RCVYS Newsletter - December 2011
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RCVYS Reading Children’s & Voluntary Youth Services Providing support, advice, representation and information for its member organisations 34 Parkside Road, Reading, Berkshire. RG30 2DD Tel: 07872 958501 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rcvys.org.uk Newsletter December 2011 Some dates for your diary... The RCVYS 10th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Tuesday 31st January 2012 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm (with food from 6pm) at Wycliffe Baptist Church (233 Kings Road, Reading, RG1 4LS). Please see the item overleaf for more information. For your information, the next RCVYS Exec Meeting is on Wednesday 29th February 2012. If you have any items you would like on the agenda, please get in touch. RCVYS has recently been commissioned by Reading Borough Council to carry out a short-term piece of work with Private and Voluntary Ofsted Registered Day Nurseries and Early Years Providers to help them set up and manage a sustainable, sector-led Forum to network organisations in this very specialist field. This will also include co-ordinating and optimising training and learning opportunities, and managing representation on a small number of groups. We are delighted to announce that we have recruited Lyn Griffiths as the new RCVYS Early Years Providers’ Development Worker on a secondment basis. Lyn will work 10 hours a week for RCVYS, whilst also continuing her role as Finance and Administration Officer at The Grange Pre-School in Southcote. This project will run until the end of July 2012, and I’m sure that we will all benefit from the many skills that Lyn brings to the role. To find our more about Lyn, please see the Who’s Who on the overleaf. Supporting the best start in life Throughout 2011, RCVYS has been playing a key role in Reading’s Innovations Project. The Innovations Project is one of only 6 areas in the country to take part in a government scheme looking at developing new ways to deliver support children under 5, using radical efficiencies to deliver 30% savings. The initial phase of the project focused in a small area of South Reading, and started off looking at the lived experiences for families in the Hexham and Staverton Road Estates, through a research technique called ‘Ethnography’. The results were then analysed, with many surprises about the lives of families, including that no-one accessed any kind of childcare provision. The project then proceeded to look at remodelling the Sure Start Whitley Children’s Centre to develop a parent volunteering scheme which complements existing services. The whole project has used a prototyping process, where every aspect has been modelled and tested with parents to ensure that the scheme is going to work. The graphic above shows the thought process that parents went through in prototyping parts of the project. The next phase is to repeat the process in North, West and East Reading, where several RCVYS Members have been undertaking some of the ethnographic research in their areas, and will be involved in developing programs in their own localities. This project has recently been recognised as a finalist in the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards 2012. If you’d like to be involved, please contact RCVYS directly. Reading’s Innovations Project
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RCVYS Newsletter - December 2011
Transcript of RCVYS Newsletter - December 2011
RCVYS Reading Children’s & Voluntary
Youth Services
Providing support, advice, representation and
information for its member organisations
34 Parkside Road, Reading, Berkshire. RG30 2DD
Tel: 07872 958501 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rcvys.org.uk
Newsletter
December 2011
Some dates for your diary...
The RCVYS 10th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Tuesday 31st January 2012 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm (with food from 6pm) at Wycliffe Baptist Church (233 Kings Road, Reading, RG1 4LS). Please see the item overleaf for more information.
For your information, the next RCVYS Exec Meeting is on Wednesday 29th February 2012. If you have any items you would like on the agenda, please get in touch.
RCVYS has recently been commissioned by Reading Borough Council to carry out a short-term piece of work with Private and Voluntary Ofsted Registered Day Nurseries and Early Years Providers to help them set up and manage a sustainable, sector-led Forum to network organisations in this very specialist field. This will also include co-ordinating and optimising training and learning opportunities, and managing representation on a small number of groups. We are delighted to announce that we have recruited Lyn Griffiths as the new RCVYS Early Years Providers’
Development Worker on a secondment basis. Lyn will work 10 hours a week for RCVYS, whilst also continuing her role as Finance and Administration Officer at The Grange Pre-School in Southcote. This project will run until the end of July 2012, and I’m sure that we will all benefit from the many skills that Lyn brings to the role. To find our more about Lyn, please see the Who’s Who on the overleaf.
Supporting the best start in life
Throughout 2011, RCVYS has been playing a key role in Reading’s Innovations Project. The Innovations Project is one of only 6 areas in the country to take part in a government scheme looking at developing new ways to deliver support children under 5, using radical efficiencies to deliver 30% savings.
The initial phase of the project focused in a small area of South Reading, and started off looking at the lived experiences for families in the Hexham and Staverton Road Estates, through a research technique called ‘Ethnography’. The results were then analysed, with many surprises about the lives of families, including that no-one accessed any kind of childcare provision.
The project then proceeded to look at remodelling the Sure Start Whitley Children’s Centre to develop a parent volunteering scheme which complements existing services.
The whole project has used a prototyping process, where every aspect has been modelled and tested with parents to ensure that the scheme is going to work.
The graphic above shows the thought process that parents went through in prototyping parts of the project.
The next phase is to repeat the process in North, West and East Reading, where several RCVYS Members have been undertaking some of the ethnographic research in their areas, and will be involved in developing programs in their own localities. This project has recently been recognised as a finalist in the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards 2012.
If you’d like to be involved, please contact RCVYS directly.
Reading’s Innovations Project
5 Things...
On Tuesday 31st January 2012, RCVYS will be celebrating our 10th Anniversary with an evening Celebration Event. The event will be an opportunity
to showcase and celebrate the excellent work that RCVYS member organisations provide for children, young people and families here in Reading. The Mayor of Reading will also be presenting some special awards to recognise the exceptional contributions made by 3 individuals within their organisations. RCVYS Members can nominate individuals from their organisations to receive these awards. For more information, please get in touch.
Reading Borough Council have recently announced that they will be merging the Directorate of Education and Children’s Services with Housing and Community Care to create a new
Directorate of Education, Social Services and Housing. RCVYS was invited to be a part of the selection process for the new Director, with Avril Wilson being the successful candidate.
Reading Children’s Trust has recently held its annual elections for the role of Vice Chair, and the RCVYS
Development Worker (Ben Cross) was re-elected as Vice Chair of Reading Children’s Trust.
Reading Borough Council has recently completed two competitive tenders for services for children, young people and families. The contract for Youth Counselling Services was awarded to Connexions
Thames Valley, and the contract for Community Family Support was awarded to Barnardo’s. The next areas highlighted for commissioning include ‘youth services’ & ‘services for disabled children’, although the process for these is likely to be different.
Finally, we’d like to wish all RCVYS Members and our partners a very Happy Christmas, and to wish you all
the very best for 2012!
RCVYS Who’s Who . . . Lyn Griffiths Position held in RCVYS: RCVYS Early Years Providers’ Development Worker
Organisation and position held: The Grange Pre-School - Finance and Administration Officer
What’s the best thing about RCVYS: RCVYS co-ordinates needs of different groups and provides opportunities and resources that can bring groups together to share views, issues and experiences
Ideal way to relax: Working on the allotment. Being outside in the fresh air, eating fresh produce and finding new recipes. The Beetroot soup was good but a required taste. Next year: Rhubarb Wine!
Unknown fact about you: Not really unknown by some, but I got remarried 4 years ago. It was a magical day and my children looked amazing - I felt very proud of them all. My husband’s passion is Land Rovers, and that was our wedding car surprise, which was even put on our wedding cake.
Thing you want to do before your next BIG birthday: I am hoping to go to Venice, and next year for the big birthday - New York.
Which celebrity do you look like: I cant say I look like any celebrity. When I asked my daughter, she did say Miss Piggy. Children - don’t you just love them! My self-esteem hits an all time low!
