VAWF - for review

Voluntary Sector
Resource Pack

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Contents

1 Introduction

        1.1 Using this resource pack

        1.2 About Waltham Forest

        1.3 The Voluntary & Community Sector in WF

        1.4 2012 Olympics and Paralympics

                1.4.1 The Big Opportunity

2 Setting Up

        2.1 Introduction

        2.2 Stage 1: What Sort of Group?

        2.3 Stage 2: Start Planning

        2.4 Stage 3: Who is running your organisation?

        2.5 Stage 4: Your group's objectives for year 1

        2.6 Stage 5: Who is running your service?

        2.7 Stage 6: Structure Your Organisation

        2.8 Stage 7: Organisational Objectives for Year 1

        2.9 Stage 8: Develop a Budget

        2.10 Stage 9: Think About Funding

        2.11 Stage 10: Get Started

        2.12 Skills of the Management Committee

        2.13 Policies and Procedures

        2.14 Contacts and Sources of Information

3 Funding

        3.1 Local Funding

        3.2 Regional

                3.2.1 Government Funding

                3.2.2 Social, Health, Education, Training & Employment

                3.2.3 Environment, Heritage, Arts & Sport

                3.2.4 Lottery Funding

        3.3 Sub Regional

        3.4 National Funding

                3.4.1 UK National Lottery

                3.4.2 Learning and Skills Council

                3.4.3 Department for Communities & Local Government

4 Accommodation

        4.1 VAWF Venue Database

5 Involving Volunteers

        5.1 Useful Volunteer Resources

        5.2 Frequently Asked Questions

        5.3 Pro bono Schemes

                5.3.1 REACH

                5.3.2 ProHelp

        5.4 Volunteering Standards

6 Participation and Involvement

        6.1 Local Councillors

                6.1.1 Ethnic Minority Women Councillors' Taskforce

        6.2 Community Councils

        6.3 Waltham Forest VCS Networks

        6.4 ChangeUp

7 Computers and Technology

        7.1 Access to equipment

                7.1.1 Libraries

        7.2 Your Website

                7.2.1 Ten things a website can do for you

                7.2.2 Working with a web designer

                7.2.3 VAWF Mini-websites

        7.3 Equipment

        7.4 Software

                7.4.1 Microsoft

                7.4.2 Open Office

                7.4.3 Software upgrades

                7.4.4 Software discounts for charities

        7.5 IT Support

                7.5.1 Be clear about your needs

8 Training and Workforce Development

        8.1 Training Areas and Training Providers

        8.2 Train to Gain

                8.2.1 Go Get It

                8.2.2 Delta Club

9 Strengthening your Group

        9.1 Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy

        9.2 Minimum & Quality Standards

        9.3 Raising Funds

                9.3.1 Commissioning

                9.3.2 Social Enterprises

        9.4 Learning

        9.5 Working in Partnership

10 Key Statutory Agencies

        10.1 LBWF

        10.2 NHS Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust

        10.3 Police

        10.4 Schools and Colleges

                10.4.1 Extended Schools Services

        10.5 Job Centre Plus

11 Resources

        11.1 Directories

                11.1.1 VAWF Library

        11.2 Publications

        11.3 Equipment

        11.4 Share a Car

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1 Introduction

Welcome to the first draft of the Voluntary Sector Resource Pack.

We are still in the process of editing the content, but we thought that it would make a useful resource in the mean time.

If you see a topic you are not sure about, or want more details on, please give us a call on 020 8521 0377.

If you would like to suggest changes, corrections or omissions, please click on 
at the bottom of the page in question, and give us as much detail as possible.

Thank you in advance for your feedback, we hope you find this resource useful.

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest.

2 Setting Up

If you are interested in setting up a new voluntary or community organisation there can be a mind-boggling number of things to consider.

There are decisions to be made, information to be gathered, and jobs to do. If you tackle this process with a good plan of action and plenty of help and support then it isn't as daunting as it might seem at first.

The main areas you nee to think about are covered below.

2.1 Setting Up > Introduction

Introduction

Many people start voluntary organisations because they want to help their community by providing a service that is currently lacking. 

However, the legal and practical steps required to set up an organisation can be very confusing. So we have created this pack to help guide you through the process.

This will be of most use if you are in the planning stages of, or have recently started, a voluntary organisation. However, it is designed for voluntary organisations of all sizes.

We aim to provide an easy-to-use reference to help you check that you have the basic principles and structures in place.

What if I need to find out more?

This online pack is intended as a guide only. We hope to highlight the main issues that you will need to consider when setting up, or running a group.

Throughout this pack we will advise you to seek further support on particular issues, and there are a range of organisations that can provide exactly that type of advice and training, often for free.

The contact Section at the end of the pack lists the largest and most widespread of these organisations. They include VAWF, NACVA, ACRE, CEMVO,  NCVO, LVSC, the Pre-School Learning Alliance and the Charity Commission.

These organisations are called second-tier organisations because they help the first-tier of voluntary and community groups which deal directly with the public. Often the membership of second-tier organisations is composed of voluntary and community organisations, rather than individuals.

NACVA and ACRE work through a network of independent local organisations called Councils for Voluntary Service and Rural Community Councils. We have only given the details of the central office in the contacts section. They will be able to give you the contact details for the CVS/RCC nearest to you.

How do I use this Online pack?

The pack is divided into seven stages. Each stage is a section of questions written in bold that you will need to answer when setting up a voluntary organisation. 

After the information, you will find a task to complete, usually in the form of writing answers to several questions. Tasks are indicated with this sign: 

TASK

We also recommend that you start a file or other record system and use a separate section in the file to record your ideas, discussion and progress for each stage, with a separate piece of paper for each question within a stage.

At the end of the pack you will find activities to help your management committee carry out a self-assessment for its skills and review the policies the group has in place.

Finally, in Section 'Contacts and Sources of Information', there is a list of major contacts and other sources of information you will be able to use, many of which are free.

2.2 Setting Up > Stage 1: What Sort of Group?

You probably know at this point that you want to set up something like a charity or voluntary organisation to help the community or another group of people you know about. The first questions that you must then ask yourself are. . .

What is a voluntary organisation? and
are we a voluntary organisation?

This is a catch-all name most often used to describe a type of organisation with the following characteristics:

Organised

The organisation has some form of structure to it. The rules for this structure are usually contained in something called the governing document.
An organisation might still exist but not have a governing document if it has a committee and members and meets regularly. In this case these rules are simply unwritten and whenever someone does write them down, that document becomes the governing document. Even if the rules are never written down, your group could still have a structure. Ad hoc, informal, and temporary gatherings of people would not therefore be considered voluntary organisations, but they are often the starting point.

Private and Self-Governing

The organisation is independent from any other organisation with its own internal procedures for deciding matters without consulting an outside group, such as electing its committee. This does not mean that voluntary organisations cannot be helped by other organisations, such as your local CVS.  It does mean that a voluntary organisation must be free to appoint its own management committee who are able make their own decisions in the best interests of the voluntary organisation and not be instructed by any other group.

Not-for-profit

This is a misleading term. In fact voluntary organisations can make profits but the money must be ploughed back into the work of the group, not given to the members, the directors or anyone else, as happens with for-profit groups. A more useful term is 'non-profit-distributing'.

Voluntary organisations can make profits but the money must be ploughed back into the work of the group, not given to the members, the directors or anyone else, as happens with for-profit groups.

Voluntary

The organisation involves some meaningful voluntary activity in its actual activities or in the management of the organisation.  This does not mean that all the income of an organisation must come from voluntary contributions, or that everyone that works for it must be a volunteer. The minimum level of voluntary activity is that the management committee (who have a legal responsibility to put the organisation's interest ahead of their own) must all be volunteers.

What is the general aim of the group?

TASK

In your record write down which of these your group will be. You can select two or more.

• Providing a service for others without profit
• Self help group
• Club
• Campaigning on issues of concern
• To provide a service for the community but also a job for yourself

If it is any of the first four, then this pack can help you develop your organisation

If we are not a voluntary organisation, what are we?

Many people want to provide services that are both socially aware but also provide an income for the founders.

A voluntary sector structure is inappropriate for these types of organisations. Those with the legal control and responsibility for the organisation must be volunteers and the voluntary principle extends to carrying out work for the organisation.

If this is the case with you, then please seek advice from some of the second tier organisations listed in the Contacts section. While advice on this matter is beyond the scope of this pack, there are some ideas you should become familiar with.

• Such an organisation may well be a social enterprise. The Contacts section has details for agencies that support social enterprises. One of the characteristics of a social enterprise is the community nature of its membership or founders. This may not suit organisations set up and run by individuals.
  
• Social Enterprises are, as the name suggests, based on a model of enterprise. Additionally they are often legally prevented from registering as charities even when they may be charitable.  You may therefore find that many funders are unwilling to provide you with grants and that you will be advised to develop an income stream based on selling your services. If you want to provide a service to a community that cannot normally pay for it, then you may well be required to find another organisation, perhaps a local council or other statutory body or local regeneration agency who is willing to purchase the service on behalf of that community. This is not a grant, but a commercial exchange and you could well be competing for the contract against charities, other social enterprises and private sector commercial organisations.

2.3 Setting Up > Stage 2: Start Planning

Your organisation needs (1) an aim, (2) a group of people to run the organisation, (3) a set of objectives or targets to meet, and (4) people to run the service.

The aim of the organisation 1: Overview

The group needs a single purpose or aim.  Your aim should describe the people that you want to help and what you hope will change as a result of your group existing.  It should be possible to achieve, but also broad enough to cover everything the group wants to do. 

All the members setting up the organisation need to discuss and agree the aim.

The aim of the organisation 2: Who will benefit?

Your organisation will probably be set up to support a group of people in need.  In order to make your service effective, you need to know a lot about these people.  How many are there?  What problems do they facing?  Where do they live?  What different types of people are in the group? For example, are they men, women, children, working, or unemployed?  You need to research the group, and talk to members from it, before deciding what services to offer.

It is very important when looking for funding that you are able to prove that there is a need for your work, and that it can truly benefit people.

TASK

The people who will benefit from your work are called your "beneficiaries"

1.       Describe the group your organisation will benefit; E.g. "Somali people in the borough of Islington; residents of X estate; people affected by HIV and AIDS."

2.     How many people are in the group? Try to give figures that are supported by evidence that either you have collected or you have obtained from another source. Even better, give figures from both.

3.     How will you break down information about the group? Age, ethnic origin, the geographical area they live in, the type of support they need?

4.     Describe how you will carry out further research on the groups and who will benefit from your service. Will you ask users what they want? How will you record and measure the impact of your work? How will you know that what you offer will still be needed in two years time?

 
Example Sources of Evidence

• Questionnaires asking people's opinions
• Written and spoken statements from users and community members on what services they need
• Numbers and types of people using the service 
• Information from the census and local council

The aim of the organisation 3: What will change?

Now consider what will change in the lives of your beneficiaries as a result of the organisation you plan to set up. If you put together a description of your beneficiaries, and the change you want to achieve, this will give you your aim.

Do not just list the activities you plan to carry out. Think what it is that will be different as a result of the activities.

For example, if you want the organisation to provide advice on welfare services to members of your community who are normally unable to access to such information, your aim might be:

"To ensure every community member has access to the information and advice they need to receive their full welfare entitlements."

TASK

Write down the aim of your organisation. Try and restrict it to a paragraph, even better just one to two sentences. 

2.4 Setting Up > Stage 3: Who is running your organisation?

TASK

Start a new section entitled 'Management Committee'. Write down the names and addresses of everyone who is currently involved in running the project, their position in the organisation (if they have one), and their relevant skills.

Then write down the type of people you want to recruit in order to run the organisation efficiently. At the end of this guide is a checklist of skills that would be useful in carrying out this initial review. Use the following table as guide for your file.

Name	Role on Committee	Skills Possessed/Interested in Learning

2.5 Setting Up > Stage 4: Your group's objectives for year 1

Your objectives are the actions you plan to achieve within a specific time period. In this case, the first year. All the objectives should lead to achieving the overall aim you have set for the organisation.

There are two different types of objectives.  Firstly, what you need to achieve to run your service (service objectives). A service objective might be 'to run a seminar on HIV and AIDS for 30 people from our community in July'. 

Secondly, what you need to achieve to run the organisation (organisational objectives).  For example: To have a constitution agreed by all members by April. 

TASK

For now, just think about the service objectives.

Write down in the file each service that you want to provide. Then for each one describe

• How often will your activities be run - e.g. daily, once a week, twice a month etc?
• When will they be run - what time is most convenient for those you are trying to help?
• Where will they be run - do you need premises? Acquiring them is an objective in itself
• How many people will use the service - e.g. 30 people attend each session, 300 people attend over twelve months, receive 400 calls to the helpline.
• When will you start the service? For how long will it run?
• Who will run the service? 
• What will change as a result of the service?

Example Service Objective:

"To run a seminar on HIV and AIDS for 30 people from our community in July"

Main Objective -  Run a seminar

How often? -   Once a year

When? -  July

Where will it be run? -  In a local meeting hall

How many people? -  Thirty

When will it start and for how long? -  It will be for one day

Who will run the service? -  We will invite a health worker to speak

What will change? -   Those attending will have more understanding of HIV and AIDS, especially prevention and treatment. This will help reduce the spread of HIV in the community and encourage the community to be more sympathetic to those infected with HIV.

Setting up each service is an objective, and the answers to these five questions are the mini-objectives for each of the main ones.

2.6 Setting Up > Stage 5: Who is running your service?

TASK

In your file start a new section entitled 'Workers'. Write down answers to the following questions:

1.      What qualification and experience will you look for?

2.      Will they be paid? If you are using volunteers you must be careful to only pay those expenses that volunteers actually spend.

3.      What will be your recruitment process?

4.      How will you supervise staff/volunteers and appraise their performance?

5.      If you have people working with children have you run background checks on them through the Criminal Records Bureau? These checks are compulsory for people working with children.

6.      How will you provide staff development and training? Your staff will need support to carry out their work and will want to develop their own skills, in order to improve. All training has costs associated with it both in terms of finances and the time involved. A positive approach to training will also help boost staff moral and confidence.

Information

Being a voluntary group does not excuse you from being a good employer. Failing to act properly is costly in time, money and emotion. Always seek advice about the legal and financial implications of recruiting staff.

Employment Law and HR advice (PEACe)

Voluntary sector employers and advisors in London can get expert support and advice on all employment related issues from the LVSC's Personnel, Employment Advice and Conciliation Service (PEACe)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 9.30am to 5pm

020 7700 8147 or peace@lvsc.org.uk

To employ staff you will need

• A contract of employment
• To budget for PAYE and National Insurance
• A process for supervision
• A grievance and discipline procedure that you can follow
• A plan for paying any extra costs associated with sick leave and maternity, paternity or adoption leave.
• A plan for paying any costs related to redundancy

2.7 Setting Up > Stage 6: Structure Your Organisation

The structure of your organisation is very important. Voluntary organisations need a structure to receive funding and each type of structure carries with it certain legal responsibilities and implications.

Will your organisation be charitable?

• Charities are for the public benefit (whereas clubs are for the benefit of members) and they are not-for-profit organisations. The public benefit is not defined in the Charities Act 2006, but is based on case law with the Charity Commission deciding how it is interpreted.

If your organisation is charitable, it needs to register with the Charity Commission, and to send financial information to them each year.

Do you want to set up an association, trust, or limited company?

These are the three most common structures for voluntary organisations. All three types of organisation can be charities, i.e. a charitable association, a charitable trust or a charitable company.

Associations / Trusts

• Associations and trusts are groups of individuals.
• All members are equally liable in the event of the group getting into debt.
• If the group enters into a contract (for example, to rent a building) individual committee members need to sign the contract on behalf of the organisation.
• Associations have general meetings of members each year, where the management committee is elected.
• Associations are very simple to set up.

• Trusts do not have members or elections - the first people who set up the organisation continue to run it until they appoint successors and retire.

 Companies

• Companies have 'legal personalities' and they can enter into contracts in their own name.
• Companies have limited liability. This means if the company ends up in debt, then the individual members only have to pay a limited sum (usually £1).
• Companies have to be registered with Companies House, and send financial information to them every year.

TASK

In your information file write down if your organisation is charitable or not and if you will set up a trust, association, or company?

Then contact one of the second tier organisations for help writing a set of rules. The Charity Commission has model examples of the different types of rules. Also read the books in 'Other Sources of Information' at the end of the guide, which outline the legal implications of the different types of rules.

Information on Charitable Objects

The Charity Act, 2006, substantially extended the limited charitable objectives defined in statute dating back to 1601. In addition to the prevention or relief of povery , and the advancement of education and religion, statutory charitable purposes now include the advancement of health, community development, art & culture, amateur sport, human rights, environmental protection, and animal welfare.

In your charitable objectives you should be very clear about who your charity will help. See Stage Two.

Remember your charitable objectives are important because they are the legal boundaries of what activities your group can carry out. If the trustees of the charity do not respect these boundaries they could find themselves personally liable, both to the courts, and financially to the charity and funders for any money misspent, no matter how worthwhile the cause.

To avoid these problems always get advice before writing your charitable objectives.

HINT

Many funders require your group to be a registered charity before accepting applications for funding. However the minimum requirement for charity registration is to have £5,000 income a year, or to show you expect to receive that amount. The charity registration itself can take several months.

For this reason many funders have established small grant schemes that give a few thousand pounds to successful applicants to help them start their group, without having to be a registered charity. It is therefore worth finding out about these small grants in your area and using them as your initial source of funding while also making your application to the Charity Commission.

2.8 Setting Up > Stage 7: Organisational Objectives for Year 1

Along with the objectives for the service you plan to run, you need objectives for setting up the organisation. These will be broadly similar for all new groups.

TASK  

Create a checklist in your file with the following objectives. Set dates for each one to happen and tick them off as they do. Review the list at committee meetings until it is complete.

(1)          To get a group of three to 11 people together to form the management committee of the new organisation, with the necessary skills See Stage Three.

(2)          To agree the organisation's aims and objectives see Stages Two and Four.

(3)          To agree a constitution (for an association), memorandum and articles (for a company) or a trust deed (for a trust).  See Stage Six.

(4)          To hold regular committee meetings, with agendas circulated in advance and written minutes of decisions circulated to all committee members.

(5)          To set up a bank account with at least two signatories who are members of the committee (most local banks have community accounts)

(6)          To agree financial procedures (how the organisation will record and account for money), and set up cashbooks and petty cash books to record all income and expenditure. See Further Reading and Contacts for where to get advice on financial procedures.

(7)          If you are a company, to register with Companies House, using forms 10, 12 and 30-5-a.  (Call the help line on 0870 333 3636 and ask for an incorporation pack and form 30-5-a.)

(8)   If you have charitable aims, to send the application with relevant documents to the Charity Commission. (Call the help line on 0870 333 0123 for an application pack and CC3)

TASK 

Write down any other objectives for the organisation to be achieved in year one.

HINT

Without achieving these organisational objectives your chances of securing funding and successfully delivering services to your beneficiaries are greatly reduced. Many of these objectives also have legal or financial implications that your management committee needs to be aware of. Make it a permanent item on your agenda for your committee meetings to review these objectives checking both your group's progress and the committee's understanding of the issues.

2.9 Setting Up > Stage 8: Develop a Budget

Decide on your financial year.  Most organisations keep the year 1 April - March 31^st.  When you produce annual (i.e. yearly) accounts, they will cover all transactions in the financial year.

Decide roughly how much you will spend in the first year on different activities.  Consider what your objectives are for year one.  How much will it cost to meet these objectives?  If you have planned to recruit staff, how much will you need to budget for their salaries and associated costs? If you do not know, research.  If you plan to buy a computer - ring up computer shops and find out how much the item you want costs.

 BE ACCURATE AND REALISTIC.                                           

TASK

Write out a budget based on your activities. This template can be used for your starting budget. List as many items as you think are needed, not just the ten spaces given here.

2.10 Setting Up > Stage 9: Think About Funding

Before you can start running your service you need to know (a) how much money you need and (b) when it will arrive. Fundraising can take a great deal of time and effort to get right so the people responsible need to have the free time to spend on the task.

You might want to consider selling some of your services to raise money but do take advice on the tax implications of this.  Then you need to start carrying out whatever fundraising plan you have made.

TASK

At your next committee meeting discuss the following questions. Write down your decisions in the minutes.

1.      When do you need the money by?  How much do you need?

2.      Who will research the information on funders?

3.      Who will write funding applications and letters?

4.      Decide how much money you will get from which sources. You do not need to raise funds from all the sources below.

Trusts.The Directory of Grantmaking Trusts is available as a book, CD-ROM or online from Directory of Social Change. See Contacts section.

Lottery. This is distributed by the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund. See Other Information Section

Local government. Most funding goes to social services and education and few local government bodies have the budgets to support wider voluntary groups.

Central government. The Home Office, the Department for Health, the Department of Education and Skills and the office of the Deputy Prime Minister are all major sources of funds.

Companies. The Guide/CD-Rom to UK Company Giving is available from the Directory of Social Change. See Contacts Section.

Individuals. See Charity Commission guidelines on public collections (CC20). If you are registered as being charitable with the Inland Revenue you can reclaim the tax on donations made by known individuals. This is known as Gift Aid. See Contacts section for contact details.

Members. Subscriptions can be a great source of funds to cover costs such as postage and phone calls. Members could also be encouraged to Gift Aid their donations.

Running Events. Guides and 'How To's are published by the Director of Social Change, See Contacts Section.

Selling services. This is an effective way of raising funds that can be spent on any part of the organisation. However, you need to consider the effect this will have on those people you are seeking to help, who may not be able to afford the service.

2.11 Setting Up > Stage 10: Get Started

Use this document as a plan to help you organise the first year.  Start to achieve the objectives you have set for your service and organisation.  

To recap.

(1)         Agree an AIM.

(2)         RESEARCH the need for the service,
             RESEARCH the people who will use you service, and
             RESEARCH other similar organisations.

(3)         Get founder members to JOIN your organisation.

(4)         Agree a STRUCTURE and CONSTITUTION for your organisation, then follow it.

(5)         Plan your SERVICE.

(6)         Set a BUDGET for you service and organisation.

(7)         Open BANK ACCOUNTS.

(8)         Open cash and petty cash BOOKS.

(9)         Start FUNDRAISING.

(10)       RUN YOUR SERVICE.

2.12 Setting Up > Skills of the Management Committee

TASK 

The list below covers many of the activities that a management committee is expected to carry out. Each task could also be considered a skill. This list can help your committee better understand its role and assess its own strengths and weaknesses. Give a copy of the page to each committee member. Ask them to write down those tasks they would feel confident taking charge of. Then ask them to write down those tasks about which they would like to learn more and to help other committee members with. 

You will have just done a basic board self-assessment; identifying what skills your committee has and what skills it needs, but also who on the committee is interested in learning those skills. You can then make developing those skills an organisational objective.

• PLANNING SKILLS
  

Setting aims and objectives.
Writing a mission statement.
Devising policy.
Writing a Strategic Plan.
Monitoring and Evaluating Progress.
Appraising Outcomes.

•  INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Speaking in committees.
Active listening.
Note and minute taking.
Reading and using written information.
Chairing meetings:

     Decision making as part of a group.
     Summarising discussions.
     Setting agendas.

Leadership skills.

•  KNOWLEDGE OF THE ORGANISATION

Its work:
    Any qualifications that are needed - teaching, child care, social work, advice giving etc

Its beneficiaries:
    Their language, culture, needs.

• LEGAL SKILLS

Contracts and leases.
Equal Opportunities.
Charity law and governing documents.
Company law.

•  FINANCE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Costing Projects.
Budgeting.
Understanding Management Accounts.
Monitoring cash flow.
Investing assets and excess cash.
Business planning.
Insurance.
Managing a building.

•  FUNDRAISING AND PROMOTION

Reading and filling in application forms.
Negotiating grants.
Finding new donors and supporters.
Organising fundraising activities and events.
Liasing with the media and getting publicity.
Dealing with local government.
Dealing with central government.
Lobbying and campaigning.
Marketing the organisation.
Specialist skills such as publishing.

• MANAGING PEOPLE
  

Managing staff and volunteers.
Employment law and practice.
Motivating staff, volunteers, supporters and donors.
Recruitment Procedures.
Negotiating.
Discipline and grievance procedures.

2.13 Setting Up > Policies and Procedures

It is important to have written policies and procedures in place because:

1.      They may be required by law and your funders.

2.      They can help the organisation be more effective by providing staff and volunteers with a guide as to the correct way to act in certain situations.

3.      They are also a chance for your organisation to publicly explain its values and ideals, particularly in how it treats staff, volunteers and service users. 

It's sensible to look at the written policies and procedures of similar organisations to your own. However, in looking at model policies do not simply adopt them, but consider whether lawful amendments are required for your particular circumstances.

Think about how you will check that you are carrying out your own policies, and write down how you will do this into the policies themselves. Always ensure that the agreed  policy documents are signed and dated by the Chair or Secretary. The Chair or Secretary should also sign the minutes of the meeting that approved the policies.

Distinguishing between Policies and Procedures

Policies are principles, rules and guidelines adopted by an organisation to achieve its objectives. Procedures are a process, or set of steps, that implement a policy. In some cases what is primarily a policy document, may need to refer to procedures, for the purpose of clarity. Similarly, what is primarily a procedure document may need to refer to policy statements. Broadly, policy is a matter for Boards or Committees, and procedures for chief executives and senior managment. However, this distinction is subject to the organisation's policy on implementation of its policies and procedures.  

Why Policies and Procedures Fail

It can be the case that written policies and procedures exist in an organisation, but are not applied on a day-to-day basis, or even at all. It's important to know the reasons for implementation failure, and seek to avoid them. Common reasons are that policies and procedures are out-of-date, too wordy, difficult to understand, unnecessarily complicated, ambiguous, inconsistent, not relevant, intentionally flouted, and hard- to- locate.

To overcome at least some of the above-mentioned problems, it's recommended that voluntary sector organisations adhere to the 'CARDS' principle,   i.e. policies and procedures documentation be Consistent ( with the law, and  each other), Accessible (e.g. placed on a Notice Board ), Recently reviewed ( e.g. annually), Dated ( when approved), and Signed ( by authorised person).

The Document Management and Indexing of Policies, Procedures, and other Essential Documentation

It's all too easy for organisations to accumulate a chaotic range of documentation, due to a failure to establish document management and indexing procedures. Indexing is a skilled and creative process, interlinking concepts and constructing a logical hierarchy at many levels. Organisations are recommended to appoint a named person to undertake this work, at the earliest possible opportunity.   

Sources of Model Policies and Procedures

The internet can be trawled for model policies and procedures. They should never be automatically adopted, but carefully read and amended according  to circumstances and the latest legal requirements. There can be problems with dated or misleading information, and information-overload. Voluntary organisations located in Waltham Forest may contact Voluntary Action Waltham Forest for guidance.

2.14 Setting Up > Contacts and Sources of Information

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest (VAWF)

Upper Ground Floor,
Churchill Business Centre,6 Church Hill,
Walthamstow,
London E17 3RY

020 8521 0377
www.voluntaryaction.net

VAWF promotes the effectiveness of local voluntary and community groups by providing them with a range of services. These include regular newsletters, training, funding advice and specialist services. We take the lead in identifying gaps in service provision and work with groups to develop new and innovative services to meet these needs.

Know Your Information Sources

In the UK organisations are frequently classifed as 'private','public' or 'voluntary' (hence 'third' sector). It can be important to know the nature of the organisation from which you are deriving information or guidance. This can be difficult to establish, as websites do not necessarily make the position clear. An important information source are government-funded Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), colloquially known as ' quangoes'. These organisations, in turn, have different forms, which influence the status of the information they provide. Some are regulatory and may provide information of a statutory or quasi-statutory nature. Others provide information that may be 'best practice'. National, regional and 'umbrella' charities are also an important information source, but do not have regulatory powers.

Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO)

Website: www.cemvo.org.uk

London Director: Dr Zelalem Kebede, MD,MA,MBA,FRSA
Email: zelalem.kebede@cemvo.org.uk

Boardman House
64 Broadway, Stratford
London E15 1NG

Phone: +44(0) 20 8432 0000
DDI: +44(0) 20 8432 0315
Fax: +44(0) 20 8432 0001

CEMVO works to support voluntary organisations working with ethnic minority communities through grants, professional support, training and resources. They consult BME communities and organisations, provide capacity building support and proactively promote research and policy into the needs of BME communities.

Charity Commission

Harmsworth House
13-15 Bouverie Street
London
EC4Y 8DP

Tel: 0870 333 0123
Website:www.charity-commission.gov.uk

The government department responsible for registering and monitoring charities. Once a charity's income is above £1,000 a year, it is legally required to register with the Charity Commission. You will have to send financial details and lists of the trustees of the charity to the Commission every year. It also provides copies of its main publications in the main languages spoken in the U.K. today.

Companies House

PO BOX 29019
21 Bloomsbury Street
London
WC1B 3XD

Information & Telesales: 0870 3333636
Website: www.companieshouse.gov.uk

If you want to set your group to have a company structure, then it must be registered with Companies House. You will have to send financial details and lists of the directors and company secretary to Companies House every year.

Criminal Records Bureau

PO Box 110
Liverpool
L3 6ZZ

Information line: 0870 90 90 811
Registration application line: 0870 90 90 822
Website: www.crb.gov.uk

The government body responsible for providing background checks on employees. There are still delays in processing applications but it is compulsory for all people who work with children to have background checks to ensure that they are not disqualified from working with children.

Directory of Social Change (DSC)

Directory of Social Change
24 Stephenson Way
London
NW1 2DP

Tel: 020 7391 4800
Fax: 020 7391 4808
Email: info@dsc.org.uk
Website: www.dsc.org.uk

DSC helps voluntary and community organisations to thrive through advice on how to raise the money they need, how to manage their resources to maximum effect, how to influence the right people, what their rights and responsibilities are and how to plan and develop for the future. It also speaks out on issues affecting the sector through the media, public platforms and membership of government and advisory groups working for and within the sector.

Fair Play for Children

Fair Play
Freepost
Bognor Regis
PO21 1YZ

Tel: 0845-330 7635
E-mail: fairplay@arunet.co.uk
Web Site: www.fairplayforchildren.org

Fairplay for Children is a charity promoting opportunities for play and development for young children. They run training and provide information on issues such as child protection policies and the laws regarding care for children.

Inland Revenue

IR Charities
Room 140
St Johns House
Merton Road
Bootle
Merseyside
L69 9BB

Tel: 0151 472 6036/6037
Website:  www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/charities/index.htm

The Inland Revenue is responsible for ensuring that organisations pay all the tax that they owe. As the situation with charities can often be confusing they have set up a specific charities department that you can contact. They also provide advice on how charities can reclaim tax on donations that they receive from individuals.

London Voluntary Services Council (LVSC)

London Voluntary Service Council
356 Holloway Road
London N7 6PA

Telephone: 020 7700 8107
Facsimile: 020 7700 8108
Website: www.lvsc.org.uk

LVSC strengthens voluntary organisations by providing services and a strong voice on policy issues that affect Londoners. It supports voluntary organisations to work within the complexity of social policy in London and acts as a conduit to ensure that the views of marginalised groups are represented. LVSC also targets second-tier organisations (organisations that provide services to other organisations rather than to individuals), groups which can't get help from a second-tier organisation of their own, black and minority ethnic groups, and other groups that experience discrimination

National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)

177 Arundel Street
Sheffield  
S1 2NU

Tel 0114 278 6636
Fax 0114 278 7004
Textphone 0114 278 7025
E-mail: navca@navca.org.uk  
Website: www.navca.org.uk

NACVS is the growing network of over 300 Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) throughout England. It helps to promote voluntary and community action by supporting the member CVS and by acting as a national voice for the local voluntary and community sector.

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
Regent's Wharf
8 All Saints Street
London
N1 9RL

Telephone 020 7713 6161
Fax 020 7713 6300
Helpdesk 0800 2 798 798
Email: ncvo@ncvo-vol.org.uk
Website: www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

NCVO is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England. It works to support the voluntary sector and to create an environment in which voluntary organisations can flourish. NCVO represents the views of the voluntary sector to policy makers and government and consults with the sector to inform our policy positions on issues generic to the sector. It also carries out in-depth research to promote a better understanding of the sector and its activities. Services offered by NCVO include a freephone Helpdesk, policy briefings, information networks, events and a wide range of publications , including good practice information on everything from trusteeship to employment law , and its own magazine, Voluntary Sector .

Pre-School Learning Alliance

National Centre
Pre-school Learning Alliance
69 Kings Cross Road
London
WC1X 9LL

Tel.: 020 7833 0991
Fax: 020 7837 4942
E-mail: pla@pre-school.org.uk
Website: www.pre-school.org.uk

The Pre-school Learning Alliance represents and supports 16,000 community pre-schools in England. Registered as an educational charity, the Alliance is the national dimension of the pre-school movement, which began in 1961 when, in the absence of state provision, parents started their own self-help nursery schools.

OFSTED

Alexandra House
33 Kingsway
London, WC2B 6SE

Tel: 020 7421 6567
Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

The government body charged with inspecting mainstream schools and all nurseries, as well as other types of educational organisations. At the moment they do not inspect supplementary schools, but they do set the standard for achievement in mainstream schools and so it is important to be aware of their demands if you want to support children who attend those schools.

Other Sources of Information

There are many different sources of information for people interested in starting up and running voluntary organisations. We have listed a few of the ones we have found most useful and relevant.

BOOKS

Voluntary Sector Legal Handbook 3rd Edition

Editor: Sandy Adirondack    Russell-Cooke Solicitors ( Charity Team)  2009

Published by Directory of Social Change

ISBN 1 900360 72 1

A comprehensive book addressing all aspects of the law that voluntary sector organisations may encounter, from legal structures and charity law to employment, data protection and health and safety. Small organisations in Waltham Forest may be unable to afford the cost of the book, but members     may study it at the offices of Voluntary Action Waltham Forest (VAWF), by appointment. Sandy Adirondack also provides updates on her website as the legal position changes (see below).

Just About Managing / Voluntary but not Amateur

Published by London Voluntary Sector Council

ISBN 1 872582 17 6 / 11 872582 71 0

Two good introductory books covering the basic concepts behind management for voluntary organisations and matters of good practice that management committees should be aware of.

 
Directory of Social Change / National Council for Voluntary Organisations

Both of these organisations produce a wide range of books covering everything from good practice of the management committee to employing staff to managing projects and fundraising and are well worth looking at to find a book that covers a particular issue in depth. Their contact details are above.

 
Charity Commission

Produces a wide range of leaflets on all issues affecting charities from registration to winding up. These leaflets are all free from their website or helpline.

Websites

Many of the organisations in the Contacts section have a website. These websites often have a great deal of information that you can freely read and download covering all aspects of managing a voluntary organisation. In addition you may wish to look at the following sites which cover particular issues.

www.voluntaryaction.net Voluntary Action is designed to help local organisations raise their profile and communicate more effectively with their users, funders and policy makers and the wider public.

www.volresource.org.uk An online resource for information for voluntary organisations, particularly with reference to source of information and suppliers of services required by the sector or that are targeted to the sector. 

www.dti.gov.uk/er/index.htm The Department of Trade and Industry's website has a useful summary of recent changes to employment law and conditions.

www.cash-online.org.uk/ A useful website for downloading factsheets dealing with financial management for small charities and voluntary agencies.

www.nof.org.uk/ The New Opportunities Fund is another major lottery distributor. 

www.governmentfunding.org.uk/  This provides information on grants made by Department for Education and Skills, Department of Health, Home Office, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

3.1 Funding > Local Funding

Council Funding 

The council is the main local funder of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations.  There are a number of Council funding streams including the following:

• Voluntary Sector Commissioning Programme

Waltham Forest  council invests nearly £2 million per annum in voluntary and community organisations through commissioning of services from the sector.

The Voluntary and Community Sector Commissioning Programme 2007-2010 included:

• commissioning of three-year funding agreements for most services, to encourage long term financial planning
• proposed mixture of grants and contracts, in line with the needs of specific services
• commissioning of larger contracts, to encourage joint working and economies of scale
• commissioning of non-financial support services for small groups, to aid their growth and sustainability
• tapered funding arrangements where appropriate, to encourage services to become sustainable
• alignment of commissioning priorities with the Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement

Services provided by the voluntary and community sector include sports activities, adult and social care, community safety, advice and financial inclusion, services for street homeless, services for children and young people, services aimed at enhancing social inclusion and the development of the voluntary sector as a whole.

The current picture:

The Council took the decision to undertake an extensive review of the voluntary and community sector in order to inform decisions as to what would be funded in the future. This review is entitled 'Third Sector Review' and includes and extensive consultation - including a consultation event, a survey, stakeholder input through focus groups and other meetings. The Review is also about looking at the wider voluntary and community sector issues, including refreshing the local Compact.

To ensure that there was sufficient time for a meaningful exercise the Council decided to extend the majority of the voluntary and community sector contracts for 2010 to 2011. There were a few contracts that were not renewed and these were re-tendered for just one year 2010 - 2011.

The outcomes of the Review will help to inform which services are commissioned by the Council for 2011 - 2014.

We will keep you regularly updated as to progress.

For the full copy of 'Towards a Thriving Third Sector' report please follow the link below:

http://www1.walthamforest.gov.uk/moderngov/Published/C00000287/M00002020/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf

• Community Council annual fund
  Each Community Council has the following to spend:

• £10,000 per ward plus
• £5,000 for the whole Community Council area

For more details about how to apply see: www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/council/community-councils/community-councils-annual-fund.htm

• Grassroots Grants

Grants of up £5k are now available for local community groups in Waltham Forest thanks to O-Regen. Go to www.o-regen.co.uk/grantforms.asp

The Local Grants Forum

The Local Grants Forum has published 'Defending local grants: resources you can use' to help in convincing councillors, commissioning officers and procurement professionals that grants should continue to be used to fund local organisations and groups.

Available from

www.navca.org.uk/publications/defendinggrants

Community Foundations

Community Foundations are charitable trusts that support local community causes. Their role is to manage donor funds and build endowment as well as make grants to charities and community groups, linking local donors with local needs. Created by and for local people they help donors express their long-term interest in an area and its needs. Community foundations have been active in the UK since the 1980s and a rapidly growing network of approximately 60 foundations is now established across the country. About 90% of the UK population has access to a community foundation.

To find your local Community Foundation go to the Community Foundations Network Website: www.communityfoundations.org.uk/

Community Foundation Network
Arena House
66-68 Pentonville Road
London N1 9HS

Tel: 020 7713 9326
Fax: 020 7713 9327
Email: network@communityfoundations.org.uk

Information supplied by www.fit4funding.org.uk/ from The Charities Information Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on the www.fit4funding.org.uk/ website. Some information has been updated and modified by VAWF to reflect changes occurred in the meantime.

Again, there are many more funders in the region and to find the most suitable ones for your organisation, please come to see us at VAWF and work with our funding officer to search for them.

3.2 Funding > Regional

There are many funders distributing financial resources throughout London. The sheer number of funders including trusts, foundations, guilds and philantrophists makes it impossible to list them here. The funding your group can receive depends on your aims and objectives and the nature of activities you carry out.

In order to find the most appropriate funders for your organisation it is best to come into our office at VAWF and use our Funderfinder software with the support of our qualified funding officer. 
Contact us on 0208 521 0377 to make an appointment.

However, below is a list of the biggest regional funders working London-wide. The information is supplied by Fit4Funding  from The Charities Information Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on their Website. Some information has been updated and modified by VAWF to reflect changes occurred in the meantime.

Information supplied by Fit4Funding from the Charities Information Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on their Website. Some information has been updated and modified by VAWF to reflect changes occurred in the meantime.

Again, there are many more funders in the region and to find the most suitable ones for your organisation, please come to see us at VAWF and work with our funding officer to search for them.

3.2.1 Funding > Regional > Government Funding

Government Funding

Local Government

Your Local Authority (Council) will have funds for the Voluntary and Community Sector. This funding is often in small pots within different departments. They may not have a complete picture of what is available and it is best to ask for help within a particular department. Key departments that often have responsibility for funds are Culture & Leisure, Education, Environment, Health & Social Care, Housing, Regeneration.

You can find the Local Authority for your area at website: www.direct.gov.uk/Dl1/Directories/LocalCouncils/fs/en  You will find contact address, phone numbers and links to their website.

Similarly there are often small pots of funds for the Voluntary and Community Sector held by Town Councils and Parish Councils.

Town Councils

You can also find your town council at Website: www.direct.gov.uk/Dl1/Directories/LocalCouncils/fs/en  You will find contact address and phone numbers and links to their website.

Parish Councils

Parish councils are listed by Tagish at website: www.tagish.co.uk/tagish/links/parish.htm

Some Parish Councils have websites. They may be listed at: www.parish-council.com/fulllist.asp  or search using Google website: www.google.co.uk/

Local Authorities often have funding advisors or community workers to help you and who will know more about the funding available. You can also get help to find local government funding from your Voluntary Action Council. (VAWF, see above).

Local Government is buying in more of its services from the Voluntary and Community Sector under contract.

Change Up

From the outset the regional ChangeUp programme has been managed through the nine Government Offices in England. These have devolved the management of aspects of the programme to various local VCS agencies. From April 2006 management of the programme will be through the new Capacity Builders Agency, led by experts from the sector.

See Website: www.changeup.org.uk/regions/index.asp  and contact your regional Government Office for further information (see below).

Government Office for London

Representing central government across the capital.

GOL represents central government across the capital, delivering policies and programmes for eleven central government departments in a joined up way, and making London's case in Whitehall.

The Government Office plays an important role in London, delivering the Government's policies on areas including leading the negotiation of 33 Local Area Agreements in London, ensuring the delivery of the Every Child Matters agenda in London, and delivering policies on crime reduction, reducing drug misuse, planning and neighbourhood renewal.

They aim to work with regional partners and local people to increase the prosperity of the region, promote sustainable development and tackle social exclusion. They will be able to put you in contact with those agencies which deal with local European funding schemes such as Global Grants and Co-Financing and Government funding such as Community Champions, Community Learning Chests and Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chests. (See also www.governmentfunding.org.uk/ )

Part of their work is to co-ordinate funding from the European Community. Their website provides links to many other agencies serving London: www.gol.gov.uk/

Global Grants

Global Grants is money that comes from both local and district partnerships and European Social Funds. Global Grants will help people in the target groups to increase their confidence, motivation and skills and have a better chance of getting work.

To find out more about Global Grants in your region contact your regional Government Office.

London Development Agency

The London Development Agency (LDA) works to build a thriving economy for London's communities and businesses. They support the growth of new and existing businesses and the creation of new jobs by investing more than £300 million a year.

They focus their investment on areas of greatest need and greatest potential, so that all Londoners can gain from and contribute to London's success.

The LDA runs different programmes and funding streams. To find out which ones are currently available and when deadlines are for applications click here.

Like the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) below the LDA runs programmes as part of the European Union: the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It is difficult for small and medium-sized groups to access funding from the LDA. 

For more information go to www.lda.gov.uk/

Public Liaison Unit
London Development Agency
Devon House
58-60 St Katharine's Way
London
E1W 1JX

Tel: 020 7954 4500
Textphone: 020 7954 0010
Website: www.lda.gov.uk

Information supplied by www.fit4funding.org.uk/ from The Charities Information Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on the www.fit4funding.org.uk/ website. Some information has been updated and modified by VAWF to reflect changes occurred in the meantime.

Again, there are many more funders in the region and to find the most suitable ones for your organisation, please come to see us at VAWF and work with our funding officer to search for them.

3.2.2 Funding > Regional > Social, Health, Education, Training & Employment

 
Connexions

Connexions is the government's support service for all young people aged 13 to 19 in England.

Connexions brings together all the services and support young people need during their teenage years offering differentiated and integrated support to young people through Personal Advisers (PAs). For some young people this may be just for careers advice, for others it may involve more in-depth support to help identify barriers to learning and find solutions brokering access to more specialist support, eg drug abuse, sexual health and homelessness. PAs work in a range of settings including schools, colleges, one-stop shops community centres and on an out-reach basis.

Connexions is delivered through a range of local partnership arrangements based either on Local Authority boundaries or Learning and Skills Council (LSC) boundaries. Funding is through a grant from the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.

Go to their webpage: www.connexions.gov.uk/

SureStart

Sure Start is a Government programme which aims to achieve better outcomes for children, parents and communities by:

• increasing the availability of childcare for all children
• improving health and emotional development for young children
• supporting parents as parents and in their aspirations towards employment.

They will achieve their aims by:

• helping services development in disadvantaged areas alongside financial help for parents to afford childcare
• rolling out the principles driving the Sure Start approach to all services for children and parents.

Regional and local services are dealt with by regional Government Offices and Local Education Authorities.

Sure Start Unit
Department for Education and Skills and Department for Work and Pensions
Level 2
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA

Public Enquiry Unit Tel: 0870 0002288
Email: info.surestart@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.surestart.gov.uk/surestartservices/

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC)

The LSC is a non-departmental public body which began work in 2001, taking over the roles of the former Further Education Funding Council and Training and Enterprise Councils. They are responsible for planning and funding high quality education and training for everyone in England other than those in universities. Their national office is based in Coventry and nine regional offices are overseeing the work of local partnership teams throughout the county.

Their vision is that by 2010, young people and adults in England have knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce.

In the UK, the LSC is distributing resources of the European Social Fund (ESF) and has secured £850 million of ESF for learning provision in the first half of the programme between 2008 and 2010.

Contrary to other funders the LSC does not accept funding applications from organisations they have not explicitly invited to apply. In general, the LSC commissions services and uses providers with enough capacity to deliver the services they require. It is therefore difficult for small and medium-sized voluntary and community groups to access their funding. One way to gain access is to be sub-contracted by bigger providers to deliver a particular part of the services commissioned. Bigger organisations often rely on smaller groups to reach the users that are hardest to reach. However, it is difficult for very small organisations to gain access.

In 2004, the LSC set out a strategy (the Working Together strategy)  that it intended to adopt with its partners in the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). The strategy has an implementation plan. This is available from their Website: http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/pre2005/research/consultation/working-together-strategy-for-the-voluntary-and-community-sector-and-the-lsc.pdf

For more information look at their Website: www.lsc.gov.uk/

LSC London Region
Centre Point
103 New Oxford Street
London
WC1A 1DR

Tel: 0845 019 4144

Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)

The main function of a PCT is to provide health services locally by integrating primary, secondary and community health services and social services.

PCTs commission general and acute services, invest in primary and community care and work to improve the health of the local population in partnership with local borough councils and others. Trusts hold contracts with Personal Medial Services, (PMS), providers who provide a wide range of primary and community services to the general public. To find your local PCT look at website: http://pctdirectory.com/ or go to Section 'Key Statutory Agencies' for the Waltham Forest PCT.

Information supplied by www.fit4funding.org.uk/ from The Charities Information Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on the www.fit4funding.org.uk/ website. Some information has been updated and modified by VAWF to reflect changes occurred in the meantime.

Again, there are many more funders in the region and to find the most suitable ones for your organisation, please come to see us at VAWF and work with our funding officer to search for them.

3.2.3 Funding > Regional > Environment, Heritage, Arts & Sport

Environment and Heritage

English Heritage and other environment and heritage agencies can be found in the national Government and Statutory pages.

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From museums and historic buildings to parks and nature reserves to celebrating traditions, customs and history.

7 Holbein Place
London
SW1W 8NR

Tel: 020 7591 6151
Website: www.hlf.org.uk/English/InYourArea/London/

Arts

Arts Council of England - London

Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts in England, distributing public money from Government and the National Lottery.

Arts Council England London Region
2 Pear Tree Court
London
EC1R 0DS

Tel: 0845 300 6200
Fax: 020 7608 4100
Textphone: 020 7973 6564

Website: www.arts.org.uk/regions/homepage.php?rid=3

Sport

Sport England

Sport England is committed to creating opportunities for people in the London region to start in sport, stay in sport and succeed in sport.

They are committed to the national vision: making England an active and successful sporting nation. Sport England provides the strategic lead for sport in England, and is responsible for delivering the Government's sporting objectives.

Sport England,
3rd Floor Victoria House,
Bloomsbury Square,
London,
WC1B 4SE.

Tel: 08458 508508
Fax: 020 7383 5740
Website: www.sportengland.org/london_index.htm

Information supplied by www.fit4funding.org.uk/ from The Charities Information Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on the www.fit4funding.org.uk/ website. Some information has been updated and modified by VAWF to reflect changes occurred in the meantime.

Again, there are many more funders in the region and to find the most suitable ones for your organisation, please come to see us at VAWF and work with our funding officer to search for them.

3.2.4 Funding > Regional > Lottery Funding

Sport England and Arts Council England details are above.

Big Lottery Fund

The Big Lottery Fund has offices in the nine England Regions, staffed by a team who work with those who have a key interest in making sure our money goes to the people and areas that need it most. Our regional staff offer outreach services to potential grant applicants by organising funding advice events and holding before you apply sessions.

Contact the Big Advice Line for further details of events happening in your region Tel: 0845 4 102030 Each regional office has its own enquiries line.

Camelford House
89 Albert Embankment
London
SE1 7UF

Tel: 020 7587 6600
Minicom: 020 7587 6620
Fax: 020 7587 6610

Email: enquiries.lon@biglotteryfund.org.uk 
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Awards for All - London

Awards for All is a grants programme set up to help small groups. It is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Councils, the Sport Councils, and the Big Lottery Fund.

LOTTERY'S SMALL GRANTS SCHEME SET FOR CHANGE

Following a review of the Awards for All England programme, changes are to be made to the small grants scheme's existing format when it comes to an end in March 2009.

Currently Awards for All England is a joint Lottery grants programme supported by Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Sport England.From 1 April 2009 each of the lottery distributors supporting the scheme will have their own small grants programmes up and running. Applications can still be made under the current arrangements until 31 March 2009.The change will mean that each distributor can better address the needs of their applicants and the themes they support. Overall, across all the distributors, it is anticipated that new money available for small grants in 2009-10 will be comparable to money that was available to community groups through Awards for All in 2008-2009.

To ensure this change will be as seamless as possible, the distributors will each run their own small grants programme as follows:

• Big Lottery Fund will launch a new small grants programme on 1 April 2009 awarding grants of £300 to £10,000 to local communities in 2009-2010.

• Sport England will provide small grants for sports ranging from £300 - £10,000 from 1 April 2009.

• Arts Council England will provide small grants through their existing 'Grants for the arts' programme, supporting awards between £1,000 and £100,000.

• Heritage Lottery Fund small grants will be provided through the existing 'Your Heritage' (£3,000 to £50,000) and 'Young Roots (£3,000 to £25,000) schemes.

A range of not for profit organisations (including parish or town councils, schools or health bodies) can apply for Awards for All grants via a straightforward application process and most applicants will be advised within eight weeks if they have been successful. In England Regional Big Lottery Fund offices are no longer responsible for Awards for All. Actual applications from the South of England are dealt with from their Birmingham office and applications from the North of England by their Newcastle office.

All enquiries are dealt with centrally and you will be given contact information regarding specific applications once your application has been made.

There are Regional criteria which will still apply. In the past these have been listed on regional pages on the Awards for All website. These criteria have now been settled for a longer period and are included in the guidance notes to be used with application forms both downloadable from their website. Do check the Regional and National Criteria before applying. Regional help is now available on the helpline, not from the regional offices.

For examples of funded work or to find out more about Awards for All grants, who is eligible to apply and how to submit your application, log onto Website: http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/  or Tel: 0845 600 2040.

 
Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From museums and historic buildings to parks and nature reserves to celebrating traditions, customs and history.

7 Holbein Place
London
SW1W 8NR

Tel: 020 7591 6151
Website: www.hlf.org.uk/English/InYourArea/London/

Lottery Funding Website

Lottery Funding is a joint website run by all Lottery funders in the UK. This site allows you to search information on current funding programmes across the UK. The funding search will help you to find the funding programmes that best match your project. It will search programmes offered by Lottery funders that are currently open to applications. The funding search will take you through a series of four questions about: the location of your project; about you as an applicant; about the project itself; and about the amount of money you are applying for.

Tel: 0845 275 0000

Website: http://www.lotteryfunding.org.uk/

Information supplied by www.fit4funding.org.uk/ from The Charities Information Bureau. Further help and information about funding is available on the www.fit4funding.org.uk/ website. Some information has been updated and modified by VAWF to reflect changes occurred in the meantime.

Again, there are many more funders in the region and to find the most suitable ones for your organisation, please come to see us at VAWF and work with our funding officer to search for them.

3.3 Funding > Sub Regional

Sub-reginal funding is very similar to the regional funding as listed in the previous section. Please refer to that section as funders listed there also operate on a sub-regional level.

Sub-regional funding applies to different areas within London and is determined by different issues addressed such as health, education, community safety and housing.

An example of sub-regional funding is the 'Waltham Forest Young Muslim Leaders' development programme set up with £60,000 of Government cash as a pilot project in August 2008.

3.4 Funding > National Funding

Useful information on all aspects of funding can be found on fit4funding's webpage: www.fit4funding.org.uk/

Their funding newsletter is published on a monthly basis and contains news of the latest funding opportunities available for both England and Wales. You can subscribe for a free trial here: www.fit4funding.org.uk/cib_services/cib_newsletter/  The following information on the National Lottery Fund is also taken from them.

3.4.1 Funding > National Funding > UK National Lottery

What is it?

For each £1 spent on a National Lottery ticket: 50 pence is returned in prizes, 28 pence is allocated to Good Causes, 12 pence goes to the Government in Lottery tax, 5 pence is kept by the retailer and 5 pence goes to Camelot (of this, 4.5 pence covers operating costs and 0.5 pence is profit).

National Lottery players have raised £20 billion for Good Causes since it was launched in 1994. The National Lottery generates over £25 million for Good Causes every week.
The UK National Lottery returns a higher proportion of Lottery revenue back to society than any other Lottery operator in the world. Over 280,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment. Over half of all grants awarded have been for under £5,000. Around 70% of adults regularly play a National Lottery game.

Who can apply?

The National Lottery works in partnership with the 14 lottery distributors, to support 'Good Causes' in the arts, heritage, health, education, environment, community and charity sectors.  Each Lottery 'Good Cause' funds its programmes with their own criteria and application process. Each distributor makes decisions about who shall receive awards independently of the government and according to guidelines established by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

What do they fund?

'Good Causes' in the arts, sports, heritage, health, education, environment, community and charity sectors. Currently Lottery funding is allocated to Good Causes in the following way:

Charities, Health, Education & the environment 50%
Sports 16.67%
Arts 16.67%
Heritage 16.67%

£1.5 billion will also be raised by The National Lottery for the London Olympics in 2012.

How do you apply?

Through an application form. It is best to contact the appropriate body to discuss your project idea.

How much?

The amount you can apply for varies, anything from a small amount for new or small groups, to large amounts over a number of years. The amount you can apply for is stated for each funding programme.

Pros:

Funds a wide variety of good causes
Can be large grants, including salaries
Some pots of money require very little or no match funding e.g. Big Lottery and Awards for All
Can provide medium term project funding
Very communicative funder and support usually available

Cons:

Larger applications can be complicated and time consuming
There is less money available now as fewer people are playing the lottery.
There can be ethical issues for some groups not wanting to access money raised from gambling

Lottery Funding Website

Lottery Funding is a joint website run by all Lottery funders in the UK. This site allows you to search information on current funding programmes across the UK. The funding search will help you to find the funding programmes that best match your project. It will search programmes offered by Lottery funders that are currently open to applications. The funding search will take you through a series of four questions about: the location of your project; about you as an applicant; about the project itself; and about the amount of money you are applying for.

Tel: 0845 275 0000
Textphone: 0845 275 0022
Website: www.lotteryfunding.org.uk

The Lottery Good Causes Distributors

There are details and links to the lottery distributors below:

Big Lottery Fund

The Big Lottery Fund is the largest Lottery distributor. They are responsible for giving out half the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes: 14 pence of every pound spent on a Lottery ticket.
Their mission is to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. Their remit covers health, education, environment and charitable purposes. They receive 50 percent of the proceeds for good causes, which is anticipated to be between £600 and £700 million a year until the end of the current Camelot licence in early 2009. They fund programmes UK wide with many of their programmes specifically designed for national areas for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Big Lottery Fund
Head Office
1 Plough Place
London EC4A 1DE

Helpline Tel: 08454 10 20 30
Fax. 0207 211 1750
Textphone: 0845 039 0204
Email: general.enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk  
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Regional Offices are listed on their website.

Arts

Arts Council England

Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone in England by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people's lives.
Between 2008 and 2011, it will invest £1.6 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts. This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England.

Arts Council England
14 Great Peter Street
London SW1P 3NQ

Tel: 0845 300 6200
Fax: 020 7973 6590
Textphone: 020 7973 6564
Email: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Website: www.artscouncil.org.uk

Regional Offices are listed on their website.

Film

The UK Film Council (and Scottish Screen) provide funding for film production and training.

UK Film Council

The UK Film Council are the Government's strategic agency for film in the UK.

They are here to help make the UK a hub and natural home for film in the digital age: a place with a diverse and vibrant film culture and a flourishing, competitive film industry. They work closely with the Government and the film industry offering policy advice about industrial, economic and cultural issues affecting film. They also make policy and provide funding.

Every year they distribute around £27 million from the National Lottery and £27 million from the Government to support: script development, film production, short films, film export and distribution, cinema, film education, culture and archives, festivals and audience support schemes.

UK Film Council, Head Office,10 Little Portland Street, London W1W 7JG Tel: 020 7861 7861 Fax: 020 7861 7862 Textphone: 0845 039 0204 Email: info@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk Website: www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk

Sport

UK Sport

UK Sport is the Government agency responsible for maximising British success in the Olympic and Paralympic Games through investing in our most talented athletes. This involves working together with other sports bodies to deliver excellent results. To achieve this they target Lottery funding at athletes capable of delivering medal-winning performances.

UK Sport
40 Bernard Street
London WC1N 1ST

Tel: 0 20 7211 5100
Email: info@uksport.gov.uk
Website: www.uksport.gov.uk

Sport England

Sport England's vision is to make England an active and successful sporting nation. Their Community Investment Fund helps them achieve three sports and physical activity objectives:

Start - to improve the health of the nation, particularly for disadvantaged groups
Stay - through a thriving network of clubs, coaches and volunteers, and a commitment to equality
Succeed in sport - through an infrastructure capable of developing world class performers.

Sport England
3rd Floor Victoria House
Bloomsbury Square 
London WC1B 4SE

Tel 08458 508 508 ( Monday-Friday, 8am to 6pm )
Fax: 020 7383 5740
Email: info@sportengland.org
Website: www.sportengland.org

Regional Offices are listed on their website.

Heritage Lottery Fund

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, they invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has awarded over £4 billion in grants to heritage projects throughout the UK.

Heritage Lottery Fund
7 Holbein Place
London SW1W 8NR

Helpline Tel: 020 7591 6000
Fax: 020 7591 6001
Textphone: 020 7591 6255
Email: enquire@hlf.org.uk Website:
www.hlf.org.uk

Regional Offices are listed on their website.

Lottery's Small Grants in England from April 2009

Following a review of the Awards for All England programme, changes are to be made to the small grants scheme's existing format which came to an end in March 2009.
Currently Awards for All England is a joint Lottery grants programme supported by Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Sport England.
Since 1 April 2009 each of the lottery distributors supporting the scheme will have their own small grants programmes up and running.

The change will mean that each distributor can better address the needs of their applicants and the themes they support. Overall, across all the distributors, it is anticipated that new money available for small grants in 2009-10 will be comparable to money that was available to community groups through Awards for All in 2008-2009.
To ensure this change will be as seamless as possible, the distributors will each run their own small grants programme as follows:
Big Lottery Fund launched a new small grants programme on 1 April 2009, awarding grants of £300 to £10,000 to local communities in 2009-2010.
Sport England has been providing small grants for sports ranging from £300 - £10,000 since 1 April 2009.
Arts Council England will provide small grants through their existing 'Grants for the arts' programme, supporting awards between £1,000 and £100,000.
Heritage Lottery Fund small grants will be provided through the existing 'Your Heritage' (£3,000 to £50,000) and 'Young Roots (£3,000 to £25,000) schemes.

Contact Tel: 0845 600 20 40 Textphone: 0845 755 66 56
Email: general.enquiries@awardsforall.org.uk

NESTA

NESTA offers tailored support to enable individuals, groups and organisations to explore new ideas, develop new products and services, or experiment with new ways of nurturing creativity in science, technology and the arts for commercial and social benefit. NESTA's funding can range from £500 to £85,000 upwards, depending on the funding programme. Some of their funding programmes are open for application all year round, others are open for selected periods only, others use a process of nomination.

NESTA
Fishmongers' Chambers
110 Upper Thames Street
London EC4R 3TW

Enquiry line Tel: 020 7645 9538
Email: nesta@nesta.org.uk
Website: www.nesta.org.uk

Olympic Lottery Distributor

The Olympic Lottery Distributor is an independent body set up by Parliament and uses money raised by the National Lottery to fund the delivery of the infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and their legacy. They provide funding to some of the bodies tasked with ensuring the successful delivery of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

They will have £1,835m available to give us during their lifetime and these funds will help to ensure the successful delivery of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley.

Olympic Lottery Distributor
1 Plough Place
London
EC4A 1DE

Tel: 020 7880 2012
Email: info@olympiclottery2012.org.uk
Website: www.olympiclotterydistributor.org.uk

Millennium Commission

The Millennium Commision was wound up 30 November 2006.
As the Millennium Commission's role as a funder was coming to an end, in 2002 the Millennium Commission granted an endowment of £100 million to the Millennium Awards Trust, the income from this is used to fund UnLtd.

UnLtd

UnLtd supports social entrepreneurs and other people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. They do this by providing a complete package of funding and support to help individuals make their ideas a reality.

UnLtd
123 Whitecross Street
London EC1Y 8JJ

Tel: 0207 566 1100
Fax: 0207 566 1101
Email: info@unltd.org.uk
Website: www.unltd.org.uk

Regional Offices are listed on their website.

Other national funders are, again, the Learning and Skills Council, as well as the Department for Communities and Local Government.

3.4.2 Funding > National Funding > Learning and Skills Council

The LSC is a non-departmental public body which began work in 2001, taking over the roles of the former Further Education Funding Council and Training and Enterprise Councils. They are responsible for planning and funding high quality education and training for everyone in England other than those in universities. Their national office is based in Coventry and nine regional offices are overseeing the work of local partnership teams throughout the county. Their vision is that by 2010, young people and adults in England have knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce.

In the UK, the LSC is distributing resources of the European Social Fund (ESF) and has secured £850 million of the ESF for learning provision in the first half of the programme between 2008 and 2010.

Contrary to other funders the LSC does not accept funding applications from organisations they have not explicitly invited to apply. In general, the LSC commissions services and uses providers with enough capacity to deliver the services they require. It is therefore difficult for small and medium-sized voluntary and community groups to access their funding. One way to gain access is to be sub-contracted by bigger providers to deliver a particular part of the services commissioned. Bigger organisations often rely on smaller groups to reach the users most out-of-reach and hard to access. However, it is difficult for very small organisations to gain access.

In 2004,the LSC set out a strategy (the Working Together strategy) that it intended to adopt with its partners in the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). The strategy has an implementation plan. This is available from their Website: Working Together

For more information look at their Website: www.lsc.gov.uk/

LSC London Region
Centre Point
103 New Oxford Street
London
WC1A 1DR

Tel: 0845 019 4144

3.4.3 Funding > National Funding > Department for Communities & Local Government

The Department for Communities and Local Government sets policy on local government, housing, urban regeneration, planning and fire and rescue. They have responsibility for all race equality and community cohesion related issues in England and for building regulations, fire safety and some housing issues in England and Wales. The rest of their work applies only to England. Their funding is allocated via the Communities and Neighbourhoods Department.

They are working to help people and local organisations create strong, attractive and economically thriving communities and neighbourhoods.

Their aim is to ensure that they are given all the support they need to make the best of their communities and overcome their own difficulties. These are problems like community conflict, extremism, deprivation and disadvantage. They want to make sure communities are equipped to respond to challenging economic, social and cultural trends.

They have a number of initiatives to help us achieve this:

• Neighbourhood Renewal which aims to improve the quality of life of people in the most deprived areas to ensure that no-one is disadvantaged by where they live
• Creating Cleaner, Safer and Greener communities by improving the way we plan, design, manage and maintain our public open spaces and buildings
• Community Empowerment which is about giving people and communities more of a say on the services they receive and where they live

There is more information about initiatives to create strong communities and neighbourhoods on the communities and neighbourhoods policy site.

The Empowerment Fund

One example of funding from Communities and Local Government is the The Empowerment Fund. Communities and Local Government is looking to invest £7.5m in a limited number of key third sector organisations over the next three years.

It is designed to support organisations operating across the country assist local communities to take forward the proposals in the White Paper. It will provide strategic, stable and sectoral funding for the third sector. It is providing support to organisations, not to projects, over three years. The fund is limited to organisations with charitable, philanthropic or benevolent purposes

The Empowerment fund will help national organisations' outreach on the ground. This fund is set to help these organisations put key proposals into practical actions. The sector has been involved in shaping the proposals through a consultation. We have considered the responses and made a number of changes to reflect those comments received.

The fund is a good deal for the sector - and represents a new way of doing things - because it's not about Government coming to the third sector with a very specific and detailed list of things to do. Provided organisations have reach and influence across the country, and have empowerment at the centre of what they do, we're prepared to entertain bids to support whatever they see as the best way of making a difference under the theme.

The closing date for this fund has now passed. But keep an eye out for further funding opportunities on their webpage: www.communities.gov.uk/communities/

We also encourage you to make an appointment with our Funding Officer here at VAWF who can help you with searching for and identifying any suitable funding opportunities for your organisation: mutmahim@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk or 0208 521 0377.

4.1 Accommodation > VAWF Venue Database

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest maintains a database of venues for hire in Waltham Forest, available  here.

If you have any queries regarding the database, or wish to add or amend an entry in it, please contact us.

VAWF

Upper Ground Floor,

Churchill Business Centre,

6 Church Hill,

Walthamstow,

London E17 3RY

Tel: 0208 521 0377
Fax: 0208 521 1672
info@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

5.1 Involving Volunteers > Useful Volunteer Resources

Below you will find more useful documents for involving, managing and retaining volunteers successfully.

Guides

• 'Get it Right from the Start
  Volunteer policies - the key to diverse volunteer involvement'

- published as part of Volunteers' Week 2002 by the Volunteers' Week Planning Group. The Guide can be downloaded from Volunteering England's website here

• 'Volunteer Recruitment and Retention - a short guide for voluntary organisations'

- produced by the Volunteer Centre Bedford
It can be accessed on the VoluntaryWorks website here

5.2 Involving Volunteers > Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Common Questions

Is there a minimum age for volunteers?

There is no general legal restriction on volunteering by children in not-for-profit organisations. However some local authorities have by-laws restricting the number of hours children can work. The Children and Young Person's Act, which applies to profit-making organisations only limits children aged 14 and over to a maximum of two hours work on Sunday or a school day. These hours must be between 7am and 7pm.

Is there any maximum hours a volunteer on Job Seekers Allowance can volunteer for?

No, there are no maximum hours that someone claiming JSA can volunteer for. However, the individual must be actively seeking work and be available for work. To be available for work, a volunteer must be available to attend a job interview at 48 hour's notice, or start work at a week's notice.

Should Care Costs for Volunteers be Reimbursed?

As with all expenses, there is no legal requirement for you to reimburse someone's care costs. However, if you do not you will be excluding parents with pre-school children and people caring for an adult from volunteering for you. Under all definitions of 'reasonable out-of-pocket expenses', care costs are included. Its okay to reimburse receipted care costs, and this will have no minimum wage implications and no effect on volunteer's benefits.

Can we offer a paid job to one of our existing volunteers?

There is nothing to legally stop an organisation from doing this. However, it may be poor equal opportunities practice to recruit from within, especially if your existing volunteers are not representative of your local community. Volunteers may come to expect they will be guaranteed paid work, as it becomes available. This can affect volunteers' motives for volunteering and lead to people volunteering just to obtain paid work, like an unpaid apprentice. This again runs against equal opportunities, as not everyone is able to volunteer. It is important to have a clear policy on this issue.

Who should we accept as a referee for a volunteer?

Obtaining references does give you, and your clients, added security and can help you identify their strengths and weaknesses, and occasionally alerting you to serious problems. They also help to confirm the volunteer is who they say they are. However, a lot of potential volunteers may not have been employed, or may have been out of employment for some time. To avoid creating barriers you will need to be flexible about who you will accept a reference from. Anyone that a volunteer has had an official relationship with could be suitable as a referee e.g. social workers, probation officers, religious ministers, tutors, etc. Some organisations ask for at least one personal reference.

Can Refugees and Asylum Seekers Volunteer for us?

Since April 2000, asylum seekers (people in the process of applying for refugee status) have been allowed to volunteer. This includes whilst they are appealing against a decision to refuse them asylum, and those whose application has been turned down, but are registered with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for return to their home country when practical. Asylum seekers do receive a document saying that they must not engage in paid or unpaid work but this does not include genuine voluntary work. Home Office guidance states that care should be taken to ensure that activity undertaken by an Asylum Seeker is for a not-for-profit organisation, and does not amount to either employment or job substitution. Asylum Seekers are entitled to receive out of pocket expenses just like other volunteers.

Can people on Incapacity Benefit volunteer?

The rule that individuals in receipt of the benefit could only volunteer for 16 hours a week no longer applies.  If you are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit then you can volunteer as much as you want. People often worry that starting to volunteer will automatically trigger an investigation into their need to claim Incapacity Benefit, this is not true and reassessment because an individual has started to volunteer very rarely happens.

Should we pay our volunteers expenses?

Volunteers are already donating time to their organisations. It would be wrong to expect them to end up out of pocket - effectively donating money - as well. Payment of expenses is important from an equal opportunities point of view. People on benefits or low incomes should not be excluded because they cannot afford the cost of travel or meals out. Not paying expenses will make it harder to recruit.

For further help in managing volunteers contact

• Voluntary Action Waltham Forest - 020 8521 0377 or www.frontlineonline.org.uk/ 
• Volunteering England - 0845 305 6979 or www.volunteering.org.uk

Factsheet produced courtesy of  Volunteering England - www.volunteering.org.uk

5.3 Involving Volunteers > Pro bono Schemes

The Latin phrase "Pro bono" means "for [the] good" and it is used when a member of the legal professional, who would usually be paid money for their work, contributes their labour for free, for the benefit of society. Typically this is done for someone who  - or an organisation that - is not able to pay for the service.

Many professionals contribute to society by doing exactly that by volunteering in voluntary and community organisations.

Below are examples of two Pro Bono schemes: REACH and ProHelp.

5.3.1 Involving Volunteers > Pro bono Schemes > REACH

Reach - matching the skills of experienced people to the needs of voluntary organisations

Reach supports voluntary organisations by helping them secure high-quality business, management, technical and other professional expertise on a voluntary basis. To do this, they recruit skilled career people who are willing to donate their time and find them placements in voluntary sector roles where their skills are urgently needed. It’s a straightforward approach that works.

Reach’s unique service has been bringing organisations and skilled volunteers together for almost 30 years now. A small organisation, they work with a huge range of voluntary groups nationwide and with thousands of skilled volunteers of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life. Last year they placed 1,100 skilled volunteers in 700 organisations across the UK. In any one year over 10,000 groups benefit from the expertise that a Reach volunteer offers.

• Do you have skills to share, time to spare and a desire to make a difference? Find out how to become a Reach volunteer.
• Do you need a skilled volunteer for a role in your organisation? Find out how to register your organisation with Reach.
• Are you a company looking to set up or develop an employee volunteering programme?

Find out how Reach can help you.

5.3.2 Involving Volunteers > Pro bono Schemes > ProHelp

ProHelp is a national network of over 800 professional firms who are committed to making a difference in their local community by providing free advice and professional support.

• National Programme

  ProHelp provides professional firms with an opportunity to support their local community whilst being part of a national movement.

• Regional Programme

  ProHelp operates through 33 local groups in city, urban and rural locations enabling professional firms to support the communities in which they operate.

• Professional Firms

  ProHelp provides professional firms with a simple and effective way of ensuring their pro bono support goes to where it's needed most and links you to like-minded firms.

• Business Benefits

  Being a member of ProHelp can benefit your business and your employees and provides a quality service to help you manage your pro bono programme.

• Community - getting support

  Last year ProHelp supported over 1,600 community groups with £2.5m of free professional advice.  If you are a local voluntary organisation, find out how we can help you.

• News and views from the sector

  Find out what's happening in the professional service sector and ProHelp activities across the UK

5.4 Involving Volunteers > Volunteering Standards

Participants in a local forum bringing together volunteers involving organisations have agreed on the following standards on volunteering:

Gold Standards and Principles for Volunteering Action Consortium Members

Volunteering is defined as the commitment of time and energy for the benefit of society and the community; the environment; or individuals outside one’s immediate family. It is undertaken freely and by choice, without concern for financial gain.

Make a Difference: An outline volunteering strategy for the UK, (Home Office Volunteering Unit, 1995)

 Gold Standard Volunteer – Involving Organisations in Waltham Forest:

•  are committed to ensuring equality of access to high quality volunteer opportunities
•  will treat volunteers with respect and value them as individuals contributing to the aims of the organisation
•  will strive to ensure that volunteering with the organisation is an enjoyable and rewarding experience that fulfils the needs and aspirations of all those involved
•  will provide volunteers with the opportunity to use appropriate existing skills and experience and to acquire and develop appropriate new skills and experience
•  will ensure volunteers are made aware of opportunities to be involved in the development and improvement of the project/service and, where appropriate, other aspects of the organisation and the wider CVS
•  will provide a safe working environment and maintain appropriate insurance cover
•  will provide volunteers with clear, written information about the organisation and their role in it including a task description and a named line managers
• have a written volunteer policy and procedures that include volunteer induction, training, supervision/support and appraisal as appropriate for their role
• will pay volunteers out-of-pocket expenses as detailed in a written policy
• have an exit strategy that aims to help improve the volunteer experience and volunteer retention
• have a volunteer recognition and award programme
• will undertake CRB checks during volunteer recruitment as appropriate to safeguard children and vulnerable adults
• will maintain the confidentiality of individual volunteers
• will gather and share (annonimised) equal opportunity and other monitoring information about volunteers for local monitoring and research and to help improve the range and quality of volunteering opportunities in Waltham Forest

June 08

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Greater London Volunteering has also developed a Charter on Volunteering: See http://www.expertsinvolunteering.org.uk/web/charter_doc

6.1 Participation and Involvement > Local Councillors

The following information is taken from London Borough of Waltham Forest's webpage

What do councillors do?

Councillors have a wide-ranging role and it is up to each individual councillor to choose how they work. However, broadly speaking, councillors have three main areas of responsibility:

• ward representation
• decision-making

• community leadership

Ward representation

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is divided up into 20 areas - known as wards - and each ward elects three councillors.

For many councillors, representing their ward is the most important aspect of their role. This can involve lots of different things but usually means councillors will spend time:

• listening to the views of local people so that they know what problems and issues exist in their ward;
• ensuring that the needs of their ward are taken into account when the Council is making decisions about how it is run, what services it should provide and how it should spend its money;
• working with Council officers to bring about improvements to their ward;
• holding surgeries where local people can drop in with enquiries about the Council;
• getting involved in local campaigns; and
• offering support to local schools, community groups, businesses and other organisations.

Decision-making

All councillors are involved in making decisions about how the Council is run, what services the Council should provide, and how the Council should spend its money.

Full Council is made up of all 60 councillors and is responsible for setting the Council's overall policy and budgetary framework. This includes making decisions about major Council strategies, agreeing the Council's annual budget and approving the level of council tax each year.

Most other decisions are made by either the Cabinet, which consists of ten councillors who are each responsible for a particular area of the Council's work, or by individual Cabinet members. Some decisions are delegated to Council officers.

The Council's Constitution sets out which committees, councillors, and officers can take which types of decision.

Many councillors who are not in the Cabinet are members of an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. These committees have the right to investigate any aspect of Council business and make recommendations about how it should be changed. They can also "call in" decisions made by the Cabinet or by individual Cabinet members and ask that these decisions be reconsidered before they are put into practice.

Some councillors will also sit on the Council's Planning Committee, which makes decisions about which planning applications should be granted, and some councillors will sit on the Licensing Committee, which has responsibility for granting and reviewing licenses to local pubs, bars and other places of entertainment.

For more information about how the the Council makes decisions, please see the page How decisions are made.

Community leadership

The Council is not the only organisation which affects the quality of the local area. Lots of other organisations and agencies play an important role too, from public services such as the NHS and the police to businesses, charities, and voluntary and community groups.

Community leadership is about ensuring that these organisations all work together with the Council to make Waltham Forest a better place for the residents who live and work here.

Since councillors cannot tell these other organisations what to do, the councillor's - and Council's - role as a community leader is centred around building a shared understanding across all these different organisations about which key local issues need addressing.

 
You can search for local councillors through LBWF's website.

6.1.1 Participation and Involvement > Local Councillors > Ethnic Minority Women Councillors' Taskforce

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women are under-represented in the democratic life of this country. 

Only two women MPs come from minority ethnic communities and BAME women account for less than one per cent of England's 20,000 Councillors while they make up more than 5 per cent of the population.

To create a more representative picture the number of BAME women councillors needs to increase more than five-fold - from just 149 to nearer a thousand.

The cross party BAME Women Councillors' Taskforce has been set up to help make local councils more representative of the community. Members are women from a wide range of backgrounds and experience from every region in England and from Scotland and Wales.

Under the leadership of Baroness Uddin of Bethnal Green - the first Bengali woman councillor to be elected to a local council in the UK and the first woman Muslim member of the House of Lords - the Taskforce will explore and develop practical ways to encourage BAME women to become councillors and champions of their communities.   It is working closely with a number of partners including the political parties to deliver success. 

The Taskforce was officially launched on 19 May 2008 and is is holding a series of events around the country to attract and engage women.

Contact them at womencouncillorstaskforce@geo.gsi.gov.uk

6.2 Participation and Involvement > Community Councils

Waltham Forest’s six Community Councils meet four times a year to discuss local issues.

Your Community Council gives you the opportunity to meet your ward councillors, Council representatives and Safer Neighbourhood teams in an informal setting to talk about matters affecting the local area.

Each Community Council also has an annual fund to allocate to local projects, and residents are invited to suggest how to spend the funds.

Please refer to the individual Community Council's pages for more information: www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/council/community-councils/community-councils-contact-us.htm.

6.3 Participation and Involvement > Waltham Forest VCS Networks

The voluntary and community sector in Waltham Forest has access to involvement and local decision-making via the borough's Local Strategic Partnership (LSP).

The LSP consists of six different thematic groups:

1.     Children and Young People Trust Board

2.     Healthier Communities

3.     SafetyNet

4.     Employment and Enterprise

5.     Sustainability and the Environment

6.     Housing

What is the Partnership?

Founded in 2001, Waltham Forest Together is the Local Strategic Partnership for the Borough of Waltham Forest.

The LSP brings together the public, private, voluntary and community sectors in Waltham Forest for the purpose of working together in order to improve the quality of life for the people of the Borough through the provision of better services.

The improvements sought include better educational achievement, more skills, more and better employment, less crime, better health, business growth, an improved local economy and a better environment. The agencies responsible for those services are part of the LSP.

VCS Representation and Involvement

To date, three of the six thematic groups of the LSP have an equivalent voluntary and community sector network that mirrors and represents the voluntary and community sector (VCS) on the LSP. Most of these VCS networks currently combine the main delivery agencies of the thematic area they work in. For example, the main five VCS delivery agencies for environment-related services in the borough form the Environment Network. Those are the Forest Recycling Project, Hornbeam Environmental Centre, the HEET Project, Organic Lea.

The following VCS networks are established so far:

• 1. Children and Young People Network (CHYPPS) * 
• 2. Health and Social Care (mirroring the Healthier Communities LSP thematic group)
• 3. Environment Network (mirroring the Sustainability and the Environment LSP thematic group)

The three outstanding networks for Community Safety (SafetyNet), Employment and Enterprise, and Housing will be developed in the future.

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest (VAWF) currently services the three networks. Also, all the representatives of the three VCS Networks come together to meet and discuss issues and to cascade the information back into their own groups and communities.

If you would like to find out more and how to get involved in the networks please contact

Barbara Bishop

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest

Upper Ground Floor,

Churchill Business Centre,

6 Church Hill,

Walthamstow,

London E17 3RY

Tel: 0208 521 0377
Fax: 0208 521 1672
info@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

* CHYPPS is the main voice for children services providers in the voluntary, community and private sector working in Waltham Forest. 

·        A powerful voice shouting about the excellent work of the sector in Waltham Forest.

·        Provides an arena for discussion within the sector

·        Encouraging partnership working

·        Acknowledged by LBWF as primary point of contact for third sector engagement.

·        Representation on strategic boards affecting our children and young people

·        Quarterly Forums on a range of important and emerging issues.

·        Capacity building and training support for organisations in partnership with Voluntary Action Waltham Forest.

Children’s services providers within the VCS in Waltham Forest need to speak with one voice joining the network is your opportunity to do so.

Other Networks in the borough

Apart from the VCS Networks linked to the LSP, there are other networks in the borough:

•  Waltham Forest Local Involvement Network (LINk)

LINks are a new government initiative designed to encourage local voluntary groups and individuals to have their say and become involved in the delivery of local health and social care services.

If you would like to find out more about the Waltham Forest LINk and are interested in becoming actively involved, we would like to hear from you.

Please contact:

Adessa M'baye, LINk Co-ordinator (Interim) email: LINk@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk  or the LINk Communications and Outreach Officer, Louise Mitchell louise@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk  or Sangita Zeline, Administrator sangita@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk T: 020 8521 0377 or email: infoLINk@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

• Waltham Forest Congolese Network

Is a Network of organisations that support the Congolese community in Waltham Forest. These organisations cover help and support in the fields of HIV/Aids, excluded children, family welfare and community development, and much more besides.

Contact:

Kwenga Zaya (Chair), Waltham Forest Congolese Associations Network

C/O Voluntary Action Waltham Forest, Upper Ground Floor,

Churchill Business Centre, 6 Church Hill, Walthamstow, London E17 3RY

Tel: 07950 131 557
Email address: congolesenetwork@hotmail.co.uk

• BME Health Forum

Provides many organizations and local residents with an opportunity to access key information, network and find out how to become actively involved in shaping policy and service provision to better meet the health needs of BME communities. Establishing and maintaining communication and relationship with key policy and decision makers such as the Primary Care Trust.  The Forum works with groups to focus on health issues that are central to BME communities.  It provides opportunities for community engagement and consultation opportunities.

To find out more please contact Arnold Zulu on 0208 988 9766.

• Advice Providers Forum

The Advice Providers forum is a network of Advice givers from both third and statutory sectors and representatives from Benefits Centres, JCP and Housing Benefits. They are usually themed around a relevant and current issue for recipients of benefits. Through discussion the issues are addressed by the representatives from benefits agencies - or they agree to find out an answer and feed back through VAWF who facilitate this Forum. When there is a lot of discussion about the same issue - eg Crisis Loans - then the benefits agencies arrange for a specialist to attend the following meeting. The Forum takes place quarterly.

For further information about joining please contact Barbara Bishop on barbara@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

or 020 8521 0377 

• Voluntary Sector Forum

This Forum is in the Council Calendar and meets quarterly. It is chaired by the appropriate Cabinet Member for 6 months and for 6 months by a third sector representative - currently Sarah Humphreys from East London Out Project. It is themed around various topical subjects. The agenda is set by Council Officers and Voluntary Action Waltham Forest. For further details please contact Barbara Bishop barbara@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk or 0208 521 0377

6.4 Participation and Involvement > ChangeUp

The ChangeUp framework was published in 2004 by the then Home Office Active Community Unit. It sets out a ten year vision (to 2014) for how the support and development needs of frontline third sector organisations can be better met through the provision of high quality, accessible and sustainable support services.

What is it?

The Change Up programme seeks to enable the development of a ten year investment plan to develop the voluntary and community sectors' infrastructure for the benefit of front line organisations.
Change Up has operated in every part of the country to facilitate an analysis of the needs that front line organisations have if they are to deliver effective services, which can include services which are traditionally the realm of central or local governments.

Who is leading ChangeUp in each borough?

Generally, Council's for Voluntary Service are leading on the development of Change Up plans and have set up cross-sectoral steering groups generally know as 'Change Up Consortia' (Change Up Core Group in Waltham Forest).

 
Where are we now?

There are a lot of changes affecting voluntary and community groups (more emphasis on commissioning, social enterprise, smaller groups working in consortia, transfer of assets, area agreements, community cohesion etc).
Local infrastructure or umbrella organisations and other agencies providing support to the sector have recently reviewed the work and priorities - to make sure that they are providing the right support so that local voluntary groups are equipped to deal with this new range of challenges and opportunities.

The Compact Monitoring Group has become part of the Change Up Consortium - this is also now an integral part of the current LBWF review of the third sector 'A Thriving Third Sector for Waltham Forest'

How can I get involved?

If you are a frontline group and want to let us know what your support needs are from umbrella organisations, please write to us:

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest

Upper Ground Floor,

Churchill Business Centre,

6 Church Hill,

Walthamstow,

London E17 3RY

Tel: 0208 521 0377
Fax: 0208 521 1672
info@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

Background to the ChangeUp

Focus of the original framework

• The development of local and regional partnerships to develop long-term plans for more effective and sustainable support services (what became known as local and regional 'Consortia')
• Supporting the development of six national hubs to lead work in the six key areas of organisational need identified in the framework (governance, volunteering, information and communications technology, finance, performance improvement and workforce development)
• A smaller programme supporting sector involvement in public service priorities.

 
Analysing the needs of frontline organisations

The framework presented an analysis of the needs of frontline organisations. It outlined changes to the way support services were planned, organised and funded, with an emphasis on more effective collaboration amongst providers.

Initial ChangeUp funding

The framework was initially underpinned by an £80m investment programme to March 2006.

Next steps for ChangeUp

Early learning from the implementation of the programme led to a review of leadership and fund management.

Managing exisiting funding commitments

Capacitybuilders are the funders - they inherited a range of funding commitments from both the Home Office and Government Offices in the regions, which had managed local and regional funding arrangements formerly.

Shaping the long terms direction of ChangeUp

Whilst honoring these commitments, the Capacitybuilders board has continually sought to review achievements, progress and challenges, and set out a longer term direction for the ChangeUp programme.

Destination 2014 and the Third Sector Review

Following significant consultation across the wider third sector between 2006-07, Capacitybuilders published Destination 2014 in July 2007. This strategic framework sets out Capacitybuilders strategy for the delivery of ChangeUp.

Continued Government support for ChangeUp investment

The Third Sector Review in July 2007 reaffirmed government support for continued ChangeUp investment through Capacitybuilders, with £88.5m allocated in the Comprehensive Spending Review for the three year period 2008-11.

It also highlighted a commitment to ensure ChangeUp funds support social enterprise and benefit small community groups.

7.1 Computers and Technology > Access to equipment

There are different ways to access IT equipment for voluntary and community groups, depending on the size, services offered and IT requirements of the group.

If you are a very small group you may find it sufficient to use a computer with internet access in your local library or in an internet cafe. In this case, be aware of confidentiality issues in case you are dealing with sensitive data such as client records. Ideally, you should not use public places for dealing with client records.

For anybody setting up an organisation or already running one, it is essential to have a contact telephone number and an email address to stay in touch with clients, funders, referral agencies, and all other institutions and organisations you have to network and work with. Try to set up a basic

webpage as soon as possible to be visible to the community (see key fact below) and to allow people to get to know your organisation. It is very disappointing trying to find out about an organisation somebody has recommended and not being able to search them online to get in touch with them.

VAWF is offering local voluntart and community organisations the opportunity to have their own mini-website as part of our website. If you would like more information, please get in touch with Cris st VAWF.

Free email addresses are available from a number of websites on the internet, the major ones are:Hotmail (Microsoft),Yahoo Mail and Google Mail, but you can shop around.  Read this article, reccomending the top 17 free email suppliers.

The following pages will give you information on how to access equipment if you do not have your own office yet.

7.1.1 Computers and Technology > Access to equipment > Libraries

Computer Hire

Use of computers is free in all Waltham Forest Libraries

Services offered:

• Free Internet access at all our libraries opening a gateway to the world of online information at even the smallest branches.
• Computer hire is available at all libraries giving you access to Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint.
• Libraries operate a booking system and computers may be booked by the hour. Contact your local library for available time slots.
• Flexible Learning Centre is a computer training centre offering training in all aspects of information technology. The centre offers a range of examination courses including European Computer Driving License (ECDL) and Windows. There is also a range of free courses offering training from beginners to advanced level.
• Online Resources access to a wide range of online resources for both information and education. Titles include Know UK, Newsbank - full text of 12 daily newspapers and Encyclopeadia Britannica.

For further information contact:

Waltham Forest Libraries
Silver Birch House
Uplands Business Park
Blackhorse Lane
Walthamstow  E17 5SD

Tel 020 8496 3253
Fax 020 8496 3508
Email wf.libs@walthamforest.gov.uk

7.2 Computers and Technology > Your Website

The world wide web has created a whole new way of communicating, reaching out to people around the globe as well as around the corner.The web is an incredibly rich source of information, a powerful tool for sharing knowledge.

Email and the Internet support day-to-day communication activities and many organisations also have their own website.These range from simple directory entries giving contact details to sophisticated sites which drive high-profile fundraising campaigns.

However, large numbers of websites have also fallen into disuse, after promising features that were 'coming soon' in 1999 or offering news pages with one item that is three years old.

Whatever your intention in creating a website you need to be realistic about how you will manage it: they don't manage themselves and can quickly become out of date.

The costs and potential benefits of having a website must be weighed up as carefully as anything else that uses your resources.There are plenty of ways to get a website, and lots of things it can do once it's there, but you must manage the process carefully and be clear about the ongoing commitment required.

Types of website

There are four types of website

• Basic promotional sites
  This is who we are, this is what we do, this is how to get in touch
• Directories and online information resources
  Specialist information, stored in a directory so you can read it online, or available to download as fact sheets
• e-commerce and fundraising sites
  Buy something from us or donate money because you support our cause
• Networks, forums and other collaborative spaces
  Join in with what we do and feel part of our community - share in discussions on our email lists, read our bulletin board, post your opinions about what we do or comment on my blog.

As with any ICT, getting the right website depends on laying the groundwork: decide what you want your website to do before getting into too much detail about how it's going to do it. Be clear about the potential benefits, and don't ignore the total cost of ownership.

7.2.1 Computers and Technology > Your Website > Ten things a website can do for you

You can use a website to:

• publicise services and campaigns, tell people what services you provide, why you do it, who they're for and how to access them;
• provide information to support activists and mobilise support, such as online petitions;
• share information with your community and other networks any time of day. Information can be updated every month, every week or every ten minutes;
• publish up-to-date information and save on print and postage bills;
• improve services, because it is easier for people to make bookings, ask questions or submit payments;
• create interactive features such as bulletin boards and email forums that enable people to connect with each other, and encourage feedback about your services;
• enable people with special needs to access information online, ask questions and join in discussions via email and bulletin boards. Visually and hearing impaired people may join in online discussions more easily than in other forums;
• make new contacts, connect into new networks; become better known in your field;
• create and support local, national or global networks of people with common interests or needs;
• raise your profile and reach new audiences.

For more information on how to write a webpage brief and how to build your webpage please go to the ICT Hub webpage.

7.2.2 Computers and Technology > Your Website > Working with a web designer

Whether paid for or not, a web designer will be responsible for:

• listening to what you say you need;
• advising on the best solution from a range of choices;
• preparing a site map of page structure and functions;
• creating the site using agreed templates, logos, colours and typefaces;
• adding any content that you supply, such as words and pictures;
• keeping the work within budget and on time, and delivering what has been agreed;
• providing regular progress reports;
• making it accessible to all web users;
• making it search engine-friendly;
• managing ongoing hosting arrangements.

As their client you are responsible for:

• being clear what the site is for and how it will meet your needs;
• setting a budget and timescale and monitoring these;
• listening to advice and acting on it, i.e. not necessarily agreeing with it, but not just ignoring it;
• getting the right people involved from your team;
• identifying design and related elements that must be incorporated;
• producing content such as words and pictures;
• checking progress and feeding back when asked;
• keeping the site up to date when it has been launched;
• asking for any help you need after the site is launched.

7.2.3 Computers and Technology > Your Website > VAWF Mini-websites

As of July 2010, VAWF will be offering Waltham Froest based voluntary and community groups the opportunity to have a minit website as part of our new website www.voluntaryaction.net.

The website will have lots of exciting and useful tools that will allow you to manage contacts lists, list events and news, and lots more.

If you would like to take up this offer, please contact the Better Connected, Moving Up project at VAWF.

7.3 Computers and Technology > Equipment

The following information is taken from the ICT Hub's webpage which is now part of the NCVO.

Funding ICT

Voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) often find it difficult to fund their ICT project.  Two of the reasons for this are:

• When applying for funding, VCOs often focus on the technology rather than the benefits it will bring to the organisation and service users
• When assessing funding applications, funders do not always realise that investing in effective ICT will free up resources allowing better delivery of front line services

ICT should help organisations to "do things better" and "do better things". 

Poor ICT due to lack of, or insufficient, funding can undermine the effectiveness of the delivery of the projects being funded.  ICT done well is the key to maximising return on investment and making more of a difference with the funding.

The ICT Hub has been working with both VCOs and funders to try and address these issues, producing a range of useful resources along the way.

Funding for voluntary and community organisations

When seeking funding for your ICT project, you need to be able to articulate how the technology is going to benefit your service users.  Focussing on the outcomes rather than the technology itself will help you to write your funding application.

The How to Cost and Fund ICT guide contains exercises and worksheets to help you and your colleagues develop your ICT plan into a funding application.

The cost of your ICT project is more than just the technology itself. Budgeting for total cost of ownership is vital and will contribute to the overall success or failure of your project.  Total cost of ownership is a way of accounting for all the costs likely to be associated with your project, which could include:

• initial capital costs
• installation costs
• software and upgrades
• training
• ongoing support and maintenance
• consumables such as printer cartridges and paper

Download the sources of funders research to identify funders who have funded ICT projects.

To help you make the most of your money, there are a number of discounted deals available for voluntary and community organisations covering both ICT software and hardware.

If you need further help in putting together your funding application or understanding all of the costs associated with ICT then go to the further resources section.

For more general support and guidance on funding visit the NCVO website.

Discounted deals

Are you struggling to pay for the costs of your ICT?

There are a number of organisations that provide discounted deals for the voluntary and community sector.  They could help you save anything up to 80% on software and hardware.

NCVO has negotiated a range of discounts and preferential arrangements on a wide range of key products and services.  They use the bulk purchasing power of their members and their relationship with the business sector to drive down the costs of products and services and ensure that these are high quality and tailored to the needs of voluntary and community organisations.

Visit NCVO's IT discount services directory to find out how you can save money.

7.4 Computers and Technology > Software

The following information is taken from the ICT Hub's webpage (now part of the NCVO).  

Choosing software

Budgeting and buying ICT

Most of us use a small range of software to carry out the day-to-day administrative tasks required to run a typical VCO.The Microsoft Windows operating system dominates the market, as does the Microsoft Office suite of tools, and the familiarity and relatively low price presents a compelling case for its integrated bundles.

There are other choices, however, including Open Office, and there are good reasons for not just sticking with what seems to be the safest choice. There is also a wide range of specialist software not produced by Microsoft, used for tasks such as keeping accounts, desktop publishing or web design.

What software do you need?

There is a standard range of software that we expect to find on a computer, reflecting the common tasks we undertake:

• word processing - producing letters and reports, simple posters, flyers and other printed materials;
• spreadsheets - managing finances and project budgets; storing and analysing monitoring information and statistics;
• email - sending and receiving emails;
• contacts - storing and retrieving addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and so on; managing mailing lists and producing labels;
• web browser - searching the Internet and viewing web pages;
• diary - calendars, reminders and planning;

Some people carry out specialist tasks and require other programs:

• desktop publishing - producing more advanced flyers, posters, newsletters;
• graphics programs - working with images;
• managing your accounts;
• designing and updating your website;
• preparing presentations;
• managing information using a database, such as client record systems, bookings, information for monitoring and reporting activity for funders, etc;
• preparing detailed budgets and schedules to manage projects or teams of people.

 
How to choose software 

• Decide what you want to be able to do.
• List the key features you think you need and the budget.
• Ask other people what they use, or look online for suggestions.
• Compile a list of options and their specific features.
• Evaluate the answers against your list of key features.
• Select a package and try to test it before paying for it.

It is estimated that 80% of users need only 20% of the features offered by most programs, although not all of them need the same 20%.

Deciding what you want is often a question of budget and preference - a bit like deciding which car you want. All of them can get you from A to B, but some have features you prefer or find easier to use.

When thinking about which software to use, ask to see a demo, or download one from a website. Talk to colleagues and others about what they use and consider enrolling on a training course before plumping for something which is likely to be your main working tool for the next few years, especially if it requires specialist skills, as in the case of accounting software.

Microsoft provides many of the standard packages, but there numerous other options, with a very wide range of prices:

• Hotmail,Thunderbird and Eudora are email programs.
• Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, Gimp and Illustrator are for working with graphics.
• Quickbooks and Sage are the most popular accounting packages in small and medium-sized organisations. Microsoft now offers Office Accounting, with a free version called Office Accounting Express.
• Quark and InDesign are the professionals' choice for desktop publishing.
• Firefox and Opera are web browsers, Apple Mac users get Safari with their computers.
• Apple Mac users will be familiar with iTunes, iPhoto and iMovie, for managing music, photos and digital film editing.

Standardise your software

An easy way to reduce running costs of ICT is to standardise your software across your organisation. Having four versions of Windows in your office, or a mixture of email packages, will increase the time taken to solve a problem as well as making incompatibilities more likely.

It may be more helpful to stretch this to a 'no more than two' rule, which means you can have a Windows machine and a Mac in your network, as long as you don't have multiple versions of each (Mac OSX.1, Mac OSX.4, Windows XP, Widnwos 7 etc). Or you may have Microsoft Office, kept up to date, as your first choice for your workers, but allow the use of OpenOffice for public access machines.

7.4.1 Computers and Technology > Software > Microsoft

The average user in the average voluntary and community organisation is very likely to be using Microsoft software on their computer, including the operating system (such as Windows XP or Windows 7) and a version of Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office comes in several versions, can run on both Windows and Apple Macintosh computers and is available at a discount to not-for-profit organisations. Many of the Microsoft products that make up Office have become synonymous with the tasks they support:

• Microsoft Word - word processing and design of simple print materials
• Microsoft Excel - a spreadsheet program
• Microsoft Outlook - for email, calendars, reminders and storing contacts (known as Entourage onApple Mac)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer - for browsing web pages
• Microsoft Access - a database program (not available for Apple Mac)
• Microsoft PowerPoint - for making presentations
• Microsoft Project - for managing projects
• Microsoft Publisher - for desktop publishing and entry-level web design (not available for Apple Mac)

7.4.2 Computers and Technology > Software > Open Office

OpenOffice   

Although Microsoft products have become the standard for most computer users, their dominance is now being challenged by Open Office.This is a software package which is available free of charge from www.openoffice.org/ and provides a similar range of options. Although it has some limitations it will work well for most day-to-day users of word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and much more, and is well worth a try before paying for Microsoft Office.

7.4.3 Computers and Technology > Software > Software upgrades

Software doesn't stand still.Although the original software may be perfectly reliable you may need to upgrade to access new features or improve your productivity. For example, most accounts packages, such as Sage or Quickbooks, require regular updates to allow for changes such as new tax codes.

The latest version of Microsoft Office provides a new project tool to track related documents, spreadsheets, email activity and contacts being used by different people in your team. A move from Windows XP to Vista or Windows 7 can offer new features for your whole system.

Upgrading a piece of software may cost as much as it did to buy it in the first place - some software companies see you as a new customer, buying a new product. Most will offer a low-cost upgrade for a limited time, or only between consecutive upgrades - so you can't jump from, say, version 2 to version 4 without paying the full rate.

Remember that you may also need to upgrade your hardware to be able to work with your new software, either because it runs too slowly or because it won't run at all. This is very common with operating systems, which often evolve to match the capabilities of each new generation of computer chips.

The need for continual upgrades is seen by some as an unnecessary expense, driven by the computer companies and their need for regular doses of your money. Some will also point to the attraction of using Open Source software, which is unlikely to require payment for upgrades. Seek advice as widely as you can before setting off with any new choice of software and make sure your budgets reflect any additional costs.

7.4.4 Computers and Technology > Software > Software discounts for charities

Registered charities will rarely pay full price for software, but instead should make use of the substantial discounts that are available on products for charities and educational organisations. National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NVCO) has negotiated a range of deals, and there are several commercial companies that specialise in supplying software at discounted rates for not-for-profit organisations.

Software donated to charities

Since July 2006, Charity Technology Trust (CTT) has managed a programme called Charity Technology Exchange in the UK on behalf of Microsoft and other organisations, as part of a wider global initiative to increase charity software donations internationally. CTT worked in partnership with TechSoup, a US-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), to develop the scheme; it is one of a number of international NGOs working with Microsoft to expand their donations programme.

This is not a 'discount scheme' but a donations programme, so is available only to registered charities. CTT charges a small handling fee, equivalent to around 4 per cent of list price, in order to cover the costs of resourcing the programme. Since it was launched in July 2006, over 1,500 organisations have applied to take part.

Weblink

More details about discounted or free software for charities can be found in the discounted deals section of the ICT Hub website.

7.5 Computers and Technology > IT Support

The following information is taken from the ICT Hub webpage, now part of the NCVO.

Supporting your ICT

Keep things running smoothly

Good-quality ICT support is trustworthy, appropriate to your needs, available when you need it at a price you can afford - but where do you find it and how do you know whether it's any good?

• Who can you turn to for help when you need it?
• Who knows what software you're using and can suggest how to fix it?
• Who understands error messages and what to do about them?
• Who knows whether your computers will cope with new demands, such as having a database installed?
• Who do you ask for a price when you need something new?
• Who do you check with to make sure you're not being ripped off?

In many cases the answer may lie in a combination of arrangements, reflecting your needs and the resources available to you. Options will include:

• fingers crossed
• volunteer support
• 'accidental techies'
• circuit riders/ICT development workers
• ICT support contract
• in-house staff
• consultants

Each option is explained in this section.

Be clear about your needs

Getting the right support means thinking about your needs before crisis strikes.You need to budget for paying for the help you need, or recruit volunteers to cover regular tasks before things go wrong. You will need to think about:

• short-term, immediate needs
  • someone to help when problems happen
  • day-to-day troubleshooting, quick fixes, short cuts, reminders about how to do something, contact with external suppliers or volunteers.
• medium-term, routine needs
  • someone to keep your ICT ticking over
  • advice and help with routine tasks, such as back-up, security, software updates, routine maintenance, anti-virus and antispam solutions, passwords, user accounts, file management, updating inventory and software licences, dealing with insurance issues, recording problems as they arise and maintaining a troubleshooting guide.
• Long-term, strategic needs
  • someone to look at your needs over time
  • ICT planning, budgeting, mentoring, project management, data protection requirements, being aware of relevant trends and new ideas
  • someone to lead projects: defining requirements, finding, choosing and managing suppliers on projects such as software and hardware purchase, website design, database development, training, and network installation.
• What is their hourly rate for any work outside the scope of this project?

Fingers crossed

You've just spent £3,000 setting up three workstations and a network. You have broadband and a shared colour printer, a file-sharing server and nice new flat screens, the network is up and running and everyone has a legal copy of the software they need. You brought the installation in on time and just a few quid over budget.

But what happens when something goes wrong?

Any new equipment will have a warranty or guarantee that covers things if they go wrong. If a monitor is flickering, call the people who sold it you. If the printer won't print, you can get the person who sold it to you to come in and make sure it does work or they should replace it. When the Internet isn't working, call the people who sold it to you to see if it's a fault at their end.

The liability of the person who sold you the equipment will cover the fact that it should work properly when they install it. They will refer to manufacturers' warranties and send things back if they break within the warranty period, but they may not do much else.

If you contracted them to set up the system they may have no responsibility for what happens when you start using it. It depends on what you've agreed.

They are likely to charge for sorting things out if you don't keep the anti-virus software up to date and a virus infects everything. They can set up a back-up system for you but they probably aren't liable if you don't use it regularly, and they may well charge to come in and put things right if you ever need to retrieve any data.

So you can leave it all to luck. Computer systems do sometimes run smoothly with almost no help or maintenance, and problems can be solved by keeping your warranties and making sure your suppliers do their job when things go wrong. Staff will learn how to deal with niggles and problems when they happen and you'll save money. But is it worth the risk? And is it the best way to get value from the investment you've made?

For more information please go to the links below:

7.5.1 Computers and Technology > IT Support > Be clear about your needs

Getting the right support means thinking about your needs before crisis strikes.You need to budget for paying for the help you need, or recruit volunteers to cover regular tasks before things go wrong. You will need to think about:

• short-term, immediate needs
  • someone to help when problems happen
  • day-to-day troubleshooting, quick fixes, short cuts, reminders about how to do something, contact with external suppliers or volunteers.
• medium-term, routine needs
  • someone to keep your ICT ticking over
  • advice and help with routine tasks, such as back-up, security, software updates, routine maintenance, anti-virus and antispam solutions, passwords, user accounts, file management, updating inventory and software licences, dealing with insurance issues, recording problems as they arise and maintaining a troubleshooting guide.
• Long-term, strategic needs
  • someone to look at your needs over time
  • ICT planning, budgeting, mentoring, project management, data protection requirements, being aware of relevant trends and new ideas
  • someone to lead projects: defining requirements, finding, choosing and managing suppliers on projects such as software and hardware purchase, website design, database development, training, and network installation.
• What is their hourly rate for any work outside the scope of this project?

8.1 Training and Workforce Development > Training Areas and Training Providers

Below you will find a list of different areas of training and workforce development and which providers offer the particular opportunities. Please Note the list is not exhaustive.

Setting Up an Organisation

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• FRP (Forest Recycling Project) (Setting up a Recycling Project)

Legal Structures

• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• SEL (Social Enterprise London)
• WRC (Women's Resource Centre) (Social Entreprise for Women's Organisations)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)

Policies and Procedures

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council): Equality and diversity
• Community Matters
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)

 
Strategic Planning / Business Planning

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Evelyn Oldfield Unit
• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• Community Matters
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)

Project Planning and Management

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Cash Online
• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• Community Matters
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)

Budgeting and Financial Management

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Cash Online
• Waltham Forest College
• CAF (Charities Aid Foundation)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• CONEL (College of North East London)
• Interlink
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
• The Foundation for Social Improvement

Funding/Fundraising

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• LVSTC (London Voluntary Sector Training Consortium), especially their 'Skills for Economic Inclusion Network' (SKEIN)
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Evelyn Oldfield Unit
• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• CAF (Charities Aid Foundation)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• WRC (Women's Resource Centre)
• Community Matters
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
• The Foundation for Social Improvement

Governance, Leadership and Management

• NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations):
• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Waltham Forest College
• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• SEL (Social Enterprise London)
• Community Matters 
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• Community Leaders Development Programme run by London Voluntary Service Council in partnership with the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Race on the Agenda, MODA and Charitytraining.com
• The Foundation for Social Improvement

Quality Systems

• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• Pre-School Learning Alliance
• Charities Evaluation Service

Monitoring and Evaluation

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• WRC (Women's Resource Centre)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)

 
Human Resources/Management and Supervision

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Volunteering England (of Volunteer Centre Managers)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• Community Matters
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)

Volunteer Management

• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Volunteering England
• Community Matters
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• FRP (Forest Recycling Project) (relating to recycling)
• VCWF (Volunteer Centre Waltham Forest)

Premises Management/Community Buildings

• Community Matters
• Ethical Property Foundation
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council):
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• LASA (London Advice Services Alliance)
• Waltham Forest College
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• A4E (Action for Employment)
• Asian Centre
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• CONEL (College of North East London)
• DeltaClub
• Interlink
• iTech
• Leyton Cyber Link
• MTC Training
• O-Regen
• Sacoma
• Seetec (18-24 yrs)
• GHARWEG Advice, Training & Careers Centre
• Account3
• Ability Net is a national charity helping disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their technology.
• The Foundation for Social Improvement

Campaigning and Lobbying

• NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations):
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
• The Foundation for Social Improvement

Participation and Involvement 

• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Evelyn Oldfield Unit
• MODA (Migrant Organisations' Development Agency)
• Refugee Council
• WRC (Women's Resource Centre)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)

Communication Skills

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council):
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• SEL (Social Enterprise London)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)

Partnership Working

• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)

 
Equality and diversity

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• ELOP (East London Out Project)
• Race on the Agenda (ROTA)
• Disability Law Service

Marketing

• Cash Online
• SSE (School for Social Entrepreneurs) (one year programme with different methods and sessions)
• Community Matters
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• Sacoma
• The Foundation for Social Improvement

Community Profiles

• Community Matters

Personal Effectiveness

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• DSC (Directory of Social Change)
• Waltham Forest College
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• A4E (Action for Employment)
• Asian Centre 
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• DeltaClub
• iTech
• Leyton Cyber Link
• O-Regen
• Seetec (18-24 yrs)
• Together

(There is a range of courses covering a wide array of: Office Skills and Administration; Catering; Assertiveness Skills; Time Management; Chairing Meetings; Employability Skills; Customer Care; Networking Skills; Negotiation Skills; etc.)

 
Community Interpreting

• Refugees in Effective and Active Partnership (REAP)

Media

• The Foundation for Social Improvement

 
Development Worker Support

• Skills and Knowledge for Local Development (Skild) as part of NAVCA

Service Delivery - different areas 

Advice and Guidance

• ACE (Advisory Centre for Education)
• Advice UK
• PRAXIS
• Account3

 
Domestic Violence

• Ashiana
• Greater London Domestic Violence Project (GLDVP)

Working with Refugees and Asylum Seekers

• Refugee Council
• Evelyn Oldfield Unit
• The Centre for Cross Cultural Studies
• Islington Refugee Forum
• GHARWEG Advice, Training & Careers Centre
• Refugees in Effective and Active Partnership (REAP)
• Asylum Aid
• Refugee Women's Association (RWA) 

Working with Children and Young People

• Barnados Hamara Family Project
• Carefree Kids
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• Waltham Forest Extended Schools
• Leyton Orient Communities Sport
• Lloyds Park Centre
• Local Safeguarding Children Board
• Jasmine Scholars
• Pre-School Learning Alliance
• Red Onion
• The Soul Project
• The Limes Community and Children's Centre
• Waltham Forest Bilingual Group
• Waltham Forest Dyslexia Association
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
• The Centre for Cross Cultural Studies
• Children England
• London East Connexions Partnership (LECP)
• Afruca Africans Unite Against Child Abuse
• Children's Workforce Development Centre (CWDC)
• Account3
• Greater London Domestic Violence Project (GLDVP) 
• Campaign for Learning
• Refugee Women's Association (RWA) 

Working with Users with Disabilities

• Barnados Hamara Family Project (Children with special needs)
• WFDRC (Waltham Forest Disability Resource Centre)
• Ellingham Employment Services 
• Jasmine Scholars
• The Limes Community and Children's Centre
• Ability Net is a national charity helping disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their technology.
• Disability Law Service

Working with Users with Mental Health Problems

•  Richmond Fellowship
• The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual Clients

• ELOP (East London Out Project)

Working with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities

• Africa Foundation Stone
• BME Alliance
• Jasmine Scholars
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
• The Asian Health Agency

Healthcare and Social Work

• Waltham Forest College
• BME Alliance
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• CONEL (College of North East London)
• WFDRC (Waltham Forest Disability Resource Centre)
• SUTRA (Service User Training and Research Association)
• PRAXIS
• Skills for Care
• The Asian Health Agency
• Refugee Women's Association (RWA) 

Human Rights

• British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) 

Health and Safety

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• Waltham Forest College
• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Training)
• SCP (Sikh Community Care Project)

First Aid

• VAWF (Voluntary Action Waltham Forest)
• CLASS
• Waltham Forest Extended Services
• SCP (Sikh Community Care Project)
• Account3

Food Safety

• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)

 
Data Protection and Confidentiality

• DSC (Directory of Social Change)

Welfare Benefits

• LASA (London Advice Services Alliance)

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

• Waltham Forest College
• Asian Centre
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• CONEL (College of North East London)
• DeltaClub
• Leyton Cyber Link
• MTC Training
• O-Regen
• GHARWEG Advice, Training & Careers Centre
• Refugees in Effective and Active Partnership (REAP)
• PRAXIS
• Refugee Women's Association (RWA) 

 
Customer Care

• Waltham Forest College
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council)

Refugee Oral and Community History

• Evelyn Oldfield Unit

Parenting Classes

• African Children's Club
• Carefree Kids
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• Red Onion
• The Soul Project
• Waltham Forest Bilingual Group

Other Education and training related Services

• Carefree Kids
• CLASS (Community Learning and Skills Service)
• CONEL (College of North East London)
• Waltham Forest Extended Services
• Lloyds Park Centre
• Jasmine Scholars
• Pre-School Learning Alliance
• Seetec (18-24 yrs)
• Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
• GHARWEG Advice, Training & Careers Centre
• Toynbee Hall
• Migrant Resource Centre
• Campaign for Learning
• Women like us
• Refugee Women's Association (RWA) 

8.2 Training and Workforce Development > Train to Gain

... HAS CHANGED

Following a recent review, Train to Gain has become a lot more flexible and more money has been made available for small - medium sized organisations, including the voluntary sector.  This means that you may now be eligible to access fully funded or part funded training courses for your staff.

Until now, many third sector organisations have found 'Train to Gain' difficult  to access but the new flexibilities mean that it should now be a lot easier to get the funding and courses you need to develop your team.

Workforce Development Questionnaire

Third Sector organisations are now able through Train to Gain to access additional help to upskill their staff. Train to Gain Skills Brokers offer free one-to-one advice tailored to your organisation's individual needs.

If you would like to access the support and advice provided by a Train to Gain Skills Brokers, please complete a Workforce Development Questionnaire and return to
Michelle Curtis (Information Support Officer) LVSC, Learning Team, 356 Holloway Road, London, N7 6PA

8.2.1 Training and Workforce Development > Train to Gain > Go Get It

Overview

'Go get it' is the first Train to Gain project that is delivered by the third sector for the third sector. It will deliver a range of activities which aim to increase the awareness of Train to Gain amongst Third Sector Organisations and improve the engagement by the third sector with the Train to Gain initiative and its range of employer facing services e.g. TTG Brokers, providers and the London Skills Pledge.

Partners

The project has assembled a strong and sector focused pan London partnership to deliver the 'go get it' project.

London's Skills brokerage service providers: London Brokerage consortium, Prevista and Triangle Fusion, 5 sub regional CVS networks, LVSC, UK Workforce hub, Specialist Third sector representative networks, Third sector delivery networks and work based learning provider networks

Key Project Activities

December 2008 to April 2009 the following activities are planned:

• Engagement with over 600+ Third sector organisations informing them about the project.
• A Third sector Workforce development survey with an active follow up and support service.
• Specialist 1:1 information and awareness sessions for large Third sector organisations
• Awareness events at regional and sub regional level including two pan London events one focussing on the Housing sector and one focussing of the social enterprise sector.
• A web page and email contact for the project hosted by SLLC will be available for all beneficiaries and stakeholders to allow for a central communications hub to be live during the projects duration.
• Ongoing mentoring and support opportunities to Third sector organisations.
• Free workforce development & Organisational needs analysis
• The opportunity to become a Train to Gain champion
• Invitation to sign up to the Skills pledge

email to gogetit@sllc.org.uk  or fax 020 8686 7710 or post to

GO GET IT project
c/o South London Learning Consortium,
2nd Floor,
Wrencote House,121 High Street,
Croydon,
Surrey, CRO 0XJ

Alternatively if you want to talk to someone for an informal discussion then give them a call on 020 8774 4040

8.2.2 Training and Workforce Development > Train to Gain > Delta Club

Now, more than ever before, employers need loyal, skilled staff to help to ensure that they can navigate the stormy waters ahead.

Now, more than ever before, employees need the skills to help to ensure that their job security stays at its most secure.

Train to Gain provides the means to help to ensure that you can weather the storm by being equipped and prepared to take on the additional challenges that we all face. It is a service designed to help organisations of all types and sizes get the training they need to succeed.

Train to Gain uses experienced Skills Brokers who will work closely with individual organisations to identify the skills your staff may need; identify appropriate training programmes; design a tailored training package for each individual; secure available funding; manage and review progress.

As a key training provider, DELTACLUB Group is working with Train to Gain to offer you a flexible portfolio of fully funded and partially funded training from a full range of courses.

At the heart of the DELTACLUB Group delivery of the Train to Gain project is the goal of providing training and skills advice which is impartial, flexible, responsive, and offered at a time and place to suit you. For further assistance and initial information please contact Gourab Banerjee.

Training is available in the following areas:

• Management & Business and Administration
• Customer Service
• Health and Social Care
• ITQ

Are you an employer wishing to give incentives to your employees and volunteers through cost-effective, work-related training that can provide meaningful and recognised qualifications for your employees and volunteers and a significantly more skilful workforce? In these critical times the training of your staff shows that you value and respect them because you are acting positively to empower them with greater skills so that their contribution becomes greater because it is based upon the use of greater knowledge.

Some argue that if staff is better trained then individuals will move on. Not an unfair argument and some may move on whilst others will value the investment that you make in them and remain loyal to you. A wise interviewer will also spot that characteristic and see that such an individual will do the same to them.

Are you self employed? If you are then you employ yourself so in the same way that anybody employed by a Limited Liability company is eligible for Train to Gain, you are (and anyone else that you employ is) probably eligible.

Are you an employee or a volunteer who wishes to learn more to be able to work more effectively and gain promotion through having greater skills and qualifications?

Train to Gain is available to full time and part time employees and to volunteers so it is most probable that you and anyone with whom you work is eligible. 

Whichever category you fall into then Train to Gain might well be the ideal solution for you to consider. Train to Gain is a partnership between the employer and the employee or volunteer and covers a wide range of skills. A good employer will be happy to consider Train to Gain for the benefit of those employed and volunteers. An ambitious employee or volunteer will be keen to progress through meaningful learning and will encourage his/her employer to participate in Train to Gain. Such encouragement might well include training time as part of normal duties.

Train to Gain is flexible because it enables you to learn during normal working hours and outside normal working hours to suit the needs of the individual. Training covers a large area and most areas of study cater for distance learning. There are a few specialist areas that may require "classroom-based" training but we will flag up these areas if this method is the only available learning method. Any exams will require attendance at one of our approved testing centres but this applies to any form of accredited learning.

For more information contact Gourab Banerjee or give him a call on 020 8509 6464 for further information and/or an initial meeting.

DELTACLUB Group is offering a wide range of fully funded, partially funded and commercial courses and projects that cover the following areas (plus more):

• Business Link Advice Surgeries
• Train to Gain
• English for Speakers of Other Languages
• UK Citizenship Courses and Tests
• Skills for Life (Numeracy and Literacy)
• Digital Literacy
• ECDL (NVQ 2)
• ECDL Advanced (NVQ 3)
• Customer Service (NVQ 2)
• Health & Social Care (NVQ 2)
• Information Technology Qualification (NVQ 2)
• Management (NVQ 3)
• Business & Administration (NVQ 2)
• Retail Skills (NVQ 2)
• National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders
• Business Startup Consultancy
• Ongoing Business Advice
• Fit for Business Seminars

Some or more of these projects may well be of interest to you as an individual, as a volunteer, as an employee or as an employer. Some may be of interest to people who you know.

DELTACLUB Group has many years of experience in delivering successfully a wide range of projects to individuals and organisations and our staff is professional and highly trained to cater to your needs.

For fuller details (in a wide range of languages) visit our website where there is additional information and click on the Projects tab to find out more. You can also telephone us on 020 8509 6464.

9.1 Strengthening your Group > Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy

It remains a common misconception that the underlying principle of an equal opportunities policy is ' treating everyone the same'. On the contrary, an effective and lawful equal opportunities policy seeks to eliminate various forms of dicrimination, and encourage diversity.

The Law acknowledges seven prohibited discriminatory grounds, which are referred to as 'strands' by the  Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).  These are : race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion & philosophical belief.

Equality legislation applies in both the employment of staff, and in the delivery of services to customers or beneficiaries. In some cases, it also requires organisations defined as 'public bodies' to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equal opportunities in the exercise of public functions. This latter requirement has raised the question as to whether third sector organisations are infact public bodies when undertaking commissioned activities. For example, in the case of London & Quadrant v Weaver, the housing association ( which has a significant presence in Waltham Forest ), was considered to   be acting as a public authority.

Not all discrimination is unlawful. Many third sector organisations are established for beneficiaries defined by ethnic origin, gender,  disability,age, sexual orientation and religious & philosophical belief. In some cases, it may be a genuine occupational requirement (GOR) to employ a person from a particular ethnic minority, or gender. However, it is a complex legal area, and employers are recommended to contact the EHRC, prior to advertising a post as being exempt from any strand of anti-dicrimination legislation.

9.2 Strengthening your Group > Minimum & Quality Standards

This section is intended for guidance only, and is not a comprehensive statement of the law.

Minimum Standards & Quality Assurance

Minimum standards are the legal requirements to which all voluntary sector organisations must comply. Stakeholders, such as local authorities and funders, may develop their own 'higher' minimum standards, for their particular purposes. A minimum standard is not an assessment of quality, though it may form a foundation from which a quality standard is developed. For example, the Borough of Waltham Forest Certificate of Minimum Standards (CMS), equates with the Continyou Supplementary Schools bronze award.

1: Quality Assurance Systems

A quality assurance system is both a way of checking - through on-going monitoring of performance - that your organisation is meeting recognised minimum standards, and a vehicle for exceeding those standards on a drive towards outstanding performance. 

The methodology depends upon the quality assurance system that you choose to use. Most quality assurance systems focus on defined areas, for which standards have been established. Usually, how an organisation achieves the standards is a matter for it.

2: The Categorisation and Value of Quality AssuranceSystems

Quality systems can be self-assessed, or externally- accredited. There is usually a cost associated with external accreditation, though the 'Positive About Disabled People' standard is provided by Job Centre Plus, without charge,as part of its objective of promoting job opportunities for disabled people.

The right quality standard for an organisation will depend upon a range of factors, including costs, the characteristics of its sub-sector,  and what it wants to achieve. Quality assurance systems may be generic, industry-specific,or have elements of both e.g. the PQASSO quality assurance system, which has been developed for the voluntary sector, but is generic within it. Internal evaluation can be just as effective as external accreditation, however, most funders and other stakeholders regard nationally- recognised accreditation as being more credible than self-assessed statements on standards.

All quality assurance system are tools, that can assist Boards of Management in ensuring compliance with minimum legal standards. In addition, funders want to know that legal standards are being met and, increasingly, seek evidence of 'quality' as a value-for-money measure. Staff can be motivated by quality assurance, not only to take pride in service delivery, but also in personal professional development.

3: Choosing an Appropriate Quality Assurance System

It's recommended that anybody new to the subject of quality assurance, and responsible for selecting a quality standard for their organisation, read  the Charities Evaluation Services publication ' Tools for You'. It gives details on 20 quality assurance systems relevant to at least some organisations in the third sector. In addition, where an organisation is a member of a sub-sector 'umbrella' advisory body, that guidance be sought from that body, on the most appropriate quality assurance scheme for the sub-sector.

Investors in People (IIP) is probably the most well known of all quality systems or standards in the UK. It is externally evaluated and is based entirely on an organisation's people base, i.e. its staff and/or volunteers. The standard is mostly used by relatively large organisations where the staff are the primary resource of the organisation. Whilst  it has been successfully applied in the voluntary sector, Voluntary Action Waltham Forest recommends 'PQASSO' for small voluntary bodies in the borough.

PQASSO stands for Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations. As the name suggests it has been developed specifically for smaller organisations for which many of the other Quality Assurance systems are not appropriate. It was developed by the Charities Evaluation Service specifically for the voluntary sector and, as a result, is widely used in it.

4: Help Available for Voluntary Organisations in  Waltham Forest

Voluntary sector organisations can contact Waltham Forest Voluntary Action, for a free action- pack and consultation, on quality assurance systems.

Members of Voluntary Action Waltham Forest can seek approval for access to a fund, which will meet the costs of accreditation for relevant quality marks.

5: General Help

The following websites are recommended for addtional information :

i. British Quality Foundation www.quality-foundation.co.uk/

ii. The Charities Evaluation Service offers training, consultancy, external evaluations and publications on quality improvements.

Email: enquiries@ces-vol.org.uk

www.ces-vol.org.uk

iii. www. knowhownonprofit.org

AF 060110

9.3 Strengthening your Group > Raising Funds

There are, at first sight, many different ways of raising funds for your organisation. However, there is usually competition for grants and loans, and providers always impose conditions. One should consider carefully the likelihood of success with grant applications, and the ability to meet the conditions. Waltham Forest Vountary Action can assist with such assessments. 

• Trusts Directory of Grantmaking Trusts; available in book, CD-ROM or online from Directory of Social Change.
• Lottery  See Contacts Section under 'Setting Up'
• Local government Most funding goes to social services and education and few local government bodies have the budgets to support wider voluntary groups. Go to our Funding Section - Local Funding
• Central government The Home Office, the Department for Health, the Department of Children, Schools and Families, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Communities and Local Government Department are all major sources of funds.
• Companies The Guide/CD-Rom to UK Company Giving from the Directory of Social Change. See Contacts Section under 'Setting Up'.
• Individuals See Charity Commission guidelines on public collections (CC20). If you are registered as being charitable with the Inland Revenue you can reclaim the tax on donations made by known individuals. This is known as Gift Aid. See Contacts Section under 'Setting Up'.
• Members Subscriptions can be a source of funds to cover costs such as postage and phone calls. Members could also be encouraged to Gift Aid their donations.
• Running Events Guides and 'How to's' are published by the Directory of Social Change. See Contacts Section under 'Setting Up'
• Selling services - this is an effective way of raising funds that can be spent on any part of the organisation. However you need to consider the effect this will have on those people you are seeking to help, who may not be able to afford the service.

9.3.1 Strengthening your Group > Raising Funds > Commissioning

In recent years, Commissioning has become the major form in which Local Authorities and other government institutions such as the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)distribute money to the voluntary and private sectors. Traditionally, if you apply for grants to funders, you ensure compatability with their criteria. but propose the services and activities you feel are required. However, Local Authorities now generally distribute money to voluntary and private sectors by commissioning services they believe are required by the user, leaving traditional grant- giving to foundations and trusts.

The Institute of Commissioning Professionals defines that

'Commissioning means securing the services that most appropriately address the needs and wishes of the individual service user, making use of market intelligence and research, and planning accordingly.'

It means that instead of your organisation completing funding applications and proposing services yourself, you are now invited to apply to deliver services according to Local Authority service specifications. The Local Authority is now seeking an adequate service provider to deliver their public services and entering into a contractual relationship with them.

In their circulation newsletter October/November 2008, the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) published the following briefing on Commissioning. 

'Commissioning and Procurement 

An overview from Pauline Kimantas, NAVCA's Local Commissioning and Procurement Manager, and John Dawson, Local Commissioning and Procurement Advisor.

The potential of third sector organisations to supply goods and services to the public sector has attracted much coverage and political support over recent years.

There is confusion between the use of the terms commissioning and procurement and the legal position, policy positions and circumstances in which grants and contracts fit within a commissioning approach. The range of technical terms, legislation, regulations and documents can add to the confusion. The terms 'commissioning' and 'procurement' are often used interchangeably, when in fact they refer to different activities. This section aims to provide a basic overview of commissioning and procurement and what they mean.

Commissioning 

"Commissioning - the cycle of assessing the needs of people in an area, designing and then securing an appropriate service". Partnership in Public Services: An action plan for third sector involvement

All national and local public bodies are moving towards commissioning approaches to the design and delivery of public services. They are moving from a more narrow service delivery role to a commissioning role in order to support a more strategic approach to public service delivery. These changes are far reaching and are taking place at different levels - locally, regionally and nationally. In other words, public sector bodies are in the midst of, and at differing stages of, very large scale change.

A general definition of commissioning is that it is the whole process of deciding what public services are needed, what priorities they are accorded, and choosing what, why, how and where to allocate resources to provide services. It is usually described as a cycle of how best to meet strategic objectives and service level objectives by identifying need, scoping the market of providers, drawing in expertise, designing a service, deciding how to resource the service, choosing a supplier and monitoring the ultimate service's delivery.

"Commissioning is seen as a broader and deeper process of meeting needs for whole groups of service users and/or populations. It provides for a 'whole systems' approach to developing improved outcomes, which links strategic objectives, the intermediate outcomes required from individual services and specific outputs required from delivery arrangements ... This requires a broader understanding and proper consideration of the full range of possible delivery options, providers and partners through contracting, grants, shaping markets ..." (The National Procurement Strategy for Local Government - Final Report, p.23-24, April 2008, Communities and Local Government)

As well as making decisions about what services are needed and their design, it is also necessary to consider possible methods of delivering and funding public services. An 'intelligent' commissioning process will consider a range of options, and may choose to provide the service in-house, provide direct payments to individual service users to buy the services they require, use grant funding, or procure using a contract with external providers.

Procurement is thus one part of the commissioning process and refers to a specific method of purchasing services which results in a contract.

Local authorities and other public bodies have the powers to both offer grants to third sector organisations and enter into contracts for the provision of goods and services.

The National Audit Office decision support tool distinguishes three "funding channels" - procurement (i.e. contracts), grant, and grant-in-aid - and sets out a four stage process for making decisions about which funding channel to use.

Decisions on appropriate funding methods need to take account of a number of factors, including legislative frameworks, policies and policy objectives, and principles such as value for money. There are no hard and fast rules about which funding method is appropriate in every situation, but the Treasury guidance on funding relationships with the third sector states that the main factor that should decide which funding method to use is the "nature of the intended outcomes".

The guidance states that where outcomes are relatively specific and it is important to minimise the risk associated with delivering a public service, a contract is more appropriate. In general, grants using public funds are more appropriate to fund organisations whose activities are aligned with the wider objectives of the public body.

The Institute of Public Finance have provided the following information about grants and contracts. "Local authorities may offer grants to third sector organisations or enter into contracts for the provision of goods and services.

Grants are a means of providing financial assistance to third sector organisations for a special purpose, for example to support the wider objectives of the local authority in promoting the social, economic or environmental well being of their area. Grant funding is usually preceded by a call for proposals.  One example would be a grant to support a local community centre hold activites for children during the summer holidays. The grant offer letter will normally set out general instructions as to how the special purpose is to be achieved, i.e. through conditions that limit or guide the behavior of the third sector organisations.

A "contract" on the other hand is an agreement between two or more parties which is intended to give rise to legal relations. The European public procurement regulations (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this is implemented under the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, in Scotland Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2006), apply to the purchasing of supplies (goods) and services by local authorities from an economic operator (means a contractor or a third sector organisation) above certain specified thresholds under a contract. Note the EU Treaty principles apply also to contracts which are below these specified thresholds. Entering into a contract is usually precipitated by request for tender which are normally published in various public journals to ensure transparency and openness of the contract. One example would be a contract to deliver supported housing services for ex-offenders.

It is important to understand the differences between entering into a grant funded agreement and a contract for a variety of reasons. If for some reason, a third sector organisation does not deliver under a contract it will be in default or breach and it can reasonably assume some legal action may be taken against it for not complying (i.e, the local authority may take the matter to Court and sue for damages or in some cases seek specific performance of the contract). In the case of grants, if you do not deliver under the grant agreement, the local authority may bring no immediate sanction against you, provided of course there was no deliberate misuse of the grant money or it was used for a totally different purpose than it was given. It may however be taken into account when the local authority decides to offer grants in the future.

There are likely to be occasions when it is a not clear that funding is by means of a grant or a contract. In such cases, legal advice should be sought."

Further Information

The National Audit Office decision support tool Financial relationships with third sector organisations: A decision support tool for public bodies in England can be found at www.nao.org.uk/guidance/better_funding.

The Treasury guidance Improving financial relationships with the third sector: Guidance to funders and purchasers (May 2006) can be found at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/guidance_to_funders.htm.

The NAVCA publication Why grants are important for a healthy local VCS: A study of four local authorities' policies (June 2007) can be found at www.navca.org.uk/publications/whygrants.

The pamphlet Sustaining Grants: Why local grant aid is vital for a healthy voluntary and community sector and thriving local communities can be found at www.navca.org.uk/publications/sustaininggrants .

You can find the whole article here.

The Charities Commission offers more information and guidance on 'Charities and public service delivery' on their website www.charity-commission.gov.uk.

If you need any further help or information regarding commissioning opportunities in Waltham Forest, please contact Mutmahim Roaf, Funding Advice Officer at: Voluntary Action Waltham Forest, Unit 21, Alpha Business Centre, South Grove, E17 7NX; Tel: 0208 521 0377; Email: mutmahim@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk  

9.3.2 Strengthening your Group > Raising Funds > Social Enterprises

Charity Trading

Community and voluntary groups can consider the viability of earning income by different means, for example, by renting out spare office capacity , or offering services such as consultancy and printing. It should be noted that there can be difficulties, for example confidentiality issues, and being generally distracted from core charitable objectives.In the worst case scenarios, charities can find themselves substantially subsidising commercial activities. However, there are also excellent examples whereby charities both fulfill core objectives in the very process of generating trading income.

For further guidance please see the Charity's Commissions 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice' which you can find on their webpage: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Library/publications/pdfs/sorp05textcolour.pdf

Also, 'Trustees, trading and tax - How charities may lawfully trade' on appropriate webpage www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications/cc35.asp

Social Enterprises

A charity may undertake such a substantial element of trading that it should establish 'a trading arm', and ensure full separation of charitable and trading activities. Charity shops are notable examples of trading enterprises run by charities. Many people woud perceive them as social enterprises, but it should be noted thatthere is no legally -recognised definition of a social enterprise.

Private businesses can, and do, argue, that they are social enterprises because their owners state that they are trading primarily for social benefit, rather than for 'profit'. The American businessman, Warren Buffett, trades for profit but, as he intends leaving the bulk of his wealth to a charitable trust, his admirers regard him as a social entrepreneur. On the other hand, some charities, whilst not trading for profit, have been criticised for paying high rates of renumeration to their senior managment. Whether an organisation can reasonably be defined as a social enterprise, or indeed a charity, should not only be accessed on the basis of its legal form, but also on what it does, and how it behaves.

Social enterprises have often been described as the 'not-for-profit' organisations, but this is inaccurate as they can, and indeed often must, make profits. Sometimes the sector is described as 'non-profit distributing'. However, this description excludes not only organisations where profits are distributed to shareholders and senior managers, but also organisations where profits are distributed within worker co-operatives, and  employee- owned, enterprises.

A widely used, but not a legally-recognised , definition of social enterprise is : 

A business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.

Whether an organisation can be reasonably defined as a social enterprise, should be judged on its substance. Social enterprises can be local community enterprises, social firms, co-operatives, and large-scale organisations operating nationally or internationally. Some start as businesses which develop a stong social purpose, a well-known example being John Lewis/ Waitrose. Others start as voluntary sector organisations, which develop a trading activity.

There are, broadly speaking, five qualities of a social enterprises -

• The organisation has economic and social purposes written into its constitution
• The organisation is controlled, or strongly influenced, by its beneficiaries
• The organisation is independent - it has its own local management committee/trustees
• The organisation's activities are for the benefit of a community of place and/or interest
• The organisation earns some proportion of its income through trading

There are regional social enterprise support orgnaisations . Waltham Forest orgnaisations interested in social enterprise can obtain more information from Social Enterprise London (SEL) www.sel.org.uk

• Office of the Third Sector
  The Office of the Third Sector has responsibility for policy making affecting social enterprise. They also help promote and champion social enterprise, take action needed to address barriers to the growth of social enterprises and identify and spread good practice for the sector
• Social Enterprise Coalition
  SEC is the UKs national body for social enterprise. The voice for the sector, they support and represent the work of members, influence national policy and promote best practice.
• Social Enterprise Training and Support (SETAS)
  Developed by the Social Enterprise Training & Support Consortium (setas) this website is an information resource to help you find the most appropriate social enterprise training, support or relevant publication.
• Social Firms UK
  Social Firms UK aims to create employment opportunities for disabled people through the development and support of Social Firms.

9.4 Strengthening your Group > Learning

 The Learning Industry

Learning is an important aspect of any organisation's development. It can mean staff training and development; experiences organisations and its staff go through and that constitute a learning experience; network development and sharing of best practice and learning from each others' experiences etc. 

North London Workforce Development Forum

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest is one of four partners in the North London Workforce Development Forum (NLWFD). This  project aims to transform the planning and delivery of workforce development for sector staff and volunteers, by engaging local training providers and establishing strategic ways of working to meet local needs.

If you are a training- provider, and wish to know more, contact : marjorie@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

9.5 Strengthening your Group > Working in Partnership

In order to grow as an organisation it is essential to network and form partnerships with other voluntary, statutory and sometimes private organisations. No organisation can flourish or work completely isolated. This would not be in the interest of any users or beneficiaries either. Working in partnership opens up many new contacts and opportunities that, if you take part, might benefit your users enormously. It offers an opportunity to provide a more holistic service to your users as you are likely to find ways of referring them to organisations who complement your own services. When working in partnership, be it in a formal or informal way, you create a social capital beneficial to your organisation as a whole and your users. There are many ways of working collaboratively.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) describes 'What collaborative working involves'.

What forms does collaborative working take?

• Separate organisations maintain their independence, but work jointly on some activities or functions
• Organisations with resources or expertise offer assistance to other organisations, eg. a large national organisation working with a small local group
• A new organisation to do joint work on some activities or functions
• A group structure where a 'parent' organisation governs a group of 'subsidiary' organisations

• Merger to form a new organisation working as one body on all activities

What kind of work can be done collaboratively?

Almost any voluntary or community sector activity can be done in collaboration:

• Charitable activities, for example service delivery, campaigning, policy work
• Sharing premises or support functions, for example payroll, purchasing, fundraising

• Improving strategic efficiency, for example co-ordination, joint management 

Potential benefits and risks of collaboration

Collaborative working is not right for every organisation in every case. Carefully identifying and addressing issues of concern helps establish if it is the right way forward.

Benefits include:

• Improved or wider range of services for beneficiaries
• Financial savings and better use of resources
• Knowledge and information sharing
• Sharing the risk in new projects
• Stronger, united voice
• Better co-ordination of organisations' activities

Risks include:

• Outcomes do not justify the time and resources invested
• Loss of flexibility in working practices
• Loss of autonomy
• Cultural mismatch between organisations
• Mission drift
• Damage to organisation if collaboration is unsuccessful

For more information go to www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/

Many partnerships exist in Waltham Forest. Here are some examples: 

• Local Strategic Partnership (comprising the following partnerships: Children and Young People; Healthier Communities; SafetyNet; Employment and Enterprise; Sustainability and the Environment; Housing)
• Waltham Forest Local Involvement Network (LINk)
• Better Neighbourhoods Initiative (BNI)
• Children & Young People's Network
• Health and Social Care
• Employment and Enterprise
• Environment
• Waltham Forest Congolese Associations Network
• BME Health Forum

Click on the links above to find out more about the networks and how to get involved. In our section Participation and Involvement on the left, you will find more information on how to get involved in these local networks. Click on Waltham Forest VCS Networks.

There is also the North London CVS Partnership made up of Enfield, Barnet, Waltham Forest and Haringey CVS. Its aim is to benefit the voluntary and community sector and the communities it serves, by working strategically at a sub regional level for local benefit.

Within Waltham Forest Council, the team in charge of partnerships with the voluntary sector is the Voluntary Sector Development Team.

Voluntary Sector Development Team
Policy & Partnerships
LB Waltham Forest
Room 9
Walthamstow Town Hall
Forest Road
Walthamstow
E17 7JF

Connie Mante
Voluntary Sector Development Manager
tel 020 8496 4120
email connie.mante@walthamforest.gov.uk

Jerry Hill
Voluntary Sector Project Officer
tel 020 8496 8044
email jerry.hill@walthamforest.gov.uk

VAWF is involved in many of these networks. Feel free to contact us for any questions and further information on how your group can get involved.

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest

Upper Ground Floor,

Churchill Business Centre,

6 Church Hill,

Walthamstow,

London E17 3RY

Tel: 0208 521 0377
Fax: 0208 521 1672

info@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

Building a consortia

A recently-published resource from Office of the Third Sector on building a consortium, published as part of the annual update on the Public Service Delivery Plan. Find it here. With supporting information and context here. 

10.1 Key Statutory Agencies > LBWF

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest Council is the local authority responsible for providing public services and political leadership within the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

Council services are provided by seven directorates:

• Adult Social Care
• Children and Young People Services
• Environment and Regeneration
• Finance
• Governance and Law
• People, Policy and Performance
• Support Services

For details see: http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/council/about.htm

Contact the Council

On the web site

Available 24 hours a day with almost all council services online.

» More about Waltham Forest Council's website

By telephone

You can call 24 hours a day, every day of the year:

• Phone Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000
• Minicom 020 8496 3010
• Fax 020 8496 3301

» More about Waltham Forest Direct Call Centre

In person

• Visit one of our Waltham Forest Direct Shops at Chingford, Leyton, Walthamstow and Leytonstone

» More about Waltham Forest Direct shops

By email

• Email Waltham Forest Direct at wfdirect@walthamforest.gov.uk

By post

If you want to contact us by post, please write direct to the service.

If you do not know the address, you can write to Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 4JF

10.2 Key Statutory Agencies > NHS Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust

Working in Partnership to improve health and develop better health and social care services for everyone living and working in Waltham Forest

NHS Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust is responsible for:

• Providing community based health services to local residents including GP, dental, optometry and community pharmacy services, community nursing, specialist children's services and women's and sexual health services.
• Ensuring that the particular health needs of local residents are reflected in the services provided.
• Purchasing services from the wider health community particularly the hospital and mental health trusts.
• Ensuring that the highest standard and quality of services are provided locally.
• The PCT works closely with its social care partners, the London Borough of Waltham Forest and the voluntary sector.  

PCT Contact Details

PCT headquarters & main switchboard
Kirkdale House
7 Kirkdale Road
Leytonstone
London E11 1HP

Telephone: 020 8430 8000; Fax: 020 8430 7499

See also: http://www.walthamforest-pct.nhs.uk/en/Contact-Us/Waltham-Forest-NHS-Main-Switchboard/

10.3 Key Statutory Agencies > Police

The Police is there to respond to all members of our community who require their services; whether that be as a victim of crime, as a result of an accident or simply for advice, they aim to give you a consistently high level of service in accordance with the values of the Metropolitan Police Service i.e.

• Build public confidence in them and to tackle the fear of crime
• Develop our future through Safer Neighbourhoods and citizen focus
• Deliver a quality policing service that is influenced by local needs
• Tackle violence and gun enabled crime
• Reduce burglary
• Work with the public and partners to eradicate terrorism

Contact Details

There are five police stations in the borough who share the same telephone number and email address.

Telephone: 0300 123 1212
email: walthamforest.police@met.police.uk

See also: http://www.met.police.uk/contacts/

 For their addresses please go to the Waltham Forest Borough Police homepage

10.4 Key Statutory Agencies > Schools and Colleges

There are 84 schools and colleges in Waltham Forest. Different types of schools are:

boys' schools; girls' schools; mixed schools; state schools ; independent private schools; secondary schools; special schools; state primary schools; independent private preparatory & junior schools; state secondary schools; independent private secondary schools; state special schools; independent private special schools; state sixth form & Further Education colleges

School Support Services

VT Education and Skills (VTE&S), part of the support services company VT Group, has been appointed as the London Borough of Waltham Forest School Innovation and Improvement Partner.

Their contact details are:

VTE&S Waltham Forest
Graylaw House
394 High Road
Leyton E10 6QE

Tel 0845 877 0031
Fax 020 8496 5077
Website www.vtwf.co.uk

10.4.1 Key Statutory Agencies > Schools and Colleges > Extended Schools Services

The extended services agenda means that the government wants all schools to become extended schools by 2010.  To be an extended school, the school must offer access to what is known as the full core offer:

• Childcare
• Activities before and after school and during the holidays for children and young people
• Activities for parents and families
• Activities for local community groups
• Specialist services, for example, careers, citizens' and health advice

Community Access

Put simply, community access means that schools have to audit their current provision, audit community needs, and see if they can facilitate a match.

What does this mean for the voluntary sector?

If a voluntary sector agency offers services to the local community, and needs space or facilities, it is likely to be in the local schools' interests to explore the possibilities of providing space or facilities.

How to move this forward?

What the extended services' team in Waltham Forest is looking to do is provide a 'facilities/ space' dating agency between schools and voluntary sector agencies. If you are a voluntary sector agency wanting space/ facilities and you think local schools might be able to help you, please see: http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/education/waltham-forest-early-years.htm

EVERY CHILD MATTERS - OUTCOMES

10.5 Key Statutory Agencies > Job Centre Plus

Jobcentre Plus is part of the Department for Work and Pensions. In April 2002, they replaced the Employment Service, which ran Jobcentres, and those parts of the Benefits Agency which provided services to people of working age through social security offices.

The Jobcentre Plus network is made up of Jobcentre Plus offices, Jobcentres and social security offices.

Click on the links below to find out more about Jobcentre Plus and how it can help you.

About Jobcentre Plus

Contact Jobcentre Plus on 020 8210 3046 or 020 8988 5389.

You can visit the Jobcentre Plus website at www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk or look at the career, work, training and volunteering site which can be viewed at www.worktrain.gov.uk

11.1 Resources > Directories

VAWF Directories - a new website is currently being built which will have extensive directories of voluntary and community groups in the borough. In the meantime we can still supply a limited amount of information in the current website.

11.1.1 Resources > Directories > VAWF Library

VAWF's specialist library stock is now kept at Walthamstow Central Library, and can be accessed during its standard opening hours. Inevitably, the stock is dated, but may still be of interest, particularly for research purposes. Voluntary Action keeps a current copy of the 'Voluntary Sector Legal Handbook'. This may be studied by appointment.

11.2 Resources > Publications

The list below contains publications useful for managing a voluntary or community organisation.

'Voluntary but not Amateur
A guide to the law for voluntary organisations and community groups'

by Ruth Hayes and Jacki Reason
published by Directory of Social Change
8th Edition, March 2009

Click here for more details and how to order

'Management of Voluntary Organisations'

by Peter Hudson
a Croner's Publication

Click here for more details and how to order

 

'MANAGING COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS AND THEIR ACTIVITIES'

by Community Matters
Community Matters publishes a range of practical books and booklets

Click here for more details and how to order

'The Russell-Cooke Voluntary Sector Legal Handbook'

James Sinclair Taylor and the Charity Team at Russell-Cooke Solicitors. Edited by Sandy Adirondack.

published by Directory of Social Change
3rd edition, expected spring 2009.

Click here for more details and how to order

'Developing Your Organisation'

by Alan Lawrie
published by Directory of Social Change
1st edition January 2000

Click here for more details and how to order

'The Complete Guide to Business & Strategic Planning'

by Alan Lawrie
Published by Directory of Social Change
3rd edition June 2007

Click here for more details and how to order

'Voluntary Matters'

Published in Association with the Media Trust
Video and booklet 3 series available

an exciting and innovative BBC series of six programmes about inspiring and motivating volunteers - order the video 

'Managing Without Profit (3rd ed)'
Leadership, management and governance of third sector organisations

New Edition by Mike Hudson
published by Directory of Social Change
February 2009

Click here for more details and how to order

'Just About Managing? effective management for voluntary organisations and community groups'

by Sandy Adirondack
Published by LVSC
4th edition (latest), January 2006

Click here for more details and how to order

'A Management Companion for Voluntary Organisations'

by Tim Cook & Guy Braithwaite
published by Directory of Social Change
1st edition, January 2000

Click here for more details and how to order

'The Good Guide to Employment for the Voluntary Sector' Edition: 5
Managing and developing people in voluntary and community organisations

Author: Wendy Blake Ranken
Publisher: NCVO
Published: April 2008

Click here for more details and how to order

First steps in quality

published by the Charities Evaluation Service

for order information and a free download click here

The Board Answer Book 

The Board Answer Book offers case studies demonstrating some of the most common board dilemmas - from how to recruit trustees, to making sure your meetings are more effective.

Author: Tesse Akpeki
Published by NCVO
December 2005

Click here for more details and how to order

For a wealth of publications relevant to community and voluntary groups always keep an eyee out on the following websites

Directory of Social Change

National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)

London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC)  

Charities Evaluation Service (CES)

Volunteering England

Fit4Funding

NCVO - ICT Hub

Community Matters

For guidance

Charity Commission

Companies House

11.3 Resources > Equipment

Equipment Hire

Equipment can be hired from different sources in the borough.

• VAWF

Members can hire equipment such as OHP, screen, flip chart  stand, laminator and binder. To find out more contact:

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest

Upper Ground Floor,

Churchill Business Centre,

6 Church Hill,

Walthamstow,

London E17 3RY

Tel: 0208 521 0377
Fax: 0208 521 1672

info@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

• Waltham Forest Disability Resource Centre (WFDRC)

Practical support is offered by a team of workers trained to assist with service users . Specialised equipment is available including Braille equipment, adapted computers and induction loops. Sign language interpretation is available on request.

1a Warner Road     
Walthamstow     
London E17 7DY  

Telephone/ Text Phone:  020 8520 8347
Fax:                                  020 8520 7091

Website

• O-Regen 

O-Regen Centres provide quality and cost effective community centre, training, office space, conferencing and meeting provision. 

They also provide well equipped IT training rooms / training facilities for freelance trainers, training companies and companies who have a short to medium term IT training facility requirement.

Included as part of the training facilities are good quality high specification computers fully networked with shared printing, flip chart, large whiteboards and (optional) broadband internet connection, LCD Projectors and OHPs . All our training rooms are equipped with TFT monitors, for increased comfort and desk space as well as chilled drinking water machines and air conditioning as standard.

To find out more about what's on offer please call Donna Armstrong on 020 8539 2432 or Ruth Charles on 020 89882860.

Most other venues for hire also have equipment for hire. Please refer to our venues database when looking for a location for hire and enquire on their equipment availability and charges.

Recycled IT Equipment 

• Forest Recycling Project

They accept unwanted computers, printers and peripherals from individuals and companies, then in line with the WEEE & RoHS directives, rebuild them and introduce them back into local Charities, Community Groups and Voluntary Organisations. 

If you would like to apply for a computer/computers from us please complete their online form here. Upon receipt of the form they will e-mail you to confirm receipt of your application. If you have not heard from them within 5 working days please e-mail computers@frponline.org.uk .


They currently supply PCs with Windows 2000 or XP only. PCs are supplied on a first in first out basis. Disk sizes are subject to what is installed in the machine when they are donated.

A small donation for each computer (from £35) is requested to help towards their costs.

Equipment Purchase

• Greenworks

Green Works is an award winning charity. As a not for profit social enterprise it is unique in providing a national service managing and recycling redundant office furniture on an industrial scale.

The service is provided through a growing network of delivery partners, each established charities and social enterprises in their own right and all working to support and regenerate their local communities, often in deprived inner city locations.

They have redirected second-hand office furniture to over 5,000 organisations including schools, charities and small businesses, saving them over £2.5m in the process. Their partners, both charitable organisations and commercial enterprises enable the  Green Works operation to function effectively, nationwide.

In East London, Green-Works operates the Silvertown warehouse  providing quality used furniture at affordable prices. The warehouse is run in partnership with the charity First Fruit who, since the mid 1990s, have been helping homeless people in East London break out of the 'no home no job' cycle.

To read more about First Fruit please visit First Fruit's website: www.firstfruitwarehousing.org/

Address:
Unit 14, Kierbeck Business Complex,
North Woolwich Road,
Silvertown,
London E16 2BG

Tel 020 7476 4555 or 020 7476 4888
Fax 020 7476 4666

Email: sales@firstfruitwarehousing.org

• More IT Equipment

Please refer to our section on 'Computers and Technology' - 'Equipment' for information on how to access IT resources.

• Funding for Equipment Costs

Many funders provide financial resources for equipment either as part of a project or as separate capital costs for an organisation.  Make sure to include equipment costs in the budget of your funding applications. Currently, grants of up £5k are available for local community groups in Waltham Forest thanks to O-Regen. Over the next three years over £300k will be distributed to local community organisations via the Grassroots Grants . For more information go to www.o-regen.co.uk/grantforms.asp 

To search for more funders who make resources available for equipment costs please come to VAWF's office to see our funding officer.

Voluntary Action Waltham Forest,

Upper Ground Floor, Churchill Business Centre,

6 Church Hill, Walthamstow, London E17 3RY

0208 521 0377

Email: mutmahim@voluntaryaction-wf.org.uk

11.4 Resources > Share a Car

Car Clubs

Car Clubs are schemes where participants share the use of cars parked in dedicated spaces around London which you can hire for as little as 30 minutes or as long as six months. You reserve them online or by phone, and collect or return them at any time of day or night using a smartcard. The cost of your usage is based on how long you have the car and how far you drive but unless you are a heavy car user, the annual cost of using a car in this way will be dramatically less than owning a car and with lots of the hassle of car ownership removed. It's also a good way to cut the carbon footprint of car ownership. In the UK, the average car owner produces over two tonnes of carbon dioxide driving each year. Research shows over time drivers of car club cars tend to make less journeys, helping to both free up the roads from traffic and reduce the emissions created.

Funding for the scheme has been secured from Transport for London and the Council has appointed Streetcar to operate the scheme. Streetcar already has some car club cars parked around Walthamstow for use now. 

If you want more information on this scheme please get in touch.

Sustainable Communities
Environment and Regeneration
Waltham Forest Council
Sycamore House
Forest Road
London E17 4JF
tel 020 8496 3000
email wfdirect@walthamforest.gov.uk

To find out more go to the Council's webpage: www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/transport/transport-planning/car-clubs.htm 

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and do not exert any copyright over content and images contained within this website.