British Red Cross:

The Cancer Care Club needs Volunteers
Previously named ‘The Chemoptimists’ then ‘The Optimists’, the  Club, which is based in East Kent,  was formed nearly 30 years ago by Drs Mark Rake and Andrew Jackson, along with a committee, to raise money for a designated Cancer Unit to improve the care and treatment of cancer patients. It was one of the first Cancer Support groups in the UK.  Patients, staff, local supporters and businesses joined them. The Mountbatten Centre, K & C Hospital was built and the club has continued to provide support and friendship to cancer patients.
We hold informative monthly meetings, social events and funding for specially requested items and equipment within the hospital. Treatment now takes place in the Oncology Department, The Cathedral Day Unit and Supportive Therapies. We provided the special relaxing chairs for Chemotherapy patients to use whilst having treatment in the Day Unit.
Recently we bought an ECG machine for the Cathedral Day Unit, a hi-tech treatment couch for the Supportive Therapies Unit and we are also funding a part-time therapist in the Unit. For further details about the Club, see our website at www.cancercareclub.org
We need three volunteers to help us continue our work:

• Club Secretary. To take the minutes and prepare agendas for committee meetings which take place six times per year in the Cathedral Day Unit at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital. Also to deal  with the Club correspondence and to circulate newsletters and other information to Club members
• Press Officer.  To prepare the Club newsletters (about 4 times per year) and to provide regular updates to the local media about Club activities
• Fundraiser.  To support the activities of our existing fundraiser, to use the internet to seek out and apply for funding opportunities, to contact local businesses for support,  and  to organise collection days at local supermarkets

If you would like to help, or would like to enquire about volunteering, please contact Ann Clewer on 01227 455260

Open Gardens needs a new Co-ordinator!

 Open Gardens events in Kent has become synonymous with the Red Cross and until the last couple of years the programme was varied and full. The current volunteer co-ordinator, Jan Summers is shortly to move to another part of the country and would love to know that someone will be taking over the mantle. 
Jan built the programme from the ground up in Kent and in building it up has done a fantastic job of recruiting and co-ordinating volunteers to make sure events run smoothly and to her high standard. Open Gardens is also a hugely successful programme of events for the Red Cross in other parts of the country. 
The hope would be that whoever takes on this challenge could perhaps start with a fraction of the gardens from the original list to ease themselves in.
Key skills needed for this role:

• Ability to recruit, supervise and motivate other volunteers
• Good communication skills for dealings with garden hosts and their visitors

Summary of role:

• Arrange open days with garden owners
• Organise refreshments if part of the event
• Make sure sufficient volunteers attend on the day
• High standards of customer service are met to ensure both host and visitors enjoy the experience.

CONSULTATIONS

As you know, Kent Adult Social Services are consulting the sector on how services should be commissioned after March 31st 2011. If you haven’t already responded, you still have until 14th November to comment on the future of Infrastructure services and until 19th November to comment on Advocacy services:

Infrastructure Services in East Kent

KASS are seeking your views about how Infrastructure (CVS and Volunteering) services in East Kent should be commissioned in the future. Click here to view the consultation survey.  Please answer the questions to the best of your ability and return your feedback by 14th November 2010 to VCSprojecttemp@kent.gov.uk
Advocacy Consultation - East Kent
KASS are seeking your views about how Advocacy services in East Kent should be commissioned in the future. Click here to view the consultation survey. This survey is developed to enable KASS to gather your feedback and for you to input ideas into how they should commission services in the future.  KASS are interested in understanding what services you think should be prioritised and how you think they would be best delivered.
Please answer the questions to the best of your ability and return your feedback by 19th November 2010 to VCSprojecttemp@kent.gov.uk
And finally, this is the last chance to comment on KCC’s overall corporate plan, for the next four years, Bold Steps for Kent:
Read a full copy of the documents here:
Bold Steps for Kent Draft document (PDF, 1mb)
Bold Steps for Kent Draft document (Word, 156k)
Kent County Council would like to know what you think about the ideas, email your comments to boldsteps@kent.gov.uk or complete the online form by 12 November 2010
Meanwhile, the Government has launched its own new strategy for the voluntary and community sector, Building a Stronger Civil Society, and has launched a consultation, Supporting a Stronger Civil Society,  in which it is seeking your views on how it can improve the effectiveness of the advice and support that is available to frontline organisations.
Find out more about the new strategy.
Read more about the consultation and find out how you can respond and have your say 
Please respond by 6 January 2011 but please note that due to specific timing requirements for any new strategic partners programme, responses to Question 9 should be received by 25 November 2010.

Charity trustees asked for views on regulator's future
Latest edition of Charity Commission News asks trustees to help regulator respond to 33% budget cuts
The online consultation closes on 14 January 2011.

Reviews of vetting and barring and CRB schemes get under way

Civil Society e-News Governance | Tania Mason | 22 Oct 2010
The government has begun its review of the controversial vetting and barring scheme, and also confirmed it is to review the criminal records regime at the same time. In a statement to parliament today, Home Secretary Theresa May released the terms of reference for the vetting and barring review, which she said had been agreed with her counterparts in Health and Education.

The review will focus on four key areas:
•    considering the fundamental principles and objectives behind the vetting and barring regime
•    considering the scope of the scheme’s coverage
•    the most appropriate function, role and structures of any safeguarding bodies and appropriate governance arrangements
•    recommending what, if any, scheme is needed now; taking into account how to raise awareness and understanding of risk and responsibility for safeguarding in society more generally

To comment, email vbsreview@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
CRB scheme reviewed too
A review of the CRB scheme will occur in parallel, led by the independent government adviser for criminality information management, Sunita Mason.
This will be carried out in two phases.  The first will focus on employment vetting systems that involve criminal records checks, specifically whether the disclosure of minor offences and police intelligence to prospective employers should still be part of the criminal records checking process, while the second phase will report on the wider regime.
Prime Minister David Cameron sparked controversy as Opposition leader in 2008 when he stated at Tory party conference that adults hosting youngsters on exchange visits should not always have to undergo enhanced criminal records checks. A promise to simplify CRB checks was also a key pledge in the LibDems’ election manifesto.

Theresa May urged not to charge volunteers for Criminal Records Bureau checks
By Kaye Wiggins, Third Sector, 12 October 2010

The heads of Volunteering England and Compact Voice have written a joint letter to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, asking her to not start making volunteers pay for Criminal Records Bureau checks.
The letter, signed by Justin Davis Smith, chief executive of Volunteering England, and Oliver Reichardt, head of Compact Voice, which represents the voluntary sector on the Compact, voices concern that charges for the service, which is free for volunteers, would be introduced as a result of the government's review of the vetting and barring system.
"We understand the government is reconsidering the current commitment to free CRB checks for volunteers because of the wider review of the vetting and barring process," says the letter, which was also sent to Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society.
It says removing the free checks would "send a strong signal to the sector that the government is not fully committed to increasing participation in volunteering".
Davis Smith told Third Sector: "We agree that the vetting and barring system should be much simpler, because the bureaucracy involved with criminal records checks can be a barrier to people volunteering. But we don't think charging volunteers to have the checks would be the right solution."
A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed the government was reviewing the free checks as part of a review of the entire vetting and barring system.
"The terms of reference for the remodelling of the vetting and barring scheme and of the criminal records regime are currently being considered and a further announcement will be made shortly," a statement from the department added.

Coalition will review Tupe regulations
By Kaye Wiggins, Third Sector Online, 27 October 2010

The government will review restrictions imposed on charities by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations as part of its plans to cut red tape in the voluntary sector, according to civil society minister Nick Hurd.
At a round-table discussion with front-line charity staff yesterday, organised by the Directory of Social Change, Hurd was asked whether the government would make it easier for charities to set up projects delivering public services that had previously been delivered by local authorities.
Charities struggled to do this, he was told, because they were unable to change the job titles, salaries, sick pay arrangements and, in some cases, pension arrangements of staff that had been transferred from local authorities.
"I know this is a big issue for some charities delivering public services," Hurd said. "We will look at what we can do to make it easier. One of our main priorities is making it easier for charities to do business with the state."
Hurd said cutting red tape and reforming public service commissioning were high on the agenda of the Office for Civil Society. He said the department would publish a plan for public service reform early next year. 

Decentralisation minister calls on councils to strengthen ties with charity sector

Civil Society e-NewsFinance | Vibeka Mair | 18 Oct 2010
Councils should make best use of the voluntary sector's ability to deliver effective and innovative local services when managing future budgets, decentralisation minister Greg Clark said in a speech last week to local authority chief executives.
Clark said there was an even greater need for the diversity, innovation and cost savings that voluntary and community groups can offer in a tougher economic climate, and councils should look for opportunities to strengthen ties with the sector.
Praising the contribution of the voluntary sector to education, tackling worklessness, the environment and social care, Clark said voluntary and community groups should have the right to challenge councils to offer a better alternative if they can do things better or more cost effectively.

The upcoming Localism Bill will entrench the right for communities to challenge the status quo and open up opportunities for new ways to do things differently. Clark said the government expects local authorities to devolve and empower people and to maintain strong links with the voluntary sector over the coming months.

He stressed that central government wasn't giving power to councils to then see it recentralised locally through a monopoly of local public services with voluntary and community groups - including charities, social enterprises, co-ops and housing trusts - pushed out.

Speaking at the SOLACE conference, Clark said: "The spending review will inevitably present councils with some tough choices in the town hall, but councils must resist any temptation to pull the drawbridge up on the voluntary sector. We expect councils to devolve and empower people and maintain strong links with voluntary and community groups.

"Right now in a tight economic climate there is a greater need for the diversity and innovation voluntary and community groups can offer. Reinforcing monopolies of local services by retrenching into the town hall is not the way forward. Opening up more of councils' budgets to have it carried out by voluntary organisations can improve effectiveness, increase resilience and save costs."

Clark made it clear that the government's mission to decentralise would introduce the idea of contestability - the right for communities to challenge councils to consider new ways of working.

The upcoming Localism Bill will include this new right, giving communities greater freedom to implement their innovations, spawning imitations in other neighbourhoods when they work and sharing lessons when they don't.

Commission for Compact releases guide on partnership working Civil Society e-news Governance | Vibeka Mair | 7 Oct 2010
An implementation guide on how community groups and local public bodies can improve the way they work together has been published by the Commission for the Compact.
Based on the national Compact partnership working agreement, the guide presents examples of common situations where community groups and local public bodies come into contact with each other.
For each situation, the guide offers tailored advice on how each party can get the most out of the relationship and also looks at what local support organisations can do to help. An example would be where a community group holds its meetings in a space owned by the local council.
Sir Bert Massie CBE, Commissioner for the Compact, said: “Partnership working with community groups will become more important as the localism agenda of the coalition government moves forward. Local public bodies will want to engage with community groups. The principles and commitments of the Compact are relevant to these relationships.
Using this guide can help community groups and local public bodies to work better together through implementing Compact best practice in their partnerships with one another.”

Nationwide to give all staff two days off to volunteer

Civil Society e-News Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 12 Oct 2010
Nationwide Building Society is to offer staff two days paid leave per year to support volunteer activities within local communities as part of its support for the Big Society agenda. Employees are able to select a cause of their own choice or can take up opportunities available through Nationwide’s charity partners.
Nationwide’s divisional director, corporate affairs, Maxine Taylor said: “Supporting our local communities is at the centre of Nationwide’s ethos as a mutual organisation and ‘Nationwide Volunteers’ is a natural extension of our corporate responsibility programme.  It is particularly relevant given the Government’s Big Society agenda. Employee volunteering can make a real difference to the community sector, particularly within the context of this challenging economic climate. Our talented people giving their time and expertise can be the most effective donation of all.”
Charities and volunteer groups that may need help from Nationwide employees can get more information here and here.

Cameron launches £10m international youth citizen service scheme

Civil Society e-News Fundraising | Vibeka Mair | 7 Oct 2010
David Cameron has announced a £10m international youth citizen service scheme. The scheme, which will be means-tested, will focus mainly on 18 to 22-year-olds, who will work on projects aimed at improving the lives of some of the poorest people in the world.
In the pilot year (2011/12) places will be offered to 1,000 young people and to 250 more experienced older people. An evaluation will determine how best to scale up the scheme to offer places to many more applicants. The Department for International Development will work with specialist volunteering agencies to pilot the scheme in the first year, with first-year costs of up to £10m.
The experience will be designed to broaden horizons, develop new skills and foster self-reliance. Young volunteers will work on social action projects for three-month periods, in some places alongside older volunteers on longer placements.
From 2013, International Citizen Service will seek to include graduates of the UK-based National Citizen Service  programme for 16-year-olds.

Announcing the scheme at Conservative Conference, the Prime Minister said: "Last century, America's Peace Corps inspired a generation of young people to act, and this century I want International Citizen Service to do the same thing."

                         
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