GMCVO NEWS, TRAINING and EVENTS
GMCVO’s response to Greater Manchester Strategy consultation
In its response to the consultation on the Greater Manchester Strategy, GMCVO says that the voluntary sector is an important asset to the city region and that its contribution to growth and reform should be acknowledged in the strategy. GMCVO also calls on the strategy to recognise the importance of the voluntary sector in enabling people and communities to develop cultures and initiatives of resilience and mutual aid, thus reducing demand on public services as well as enhancing quality of life.
The Greater Manchester Strategy sets the framework within which economic policy – in the broadest sense – is developed for the city region. It will shape priorities for investment by the LEP (including the deployment of European funding), the Combined Authority and the Employment and Skills Partnership as well as local government.
The purpose of the consultation, which closed on 17th June, was to revise the strategy. An event held by GMCVO in May provided an opportunity for voluntary sector representatives to hear about the revised plans and contribute their ideas and comments, which helped to shape GMCVO’s response.
Other areas GMCVO would like to see in the revised strategy include:
● an aspiration to make Greater Manchester a ‘living wage zone’
● an acknowledgement of the importance of volunteering in preparing people for work
● reference to the potential for significant growth in community-based wellbeing services
● specific incentives for social and community enterprise
● an explicit objective of reducing inequalities
The full response from GMCVO can be seen here.
GMCVO submits final Talent Match plans
Final stage project plans for Talent Matchin Greater Manchester were submitted by GMCVO to the Big Lottery Fund on 21st June.
Talent Match is a Big Lottery Fund programme aimed at helping young people into employment in England's worst hit areas. It is expected that £9.6 million will be made available for the delivery the programme in Greater Manchester over five years.
GMCVOhasbrought together relevant stakeholders to design a delivery programme and establish a formal partnership. The first-stage application process was successfully cleared at the beginning of the year.
Following further review and assessment of the project plans by the BLF during July and August, the BLF committee will meet on 12th and 13th September to decide on funding. It is anticipated that the project will start in earnest in early October 2013.
For further information, including an executive summary of the project plans and details of the Talent Match partnership, click here.
Summer savings at the St Thomas Centre
The St Thomas Centre is offering a 10 per cent reduction on room hire charges for any new bookings made for JulyandAugust 2013.
The Centre, which is managed by GMCVO, is within easy reach of Manchester city centre and Piccadilly railway station. The main hall can accommodate 140 people, while smaller rooms can hold up to 30 people.
Please call 0161 277 1010 or e-mail to check availability.
Database systems to help you work smarter
GMCVO Databases provides a flexible software solution that can help you manage your organisation effectively by centralising your data and making it accessible from a user friendly system.
● Store contact information on individuals/organisations you work with
● Manage events/training you host
● Look after your donations
● Manage your membership
● Produce real-time reports all from one place!
Our service also includes the option of amodern and professionally designed public website for your organisation, or we can integrate online services such as member, event and newsletter registration, with your existing website.
We work with a large number of voluntary sector organisations including local support organisations and frontline services such as health, housing, faith, counselling, disability, BME and women’s groups. All profits are invested back into GMCVO and, consequently, the voluntary sector.
We look to work specifically with not-for-profit and charitable organisations.
For more information, contact us on 0161 277 1000 or go to .
GMCVO Training Programme
● Project Management
29th, 30th & 31st July
A 3-day workshop designed for those who manage or are about to be managing projects.
● Train the Trainer
9th & 10th September
This 2-day ILM-recognised course is to enable participants to enhance the quality and effectiveness of their training skills and practices.
● ILM Level 4 Award in Leadership and Management
12th, 19th &26thSeptember and 10th &17th October
A 5-day course to develop the management and leadership skills of practising and aspiring middle managers.
Managing a Community Building
18th September
This course is aimed at staff, volunteers and trustees who manage or have responsibility for community centres or buildings or other community facilities.
● Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS)
23rd & 30th September, 24th & 31st October, and 14th November
This updated and improved 5-day course is suitable for new and existing trainers who want to develop their skills and gain the nationally-recognised PTLLS qualification.
●Introduction to Counselling Skills
24th September & 1st October
A two-day training course to help frontline staff develop a greater awareness of the attributes and boundaries of helping service users through listening.
● Planning Ahead
26th September
This introductory one-day course will give a practical insight into how to plan strategically.
● ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management
2nd, 9th and 16th October
This new 3-day course is aimed at developing the skills and knowledge of individuals who have management responsibilities.
● Managing Multiple Priorities
8th October
This course will help you establish your priorities and goals, develop good work habits and deal effectively with your workload.
● Emotional Intelligence
10th October
This one-day course will provide an insight into how to gain the tools to understand yourself and those around you for better working and professional relationships.
● Project Management
21st, 22nd & 23rd October
A 3-day workshop designed for those who manage or are about to be managing projects.
All courses to be held at the St Thomas Centre,Ardwick Green North,Manchester M12 6FZ.
For further information, contact Safia Griffin at GMCVO, 0161 277 1007,,or visit .
NEWS and INFORMATION
A living wage for Greater Manchester?
A ‘conversation’ about a Greater Manchester Living Wage was held at the Manchester offices of Church Action on Poverty recently.
The conversation invited delegates from across the private, public and voluntary sectors to discuss the viability of a living wage in Greater Manchester (currently £7.45 per hour) and how the living wage could be best pursued in the sub-region.
Delegates listened to speakers who spoke in support of the living wage, those who held reservations as to its viability, and to impartial analysis.
Having debated the issue, the meeting decided that whilst the living wage will not solve all of the issues concerning poverty in Greater Manchester, it would go a long way to helping the many people, especially women and those with children, who are genuinely struggling to makes end meet.
A steering committee to organise communications and strategy has been established, together with a research group that will map the sub-region’s accredited living wage employers and further investigate the economic justification of implementing a living wage in Greater Manchester.
Further details from: Daniel Nkrumah, CAP, 0161 236 9321,.
Income of nearly £17,000 needed fordecent standard of living, says JRF
Single people in the UK need to earn £16,850 a year to achieve a socially acceptable standard of living, according to new findings published by the Joseph. Rowntree Foundation. Couples with two children need to earn at least £19,400 each.
This year's updated figures from the JRF show a continuing squeeze on incomes relative to rising costs, only partly alleviated by increased tax allowances.
Updated annually, the minimum income standard (MIS) shows the cost of items and activities the public thinks we all need for a decent standard of living. It also calculates the earnings required to enable different household types to achieve this living standard.
The JRF report says that through inflation, the 'minimum' household budget of goods and services rose by around 4 per cent in the year to April 2013, compared with 2.4 per cent on the Government’s measure, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Over the past decade, minimum household budgets have risen by 45 per cent, against the CPI's 30 per cent.
The report, A Minimum Income Standard for the UK in 2013, concludes that the squeeze in living standards caused by the combination of rising prices and stagnant incomes continues to hit people on low incomes hard. Over the past five years, the spending needed to reach an acceptable living standard according to MIS has risen by a quarter or more for various households, while earnings have hardly risen at all. Families with children have had the greatest setbacks in terms of earning enough to make ends meet, since they rely most on the state support that is now being cut back.
Spending Review 2013: impact on the voluntary sector
The Government’s spending plans for 2015-16, announced by the Chancellor on 26th June, will see a further reduction in funding from local authorities. This, along long with the likelihood for some organisations that welfare changes will see more people seeking their advice and support, will mean that many charities will continue to be in a precarious position.
The cuts announced in the Spending Review are steep and will compound the impact of those already made.NCVO has provided this summary of some of the Chancellor’s key announcements:
Local government
As predicted there will be further 10 per cent cash cuts, over and above the 33 per cent real terms cuts made so far. There will however be various pots of money that will apparently bring the cuts down to 2 per cent (such as the £2billion ‘Single Local Growth Fund’ that LEPs can bid for, and £200million extra for the troubled families initiative).
Welfare
The Government said it wants to eliminate the “something for nothing culture” in the welfare system. The Chancellor also drew a distinction between welfare beneficiaries and taxpayers, although we know that this distinction is a false one. In reality there is a significant overlap, as highlighted by a number of organisations such as JRF and the National Housing Federation.
On top of the £18 billion a year in cuts already made, the Chancellor now proposes further welfare reforms:
● A new cap to the welfare system as a whole. This will be set in cash terms every four years, starting from April 2015. Housing benefit, tax credits and disability benefits will be included, but the state pension won’t.
● Winter fuel allowance will be linked to a new “temperature test” so pensioners living abroad in warm countries will not be able to claim it.
● A seven-day wait before jobseekers can claim benefits will be introduced.
● Claimants who do not speak English will have to attend language courses or their benefits will be cut.
Further analysis of the welfare cap can be read here.
The Treasury and the Cabinet Office
The Treasury and Cabinet Office resource budgets will be cut by 10 per cent, but there will be extra support for the National Citizenship Service, which will be enlarged to provide 150,000 places for 16 and 17 year-olds in 2016. The Cabinet Office settlement includes continued funding of £56million to support Government programmes which encourage social action and help VCS organisations play a bigger role in communities and public services. This mean that the Office for Civil Society will receive the same in cash terms in 2014/15 as it will in 2015/16.
Charity Commission
Its budget will be reduced from £21.4billion in 2014/15 to £20.4billion in 2015/16.
Culture, Media and Sport
The department will face 7 per cent cuts, although funding for community sports, the arts and museums will be reduced by just 5 per cent. The Government will also work with English Heritage to consult on establishing a charity to care for the historic properties in the National Heritage Collection on a self-financing basis, supported by a Government investment of £80 million.
Conclusions
Despite the emphasis on growth and fairness, this is potentially a strong blow to the sector. In particular, now more than ever, it’s essential that local government is sensitive about how it finds its savings. Given that charities play a major role in preventing social problems and therefore reducing costs, councils looking to balance their budgets will need to have meaningful discussions with the voluntary sector about how they can support their communities.
Greater Manchester to receive €415m ERDF and ESF
The Government has announced that €6.2 billion of ERDF and ESF funds will be allocated to the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in England, with Greater Manchester receiving an allocation of €415 million to spend over a seven-year period.
The LEPs must now submit to Government their European Investment Plans detailing how the funds will be used in their local areas.
To read ministerial statement, click here.
Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund announces new grants round
Voluntary organisations with the potential to develop new or streamlined systems in health, public health and social care volunteering, are invited to apply to the latest round of the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund’s local scheme.
Announced in early June, the fourth round of the Local Grant and Capacity Building Scheme aims to invest in the capacity and capabilities of voluntary sector organisations by nurturing innovative ideas and providing organisational support. The design of this fourth local round of HSCVF funding has taken into account the recent operational changes to the NHS and how health/social care services are commissioned. At the same time, it also acknowledges the changing structures in the voluntary sector.
The funding offer for all successful applicants includes both a capacity-building support package which aims to build organisational capacity that will assist with longer-term sustainability and grant monies to develop volunteer-led service delivery through a discrete project. Total grants of up to £50,000 (paid out in four tranches between January 2014 and 2016/17) are available.
Local voluntary sector organisations should apply under one of the following themes:
1. Increasing user voice to improve quality of care
2. Community based health and care interventions
3. Improving public health through prevention and risk reduction
4. Improving management of chronic and long term conditions
5. Building capable communities
Projects must have a clear focus on how they would support and drive forward new ideas in delivering services to communities that add value to existing local statutory services and local health and social care provision.
Organisations interested in applying to the HSCVF must first register online at The registration period ends on 19th July 2013. Eligible organisations will then be able to submit an application through the online application portal, which will close on 31st July 2013.
Income drop for small charities
Small charities experienced an 11 per cent decline in annual income over the five years to 2011/12, while large charities reported a 31 per cent increase, according to data published by Charity Choice, an online giving platform.
The figures, which are adjusted for inflation, are based on all charities with five years’ comparative data. Data was taken from Charity Financials, a website containing UK charities’ financial information, which is based on income and expenditure data from the Charity Commission.
Charity Choice found that the combined income of 115,803 charities with annual incomes of less than £1m fell from £7.69bn to £6.84bn in the five years to 2011/12 when measured in real terms.
Over the same period, the income of the 5,345 charities with an income of more than £1million rose from £33.37billion to £43.62billion in real terms.
The data also shows that the top 5 per cent of charities receive 85 per cent of all charitable income.
[from: Third Sector Online 17.6.13]
Bursary place on MSc in social research methods
A bursary of £1,000 towards the fees of an MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics at the University of Manchester is being offered to an applicant from the voluntary sector.
The MSc course provides a firm grounding in advanced quantitative methods. It includes training in: research design, qualitative methods, how to conduct a survey, data analysis, statistical modelling, longitudinal data analysis, demography, population forecasting and social network analysis.
Modules are taught with an emphasis on hands-on training.
The MSc programme is available full-time over one year or part-time over two years. Often people take the course whilst working part time.
The bursary is being offered by the University of Manchester and Save the Children.
The deadline for applications is 19th July 2013.
The online application form can be completed via:
More information about the course can be found at: .
Report highlights key challenges for the third sector’s future
The Third Sector Research Centre has published its final report from the ‘Third Sector Futures Dialogue’, a series of discussions hosted by the Centre since last September.
Unity in diversity: What is the future for the third sector? highlights some of the key challenges faced by the sector today, including articulating value, negotiating relationships with the public and private sectors, and maintaining autonomy and mission in hard times.
The dialogue highlights that the ‘unsettlement’ faced by the sector is not only about reduced funding. Nicolas Deakin, who was part of the Futures Dialogue Sounding Board (which also included GMCVO’s director, Alex Whinnom), says in the preface: “There are fundamental questions to address about the continuing ability of voluntary organisations of all kinds to secure a future based on their independence of action and shaped by their own mission and values.”
A recurring theme was the importance of voice within the sector, and the vital role organisations play in speaking out on behalf of those they represent and challenging political decisions they disagree with.
The dialogue also highlighted areas of disagreement or controversy in the sector. Some felt that the sector was not doing enough to challenge attacks on the welfare state, and others felt the sector should challenge current trajectories – such as the drive to measure impact, or the idea that commissioning was the only way for Government to fund third sector organisations.
New information hub for people working with offenders’ families