As a member of the public, you have a right to be involved in discussions and decisions about your health and social care services. By sharing your experiences and ideas with your Local Involvement Network (LINk), you can influence the way services are run.
The Big Lottery Fund’s Strategic Framework for 2009-15, the result of our public consultation on future funding, gives prominence to the themes of transitions and isolation. BIG welcomes the results of the Young Foundation research which is already informing the development of its new funding.
Follow the link to the full report, and also to a useful summary that identifies the main findings and suggests implications for funders: Young Foundation
Next year in England, BIG will announce details of a targeted intervention to support young people moving through important and difficult transitions in their life, in particular it will provide a package of support for some of the most isolated young people in our communities, young carers as well as young people leaving the care system and young people leaving young offenders institutions.
BIG will be looking to support vulnerable young people in developing their skills as well as improving their access to housing, employment, education and training. BIG will be committing at least £30 million for young people’s work in 2010.
It’s now much easier to recycle your used batteries.
New rules mean that from today, any retailer who sells over 32kg of batteries per year (about 1 pack of 4 AAs a day) is required to provide a free recycling point for consumers to return their used / flat batteries. In practice, this means that most retailers who sell batteries will now have a collection point; making it easier for everyone to recycle.
On average, each UK household uses 21 batteries per year – that’s over 600 million – with a staggering 97% of those going to landfill where harmful chemicals can leak into the soil. The new rules should enable us to significantly increase our collection and recycling rates from 3% to 25% by 2012 increasing to 45% by 2016.
>>>> read the full story and full story here
Following the great successes of previous West Midlands Regeneration Conventions over the past six years we are pleased to be hosting the 2010 event. In February we are bringing to you an impressive array of speakers who will broach key issues for current regeneration practice and map the terrain.
This link gives information on charity law in England and Wales and cutting red tape for third sector organisations.
On average, parents looked for advice around four times in a single year. The Family Information Directory means that, for the first time, parents and families can find the information they want on subjects including family activities, parenting questions and childcare with a single search.
The Family Information Directory is an extensive online directory offering parents, and those working with them, the ability to search for information about childcare and family services in both their local community and nationally.
This document outlines
The link below outlines what the Family Information Directory is and how it works for parents, what services it can provide and what sorts of information and advice it can point users to. Click on Family Information Directory for more information
As a country we are living through an enormous demographic change. This has now reached a tipping point with pensioners outnumbering children for the first time. A quarter of all children born today are expected to live to reach 100 years old. This is a challenge, but also an opportunity. Building a Society for All Ages is the Government’s strategy for how we as a society make the most of this change. It develops the Government’s 2005 strategy, Opportunity Age [DWP website] which has now largely been delivered. It builds on a solid foundation of recent reforms to the pensions and health systems for older people.
The strategy is available online in PDF. If you would like a hard copy or you require this document in an alternative format please email allages@hmg.gov.uk
For more details and lots of useful resources click on this link
Most slips and trips are preventable and 
many happen when spills aren’t cleared up or clutter tidied away. Last year, there were four fatalities and more than 10 000 employees were seriously injured when they had a slip or trip at work. This results in broken bones and time off work, costing the economy around £800 million per year. Simple mistakes can shatter lives … your actions could help stop them from happening.
Don’t take things for granted, cut corners or wait for someone else to do it. Clear up!
Download a poster version here
This page gives information on applying to the third sector strategic partner programme, which aims to invest in a small number of strategic partners who will work collaboratively with the Department of Health.
The programme is approaching the end of Year 1, and the DH Team have identified six areas which are currently not included which they would like to bring on board:
Only ONE organisation will be selected in each category across the country, and will be representing Third Sector voice for the category at national level. This does not preclude small, local groups, but they must have the capacity to carry out the work outlined in the PDF document.
>>>>>click here for full details
From 3rd February 2010, Parentline Plus will introduce a free new online liv
e chat service that will enable parents and carers to chat instantly to Parentline Plus’ trained advisors regarding any parenting or family issues.
The live chat service www.parentlineplus.org.uk/livechat will be available Monday to Thursday (9am – 4.30pm) and Friday (9am – 12.30pm) with all chats kept confidential between parents and the Parentline Plus online support team.*
Jeremy Todd, Parentline Plus Chief Executive said:
“Although information and practical support is readily available via our helpline, email, website and local support services 24 hours a day; the opportunity to talk in real time to one of our trained advisors is a positive addition to the many different ways we currently work with parents. Parentline Plus’ live chat was created in response to the growing demand from parents who want to be able to access information quickly. Our trained advisors will be able to offer support and practical advice to all family members who find themselves in difficult and challenging situations.”
Parents that require support outside live chat opening hours, can call the free, confidential, 24 hour Parentline on 0808 800 2222 or email parentsupport@parentlineplus.org.uk
Parentline Plus services include:
A free live chat service www.parentlineplus.org.uk/livechat
A free confidential, 24-hour Parentline 0808 800 2222
A free textphone for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment 0800 783 6783
Email support parentsupport@parentlineplus.org.uk
Individual support
Parenting groups and workshops
Information materials
A helpful, interactive website for parents www.parentlineplus.org.uk
An online community for parents www.parentlineplus.org.uk/community
An online one-stop shop for professionals www.parentlineplusforprofessionals.org.uk
A new website for parents concerned about bullying www.besomeonetotell.org.uk
A social networking site for parents of teenagers www.gotateenager.org.uk
Training for professionals
Are you a social enterprise providing or seeking to provide health and/or social care services?
The new capital grants round for third sector organisations is now open.
FAQs
The application deadline is 5pm, 19 February 2010 for posted applications and midnight, 21 February 2010 for emailed applications. However, grants will be awarded on a rolling basis and there is only a limited pot of money available. In order to access funding, it is important that you submit your application as soon as possible. Any money awarded must be drawn down by 31 March 2010.
Usual rules apply:
£15,000 plus non financial support for a year
Opening for Expression of Interests
Friday 26th February www.unltd.org.uk
Level 2 Awards are aimed at social entrepreneurs who have established a social business/project. We are looking for enterprises that are operational with an established track record of meeting a clearly evidenced need. The Award enables individuals to spend more time developing their enterprises, building infrastructure and increasing social impact and revenues. For more detailed information please visit www.unltd.org.uk where you can find the criteria, process and timetable for the next round of the competition. If you would like to attend a workshop or speak further about a possible application please contact Kevin Lloyd – Evans on 0121 766 4570 or email kevinlloydevans@unltd.org.uk.
You’ve seen it on our website, now sign up and use this free service if you are an SDVS member.
Charity Builder UK is a new online service which has the potential to transform administrative tasks in your organisation.
It provides advice on lots of important topics such as Human Resources, Health & Safety, volunteering and governance. At its core is an interactive section that actually works with you to write documents such as employment contracts and Health & Safety policies; this section is kept up to date by experts and lawyers and sold to commercial organisations for a subscription of £300 a year.
As a member of Stafford District Voluntary Services you can use the whole site totally free of charge.
To get Charity Builder UK simply go to www.charitybuilderuk.com and register, you’ll then receive your user name and password within 48 hours.
We hope that you’ll enjoy this benefit of being one of our members.
And if you’re not a member? Not to worry!
Join Stafford District Voluntary Services free of charge for the first year (and always if you’re a small group turning over less than £10,000 per year). Once you join, Charity Builder UK services and much, much more are available to your group.
A new website that shows charity fundraising videos and allows people to share them on other sites is expected to be launched on 23 March.
The website, which is called See the Difference, has been set up in the hope of raising nearly £500m for charities in its first five years.
Charities can upload videos to the site for free but will be charged 5 per cent commission on donations made by its users. The site will hold a library of videos that show specific projects being run by charities and promise to tell donors exactly how their money has been spent. The charities involved will have to undertake to spend donations on the projects shown in the videos, rather than using them as unrestricted funds. The site’s founders hope that videos posted on the site will be shared on other social networking sites such as Facebook to encourage more people to give. Financial backers of the scheme include software giant Microsoft and donation website Virgin Money Giving. Dominic Vallely, one of the founders of the website, said it was targeting under-50s and people who gave to charity sporadically. He said he hoped the site would change the way people thought about charities. “When fundraisers stop people in the street, they are interrupting their plans,” he said. “But if friends share videos about the projects they have supported, it is fitting in with what people are already doing.”
Would you like to receive a wage subsidy from the Government to employ a graduate for four weeks?
Staffordshire University is running this new scheme in partnership with other West Midlands universities and Graduate Advantage to help tackle the effect of the economic downturn on the region’s employers and graduates. The scheme gives you as an employer the opportunity to enlist the knowledge and expertise of a local graduate for a period of four weeks to help support or develop any area of your business.
You would receive a ‘Graduate Bursary’ of £800 from the University, to which you would add £200 and run the graduate through your payroll at £250 per week for four weeks. Following this time there would be the opportunity to continue and convert to an unpaid internship through the West Midlands Graduate Internship scheme.
Public sector organisations would receive a bursary of £400 and would contribute £600.
If you are interested in taking up this opportunity, would like further information or would like to discuss it further you can contact me on 01782 294391 or by email at jobzone@staffs.ac.uk
An array of well known faces have come together to support Marie
Curie Cancer Care’s Great Daffodil Appeal this year.
Stephen Fry, Tony Blackburn, Lynda Bellingham, Jon Culshaw, Alison Steadman, and Sir Ranulph Fiennes are among the stars who feature in a short video calling on people to volunteer to raise funds to provide nursing care for terminally ill people in their own homes. The video, which can be viewed online at http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil/ ), has been made by Marie Curie Cancer Care to help recruit 20,000 volunteer collectors for its 2010 Great Daffodil Appeal.
Actor Stephen Mangan, who also features in the video, has personal reasons for supporting the Great Daffodil Appeal. Both his parents died from cancer and were cared for at home by Marie Curie Nurses.
Stephen, best known for his performances in Green Wing and C
hannel Four’s Free Agents, said; “Most terminally ill people want to be cared for at home, surrounded by their loved ones. Marie Curie Nurses working across the UK make this possible because they provide care, totally free to patients in their own homes.
“I’m proud to be supporting the appeal in any way I can and hope the video encourages everyone to give an hour of their time to help, because it really could help someone in their final hours.”
Each March the charity encourages everyone in the UK to give a donation in return for a daffodil to wear in support of Marie Curie Nurses. All money raised will help Marie Curie Cancer Care provide free nursing care for people with cancer and other terminal illnesses in their own homes and the charity’s hospices.
Marie Curie Cancer Care urgently needs to recruit 20,000 volunteer collectors to help its Great Daffodil Appeal in 2010. The charity is asking for volunteer collectors to give an hour of their time during the Great Daffodil Appeal this February and March to help someone in their final hours.
If you have more time available, there are other ways to get involved. For example, the charity needs help organising the collections, or you could volunteer at your local fundraising office or distributing daffodil boxes to local supporters.
To volunteer for the Great Daffodil Appeal and help Marie Curie Cancer Care provide care for terminally ill people and support for their loved ones, visit http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil/ or call the Daffodil Hotline on 0845 601 3107.
To get help from the Marie Curie Nursing Service, talk to your GP, district nurse or discharge nurse. For more information about Marie Curie Cancer Care, please visit http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/
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Funding is available to any organisation with 5 – 249 employees to invest in:
Managing Directors
Owner Managers
Chief Executive Officers
Senior Managers
Directors
The funding* is to support the improvement of Leadership and Management skills through coaching, mentoring or working towards a qualification.
Business link West Midlands will guide your business through the process; they have already successfully arranged funding for many businesses.
more details can be found by clicking here
The Stafford Children’s Trust Board (chaired by SDVS) is consulting about the draft Children and Young Person’s Plan 2010-13
This is the first plan produced for specific services for Children & Young People in Stafford Borough.
Young people are especially welcome to make comment and changes/additions to the plan (the Stafford Children’s Trust Board is meeting the Shadow Trust Board – young people’s Board - in February, but that doesn’t stop anyone making comments).
Please look at the final draft and make sure you comment BEFORE the end of consultation on 19th March.
Stafford Borough Council have kindly hosted the draft plan on their website http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/static/page6748.htm
You can complete the “Have your Say” survey online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JSK9ZVW
And now the Stafford Children’s Trust Board website is up and running http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/static/page6515.htm you can find contact details, membership, past Minutes, Thematic Groups’ draft plans, useful links to more information about Stafford Children’s Trust and the Staffordshire Children’s Trust, and of course, about safeguarding children & young people.
The Rowan Organisation are available to offer support regarding direct payments /self directed support to any group or individuals that are on a scheme or considering going onto a scheme within the Staffordshire area.
They are available to meet up at coffee mornings or at group meetings to help individuals understand the process of the schemes and show them how the Rowan can provide long term support if required. If anyone is interested in arranging a visit or having a chat with us please contact Cheryl Sullivan Earp on 01827 254768
