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Invitation to the National Communities United Against Hate DVD launch shimAdd News548 to Scrapbook

Date: Friday 2 March Time: 1pm – 4pm

Venue: in Lancashire

This is your opportunity to:

· Hear about hate crime legislation and its implications from Superintendent Paul Giannasi from the Ministry of Justice

· Hear from Dr Paul Iganski, an internationally renowned academic specialising in researching and writing on hate crime

· Learn about the importance of tackling discrimination in sport from Gordon Taylor OBE, Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers' Association.

· Hear of ways of utilising the DVD in your organisations to complement hate crime awareness campaigns.

· Receive a copy of the DVD and be provided with details on how to access it online.

· Network with other practitioners and policy makers interested in the hate crime agenda.

Please email Michael.Rudd@lancashire.gov.uk for details on how to book on to this free event.

Participation Works : Upcoming Training shimAdd News547 to Scrapbook

Participation Works is a partnership of six national children and young people's agencies that enables organisations to effectively involve children and young people in the development, delivery and evaluation of services that affect their lives.

We offer training and consultancy; a national network of participation workers (the Participation Works Network for England); and an online Gateway that offers a wide selection of information, the latest news and supporting resources on participation.

Our upcoming training courses include:

How to improve local services through youth inspection – 22nd March, Manchester

This practical one day course supports practitioners in developing and running inspection schemes. It covers the purpose and impact of youth inspection, and focuses on the five stages of running an effective youth inspection scheme.

How to use creative methods for participation – 20th June, Leicester

This new, innovative one-day course is based on the popular How To Guide on the same topic. At the end of the training day participants will have developed knowledge in this specific area of participation, ideas and exercises to use with children and young people and the confidence to incorporate the training in their work.

Building a culture of participation – 2nd May, Sheffield

This course explores how an organisation's culture can be established to support children and young people's active and meaningful participation. The course is based on developing participants' skills and knowledge in participation, involving self and organisational analysis as well as action planning.

For further information on any of our resources or training please visit http://www.onenorthwest.org.uk/Editor/scripts/www.participationworks.org.uk%20 or email at enquiries@participationworks.org.uk

Transforming Local Infrastructure North West Results shimAdd News546 to Scrapbook

Total 23 submissions – 15 successes (65%). Total North West investment = £5.618mil


Greater Manchester
11 Submissions – 8 successes (72%)

Combined authority - £290k

Central Manchester - £400k

Tameside - £338k

Oldham - £278k

Wigan - £373k

Bolton - £331k

Salford - £361k

Trafford - £383k


Total investment = £2.754mill

Merseyside
5 Submissions - 2 successes (40%)

Liverpool - £390k

Wirral - £373k
Total investment = £763k


Lancashire
3 Submissions – 3 successes (100%)

Lancashire - £599k

 Blackburn - £396k

Blackpool - £400k

Total investment = 1.395k

Cheshire
3 Submissions – 2 successes (67%)

Cheshire West - £387k

Warrington - £319k
Total investment = £706k


Cumbria
1 Submissions – 0 successes (0%)
Total investment = £0

Social Value Bill passes Lords second reading shimAdd News545 to Scrapbook

The private member’s bill, introduced by Chris White, the Conservative MP for Warwick and Leamington, is designed to make public sector commissioners take into account the social value bidders can offer alongside financial considerations. 

The bill was sent to be considered at committee stage by the whole House of Lords and if there are no more amendments to the bill by peers, it could become law within the next month.

Quoted in Third Sector magazine, Chris White said: "This bill is a great opportunity for us to not only spend public money better but also to support voluntary organisations, community groups and social enterprises across the country."

Tameside Race Equality Framework: A solution for Big Society shimAdd News544 to Scrapbook

The Race Equality Framework is an innovative pilot developed by One North West in Tameside, signalling a new approach to the Big Society and Localism. Within this document, we introduce a framework for social justice and equality that brings together the public and voluntary sector in true partnership. As intended, the Framework has taken on a new meaning that is specific to Tameside as delivered by DUO Development and Tameside Third Sector Coalition, but it was guided by five principles that were developed at the North West BME VCS Policy Forum.

These five equality principles emerged as a response to the challenges of Big Society and Localism, which if there are not measures put in place, could potentially serve to exclude minority communities from participating in the design and delivery of public services.

The framework provides an example of coproduction and shows that principles that are rooted in equality can be used, whilst still allowing for local action. It is one solution for the issues of localism

 

The framework will be officially launched at the One North West and Voice4Change Big Society event on 9th February, but it can be seen here:Tameside Race Equality Framework

Open Public Services - Passage of a bill workshop shimAdd News543 to Scrapbook

28 February 2012 10:00 - 14:00

TBC

In July 2011 the Open Public Services White Paper was launched looking at the reform of public services, particularly in terms of increasing the role of charities, social enterprises and the voluntary sector in public service delivery. This will naturally have a huge impact on our sector. In order to understand the parliamentary process further, this VSNW/Parliamentary Outreach Service eventwill include:

• Types of bills presented before Parliament
• The passage of a bill and its scrutiny through Parliament
• Key stages in which to engage with the passage of a bill
• Differences between Commons and Lords in their scrutiny of legislation
• Identifying relevant members to engage with on the legislation
• Useful resources in tracking and informing you of Public Service Reform

To register for this free event, email Helen Walker, VSNW Information Officerat helen.walker@vsnw.org.ukor call 0161 276 9300.

Cabinet Office Update for the North West - January shimAdd News542 to Scrapbook

1. £150 million Big Society 'endowment for the nation' launched - The new Community First endowment, which aims to raise £150 million to be invested to secure the future of local community projects in England, has been launched by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society.

The Government will pay in up to £50 million, giving 50p for every £1 raised from individual, corporate and philanthropic donors. With Gift Aid tax relief, this will create a pot worth in excess of £150 million. The money will be invested and the return, expected to be up to £12 million per year, will be used to provide grants to local community and social action projects from 2015 onwards.

The Community Development Foundation (CDF), which manages Community First, will begin work with local Community Foundations in the Community Foundation Network (CFN) to raise money for the endowment. For more information - http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/%C2%A3150-million-big-society-endowment-nation-launched-0


2. The Social Action Fund Round Two opened on 9 January 2012
The Social Action Fund is a new grant fund of over £20 million managed by The Social Investment Business on behalf of the Office for Civil Society. The Fund aims to inspire organisations to create new social action opportunities; encouraging people to give what they have, be it time, money, assets, knowledge or specific skills. The second application window opened Monday 9 January 2012. All applications will have to be received by noon on Friday 3 February 2012. For more information - http://www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org/our-funds/social-action-fund
Successful applications will address the following themes:
Encourage people to come together in their locality to support each other
Projects that scale proven models to regional or national levels, or replicate them in other localities. Some priority will be given to models that encourage those who do not traditionally get involved as volunteers. Particularly interested in models that offer people the opportunity to give time and / or money to activities that deliver a public benefit and complement the public sector.
Focus on the different life stages of volunteering
Programmes that target the following will be favoured:
- Building a culture of participation among school children and university graduates
- Encouraging professionals who have retired or are on point of retirement to use their experience and skills for community/public benefit.
- Inspire and support NCS graduates who want to continue contributing to their communities through social action projects.

3. 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. For more information download the report - http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/1012/national_compact.aspx.More information also at - http://www.compactvoice.org.uk/news/2012/01/05/compact-voice-welcomes-nao-report-central-government%E2%80%99s-implementation-national-compa#attachments


4. National Citizens Service Delivery Partners 2012 by Local Authority Area
In 2012 National Citizen Service will give up to 30,000 16-year-olds the chance to learn new skills and get involved in their community, a three-fold increase in the number of places in 2011.
The scheme will take place in a number of different locations across England. Information on providers by local authority area is available at -
CHAWREC Blog for Voice4Change on the cuts to legal aid shimAdd News541 to Scrapbook

With cuts to legal advice services, justice and equality are denied to those who can't afford them, argues Shantele from Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Race Equality Centre.

I recently read about the case of Elliot Browne, a former NHS manager who won almost £1million in compensation against Central Manchester University NHS Trust for racial discrimination. It said he was so badly affected by the ordeal that he considered suicide.

Unfortunately, our discrimination casework service sees many people in the same position, who are so traumatised by their experiences that they fall into a spiral of anxiety and depression.

Discrimination is an insidious creature and its effects are long reaching, often affecting people's confidence for years to come.

An end to frontline legal casework

Eliot's success in winning the compensation comes a matter of weeks after we heard news that the Government was ending the EHRC's legal grants programme from April, which funds our discrimination casework service. It is a service that we are rightly proud of, offering a lifeline for people who have no-where else to turn, advising them of their rights and helping them find a remedy.

The government described the EHRC's grants programme as ‘poorly administered', but has failed to put in place an alternative structure to deliver the £4.2 million that was previously being awarded to deliver casework on the ground.

Double discrimination

Advice organisations across the country are not only being battered by the cuts in public spending, but are now facing the very real threat of cutting their discrimination casework services.

Legal aid may still be an option for a few, butmostof the cases we deal with are for people who don't qualify but can't afford the costs of a private solicitor. Those who encounter discrimination are often already in the lowest paid jobs, so they will now face double discrimination as they struggle to access good quality advice.

So what will be the impact of this latest cut?

Realistically, I think it will mean fewer people exercising their rights under equality legislation and more employers getting away with discriminating because there is no one left to challenge them. We know that case law shapes policy and practice, so the fewer cases that get heard the more likely we are to see a return to poor policy and a lack of consideration for equality issues.

We may have stronger equality laws than ever before, but what use are they if the people they were designed to protect can't use them?

We have started a petition to call on the government to change its position on funding discrimination casework –please sign here.

From: http://www.voice4change-england.co.uk/content/equality-and-justice-only-if-you-can-afford-them-0

Open for All? The Changing Nature of Equality under Big Society and Localism shimAdd News540 to Scrapbook

Research into the impact of Government policy on Equalities Groups in the North West finds that:


1. Reformshave come at a cost
2. New forms of representation are weak and exclude equalities groups
3. Spending cuts are damaging voluntary sector capacity to deliver big society
4. The new policy framework is liable to reinstate old patterns of exclusion and discrimination
5. Implementationis disproportionately harming the most excluded
6. The capacity of equalities groupsto participate andhold public bodies to account is heading towards a point of critical failure.

Links:


► The Full report (.pdf, 800KB) is available below through downloadlink
► A word version is available here (4 MB)
► Executive Summary (.pdf)
► Executive Summary (.word)

Are you living with type 2 diabetes? shimAdd News539 to Scrapbook

Diabetes UK is recruiting to our voluntary Council of People Living with Diabetes. This group is made up of people from across the UK, with a wide range of diabetes experiences, who advise the charities Board and Executive Team.

As well as places available on the council for new members with Type 2, we're also currently underrepresented from minority ethnic communities.

So if you're passionate about having your views about living with Type 2 heard, and want to shape the work of Diabetes UK, get in touch for more information and an application pack.

tel: 020 7424 1000 or email: governance@diabetes.org.uk. Deadline for applications is 24 February 2012.

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