Media regulator Ofcom has announced how it wants to approach a second round of community radio development.

To help them plan, they are inviting prospective applicants for a community radio licence to submit a ‘letter of intent’, which will be indicative rather than binding. These should be submitted by 21st April.

See http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/commun_radio/tlproc/secondround/

A new forum for the sector in Scotland wants the future of public services to be debated openly to ensure that that Scotland is not left behind England in serving communities effectively. http://www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/TFNPR/ViewTFNPR.aspx?pr=4746&from=Home&al=t.

The Better Public Services Forum is due to report back before the end of the year and includes voluntary groups, trade unions and faith groups.

Volunteering England has issued guidelines to help NHS Trusts work more effectively with their 200,000 volunteers, with government backing.

Press release (includes ordering details), or download pdf, 357k, from Department of Health.

The Board of Trustees and launch date - 8th May - for the new youth volunteering charity (taking on the Russell Commission proposals) were announced alongside the Budget.

See pdf file, 99kb, at http://www.russellcommission.org/docs/business-pledges-10m.pdf, for details of the 19 organisations which have stumped up the £10 million initial funding alongside the founding partners.

“Nobody knows exactly how many of the 190,000 registered charities in England and Wales are engaged in public service delivery and we think it is time we found out.” So said the Charity Commission’s director of policy writing in Society Guardian about this week’s conference on the subject. A survey is to be sent to charities later in the spring, and the results due in the summer will feed into the Commission’s revised guidance on charities delivering public services. News release.

Society Guardian article:  http://society.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1735828,00.html.

Futurebuilders England, the government financed body set up to invest (loans and grants) in voluntary or community groups to improve their ability to deliver public services in key areas, has announced that it is changing its application process. ‘Fixed windows’ give way to being continuously open from May.

There will be a new online application form on their website from 1st May.
See Futurebuilders info.

Children Now magazine reports that common induction standards for the entire children’s workforce will take much longer to develop than expected. The Children’s Workforce Development Council had hoped the standards could be in place for September, but consultation results have led to a rethink.

See Children Now for more.

The second year of the Centre for Social Justice’s Awards have been launched, to recognise, reward and celebrate the work of innovative grassroots poverty-fighting groups.

£25,000 is available in prize money, deadline 12th April. http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/page/content/aboutAwards.asp?sID=1.

The Tackling Drugs Changing Lives awards scheme aims to recognise an individual and a team who have really made a difference in their local community.

The winner gets £10,000 for their project or organisation - entries by 31st March. See http://www.drugs.gov.uk/communications-and-campaigns/tackling-drugs1/

The Charity Commission is asking financial service providers to stop requesting certificates proving that their clients are registered charities in respect of Stamp Duty Reserve Tax exemption. Instead, they should just check the register online.

This is part of their streamlining efforts. Press release.

The UK Workforce Hub is calling for case studies on good employment practice and experiences to include in a mini guide to recruitment, retention and diversity. They will be treated in confidence, and any organisations featured on the website will receive a copy of either ‘The Good Employment Guide’ or ‘Are you looking at me?’.

More details and a template to use from Mary Davies, Employment Practice Project Officer, email: Mary.Davies@ukworkforcehub.org.uk.

Submissions wanted by 31st March.

The first of a new series of best practice bulletins to help care home managers provide better services to their residents has been launched by the Commission for Social Care Inspection. http://www.csci.gov.uk/about_csci/news/mealtimes_report.htm.