Thrive! April, May, June 2013

Supporting voluntary and community action April/May/June 2013

BIG Green Week 2013

Changes to Gift Aid

Spring/Summer training

Reclaiming the agenda

Self Directed Support

Pension reform

One Billion Rising

and more!

Inside this issue:

Ph

oto

by

Mar

k Si

mm

on

s P

ho

tog

rap

hy

Hundreds of local people taking part in a flash mob this February to mark One Billion Rising, the global movement to end violence against women and girls (more inside).

www.voscur.org April / May / June 2013 Issue 202

What’s Payment by Results?

Do we want to be a Charitable Incorporated Organisation?

How do we promote what we offer under

personalisation?What’s out there to support our new trustees?

For the answers to these and many other questions, why not try a Voscur training course?

Courses cover a range of topics including fundraising, finance and commissioning, managing staff and volunteers, marketing, managing your organisation, and being a trustee.

2013 also welcomes back Communicate! Voscur’s one-day interactive event takes place on 4 July 2013 to support you in marketing and promoting your services. Places are limited and likely to go fast, so early booking is recommended.

More information about courses on p16-19 or at: www.supporthub.org.uk/training-hub

Issue 20 April / May / June 2013 www.voscur.org 3

Contents

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.

Keep up to date with Voscur online:

twitter.com/voscur www.flickr.com/voscur www.youtube.com/voscurwww.facebook.com/voscur

Voscur3 Contents

4 Editorial

5 New members

6 Voscur and Volunteer Bristol

6-7 It’s good bein’ green – BIG Green Week 2013

8 Community Right to Challenge

9 Pensions reform is having a major impact

10-11 Welfare Reform: the changes, the impact, and what to do next

12-13 One step closer to each other – commissioning in Bristol

Support Hub14-15 Support for organisations = better

services for service users

16-19 Support Hub Spring/Summer training programme

20 Charities Online – a new way to do Gift Aid

21 Stepping up to equality and diversity

22 Planning services and Self Directed Support

23-24 Frequently asked questions about safeguarding

Voice and Influence 24 Bristol’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy

25 Who do we think we are? Results of Bristol’s 2011 census.

26 How influential do you feel?

27 Reclaiming the agenda

28 How Deaf aware are you?

29 A new approach to BME Voice and Influence

30 Strike, rise up and dance – One Billion Rising in Bristol

31 Nominating Community Assets

Thrive! is also available online as a pdf at www.voscur.org/magazine.

If you require it in another format, please get in touch on 0117 909 9949.


Wendy Stephenson Chief Executive

Key to symbols

Many of us involved with

voluntary and community sector

organisations are motivated by

our values. We recognise that

the public sector does not meet

all of society’s needs and that

the private sector will only meet

need if a profit can be made.

Voluntary and community sector

organisations can fill the gap

where the public sector can’t

and the private sector won’t.

People who work and volunteer

in our sector express their values

through their work.

However, more and more, the

boundaries between public,

private and voluntary are

becoming blurred: former public

sector employees are ‘spinning

out’ of public bodies to set up

Dear members and friends

Equalities Article

Training

Information & Resources

Event

charities and community interest

companies to deliver ‘public

services’, private companies are

taking on ‘volunteers’ as part of

work programme schemes, and

small voluntary and community

sector organisations can find

themselves competing against the

might of national organisations to

deliver local services. These could

be services that were initiated by a

group of volunteers in response to

a local need, were recognised as

having value, supported through a

grant and eventually packaged up

as part of a commission.

All of us are wrestling with these

issues, whilst at the same time

experiencing a high demand

for our services. At this time,

it’s important that we take care

of ourselves, our colleagues

and volunteers, as well as those

we seek to support. We know

that because of our values and

involvement in our work, there is

a danger of ‘over-commitment’

in our sector. We find ourselves

coming into the office earlier and

earlier, staying later and later, not

taking holidays, and building up

‘time off in lieu’. This can lead to

stress, poor performance and

eventually burn-out.

I speak from experience when

I say do make sure that you

are clear about your role and

responsibilities and your board’s

role and responsibilities. Do your

staff and volunteers have clear

job and role descriptions? Do

people have regular supervision

meetings, and take regular breaks

and holidays? Do you build some

social time into your workplace?

Do you say well done and thank

you often enough?

Help with staff and volunteer

management is available

through our training and events

programme; and our Support

Hub offers one-to-one sessions

with experienced development

workers. See pages 14-19 to find

out more.

Remember that you are doing

your best – often in very difficult

circumstances.

So thank you for taking the time

out of your busy schedule to read

this. I hope you find the time to

take a Spring break.

Wendy Stephenson

Chief Executive


New Voscur membersAl Madina Community

Welfare Foundation

0117 9512867

[email protected]

Alex Singleton

07769 297094

[email protected]

Avonside Foster Carers

Association (AFCA)

01275 545122

[email protected]

Barton Fields Trust

0117 9658351

[email protected]

Bath & North East Somerset

Carers’ Centre

0800 0388885

[email protected]

www.banescarerscentre.org.uk

Bristol Best Tuition

07886892624

Bristol Cameroonians

Association

0117 3822328

[email protected]

Bristol City Council – Children &

Young People’s Services (CYPS)

0117 3533308

[email protected]

Bristol International Jazz

and Blues Festival

0117 9658351

rachael@bristoljazzandbluesfest

.com

www.bristoljazzandbluesfest.com

Chrysalis Supported

Association Ltd

0117 9044366

[email protected]

www.chrysalissupported

associationltd.co.uk

Community In Partnership

Knowle West

0117 9149216

[email protected]

Compass Project Bristol

0117 9568873

kevin@compassprojectbristol

.org.uk

www.compassprojectbristol

.org.uk

Great Western Air Ambulance

0117 9699344

[email protected]

www.greatwesternairambulance

.com

HealthWatch North

Somerset CIC

01934 410193

[email protected]

The Island ArtSpace

Lifespace CIC

0117 3763457

[email protected]

www.theislandbristol.com

Kumiko Community Arts

07773 456791

charlottechapman2002@yahoo

.co.uk

www.kumikocommunityarts.org

Luckwell Improvement Project

0117 378907

info@luckwell-improvement

.org.uk

www.luckwell-improvement

.org.uk

Merlin Housing Society

01454 821612

[email protected]

Rock Community Centre Ltd

0117 9384636

[email protected]

www.therockcommunitycentre

.com

South West Somali

Community Association

0117 9425239

[email protected]

St Brendan’s Sixth Form College

0117 9777766

[email protected]

www.stbrn.ac.uk

TOCCiC (Tick One Cross

Community Interest Company)

0117 3293268

[email protected]

www.toccic.org

Winterbourne Medieval

Barn Trust

07831 614007

[email protected]

www.winterbournebarn.org.uk


In Summer 2011 Volunteer Bristol

approached Voscur about the

potential for working more closely

together. In tough economic times

Volunteer Bristol was looking for

smarter and more cost-effective

ways of delivering its services.

Voscur responded positively to

Volunteer Bristol and our two

organisations began to explore

whether we could achieve more

together.

Bringing staff, trustees and

volunteers together over a

period of eighteen months, we

have looked at various ways of

collaborating. We are presently

looking at merger as our preferred

option because we think that

this will offer the best service

for our members and the wider

community in the long term.

We anticipate that a merger will

reduce costs slightly and, more

significantly, it will offer a more

joined-up and comprehensive

package of support for our

members and a stronger voice

for the sector.

We want to create a one-stop

shop for the voluntary and

community sector: for people

taking their first steps into

volunteering, those wanting to

set up new groups, to grow their

organisations, to train their staff

and volunteers, to recruit trustees

and to improve their governance.

Both organisations are committed

to the proposed merger but

there is still lot of work to do.

We are currently undertaking a

full due diligence process and will

be consulting with our members

and funders.

If you would like

to find out more

or respond to our online

consultation, please go to:

goo.gl/OjT39.

Voscur and Volunteer Bristol

BIG Green Week 2013, the UK’s

festival of all things eco, is back in

Bristol from 15-23 June. More than

40,000 visitors enjoyed the festival

last year with its inspiring talks,

workshops, art, music, poetry,

comedy and films.

This year’s guests will include

environmental leaders such as

Jonathon Porritt (this year’s Chair);

Tony Juniper, speaking about

his new book; John Sauven, the

executive director of Greenpeace

UK; and Satish Kumar, the editor

of Resurgence and the Ecologist

Magazine. They will be joined

by others such as scientist Alice

Roberts, architect George Clark,

Radio 4 Saturday Live poet Susan

Richardson, comedian Tony Hawks,

and Richard Branson via a live

video link.

The city centre and harbourside

will be transformed for family-

friendly weekend activities

including Bristol’s Biggest Bike

Ride, Bristol’s BIG Market, the

creation of a giant playground

by local children and the World

Electric Bike Championships.

For more

information, visit:

www.biggreenweek.com

It’s good bein’ greenPaul Rainger, Co-Curator of the BIG Green Week Festival, describes what lies in store for Bristol in 2013...


In light of BIG Green Week, as

well as National Volunteers’

Week which takes place in June,

Voscur has spoken to a local

green initiative (which won two of

Bristol’s 2012 Green Volunteering

Awards) about how to involve

green volunteers. Lucy Mitchell,

Community Project Worker at The

Golden Hill Community Garden,

shares her thoughts:

“The Golden Hill Community

Garden has had a great first

year and over 200 people have

volunteered. We put an emphasis

on flexible volunteering and

our garden is accessible for

wheelchairs (as is our composting

toilet). We make every effort

to be welcoming and friendly

and maintain a supportive

atmosphere. The volunteers are a

really diverse bunch with different

life circumstances and all sorts

of reasons for volunteering.

There is always a range of jobs

that need doing so everyone’s

contribution is valued and anyone

who volunteers gets to take home

some fresh organic veg. We also

work with schools and youth and

community groups. Our beautiful

and productive garden hums with

life, from the newts in the pond

to the laughter in the shelter as

we take our breaks, drink lots of

tea and eat lots of biscuits.”

For more information about Golden Hill, visit: www.thegoldenhillcommunitygarden.com

Volunteers having a well-earned break at Golden Hill Community Garden

Proud maker of an insect hotel at Golden Hill as part of TCV’s Young Carers’ Nature Challenge

Volunteers doing some planting at Golden Hill


The Community Right to Challenge

(RtC) is one of the Community

Rights which came into force

through the Localism Act 2011. It

‘enables communities (including

staff) with good ideas about how

council services could be run

differently or better to submit

an expression of interest (EOI),

have it formally considered and

allows additional time to prepare

a bid to run a service as part of a

procurement process’.

The regulations and statutory

guidance which came out last

year are specific in a number of

aspects, particularly in terms of

who can use the RtC, the process

of considering an expression

of interest and next steps.

However, where there are areas

for discretion, the Council has

worked with Voscur to develop

our approach.

How does the process

work in Bristol?

For full information, go to the

link in the information box below,

but in essence, the process is

formally triggered by the relevant

body submitting an EOI to the

Council. However, if you are

thinking about getting involved

in or running a service we would

encourage you to read the

guidance and then talk to the

Council first about your ideas,

as using the RtC may not be the

most appropriate route. You can

do this by sending an email to

[email protected].

uk. This aligns with the latest

advice from Government and

the community rights support

organisation, Locality.

If you subsequently decide to

submit an EOI, this needs to be

submitted in a specified

format, available from the

Council’s website.

Once an EOI has been

submitted to the Council, it

will be considered by a panel

independent to the service area

and a decision made as to

whether to accept or reject the

EOI. The Council will let relevant

bodies know the date by which

they will receive a decision and

the next steps in the process.

For more information,

links to the guidance

and EOI form, please visit: www.

bristol.gov.uk/page/community-

and-safety/community-rights

For information on the

Community Right to Bid

(another Community Right that

has come into force through the

Localism Act 2011) see p31.

Community Right to ChallengeVoscur asked Christine Storry, Market Development Manager at Bristol City Council, to tell us about the Council’s approach to the Community Right to Challenge. Here is what she said:

Voscur’s position The RtC could be useful for

Bristol VCS organisations that

wish to deliver public services.

However, we advise caution; if an

organisation makes a successful

challenge, the subsequent

commissioning/procurement

process would then be open to

any organisation with an interest

in delivering the service. There

is no guarantee that the original

‘challenging’ organisation would

be successful against these

competitors.


With people generally living

longer and facing the possibility

of funding a retirement that

could last 20 years or more, the

Government is getting employers

to enrol their workers automatically

into a workplace pension to make

it easier for people to start saving

and not rely on the state pension.

This automatic enrolment will

allow people to decide whether

to stay in or opt out of a workplace

pension. It began in October

2012, starting with the largest

employers, and workers (unless

they specifically opt out) will

automatically join and pay into

their employer’s staff pension

scheme which could be an existing

or new scheme to which the

employer will also contribute along

with the Government by way of tax

relief on employees’ contributions.

Smaller employers and newly

formed businesses will have until

2016/17 to comply.

It is all designed to reinvigorate

pension saving in the UK, create

a simpler system to help people

make better informed decisions

about how much they need to save

privately, and make it easier for

them to plan for their retirement.

The reforms follow the failure of

stakeholder pension schemes,

which floundered because

they required no contribution

commitment from the employer

and excluded many smaller

employers. Automatic enrolment

recognises that the solution lies

in private provision and compels

all employers to enrol eligible

jobholders in a workplace

pension scheme, unless they are

already a member of a qualifying

scheme. Contributions will be

collected and paid to the scheme

by the employer through the

payroll system.

For automatic enrolment,

employers will have to

choose a pension scheme,

perhaps an existing one or a

scheme set up with a pension

provider. Information from

the Pensions Regulator (www.

thepensionsregulator.gov.uk) is

now available to help companies

make this decision.

A fundamental principle is that the

jobholder must be enrolled and will

then be able to opt out. Employers

will be banned from incentivising

opt-outs.

Pensions can seem a confusing

subject, full of financial jargon

and complicated rules, and the

new reforms provide much

food for thought. Certainly for

employers, a proper strategy is

going to be essential.

Employers should be mindful

too of the requirements and

restrictions of the Financial

Services Act. They may invite an

adviser to present to staff, and

there is no problem in giving

staff information that includes

no recommendation or advice.

In addition, there is no problem

recommending that employees join

a scheme to which the employer

contributes. It is vital that the

employer informs the employee

that advice is available from a

financial adviser, and the employer

should take no financial reward for

establishing a scheme.

Voscur’s next Finance

Forum is taking

place on 8 July 2013.

It is a great chance to meet

other workers with financial

responsibilities and find out

about what’s happening in the

world of finance. For more

information and to register

your interest, visit: www.

supporthub.org.uk/training-hub

Pensions reform is having a major impact New rules designed to resolve the UK’s pensions savings crisis are having a major impact on employers and employees alike following the introduction of reforms in October 2012. Diana Thal-Jantzen Dip PFS of St. James’s Place Wealth Management explains to employers in Bristol the background to the changes that are taking place and what their responsibility will be:


Welfare Reform: the

changes in a nutshell

Some of the changes already in

place or underway:

• Child benefit is frozen for

three years and maternity

grants are now only for the

first child.

• Absolute caps are introduced

to local housing allowance.

• The single room restriction is

extended to people under 35

(from under 25).

• The required working hours to

qualify for Working Tax Credit

are increased from 16 hours

to at least 24 hours per week

for couples.

• The time limit for notifying

changes to all tax credits is

reduced, and penalties have

been introduced.

• Housing benefit is paid to

recipients and not landlords.

Some of the changes coming up

(from April 2013) are:

• A ‘bedroom-tax’ for people

deemed to be under-occupying

their social housing properties

(impacting at least 4,500 Bristol

residents).

• Working age Disability Living

Allowance recipients must apply

for Personal Independence

Payments (impacting 24,450

local residents).

• A Household Benefit Cap for

all except Disability Living

Allowance recipients and war

widows/ers (impacting 400

local families).

• Universal Credit is replacing

several individual benefits.

For details of all the changes,

visit: goo.gl/f23c8.

What’s happening in Bristol

to continue supporting

vulnerable people impacted

by the changes?

In January 2013, Voscur, Bristol

City Council, and the Advice

Network (on behalf of Advice

Centres for Avon) organised

a round-table event. Eighty


organisations across Bristol and 12

Council officers came together to

discuss the impact of the changes

on their services and what needs

to be done.

More detail of the discussions

and outcomes is available at:

goo.gl/f23c8. The two main

outcomes were:

1. Living wage: people discussed

the importance of everyone

being paid a living wage, or

even making Bristol a living

wage city, encouraging

employers to pay a living wage

if they aren’t already. An on-

going campaign around this

was enthusiastically welcomed.

2. Access to advice and

information: there are a lot of

organisations in Bristol offering

advice services (be those

general or more targeted

Welfare Reform: the changes and the impact‘Welfare Reform’ is a phrase we’re all hearing a lot, especially organisations working with vulnerable people likely to be affected by the changes. These changes are happening across the country, driven by the Government’s aims to simplify the benefit system and get claimants back to work, whilst also achieving a reduction of £26 billion in national spending. In Bristol, these changes mean a loss of at least £100 million in benefits by 2015, impacting a significant proportion of the population.


services), but finding out about

them can be a challenge. The

website www.advicewest.

org.uk already contains a lot

of information, discussions

centred on making links more

explicit and promoting it to a

wider audience.

Two examples of who’s

supporting people in Bristol

Housing and homelessness:

Bristol Community Housing

Foundation is a community-based,

not-for-profit housing association.

They have been preparing their

residents for the welfare reforms

for several months by providing

them with advice and guidance to

maximise their income and reduce

the impacts.

Skills and employment: Full Circle

Family and Youth Project currently

exists mainly as a play and sports

scheme for young people but will

be establishing more advice-based

services (in response to changing

needs) beginning with a work club

to offer advice and support to

jobseekers in their area.

For details of others who are

supporting people in Bristol visit:

goo.gl/f23c8.

Useful links:

www.advicewest.org.uk is the

website for Advice Centres for

Avon (ACFA) – a network of

independent advice agencies

providing high-quality legal

advice to the public across

Bristol, North Somerset, South

Gloucestershire and surrounding

areas. The website provides a

searchable database by postcode

and/or issue to enable people to

secure information about where

they can best get advice.

goo.gl/f23c8 – more

information, presentations,

notes and biographies from the

Welfare Reform round-table.

There are also copies of useful

reports, including

‘Beyond the Bottom Line’ about

the living wage, and ‘A Broken

System’, a local report about the

impact of medical assessments

for employment support

allowance on people in Bristol.

Attendees at the recent Welfare Reform event


Voluntary and community

sector (VCS) organisations and

commissioners have

expressed concerns about

commissioning processes over

the last few years. Voscur,

Bristol Compact and Bristol City

Council (BCC) have been working

together to address those

concerns. A recent event

involving commissioners and

VCS organisations achieved

much progress.

The event (held in February

2013) was organised so that

people could raise concerns

about commissioning and work

together to find solutions.

Seventy people – from the VCS,

Clinical Commissioning Group,

Police and Crime Commissioner’s

office and commissioners from

BCC – focused first on issues

and concerns and identified

these themes: process; quality;

marketisation vs mission; TUPE;

expertise and information;

consortia and collaboration; risk;

and joint strategic shaping of

services. Everyone then worked

together to devise a detailed

action plan to address issues.

The following reports – from

three different perspectives –

illustrate the scope and success

of the event.

Some quotes from participants

also nicely summarise the

importance of this collaborative

approach:

• “The event exceeded all my

expectations!! I look forward

to building on the great work

started.”

• “Other areas don’t do this – it’s

really good that Bristol is having

this conversation – it feels like

we’re getting there!”

• “I really liked the format and

very good recording of actions.”

• “Very useful to meet

commissioners and to ‘hear

their side’.”

One step closer to each other – commissioning in Bristol

VCS perspective:

Jackie Boyce Services Manager for the Bristol Community Support Services, Rethink Mental Illness

“I’m constantly surprised by how

many other VCS organisations I

still don’t know or know about,

so it was wonderful to have

the chance to meet or get re-

acquainted with other managers

and leaders and hear how similar

we all are in the issues that

challenge us. I have to admit I also

felt like I hit the jackpot by finding

myself sitting at a table with

some of the commissioners and

decision makers in my sector!

“The day opened with the positive

statement, ‘We’re going to be

one step closer to each other’,

and well before the end of the

day I believed it! The day was

facilitated beautifully, keeping

the momentum going from

one solution-focused activity

to the next. I can’t say enough

how much I appreciated the

determination to ensure that

there were commissioners in

every working group and that

the day ended with a plan for

better joint working and a much

clearer understanding of the

challenges on both sides of the

commissioning table!”


Voscur and the Bristol Compact

are excited to have a detailed

action plan – with actions for

commissioners, Voscur and

VCS organisations. We are sure

that, with the combined effort

of all involved, we will change

commissioning so that VCS

organisations in the city continue

to achieve better outcomes

for local communities. Watch

this space.

Commissioner perspective:

Jane Stone Strategic Commissioning Programme Manager, BCC

“What a fantastic day! As

someone relatively new to

Bristol and just embarking on

a major commissioning change

programme for the Council, I

was delighted to be part of this

event. It provided the

opportunity to meet a range of

committed VCS service providers

who are positive about working

together towards meaningful

outcomes for the communities

and individuals that we are

ultimately all here to support.

“The event was extremely well

designed and facilitated which

meant that we all worked very

hard and came away with agreed

documented action plans. Clearly

more work needs to be done to

refine those plans and identify

resources but we now have some

shared actions that came out of

robust and informed discussions.

“So, without wishing to sound like

Churchill in his famous ‘This is not

the end…’ speech, we haven’t

solved all the problems but we

have the direction and content

from the event to guide us on

our way.

“Bristol City Council is embarking

on a major new Strategic

Commissioning Programme. It will

improve the way we work with

our partner commissioners and

providers to deliver the outcomes

that communities of Bristol need.

This VCS/Commissioner event has

informed the scoping and shaping

of this programme – a big ‘thank

you’ for that.”

Bristol Compact perspective:

Mark Hubbard Compact Liaison Officer, based at Voscur

“Overall, I was very pleased with

this event and its achievements.

It feels like we’ve been working

towards this for some time and

that the event built on lots of work

over the last few years.

“In the run-up to the event, I

spoke to many people from the

VCS and commissioning bodies.

People raised certain points

relating to things such as the time

away from offices (questioning

whether they could invest a whole

day), being able to speak freely and

openly, and whether they would

be put on the spot and need to

justify aspects of their work. It was

good to hear these thoughts and

to be able to reassure people that

we had designed today to be safe,

comfortable and constructive.

This is crucial for us in our working

relationships; of course there

are issues, but we are all working

towards the same thing and it’s

imperative that we work well

together to achieve what

Bristol needs.”

What happens next?

The full report and

action plan can be downloaded:

www.voscur.org/reports


Support for organisations = better services for service users

These three local groups have

benefited from our support in a

range of ways. Get in touch on

0117 909 9949 if you think we

could help your organisation.

The Equality Collective

Natalie Bennett was researching

gender representation when it

became clear to her that many

young women’s voices are not

heard, especially about issues that

affect their lives. Natalie brought

together a group of six women

and two men from different

backgrounds who share a passion

for gender equality and The

Equality Collective was born.

The Equality Collective contacted

the Support Hub for help to

understand how and where to

begin establishing a local not-for-

profit organisation. In Natalie’s

words the first meeting “reinforced

how exciting our project is and the

potential it has to positively impact

people of all ages and genders.

It was a great morale boost and

increased our energy, enthusiasm

and focus to take the next steps.”

The Equality Collective signed up

to our Kick Start Your Organisation

course – six sessions that give

participants the knowledge, skills

and information they need to

establish and run a small group.

“Kick Start has provided loads of

resources and built our confidence

immensely,” Natalie says. “We

now know what to do next in

establishing our organisation.”

Kick Start will enable The Equality

Collective to begin to develop

their business plan and identify

the funding they require. The

group agrees that they are now a

much stronger team and are very

enthusiastic about what the

future holds.

Sikh Resource Community Development Centre (SRCDC)

SRCDC has been delivering

services to the Sikh community

in Bristol for more than 25 years.

The charity aims to improve the

quality of life of disadvantaged and

marginalised communities through

health programmes, day care for

elders, empowering women and

supplementary schooling for young

people who are at risk of exclusion.

Voscur’s Support Hub service works with many voluntary and community (VCS) organisations to increase their capacity, sustainability and quality. Our development workers go through a ‘health check’ with each organisation to better understand their situation and support needs. A detailed action plan that includes a range of offers from the Support Hub service is then developed and implemented to meet these needs.

New group The Equality Collective at the One Billion Rising event in Bristol this February.


It encourages and enables people

to access mainstream services,

build friendships, feel valued and

provide mutual support. The group

tackles isolation through shared

experiences, such as enjoying

meals together and a variety of

recreational activities including arts

and crafts.

Mr. B. Singh, one of the oldest

service users, has been involved

for over 20 years. “I have been

coming to the centre since the

day care opened,” he says. “It not

only provides me day care but an

emotional boost to come out of

my house, catch the bus or walk

to meet my friends and do some

recreational activities in the centre.

I have celebrated many festivals

here – Diwali, Christmas and more.”

SRCDC staff members have

attended Support Hub courses

to develop different skills and

have been supported in applying

to a number of funding sources

– successfully gaining funding

from the Lloyds TSB Foundation.

SRCDC has a fundraising volunteer

through our Boost! service who

is supporting the organisation to

become more sustainable.

The Severn Project CIC

The Severn Project CIC is a

Community Interest Company

established in 2010 by Steve Glover

who, after a period of addiction,

gained a degree in addictions

counselling. Its aim is to teach

socially excluded individuals who

have suffered from substance

misuse, mental health issues

or offending behaviour how to

achieve independence and develop

potential through volunteering

and employment.

The beneficiaries produce organic

food, which is sold to local

restaurants as one way to sustain

the work of the project. One of

its service users describes the

experience: “By working up at the

land in Keynsham, I have been

given something to focus on, and

have been able to develop new

skills. I feel more confident and less

pessimistic about the future. I have

not used drugs or alcohol since I

joined the project and no longer

take medication for my depression.

I’m also living independently for

the first time in years.”

The Support Hub is working

with the project in a variety of

ways: connecting it with local

organisations doing similar work,

as well as local funders and

decision makers; helping it to

develop its business plan and

recruit a fundraiser; supporting

it with monitoring and evaluation

work; and helping it to update its

policies and procedures with the

help of a professional volunteer.

Local women taking part in an SRCDC arts and crafts session.

Volunteers and staff at the Severn Project’s Keynsham site.


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Support Hub Spring/Summer programmeThe Support Hub is offering an exciting range of courses between April and July to help your organisation demonstrate the work you do, attract new service users, manage staff and volunteers, and engage in fundraising and commissioning. For all of these courses, as well as others planned in July and beyond, visit: www.supporthub.org.uk/training-hub.

Voscur also offers in-house and bespoke training at competitive rates for organisations looking to train

several staff and/or volunteers at once. Contact our training and events co-ordinator: [email protected] or call

0117 909 9949 to discuss your organisation’s needs.

Introduction to Fundraising 14 May 2013, 9:30am-3:30pm

This course introduces you to the landscape of

funding and helps you to think about what funding

opportunities to apply for. It also introduces you to

the language and skills you need for successful

funding bids. This is a great course for people new

to fundraising.

Using and Understanding Payment by Results21 May 2013, 9:30am-3:30pm

Payment by Results (PBR) is becoming an increasingly

common way for funders and commissioners to

contract for service delivery. VCS organisations can

find it confusing or complex to work within. This one-

day session, delivered by the National Council for

Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), looks at the context

of PBR and the skills needed to be effective at

working with it.

Costing Your Project for Commissioning28 June 2013, 9:30am-3:30pm

This one-day course is a practical introduction to

costing out a project, including understanding your

organisation’s financial model, the best way to assess

and plan for funding needs, and ways to improve

decision-making around commissioning proposals.

Delivered by Sayer Vincent, a specialist consultant

and auditing firm working with charities and social

enterprises, this course also offers plenty of time to

get your questions answered.

Funding, finance and commissioningThe new financial year has just started but it’s never too early to start thinking about funding – whether it’s applying for funding for an exciting new project or engaging with commissioning for the first time.

“One of the best courses I have been on in a long

time, very helpful and fun!”

Attendee, Introduction to Fundraising, 2013.


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Communicate!4 July 2013, 9:30am-3.30pm

After a very successful first year, Communicate! is

back, bringing together voluntary sector organisations

and specialists in marketing and media. Workshop

details are being developed to ensure that

Communicate! is an informative and interactive event.

Marketing Your Project under PersonalisationDate and time TBC

The personalisation (also known as self-directed

support) agenda is changing how organisations market

their services, as well as who they market to. This

session will give you hints, tips and tools on the

most effective ways to do this, while avoiding

potential pitfalls.

Writing Small Fundraising Bids3 July 2013, 9:30am-3:30pm

Whether you’re applying for £200 for a community

event or £2,000 for new equipment for your services,

you need a strong bid that makes it easy for funders

to say yes to you. This one-day course, delivered

by Quartet Community Foundation, will take you

through the basics of how to write a strong bid

that will appeal to funders, while avoiding the most

common pitfalls.

Finance Forum8 July 2013, 1–3pm

The Finance Forum offers you a chance to meet

other workers with financial responsibilities, find out

about what’s happening in the world of finance and

attend workshops designed to develop your skills.

Marketing your organisationGetting your services and projects up and running is the first hurdle – the second is making sure that people know about them! These courses and events will guide you through the sometimes confusing world of social media, traditional media, and the tools to make the

most of both.

“I really enjoyed the training. It was lively and the

venue and delivery was very comfortable and

accessible. It included all kinds of people and the

information was very helpful. I was actually very

excited afterwards but could not fully implement

what I had learned due to limitations and this is

quite frustrating! I had a wonderful day!”

Attendee, Communicate!, 2012


An Introduction to Charitable Incorporated Organisations23 April 2013, 10am-12:30pm

Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) came

into existence at the end of 2012, offering a simpler

option for organisations looking to protect their

trustees from liability without necessarily becoming

a charitable company. This interactive session will

introduce you to the new structure and help you

decide whether it’s right for you. The session is

delivered by Lancaster Parr, who offer legal advice

and training to the voluntary and community sector.

Being a Good Trustee 16 April 2013, 6:30-9:30pm

This evening course is ideal for anyone who has just

become a trustee or wants to brush up on their

knowledge and skills. It guides you through the roles

and responsibilities of being a trustee, and provides

you with useful expertise to take back and share with

your board.

Being an Even Better Trustee 23 May 2013, 6:30-9:30pm

This course can be a follow-on for those who have

attended ‘Being a Good Trustee’ or for those who

want to go into more detail about governance,

managing risk, effective meetings and how to make

the most of the skills in your trustee team.

Introduction to Quality Marks25 June 2013, 9:30am-3:30pm

If you’re thinking about applying for a quality mark,

or wondering if it’s the right decision for your

organisation, then this course, delivered by the

Charities Evaluation Service, could be for you. It will

take you through the advantages and disadvantages

of the approaches and the costs and benefits of

applying for a quality mark, with lots of practical tips

for how to do this.

Trustee Network16 July 2013, 6:30-8:30pm

The Trustee Network is open to any trustees, from

the brand new to the very experienced. As well as

a short presentation on a relevant topic, Trustee

Network meetings offer a chance to meet other

trustees and share good practice.

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Trustees/governance Whether you are large or small, there are many different options when it comes to deciding how to structure your organisation. These courses, aimed at staff and trustees, will guide you through how best to govern your organisation and

make these important decisions.

“The training was very good. As a trustee, I got

the chance to share my experience with the other

organisations and get to know the experiences of

other trustees. The training helped a lot, as did

the networking element.”

Attendee, Being a Better Trustee, 2012


Increasing Diversity in Your Organisation25 April 2013, 9:30am-1pm

We all know the value of having a diverse group of

staff, trustees and volunteers, but what steps can

we take to make sure this happens? This practical

course gives you tools for increasing diversity in your

organisations, as well as introducing you to some of

the changes from the 2010 Equality Act.

Strengthening Your Team – During and After Change8 May 2013, 9:30am-3:30pm

Whether it’s redundancies, restructures or

recruitment, change can have an impact on your

team and how it works. This practical course, delivered

by Charlton Associates, will give you tools for

managing this before, during and after the changes.

Lone Working and Personal Safety6 June 2013, 9:30am-3:30pm

Developed in partnership with the Suzy Lamplugh

Trust and delivered by Volunteer Bristol, this mix

of information and practice will guide you through

everything you need to know to safeguard staff or

volunteers working alone in an office, out of the

office, or in service users’ homes.

Managing Staff9 July 2013, 9:30am-12:30pm

This course is for anyone who manages paid staff,

whether you’re new to it or have been doing it for a

while. Delivered by Cornhill HR, this session aims to

give you space to work through issues or challenges

you might be facing, in particular around sickness

and absence, and share good practice with other

organisations in and around Bristol.

Managing Volunteers9 July 2013, 1-4pm

This fun, creative session is suitable for any

organisation that involves volunteers, whether you’re

brand new to it, or very experienced. Delivered by

Volunteer Bristol, it aims to get participants thinking

about the ethos of volunteering and how to make

volunteering a rewarding, long-term activity.

To book or to find out more, please go to:

www.supporthub.org.uk/training-hub.

Alternatively, you can call us on

0117 909 9949.

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Managing staff and volunteersFor many of us, managing other people can be a complex part of our roles, whether it is being uncertain how to recruit the best candidate or keeping staff safe.

“Great session; it was engaging and covered a

wide area in good detail.”

Attendee, Volunteers and the Law, 2013.


Charities Online – a new way to do Gift Aid

On 22 April 2013 the way in which

charities claim Gift Aid will change

significantly. The old R68(i) form

will be replaced by an online

system and there will be three

ways to claim, depending on the

size of the organisation and how

many claims it makes. HMRC (Her

Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) has

announced a five-month transition

period, lasting until 30 September

2013, but organisations should start

planning for the change now.

Option One

For those without internet access

and with a small number of Gift

Aid donors, there is a new paper

claim form. Organisations can

order copies of this new form by

calling the HMRC helpline on

0845 302 0203 after 25 March.

Option Two

For organisations with under a

thousand Gift Aid claims, there will

be an online form and spreadsheet.

The form will have fields that must

be filled in, and will automatically

check that the information has

been entered in the correct format.

If it is likely that your organisation

will be using this method and

your database currently generates

your R68(i) donations schedule

for you, it is advisable to contact

your database supplier now to ask

whether they will be producing an

update to the claims report that

will be compatible with this new

claims method.

Option Three

For organisations that claim Gift Aid

on over a thousand donations or

use an automated system, there is

the integrated software route. Once

set up, a database will be able to link

directly to HMRC so all organisations

need to do is trigger the claim. By

using this method organisations will

be able to list up to 500,000 Gift

Aid donation details in any one day.

If this is the likely route for your

organisation, contact your database

supplier to establish whether they

will be producing an update to the

claims report and process that will

be compatible with the new claims

method. If you have a bespoke

fundraising database, ask your IT

team or developers to study the

‘Tech Pack’ on the HMRC website.

This gives the technical specification

that must be followed to make

claims through the software route,

and is available at: www.hmrc.gov.

uk/softwaredevelopers/gift-aid-

repayments.htm.

Further resources:

Institute of Fundraising

briefing: www.institute-of-

fundraising.org.uk/library/

charities-online-member-

briefing-feb-2013/

HMRC guidance: www.hmrc.

gov.uk/charities/online/

Oliver Williams from the Institute of Fundraising explains the changes being made to claiming Gift Aid.


Support Hub

Stepping up to equality and diversityIt is always useful to reassess how we are doing with equality and diversity (E&D), to be reminded or motivated to look at our organisation, to take action and progress. Voscur has produced 10 key points for reviewing and improving your policy and practice.

1. Your E&D policy

Ensure it is effective and well communicated, that it

makes reference to and explains how it is compliant

with the Equality Act 2010 and how your policies and

activities are fair and inclusive.

2. Protected groups

Be knowledgeable about the Act’s protected

characteristics groups, and other social groups that

often experience discrimination and exclusion. Are

you able to explain how your organisation’s service is

both inclusive and diverse?

3. Mission statement

Produce an E&D mission statement for all who use

and support your services. It should set out your

organisation’s ethos on, and commitment to, equality

and diversity, and your expectations of all your

stakeholders to support your mission statement.

4. Monitoring

Sound processes and regular monitoring will help

you to track who you are reaching with your services.

Consider how you make the data captured

anonymous; you should state this on the monitoring

forms you produce.

5. Evaluation

Use feedback from those who use your service

to improve what you do. Be alert to the groups

responding to your feedback – who is participating

in your services, who’s not, what are you being told?

Plan the actions you need to take.

6. Training

Offer opportunities for staff, board and volunteers to

learn about the Equality Act 2010; keep them updated

on changes to legislation and how this will impact on

your service; and ensure you advise people about their

responsibilities under the Act.

7. Tools and resources

Make use of and share guidance that is relevant for

your organisation to help improve your E&D awareness.

Here are a couple of useful online resources:

Community Action Hampshire: goo.gl/38BBN

A useful guide from ACEVO: goo.gl/AV2uH

8. Access

Involve all those who use and support your services

and keep them informed about how to meet your

requirements. Make regular checks on how accessible

your services are, including your premises, your events

and your publicity materials.

9. Promotion

What does your promotion say about your

organisation? Consider your leaflets, websites, articles

/ newsletters. If your services are reaching a diverse

audience then proudly reflect this.

10. Campaigning

Get your voice heard about equality issues. What are

the key concerns impacting those you support? What

does your organisation do about this? To help with

this, you may want to link in with the VCS Assembly

and networks: www.voiceandinfluence.org.uk.


Planning services and Self Directed Support

There has been a shift in the way


(VCS) groups are funded by Bristol

City Council Health and Health and

Social Care (HSC) to fit with Self

Directed Support (personalisation).

Self Directed Support creates a

personal budget for each service

user; people will know how much

money is allocated for their social

care needs. Payment for services

will now come out of the personal

budget. Services must address

the critical and substantial care

needs of service users. This covers

personal care needs, ‘being part of

your community’ and ‘learning and

other activity opportunities’ (visit:

goo.gl/sr4pi for more information).

Providers will need to provide a per

person per session cost.

Voscur is planning to run a training

session on ‘Marketing Your

Project under Personalisation’

in Spring/Summer 2013 (see

p17). There is also a range of

materials on our website at: www.

voiceandinfluence.org.uk/hsc_

resources.

Our top tips for planning services

that target those on Self Directed

Support are:

• Charging may not sit well

with your values. Tackle this

issue before starting work on

calculations.

• If you want to target HSC

service users, the client group

may have higher support needs

than your existing client group

– don’t forget they have been

assessed as having critical and

substantial support needs to

meet HSC criteria.

• Be clear what your overhead

costs are, and have a good

model for splitting them

between all your activities

(useful websites on full

cost recovery are www.

fullcostrecovery.org.uk and

www.cash-online.org.uk).

• Establish the minimum

attendance needed to run

a viable service. Think about

creating a ‘programme of

events’ so service users commit,

or two levels of charging, one

for the programme and a higher

one for a per session basis.

• Look to commercial models –

yoga classes, martial arts groups

etc., as many run on sustainable

funding models.

• A small grant or local donation

to subsidise your activity can

make a big difference. This initial

support whilst numbers build up

may appeal to funders.

• You could offer discounts for

people who contribute to

running the service.

• You could approach local

organisations to buy tickets for

your services, which they could

then distribute to others, such

as local housing providers.

It may be a new way of planning

services, but it does bring benefits

– no more end-of-grant reports,

you can design your services

without trying to fit into funding

criteria, income generated is

unrestricted funds, and your

services will benefit those with

the highest support needs.

Service user and member of staff planting spring bulbs at Age UK Bristol’s New Beginnings Day Service in Withywood.

A training session on

Marketing Your Project

Under Personalisation

will be taking place this

Spring/Summer. Details are

still to be confirmed and will

be published on:

www.supporthub.org.uk/

training-hub


Support Hub

Frequently asked questions about safeguardingSome recent changes have taken place relating to safeguarding. The Criminal Record Bureau and Independent Safeguarding Authority have merged to form the Disclosure and Barring Service. Some of the terminology and definitions relating to safeguarding have also changed. This article highlights some key questions, particularly related to children and young people.

Are criminal record checks portable for volunteers?Employees and volunteers

only have to apply once to the

Disclosure and Barring Service

(DBS) for a criminal record check

and can then go online at a

later date to find out whether

this certificate is still up to date.

This update service is free for

volunteers. It allows people to re-

use criminal record checks when

working with vulnerable groups.

Employers will be able to check

this update service as well, but

there may be a cost for this.

What criminal record checks are available?There are five different types

of criminal record check offered

by the DBS:

Standard check: for certain

specified occupations, licences

and entry into certain specified

professions. For example,

doctors, dentists.

Enhanced check: for those

carrying out certain activities with

children or adults; applicants for

gaming and lottery licences, and

judicial appointments.

Enhanced DBS and barred

list check (child)

An enhanced check with

information from the DBS’s

children’s barred list is only

available for those individuals

engaged in regulated activity

with children and a small number

of posts as listed in the Police

Act 1997 regulations, for example

prospective adoptive parents.

Enhanced DBS and barred

list check (adult)



adults’ barred list is only available

for those individuals engaged in

regulated activity with adults and

a small number of posts as listed

in the Police Act regulations.

Enhanced DBS and barred list

check (child and adult)



children’s and adults’ barred list is

only available for those individuals

engaged in regulated activity

with both vulnerable groups

including children and a small

number of posts as listed in the

Police Act regulations.

How long is a criminal record check valid for?There is no official expiry date

for a criminal record check issued

by the Disclosure and Barring

Service (DBS).

The Unique Voice Ambassadors showcasing their talents at Bristol’s Harbour Fest

Continued overleaf


What is the new definition of regulated activity?‘Regulated activity’ relating to

children still excludes family

arrangements and personal,

non-commercial arrangements.

The new definition covers:

i. Unsupervised activities:

teach, train, instruct, care

for or supervise children, or

provide advice/guidance on

well-being, or drive a vehicle

only for children.

ii. Working in ‘specified places’,

with the opportunity for

contact. For example, schools,

children’s homes, childcare

premises. It does not cover

work by supervised volunteers.

Work under (i) or (ii) is regulated

activity only if it is done regularly,

carried out by the same person

frequently (once a week or more

often), or on four or more days in

a 30-day period (or in some cases,

overnight). There is guidance on

what is classed as ‘supervision’.*

iii. Relevant personal care, for

example washing or dressing;

or health care by or supervised

by a professional.

iv. Registered childminding

and foster-carers.

The full, legal definition of

regulated activity is set out in

Schedule 4 of the Safeguarding

Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, as

amended, in particular, by the

Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

This includes working with adults.

* Statutory guidance: Regulated

Activity (children) – supervision

of activity with children which is

regulated activity when unsupervised:

goo.gl/xaBl1

Further details about

the DBS are available at:

www.homeoffice.gov.

uk/agencies-public-bodies/dbs/

Bristol’s Health and Wellbeing StrategyFebruary saw the publication of the

draft Joint Health and Wellbeing

Strategy – ‘Bristol Living City’.

Following national changes to the

delivery of health and wellbeing

services, each local authority and

Clinical Commissioning Group now

has a shared strategy setting out

how to improve the health and

wellbeing of its citizens.

The draft Bristol strategy has

four themes:

1. A city of healthy, safe and

sustainable communities

and places.

2. A city where health, life

expectancy and wellbeing

are improving for everybody.

3. A city where health inequalities

are reducing.

4. A city where people get access

to quality support when and

where they need it.

The strategy recognises the

challenges ahead – Bristol has a

growing population and has health

inequalities. People in some parts

of Bristol are statistically more likely

to die about 10 years earlier than

people in other parts of the city.

There is also recognition of the

reductions in public spending, in

all parts of the system.

The strategy identifies four ways

the themes can be achieved:

1. Working together to tackle

the main reasons why people

become unwell.

2. Working together in a

joined-up and cost-effective

way, integrating services

around people.

3. Driving integration –

ensuring better joined-up

services and empowering

people and communities to

help themselves.

4. Spreading good practice

and making the best use

of resources.

The draft strategy is out for

consultation until 10 May 2013.

You can find out about

consultation events, download

a copy of the strategy and give

online responses at: www.bristol.

gov.uk/healthandwellbeing.


Who do we think we are?

The census findings show that

since 2001 the population of

Bristol has grown by 38,000 (just

under 10%). As there was a larger

rise in the population of men, the

overall Bristol population is now

more evenly split between men

(213,100) and women (215,200).

Age

There has been significant growth

in the number of young people

in Bristol with an increase in 0-15

year olds of 5,200 (+7%) and

an increase in 16-24 year olds

of 9,400 (+16.6%). The only age

group to see a slight reduction is

those aged over 65.

Ethnicity

The number of people describing

themselves as White British has

remained broadly stable since

2001, showing a slight drop of

1,653 to 333,432. However, the

2011 census reveals an increase

in population amongst some

of Bristol’s minority ethnic

communities. The largest

increase has been in those people

describing themselves as Black

African, rising by 9,775. Other

ethnic groups which have seen a

significant increase include those

who describe themselves

as mixed/multiple ethnic group

(+ 7,504), other black (+ 5,986),

other Asian (+ 3,271), Pakistani

(+ 2,813), Indian (+ 1,952), and

Chinese (+ 1,737). The 2011

census included Arab as an

ethnic group for the first time;

Bristol’s Arab population is

recorded as 1,272.

Language

There are now more than 85

main languages being spoken in

Bristol. After English the most

frequent languages spoken are

Polish (6,080), Somali (5,004), Urdu

(1,432), French (1,403), Spanish

(1,329), Punjabi (1,306), and Arabic

(1,103). The 2011 census also

recorded for the first time the

number of people who stated that

British Sign Language (BSL) was

their main language (201).

Health — provision of long-term care and disability

The number of people who state

that they have a long-term health

problem or disability has increased

by 9,985 to 71,724. For the first

time the 2011 census recorded

the number of ‘people with good

or very good health’ as 352,307.

The census records that 40,138

people provide unpaid care in

Bristol, an increase of 4,794

since 2001.

Faith

The 2011 census shows a

significant increase in the number

of people stating that they have

no religion, rising by 66,896 to

160,218. The number of people

stating their religion has dropped

by 35,985 to 200,254. There has

been an increase in the number

of people identifying as having

other faiths including Muslim

(+ 14,352), Buddhist (+ 935),

Hindu (+ 581) and Sikh (+ 355).

The results of the 2011 census have now been released in full and provide a picture of the changing age and diversity of Bristol’s population since 2001. In February, Voscur’s Voice and Influence Service organised a briefing on the latest census results. The presentation from the briefing is available on the Voice and Influence website here: goo.gl/SuLeb.

Find out more

The full 2011 census

findings for Bristol can be found

on the Bristol City Council

website here: goo.gl/tIqT0.


During January and February, local


(VCS) organisations completed

the 2013 Voice and Influence (V&I)

survey. Initial results give an insight

into how influential the sector in

Bristol feels. We will use the full

results of the survey to tailor our

V&I support to the needs of VCS

groups in Bristol.

We asked how VCS organisations

rated the effectiveness of V&I

activities* in ensuring the views

of the VCS were represented to

decision makers and/or influencing

a decision or outcome.

Overall, responses were positive

to the statement ‘I am confident

that Voice and Influence activity is

effective in helping to represent

the views of Bristol’s voluntary and

community sector to key decision

makers’ although they highlight a

need to further promote the work

(see pie chart).

We also asked to what extent

VCS organisations thought that

the Voscur/V&I activity helped

ensure that the views of the VCS

were heard and responded to

by key decision makers. We have

highlighted some key results in

the chart below:

Find out more

These are interim findings; at the time of Thrive! going to press, 60 VCS organisations had responded to the survey. For the full results visit: goo.gl/N0Fm0

How influential do you feel?

* Voice and Influence activity including Assembly and network meetings, special consultation and information events/meetings, VCS Advocates, reports and publications, website and e-information, surveys and questionnaires.

28% Mostly agree

7% Partially agree

27% Fully agree

5% Do not agree

33% Don't know

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Heard

Responded

Heard

Responded

Heard

Responded

Heard

Responded

Very well Well Well

Heard 12% 49%

Responded 31%

27%

22%

15%

24%

13% 47%

8% 41%

10% 37%

6% 42%

Key decision makers overall

The Mayor of Bristol

Elected councillors

The Police & Crime Commissioner

Senior public sector officers

To what extent has Voscur/Voice and Influence activity helped ensure that the views of the VCS are heard and responded to by key decision makers?


Reclaiming the agendaOver many years the voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been expected to respond to the latest government initiative. It is Voscur’s role to support the sector to engage with those initiatives that will affect organisations and/or the communities they serve.

Last year saw us supporting the

sector to engage with the Mayor

and Police Crime Commissioner

elections, reporting on

neighbourhood partnerships, and

working with health and social

care commissioners to influence

the personalisation agenda.

In January, we worked with Advice

Centres for Avon and Bristol City

Council to raise awareness of the

impact of Welfare Reform.

In February, we brought providers

and commissioners together at a

joint event in February to explore

some of the issues that groups

have raised with us in relation to

commissioning and procurement

(see pages 12-13).

Also in February, the Mayor

accepted our invitation to come

along and meet VCS advocates

and members of Voscur’s board

and staff team. We had a wide-

ranging discussion – hot topics

being commissioning, investing

in the sector, the use of Social

Impact Bonds, preventing

homelessness and the Bristol

Youth Links contracts.

Being able to bring the sector

together to respond to the

external agenda is a strength,

but we want to help the VCS

to have a more proactive role

– it’s time that we did some

agenda setting ourselves! The

election of the Mayor and Police

and Crime Commissioner and

the development of the Local

Enterprise Partnership provides

us with an opportunity to do

just that.

We would like to invite you to the

VCS Assembly Conference, to take

part in an ‘open space’ discussion

to help us set the priorities for

next year. What are the messages

that we should be getting out

there? How can our skilled and

resourceful team, our links to

decision makers, and our access

to all kinds of communications

technologies better support you

and your organisation?

In other words:

VCS Assembly Conference – Reclaiming the Agenda12 June 2013, 10am-4:30pm, The Park Community Centre

A chance for organisations and

communities to identify critical

issues, voice their passions and

concerns, learn from each other,

and take collective responsibility

for finding solutions.

If you would like to work with

us to put this event together or

are interested to find out

more, please email:

[email protected]

• What do you want to say?

• Who do you want to hear your message?

• How can we help you?


How Deaf aware are you?

There are a few basic rules to

improve communication with Deaf

people, including steps you can

take to make your organisation

more Deaf aware. On Voscur’s

website you will find a range of

resources including the standard

manual alphabet and guidance

on communicating with Deaf

people that can help you make

a start on this. You can also

take a look at information on

the BSL Charter on Bristol City

Council’s website (see links in the

information box below).

An update on Voscur’s Deaf Transitional Development Project

Voscur’s Deaf Transitional

Development Project is focused

on the health and social care

needs of Deaf people. The project

aims to explore and encourage

action on:

• How Bristol City Council (BCC)

can improve services for Deaf

people and make their services

more accessible.

• What Deaf people need to

increase their independence

and be empowered (for

example, developing skills to

run their own organisations).

Between November 2012 and

January 2013 Voscur conducted

a questionnaire surveying the

health and social care needs

of Deaf people. We were very

pleased with the 34% return

rate – which was more than

anticipated; this demonstrates

that Deaf people want to engage

and have their say. In our next

edition of Thrive! we will report

back on what the responses tell

us in relation to what the local

Deaf community needs.

When the survey results are

analysed we will undertake specific

actions for increasing skills among

Deaf people to participate in

managing organisations. This

could include training to develop

personal skills, such as leadership

and confidence building.

The project is also making

comparisons between Bristol

City Council’s services and other

local authorities that are known

to follow the BSL (British Sign

Language) Charter. This charter

includes five pledges that local

authorities sign up to around

increasing access for Deaf people.

For more information on the

project, email: [email protected]

or [email protected].

Deaf Awareness Week is a national event which aims to promote a greater understanding of the issues faced by Deaf people. The week takes place from the 6-12 May 2013 and the theme this year is ‘Look at me’ which focuses on communication.

Further information:

Voscur resources: www.voscur.org/deaf-awareness

BSL Charter: goo.gl/naeR6.

Photo by hellojenuine


meeting with Bristol-based

BME-led organisations and

those representing local BME

communities, to discuss their

views and needs. From these

discussions we will work to

connect BME groups with relevant

public and private sector decision

makers, for example the Police

and Crime Commissioner. We will

also work to connect them with

other BME groups and encourage

groups to join the VCS assembly

to strengthen their voice and

influence in the city.

We will be working in creative ways

with groups and organisations

including using radio to encourage

the discussion of BME voice and

influence in the wider community.

We will be using social media

sites such as Facebook, Twitter

and YouTube to encourage

participation and discussion

and encouraging the groups we

work with to do the same if they

haven’t already done so.

I am excited and honoured to

be working in the area of black

and minority ethnic (BME) voice

and influence in Bristol at a time

when there is so much change.

Instability can highlight threats

as well as create opportunities.

The task ahead is significant

but I have every faith in local

BME communities and the

organisations that represent

them and their interests.

In the next few months we will

have a BME Voice and Influence

steering group. Members on the

steering group will be experts

in their field who bring a wealth

of knowledge about the BME

community groups in Bristol. The

steering group will meet quarterly

to inform and support the work

being carried out by Voscur, as

well as evaluating its success. If

you are interested in the work of

the group or want to get involved,

please feel free to contact me

(details in the box to the right).

We have some exciting areas

of work to come, including an

events programme to champion

BME groups, BME initiatives

and BME interests. We will be

For more information

on this project,

contact Hibaq Jama on

0117 909 9949 or email:

[email protected].

For more information on

the VCS Assembly, visit

www.voiceandinfluence.org.uk/

voice-and-influence/assembly-

meetings

A new approach to BME Voice and Influence in BristolHibaq Jama, Voscur’s BME Voice and Influence Connector, writes about this exciting new project.

Photo by Coventry City Council


Strike, rise up and dance

One Billion Rising was created by

Eve Ensler (author of ‘The Vagina

Monologues’), urging women,

men and children across the globe

to ‘Strike, Rise Up and Dance’ in

solidarity to demand an end to

violence. The movement highlights

and says ‘No more!’ to the atrocity

that one in three women on the

planet will be raped, violated or

beaten in their lifetime.* I am one

of nine local women, led by Jodi

Ahmed, who have come together

to organise Bristol events this year,

both on 14 February and one to

come on 27 April.

Zumba was chosen for a series

of February 14 flashmobs, with

easy-to-follow dances that people

could learn or else freestyle on

the day. We began with around 50

people at Castle Park and marched

and danced through Broadmead

to the fountains where Bristol’s

mayor George Ferguson joined us.

We ended in Millennium Square

with over 250 people dancing and

then observing a minute’s silence,

with a chance to light a candle for

those who have been or still are

affected by abuse. Bristol Against

Violence and Abuse (BAVA) spoke

at the event about the importance

of the movement and what they

do locally. It was an uplifting and

emotional day.

On 27 April we are running a free

dance workshop and information

day in St Werburghs Community

Centre. Local charities such as

Next Link, Womankind, Bristol

Rape Crisis, One25 and The

Freedom Programme will be on

hand to provide information,

signposting and support. In the

evening at The Attic Bar we will

host a musical fundraiser for

Next Link; I myself was a client

four years ago and they changed

my life.

One Billion Rising is the biggest

mass global action to end violence

against women and girls in the

history of humankind and events

have taken place in 199 different

countries. We hope to expand it

further in years to come.

* 2003 UNIFEM report entitled ‘Not A Minute More: Ending Violence Against Women’ or the 2008 UNITE To End Violence Against Women Campaign, initiated by the UN Secretary-General’s Office.

Eleanor Bridge, one of the organisers of Bristol’s ‘One Billion Rising’ movement, writes about the February day of action and events still to come to promote awareness of violence against women and girls in our city and around the world.

For photos and videos

from the Bristol event,

visit: www.facebook.

com/groups/OBRBristol.

You can contact Eleanor

Bridge by emailing:

[email protected].

For more information about

One Billion Rising, visit:

www.onebillionrising.org

To read the Guardian’s coverage

of events around the world,

visit: goo.gl/SzW5N

Photo by Mark Simmons Photography

Local people taking part in the One Billion Rising event this February


Nominating Community Assets

What does the Community Right to Bid actually allow organisations to do?

Voluntary and community sector

(VCS) organisations can nominate

both privately and publicly owned

assets to be included on a list of

assets of community value. This

list is managed by the Council.

If a landowner wants to sell a

registered property, they must

tell the Council. If a community

group wants to buy the asset,

the group can trigger a six-month

moratorium to give it a chance

to prepare a bid. The moratorium

means that during this period,

the owner cannot sell their

property on the open market.

This gives community groups an

increased chance to save much-

loved shops, pubs or other local

facilities by developing a proposal

and raising the required funds.

At the end of the six-month

period, the owner is free to sell

the asset to whomever they wish

and at any price.

Who can nominate an asset of community value?

Only eligible VCS organisations can

make nominations, not individuals,

nor the Council.

The Community Right to Bid (also known as Assets of Community Value), which gives people the chance to bid to buy and take over the running of assets that are of value to the local community, has become law.

Eligible organisations must have

a local connection to the property

they wish to nominate and be one

or more of the following:

• An unincorporated community

group with at least 21 members

who are registered to vote in

the Bristol City Council area.

• A parish council.

• A charity.

• An industrial and

provident society.

• A local neighbourhood forum.

• A company limited by

guarantee or a community

interest company.

How can I nominate an asset of community value?

Nominations need to be made

by completing an Assets of

Community Value nomination

form. This form, along with the

full list of criteria and information

required for nominations, is

available on the Bristol City

Council website.

What happens following nomination?

The Council has to decide whether

or not to list the asset within eight

weeks following the nomination.

The Council must check that the

information supplied is correct

and that the asset is not in an

excluded category. Decisions as to

whether the nominated assets are

of community value will be made

by a specially convened officer

asset group.

Photo by Elliott Brown

Find out more and useful links

www.bristol.gov.uk/page/

community-and-safety/

community-right-bid

www.mycommunityrights.org.

uk/community-right-to-bid/

For information on the

Community Right to Challenge

(another Community Right that

has come into force through the

Localism Act 2011) see p8.

For details of all the above training and events visit: www.voscur.org/calendar/month

Voscur Ltd. Royal Oak House Royal Oak Avenue Bristol BS1 4GB

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

Voscur is a registered charity and a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Company no. 3918210. Charity no. 1148403.

Printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable-based inks

April 2013Date Time Event/training Location

16th 6:30-9:30pm Being a Good Trustee Barton Hill Settlement

17th 1-3:30pm Health and Social Care Network meeting St Werburghs Community Centre

23rd 10am-12:30pm An Introduction to Charitable Incorporated Organisations Southville Centre

25th 9:30am-1pm Increasing Diversity in Your Organisation The CREATE Centre

May 2013Date Time Event/training Location

8th 9:30am-3:30pm Strengthening Your Team – During and After Change St Werburghs Community Centre

11th 10am-1pm City-Wide Neighbourhood Partnership meeting The Greenway Centre

14th 9:30am-3:30pm Introduction to Fundraising Easton Community Centre

21st 9:30am-3:30pm Using and Understanding Payment by Results The Gatehouse Centre

22nd 10am-12pm Children and Young People’s Network meeting Barton Hill Settlement

23rd 6:30-9:30pm Being an Even Better Trustee Barton Hill Settlement

June 2013Date Time Event/training Location

6th 9:30am-3:30pm Lone Working and Personal Safety St Pauls Learning & Family Centre

12th 10am-4:30pm VCS Assembly conference – Reclaiming the Agenda The Park Community Centre

20th 1-3:30pm Health and Social Care Network meeting St Werburghs Community Centre

25th 9:30am-3:30pm Introduction to Quality Marks The Withywood Centre

28th 9:30am-3:30pm Costing Your Project for Commissioning Windmill Hill City Farm

July 2013Date Time Event/training Location

3rd 9:30am-3:30pm Writing Small Fundraising Bids St Werburghs Community Centre

4th 9:30am-3:30pm Communicate! TBC

8th 1-3pm Finance Forum TBC

9th 9:30am-12:30pm Managing Staff The GreenHouse

9th 1-4pm Managing Volunteers The GreenHouse

16th 5:30-8pm Neighbourhoods and Communities Network meeting Windmill Hill City Farm

16th 6:30-8:30pm Trustee Network TBC

Training and events diary

Thrive! April, May, June 2013

Documents

Transcript of Thrive! April, May, June 2013