HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM VOICE4CHANGE ENGLAND!!! Our E-Alert returns with a
wealth of news helpful to your work with the BME voluntary and community
sector.
Please send this on to your contacts and do not hesitate to send us bits of news and stories to
share with the sector. For breaking news from Voice4Change England, follow us on Twitter.
News
Funding
Policy
Support
Publications & Research
Events
Jobs and Vacancies
Special Interest News
&
Resources
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NEWS
Stephen Lawrence verdict: Dobson and Norris guilty of racist murder
On 3 January 2012 Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of the murder of Stephen
Lawrence, 18 years after his stabbing by a gang of white youths at a bus stop in Eltham on 22
April 1993. Voice4Change England commented on the outcome of the verdict, alongside other
leading commentators:
“The judgment is a wake up call to us all to remain vigilant so that history does not repeat itself
and that as citizens we have an individual and collective responsibility to ensure public bodies,
policy makers and those working towards a fairer and more just society are accountable for their
actions. Racism still exists in 2012 and continues to blight the life chances and opportunities of
those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. Voice4Change England will continue to
advocate for race equality and the need to tackle the underlying causes for persisting
inequalities.”
Vandna Gohil - Director of Voice4Change England
Read the bulletin from Just West Yorkshire
Read Rob Berkeley, Director of Runneymede Trust’s blog
Read the Institute of Race Relations ‘96 murders since Stephen Lawrence’
See Hugh Muir’s Guardian podcast
LIMITED SPACES!!! Big Society and Equality: making it happen
Thursday 9 February 2012
10:00pm to 4:00pm
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St Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester, M12 6FZ
Voice4Change England event in partnership with One North West are hosting a national event
on the Big Society and equality. The event will explore:
How is Big Society being delivered and what does it mean for equality?
What are the solutions to Big Society challenges and what good practice would you like
to see more of?
What do we need to let Government know about Big Society and equality?
Join us at the event to answer these questions and more. The day will include a chance to learn
more about Big Society policies and programmes and to hear Tameside’s unique local approach
to Big Society. There will be plenty of opportunities to share ideas and delegates will have the
chance to put forward their own solutions to Big Society challenges. Delegates will also be able
to take part in a focused workshop on the following Big Society programmes: Community
Organisers, Community First or Local Integrated Services.
We have had great interest and spaces are filling up fast. Bookings can be made on our website.
For more information contact Jemma Grieve Combes on 0843 2081252 or at
[email protected].
This event is part of Voice4Change England’s programme of work with the Women’s Resource
Centre, commissioned by the Office for Civil Society, to provide advice to Government on the
challenges that inequalities present to the Big Society agenda and how to address them; and the
opportunities for tackling inequalities that the Big Society agenda offers.
CALL FOR EVIDENCE!!! Impact of the economic climate on your organisation?
Voice4Change England will be attending an economic summit hosted by the Nation Council of
Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) on 30 January 2012. The summit will opportunities and
challenges for the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in relation to the current economic
environment. In particular it will bring us together to share our thoughts and plans around the
forthcoming Budget on 21 March 2012, and also how we might work collectively to encourage
the Chancellor to consider the needs of disadvantaged communities and the VCS.
We are inviting our members to provide us with evidence, recommendations and key concerns
they may have to feed in to the summit discussions. Therefore we are asking for feedback on
the following questions:
1. What challenges are the spending cuts and the current economic climate creating for
your organisation? (e.g. the impact on your services and beneficiaries)
2. What action has your organisation taken to help survive the economic environment?
(e.g. changes to staffing levels, greater collaboration and partnerships , recruiting more
volunteers, closing certain services, charging for services)
3. What support would you find useful from Voice4Change England? (e.g. updates on
policy changes, online forums and discussions, signposting top resources)
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4. What are your top three priorities for Government to consider in its forthcoming
Budget? (e.g. social value in contracts, disproportionate cuts to VCS organisations ,
ensuring Big Lottery Fund money only goes to VCS organisations)
Please send your feedback to [email protected] by Friday 20 January 2012.
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FUNDING
LEP Community Fund - Wolverhampton
Deadline 20 January 2012
The Local Education Partnership (LEP) Community Fund is provided by Carillion, a leading
support services and construction company that is responsible for delivering Wolverhampton
City's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme on behalf of the Local Education
Partnership.
Funding is intended to assist local voluntary and community groups and organisations, social
enterprises and charities with projects that support local schools and communities. Eligible
projects could include making areas safer and more attractive places to live and work, increasing
educational attainment or extending ‘out of hours’ activities at schools, reducing drug and gangrelated crime and providing good leisure activities.
Applications from groups active in Wolverhampton that can build partnerships with
Wolverhampton Schools on the BSF programme will be favoured.
Grants of up to £10,000 are available.
Find out more about the LEP Community Fund
ESF Community Grants - North East
Deadline 27 January 2012
County Durham Community Foundation, the Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and
Northumberland, the Tees Valley Community Foundation and the Acumen Development Trust
are working in partnership to deliver a £1.4 million European Social Funding Community Grants
programme across the North East for 2011-2013.
The European Social Fund (ESF) was set up to improve employment opportunities in the
European Union and so help raise standards of living. Its aims to help people fulfil their potential
by giving them better skills and better job prospects.
The ESF Community Grants provide financial assistance for projects in the North East that help
people return to work.
Find out more about the ESF Community Grants
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Derbyshire - Community Action Grant
Deadline 27 January 2012
The Community Action Grant is provided and administered by Derbyshire County Council.
Funding is intended to help small groups within Derbyshire run projects that improve life in their
local community.
Find out more about the Community Action Grant
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POLICY
Building capabilities for impact and legacy: a discussion paper
The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) has outlined a new approach to infrastructure support in its new £20
million infrastructure programme. Big Lottery Fund wants to take an approach that allows frontline charities to decide what support they need.
Dharmendra Kanani, England director for the BLF, said: "The investment aims to develop the
capabilities of local and specialist support providers so they can offer higher quality support to
front-line voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises to increase their
effectiveness as well as respond to changing needs and a changing funding environment."
On 16 December 2011 BLF launched:
1. A discussion paper: This discussion paper is for voluntary sector and social enterprise
managers working in both frontline and infrastructure support and development
organisations. It sets out BLF’s approach to ‘building capabilities within voluntary
organisations’, and gives an opportunity for voluntary and other organisations to
influence this approach.It says there is no single solution to the diverse needs of frontline organisations and this infrastructure programme should "test different approaches"
that enable front-line organisations "to get the support they need"
Organisations have until 15 March to respond to the discussion paper.
Voice4Change England will be submitting a response to the paper. If you would like
the opportunity to feed in to our response email [email protected] by
20 February 2012.
2. £6 million tender opportunity: The outcome of the discussion s paper will be used to
inform the delivery of a three year tender to improve the quality of support services for
voluntary organisations. The investment aims to develop the capabilities of local and
specialist support providers so they can offer higher quality support to frontline
voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises to increase their
effectiveness as well as respond to changing needs and a changing funding
environment.
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Organisations interested in tendering to administer the first phase of the programme
were given until 9 January to complete pre-qualifying questionnaires.
Read the discussion paper
Find out more about Building capabilities for impact and legacy
Visit our policy pages to find out more about engaging with the policymaking process. If you
have a query or need support on a particular issue we would love to hear from you. Contact
Ravi Chauhan on 020 7843 6130.
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SUPPORT AND RESOURCES
Using the law to fight the local cuts
10 January 2012
1.00pm - 4.00pm
Leeds
COST: £25
Public law barristers, Doughty Street Chambers in London and public law solicitors, Irwin
Mitchell in Sheffield are working with NAVCA to provide more support to members as the next
wave of local cuts sweeps in this winter.
Find out more and book a place
Islamic Counselling Courses
24/25/26 January 2012
9.30am - 5.30pm each day
The Inspire Centre, 747 Stockport Road, Manchester, M19 3AR
COST: £249 per person
Muslim Communities UK is holding a 3 day Islamic Counselling Course for women aiming to
increase the number of trained Islamic counsellors.
To find out more and book your place, call 0161 713 1892 or email [email protected].
FREE training for BME VCOs on how to use Compact and Public Law to challenge unfair
decisions made against you by pubic authorities. V4CE are looking for organisations which
would like to host training workshops in their local area in partnership with V4CE. If you would
like to host a training workshop, contact Ravi Chauhan on 0207 843 6129.
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PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH & CONSULTATIONS
Compact Voice welcomes the NAO report into Central Government’s Implementation of the
National Compact
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published the findings from their inquiry into how
government departments are implementing the Compact in their work.
The inquiry - announced as part of the accountability and transparency measures which
accompanied the renewed Compact in 2010 - highlights some key issues and makes a number of
recommendations to improve departmental activities.
Simon Blake OBE, chair of Compact Voice, said:
“We are delighted that the Compact is supported by government departments and that the NAO
have found good examples of it being applied. However the report also identifies gaps that must
be addressed. We expect the Government to implement the recommendations in full and we will
be pressing the Minister on this.”
In particular the report highlights that there needs to be more visible leadership on the Compact
both in OCS and across Whitehall. This echoes the findings of our 2011 annual survey and
remains the most important issue.
We will also expect government departments to undertake work to identify the degree of their
Compact compliance, as it is important that government departments know whether they are
successfully implementing the Compact.”
The report’s findings also include:
The Compact is supported by government departments and there are good examples of
it being applied
There is little evidence that the implementation of the Compact in central government is
fundamentally flawed
Leadership is not always visible in government departments, with recommendations
that more needs to be done to increase “visible promotion and oversight … by senior
department officials”.
40% of consultations issued since the renewed Compact was launched had shorter than
12 week time periods.
There are concerns with the lack of clarity about the Office for Civil Society’s role
regarding the Compact, with the lack of a senior responsible officer within its staff.
The report sets out a number of recommendations to address concerns.
Read the report
Read Voice4Change England’s response to the consultation
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EVENTS
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WRC - Big Society and equality conference
30 January 2012
10.30am - 4.30pm
Human Rights Action Centre, Amnesty International UK, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA
FREE
The Womens’ Resource Centre (WRC) are hosting a free event that aims to bring together
equalities organisations, to inform them about Big Society programmes and policies, and to give
organisations the chance to express their views about the Big Society and equalities issues.
At this event, attendees will:
Receive information from specialists and government representatives on the three key
areas of the Big Society – localism, public services and social action;
Discuss how Big Society policies will impact on the work of the equalities sector;
Explore the barriers and opportunities to promoting equality in relation to the Big
Society
This event will be a great opportunity to feed back your views and ideas on the Big Society and
to find out more about what it will mean for your organisation’s work.
This event is open to all voluntary and community organisations with an equalities focus. WRC
and V4CE particularly encourage organisations with limited knowledge Big Society programmes
to
come
to
the
conference
and
find
out
more!
There are a limited number of travel subsidies available. To book a place at this event or for
further details, please contact Natalie Ntim at [email protected] or on 020 7324 3030.
This event is part of WRC’s programme of work with Voice4Change England, commissioned by
the Office for Civil Society, to provide advice to Government on the challenges that inequalities
present to the Big Society agenda and how to address them; and the opportunities for tackling
inequalities that the Big Society agenda offers.
INVITATION!!! Parliamentary event on reducing reoffending for ethnic minority offenders
The Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) and the Runnymede Trust are inviting you to a
parliamentary event on reducing reoffending for ethnic minority offenders, hosted by Richard
Fuller MP and chaired by BBC journalist Razia Iqbal.
Crispin Blunt MP, the Minister for Prisons, who will be giving a short speech. This will be
followed by a panel discussion featuring the following:
Olga Heaven, Director of Female Prisoners Welfare Project Hibiscus
Trevor Hercules, Ex-offender, author and community activist
Dr Coretta Phillips, London School of Economics and Political Science
Wendy Sinclair, Director for HR New Business, Serco
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To find out more and to RSVP contact 0207 832 5807 or [email protected].
After the Riots conference
21 January 2012
1.30pm - 5.00pm
Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
COST: £10
There has been much comment and some analysis of the August riots in England and whether or
not inequality played a part. This conference provides an opportunity to hear from a range of
voices and consider the implications for the future of race equality.
The aim of the conference is to gather different perspectives on the events to:
Hear from a range of voices
Explore the implications for race equality of the August riots
Understand what needs to be done to progress race equality
Speakers will include children and young people, parents, community, faith and voluntary group
representatives. In taking forward our Communities Against Violence network the Race Equality
Foundation intend to encourage a collaborative response by black and minority ethnic voluntary
organisations to the August disturbance
Find out more and book a place
Networking with a Difference
1 February 2012
12.30pm - 4.30pm
Central London
Olmec is hosting Networking with a Difference. Through the event it aims to:
Build a community among BME led social enterprises to create a mutual support system
Enable you to share and trade knowledge about how to get it right
Help you to access people's networks so you can build your customer base
How will it be different?
Energetic and vibrant
No lengthy speeches
Olmec’s experienced facilitator creates the space for you to make contacts easily
Olmec is focused on helping you to make trading links through 50 other participants
You will be heard by everyone – 50 hits at once!
Networking can bring results and contracts. Previous participants in Olmec social enterprise
events have walked away with tangible leads that have led to real contracts and sales.
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Find out more and register
NCVO Annual Conference 2012: Moving Forward: Solutions and Inspiration
5 March 2012
With year two of the public funding cuts close approaching the conference will be looking at
how the sector move forward with practical skills, resources and support to help your
organisation.
NCVO has announced Danny Alexander MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury as a keynote
speaker.
The conference will also provide:
Practical resources and advice at workshops
Networking opportunities
Advice into new cost-saving products and services from over 24 exhibitors at the
marketplace.
Find out more and book a place
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JOBS AND VACANCIES
Volunteer Coordinator
Henna Asian Women’s Group
Camden
Henna Asian Women's Group (HAWG) is recruiting a part-time Volunteer Coordinator for its
Befriending Project funded by Camden Council.
Closing date: Wednesday 25 January 2012
Interviews: Wednesday 1 February 2012
HAWG are also actively recruiting volunteers.
Find out more and apply
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SPECIAL INTEREST STORIES
Charities scared to speak out amid cuts, says report (The Guardian Society, 9 January 2012)
Woman accused of tram race rant to face crown court trial (The Guardian, 3 January 2012)
Voluntary sector workforce has fallen by 70,000 (Civil Society, 9 January 2012)
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Interested in the stories that interest us at Voice4Change England? Follow us on delicious
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Our next e-alert will go out on 23 January 2012.
If you have any questions or would like to contribute to the e-alert please email Ravi Chauhan.
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