The extension of the Social Care Register in England to include people working in domiciliary care was announced recently. This is to happen “later this year”, with care home workers also being added at a future date.

The register currently only covers qualified and student social workers. http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=264367&NewsAreaID=2.

A technical difficulty for many charities registered in England and Wales that are applying for charitable status in Scotland has been identified by OSCR, the Scottish regulator. This involves constitutions which permit the disposal and use of assets for purposes which are not charitable in Scottish law, and means that after 22nd February these organisations would not be able to call themselves charities in Scotland.

Model clauses to amend constitutions have been agreed by OSCR and the Charity Commission, with OSCR currently writing to all those bodies affected.

The Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics web site has been revamped largely for reasons of accessibility. There’s also some new functionality, to make data analysis easier.

It is the main way in which the Scottish Executive will disseminate ’small area statistics’ including information on health, education, poverty, unemployment, housing, population, crime and social / community issues. http://www.sns.gov.uk.

The chair of the Charity Commission, Dame Suzi Leather, used this week’s (21st February) NCVO annual conference to “sound a wake up call to the sector and to commissioning authorities alike about the future of public service delivery by charities”. This flows from an online survey that the Commission ran last year, completed by over 3,800 charities representing a broad cross section both by income and operational area. This found that over 60% of charities with annual income above half a million pounds deliver public services on behalf of public authorities, but over 40% of all charities doing so are not paid the full cost involved.

Leather also highlights that almost 50% of charities delivering public services can’t agree whole-heartedly that their activities are determined by the charity’s mission, rather than by funding priorities.

Chief executives’ body Acevo however cautions against “unnecessary alarmism about the sector’s independence”, and reports the chief executive of Thames Reach as saying “The Charity Commission seems to misunderstand completely the relationship organisations such as Thames Reach have with funders. These days, we enjoy a partnership based on shared aims and genuine collaboration. The idea of pure, absolute and sacrosanct independence, with no pressure whatsoever from funders and other stakeholders, is a bizarre holy grail of little interest to those working on the ground.”

Read Leather’s speech at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/recent_changes/speech.asp or the more condensed news release. The survey results, ‘Stand and deliver: the future for charities delivering public services’, are in pdf format, 304kb, at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Library/publications/pdfs/RS15text.pdf.

Alongside the results of the survey, and after a consultation exercise, the Commission has published new guidance. ‘Charities and public service delivery’ (CC37) is a practical guide to the legal and good practice issues that charities need to be aware of if they are planning to deliver services under a funding agreement with a public authority. This can be found at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/publications/cc37.asp (also available as pdf).

GuideStar UK has added a grantmakers option to the advanced search facility for this database of charities (in England and Wales).

So to find a grantmaker offering grants in a particular area of activity, go to http://www.guidestar.org.uk/gs_advancedsearch.aspx, enter a relevant keyword and then tick the box marked grantmaker.

The potential of independent web forums to support public services has been highlighted by Cabinet Office minister Hilary Armstrong. Picking out rightsnet and netmums, and saying that new ways of sharing information are the 21st century version of the self-help and cooperative movements that produced lasting social progress a century ago, she also wants “people to be armed with the information that allows them to be independent and in control of their lives - driving up public service standards through their suggestions and scrutiny”.

From a seminar for the government’s Policy Review process, assessing new media to help build community networks and increase the effectiveness of public services. News release.

Research to examine the potential contribution that third sector organisations can make to the delivery of health and social care, commissioned by the Department of Health, has been published. The research involved surveys of third sector organisations and local authorities.

Third Sector Market Mapping.

The final report of the European project Involve, on the “Involvement of third country nationals (migrants) in volunteering as a means of better integration” has been published.

In pdf format, 872kb, from http://www.involve-europe.eu/pdf/INVOLVEreportEN.pdf.

The Third Sector Network has issued a Statement of principles. In Word format via http://www.navca.org.uk/news/tsnprinciples.htm.
The network includes NCVO, Co-Operatives UK, National Housing Federation, Social Enterprise Coalition, Trades Union Congress, ACEVO, Black Training and Enterprise Group, Charities Aid Foundation, Institute of Fundraising, NAVCA, Volunteering England.

2 Gresham St, London, EC2

The annual conference for people who look after buildings and facilties for charities. The event is organised by the Charities F.M. Group, the network for facilities managers in the voluntary sector.
Find out more about the Charities F.M. Group, as well as full details of the conference on our web pages: www.upkeep.org.uk/cfmg

or email us at: info@upkeep.org.uk

The second national conference; Friends House, Euston Road, London.

Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister’s former head of communications, headlines this national conference for everyone involved in charity sector media and communications.

£190, with discounts available. Booking hotline 07092 230 477 or see web site.
Partners The Media Trust, The Voluntary Action Media Unit, NatWest and The Royal Bank of Scotland.

At NCVO, London.

Much of the new localism agenda focuses on community engagement in governance structures and on local government modernisation. The shift from government to governance encouraged by the current policy context is creating new opportunities for individuals to become more actively involved in local decision-making structures and public services.

The seminar will explore whether policy is effectively contributing to positive changes. It will, for instance, look at the impact of community involvement in governance on the design and delivery of public services. It will also consider how greater participation in local governance affects social capital and community cohesion. Speakers are Marilyn Taylor (University of the West of England), Stuart Wilks-Heeg (University of Liverpool) and Ann Blackmore (NCVO).

The seminar is free to attend but places are limited. If you wish to attend, please email amanda.williams@esrc.ac.uk or call 01793 413126.