The IMPACT Awards, now in their twelfth year, recognise and reward registered charities that are doing excellent work to improve people’s health, with amounts of up to £35,000.

Organisations have to be at least three years old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with a total annual income between £10,000 and £1 million.

Apply by 26th September, http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/funding/gsk_impact_awards/index.html.

The Welsh Assembly Government has re-affirmed its commitment to the Partnership Agreement designed to strengthen its relationship with the third sector. Third Sector magazine reports that the document, signed recently (26th June) with representatives of Wales Council for Voluntary Action and County Voluntary Councils, commits the government to five-year funding and pledges that the umbrella bodies will provide infrastructure support to charities and voluntary organisations across Wales.

WAG news item http://new.wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/2346744/?lang=en, Third Sector http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/824364/ (registration required).

An NHS Wales Volunteering Network, to bring together people interested in volunteering in hospitals and in the local community with staff to identify opportunities, has been launched this week (30th June). A partnership between the Welsh Assembly Government, NHS and WCVA, it “will ensure a uniform approach to volunteering across Wales with the sharing of best practice”. News item.

‘Think Research: Using research evidence to inform service development for vulnerable groups’ is guidance for professionals who have direct responsibility for designing, commissioning, providing or managing services for vulnerable groups.

It has been published by the Social Exclusion Task Force in partnership with Barnardo’s, Research in Practice and the National Foundation for Educational Research. Available via Cabinet Office SETF pages: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/social_exclusion_task_force/think_research.aspx

Children and Young People Now reports that up to eight million pounds is to be used to give voluntary sector parenting projects supported by the government’s Parenting Fund more time to get long-term funding from local authorities.

Funding for second round projects was due to end this month (June 2008), but they could now continue to March 2009. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/817560/.

The government’s independent volunteering champion Baroness Neuberger is seeking views on volunteering in the criminal justice system.

This follows her first report on volunteering in health and social care, and Plaza Publishing news alert last week quoted her as saying that this second review was proving to be “more complicated”. Responses by 1st September - the Office of the Third Sector news item includes some specific questions.

A coalition of groups is launching on 24th June to lobby more effectively on the issue of child poverty in Northern Ireland.

Groups involved include Barnardos, BBC Children in Need, Children in Northern Ireland, Disability Action, Gingerbread, NCH, NICCY, Parenting Forum, Rural Community Network, Save the Children, Shelter.

Further information from Anne Moore, phone 028 9043 1123, email: a.moore@savethechildren.org.uk

A research study examining how well Primary Care Trusts and charitable hospices work together is being undertaken by the Commission for the Compact in partnership with Help the Hospices.

It will look at different local relationships, explore successes to date and remaining challenges through anonymous case studies. Findings are due out in September. Commission for the Compact news item.

The Charity Commission has issued draft guidance on how the requirements of charity law and NHS legislation apply to NHS charities (in England and Wales) and sets out the policies and practices adopted by the Commission. They emphasise that this is essentially a consolidation of guidance and principles already issued.

Responses by 9th September - http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/enhancingcharities/nhsintro.asp.

The Ministry of Justice has published its Third Sector Strategy, setting out how it will engage with the third sector to deliver better public services and improve policy through effective partnerships. This follows consultation on the draft, which closed in March.

The strategy is built around four heads: Enabling voice and campaigning, Strengthening communities, Transforming public services and Encouraging social enterprise.

Download ‘Third Sector Strategy - Improving policies and securing better public services through effective partnerships’, or read the news release, via http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/third-sector-strategy.htm.

A Third Sector Taskforce, led by chief executives’ body Acevo and the Department for Work and Pensions, is to explore the potential role for the sector in welfare-to-work reform. Meeting monthly, it is due to report back in January 2009.

The three main aims are to:
- identify barriers to the sector playing a full and active role in welfare to work reform, and to recommend improvements;
- recognise outstanding good practice that could be replicated;
- to clarify the sector’s unique contribution.
Acevo news item.

The Department of Health is consulting on ‘Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care’.

The aim is to
* raise the esteem and profile of volunteering;
* help improve management and support for volunteers;
* support more robust evaluation of the outcomes and benefits of volunteering; and
* allow more coherent investment to support their involvement.

The consultation runs to 30th September, working towards a final strategy and implementation plan in early 2009. See the documents available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/DH_085186.

The Expert Patients Programme CIC is conducting research to build up an accurate picture of training currently available to carers, as part of the Department of Health scheme to develop an expert carers programme.

An online survey is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=IrLlFj4_2b0HgJifD_2fxpopUQ_3d_3d.