We're ready to report on the proposed recommendations for future grant funding and we invite your feedback.

Locality UK was commissioned by Nottingham City Council to undertake research on their behalf to explore new models and priorities for voluntary and community sector grant funding currently provided by Nottingham City Council. Locality UK is leading on this work, with partnership support from NCVS.

The aim was to ensure that grants are responsive to the current context of the cost of living crisis and pressures on social care for 2023/24, and that time and creativity for a future model from 2024/25 can be developed.

After extensive consultation earlier in the year through a series of events, a survey, stakeholder interviews and research from other areas, a number of recommendations have emerged.

If you took part in any of the above activities, now is your chance to find out how your input has shaped the recommendations. If you didn’t have the opportunity to take part previously there is still a chance to have your say.

Two in-person events are being organised, so please be sure to join us to hear the recommendations and next steps for potential implementation. 

It helps with our event planning to know who would like to attend. Please register using the links below.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 from 10am to 12 noon at New Art Exchange (NAE), 39-41 Gregory Boulevard NG7 6BE - register your place here.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm at Queens Walk Community Centre NG2 2DF - register your place here.

If you have questions about practical arrangements for these events, please email ncvs@nottinghamcvs.co.uk.

If you have questions about the research and its recommendations, please email Louise Graham, Nottingham City Council Voluntary and Community Sector Partnerships Manager: louise.graham@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.

Please note that the deadline for applications has been extended by one week. Applications are now being accepted up to 5pm on Monday 9 October 2023.

One Nottingham is recruiting a Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Representative, together with up to three substitutes, to join the One Nottingham Board.

The One Nottingham Board is the strategic partnership for Nottingham. It is a voluntary partnership and is made up of private, public, faith and voluntary and community sector representatives. Its aim is to work together to champion Nottingham and improve the city through collaboration, taking a shared approach to tackling disadvantage and addressing the city’s key priorities.

Can you connect Nottingham’s strategic decision-makers with local communities and voluntary organisations in the city, and be a strong voice for our sector?

This week, we were delighted to hear from Empowerment for Heya who won the BBC Radio Nottingham Make a Difference Award in the 'Together' category at the annual awards ceremony on Friday 22 September 2023.

Empowerment for Heya supports Arab women who have recently moved to the city or come to the city as refugees or asylum seekers. 'Heya' means 'she' in Arabic.

Group organisers have shared with us what the award means:

We are deeply honoured to receive the BBC Make a Difference Award alongside these remarkable Arab women. Together, we've proven that when we come together with passion and purpose, we can create positive change that ripples through our communities and beyond. This recognition is a testament to the power of unity, resilience, and the belief that every one of us can make a meaningful difference in the world.

Let this award inspire us to continue our journey of empowerment and transformation, not just for ourselves but for the countless lives we touch along the way. Together, we can truly change the world for the better.

NCVS is proud of you, and humbled to have had the opportunity to watch and support the group's development from early beginnings, and onwards, through your journey of empowerment.

We also send our congratulations and thanks to winners and finalists in all the Make a Difference Award categories this year. We know how important everyone's contribution is as we seek to strengthen our local communities.

"Inside out: portraits of emotional resilience" is an artistic exploration of living with mental health challenges in Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

We first reported on the initiative in our NCVS e-bulletin dated 16 March 2023, and we're pleased to let you know that the exhibition is about to launch. Portraits can already be viewed online, while a physical exhibition is due to open next month.

The project is a collaboration between Andy Farr (a painter and storyteller drawn toward telling stories that often go untold), the University of Nottingham (Dr Helen Frost at UoN), NCVS, and NHS Talking Therapies, with support from the Indian Community Centre Association (ICCA) and City Arts.

The initiative developed out of an NHS and NCVS project to raise awareness of mental health in Nottingham BAME communities, and better promote access to NHS Talking Therapies.

We will be sharing further promotional materials soon. Here is advance notice of the exhibition dates.

The original paintings can be seen at two exhibitions in Nottingham.

• Indian Community Centre Association (ICCA), 99 Hucknall Road NG5 1QZ
  From Friday 13 October to Monday 23 October 2023
  
  
• University of Nottingham in the Monica Partridge Building, University Park NG7 2BF
  From Wednesday 25 October to Thursday 30 November 2023.
  

Earlier this month, a quarterly networking event took place, bringing together Community Champions and health and wellbeing partners from across the city.

Nottingham’s Community Champions are a group of volunteers who are trusted voices from Nottingham’s diverse community. The Community Champions programme was first established in 2021, led by Nottingham City Council, to help support the Covid vaccination programme. Volunteers continue to provide support within the community to identify concerns and provide relevant information around health and wellbeing.

NCVS has supported the programme with volunteering best practice and training, to help equip the Community Champions with the skills and knowledge they need.

NCVS team members attended the recent event to listen to the experiences of Community Champions as well as to share our learning around "Buddies". A Buddy is a specially trained volunteer who helps a person, on a one to one basis or as part of a small group, to overcome barriers to taking part in activities they want to do.

Our Health and Wellbeing Programme Manager, Amanda Chambers, introduced the various health and wellbeing pilot projects that NCVS is involved with. From our GreenSpace project to the latest Heritage Buddies pilot, these initiatives present an opportunity for Nottingham Community Champions.

Community Champions could begin to support individuals to access nature / heritage / walking and cycling opportunities to positively benefit their health and wellbeing by becoming a Nature, Heritage or Travel Well Buddy - or a combination of these.

By overcoming barriers to accessing activities, with support from a Buddy, people can improve their mental and physical health, boost their sense of enjoyment and their quality of life.

Following a consultation earlier this year, the Charity Commission has published its first-ever guidance on charities’ use of social media.

The Commission has listened to concerns and feedback on the original proposals which had implied that trustees would need to monitor the personal social media accounts of charity employees and volunteers.

The final guidance is welcomed by the sector for its clear approach. It says that charity trustees and employees “have the right to exercise their freedom of expression” through social media on personal accounts, and that the Commission does not expect individuals’ accounts to be monitored. This includes personally supporting a particular political party or, during an election, a particular candidate, something a charity cannot do.

The guidance also clearly reiterates the legitimate role of charities to campaign if it is in the interests of meeting their charitable objectives.

However, it says that trustees should consider action if they become aware of a social media post by an individual linked to their organisation “having a negative effect on the charity” and ensure that guidelines are in place to manage risks.

As we look towards Trustees' Week (6 - 10 November 2023), the Charity Commission has launched a quiz which you can share with your trustees to test their knowledge. Or try it yourself, even if you aren't a trustee. It pays for everyone involved with the daily operations of a charity to understand the responsibilities of your Trustee Board.

It's anonymous, no scores are recorded, and a bit of fun as well as being very useful.

(Hint: if it looks like your trustees could do with refreshing their knowledge, our NCVS training courses can help.)

Deadline for applications: 4pm on Wednesday 11 October 2023

Rosa is offering one-year grants of up to £7,000 to women’s and girls’ organisations to support their campaigning and influencing work. Applicants must be a not-for-profit organisations, have an appropriate safeguarding policy and written governing document and have a UK-based bank or building society account.

Organisations looking to apply must also have been active for a year and be able to produce a year’s worth of annual accounts. They must not have received a Voices from the Frontline grant from Rosa in 2022.

A quick reminder that the deadline for applications to the Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund (managed by The National Lottery Community Fund) is 12 noon on Monday 16 October 2023.

The main priority is to fund organisations supporting low-income households and individuals. You can apply for between £10,000 and £75,000.

This programme supports individuals, rather than organisations, but could benefit some of your service users.

SWEF awards grants of up to £2,000 to young people (aged 18 to 30) in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County who need support with a business investment that will transform their business that they would otherwise not be able to afford. It is particularly targeted at those who are not in education, employment or training.

Applications are considered on an ongoing basis and should be submitted by the 7th of each month.

Nottinghamshire Community Foundation manages this grant programme. Full eligibility criteria is on their website.

NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, Dave Thomas, writes:

Volunteers really can do anything! Every day, in organisations and groups across Nottingham, volunteers are stepping up to tackle a myriad of different challenges. The most effective volunteers also have good leadership. That’s where Leaders of Volunteers come in.

We might call them Volunteer Managers, Volunteer Coordinators or Volunteer Supervisors – or they could have “supporting volunteers” bolted on to the end of another job title. They could be paid workers, but many are volunteers themselves. They all provide the vital support, engagement and, yes, leadership for volunteers in their organisations.

I know of Leaders of Volunteers who go way beyond recruitment, training and supervision into areas of emotional and personal support. Leaders of Volunteers put tremendous effort into recognition and reward for volunteers. The success of Volunteers' Week events proves this.

Leaders of Volunteers are as amazing and multi-skilled as the volunteers that they lead. But as a voluntary sector, we give far more attention to volunteers than to those who lead them.

Did you know there is an International Volunteer Managers Day?

The day is currently celebrated on 5 November each year and the theme for 2023 is "Helping others help". Here's the timeline behind this day of recognition:

• Back in 1999, International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMDay) was founded and observed for the first time. The push for IVMDay was led by American Nan Hawthorn who helped form a committee to explore a day recognising the work of Volunteer Managers. IVMDay was developed in order to bring recognition to individual Managers of Volunteers and their roles in the mobilisation and support of the world’s volunteers.
• Up until 2005, IVMDay shared its day of celebration with International Volunteers Day on 5 December.
• In 2006, the IVMDay International Supporters Group was formed. This group of key leaders and organisations from around the world helps to spread the word about IVMDay.
• IVMDay moved to its own day in 2006 and was celebrated initially on 1 November. A clash with key dates in Europe saw a final shift to the day’s current date of 5 November in 2008.

How will you celebrate?

At the next online Leaders of Volunteers Network (LovN) meeting on Wednesday 25 October,  we'll take some time to celebrate ourselves and our own achievements. Email davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk with your ideas.

You are warmly invited to join volunteers and organisations working in the south of the city on Saturday 7 October 2023 between 11am and 2pm at the Victoria Embankment Memorial Gardens.

We are holding a celebration and promotion of volunteering where you can network with organisations, learn about volunteer opportunities. and enjoy some fun down by the river.

If you know someone who is thinking of volunteering and isn't quite sure where to start, there will be plenty of ideas and guidance on offer, so please encourage them to come along. All are welcome. 

Tuesday 10 October 2023, 2pm to 3pm
Online via Zoom, free to attend

Help relaunch Nottingham Communications Group (NCG), a network for people working in the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in Nottingham who have the responsibility for communications in their organisation.

There is still time to register to join us.

These events are organised by The Nottingham City Mental Health Collaborative which is part of the Nottingham City Place Based Partnership (PBP). The PBP brings together all the organisations that can influence health and wellbeing in the city to support the needs of the people who live here.

More information about the Mental Health Collaborative and how to join it will be available at each of the events.

Physical and Mental Health (with marketplace)
Tuesday 17 October, 9.30am to 1pm, free to attend
Notts County Football Club, Meadow Lane Stadium NG2 3HJ

Register via Eventbrite

This event is to understand the impact that lived experiences of mental health have on physical health. It is for anyone who lives or works in Nottingham City who would like to share their own lived experience or that of a family member or someone they care for. Experiences from community leaders or people who work in organisations that work closely with local people such as people who work in voluntary organisations, mental health or care services are also welcome.

There will be an information marketplace for anyone who would like to learn more about services and support available in the city for both mental and physical health. Feel free to drop in from 11.30am to browse the stalls and meet the people that provide the services.


Workplace Wellbeing
Thursday 23 November 2023, 12.30pm to 2.30pm, free to attend
Antenna Nottingham, 9A Beck Street NG1 1EQ

Register via Eventbrite

This event is for anyone who works in Nottingham City and would like to share their experiences of mental health and wellbeing at work. The aim is to learn about the extent to which mental heath is a priority for employers, whether the culture around mental health is open and supportive in the workplace, and the availability / provision of information and/or resources provided at work for mental health and wellbeing.

Information collected will help to inform the development of a workplace mental wellbeing intervention for Nottingham City employers, led by Public Health at Nottingham City Council.

Thursday 5 October 2023, 12.30pm to 3.30pm
Albert Hall, North Circus Street, Nottingham NG1 5AA
Free to attend

The Good Childhood Report has mapped trends in children and young people’s wellbeing since 2009. The report is the most comprehensive measure of their wellbeing in the UK, serving as one of the biggest indicators into the lives of children and young people, and how they feel and are coping in today’s society.

Join the research team from The Children's Society to hear the results of the 2023 survey. Young people who took part will be sharing their experiences. There will also be time to network with other professionals working with children and young people.

Please email Bal Thiara with any questions: bal.thiara@childrenssociety.org.uk.

Ubuntu Speakers is a new after-work not-for-profit Public Speaking Club starting from October 2023 onwards.

All are welcome to attend two demonstration meetings free of charge. Ubuntu Speakers will then operate as a membership club - one of many Toastmasters clubs around the globe.

The aim is to provide a safe environment where people can build their confidence through continuous practice and peer-to-peer feedback. All who commit to becoming a member will continue to benefit from opportunities to practice both planned and impromptu speaking, learn to be confident event hosts, and build agility and adaptability in their communication.

You need to reserve a space. Please register if you are interested in attending one of these dates:

Tuesday 3 October 2023 from 5.45pm at St Barnabas Church Hall, Derby Road, Lenton Abbey NG9 2SN - register here.

Tuesday 17 October 2023 from 5:45pm at St Barnabas Church Hall, Derby Road, Lenton Abbey NG9 2SN - register here.

If you have any questions, please email ubuntuspeakers.notts@gmail.com.

Monday 2 October to Friday 6 October 2023

Charity Finance Week returns this October with a series of events and thought leadership initiatives. It is an opportunity to focus on the challenges charities face, showcase their successes and consider their impact.

A free event during the week is a webinar titled "Achieving financial sustainability by measuring what really matters – an introduction to outcome metrics".

A National Lottery Community Fund event
Monday 9 October 2023, 2pm to 3pm
Online event, free to attend

Hear how Action for Children and other National Lottery funded organisations are establishing trusting relationships with young people and how these approaches could work in other areas.

The Festival of Trusteeship 2023 is organised by Getting On Board and takes place from Monday 6 November to Friday 10 November in conjunction with Trustees' Week.

It aims to bring together trustees, aspiring trustees, charity staff and governance specialists to take time to consider, reflect, plan and action all things trusteeship and governance.

All sessions designed for aspiring trustees are free. All other sessions are £5 to attend. There is also a weekly pass costing £25 which gives access to all sessions.

If you're quick, you can purchase an early bird weekly pass for £20. Get it here before 1 October.

See all of the events happening during the Festival of Trusteeship 2023 and book via Eventbrite.

Wednesday 11 October 2023, 10am to 12.30pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of adults and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 24 October 2023, 10.30am to 1pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities in the safeguarding of children and young people and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 29 November 2023, 10am to 12.30pm

An online course giving a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Lead Person.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 15 November 2023, 10.30am to 12 noon

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

Cost: £15 per participant

Monday 9 October 2023, 11am to 1pm

This two-hour online session covers the basic information for all trustees, whether you are new to the role or long-established.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 19 October 2023, 10am to 12.15pm

A new interactive hands-on workshop for organisations and community groups who want to practice their skills and would welcome constructive feedback to further develop their skills in writing successful funding applications.
Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 10 October 2023, 10.30am to 12.30pm

Do you manage a space, office or building? This new two-hour online session will take your Fire Wardens and/or Fire Marshal through the basics. As a result, they will be better equipped to carry out these very important roles.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 7 November 2023, 6.30pm to 8.30pm

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

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 16 January 2024, 10.30am to 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 11 October 2023, 6pm to 8pm

This new two-hour online session will explain the basics of health and safety, then take you through the process of carrying out a risk assessment in an organisational environment.

Cost: £20 per participant

Monday 8 January 2024, 10.30am to 12.30pm

What is the right structure for your organisation? This two-hour online session will explain your options and provide you with some useful tips to help you through the process of registration and beyond.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 14 November 2023, 1pm to 2.15pm

For organisations and community groups who are new to applying for funding, or for those in need of a refresher. Relevant for groups applying for cost of living funding and recovery support as well as other general funding.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 22 November 2023, 10am to 11am

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.

Cost: £10 per participant

Thursday 9 November 2023, 10am to 11am

This one-hour 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

Thursday 5 October 2023, 10am to 11am

This one-hour online session looks at methods that have proved to be effective in volunteer leadership, including the best ways to plan, involve, support and retain volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Wednesday 21 February 2024, 10am to 12 noon

For some time, we’ve been asked about training that goes beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers. In this new two-hour online session, we’ll explore some of the real-life issues that you are facing.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 8 February 2024, 10am to 12 noon

A two-hour online course for Leaders of Volunteers to start to develop an understanding of some of the legal requirements that relate to your volunteering programme.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 17 October 2023, 10am to 11am

A 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 severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD). This is understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues.

Contact Katie Hall, our PDU Programme Manager, for more information: enquiries@pdunottingham.org

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Wednesday 4 October 2023, 10am to 11am
Online via Zoom

In this session we will explore the topic of gambling related harm in relation to it’s impact on Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee/Asylum Seeker (BAMER) communities. We will discuss why a culturally responsive approach is needed to tackling problem gambling and addiction, what support is available and how to develop cultural responsiveness within your practice.

All sessions take place online via Zoom

Working with Autistic Adults Community of Practice
Thursday 5 October 2023, 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Theme: bereavement and coping strategies for neurodivergent individuals

This session is part of our Working with Autistic Adults Community of Practice, a quarterly forum for professionals, volunteers and people with lived experience, who have a commitment to working more effectively to meet the needs of autistic clients, to come together to learn collaboratively and share best practice and expertise. To promote continuity and maximum learning, we encourage participants to try to attend all sessions.

Register here

Co-Production Community of Practice
Wednesday 18 October 2023, 10am to 12 noon

Theme: Tools for Co-Production

This session is part of an ongoing community of practice that meets quarterly to support those with an interest in co-production. To promote continuity and maximum learning, we encourage participants to try to attend all sessions but are happy for new members to join our group. We deliver this Community of Practice in partnership with Framework and Nottingham Changing Futures.

Register here

Employability and Skills Community of Practice
Tuesday 10 October 2023, 10am to 12 noon

This is a bi monthly forum where people come together to learn about employability and skills in the context of severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD). It explores ways we can work with people to build on their strengths and interests and empower people through employment and learning opportunities to support their recovery and resettlement. It considers how staff and volunteers can build employability and strength-based working into their roles and organisational policies.

Email enquiries@pdunottingham.org for more details about joining.

Working Residents Community of Practice
Tuesday 24 October 2023, 10am to 12 noon

This group is for individuals with lived experience of living in supported housing and staff working in supported accommodation settings. It is also open to people working to support people in supported housing to access training and employment, whether in specialist roles or as employers.

Email enquiries@pdunottingham.org for more details about joining.

Thursday 12 October 2023
Full day in-person workshop, venue to be confirmed
Free to anyone employed by a VCSE organisation within Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire

In collaboration with Nottingham Trent University, Bassetlaw CVS is facilitating fully-funded training for VCSE employees wishing to upskill their knowledge on sustainability and inclusion leadership. The course content has been specifically tailored to address challenges within the sector.

As a result of completing the course, you will:

• Understand why social and environmental challenges are important for VCSE organisations and the connections between social and environmental solutions.
• Be able to calculate the carbon impact of your personal and business practices.
• Be able to identify solutions with the highest impact: in your personal life and in your role at work.
• Understand approaches and methods to reduce your personal and business emissions.
• Develop an action plan to support your sustainability and inclusivity transformation.
• Know how to apply the concepts of sustainability, leadership, and the SDGs to your role at work.
• Develop a better understanding of your own personal values and ethical decision-making for responsible leadership.

Register your interest in attending using this form (select Cohort Four).

If you have any questions about the venue and timings, please call Bassetlaw CVS on 01909 476 118 or email bcvs@bcvs.org.uk.

Free training for early years providers

Research shows that children 0-5 years can be significantly impacted by living in a household where domestic abuse is present.

Research also suggests early intervention and the right support at the right time can significantly improve a child's outcomes later in life.

Early years settings are integral to creating this significant change to children’s lives. Child minders and staff teams in early years settings are in the unique position of having daily contact with children and can play a vital role in identifying and enabling children living with domestic abuse to access support.

Equation wants to ensure more children have access to the right support throughout Nottinghamshire.

Their free training package is available from October 2023 to June 2024 at a time or place to suit your setting. This could be online or face to face,

Email sue@equation.org.uk if you are interested in taking part in this project.

HelpFilm works with professional filmmakers and video producers to create free or low-cost films for small and medium sized charities across a broad range of causes.

Any registered charity with an income under £1 million can request HelpFilm's services by completing an online referral form. Shortlisted organisations will then meet with members of the HelpFilm team before a film is agreed.

You can find out more information using the following links:

Information about the referral process

The portfolio of films made so far

Frequently asked questions

Nottingham City Council is encouraging all eligible citizens to register to vote. By registering and using your vote at future elections, you can have your voice heard.

Electoral Commission research has found that, nationally, a lower percentage of people from Black Asian or other Ethnic Minority backgrounds are registered to vote, than the percentage of White people who are registered.

Nottingham is a diverse city and proud of its cultural diversity, with 56% of elected city councillors being from Black, Asian or other Ethnic Minority backgrounds.

Please support all of your service users by sharing information about how to register and the value of engaging with the political process in positive debate.

Anyone who is not already registered and is a British, Irish, Commonwealth or EU citizen and over 16 years old, should visit www.gov.uk/registertovote or call 0115 876 4111 to register. You will be asked for your National Insurance number (but you can still register if you do not have one).

Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations in England have joined together to campaign for change.

The DPO Forum invites Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations, run by and for Deaf and Disabled People, to sign up to the Manifesto. You can also take action as an individual by asking your local MP to pledge support for the Disabled People's Manifesto.

The Manifesto urges the next UK Government to institute a radical reform programme, to tackle disablist policy making and systemic oppression and injustice, to create a society where everyone has equal life chances and is valued and treated equally.

The National Youth Agency (NYA) has opened the Census for a 2023 update.

The National Youth Sector Census helps make a case for investment in youth work nationally. The latest NYA census snapshot report reveals useful trends across the youth sector to support funding and commissioning decisions.

Are you in the picture?

The NYA is urging all those who commission or deliver youth work to complete their return to ensure that an accurate picture is available.

The Census has been running for three years and has been commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to help inform policy making, but taking part in the Census also brings other benefits to those who complete it, such as:

• Building greater understanding of your work amongst policy-makers and funders.
• Being more visible to commissioners and potential partners.
• By registering on the Youth Work One platform you will have access to a wide range of sector resources and a peer forum.

Consultation closes at 11.59pm on Saturday 18 November 2023

This consultation led by the Department of Health and Social Care seeks views on the proposal to remove the statutory requirement for a full employment history when appointing volunteers in health and care settings.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, where a service provider employs or appoints a person, including volunteers, for the purposes of carrying on a regulated activity, the service provider must obtain certain information from that person, so that it can be made available to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

This consultation considers the option of removing the requirement to obtain the full employment history with respect to volunteers. The proposals suggest that the full employment history serves little purpose for the majority of volunteering roles and is disproportionate to an assessment of a candidate’s suitability to volunteer. Removal of the statutory requirement may improve the volunteer experience and increase the diversity of volunteers.

This is an open consultation that anyone can respond to. Views are especially welcome from Leaders of Volunteers, VCSE organisations, and volunteers.

If you'd like to talk through any comments or experiences to help you respond to these proposals, our NCVS Volunteering Development Officer, Dave Thomas, is happy to hear from you. Email davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Survey closes at 5pm on Friday 3 November 2023

Over the past five years, the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) has worked with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and many other organisations to develop a vision for how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) can contribute to economic recovery and tackling regional inequality.

NCVO is now surveying frontline organisations with the aim of better understanding experiences with the ‘People and Skills’ investment strand of the fund, both in terms of application and delivery.

If you have engaged with Nottingham City's (or any other Lead Authority's) UKSPF investment programme, you may wish to share your views. You will be able to select Nottingham as the Lead Authority (from a long list).

The survey opened on Thursday 7 September 2023 and will remain open for six weeks (until mid-October).

Women in England are being encouraged to help shape reproductive health policy by sharing their experiences, as the government launches a landmark survey. It seeks views on issues including periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and the menopause.

This survey is interested in the experiences of women, and those who were described as female at birth who are trans or non-binary, are aged 16-55, and who live in England. The findings will inform government decision-making and policy.

The survey is being conducted by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.