– Wales: the Active Community can provide grants of up to £10,000 for feasibility studies for organisations that want to test out new and innovative ways of engaging young people in volunteering. http://www.wcva.org.uk/news/dsp_news.cfm?newsid=784&display_sitedeptid=21.

– The third round of the Dame Sheila McKechnie Award is open, to provide assistance to community food initiatives to develop innovative approaches to tackling issues around food inequality. Only two will get selected, deadline 6th December. Details at http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/oct/dsmawards. (Source: Third Force eNews)

ICT Consortium NI would like voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland to have their say on developing an ICT strategy for the sector. One responder to the survey will be chosen at random to get a Dell laptop for Christmas.

http://www.ictconsortiumni.org/surveys/.

The Entry Level Software Group, set up by Charity Finance Directors Group in February to explore the issue of accounting software for small charities (those with incomes of under £2 million), is now asking for input to an online survey.

This will build a body of evidence on the subject, whether it shows that there are products that do work well for small charities, or helps to establish a business case to be presented to software providers that such a product needs developing.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=352162790615.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has produced an interactive DVD to improve understanding of the Data Protection Act. This “useful training tool” highlights a few common mistakes and the eight principles of good data protection practice.

Released on 10th November, and being distributed to data protection officers, it can be obtained on request from the ICO web site, at https://www.ico.gov.uk/tools_and_resources/request_publications.aspx.

An online toolkit to help managers with absence management has been developed by personnel body CIPD with ACAS and HSE.

It provides information on absence management practices and procedures that line managers can take their pick from, with four sections: Identify an absence problem, Develop an absence strategy, Deal with short-term absence, Deal with long-term absence.

On HSE web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/sicknessabsence/toolkit.htm.

Social Enterprise magazine reports that community transport operators are looking forward to being able to grow as enterprises following a long-awaited government commitment to reviewing restrictive legislation. http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/news/detail/index.asp?id=170.

The magazine also has a feature on how community transport has developed, at http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/features/detail/index.asp?id=154.

A Voluntary Sector Briefing to MSPs for the Scottish Parliament debate on the future of the European Structural Funds earlier this month is now available on SCVO’s web site. The headline concerns about Scottish Executive plans are: Vital training and employment services put at risk, Most vulnerable/priority groups hardest hit, Voluntary sector denied direct access to new European Programme.

The various organisations involved in the briefing indicate that the changes could lead to 1200 redundancies and the closure of projects serving 17,500 people.

The Herald news item (1st November) at http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/73430.shtml.

Leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron gave the second Scarman Lecture at the London Institute of Education last Friday (24th November), covering both the party’s views on the future role of the third sector and new approaches to tackling poverty.

The speech can be downloaded (pdf, 45kb) from the Scarman Trust site.

One phrase to note is his “aim to roll forward the frontiers of society”, not just roll back the state, with a new generation of social leaders - “Leaders in every community who take control and make a difference”.

The Commission on Unclaimed Assets, set up to consult and make proposals on how best to use funds left dormant in bank accounts, wants organisations to complete a questionnaire, to help develop final priorities.

It asks for quite detailed organisational detail, as well as existing capabilities and possible future funding needs, and there is a chance to get one days worth of professional consultancy in return. Deadline 11th December.

See http://www.unclaimedassets.org.uk/questionnaire.php, and note that their original consultation about establishing a Social Investment Bank (started in the summer) is still open, to 1st December.

The Health and Safety Executive’s Stress Indicator Tool is now available in 15 languages.

It is designed to give a broad indication to organisations on how workers rate their performance in managing the risks associated with work related stress.

The Charity Commission has issued ‘Safeguarding Children’, which is an update of its previous 2002 ‘Child Protection’ guidance, to ensure that it is up to date and relevant. It will be further reviewed once the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill is enacted.

http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/supportingcharities/protection.asp

The review of the National Hubs of expertise by Capacitybuilders, which took over managing the funding in April this year, has decided to take over commissioning responsibilities from the hubs.

The bulk of their press release follows, or go to their news item for the full version and the detailed paper. Also see details on the launch of a consultation on their strategy Destination 2014 (in London, 7th December).

Capacitybuilders’ Board, meeting on 22 November, committed itself to a programme of change in the future delivery of national support services to the voluntary and community sector and social enterprises.

The Board’s decision was in response to a package of proposals recommended by Simon Hebditch, Chief Executive, aimed at ensuring that Capacitybuilders is able to offer the sector a coherent and sensible approach to the future provision of national support services. Hebditch’s recommendations draw on extensive research carried out by independent consultant Jo Durning.

Capacitybuilders will take a greater strategic leadership role in pursuing all elements of the ChangeUp programme and an increased role as a direct commissioner of national services.

Hebditch commented : “We all recognise the central importance of providing national support services to the voluntary and community sector and the social enterprise movement around the country. The Board has rightly commended the national hub staff for their commitment and work up to date.

“Capacitybuilders will be directly commissioning organisations next Spring to take responsibility for delivering essential national services to the sector. We will be consulting the sector between January and March 2007 on the future priorities for national support and will be opening up a major commissioning National Hubs Review exercise in May 2007 to ensure that these programmes are taken forward effectively over the years to come.

“But change starts now. Capacitybuilders will be introducing new ways of working from the next financial year – ensuring effective cross hub work and improved communications, the adoption of a common accounting framework, common evaluation systems and a renewed focus on investing in the infrastructure of the sector. Most importantly, we will be making sure that the plans and programmes of the ChangeUp consortia across England relates closely to the provision of national support services.”

Capacitybuilders will set a series of objectives and outcomes relating to the delivery of national services following consultation with the sector over January/March 2007. These objectives and outcomes will reflect the need to focus on supporting the infrastructure of the third sector for the benefit of front-line organisations and will be aligned with the overall objectives and activities set out in Capacitybuilders’ final strategic plan for the period 2006/14 – which is being launched for consultation with the sector on 7th December.

Chris Pond, Capacitybuilders’ Chair added: “We have an exciting opportunity to re-shape the services provided by the ChangeUp programme as a whole which builds on the best that has been done to date whilst, at the same time, ensures that services offered at a national level really do meet the needs of organisations at a regional, sub-regional and local level.”

New contracts and budget levels will be negotiated with the existing accountable bodies and hubs for the period from 1 June 2007 to end March 2008 and contracts will need to include mechanisms for more effective cross hub working and communications, the introduction of a common accounting framework, common evaluation systems and the facility to possibly make the transition to new main contractors that emerge from the commissioning exercise in May/July 2007.