The National Council for Voluntary Child Care Organisations has published, with help from the Governance Hub, ‘Governing for Children: A beginner’s guide to governance in the children, young people and families voluntary sector’.

There are focused real-life examples of particular relevance to any committee members of smaller organisations involved with children. Download in pdf, 1.59MB.

Participation Works, a collaboration of agencies committed to children and young people’s participation, has a range of How To resources including a new one, ‘How to work successfully with children and young people from different faiths and cultures’.

The Charity Commission is using Ramadan to encourage mosques and community organisations which benefit from the generosity of Muslim people to look at registering as a charity.

See their news item for further information, at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/news/prramadhan.asp.

The next deadline to apply for Red Nose Day Programmes grants over £5,000 is 15th August.

During 2005-08, the six programme areas are Young people, Older People, Mental Health, Refugees & Asylum Seekers, Domestic Violence, Disadvantaged Communities. http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/

(Source: SLCVO Community Toolkit)

A major study on social entrepreneurship in the UK found that social entrepreneurial start-ups are higher amongst the black and minority ethnic communities than the white community, and in contrast to mainstream business, there are no significant differences between women and men.

‘Social Entrepreneurship in the UK’ draws on five years of research. The summary ‘Social Enterprise in the UK’ (pdf, 1.75MB) is at http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/socialenterprise2008summary.pdf, the full report (pdf, 1.16MB) at http://www.deltaeconomics.com/media/social2008fullreport.pdf.

Pioneering research, mapping the size and scope of the children and young people’s voluntary and community sector carried out for umbrella bodies NCVCCO and NCVYS, reckons that one in three of the total voluntary sector workforce is employed in this area. However, the limitations of the data available is also highlighted, particularly with regard to smaller organisations.

The research, by a team from University of Hull, is part of Speaking Out, a partnership between the National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations and the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services. Download the summary or full version of ‘Every Organisation Matters’ at http://www.ncvcco.org/index.php?page=635.

This September two of Britain’s largest youth work organisations, Clubs for Young People and UK Youth, are to discuss merging. A resulting merger could take place as early as next April.

From Children and Young People Now,
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/828312/.

A training programme, funded by the Financial Services Authority, has been developed specifically for those working with young people that are, or at risk of being, not in education, employment or training (NEET).

The one day course is taking place around the UK. More information is on the Young People and Money web site, http://www.youngpeopleandmoney.co.uk.

(Source: CommunityNI)

Two revamped web sites with a youth focus. The British Youth Council is at http://www.byc.org.uk, with a Resources Centre including various How To’s (in pdf format) on running a youth organisation, including being a trustee, at http://www.byc.org.uk/view.php?parent_id=154&content_id=293.

The National Youth Agency’s Information Centre is at http://www.nya.org.uk/information/100320/informationcentre/. Recently published in NYA’s Youth Action and Engagement series is ‘Building intergenerational relationships’, with five case studies in a range of settings - download (pdf 872KB) from http://www.nya.org.uk/youthactionandengagement.

The Rural Youth Network collects and disseminates examples of good practice on various topics relating to children and young people in rural areas. They have put out a call for examples in Transport, Leisure, Positive Activities and Volunteering - submit using the form (Word format).

Or for more information contact Sarah Hope, phone 0116 242 7441 or email: ruralyouth@nya.org.uk

(Source: Voluntary Arts Network newsletter)

As usual there is a burst of volunteer-related news and information during Volunteers’ Week (http://www.volunteersweek.org.uk, to 7th June). Also see Consult section.

Volunteering for all — In Northern Ireland, ‘Volunteer - Play Your Part’ was launched by the Social Development Minister. The publication, which will also be available in Polish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Cantonese and Urdu, is a simple guide to getting involved. It highlights that volunteering is open to everyone and aims to give that final piece of encouragement to those who may have considered volunteering before but never took the plunge. See http://www.volunteering-ni.org or download (pdf, 819KB) from http://www.volunteering-ni.org/pdf/Volunteer_Play_Your_Part.pdf. (But can I recommend a different design process next time?)

Record checks for volunteers — The Cabinet Office has published guidance which aims to clarify when organisations do and don’t need to carry out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on volunteers. As Third Sector reports, a minority of charities that run unnecessary blanket checks could end up having to pay for these (which normally have no charge) if subject to a spot check. News release includes link to the guidance, http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/080604_crb.aspx, or go direct to pdf, 197KB.

The Big Lottery Fund is  managing the ‘myplace’ programme on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Charities and local authorities working with young people in England can apply for grants of between one and five million pounds funds to develop youth centres and the like. Successful third sector organisations will also get £50,000 revenue to develop long term viability.

Fast track deadline 29th July, otherwise 30th September, http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_myplace.htm.