Our Practice Development Unit (PDU) has launched a new e-learning package.

The suite of free e-learning modules have been developed in partnership with Opportunity Nottingham and Framework Housing Association and are designed to be a helpful tool for staff and volunteers who support people facing multiple disadvantage.

The PDU e-learning suite covers a wide range of good practice themes, providing insights and tips into how you can improve your own practice and support your colleagues and service users.

Nottingham City Council, in conjunction with local health services, has released information about the city's annual Winter Pressures Plan.

The plan ensures that people relying on carers or in care homes, and the staff who look after them, will be supported through the winter and during the ongoing pandemic.

Nottingham Equal is offering funding of up to £2,000, through the New and Emerging Communities Programme, to community groups which help support young people and their families.

Young people's charity UK Youth is providing £2 million in funding to smaller youth organisations that have been impacted by the pandemic.

The UK Youth Fund - Covid Relief is open to youth organisations with an income of under £250,000, that are based in, and deliver their work in England. Grants of up to £50,000 are available.

This fund is closing for applications today (Wednesday 25 November).

The Government has issued new guidance to help community groups and charities in England understand how to safely and effectively involve volunteers during the second national lockdown.

Issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the guidance makes a number of key points, including that volunteers are exempt from the rule about mixing with other households.

The National Association for Voluntary Action (NAVCA) has created this useful Volunteering Decision Tree to help organisations work out which volunteering activities can be done safely in person or remotely during the second national lockdown.

NAVCA is encouraging organisations to share the document on their social media channels and with their networks.You can view it and save it by clicking on the button below or the image above.

Tuesday 1 December 2020, 7pm-8pm

Cost: £10 per participant

This online session aims to share some ideas about how best to deal with the inevitable disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts that arise from time to time among a team of volunteers.

We will examine why a volunteer may be involved in conflict or dissent and we will work together to come up with some solutions to restore harmony among your team.

Wednesday 9 December 2020, 10am-11am

Cost: £10 per participant

A new one-hour online session to help your volunteer role descriptions stand out, ensuring you attract enthusiastic volunteers. 

The way that we describe our volunteer roles can be the difference between no volunteers and a team filled with enthusiastic people. This session will combine some tips from the worlds of journalism and advertising with a lifetime's experience from our Volunteering Development Officer, Dave Thomas.

Wednesday 2 December 2020, 6pm-7pm

Cost: £10 per participant

This one-hour online session will give those new to minute taking an introduction to the topic.

Taking minutes is an important part of running a committee or organisation. Useful tips and ideas will be shared on how to make the task more effective. This session provides a useful taster for the NCVS two-hour training event 'How to Take Minutes'.

Tuesday 8 December 2020, 10.30am-12.30pm

Cost: £20 per participant

This new two-hour session is intended for trustees who have completed our 'Being a Trustee' course and want to further develop their involvement and awareness of trustee duties.

The session ensures experienced trustees are able to refocus in the role and improve their ongoing commitment to the organisation(s) they support.

The PDU aims to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice among professionals and volunteers from all sectors, in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing multiple disadvantage (understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues).

Contact our coordinator Filipa Santos for more information by sending an email to enquiries@pdunottingham.org or calling 0115 934 8428 or 07483 354 441.

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

The PDU offers a unique opportunity for voluntary and statutory sector workers who support people experiencing multiple disadvantage across Nottingham and neighbouring areas, to connect, learn collaboratively and share good practice and expertise.

By participating in our events, you will have the chance to develop your knowledge and skills and extend your professional network by making links with other local organisations.

There are no upcoming events with open registrations. Once we have new events available we will feature them in this bulletin.

The Fulfilling Lives national evaluation team is hosting a webinar on Tuesday 8 December, from 10am-4pm, where they will share findings from four recent studies on different aspects of workforce development and multiple disadvantage.

The webinar will also feature insights and learning from Fulfilling Lives partnerships, demonstrating how they have developed and supported the local workforce.

Our PDU Coordinator Filipa Santos will be at the afternoon session speaking about the work of the PDU.

Nottingham-based charity Refugee Roots has set up a Crowdfunder to raise £1,500 towards printing and marketing costs for their new recipe book, The Sharing Table.

The recipes were created by the charity's Cooking & Eating Together Project. All those that support the Crowdfunder will receive a reward for their contribution.

This Disability History Month (18 November- 20 December), Disability Support in Nottingham wants to celebrate disabled people's lives and achievements through their new Positive Voices campaign.

The charity is looking for people with any impairment or disability and of any age to get involved by submitting a video.

The Charity Governance Awards is a not-for-profit initiative created to celebrate outstanding governance and trusteeship in charities across the UK, allowing large and small not-for-profit organisations to inspire and learn from one another.

There are five award categories including a new category, 'Covid-19: Embracing Opportunity and Harnessing Risk.' Entry is free and the deadline for nominations is Monday 25 January 2021.