night, all kinds

of people turn to her and she

does her best to help, whoever

they are. She is one of the

‘community mothers’ in St Pauls.”

Runners up

Denise Britt

Mohammed Elsharif

Tony Hicks

Simon Nelson

The Community Venue of the Year

Prize provide by Voscur – £100

voucher for Voscur training

Winner: Redcatch Community Centre (Knowle)

“By the hard work and unflagging

enthusiasm of volunteers but

with no paid staff, the community

centre which started as a derelict

unloved building, is now a thriving,

attractive and well maintained

venue for community use.”

Runners up

Easton Community Centre

Jubilee Hall (Wedmore Vale)

Southville Centre

Wellspring Healthy Living Centre

The Most Innovative / Engaging Project

Prize provided by Venue

Magazine – a year’s subscription

to Venue Magazine

Winner: Neighbourhood Shop (Barton Hill)

“The Shop is a lifeline to the many

residents living in the area who are

struggling to manage day-to-day.

Staff are on hand to help with

anything from filling in forms to

solving quite complex problems,

and provide an individual service

for each client.”

Runners up

Coexist (Hamilton House)

People’s Republic of Stokes Croft

Somali Development Group

Somali Resource Centre

The ‘I Will Survive’ Award

Prize provided by Tobacco

Factory Theatre – tickets to a

production at the theatre

Winner: Studio Upstairs

“The campaign was extremely

successful not only in securing

the future of Studio Upstairs but

also as an empowering experience

for vulnerable members who

were able to contribute directly

to the campaign with their artistic

talents.”

Runners up

Bristol Disability Equality Forum

CEED

Coexist (Hamilton House)

Trinity Community Arts

Wellspring Healthy Living Centre

Voscur was pleased to announce the winners of the second annual Voscur awards,

‘The Voscurs’ at our Annual Event on 21 October at St Pauls Sports Academy.

The winners of the six categories:

Page 7: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Thank youVoscur would like to thank

everyone who took the time to

nominate local voluntary and

community groups and partners

for this year’s awards. We

received over 50 nominations

making it very difficult to choose

the winners. Voscur would like to

thank those who supported the

awards and donated some great

prizes for the winners.

Voscur Winners

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 7

For more details about

the Voscurs visit:

www.voscur.org/

node/5695

Left to right: Maxine Powell (presented Most Active Community Activist Award), Mubarig Bodleh and Mandy Wachon (Neighbourhood Shop), Cllr Barbara Janke, Oli Roberts and Julian Thomas (Parks Department), Lisa Blackwood (on behalf of Musnilya Babatunji and St Pauls Unlimited), Peggie Jennings (Redcatch Community Centre).

The ‘Thanks for Supporting The Sector’ Award

Prize provided by Fairbridge

South West – a meal prepared

by young people.

Winners: Oli Roberts and Julian Thomas, Bristol City Council Parks Department

“Julian goes far beyond the call

of duty in his role as park keeper

for Local Nature Reserves

Troopers Hill, Eastwood Farm

and Callington Road”

“Oli has worked with the St Pauls

Parks Sub Group to make sure

plans are developed and agreed

with local people. It hasn’t always

been an easy process and at times

we have disagreed but despite

this Oli continues to come to our

meetings and seeks our opinion

for which we are very grateful.”

Runner up

Graham Partridge,

Avon and Bristol Law Centre

The Partnership Award – New for 2009

Prize provided by The Bristol

Partnership – £100 book token

Winner: St Pauls Unlimited Community Partnership

“The relationship between local

people and service providers – city

council and police in particular,

has improved beyond measure.

There’s still work to be done but

we’ve got off to a great start.”

Runners up

Amana / Barnardos

Avon Fire and Rescue Service

Greater Bedminster Older People’s

Partnership

Page 8: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

New Voscur members

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 88

Bristol Golden Agers ClubA luncheon Club with 90

members. They meet twice weekly

– Tuesday and Thursdays. They

run a variety of classes, organise

day trips, open days and lots of

general fundraising.

Details from the Voscur office:

0117 909 9949

St John AmbulanceThe key provider of an effective

and efficient charitable first aid

service to local communities.

Encourages personal development

for people of all ages, through

training and by voluntary

membership of the organisation.

To find out more visit:

www.avon.sja.org.uk

UnchosenRaises awareness of the tragic

and ongoing situation of 21st

Century Human Trafficking,

primarily through film. This year,

Unchosen has worked with a

range of statutory and voluntary

organisations.

To find out more visit:

www.unchosen.org.uk

The Little Co-opA second hand bookshop which

also sells organic food and eco

friendly cleaning products based

on Church Road, Redfield, BS5.

They are not-for-profit and receive

no wages. They aim to become an

official co op soon.

To find out more phone:

07726 164827

Positive Action Consortium (PAC) LtdProvides a range of learning

opportunities for people aged 16

and over, particularly those who

have suffered deprivation and

disadvantage. Participants are

better equipped to compete for

jobs in the labour market where

they are under represented.

To find out more email:

[email protected]

Cerebral Palsy Plus A charity for those with cerebral

palsy, their families and carers.

Committed to providing

high quality information and

confidential support to the

cerebral palsy community of

Bristol, South Gloucestershire and

North Somerset.

To find out more visit:

www.cerebralpalsyplus.org.uk

Lifeskills – Learning for Living A safety education and training

centre built as a realistic ‘village’

on the 4th floor of The CREATE

Centre. Lifeskills is designed to

help children, adults with learning

difficulties and older people learn

about safety in a fun and practical

way, specifically in the home, on

the road or during leisure time.

To find out more visit:

www.lifeskills-bristol.org.uk

People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) A social enterprise seeking to pull

together the skills of the local

community to build upon the

culture and heritage of Stokes

Croft. PRSC seeks to realise a

Cultural Quarter where creativity

in all its forms can flourish and

to facilitate a sustainable local

economy.

To find out more visit:

www.prsc.org.uk

ZAC (Zigoudam Arts & Culture)ZAC develops arts and cultural

opportunities and provides

information, training and

education services. It aims to

create an international platform

of cultural cooperation and

exchange. They promote Africa’s

culture and are building an

educational resource for African

Arts and entertainment through

news, books films and music.

To find out more email:

[email protected]

Who’s joined Voscur recently?

Page 9: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Voscur News

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 9

Voscur NewsStaff changes – hellos and goodbyesWe’re very pleased to welcome

Lucy Fletcher to Voscur. Lucy will

be supporting Voscur training

sessions and events. In November

we said farewell to Voscur’s

Compact Liaison Worker, Louise

Clark, who has decided to move

on to new challenges. We’re

pleased to announce that Ariaf

Hussain has joined Voscur on

secondment from Bristol City

Council for three months to

continue the Compact work

until a replacement for Louise

has been appointed.

To contact Ariaf call

(0117) 909 9949 or

email [email protected]

Help for Volunteer Managers coming soonFrom February 2010 Voscur will be

working with Volunteering Bristol

to provide Action Learning for

Volunteer managers in voluntary

community and social enterprise

organisations in Bristol.

To find out more contact Sophie

Bayley on: (0117) 909 9949 or

email [email protected] or visit

www.voscur.org

New Voscur board members elected

Heather Malcolm, Marvin Rees

and Ian Steele were elected to

the Voscur board at the Annual

General Meeting in October.

Voscur would like to thank Clare

Hall (Eco-Adventure Sports) and

Fran Harrison (Fairbridge West)

who retired from the Voscur

board at the AGM and who have

both contributed a great deal to

the work of the Board.

To see the full list of who is on the

Voscur Board visit:

www.voscur.org/about/who

Catch up on the Funders’ Fair

If you missed the Funders’ Fair

organised by Voscur and the

Black Development Agency in

November you can still catch up

with resources from the event

and lots of other useful funding

advice on the funding page of

the Voscur website.

For more details visit:

www.voscur.org/funding

Planning aheadWe’ve already started to plan

Voscur Assembly and Network

meetings that will be taking place

throughout 2010. We want to

make sure that these meetings

are helpful and relevant for our

members and include issues that

matter to you. If you have any

suggestions for our meetings in

2010 please let us know.

Contact Matthew Symonds

on (0117) 909 9949 or email

[email protected]

Heather Malcolm

Marvin Rees

Ian Steele

Page 10: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Member profile

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 810

Creative Kids International

In Zambia, CKI works in partnership

with Barefeet Theatre, who work

with vulnerable street children

through performance and music.

CKI spent 5 months working with

Barefeet, providing regular visual

art workshops at children’s centres

in the capital, Lusaka, as well as

on large scale events such as the

Barefeet Annual Carnival with

over 1000 children, and last year a

Christmas adaptation of ‘Edward

Scissorhands: The Story of Snow’

at The Lusaka Playhouse.

Engaging the children in exciting

activities helps to keep them

away from the streets, and the

dangers that come with street

life at such a young age (some

children are as young as six). It

also encourages children to learn

new skills and gain confidence in

their own abilities. They can then

be linked with other services such

as education, health care and

housing.

CKI also works with two schools in

Lusaka, and Knowle Park Primary

School in Bristol. Through their art

work, accompanying workshops

and exhibitions, children in

both countries are able to learn

about each other’s countries

and cultures. In April, CKI ran an

African Arts Week at Knowle Park

Primary School, and also run

interactive hands-on workshops at

community events and festivals.

CKI is looking to develop its work

with schools and organisations

in Bristol so please contact them

if you are interested in their

workshops.

CKI has run various fundraising

events in Bristol and are now

fundraising to return to Zambia,

and also hoping to build links with

two projects in Kenya.

Creative Kids International (CKI) is a Bristol based organisation working with children in

Zambia and in the U.K. through an exciting visual arts exchange.

To find out more,

see photos, make a

donation, become a

CKI member, or book workshops

please visit www.myspace.com/

creativekidsinternational.

Contact Mia and Sian at

[email protected]

/ 07791 319 614.

To see a short film about the

project visit www.youtube.com/

watch?v=NivJDnX49MQ

Children at Fountain of Hope Children’s Centre, Lusaka, Zambia with suns they had made from recycled material for a carnival

Page 11: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Member profile

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 11

FareShareFareShare works with the food industry to redistribute quality, fit for purpose,

surplus food to a network of organisations working with vulnerable and

disadvantaged people.

“We get food before it goes

anywhere near a shop” explains

Jacqui, Project Manager “This

food would be thrown in a landfill

for all sorts of reasons, from

labels not printed straight to

change in packaging and out

of date promotions. Some food

is short life but usually it still has

a few days”.

Through food deliveries,

community organisations such as

hostels, day centres and luncheon

clubs are able to make significant

savings on their food budgets

which can then be redirected

into improving services for their

clients, such as drug rehab,

medical services, housing advice

and training.

Fareshare South West works

in partnership with over 40

food companies and 35 local

community groups, and since

opening in late 2007, has

redistributed over 390 tonnes of

in-life surplus food to charities in

and around Bristol. Organisations

based further afield such as

Somerset and Gloucester also pick

up food from their warehouse.

FareShare is only touching the

surface, according to WRAP

(Waste and Resources Action

Programme), each year

retailers produce 1.6 million

tonnes of waste.

In addition to the food

deliveries, the project also offers

supported volunteering and

training opportunities to the

local community. Many of the

volunteers are people who are

most in need of a second chance,

such as individuals who are or

have had life controlling addiction,

ex-offenders, people with

mental health issues and long-

term unemployed people. Nine

of our volunteers have recently

successfully completed NVQ’s in

warehouse distribution and plant

machinery.

You too can get involved today by

volunteering, making a donation,

organising an event to raise funds

or offering professional expertise

such as help with training or public

relations. Or if you are a socially

responsible food supplier you can

contribute good quality, fit for

purpose uncooked food.

For further information

about FareShare South

West, please contact

Jacqui Reeves, Project Manager,

tel: 0117 971 1005,

email: Jacqui@

faresharesouthwest.org.uk

Would you like your organisation

to appear in Thrive? If you are

a member of Voscur then we

would like to hear from you.

Please contact Polly Stewart,

email: [email protected] or

tel: 0117 909 9949.

Page 12: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Sector News

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 812

£594,000 funding for Advice Network in Bristol

Knowledge is Power – Planning Watch in Shirehampton

The advice sector in Bristol,

South Gloucestershire and

North Somerset has had a

welcome boost as they have

received funding from The

Big Lottery Fund and The

Baring Foundation.

Sally Gapper from North Bristol

Advice Centre said “The Advice

Network Project is the result of

a lot of hard work by the Advice

Sector in Bristol and surrounding

areas and is going to have a major

positive impact on advice services

enabling them to provide a better,

more co-ordinated service to

people most in need. Given the

current economic situation, which

is going to continue to have a

negative impact for many people

for a long time to come, access to

free, professional advice remains

of crucial importance.“

The Advice Network team; Ben

Sansum, Jane Emanuel and Ellen

Cheshire, will be tackling issues

that affect the whole sector such

as referral systems, social policy

and workforce development. They

will also be working one to one

with agencies to help with a range

of issues including advice funding

applications, Quality Mark audits

and recruitment of advisers.

Having recognised that smaller

agencies often struggle to

participate in development work

such as the Advice Network

project, The Baring Foundation

has made £40,000 available to

help these groups participate

in strategic and organisational

development activities.

For more information about

The Advice Network project

please get in touch with Ben,

Jane or Ellen on 0117 929 2153,

[email protected],

www.advicecentresforavon.org.uk

Ash Bearman at Shirehampton

Community Action Forum

(SCAF) keeps residents up

to date with local planning

applications.

By subscribing to Planningfinder.

co.uk, Ash receives details

of Shirehampton planning

applications. Those with a local

commercial or community impact

are sent as a ‘Planning Watch’

weekly email to over 250 local

subscribers. The service is free and

popular with local people.

“We have a chance of supporting

or opposing anything new in

the neighbourhood, rather than

reacting to done deals”

Ash also checks the Bristol City

Council website each week and

provides information about

Planning & Development related

public consultations, briefings or

exhibitions.

Visit: www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/

content/Environment-Planning

for information on lists of

registered applications, decided

applications and applications

affecting listed buildings or

conservation areas.

Bristol Neighbourhood Planning

Network (a network of groups)

has worked to get local groups

involved in community level

pre-application consultations

in planning applications. SCAF

attends these Planning Briefing

Sessions, for Avonmouth &

Kingsweston wards which are

held at the Council House and

focus on major development

proposals. To find out more visit

www.bristolnpn.net

Ash is happy to talk to groups

about this service. Contact her

on 0117 982 9963 or

[email protected]

Page 13: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Sector News

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 13

Partnership Working – Easing the Cost of Cancer

Strengthening and Supporting

Bristol Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

and Macmillan Cancer Support have

introduced a new welfare benefits

advice project, specifically for

people affected by cancer. This is

the first dedicated welfare benefits

advice service available to the 1,100

people who are diagnosed with

cancer each year in Bristol.

Katie Morrison, Macmillan

Fundraising Manager for Bristol

says “We are delighted to be

able to launch this service, in

partnership with the CAB. The

fact that cancer patients, and

A lot is changing in Easton and

Lawrence Hill at the moment.

Community at Heart and Easton

Community Partnership are

working together to look at ways

of continuing and strengthening

resident involvement in improving

the area.

In September the two partnership

Boards agreed to form the Easton

and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood

Management Board. The new

Board is building on the legacy of

New Deal for Communities and

Neighbourhood Renewal and will

complement the Neighbourhood

Partnership.

As Communications Officer for

this new Board, my role has

changed quite a bit over the last

12 months. As well as producing

our regular newsletter, Up Our

Street, I am looking at other ways

we can communicate better with

residents and organisations in the

area. If any Voscur members who

work in Easton and Lawrence Hill

have any suggestions about how

to do this then we would be happy

to hear them.

Also I have been offering my

services to help support small

organisations in Easton and

Lawrence Hill. This could be

advice or help with press releases,

putting together leaflets or similar

things. If you would like to discuss

either of these things with me

then please get in touch on

0117 377 3638 or stacy.yelland@

communityatheart.co.uk

Stacy Yelland outlines what’s on offer in Easton and Lawrence Hill

their families, have the stress of

financial worries in addition to a

cancer diagnosis is unacceptable

and we believe that cancer patients

urgently need a better deal.”

Ken Pickering, Director of Bristol

CAB said, “This project really

demonstrates the value of working

in partnership. Working with

MacMillan has enabled us to bring

their expertise and CAB’s specialist

advice knowledge together. We

are confident the project will be

a success and look forward to

working with MacMillan for many

years to come”.

For more information, please

contact the Bristol Citizens Advice

Bureau on: 0117 9462563 or email:

[email protected]

Left to right: Caroline Blake, Ellen Cronin, Judy Porter and Chris Marks, four of the five Welfare Benefits caseworkers for this project.

Page 14: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

10 New Year Resolutions

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 814

A thriving new year

1. Become a TrusteeMany voluntary and community

organisations in Bristol are in

search of volunteer trustees to

join their boards. Becoming a

trustee can be a very rewarding

experience and give you the

opportunity to gain skills and

knowledge that will help you in

other areas of your life. Many

trustee positions are advertised

in the voluntary jobs section of

the Voscur website and through

Volunteering Bristol.

To find out more visit the Voscur

website: www.voscur.org/view/

jobs and the Volunteering Bristol

website: www.bristolvolunteers.

org.uk

2. Clear Out Your Wardrobe

According to Third Sector

magazine, donations to charity

shops have fallen by up to 20% in

the past year due to the recession,

at the same time demand has

increased. Why not take the

New Year as an opportunity to

sort through your wardrobe and

donate any good clothes that

you’re not wearing any more to

your local charity shop?

To find your nearest charity shop

visit: www.charityshops.org.uk/

locator.php

3. Join the Credit Union

The Bristol Credit Union was

developed in 2005 / 2006 through

a partnership of community credit

unions in the city and aims to be

a community anchor for the city,

providing fair financial services

for all the people of Bristol. Credit

Unions offer competitive and

alternative financial provision

to benefit their members and

they are not for private profit. In

addition to loan facilities you can

also save with the credit union.

To find out more visit:

www.bristolcreditunion.org or

call 0117 924 7309

4. Learn Something New

The New Year is a good time to try

something new. Voscur provides a

range of training that will help you

and your organisation thrive in the

coming year.

To find out more about Voscur

training visit: www.voscur.org/

training

5. Support a Social Enterprise

The recession has made people

much more cautious with their

spending. You can help make

sure your money has more local

impact by supporting a local

social enterprise. Bristol has a

wealth of social enterprises from

community art shops and farm

shops to cinemas and cooperative

garden centres where all profits

are reinvested back into the

local economy.

To find a social enterprise in Bristol

visit: www.socialenterpriseworks.

org/category/social-business-

directory

6. Spread the Good News

Bristol has a fantastically diverse

voluntary and community sector,

working in every part of Bristol.

Make sure you tell people about

the good work you do by including

your news in the weekly Voscur

e-bulletin and bi-monthly Thrive!

magazine. If you put your news

and events in the Voscur Online

Diary or Community Notice board

we’ll check them regularly and

As 2010 approaches here are ten New Year resolutions that can help support a Thriving

voluntary and community sector in 2010.

Page 15: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

10 New Year Resolutions

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 15

include items in our magazine

and e-bulletin.

To find out more about the Voscur

Online Diary visit:

www.voscur.org/event

To find out more about the Online

Noticeboard visit: www.voscur.

org/view/classified-ads

7. Use your Local Community Buildings

Bristol is home to many different

community centres and venues

run and managed by local

community groups. By holding

your meetings and events in

these buildings you’ll be

supporting these groups and

helping them maintain their

buildings which in turn are used

by the local community.

To find out more visit:

www.bristol.gov.uk/

communitycentres or download

a list of accessible community

venues in Bristol from

www.voscur.org/system/files/

AccessibleVenuesList.pdf

8. VolunteerVolunteers can do almost

anything! From helping a

neighbour with their shopping,

to providing legal advice for a

local charity, volunteers make a

vital contribution to all aspects

of community life. According to

Volunteering Bristol there are

over 600 volunteering

opportunities in around 400

voluntary and community

organisations across Bristol.

To find out more visit:

www.bristolvolunteers.org.uk

9. VoteSome time before June 2010

there will be a general election

in the UK. There will also be local

elections in 23 wards in Bristol.

Make sure your name is on the

electoral register so that you can

vote in these elections. If you

don’t vote someone else will and

their views may not be the same

as yours, so don’t leave important

policy decisions that will impact

on the voluntary and community

sector to someone else.

To find out more visit:

www.bristol.gov.uk/elections

10. Phone a FriendWhy not persuade a friend or

family member to get involved

in supporting the voluntary and

community sector in Bristol? Tell

them about an organisation, event

or activity that you think they

might be interested in. Voscur

can help keep you up to date

with what’s going on in Bristol’s

voluntary and community sector:

www.voscur.org

You can also follow Voscur on

these social media channels:

Twitter: twitter.com/voscur

Facebook: tinyurl.com/voscurf-

book

YouTube: www.youtube.com/

voscur

Hartcliffe Health and Environmental Action group organises walks for the community.

The Watershed is a Social Enterprise

Page 16: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 816

Thriving Third Sector

A Third Sector Strategy for BristolVoscur has been pushing for a Bristol Partnership Third Sector Strategy for some

time and Wendy Stephenson, Voscur’s Chief Executive, has recently been involved in

developing a draft strategy which will go out for consultation in the new year.

Why do we need a strategy?

Bristol’s third sector is made

of up of hundreds of not-for-

profit organisations, from the

smallest self-help or campaigning

group to city-wide service

delivery organisations, working

across diverse areas including

health and well being, arts,

sports, community safety, the

environment, equalities, learning

and skills – all for the benefit of

the people of Bristol.

Evidence shows that the areas

with the healthiest local charity

and voluntary sector have a good

mix of funding available including

grants, contracts, donations,

earned income and loan finance.

In recent years this balance has

changed as grant funding has

been replaced by contracts.

The commissioning agenda

presents the third sector with a

significant change to the way in

which it can access investment.

However, too often procurement

practices favour large companies

and big charities. Not only do

smaller charities miss out, but

local people and taxpayers suffer

as the winning bid is not always

the best bid.

In order to thrive, the third sector

also needs a range of support

from infrastructure organisations

(such as understanding local

government structures, charity

law, writing constitutions, making

funding bids, and possibly

even European procurement

regulations); and good

relationships with public sector

partners.

The Bristol Partnership has chosen

to include National Indicator

7 (NI7), an environment for a

thriving third sector in the Local

Area Agreement, but it is not clear

how partners are putting their

commitment into practice.

Providing an environment for

a thriving third sector requires

Bristol Partnership members to

acknowledge and understand

the issues facing the third sector,

and to be able to demonstrate

their commitment to supporting

the sector.

This means: ensuring the sector

has a voice in public decision

making, is able to contribute

to the design and delivery of

public services rooted in the local

community, has high quality local

infrastructure organisations, and

can access a mix of funding/

contracting arrangements.

We believe that fully supported

third sector involvement will

lead to public services that fully

address local need.

A Bristol Partnership ‘owned’

third sector strategy will mean

that partners:

• publicly recognise the role

and value of the third sector,

• demonstrate support for

Compact principles,

• identify the actions that

Partnership members

will take individually and

collectively to support

the sector,

• have clarity and consistency

of approach in enabling the

third sector to participate

in policy and decision-

making and commissioning

processes.

Page 17: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 17

Safeguarding the Sector

Free Support in the Recession

Are you considering partnerships or joint working with other groups or projects?

We know that partnership working

takes planning and resources. If

you are thinking of joint working

with another organisation or

agency from a different sector

we can assist by offering you

a bursary of £1,000 to pay a

consultant who can work with you

to explore your ideas, and help to

plan actions.

The scheme is available to groups

with a turnover of under £150,000

per year, and who have been

operational for at least 2 years.

Available to organisations across

the four unitary authorities.

Deadline for applications

31 January 2010. For more

information visit: www.voscur.

org/partnershipworking

Bursaries for Voscur training courses

Encourage your staff, board

members, or volunteers to attend

the range of training sessions we

have on offer every term such as

roles and responsibilities of board

members, supporting volunteer

managers, fundraising, equalities

– everything to help you improve

skills, knowledge and performance

within your organisation. Up

to two bursaries available per

Are you supporting groups during the recession, or experiencing change within your

organisation due to the recession?

If you would like to

discuss any of the

above then please call

Ruth Pitter at Voscur on

0117 909 9949 or email

[email protected]

group, per term, for more

information see: www.voscur.

org/recessionsupport

For details of training

opportunities see page 39.

Free HR Support

If you are having to consider

making changes to staff

contracts, or staff redundancies

there is HR support available to

ensure you are acting legally. An

individual one to one session can

be arranged with an advisor to

discuss contracts of employment

and other staffing issues you

may have. For more information

see: www.voscur.org/

recessionsupport

Page 18: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 818

Safeguarding the Sector

Freebies

Children’s ScrapstoreBristol’s Children’s Scrapstore

collects safe waste from

businesses which can be re-used

as a low cost creative resource by

its member groups. Membership

is open to groups working in

creative play, care, educational

and therapeutic settings. There is

a suggested donation for scrap.

The Scrapstore also operate

Artrageous, an art and craft shop,

which is open to the public as

well as members. All profits from

Artrageous go back to the charity

side of the Scrapstore’s work, and

member groups receive a 20%

discount when they shop there.

The Scrapstore is located in the

St. Werburghs area of Bristol.

www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk

0117 908 5644

ProHelpA national network of over 600

professional firms committed to

making a difference in their local

community by providing free

advice and professional support.

Members include solicitors,

accountants, surveyors, architects,

public relations and management

consultants who undertake one-

off projects. Community-based,

not-for-profit groups working

for the social and economic

regeneration of their local area

may apply to receive professional

support. Community organisations

receive the same level of service

as a fee-paying client – the only

difference is that the community

client is not charged for the work

undertaken.

www.prohelp.org.uk

0117 972 2111

Giving World OnlineLinks businesses with unwanted

surplus to not-for-profit groups

in need of supplies. Unwanted

surplus includes stationery and

IT equipment, medical supplies,

clothing, toys and educational

materials. Community groups

can register online, search for

surplus and select what they

need. Donated goods must not

be offered for resale or used in

fundraising activities (including

raffles). Further information is

provided on the website regarding

arranging collection of surplus

goods.

www.givingworldonline.com

0845 833 3783

IT4 CommunitiesOver 6000 IT volunteers can offer

support with IT issues such as

website development, databases

and email systems. Interested

groups must register online and

pay a one-off administration

fee of £85 which covers them

for a year. Staff will discuss the

feasibility of their ideas with them

over the phone before advertising

the project among the volunteer

network. At present, there are

more volunteers than projects

so groups will get a choice of

volunteers to work with them.

www.it4communities.org.uk

Tel: 020 7796 2144

The Cranfield TrustProvides free management

consultancy to voluntary sector

groups working with issues

of poverty, disability or social

exclusion. Their register of

volunteers is made up of skilled

business people who wish to use

their management experience

to work as mentors or advisors

to support the voluntary sector.

Volunteers can offer support with

strategic or business planning,

marketing, human resources,

financial advice or performance

management. Time input from

It’s not just money that can help community and voluntary groups to deliver their

services! Here is a selection of other free or low cost resources.

Page 19: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 19

Safeguarding the Sector

volunteers is usually between six

and twelve days over the course

of a 3-6 month project.

www.cranfieldtrust.org

0844 800 3390

In Kind DirectRedistributes new goods donated

by companies, manufacturers

and retailers to not-for-profit

organisations working in the

UK and abroad. Goods available

include toiletries, clothing

and shoes, cleaning supplies,

household appliances, toys, and

educational items, tools, office

and computer supplies. Goods

received through In Kind Direct

must be either used to meet the

operational needs of the receiving

organisation, or distributed free

of charge in accordance with

the organisation’s charitable

objectives. Not-for-profit

organisations must register as

an In Kind Direct Charity Partner.

It is free to join, but there is a

handling charge.

www.inkinddirect.org

020 7398 5510

Community NewswireA free news service to help

voluntary organisations gain

valuable media coverage.

Voluntary groups can email or

upload press releases to the

website, which is managed by

the Media Trust. A selection of

uploaded press releases are

written up into news stories by

a Press Association journalist

and then sent out via the Press

Association newswire to thousands

of journalists each day.

www.communitynewswire.

press.net

Tel: 08701 240866

Our PriceHas a range of exclusive and

unique personally signed items

from the worlds of music, sport,

film and television for charities

to use as auction prizes at

fundraising events. There are also

some activities that can be used

as prizes including a champagne

balloon ride or the chance to drive

a Formula 1 racing car. All items

are supplied free of charge and

signed items come complete with

a full certificate of authenticity.

Local football enthusiasts will be

disappointed to know that there

does not appear to be anything

from City or Rovers…

www.ourprice.co.uk

Tel: 0870 777 5001

COSMIC A website design and IT

consultancy social enterprise

which offers a range of IT

services to organisations in the

South West. Although some of

their services need to be paid

for, others are offered for free.

This includes the Switched On

Communities programme, which

offers free training, assistive

equipment and support to

voluntary sector organisations to

support disabled IT users.

www.cosmic.org.uk

Tel: 01404 813226

In Kind Direct redistributes a wide range of goods

Page 20: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 820

Safeguarding the Sector

Recession Hits Voluntary Sector Employers

The report tells us that the

recession stimulated a 22% rise

in unfair dismissal conciliation

cases, an increase in other forms

of employment tribunal cases, the

demand for redundancy advice

soared by almost three quarters.

Figures show that Acas received

78,000 (net) conciliation cases

from the Employment Tribunal

Service – almost a fifth (18%) more

than last year.

There was also a significant

increase in unfair dismissal

conciliation cases received

over the last year, compared

to a decrease in the number

of these cases over the last

two years. www.acas.org.uk/

annualreport2008-09

Bristol’s Voluntary, Community

and Social Enterprise sector is a

significant employer. The most

recent survey of the sector

estimated that 15,000 people are

employed in the sector in Bristol.

Management Commitees, as

employers, need support as we

begin to see the recession hit

the sector. The effects will surely

multiply as public spending cuts

are announced next year.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service’s (Acas) annual report reflects on the

effects of the recession on employment.

Protect your trustees – employment insurance at a discounted rate

We believe it’s important to protect your organisation, and your

volunteer management committee when they come to make

decisions about restructuring and/or staff redundancies.

Voscur has subscribed to employment law and health and

safety specialists Peninsula to ensure that we have up to date

employment policies and procedures in place and so that we have

somewhere to go for employment advice should we need it.

We have joined with Peninsula to offer our members this same

protection. If Voscur can get enough organisations interested

in this offer we will be able to bulk buy this protection at a

discounted rate.

If you are interested in this offer please contact Rebecca

McDougall: [email protected] or come along to an informal

discussion on 15 December 2009 at the next Voscur Assembly.

For details visit: www.voscur.org/assemblydecember09

Page 21: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 21

Safeguarding the Sector

Free on-line Human Resources and Health and Safety legislation help for Voscur members

Voscur has taken up a new

service offered through NAVCA

partners, Tennyson Insurance.

Voscur is delighted to announce

the launch in December of

Charity Builder UK (CBUK).

CBUK is an interactive web-based

service that Voscur can provide

free of charge to our members.

Recognising that small and

medium-sized groups often

find it difficult to comply with

human resources and health

& safety legislation, CBUK has

been developed to help local

charities and community groups

carry out key administrative

tasks quickly and easily. It is an

online innovation so no additional

software is required:

• CBUK does not just signpost

advice but interacts with the

user to create tailor-made

documents such as staff

contracts, health & safety

policies and staff handbooks.

• CBUK helps to avoid the risk of

complicated employment

tribunals by driving compliance

by prompting the user with

checklists in human resources

and health and safety.

• CBUK is written and kept up to

date by lawyers so users are

always aware of changes in

legislation.

• 100,000 small businesses

currently use the business

version of this service; they pay

an annual subscription – Voscur

members will be offered this

service free of charge.

• CBUK will help funding

applications by helping groups

provide key policies when asked

to as part of the application.

This will help in today’s

competitive market.

Kevin Curley, Chief Executive

NAVCA, said “NAVCA believes this is

a service which will add real value

to the sector. CBUK is a new and

unique service.”

Three local infrastructure

organisations around the country

have already trialled the service

and incorporated it as a tool used

by Development Officers, with

very positive feedback:

“One of the best pieces of

corporate social responsibility

work that I’ve seen in many years,

with real benefits for grassroots

organisations.” Mark Richardson,

Chief Executive, Cornwall

Voluntary Sector Forum.

The service is now in its final

stages of completion before its

launch in December. If you would

like to register for CBUK please

complete the registration form

from the following link. You will

be contacted after validation with

Voscur of your membership status

and given a unique User ID and

password: www.charitybuilderuk.

com/register.php

In the meantime if you have any

questions about CBUK please

contact Rebecca McDougall at

Voscur, email: rebecca@voscur.

org or tel: 0117 909 9949.

Page 22: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 822

Safeguarding the Sector

Recession support resources

Links to a range of support tools:

ACEVO’s recession support page

with links to books, magazines,

surveys, reports.

Visit: www.recessionsupport.

org.uk/resources/recession_

resources

Determine what stage your organisation is in:

The Non-profit Life Stage

Assessment is a tool for

determining what stage your

organisation is in. It helps you to

understand your organisation’s

strengths and weaknesses and will

help you plan for future needs. It

is particularly relevant:

• during times of high stress or

challenge for the organisation.

• when engaging an organisation

development consultant.

• prior to an executive search.

• as pre-work, discussion topics,

or action learning tool at a

board or staff retreat.

Visit: www.surveys.wilder.org/

fieldstone/lifestages

Making the most of volunteers in a recession

Volunteers are the lifeblood of

many charities. When there is an

increased demand for services

together with constrained or

reduced resources, it is often

difficult to find the time to

effectively support and engage

good skilled volunteers. However,

skilled volunteers can make a real

difference to your organisation,

providing you with a resource

which could improve your ability

to survive. The following link will

take you to an article which offers

advice to guide you and provide

you with some contact points for

finding out more.

Visit: www.reachskills.org.uk/

reach-article-sarah-king

www.bristolvolunteers.org.uk

SKiLD tools for Development workers

Supporting voluntary and

community groups can be hard

work. These tried and tested

practical tools offer a new set of

bite-sized exercises to support

work with groups. Current list of

tools includes Agreeing a Mission,

Attracting New people, Getting

ready for Paid Staff, Improving

Governance, Recruiting a Worker

and many more.

Visit: www.navca.org.uk/services/

learningopps/skild/tools/Home

Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NIVCA) Support Tools

Voluntary and community

organisations face not only the

same risks as others, but also

a set of risks more specific to

the sector. Therefore some

organisations are already planning

for reduced income and some

are making decisions to cut staff

and services. Planning for what

might lie ahead is vital if your

organisation is to come through a

recession and still be able to do its

job effectively.

Risk Management

In the current financial climate

it is more important than ever

for organisations to develop

risk management procedures.

Managing risk is a way of

safeguarding the organisation’s

assets and ensuring that the

organisation is effectively fulfilling

its objectives. Risk is not confined

simply to the financial affairs of

an organisation, or health and

safety, it applies to all areas of

the charity’s operations. Risk

identification should be built into

everything that the organisation

does. To ensure that the

organisation gets the most out

of the process it should have a

Page 23: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 23

Safeguarding the Sector

participative approach. Staff

and volunteers should be

involved in the process and all

the organisation’s activities

should be assessed.

Look out for Voscur’s Managing

Risk training in the new year.

Details yet to be confirmed. Visit

www.voscur.org/training

Download a copy of the

Managing in a Downturn report

by PricewaterhouseCoopers

LLP (PwC), the Charity Finance

Directors’ Group (CFDG) and the

Institute of Fundraising (IOF).

Visit: www.nicva.org/index.cfm/

section/General/key/260309-

Recession-Toolkit

Visit the National Council for

Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

website for valuable

recession advice:

www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/advice-

support/recession-resources/

recession-proof

Download their publication

Support in Uncertain Times:

tinyurl.com/yd64epl

www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/

uploadedFiles/NCVO/Press/

Press_Releases/Support_in_

Uncertain_Times_June%2709.pdf

Positive Local Leadership in a Recession – Support for Councils and Councillors

These are challenging times

nationally and internationally.

Yet there is an extremely

important local dimension to

the recession, both in terms of

its impact, shaping a response

to that impact and preparing

for the post-recession world.

If there has ever been a time

when effective local community

leadership is required, this is it.

Its time has come. The primary

task of this guide is to help local

councils to fulfil their community

leadership responsibilities in these

challenging circumstances.

www.idea.gov.uk/idk/

aio/9560735

It is important to have positive local leadership in times of recession Image by NotFromUtrecht

Page 24: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 824

Place Survey

A quick guide to the Place Survey 2008

The Place Survey is a new

consultation that all local

authorities are required to carry

out on a two-yearly basis. The

Place Survey was devised by

central government and replaces

the Best Value Performance

Indicator Survey (BVPI). The Place

Survey has been developed as

part of a new focus on improving

outcomes for local people and

places – rather than on processes,

institutions and inputs.

The survey provides information

on people’s perceptions of their

local area and the local services

they receive.

MethodologyThe Place Survey is a statutory

requirement of all local authorities

in England and will be undertaken

every two years as a postal survey.

Its main purposes are:

• To help councils and their

partners to better understand

local views and needs.

• To enable local councils and

their partners to improve areas

where residents are dissatisfied.

• To form part of the Audit

Commission’s monitoring

of the performance of local

public services as part of

the Comprehensive Area

Assessment (CAA). See page 26.

Questions asked included:

• What are the most important

things that make your area a

good place to live?

• Which of these things most

need improving?

• How satisfied are you with your

area and the services provided

by local public organisations?

• How involved are you, or would

you like to be, in decisions that

affect your local area?

The survey collected information

on 18 National Indicators (NI)

for local government, used

to measure local government

performance for 152 county

councils, metropolitan district

councils, London boroughs and

unitary authorities. The England

indicators covered by the survey

include the following:

NI 1: % of people who agree

that their local area is a place

where people from different

backgrounds get on well together.

NI 2: % of people who feel

that they belong to their

neighbourhood.

NI 3: % who have been involved in

decisions that affect the local area

in the past twelve months.

NI 4: % of people who agree they

can influence decisions in their

local area.

NI 5: % of people who are

satisfied with their local area as a

place to live.

NI 6: % of people who have

participated in regular

volunteering.

The results of the first ever Place Survey have been released, summarising the headline

findings for England and the individual Government Office regions.

Page 25: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 25

Place Survey

Bristol Picture

NI 1: % of people who agree that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together.

Respondents in Bristol gave the

city a score of 76%, the same

as the national average, but 4%

below the South West average

of 80%.

NI 2: % of people who feel they belong to their immediate neighbourhood.

Bristol is a high scorer at 63%

compared to the other core cities,

and higher than the England

average of 59%.

NI 3: % of people who have been involved in decisions that affect the local area in the past twelve months.

Bristol is higher than the England

average of 14% and all of the core

cities with a score of 18%.

NI 4: % of people who agree they can influence decisions in their local area.

The England average is 29%,

London has the highest score

with 35%, but Bristol is low with

only 25%.

NI 5: % of people who are satisfied with their local area as a place to live

Bristol is high at 78.6% compared

with the other core cities, but the

England average is 80% and the

South West is 85%.

NI 6: % of people who have participated in regular volunteering

Bristol is higher than the other

core cities at 24%, but lower than

the South West average of 28%.

The England average is 23%.

Jargon buster:

Core Cities

The Core Cities group is a network

of England’s major regional

cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds,

Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle,

Nottingham and Sheffield. They

form the economic and urban

cores of wider surrounding

territories, the city regions and

are the economic drivers of their

regions. The umbrella theme for

the joint activity of the Core Cities

Group is economic development.

This article is adapted from

the briefing produced by

South West Forum. Visit

www.southwestforum.org.uk

Page 26: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 826

Comprehensive Area Assessment

A Quick Guide to the Comprehensive Area Assessment (Oneplace)*

What is the purpose of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA)It aims to give people a snapshot

of life in their local area each

year; help local service providers

improve the quality of life in their

area and help people understand

if they are getting value for

money from their local services.

The Comprehensive Area

Assessment (CAA) process looks at

how well local services are working

together to improve the quality

of life for local people. It will make

information available to people

about local services, helping

them make informed choices and

influence decisions.

For the first time, local public

services will be held collectively

to account for the way they work.

This means that the CAA will look

across councils, health bodies,

police forces, fire and rescue

services and others responsible

for local public services. These

bodies are increasingly expected

to work in partnership to tackle

the challenges facing their

communities.

CAA examines a whole area and

how well local bodies are working

in partnership to deliver agreed

priorities such as those set out in

Sustainable Community Strategies

and Local Area Agreements. The

CAA will contribute to knowing

whether an environment for a

thriving third sector is being built;

whether third sector expertise

feeds into decision-making and

whether the third sector is able

to play its full role in delivering

services for the whole community.

It provides a real opportunity for

the third sector in holding local

government to account.

There are two different

elements that make up the CAA:

1. Organisational AssessmentLocal public services are assessed

by different inspectorates

depending on the context. The

Audit Commission assesses value

for money through a Use of

Resources Judgement; this then

contributes to the organisational

assessment for local authorities,

PCT’s, Police and Fire and Rescue

authorities. The Use of Resources

Judgement covers how well the

organisation manages under three

different themes: finance, the

business and resources. These

three themes are then supported

by detailed questions called key

lines of enquiry based on three

main questions:

1. How effectively does the

organisation manage its finances

and deliver value for money?

2. How well does the

organisation govern itself and

commission services that provide

value for money and deliver

outcomes for local people?

In April 2009, the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) replaced the Comprehensive

Performance Assessment as the way local authorities will be measured on their work.

This quick guide outlines some of the differences.

Page 27: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 27

Comprehensive Area Assessment

3. How well does the

organisation manage its natural

resources, physical assets and

people to meet current and

future needs and deliver value

for money?

2. Area AssessmentThis will be a narrative report

looking at prospects for future

improvement against local

priorities. Two initial questions will

be used to provide underlying

evidence and support the

judgement on a third question:

Question 1

How well do local priorities

express local needs and

aspirations?

Question 2

How well are the outcomes

and improvements needed

being delivered?

Question 3

What are the prospects for

further improvement?

Question one is very much

voluntary, community and social

enterprise sector territory and

inspectors will be looking for

evidence of robust decision

making across local partners.

They will explore how well local

partnerships engage with, involve

and empower local people

including through the third sector.

What evidence will be gathered?

A ‘shared evidence file’ will be

kept locally and will include data

from the National Indicator Set,

information from local people,

third sector organisations

and local businesses. The

National Survey of Third Sector

Organisations which measures

performance against NI7 – a

Thriving Third Sector – and the

Place Survey which measure

performance against NI6 –

regular volunteering – (and other

indicators) will both provide data

which will be included in the

evidence file.

Voscur’s view

Voscur wasn’t contacted as part

of the stakeholder engagement in

April and May 2009 and has been

trying to meet with the local Audit

Commission lead to feed in a third

sector perspective before the

‘joint assessments’ are published

in December.

Find out:

This guide to CAA is

based on the CAA

briefing produced by South West

Forum – for more details visit:

www.southwestforum.org.uk

Find out more about CAA at:

www.audit-commission.gov.

uk/localgov/audit/caa/Pages/

default.aspx

*It has recently been announced that Comprehensive Area Assessments will be rebranded and sold to the public as Oneplace.

Page 28: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 828

The Compact

Working in a Compact Way

Ian Popperwell, a Planning and

Commissioning Manager, told

Thrive! about improving practice

in Bristol City Council adult

social care:

“We’re working to shift and

improve our relationship with

the voluntary sector in line with

the Compact. The Compact

gives a lead and framework for

developing clearer appropriate

relationships. Like most statutory

authorities, we’ve had a long-

standing and somewhat traditional

relationship with the sector

and now we are moving from

yearly grants to rolling service

agreements we need to be

clear about the nature of the

relationship.

The most important shift has been

the move towards commissioning

of services. This brings a more

strategic approach to identifying

the level and type of local need,

how it might best be met, who

by and how services can be

constantly improved. Voluntary

sector organisations are now seen

as service providers, preventing

the old relationship of the local

authority being seen to have ties

over whole organisations.

Services will be commissioned

for outcomes. Why? Well

most importantly we want to

commission high quality services

and expect there to be something

positive that happens to people as

a result of using them. We want

services to be able to demonstrate

their value by measuring results,

where they are most effective and

areas they need to work on.

We’re moving towards issuing

three (rather than one) year

service agreements wherever

possible and appropriate. We

are also committed to moving

towards full cost recovery.

Organisations have often costed

services on the basis of the

amount of money that is available,

rather than on a full cost recovery

basis. In the short term, it’s not

possible to correct this; there

isn’t the money and it might

cause internal difficulties for

organisations to reduce services.

However all new services should

be funded that way.

Finally, as joint commissioners of

mental health services with NHS

Bristol, we are moving towards

lead funder-commissioner

arrangements across other

services/organisations that have

multiple funding.

With many new developments

in health and social care service

direction on the horizon, there are

great opportunities ahead for the

third sector.”

Compact compliance can be seen as quite daunting, but starting from including

the Compact in staff induction, through to moving towards three year funding

arrangements, public agencies can build up action plans that can help bring their work

in line with the Bristol Compact.

Get compliance

checklists at www.

voscur.org/compact

Page 29: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Queen’s Award

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 29

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

The Queen’s Award for

Voluntary Service is the highest

award given to volunteer

groups across the UK for

outstanding work done in their

local communities.

Groups doing all kinds of voluntary

sector work are invited to make

nominations for the Queen’s

Award. In contrast to other

National Honours, we do not

expect nominations to be treated

in confidence. This is because

County Assessment Panels usually

wish to visit groups in order to

gain better understanding of

their work, and that groups must

have indicated that they are

willing to accept an Award if the

nomination is successful. However,

it is important that groups

understand that an Award will not

automatically follow a submission

of a nomination form. We also

require two letters of support

from others who have firsthand

knowledge of and can endorse the

nominated group’s contribution.

These must be attached to the

nomination form and the names

of the two supporters, and their

relationship with the group, must

be given on the nomination form.

If supporting letters are not

received, the nomination will be

deemed ineligible.

In common with the UK National

Honours, there are no deadlines

for the receipt of nomination

forms. Award nominations will

be considered at any point

within 3 years of the nomination.

Therefore, nominations should

not be made for a particular

year’s Award. If you would like

to nominate a voluntary sector

organisation or community

group and want to find out more

about the award, who decides

on the nominations, and when

the announcement of winners

is made, please contact Gunnar

Moran at Government Office for

the South West on:

0117 900 3517.

Charity specialist accountants and auditors based in Bristol. Passionate about the not-for-profit sector and experienced in delivering practical and professional accounting services to charities.

Audit Independent Examination Accounts Preparation Tax

Management Accounts Payroll Training Accounting Software

www.godfreywilson.co.uk

Unit 5.11 PaintworksBath RoadBristolBS4 3EH0117 971 3445

Image by WeI-chieh Chiu

Page 30: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 830

Green Pages

Greening our IT

Voscur will be working with

Connecting Bristol to assist in

reducing the carbon footprint

of ICT usage in the city. We’ve

been given a preview of a

great database that will enable

anyone to take significant steps

to increase the efficiency of

their computer usage, reduce

utility bills and still contribute

to effective efforts against

climate change.

The database contains hundreds

of practical steps that any

organisation can take that

will have a measurable effect

in reducing their ICT carbon

footprint. Each step is classified

according to cost, difficulty

in implementation and overall

effectiveness currently with a 3

star rating for each element. For

example, turning all monitors

off when not being used would

have 3 stars for cost, 1 star

for difficulty, and 2 stars for

the contribution to emissions

reduction efforts.

When the database is finally live, it

will include case studies, and the

opportunity for users to add their

comments and discuss additional

efforts or difficulties they may

have encountered. Voscur will be

using the database to help groups

who want to take advantage of

this service with additional expert

advice and support. Using this

service will not only help you to

reduce your environmental

impact but will work to making

your IT use more efficient and

more sustainable.

Of course, a lot of the most

effective steps and greatest

efficiency savings can be

technically challenging. Most

organisations don’t have the

resources to undertake them

(such as green hosting for

applications and data, or using low

impact open source software),

so we’ll be creating opportunities

for Voscur member organisations

to get together with green

technology companies and social

enterprises sympathetic to the

voluntary sector and with a track

record of delivering improvements

in operations and service delivery.

“We have the ability to

make a very real difference

and have a duty to future

generations to implement

simple solutions to increase

energy efficiency and

maximise the opportunities

presented by new

technology.”

Quote from Richard

Barrington – Head of Public

Policy at Sun Microsystems

Page 31: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 31

Green Pages

It’s all very well saying we’re

going to make big cuts in the

voluntary sector’s carbon ICT

footprint but we will also have

to show that this is possible.

To do that we have to measure

the current carbon footprint in

the same way that Connecting

Bristol has for the wider Bristol

Commercial and Statutory sector

– we need members to fill out the

survey at www.voscur.org/ict/

carbonfootprintsurvey

so that we can calculate a baseline

level of emissions with which to

measure progress against.

We’ll be keeping groups informed

of progress, latest news, tips and

offers over the coming year on

our Green ICT web pages on our

Facebook page and through the

pages of Thrive!

Sean Kenny

Voscur ICT Worker

Tel: 0117 909 9949

[email protected]

Voscur Green ICT

webpage:

www.voscur.org/ict/

greencomputing

Connecting Bristol:

www.connectingbristol.org

Jargon buster

Carbon Footprint – A measure

of the amount of carbon

dioxide produced by a person,

organisation or community in a

given time.

Bristol’s daily carbon dioxide emissions are shown above represented to scale with the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Page 32: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 832

Green Pages

Bristol Pedalling Forward to the Future

Pedal Power

It’s been 18 months since Bristol won the title of Britain’s first Cycling City, what’s been happening since then?

The area of Greater Bristol won

the award in June 2008. Following

the announcement, Bristol and

South Gloucestershire councils

set up a dedicated team to

work on this project, alongside

the council’s regular cycling

promotion teams, infrastructure

development teams, and the key

cycling organisations in the city.

A great deal has been happening

over the last 18 months. It’s hard

to make cycling an overnight

success so we’ve put in a lot

of groundwork to create a

momentum for change that will

make Bristol a great cycling city.

This year we held over 50 city-wide

and community events to get

our neighbourhoods back in the

saddle and Bristol’s Biggest Bike

Ride brought out an extra 2000

riders this year.

During 2009 we knocked on over

8000 doors in neighbourhoods to

raise awareness of the project and

offer several hundred personal

travel planning sessions. And we’re

offering Life Cycle bike training

sessions to give people in our

communities the confidence they

need to get back on the road.

Through our Gear Up programme

we’re working with businesses

to get them providing the bike

parking and changing facilities

their employees need to cycle to

work more often.

Our promotional campaigns hit

the ground during October and

November to get people visiting

our new website and riding safely

at night time. To date we’ve given

away over 2000 lights and high-

visibility items on the streets to

make sure bike riders are well lit.

Our work with schools has seen

some dramatic changes in cycling

rates where we’ve managed to

triple the numbers of children

cycling to nursery and primary

schools through Bikeability training

in our Bike-It schools.

What will we see in the next year?

Our plans for 2010 are to get more

people interested in cycling. Many

of our new bike paths will be ready

by April.

We’ll also be launching a project to

offer very cheap but reliable bikes

through a project with Horfield

Prison, and developing facilities to

get more people into riding their

bikes in their spare time.

We’re building towards making

2010 Bristol’s year of the bike -

visit the website and keep your

eyes peeled for lots of fun events

that will encourage you to use

your bike more often.

How can voluntary and community groups play a part in promoting cycling?

Groups can apply for funding

for cycling projects via the

Cycling City Community Fund

which is administered by

Quartet Community Foundation.

Applications will be assessed on

“The place of cycling in our

society is set to grow, and

I am committed to doing

everything possible to

encourage that.”

UK Prime Minister

Gordon Brown,

June 26th 2008

Ben Hillsdon of the Cycling City team outlines recent developments:

Page 33: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 33

Green Pages

how well they can get new or

returning cyclists on their bikes,

rather than supporting current or

regular cyclists.

Groups can think about their role

as employers and become more

cycling friendly. We are offering

grants for employers and through

Life Cycle we are providing bike

stands for parking. Any employer

can offer staff up to 40% off new

bikes by providing the Cycle To

Work tax free bike scheme.

Voluntary and community groups

are at the heart of Cycling City

through their seats on the

stakeholder advisory panel.

Several specific cycling groups are

represented including Sustrans,

Life Cycle UK, CTC Right to Ride

and Bristol Cycling Campaign.

Voscur also attends Cycling City

meetings to represent the views

of all voluntary and community

groups. We would like the

organisations involved with Voscur

to help us promote the availability

of cheap bikes through this

scheme when it comes on line.

We’re trying to build something in

Bristol that meets the needs of all

groups, and we need the advice of

voluntary and community groups

to make sure we can do that.

What would you say to people who are not currently cycling to encourage them to get on a bike?

You are helping to reduce

congestion in your city and you

are saving money, but most of all,

you’re doing it because it gives

you a good feeling. And that’s

why you should dig your bike out

of the shed, or even pick up a

second-hand bike, and find out

how much a bike could bring to

your life.

It takes some planning to make

your first regular journey – finding

out the best clothes to wear, the

route to take and where to park

your bike – but once you’ve made

a few journeys, you’ll become very

attached to your bike. You’ll want

to use it all the time. It’s more fun

that sitting in a car or a bus, and

it’s a lot quicker than walking.

Visit our website

www.betterbybike.info

to keep up to date

with the latest cycling city

developments. It also offers useful

help and advice.

Image courtesy of Bristol City Council

Page 34: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 834

Peak Oil

Imagine Bristol without OilA new report by the Bristol

Partnership has recently been

published looking at how to

prepare Bristol for a future less

reliant on oil.

The Peak Oil report describes how

today’s economy and lifestyles are

based on the use of energy and

products that rely heavily on oil

for their production. Almost

every part of our life is connected

with oil in some way: energy,

heating, transport, food

production and medicine.

The global price of oil sets the

price of many other forms of

energy. Worldwide production of

oil is expected to decline in the

near future whilst demand for

energy and oil is rising, especially

from industrialising countries

like China and India. As the gap

between demand and supply

grows, prices increase. The point

where an energy source starts

to decline is called the “peak”

(hence the phrase Peak Oil).

From this point onwards, oil will

still be produced but at an ever

decreasing rate.

How will this affect Bristol?

If nothing is done, reduction in

energy supply and increasing

energy costs will make the way

we live today very difficult to

maintain. Planning and acting

now will give time to bring about

changes in our energy system,

creating opportunities to save

energy and therefore money. It

will mean reshaping our city so

jobs and services are easier to

get to without always having to

drive. It would be an opportunity

to strengthen community ties

leading to a healthier city with a

better quality of life.

How can I find out more? How can I get involved?

A formal consultation is due to

be launched on the Ask Bristol

website shortly and there will

be opportunities in the coming

months to comment on the

report and help shape the

decision and actions that need

to be taken. If you are not a web

user, but are keen to get involved

contact Mark Leach, the Bristol

City Council Green Capital

Co-ordinator, tel: 0117 922 4379.

To find out more about the

report and the significance of

Peak Oil for Bristol visit:

www.bristolgreencapital.org/

green-capital/energy/peak-oil

or visit your local library.

Page 35: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 35

Volunteering Bristol

More Support for Volunteers and their Managers

Volunteering Bristol has been

awarded a grant through

Capacitybuilders to offer direct,

practical support to people who

manage volunteers. Volunteering

Bristol will be offering this

additional support particularly to

volunteer managers of small and

newly-established community

groups in Bristol. “This is a new

opportunity to give specific help

to volunteer managers and their

volunteers” says Paul Madine,

Chief Executive at Volunteering

Bristol. “We are already providing

training and support to managers

on best practice in applying

policies and procedures that help

them in their roles, but this new

programme will go beyond that

by helping organisations and

volunteers overcome some of

the barriers to them taking up

desired roles.

“This programme will be funded

until March 2011 and will allow us

to recruit a full time advisor who

will provide one-to-one advice and

guidance on identifying suitable

roles for volunteers. Volunteer

managers and their volunteers will

be able to undertake coaching

sessions to develop their skills and

thus improve their volunteering

experience, and make it easier

for organisations to recruit and

retain people from more

diverse groups.“

A particular feature of this

new programme will be to

develop guidance for volunteer

managers to use as part of the

support needs assessment of

new volunteers, helping to fill

a particular gap identified by

many volunteer managers during

the research and consultation

Volunteering Bristol undertook as

part of the planning of the project

in the summer.

Volunteering Bristol is pleased to

have been awarded this grant, as

only one of the two successful

applicants in the south west (the

other being Torridge Voluntary

Services in Devon). Following on

from the BIG Lottery funded work

the organisation gained earlier

this year, it confirms Volunteering

Bristol’s position as a leading

volunteering support organisation.

Organisations and community

groups that have or are

thinking of developing roles for

volunteers in Bristol can contact

Volunteering Bristol to talk about

their volunteering needs. It is

planned that the programme will

be operational by mid December.

In the meantime email us on

[email protected]

or telephone 0117 989 7733.

Volunteering Bristol’s Volunteer

Recruitment Fair held in

September was deemed a great

success by exhibitors and public

alike. More than 80 potential

volunteers visited, ensuring that

the 17 local organisations were

kept busy dealing with enquires.

Several organisations were pleased

to be able to turn those enquiries

into actual volunteer placements

while others successfully raised

awareness of their organisations

and the work they do in their

communities as well as sowing the

seeds for future volunteering.

Contact

Tel: 0117 989 7733

Email: info@bristolvolunteers.

org.uk

Address: Royal Oak House,

Royal Oak Avenue,

Bristol BS1 4GB

Page 36: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

www.voscur.org December 2009 / January 2010 Issue 836

Children and Young People

The Changing Face of 14-19 Education

Voscur’s October Children

and Young People’s Network

meeting welcomed Marius Frank,

Headteacher at Bedminster

Down Technology School.

Marius provided an overview

of the many changes that are

happening within 14-19 learning.

This included the fact that by

2015, every young person will

be in some form of education or

training until the age of 18.

Marius also highlighted the new

learning pathways that will be

available, such as Diplomas.

Diplomas offer a new way of

learning that is built around the

employment sector rather than

academic subjects. They promote

the development of transferable

skills and provide an opportunity

to engage 14-19 year olds in a way

that a conventional curriculum

might not. Foundation Learning is

one of the four national suites of

learning which offers personalised

programmes that engage and

motivate learners, accepting Entry

and Level 1; it also incorporates

the Key Stage 4 Engagement

Programme and Entry to

Employment.

Foundation Learning is supported

by credit based qualifications in

the new qualification and credit

framework and offers a flexible

structure so that learners can top

up their programmes.

Marius also talked about the

changes in the Learning and Skills

Council (LSC) which will be split

into three main areas:

• Young People’s Learning Agency

(16-19)

• Skills Funding Agency (19+)

• National Apprenticeship Agency

More information about the

changes can be found at:

thirdsector.lsc.gov.uk or

www.dius_gov.uk/policy/raising_

expectations.html

Further details about Voscur’s

Children and Young People’s

Network meetings can be found

at: www.voscur.org/networks/

children#net

The next Children and Young

People’s Network meeting

will be a joint meeting with

The Care Forum and Black

Development Agency on 19

January 2010.

If you have any comments or

would like further information

please contact Asma Ahmad at

Voscur on 0117 909 9949 or

email: [email protected]

Page 37: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 37

Children and Young People

1625 Independent People is LaunchedIn Bristol, 300 young people

present for homelessness advice

to the city council each year and

this is increasing. Of these, 100

are owed a duty to be housed

as homeless. In 2003/04, 16 and

17 year olds represented 2% of

those seeking help as homeless, in

2008/09 it had increased to 22%.

So what is happening to support these young vulnerable people?

1625 Independent People is

the new youth homelessness

agency covering Bristol and

South Gloucestershire. The

voluntary agency is a merger

of Priority Youth Housing and

Wayahead Housing & Support

for Young People, between

them having over 45 years

experience of supporting young

homeless people.

Both organisations have worked

in partnership with Bristol City

Council and Priority Youth Housing

with South Gloucestershire Council

in housing and supporting young

people across their areas.

The decision to merge was

prompted by the wish to:

• improve quality of services to

young people

• facilitate growth

• provide greater scope for

broadening services

• offer greater opportunity to

influence the external agenda/

environment

• avoid duplication

• improve opportunities for staff

to specialise/develop, therefore

improving staff retention

• raise the profile of the

organisation

With the support of funding to

provide a consultant from the

London Housing Foundation and

pro bono support from members

of Business in The Community,

the process was finalised on 31

August. More can be found in the

Cabinet Office of the Third Sector

publication ‘Building Stronger

Communities; Business and the

Third Sector: Innovation in tough

times’, where the merger is a

case study.

Independent People now

supports over 400 young people

at any one time and is expanding

its services to provide a peer

education service for schools and

other settings, a high support

house and an additional prison

resettlement worker.

For more information

contact Dom Wood,

Chief Executive Officer

at Independent People on

0117 317 8800

[email protected] or

visit www.1625ip.co.uk

Page 38: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Make every penny count

Great value with our exclusive energy deal

The four national Age Concerns in the UK have joined together with Help the Aged to form new national charities dedicated to improving

the lives of older people. E.ON Energy Limited. Registered Office: Westwood Business Park, Westwood Way, Coventry CV4 8LG.

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For details pop in to see us Age Concern Bristol

Canningford House, 38 Victoria Street Bristol, BS1 6BY

Tel: 0117 9281 555Open: Mon to Fri 10am-1pm & 2pm-4pm

or call 0800 051 0784 Lines open 8am to 8pm Mon to Fri, 8am to 4pm Sat.

or visit www.ageconcern.org.uk/energy

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Page 39: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Issue 8 December 2009 / January 2010 www.voscur.org 39

Voscur Training and Learning

Welcome to Voscur Training and Learning

VolunteersandtheLaw(Full)Tuesday1December2009,9:30am–1pm

The Federation of City Farms, The GreenHouse, Hereford Street, Bristol, BS3 4NA

This new course will be run by Voscur and

Volunteering Bristol as part of the Volunteer

Management project. This session will cover:

• The law and considerations for volunteers

• Best practice

• The difference between volunteers,

employees & workers

• Action planning for your organisation

Who’s it for? This course is for anyone who

manages volunteers and would like to know

more about legal implications.

FirstAidintheWorkplace(Full)Wednesday9December2009,9:30am–4pm

Withywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol BS13 8QA

This accredited one day course will give you all

you need to know about First Aid. It will cover

among other things:

• What is first aid and aims of first aid

• Legal requirements

• Responsibilities of the appointed person

• Primary and Secondary Assessment

• Principles of resuscitation

By the end of the course, candidates will be

able to demonstrate the essential knowledge

and skills needed when dealing with First Aid

emergencies in the workplace.

The course tutor will carry out an on-going

assessment of the practical elements of the

course. Successful students will receive a

certificate valid for a period of three years.

Who’s it for? This course is for anyone who

needs to deal with first aid in the workplace.

Howtodealwithdifficultissuesinvolunteermanagement(Full)Thursday10December2009,9:30am–1pm

The Park Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 1QD

This new course will be run by Voscur and

Volunteering Bristol as part of the Volunteer

Management project.

This session will cover:

• Defining the problem and problem solving

• Effective communication

• How to avoid problems

• Setting boundaries

• Saying goodbye and exit interviews

Who’s it for? This course is for anyone who

manages volunteers.

We are developing our Spring Training Programme which, as always, aims to support voluntary,

community and social enterprise organisations. A programme will be sent out to Members in January

2010. Visit our website www.voscur.org/learning for details. To register your interest for any of the

courses listed below which are now full, but will be repeated, please email: [email protected]

If you want to find out more about our tailor made courses please contact Sophie Bayley on 0117 909

9949 or email: [email protected]

Page 40: Thrive Dec09 Jan10

Voscur Ltd. The CREATE Centre Smeaton Road Bristol BS1 6XN

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

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Voscur Diary — December 2009 / January 2010

December

Tuesday 1 December Volunteers and the Law (Full)The Federation of City Farms, The GreenHouse, Hereford Street, Bristol, BS3 4NA (9:30am-1pm)

Wednesday 9 December HSE Approved Emergency First Aid At Work (EFAW) (Full) Withywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 8QA (9:30am-4pm)

Thursday 10 December How to deal with difficult issues in volunteer management (Full) The Park Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 1QD (9:30am-1pm)

Tuesday 15 December Voscur AssemblyKnowle West Media Centre, Leinster Avenue, Knowle West, Bristol, BS4 1NL (1pm-4pm)

January

Thursday 14 January Introduction to FundraisingWithywood Centre, Queens Road, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 8QA (9:30am-3:30pm)

Tuesday 19 January Joint CYP Network Meeting The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 2QQ (10am-1pm)

Wednesday 20 January Voscur AssemblySouthville Centre, Beauley Road Bristol, BS3 1QG (9:30am-1pm)

Thursday 28 January Neighbourhood Partnership Residents’ ForumThe Council House, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TR (6pm-8pm)