GMCVO NEWS, TRAINING and EVENTS

March 2013 No. 83

Action on Poverty Commission’s findings Since the publication of the Greater Manchester Poverty Commission’s findings at Manchester Town Hall on 15th January 2013, a number of initiatives have been set in motion to carry forward the Commission’s recommendations. The Commission’s report received widespread media coverage on local and national TV and radio, together with local, national and even international press! It produced 16 recommendations for action relating to fuel, food and finance, access to services, jobs, economic growth and monitoring. GMCVO provided the secretariat for the Commission when the research for the report was being carried out. Having participated fully in the Commission’s research, Greater Manchester’s voluntary, community and faith sector has responded to the report’s recommendations. Sector colleagues in Salford have promoted the report to Salford’s Health and Well Being Board; the Oldham Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector Partnership will be holding a meeting to take the poverty agenda forward in the borough; and similar actions are being formulated by sector colleagues in Tameside. At a Greater Manchester level, the Diocese of Manchester together with Caritas, organised a cross-sector conference on food poverty. The conference produced lots of ideas for greater co-ordination of food banks together with improving sustainability. Strategy meetings are now being planned. Many housing organisations in Greater Manchester have collated a response to the report, and the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) will be meeting with Commissioner Jon Lord to see how the housing sector in Greater Manchester can progress action on poverty. Further activity will see CLES, GMCVO, the Manchester Black and Minority Ethnic Network, and Save the Children meet to develop a Greater Manchester Poverty Action Group (GMPAG). It is intended that the GMPAG will be high level, and the initial meeting will discuss the terms of reference and the expectations of stakeholders. GMCVO will also be hosting the cross-sector forum for credit unions, housing organisations, CABx and local authorities to look at how the sectors can work together towards tackling the challenges posed by welfare reform. For further information, contact Andy Rawling, GMCVO, 0161 277 1032, [email protected].

GMCVO’s response to child poverty measurement proposals A set of multi-dimensional poverty measures, proposed by the Government, does not provide a more robust or effective way of measuring child poverty, according to GMCVO. Current child poverty measures focus on a family’s income, but the Government wants to look at how a wider measurement can be developed, to tackle the root causes of poverty including worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown. But in its response to the consultation (click here), GMCVO argues the four measures detailed in the Poverty Act 2010, which was developed in partnership with many stakeholders and experts including children’s charities, provide a solid framework for measuring child poverty and that the “better measurement” proposed in the consultation document is not currently needed. Talent Match partnership clears first application round A partnership of organisations in Greater Manchester, led by GMCVO, has successfully passed the first stage application for Talent Match funding and has been invited to submit a detailed project proposal. Talent Match is a Big Lottery Fund programme aimed at helping young people into employment in England's worst hit areas. Launched In June 2012, the £100 million programme is targeting 21 Local Enterprise Partnership areas in England with the highest numbers of 18-24 year olds not in education, employment or training. In these areas, programmes will be developed and delivered by cross-sector partnerships led by a voluntary organisation, and with the active involvement of young people. The Greater Manchester area is expected to receive £9.6 million over five years. Final stage applications are due by 24th June, with decisions expected in September 2013. Further information about the programme in Greater Manchester can be seen here.

Will the Social Value Act deliver for the voluntary sector? The Social Value Act is intended to open up opportunities in public service delivery for smaller voluntary organisations. Under the new law, which came into force in January 2013, public authorities have to consider the social value of the services they commission. The latest edition of GMCVO’s policy journal, Issues, places the social value delivered by public sector commissioning in context and looks at the challenges the sector will face in actually realising the Act’s ambitions. The Social Value Act – an opportunity and a challenge.

New network proposed to foster closer community/university working GMCVO is part of a national working group that is looking at the possibility of developing a UK-wide 'community partner' network to promote closer working with universities. Interest in community-university partnerships – organisations from the community working with universities on a project or to share resources – is increasing, but the power balance in such partnerships is often skewed in favour of the university partner. The proposed network would enable voluntary and community groups and other community partners to come together and share learning and experiences of working with universities, as well as supporting each other to make such joint work a fruitful experience for the community involved. A working group has secured funding for the development phase and is inviting organisations interested in working with universities to give their views on the scope of such a network. A Community Partner Survey to gather feedback on the development of the next phase of the project can be completed via the link below. The deadline for responses is 5th April 2013. This work has been initiated by a group of community partners, including GMCVO, academics, the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement and the Community University Partnership Programme at the University of Brighton who are committed to supporting the development of mutually beneficial partnerships between universities and community groups. For further information about the project, click here or e-mail GMCVO researcher Susanne Martikke at [email protected].

GMCVO Training Programme

● Designing Research 18th April The first in a series of three 1-day courses on research. ● Essential HR 26th April A half-day workshop outlining the basic elements of HR that will provide employers and managers with all they need to know about engaging their workforce. ● ILM Level 2 Leadership and Team Skills 1st, 8th & 15th May This course will enable you to develop as a leader through the application of leadership and team work strategies and better understanding of the role and responsibilities of a team leader. ● Developing Personal and Team Resilience 15th May This one-day course will explore resilience factors using a positive psychology approach to increase your ability to manage in challenging times and decrease the instances of stress, whilst strengthening teams through shared strategies. ● Data Protection 16th May A 1-day course that will alert you to data protection issues and highlight your responsibilities under the Data Protection Act. ● ILM Level 4 Award in Leadership and Management 17th, 24th & 31st May and14th & 21st June A 5-day course to develop the management and leadership skills of practising and aspiring middle managers. ● Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) 20th May, 3rd, 11th & 18th June, and 2nd July This updated and improved 5-day course is suitable for new and existing trainers who want to develop their skills and gain the nationally-recognised PTLLS qualification. ● Train the Trainer 23rd & 24th May This two-day course is to enable participants to enhance the quality and effectiveness of their training skills and practices. ● Creative Research Methods 5th June The second in a series of three 1-day courses on research. ● Emotional Intelligence 10th June This one-day course will provide an insight into how to gain the tools to understand yourself and those around you for better working and professional relationships. ● ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management 12th, 19th & 26th June This new 3-day course is aimed at developing the skills and knowledge of individuals who have management responsibilities. ● Make Monitoring and Evaluation Work for You 17th June This 1-day course looks at the relevance and value of a structured approach to monitoring and evaluation, and at the skills and techniques that can be used for both new and existing projects. ● Managing a Community Building 20th June This course is aimed at staff, volunteers and trustees who manage or have responsibility for community centres or buildings or other community facilities. ● Making Sense of Qualitative Research Data 9th July The third in a series of three 1-day courses on research.

All courses to be held at the St Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester M12 6FZ.

For further information, contact Safia Griffin at GMCVO, 0161 277 1007, [email protected], or visit www.gmcvo.org.uk/gmcvotraining2. NEWS and INFORMATION

Bedroom tax penalises 50,000 Greater Manchester residents Around 50,000 people across Greater Manchester will pay as much as £1,000 a year more rent when changes to Housing Benefit take effect on 1st April, according to a report in the Manchester Evening News. Over 31,000 disabled people will be among those affected. Under the new rules, council housing or housing association residents who receive the benefit, and have at least one ‘spare’ bedroom, will have to move to a smaller flat – or face losing benefits. Housing experts have warned that in many areas there simply aren’t enough smaller affordable homes for people to move into. A spokesman from the National Housing Federation said: “Many people will find themselves having to move into more expensive privately rented properties, adding to the overall Housing Benefit bill.” The five worst-hit constituencies in the country will be in the North West: ● Manchester Central – 4,160 ● Salford & Eccles – 3,200 ● Blackley & Broughton – 3,113 ● Liverpool Riverside – 2,920 ● Manchester Gorton – 2,848 A home with one ‘spare’ bedroom in Greater Manchester will lose up to £531 Housing Benefit on average every year, while those with two extra will pay £949 extra per year. Manchester and Salford to be hit hardest by bedroom tax

Free Universal Credit training from Gingerbread Gingerbread is offering free courses to voluntary and community sector staff on Universal Credit – the ‘new’ means-tested benefit to be introduced from October 2013. The training involves two briefing sessions to be delivered in one day. Among the aspects to be covered are: ● the benefits and tax credits which Universal Credit will replace and those which will remain; ● who will be able to claim Universal Credit; ● how amounts will be worked out, including the cap on total household benefits; ● help for childcare and housing costs; ● how the availability for work conditions affect single parents; ● timescales and how to prepare for implementation. Commissioning organisations must have single parents among their clients and agree to fill both the morning and afternoon sessions with a minimum of 16 people in each session with their own staff or voluntary partner staff. Similar free sessions on ‘single parents and tax credit’ are also available. Organisations interested in commissioning the training should visit Gingerbread’s website and complete the enquiry form.

Guidelines on impact practice A draft of a Code of Good Impact Practice has been developed by 17 organisations and produced by NCVO for the ‘Inspiring Impact’ programme. Impact is the difference you make. By focusing on your impact, you can make more of a difference through your work. This means planning what impact you want to have and how best to achieve it, collecting information about your impact, assessing what impact you’re having, communicating this information and learning from it. The Code provides broad, agreed guidelines for focusing on impact. It sets out a cycle of impact practice and a series of high-level principles to follow. Each principle includes a brief description of how your impact practice would look if you were applying the principle, an explanation of why it is important and some ideas about how to implement it. Work Programme providers 'parking' hardest-to-help, warn MPs The Public Accounts Committee has published a damning report on the Government’s Work Programme, highlighting that those hardest to help on the programme are receiving minimum support. It is the second major report in a week to be critical of the coalition Government’s flagship welfare-to-work programme; the Third Sector Research Centre report, Does Sector Matter?, found ‘creaming and parking’ – helping those job-seekers most likely to find employment while providing little assistance or referring on the harder-to-help cases – was an unavoidable consequence of the programme’s payment-by-results model. The Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) report also raises concerns about ‘creaming and parking’, saying that there is emerging evidence that those who are hardest to help are being ‘parked’ and therefore left with little prospect of moving into work. The PAC calls on the Department for Work and Pensions to identify why the Work Programme’s differential payment arrangements, intended to incentivise providers not to neglect this group, are not working. Charities are traditionally more likely to support the harder-to-help on welfare-to-work programmes, but some organisations helping these types of clients have said they have received no referrals from prime contractors. Last year, homelessness support charity St Mungo’s withdrew from the Work Programme after receiving no referrals from its three prime contractors. Overall, the PAC report concluded that the Work Programme’s performance had been “so far extremely poor”. Labour MP Margaret Hodge, chair of the PAC, said: “The Work Programme is absolutely crucial for helping people, especially the most vulnerable, get into and stay in work. However its performance so far has been extremely poor. The first set of data on job outcomes shows that between June 2011 and July 2012, only 3.6 per cent of people referred to the Work Programme moved off benefit and into work, less than a third of the target of 11.9 per cent. In fact, performance was so poor that it was actually worse than the Department’s own expectations of the number of people who would have found work if the Programme didn’t exist.” [from: Civil Society Governance 22.2.13]

Government announces social care reforms Plans for a cap of £75,000 for the amount elderly people in England have to pay in their lifetime for social care have been announced by health secretary, Jeremy Hunt. The £75,000 limit will apply from April 2017 and cover basic nursing care, such as assistance with washing and dressing. People will still have to pay accommodation and food costs while in residential care. Hunt also announced a rise from £23,250 to £123,000 in the amount of assets people have before having to contribute to the costs of basic nursing care. The £75,000 cap is more than double the figure recommended by Andrew Dilnot, the independent expert commissioned by the coalition Government to examine options for overhauling the social care system. The Dilnot Commission recommended setting a lifetime cap of £35,000 on the total people would have to pay towards care and raising the value of assets people could hold before having to pay the full cost of their care from £23,250 to £100,000. The Government accepted this figure with the new figure of £123,000 from 2017, the same as £100,000 in 2010/11. People of working age who develop care needs before retirement age will benefit from a cap that is lower than £75,000. People who have care needs before they turn 18 will effectively have their cap set at zero. The Government's plans will be part-funded by freezing the inheritance tax threshold – at £325,000 for individuals and £650,000 for couples – for three years from 2015/16. The rest will come from employers' national insurance contributions being released as a result of the single state pension reforms. BBC article: Social care: Jeremy Hunt’s plans aim to bring ‘greater peace of mind’

New human rights advice service A new equality and human rights helpline has been set up to provide advice services to individuals who think they may have experienced discrimination or had their human rights breached. The Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) aims to support individuals referred from local organisations, advisory groups, faith based organisations and other groups working within the community that support people experiencing discrimination. An individual can also contact the service directly for advice. Esmée Fairbairn Foundation launches new £5m food strand The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has launched a £5 million fund for charities that work on food-related causes. The Foundation, which awards total funding of between £30 million and £35 million a year, is inviting applications from organisations that work to understand and investigate the role food plays in wellbeing and the relationship between food, sustainability and poverty. The funding is open to both large-scale strategic or policy-led organisations and those working on innovative local projects. The programme will operate until at least the end of 2015. There is no set minimum or maximum amount that organisations can apply for. The Foundation has in the past supported charities set up to gain more understanding of the impact of food on people, communities and the environment. Dawn Austwick, chief executive of the Foundation, said: "There is an increasing recognition that what and how people eat is intrinsically linked to factors such as poverty and wellbeing, while also affecting the world we live in. "We’re keen to attract and explore applications that pioneer approaches to understanding the interplay between these issues, and ultimately try to improve access to good quality food and encourage more sustainable methods of production." [from: Third Sector Online 7.3.13]

Children in Need opens for applications Funding is available from BBC Children in Need to not-for-profit organisations in the UK that are supporting children and young people of 18 years and under who are experiencing disadvantage through: ● illness, distress, abuse or neglect; ● any kind of disability; ● behavioural or psychological difficulties; ● living in poverty or situations of deprivation. Organisations must be working to combat this disadvantage and to make a real difference to children and young people's lives. The following levels of funding are available: ● Main Grants of over £10,000 are available to support projects for up to three years. There is no upper limit but very few grants over £100,000 are made and most grants are for much less. ● Small Grants of up to £10,000 are available for one year. The deadlines for Main Grants applications in 2013 are 15th May and 15th September. The deadlines for Small Grants applications in 2013 are 1st April, 1st June, 1st September and 1st December.

Sharing Heritage A new funding programme to help people across the UK explore, conserve and share all aspects of the history and character of their local area has been launched by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Sharing Heritage will draw on a fund of £3 million each year, which will be given out as grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 to groups that want to discover their local heritage. Projects are expected to cover a wide spectrum of subject matter but could include: ● exploring local archaeology; ● a community's cultures and traditions; ● identifying and recording local wildlife and protecting the surrounding environment; ● collecting and digitising old photos; ● producing local history publications; ● conserving sites or items of local significance; ● managing and training volunteers; ● holding festivals and events to commemorate the past. This new programme follows the success of last year's one-off HLF grant scheme All Our Stories, which ran in tandem with BBC Two's ‘The Great British Story: A People’s History’. Sharing Heritage is a rolling programme and is open to any not-for-profit group wanting to explore their community’s heritage. Free sign-up to online fundraising tool For a limited period, Forever Manchester is offering small community groups and charities the chance to sign up to online fundraising tool, localgiving.com, for free (sign-up usually costs £72). Further, all donations made through localgiving will be doubled as part of Forever Manchester’s ‘March Match’. Localgiving is an online fundraising tool aimed at enabling small community groups and charities to take online donations. Its benefits include: ● Editable web page for your group with a ‘donate’ button ● Gift Aid on all eligible donations (even if you’re not a registered charity) ● Direct Debit facility for your regular donors/supporters If you take advantage of the free sign-up offer, you’ll get 15 months to see whether localgiving is useful for your group. For further details or to get started, contact: Tracy Sheppard, Forever Manchester, 0161 214 0940, [email protected].

Travel grants for disabled people's groups Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) provides Small Travel Grants to help meet the needs of older or disabled people who have serious mobility difficulties and who find it difficult to use ordinary public transport. Each grant is worth up to £150 and must be used to pay for transport; for example, commercial coach or minibus hire, community transport or taxis. Trips on Ring and Ride services are not eligible. The grants are for voluntary organisations of older or disabled people or for voluntary organisations that stage events which are likely to attract significant numbers of older or disabled people. The trip or event must be a special one-off occasion and not a regular meeting. It must take place in Greater Manchester or within 10 miles of the county boundary and the people involved must live in Greater Manchester. All organisations must have a bank account. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the event or trip takes place. For further information or advice about the grants, contact Jessica Powell on 0161 244 1658.

Cabinet Office launches £36m social action initiative The Cabinet Office has launched a two-year £36 million programme to encourage volunteering and social action. The initiative, the Centre for Social Action, will begin in April 2013 and support organisations that want to mobilise people to take part in social action. It follows on from the Cabinet Office’s £20 million Social Action Fund which closed for applications in February 2012. A Cabinet Office spokesman could not confirm whether the funding support from the Centre for Social Action would be grants or other types of investment, saying it would be a “mixture of product structures” with more details becoming available in April. Within the new Centre for Social Action, innovation charity Nesta will run a new Innovation Fund which will be backed by £10 million from the Cabinet Office and £4 million from Nesta. [from: Civil Society Governance 21-2-13]

Information-sharing toolkit and event A toolkit to help organisations share information appropriately and securely when delivering services to the public has been produced by a project supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The Improving Information Sharing and Management (IISaM) exemplar project provides tools and resources to help you and your colleagues share the right information at the right time, in the right way. The project’s website provides tools, case studies and templates to help you around appropriate information sharing. The project is also holding a number of free events to share what it has learnt over the last 12 months. The sessions will draw on research evidence and participants’ own experiences to explore different practitioner approaches to information-sharing and consider why a variety of policies and practices is sometimes needed, for example, in relation to the treatment of confidentiality and in seeking consent to share. The Manchester event takes place on 22nd April and 1st May (see Events section below). Dispelling myths about poverty A report which aims to dispel popular myths about poverty has been published by the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church. The lies we tell ourselves: ending comfortable myths about poverty begins with a case study about the misinformation that accompanied the introduction of the Troubled Families programme. It then focuses on the following six myths, which the authors say are enabling "the majority to live with the comfortable assumption that both poverty and wealth are deserved": ● ‘They’ are lazy and just don’t want to work ● ‘They’ are addicted to drink and drugs ● ‘They’ are not really poor - they just don’t manage their money properly ● ‘They’ are on the fiddle ● ‘They’ have an easy life on benefits ● 'They’ caused the deficit The authors conclude that a public discourse is needed that is based on a true understanding of poverty and whose language matches "the reality of people's lives."

Community Life Survey: latest data released Results from the new Community Life Survey have been published covering the period between August and October 2012. The survey incorporates key measures from the previous Citizenship Survey, which was discontinued by the Coalition Government. Similar to the Citizenship Survey, the new survey covers topics such as formal and informal volunteering, giving to charity, levels of trust in communities and the extent of community action and collaboration. According to this, just over 70 per cent of people had volunteered at least once in the last 12 months, with 45 per cent of people volunteering formally and 61 per cent volunteering informally. These figures represent significant increases from 2010-11 (65, 39 and 55 per cent respectively). Just under half (49 per cent) of people had volunteered at least once a month in the past year, a significant increase from 41 per cent in 2010-11. 74 per cent of people had given money to charity in the four weeks prior to being interviewed, unchanged from 2010-11 levels. Findings seem to suggest good neighbourly relations (53 per cent agreed that they borrow things and exchange favours with their neighbours), a strong sense of belonging to one's neighbourhood and high levels of satisfaction with the local area as a place to live. Whereas the figures for these indicators were all unchanged from 2010-2011, there was a significant fall in the percentage of people who felt that people in their neighbourhood pulled together to improve their area. This figure fell from 67 to 62 per cent. Further details from the latest survey can be seen in the Statistical Bulletin.

Draft guidance on charity decision making The Charity Commission has published a draft version of online guidance to help trustees gain confidence in their decision making and judgement. It's your decision - guidance on decision making for charity trustees sets out the principles that should guide trustees when considering important decisions for their charity and assessing risks associated with their decisions. Feedback on the draft is invited by 30th March 2013.

Sector response to protection of employment regulations The Government launched a consultation on TUPE in January – the regulations intended to protect the employment rights of employees who are affected by the transfer of a business or service. They propose to repeal some of the changes made in 2006. NCVO is working with a range of voluntary organisations to make recommendations on behalf of the sector and has put together a survey on the issue, which includes further explanation. Responses by 27th March 2013.

Gift Aid is going online Gift Aid is moving online from April 2013. If you claim Gift Aid already, you need to take action to get ready for this change. For most charities, these changes will require the use of a new HMRC form or spreadsheet for the submission of claims. For others, more detailed changes to database systems will be required. The Small Donations Scheme will also go live in April 2013. Under the new scheme, charities that have a track record of making Gift Aid claims will be able claim on small cash donations, without a donor declaration form. Guidance for the Small Donations Scheme will be published by HMRC in mid-March. If you have not claimed Gift Aid before, April may be a good time to start doing so. HMRC has given assurances that the new online system will be easy to use. By claiming Gift Aid for two years, you will also become eligible for the Small Donations Scheme. Take a look at HMRC’s website to find out more about Gift Aid and how to register using the new system from April. HMRC has been writing to charities and full guidance and materials were published in early March. Any questions or enquiries should be made to HMRC’s charity helpline: 0845 302 0203.

Pros and cons of the CIO The pros and cons of the new legal structure, the charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), and the types of charity that are likely to benefit the most from it, are discussed in a ‘Pioneers Post’ article by a partner of Bates Wells and Braithwaite solicitors. What charities need to know about Charitable Incorporated Organisations

EVENTS and TRAINING

Energy Efficiency Workshop 20th March Manchester Workshop aimed at third sector organisations in Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Tameside or Trafford that would like to become more energy efficient. It will cover the current energy issue, energy use and management in the workplace and raising staff awareness. Candidate outcomes will include enhanced knowledge of energy efficiency, the ability to benchmark your energy use, an understanding of bills and tariffs, identification of opportunities for improvements, and the ability to carry out simple energy audits. Organised by Groundwork MSSTT. Details/Bookings: Groundwork, 0161 220 1020, [email protected]. http://deccworkshop.eventbrite.co.uk/

Fuelling Manchester social event 21st March Salford Fuelling Manchester is the ninth networking session for community renewables in Greater Manchester. This is purely a social event, with no agenda and no structure, just an opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals to chat, discuss and network. For anyone involved in community renewable projects, including water turbine co-operatives, bio-mass and woodland management enterprises, waste-to-energy projects and solar energy collectives. Run by the Carbon Co-op in collaboration with the Kindling Trust. From 7pm at the Back Lion in Chapel Street. Bookings: (for food) [email protected].

Commercial Skills Masterclass for Public Service Delivery 26th & 27th March Manchester Using case studies, practical commercial tools and the direct experiences of expert facilitators, this two-day masterclass will guide you through the commercial skills required to succeed in a world of sub-contracts, competition and payment-by-results. Surveying delegates beforehand, each event is tailored to your stated needs and interests, and will tackle the key issues involved in both direct contracting and sub- contracting. The event has been designed for service managers, senior staff and trustees in voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations who are delivering or looking to deliver public services, and/or bidding in consortia or partnership. £25 per delegate (inc lunch and refreshments). Details/Bookings: www.vsnw.org.uk/events/view/614.

Introduction to Volunteering in the Arts Toolkit 27th March Bolton Voluntary Arts England and Volunteering England have designed a toolkit to support small and medium- sized arts groups to improve the support that they offer to volunteers. The toolkit is a ‘how to’ guide to improve groups’ volunteer management skills base and current levels of support. Volunteer Centre Bolton, the Octagon and Voluntary Arts England have come together to host the launch of this toolkit in Bolton. This session will provide the opportunity for people from arts and craft-based organisations to interact with others from similar groups, find out more about volunteering in the arts, review the key issues and topics covered in the toolkit and learn about the support that Volunteer Centre Bolton can offer. 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Details/Bookings: Heather Potter, Volunteer Centre Bolton, 01204 546060, [email protected]

Issues and Perspectives on Digital Technologies and Care 9th April Manchester This workshop will explore changes, challenges and opportunities associated with new digital technologies for care. Research aimed at improving the lives of older and disabled people has produced a wide range of digital applications designed to help maintain independence in later life. Examples include on-line digital services, caseload management, and easy communication between service users as well as across service providers. The workshop will bring together practitioners, researchers and care providers (including voluntary organisations and small enterprises). Organised by the MMU and others. 12pm to 4.15pm. Details/Bookings: http://mcr9apr13.eventbrite.co.uk/#

Co-operatives2020 Open Day 10th April Manchester This free event will provide an opportunity for social enterprises, co-ops and VCF organisations in Greater Manchester to find out about Co-operatives2020’s plans for the year including peer learning to support your organisation, educational visits and future innovation in ESOL provision. Three sessions will be offered during the day to enable participants to learn about the benefits of getting involved. 10.30am to 8.30pm. Bookings: http://co-operatives2020openday.eventbrite.co.uk. Details: 0161 448 0788.

FSI Manchester Roadshow 16th and 17th April Manchester This two-day event will offer eight training courses, covering key fundraising skills and techniques. Among the courses are building corporate relationships, fundraising strategy, demonstrating your impact, and an introduction to major donors. Free of charge to small charities (less than £1.5m turnover per annum). 10am to 4.30pm at the St Thomas Centre in Ardwick. Details/Bookings: www.thefsi.org/training/near-you/manchester/ Valuing Our Differences to Improve Information Sharing 22nd April & 1st May Manchester Different public service deliverers, whether employed in the public, private or voluntary sectors, need to work with service users differently. Learning how this affects approaches to information sharing can help to overcome some of the barriers to appropriate and effective sharing and protection of personal, sensitive service user information. This two-day multi-agency practitioner development workshop will use presentations, scenario-based exercises and other group and individual workshop activities. It will draw on research evidence and participants’ own experiences to explore different practitioner approaches to information sharing and consider why a variety of policies and practices is sometimes needed, for example in relation to the treatment of confidentiality and in seeking consent to share. Details/Bookings: Sue Richardson, [email protected]. www.informationsharing.co.uk

VACANCIES

Creative Living Centre The Creative Living Centre is looking to employ a Volunteer Development Worker to work alongside individuals to support and motivate them to achieve their volunteering goals, and who can help the Centre develop this area of work as a whole. 20 hours per week. Salary: £13,385 per annum. 18-month contract initially, subject to review. Closing date for applications: 27th March 2013. The Prestwich-based charity provides holistic support to adults experiencing mental or emotional distress. For further information or an application pack, contact Liz Thompson (Centre Manager), 0161 772 3524, [email protected]/

PCC seeks volunteers for custody visiting scheme Do you have a little time to spare and want to make a real contribution to the delivery of a first-class police service? Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner is recruiting volunteers for the Independent Custody Visiting scheme. Volunteers make random visits to Greater Manchester Police’s custody suites to check on the welfare of detainees and the conditions of the custody facilities. Closing date for applications: 31st March 2013. To find out more and request an application pack call 0161 604 7711 or click here.

Finance Manager at Visyon Visyon wishes to recruit a part-time Finance Manager. The successful candidate should have a financial management qualification, experience of working in a busy office and undertaking financial management and reporting, and be able to work flexibly. The Congleton-based charity aims to promote and improve the emotional health and well-being of children and young people through counselling, play therapy, youth work and parent support. 16 hours per week Salary: £24,000 pro rata (37.5 hours per week) Closing date for applications: 1st April 2013 (9am). For further information or an application pack, phone 01260 290000 or e-mail [email protected]. Tender invitation on parental engagement Research across the North West has highlighted parental engagement as an important deciding factor in young people's participation in arts and cultural activities. Young people who find it hardest to engage in particular would benefit enormously from the practical help, support and encouragement of parents or carers. When asked, very few organisations had examples of projects targeting engagement of parents and many felt currently unable to do this kind of work. To help improve this situation, Curious Minds – a Burnley-based charity which helps people and organisations realise their creative potential – has issued an invitation to tender for work to gather intelligence on parental engagement. The successful applicant will gather intelligence, and identify and build relationships with key contacts and potential partners. Work is expected to include initial scoping, conducting face-to-face meetings, gathering existing research as well as communicating with Curious Minds staff and writing. It is envisaged that the piece of work will take around 30 to 40 days in total. Deadline for applications: 2nd April 2013. Further details from: www.curiousminds.org.uk/ittpecm

Join Macc’s board of trustees Macc is looking for committed and caring people to get involved in shaping the future of its work to support and develop a thriving voluntary, community and faith sector in Manchester. The support organisation is looking for new board members to bring fresh skills, knowledge and experience in the areas of: accountancy, human resources, marketing, volunteering, enterprise and commerce, and law. For further details, click here. For an application pack, contact Pauline, 0161 834 9823, [email protected].

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