At the start of the pandemic, Nottingham's Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector had to adapt to new ways of working in order to continue to support the city's most vulnerable. Amazing efforts have taken place to maintain essential services. We recognise and value the ongoing commitment by all in support of our local communities.

Back in March/April 2020, NCVS began listing details from community-based organisations who were making changes to their service delivery. As we enter a new lockdown in January 2021, it is an appropriate time to put out a call to refresh the details. Many service changes may feel embedded and familiar by now within many organisations. Sadly, in some areas, services may find they need to close.

We've set up a new Changes to Services page on our website where organisations can share information about their service updates at this time.

Please note, we are regularly refreshing this list by collecting information from a variety of sources. We want information to be as accurate and up to date as possible, so we actively request your assistance.

If you have updates regarding your service, please first check here for our original page (last updated on 19 August 2020) to review the changes you may have reported previously. Then please email ncvs@nottinghamcvs.co.uk with new information, your amendments, or to confirm the details are still correct as before.

Safeguarding and protecting people from harm goes beyond simply implementing policies and processes. Safeguarding responsibilities should be a governance priority for all charities, groups and organisations. This includes people who benefit from your charity’s work, staff, volunteers, and any other people who may come into contact with your charity. Up to date safeguarding training is also often a fundamental requirement of funders.

NCVS offers affordable training in order to provide a sound introduction to safeguarding responsibilities for volunteers, paid staff, Trustees or Designated Leads.

The Government has launched a scheme that temporarily increases data allowances for mobile phone users on certain networks. This is so that children and young people can access remote education if their face-to-face education is disrupted.

Schools, trusts and local authorities can request mobile data increases for children and young people who, do not have fixed broadband at home, cannot afford additional data for their device, and/or are experiencing disruption to their face-to-face education.

The Local Connections Fund is a new £4 million fund to help charities and community groups in England that are working to reduce loneliness by helping them build connections across their communities.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has launched a £46 million programme focused on improving the way that local systems and services work for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage. Local organisations across the voluntary and statutory sectors are invited to form partnerships and bid for a share of the funding by 21 January.

Grants of £100 to £5,000 are available to charities and community groups responding to the impacts of Covid-19 in areas in which the Central England Co-operative operates, including Nottinghamshire. Applicants must have been members of the co-operative for at least six months.

The co-operative's Community Dividend Fund is particularly interested in funding projects which are meeting challenges around food provision, tackling isolation and providing mental health and wellbeing support.

The deadline for applications is 31 January 2021.

Charities working with people affected by the Windrush scandal can apply for grants to spread awareness and support engagement among those eligible for the Government's Windrush Compensation Scheme and Windrush Scheme.

The Windrush Community Fund will be managed by Voice4Change England (V4CE), and will make grants of up to £25,000 available for charitable, community and grassroot organisations across the UK that work with affected communities.

The project is funded with £500,000 from the Home Office, although V4CE has stressed that it is independent of Government..

The closing date for Phase 1 applications is 12 February 2021.

The Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund (RRLF), offered by Social Investment Business (SIB), has extended its deadline to make more loans available to charities and social enterprises affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The fund offers:

• Loans between £100,000 and £1.5 million
  
  
• Interest-free and fee-free for the first 12 months
  
  
• Loans available up to a maximum of 5 years
  
  
• Faster than applying for a standard loan
  
  

Eligible social organisations can apply for a loan until 11.59pm on 31 March 2021.

We are once again in lockdown and that means there will be a lot of vulnerable people out there who need the voluntary sector's help.

The good news is that volunteering is allowed in lockdown including, where necessary, travel and overnight stays. However, we should be very mindful of ensuring that volunteering support is carried out safely, particularly with the knowledge we now have about the new strain of Coronavirus, which is spreading much more rapidly.

Tuesday 19 January 2021, 1.30pm-2.45pm

Cost: £15 per participant

An interactive online session for Trustees (or members of Management Committees) of organisations whose activities put them in contact with vulnerable adults or children.

This one-hour online training will cover:

• The trustee role in safeguarding
  
  
• Reasonable steps to protect from harm those who are accessing services

Thursday 21 January and Wednesday 27 January 2021, 1.30pm-2.45pm

Full course cost: £25 per participant

A two-part online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of children and young people and how to respond to concerns. You are required to attend both sessions.

Wednesday 20 January 2021, 10am-11am

Cost: £10 per participant

In this one-hour online session, we will identify some of the barriers that potential volunteers face to becoming involved in your organisation and share ideas to remove these barriers. 

Tuesday 26 January 2021, 7pm-8pm

Cost: £10 per participant

This one-hour online session provides a reduced version of our more in-depth 'Introduction to Volunteer Management' course while social distancing restrictions are in place.

The session looks at good practice in volunteer management, including the best ways to plan, involve, support and retain volunteers.

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.

Attendance to PDU events is free of charge, but advance booking is essential. Follow the relevant links below to register your place at our upcoming events.

Please note that it is PDU policy that people with lived experience are invited to participate in our events.

Wednesday 20 January 2021, 10.30am-11.30am

Online via MS Teams

We still have places available for our upcoming webinar exploring an example of good practice around strength or asset-based approaches. This online talk will explore the Foyer Federation’s ‘Advantaged Thinking’ framework aimed at services and individuals supporting young people, and will include:

• What is Advantaged Thinking as opposed to Disadvantaged Thinking?
  
  
• Understand and explore the vision, values and impact of Advantaged Thinking
  
  
• Understand and explore the 7 Tests of Advantaged Thinking
  
  
• How can you apply Advantaged Thinking principles to your role and organisation?

Audience: This webinar is aimed at professionals and volunteers from all sectors who are interested in learning more about strength or asset-based approaches.

Wednesday 3 February 2021, 10am-11am

Online Via MS Teams

This session, run by Nottinghamshire Police Counter Corruption Unit, will aim to:

• Increase understanding of inappropriate relationships between Police Officers and vulnerable members of the community, including sexual misconduct
  
  
• Raise awareness of the warning signs typically associated with these inappropriate relations
  
  

Audience: This webinar is aimed at professionals and volunteers from all sectors who are interested in learning more about abuse of professional position, and may be of particular interest for those who support vulnerable clients. 

Wednesday 24 February 2021, 9.30am-1pm

Online via Zoom

This session, run by Emma Bates, Sessional Specialist for Nottingham Financial Resilience Partnership, will include:

• Understanding what financial resilience is about
  
  
• Exploring different aspects of ensuring people are financially included (such as credit, banking, debt, income, saving, and service access) and also of financial capability/education
  
  
• Awareness of available services that can help people with financial matters
  
  
• Group discussions on issues faced by service users/residents and what we can do as workers to support them

Audience: This event is aimed at professionals and volunteers from all sectors who are interested in learning more about financial resilience and inclusion and what they can do to better support their clients.

With 2020 having drawn to an end, we would love to hear about your experience of PDU activities, and how we can continue to support you and tailor our offer to meet your learning and skills development needs.

We invite you to tell us about challenges and priorities you may be facing in your role and within your organisation, and would love to hear your thoughts about what we can do to support you with these and in developing knowledge, skills and confidence in your work.

This short survey will influence the learning programme we develop over the coming year, so we encourage you to have your say! It should only take about 10 minutes.

A new intergenerational learning project to combat social isolation is being piloted in Nottinghamshire.

The Inter-Generational Unity Project, run by Nottingham-based not-for-profit Infused Learning, is designed to reduce loneliness among pensioners living in care homes during the coronavirus pandemic by getting them involved in online activities with young people. The project has been made possible thanks to funding from Comic Relief, UnLtd and the Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Participants (aged over 18) are being sought for an online interview, conducted through a Nottingham Trent University research project, to investigate what the social prescribing connection process to community groups involves and how people's interests and needs are being matched to existing community groups.

The Home Office has launched a call for evidence to inform a new strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls.

The Government is asking victims, survivors, and their families and friends for their views and experiences, as well as professionals and academics working in the field. The consultation closes on 19 February 2021.