Hello! 

  

Welcome to Reach Out with a packed issue full of news and information for voluntary and community groups.  

  

The Health and Social Care Development Fund has opened for applications - see article below but please note the deadline of 5 December. 

There is something for everyone in this week's issue from Headway Derby's Open Day to the launch of ESV - Employer Supported Volunteering and lots of training and information on local issues.

  

Don't forget to check the Community Action website for the latest news, events and updates for voluntary and community groups in Derby.

If you have any news, information or events that you would like to share with the voluntary and community sector in Derby, please let us know.

Want to keep track of what we are doing? You can now follow us on Twitter and Facebook - just click the links below!

  

Some good news!  This fund is now open for applications but please note the closing date is 5 December. 

  

The maximum that can be requested is £3,000.00 for: 

• Equipment, repairs, refurbishment or alterations to buildings
  that promote equality or improve services or Health and Safety;
• Short term training courses (under one year) that support the health and social care outcomes listed in section one of the guidance. Training could be aimed at empowering service users or carers by developing their skills, knowledge and capabilities or raising the skill levels of staff or volunteers;
• Short term pilot projects (under one year) or research, aimed at testing out innovative approaches or new ideas for delivering health and social care outcomes, or identifying unmet needs.
• Targeted promotional work, for example, to improve equality of access for under-represented groups, or to recruit volunteers from under-represented groups;
• Start-up costs for new health and social care groups, which aim to meet an identified need.

The application form, guidance notes, terms and conditions and evaluation form can be downloaded from theCommunity Action website.  If you need a paper copy of any of the documents email Kath Cawdell or call 01332 227733.

 

A FREE workshop session specific to this funding will take place at Community Action on 21 November from 10:00 am to 12.00 pm. Places must be booked - contact Kath Cawdell as above for a booking form or download one from the Community Action website.  Please note booking forms must be returned by Wednesday 16 November.   

Amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill were discussed in the House of Lords on 25 October and 2 November.  The list of amendments discussed can be found on the Parliament website. 

 

In summary, the Bill proposes to create an independent NHS Board, promote patient choice, and to reduce NHS administration costs. Key areas include: 

• establishing an independent NHS Board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidance;
• increasing GPs powers to commission services on behalf of their patients
• strengthening the role of the Care Quality Commission;
• developing Monitor, the body that currently regulates NHS Foundation Trusts, into an economic regulator to oversee aspects of access and competition in the NHS; and
• cutting the number of health bodies to help meet the Government's commitment to cut NHS administration costs by a third, including abolishing Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities.

This article was taken from th latest DCAN newsletter - to read the newsletter in full visit the Community Action website  

The Council is consulting on future long-term funding for a number of local voluntary sector organisations.

 

Before making a final decision the Council wants to gather the views of the organisations, the service users, public, local agencies and organisations that work with the voluntary organisations affected.  The consultation period will end on 30 December 2011.  The outcome of the consultation will be reported to Cabinet on the 21 February 2012 where a decision will be made on the future funding for these organisations.

 

To take part in the consultation and for a list of affected groups and an online questionnaire visit the DCC website.    

Come along to the next VCF on Wednesday 16 November from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Community Action, 4 Charnwood Street, Derby. DE1 2GT

 

Guest speakers will be:

 

Asia Alder from the University of Derby. 

Asia will give a presentation about the Derby award.  This is an excellent programme which allows students to develop and demonstrate project management and leadership skills through volunteering and paid work; and

 

Thom Kellogg from Community Action.  Thom will discuss the benefits of employer supported volunteering and the opportunities this brings to private, public and local voluntary and community organisations in terms of short term projects and longer term relationships.

 

There'll also be an update on the Derby Volunteering Strategy and the usual round-up of information sharing and networking.  Light refreshments will be provided.

 

As always booking is essential; to book a place email Simon Hancox or call 01332 346266. 

 

The funding will support one programme in each of the five problem areas:

 

Helping disadvantaged families to live healthy lives;

Helping different generations share their skills;

Encouraging communities to volunteer to address environmental issues;

Bringing communities together to tackle local issues; and

Helping disadvantaged young people to learn new career-based skills.

 

For more information email the Big Lottery Fund, call 08454 102030 or visit the Big Lottery website. 

Derbyshire Mind now offer a mental health advocacy service, working with clients in the community and informal patients in hospital. 

 

Who can use the generic advocacy service?

Anyone in Derby city, Amber Valley or Erewash, who is using or trying to use mental health services.  This is a FREE confidential, independent service.

 

What is generic advocacy?

It can sometimes be difficult to get your voice heard!

A generic advocate will listen to you on a one-to-one basis and respect and represent your views.  An advocate can assist people to access mental health services or support them in issues relating to mental health care and treatment.

 

If you think any of your service users would benefit from this service email Derbyshire Mind or call 01332 623732.

Community Action Derby has embarked on a project to get more businesses in Derby to support their employees volunteering in the community.

 

Employer Supported Volunteering - ESV - enables employers to support their staff to take time out of their working week to volunteer with a local charity or voluntary organisation.  The project matches businesses with voluntary organisations to allow employees to take part in voluntary activities in their local communities, building relationships and partnerships between the voluntary and private sectors.  ESV can take the form of team-building days or skills-based volunteering.  It helps promote staff development; generates pride in the workplace; provides a different approach to team building; improves communication; promotes diversity; and improves staff morale and retention levels.

 

The charity benefits through increased volunteer resources for its project, activity or service and from specialist skills and knowledge and joint solutions to problem solving. It also helps to deliver an improved and effective service.

 

Thom Kellogg, ESV Project Coordinator, said "The ESV model is a great way to bring the public and voluntary sectors together to share ideas and expertise that we hope can lead  to longer lasting relationships between businesses and voluntary groups. In the current climate it's a great way to pull together resources to benefit both sectors."

 

Community Action is looking for voluntary organisations that have suitable tasks that can be offered out to local companies. To find out more about ESV and the benefits to your organisation please get in touch now!  Email Thom Kellogg or call 01332 227736 or 07792 733639. 

23 November -10:00 am to 1:00 pm 

Are you unsure about the procedure involved in taking minutes? Do you take too many notes at meetings?  This course will help you gain knowledge of how to write a set of minutes and the process afterwards for sending the minutes out to other group members.

 

Introduction to Social Enterprise

17 November - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Is your organisation heavily dependant on grant funding?  Would you like to find out more about the alternatives that could benefit the development of your organisation?  If so, this course is for you!

                                                           

Training Rooms - we have four training rooms that can accommodate any number of people from one to fifty - in various layouts.  We offer greatly reduced rates for voluntary and community groups. 

The Government has launched 'Caring for our Future: shared ambitions for care and support' to engage with people who use care and support services about the priorities for improving them.  The Department of Health have identified six areas they believe have the biggest potential to make improvements to the care and support system, on which they would like to hear views:  

• improving quality and developing the workforce
• increasing personalisation and choice
• ensuring services are being integrated around people's needs
• supporting greater prevention and early intervention
• creating a more diverse and responsive care market
• the role of the financial services sector in supporting users, carers and their families. 

The engagement exercise will run until 2 December and the results from the discussions will inform a Government White Paper and a progress report on funding reforms that will be published in spring 2011.

 

For more information and for details of how to get involved visit the Caring for our Future website.  

Artists from Surtal will use Market Square, Derby on Saturday 12 November as a canvas to launch the Festival of Light Derby Lantern Parade, which will take place during the following week on 18 November. They will create a giant Rangoli pattern using traditional chalk art or Kolam. 

 

So why not go along on Saturday, armed with WHITE chalk, and help create a giant Rangoli to bring prosperity to the whole of Derby and help launch the Festival of Light event on18 November. 

For more information email Surtal Arts or call 01332 294333 or 0786 170350. 

An article in the last issue of Reach Out referred to the EMFAN event  on 7 December at Deda in Derby and may have given the impression that it was a funding advice event.  Please note that the event is not for groups fundraising for their own cause and only workers involved in supporting other organisations on funding are invited to attend. 

Headway are holding their annual open day on Friday 18 November from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Headway Derby, 100 Canal Street in Derby.  There will be a tombola stall, raffles, crafts, cakes and refreshments - entry is just 50p! 

Linda Wain, local wildlife artist, will be a special guest at the event - so why not go along and give Headway Derby your support!

30 November from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at  
Community Action Derby, 4 Charnwood Street, Derby. 

 

The agenda for this meeting of the Derby Provider Network will include an item on Localism lead by Kim Harper and an update on the market development work being undertaken by Derby City Council. For further information or to book a place email Kath Cawdell or call 01332 227733. 

 

The purpose of the centre of excellence is to identify partially sighted players of outstanding ability and place them in a technical programme designed to produce football excellence in conjunction with personal development.

 

Players aged 12 to 16 years, with a B2/B3 sight level, will get the opportunity to experience high quality coaching and playing opportunities.  Trials take place on the following dates: 13, 20 and 27 November from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at the 

Power League Soccer Dome, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8BW.  

 

For more information or to register your interest email Sam Turner or call 01332 667575.  

Derby Asian, Black and Ethnic Communities Network - Derby BME Network - were successful in a partnership bid with OZBOX - a police initiative,  DDREC and Derby County Football Club among others to run Normanton Park Community Centre.

 

Derby BME Network see this as a fantastic opportunity to engage with the members of the community and together with their partners make full use of the resources on offer. They are now appealing to all of their member organisations for ideas on activities they would like to see at Normanton Park Community Centre so that they can be incorporated in early planning stages.

 

Please email Derby BME Network with your thoughts and comments or call 01332 372428.   

The business section of the Derby Telegraph this week spotlights on the success of the Disability Syndicate and it's Chief Executive Amarjit, or Amo, Raju.

 

The organisation now has 78 employees and 25 volunteers working in a growing number of social enterprises from six locations in Derby.  To read the article in full visit the the Derby Telegraph website. 

The sun was shining as staff and volunteers from Community Action got to grips with their tools and started pruning and felling trees at Elvaston Castle as part of National CSV Make a Difference Day. 

We had a thorough safety briefing from the Elvaston Castle staff and then set to work on specific areas, tidying up the tree line on the approach to the castle.

Everyone had a great day, learned new skills and did a lot of hard work which was really appreciated by the helpful, friendly instructors.

 

Andy Potter from BBC Radio Derby came along to interview us during the morning as part of a new weekly volunteering series to be broadcast during the coming weeks.

 

We can't wait to do it again! 

 



Jayne Williams
Community Action Derby