A new model trust deed designed specifically for independent churches which need to register with the Charity Commission is to be launched tomorrow (18th May). It will be followed by a model constitution and model memorandum and articles of association. Links to the documents will appear when we have them!

(Source: Anthony Collins Solicitors e-briefing)

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has agreed a ‘bilateral protocol’ with the Charity Commission, which enables the exchange of information and referral of poor practice, or as Third Sector puts it, encouraging whistleblowing on malpractice by charities.

CIPFA members are often employed in local government, as well as charities, and are likely to see their involvement in independent examinations (in place of audits for smaller charities) increase after the Charities Bill becomes law.

CIPFA press release at http://www.cipfa.org.uk/press/press_show.cfm?news_id=27462.

Property Advice for London, launching officially on 22nd May, is to provide a match-making service for London-based charities to access specialist property expertise from professionals on everything from refurbishments and leasing to relocation and service charges. It will be run by the Construction Industry Council and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, with sponsorship from Barclays Bank. See http://www.cic.org.uk for press release.

Editor’s note: do they and the Ethical Property Foundation (see earlier news item, or http://www.ethicalproperty.org.uk/advice.php) know about each other?!

Charity Commission Direct, the ‘one-stop shop’ for all enquiries to the regulator, launches today (16th May). As they already operated on a single enquiry phone number, 0845 300 0218, this doesn’t change. The postal address is PO Box 1227, Liverpool, L69 3UG.

The 50 plus staff, based in Liverpool, hope to deal with eighty per cent of enquiries directly, with the rest being referred on as appropriate. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk, or see news release.

Local authority improvement web site IDeA has a new resources section on the Voluntary and Community Sector “designed to help those working in authorities to better understand and engage with this sector”.

Some of it is a bit basic, but the issues and VSC role in service delivery for instance could be useful perspective.

European Union institutions were due to switch their web sites to using the ‘.eu’ top level domain from last Tuesday (9th May). Hopefully they will automatically re-direct from the old addresses - we had a mixed experience when checking.

The European Commission has also just launched a Public Health portal, with a wide range of information and data on health-related issues and activities at European and international level. http://health.europa.eu.

The government announced a cross-departmental Digital Inclusion Team dedicated to improving access to technology for socially excluded groups on 2nd May. At that stage it was to be led by the Office of Deputy Prime Minister, but as the focus is social exclusion we are not sure whether its now down to DCLG or Cabinet Office - a web search on both drew a blank.

Kable news item - note that Kable links tend to disappear after a while.

Following evidence to an all-party House of Commons committee that bank accounts of charities associated with paramilitaries had been used to launder money, it has been proposed that the Assets Recovery Agency should be given a role in tackling this problem. Not all MPs are convinced that imminent legislation, which will establish a Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and also an official register, will be enough. See UTV news item at http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=73007&pt=n.

Meanwhile, Business in the Community, the Centre for Competitiveness and CAN, named as supporters of the Register of Approved Charities for Northern Ireland being set up by PCI Consulting (see previous news item), have distanced themselves from the initiative. Fundraising UK article at http://www.fundraising.co.uk/ireland/news/6681.

The new charity to “inspire and engage 1 million new volunteers between the ages of 16–25 years”, based on the Russell Commission recommendations, is called ‘v’. Launched last Monday (8th May), its web site is at http://www.wearev.com. The press release says that the Department for Work and Pensions should have published a new guide to volunteering on benefits on Tuesday (9th May), setting out clear information on the current position, although we couldn’t see it on the DWP web site (http://www.dwp.gov.uk).

V has 2 pots of money now open for applications. The first is to create new youth volunteering opportunities which are either part-time, full-time or short-term tasters, and the second to host a two-person team made up of a Youth Volunteer Development Manager and a Youth Volunteer Adviser. All except for short-term tasters (with a deadline of 23rd June) have an ‘expression of interest stage’ deadline of 9th June. See http://www.wearev.com/grants/index.php.

An official consultation is looking at how to increase the quality and quantity of worker involvement in health and safety risk management.

Running until 8th September, see Health and Safety Executive web pages at http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd207.htm.

The following are sourced from Sandy Adirondack’s legal update service:
– The personnel advice unit at London sector support body LVSC has produced ‘Guidance on developing a policy for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults’. In Word format, 240kb.
– New duties in relation to managing noise came in on 6th April, http://www.sandy-a.co.uk/employment.htm#noise.

The current People Management magazine, from CIPD, has a feature looking at the implications of smoking restrictions in workplaces and enclosed public spaces, already legally enforced in Scotland and due in the rest of the UK by next summer.

Available online at http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/withdrawalsymptoms.htm.