The Public Accounts Committee is holding an inquiry into the distribution of £750 million of government funding to support frontline charities during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Committee will question senior officials at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Charity Commission on how well the funding has been distributed across the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector and whether it is achieving its objectives.

The inquiry is currently accepting evidence from individuals and organisations until 6pm on Thursday 8 April 2021.

Social housing provider Nottingham City Homes is supporting women and children who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse or violence to rebuild their lives.

Nottingham City Homes successfully bid for £400,000 of funding from Homes England to acquire and refurbish eight homes, as part of the government’s Move On Fund. When ready, women and families will move out of refuges and into these homes on their journey to a new permanent home.

The organisation is working with Nottingham City Council and refuge providers at Central Women’s Aid, Juno Women’s Aid and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing to support the families into the new homes.

Grant giving charity Cash for Kids is working in partnership with Free Radio, Gem Radio, Signal 1 and Greatest Hits Radio to offer grants of up to £3,000 to families, community groups or registered charities, in the Midlands, which support children and young people (up to and including 18-year-olds) who are affected by poverty, illness, neglect or who have additional needs.

Applications are accepted online only and close at midnight on Friday 12 March 2021.

Wednesday 3 March 2021, 10.30am-12.30pm

Are you acting as secretary or note taker, or do you need to record meetings? Learn how to take effective minutes and make your task easier. This two-hour online session replaces our previous face-to -face three-hour course and will take you through the process of producing a 'minute'.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 10 March 2021, 6pm-8pm

Last chance to book your place on this new two-hour session, intended for trustees who 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.

It is suitable for trustees (Board Members / Committee Members) of voluntary and community sector organisations as well as directors of Community Interest Companies (CICs), Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and social enterprises.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 11 March 2021, 10am to 11am

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.

Cost: £10 per participant

Tuesday 23 March 2021, 7pm to 8pm

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

Cost: £10 per participant

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 17 March 2021, 10am-11am

Online via Zoom

Join Robert White, Director of Change at Mayday Trust, for an online discussion about how Mayday Trust stopped doing what they were doing and just listened.

This free online event will cover:

• The deficit system that we know and struggle to love
  
• Changing the Mission
  
• Developing the PTS Response
• How to join the fight for a true paradigm shift in systems

For more detail on Mayday Trust and the work they are doing, visit their website, you can also follow Robert on Twitter.

Audience: This event is aimed at professionals and volunteers from all sectors who are interested in learning more about strength or asset based working and system-wide approaches to change.

Last week saw the launch of the national #RightNow campaign - part of the #NeverMoreNeeded movement.

Using the hashtag #RightNow, charities took to social media on Wednesday (17 February) to send a public message to the government that the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector urgently needs an Emergency Support Fund, so it can continue to provide vital support to communities during the pandemic.

Nottingham is coming together (online) to celebrate International Women’s Day on Monday 8 March! Head over to the International Women's Day (IWD) Nottingham website to:

• Read all about the city’s #ChoosetoChallenge campaign asking women to share what stigmas, bias and challenges they are overcoming
  
  
• See what hashtags you can use on social media to share your own #ChoosetoChallenge story
  
  
• See all of Nottingham’s online events around International Women’s Day via the event calendar and find out how to get involved with them

Nottinghamshire Carers Hub, run by TuVida, is providing a free Respite Service for carers in Nottingham City or those who are registered with a city GP.

The Respite Service can provide an experienced care worker to spend time with the person you care for, for up to 100 hours over a 12 week period (subject to eligibility), to include:

• Planned short breaks, such as a few hours away from the home to recharge your batteries, shop, visit a friend, go for a walk, have a lie down, attend an appointment, wedding or funeral
  
  
• Emergency cover to provide care and support if you have a short term illness or need ongoing treatment
  
  
• Provide engaging social activities for the individual you care for
  
  
• Night sit ins (subject to availability)

This service is available seven days a week, including bank holidays.

Please contact Nottinghamshire Carers Hub to find out if you are eligible, phone 0115 8248 824 or email nottinghamshirehub@tuvida.org

A public consultation has launched to gather feedback on Nottingham City Council's proposals to make £15.6 million of savings in order to balance its budget for 2021/2022.

The consultation will close on Sunday 28 February 2021.

An online discussion is taking place tomorrow to explore the government's plans to reform public procurement rules, following the country's exit from the European Union (EU).

Join Children England, Clinks, Locality, NAVCA, NCVO and Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales to talk about how we can ensure that the government's new approach to procurement works for charities and those they support.

Anyone working in or with charities involved in public service delivery is invited to attend this free online event tomorrow (25 February), from 2.30pm-4pm. Registration is required, please book here.

You can find out more about the government's open consultation on transforming public procurement here, where you can access the Procurement Green Paper.

The consultation closes at 11.45pm on 10 March 2021.

Share your thoughts

NCVO is responding to the Green Paper, along with other sector partners including NAVCA, and would like charities that have thoughts on the government's plan to feed into the collective response, please email paul.winyard@ncvo.org.uk

A statutory inquiry into racial inequality in health and social care workplaces has been launched by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The inquiry wants to understand the experiences of ethnic minority people working on the frontline in lower-paid roles, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the evidence found, the Commission will make recommendations aimed at employers, governments and other agencies to improve conditions for ethnic minority workers.

The government has launched a survey to inform its National Strategy for Disabled People. The government is keen to hear from as many people as possible but is particularly keen to hear from disabled people, their carers, friends and family.

The survey is available to access in a variety of formats including Easy Read and British Sign Language. A braille version is also available on request and blind or partially sighted people who are having difficulty filling in the online survey can email RNIB for advice or support at campaigns@rnib.org.uk

The survey will remain open until 23 April 2021, responses received before 28 February 2021 will inform the development of the National Strategy, while those received after this date will be used to inform its delivery.