NCVS e-bulletin - Thursday 21 March 2024

The Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS) e-bulletin will be back in a fortnight. The deadline for contributions and comments is Tuesday 2 April 2024. Email communications@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Did you know we keep an archive of past NCVS e-bulletins?. View the archive here.

We are recruiting for three new roles.

Social Enterprise Development Coordinator
We are recruiting a Social Enterprise Development Coordinator to help deliver the
Thriving Nottingham: Growing the Local Social Economy Programme in partnership
with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) VCSE Data and Insights Observatory. This
exciting new programme is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

• Hours: Part time, 28 hours per week (12 month fixed term contract).
• Salary: £26,945 to £29,945 per annum pro rata (£21,556 to £23,956 actual salary).
• Closing date: Monday 8 April 2024, 12 noon.

Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator
We are recruiting a Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator to
help deliver a support and engagement programme in partnership with Gedling
Borough Council. This exciting new programme is funded by the UK Shared
Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

• Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week (Fixed Term for 12 months with possible extension subject to funding).
• Salary: £26,945 to £29,945 per annum.
• Closing date: Monday 15 April 2024, 12 noon.

Practice Development Unit (PDU) Events Coordinator
We are looking for an individual who can support the development and growth of the Practice Development Unit (PDU) so its learning offer can engage with and reach a broad cross-sector audience, in close collaboration with voluntary and statutory sector partners. NCVS has hosted the PDU in partnership since 2017, originally with Opportunity Nottingham and since 2022 with Nottingham Changing Futures.

• Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week (Initially for 12 months with a possible extension dependent on funding).
• Salary: £26,945 to £29,945 per annum.
• Closing date: Monday 15 April 2024, 12 noon.

We are deeply saddened to let you know of the sudden passing of Neana Lawson earlier this month. Neana was a loyal NCVS volunteer for more than 10 years, guiding many on their volunteering journeys. If you had ever dropped in to the Volunteer Centre on Mansfield Road, you would have surely been greeted by Neana’s warm smile and keen wit!

Neana was also a tireless campaigner for disability rights, especially around transport. She was responsible for changing custom and practice within the Community Transport and EasyLink services.

But her volunteering didn’t stop with us. Neana was Secretary for the Nottinghamshire Disabled People’s Movement as well as a volunteer with Disability Support for over 10 years.

Disability Support CEO Charlotte Throssel recalls meeting Neana over 15 years ago as part of a steering group that set up a Pan Disability support service for Nottingham. Charlotte goes on to say, 'Neana was an amazing part of the team who showed kindness and dedication to everyone who called, needing our help. Neana will be greatly missed, and we would like her family and friends to know that every life that Neana touched is better off for having had her support.'

We would like to offer our deepest condolences to Neana’s family and friends at this most difficult time.

Wednesday 20 March 2024 marked the launch of the first East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). The EMCCA includes the four leaders and deputy leaders of Derbyshire, Derby, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham and will enable the combined counties to access £4 billion in funding to cover core costs and specific initiatives.

The leaders met to discuss plans to improve the economy, housing, and green spaces. Part of this work will involve electing a new mayor, and residents are reminded to register to vote before the election on Thursday 2 May 2024.

Travel Well aims to help residents become more active by encouraging and enabling walking. A barrier to becoming more active through walking may be knowing where you can stop and rest.

To overcome this, Travel Well has created a map of benches located on various walks throughout Nottingham City. The map is available on the Transport Nottingham website and you can add any missing bench locations by clicking here and filling out the form.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 7 April 2024, 11.59pm

The Impetus Youth Employment fund has unrestricted grants of up to £100,000 available for organisations that support young people, particularly those from ethnic minority or socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, to find work or develop work-related skills.

To receive funding, organisations must:

• Be a UK-registered charity or social enterprise.
• Deliver all or most of its work within England and Wales.
• Have young people (aged fourteen to twenty-five) from socio-economically disadvantaged or ethnic minority backgrounds make up at least 50% of its service users. 
• Have at least five members of staff.
• Have work that targets employment or employment-related outcomes for young people.
• Have at least broke-even in two of the past three years, or must hold at least two months of operating costs in reserves.

Click here to view the eligibility form, this must be completed to access the application form.

Deadline for applications is Sunday 31 March 2024, 5pm.

The EMA Community Fund has ring-fenced funding for an ‘Eco-Garden Fund’. Grants of up to £10,000 are available for schools, charities, and other not-for-profit organisations within the EMA area of benefit looking to turn their Eco-Garden dream into a reality.

Successful applications will incorporate clever and innovative ways to make a space more environmentally friendly and provide lasting benefits to communities.

Click here for more information and to apply. Or for further support, contact the team at community@eastmidlandsairport.com or call Colleen Hempson on 01332 818414.

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers.

Measuring the impact of involving volunteers can be crucial for understanding the effectiveness of their contributions and ensuring that their efforts align with organisational goals.

Read more on Dave's ten steps for measuring volunteer impact, including:

1. Define objectives and outcomes
2. Identify outputs: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
3. Baseline measurement
4. Regular reporting
5. Surveys and feedback
6. Counting numbers
7. Telling stories
8. Evaluate cost
9. Benchmarking
10. Continuous improvement 

Tuesday 30 April 2024, time tbc
Online via LinkedIn Live – participants are asked to follow the LinkedIn page to gain access

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) supports employers in making safer recruitment decisions by processing and issuing criminal record checks and by maintaining the Adults’ and Children’s Barred Lists.

The DBS Spring Conference 2024 is free to attend and will host a range of webinars tailored to support individuals and organisations across a variety of sectors. Each webinar will be hosted by specialists in their area, and following each webinar, there will be an opportunity for everyone to participate in a live Q&A session. The webinars will include subjects such as digital DBS - embracing technology to enhance our services, transferable harm and reporting to DBS, and myth-busting the DBS check process.

To keep up to date with announcements and timings for the day, participants are asked to follow the DBS Spring Conference 2024 LinkedIn page and to turn on notifications.

If you are unable to join the conference on the day, the sessions will be available after the conference via the conference LinkedIn page and will be released separately for non-LinkedIn users.

For any queries, please email the team at DBSEngagement@dbs.gov.uk

Saturday 20 April 2024, 10am to 4pm
The Place Activity Centre, 2a Melrose Street, NG5 2JP

Join the Place Activity Centre for a day of community activities, including live music and performances, the chance to donate and exchange household items at the Sherwood Exchange, taster sessions, and a talk about gardening and eco-sustainability with The Apollo Phoenix. Come along to find out more about The Place Activity Centre events and room hire, and even sign up to become a member. Refreshments of tea and coffee will be provided.

More event listings on our website

Head over to the dedicated 'External Events and Training' page on our website to view more events and training opportunities from Nottingham's Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.

If you would like to submit an event to feature on this page, please fill in our online event submission form. Events will be approved for publication on the NCVS website at our discretion, taking into account our aims and mission.

Our full Training and Development programme is available to view on our website. All courses take place online via Zoom.

We have new sessions and new dates for 2024/2025. Book now.

Thursday 11 April 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities in safeguarding adults and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 24 April 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children and young people and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the role and responsibilities of a Designated Safeguarding Lead Person for an organisation working with vulnerable children and young people.

Cost: £25 per participant

Tuesday 14 May 2024, 6pm to 7.15pm

This online training explains your safeguarding responsibilities as a trustee for an organisation working with vulnerable adults or children and young people.

Cost: £15 per participant

Wednesday 17 April 2024, 10am to 12 noon

This online training covers the basic information that all trustees should know.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 15 May and Wednesday 22 May 2024, 10,30am to 12.30pm

This online training, delivered across two (two-hour) sessions, will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become the meeting chairperson you want to be. Your booking will automatically register you for both sessions on 15 and 22 May 2024.

Cost: £40 per participant

Tuesday 21 May 2024, 10am to 12.30pm

This online training will give you the opportunity to practice your skills and receive supportive and constructive feedback, helping you to develop your ability to write successful funding applications further.
Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 19 June, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This online training takes you through the basics of being a Fire Warden/Fire Marshal and will prepare you to carry out this very important role.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 4 June 2024, 6pm to 8pm

Learn the basics of taking effective minutes in this online training – and make note taking easy.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 11 June 2024, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This online training will teach you the basics of health and safety, and explain the process of carrying out a risk assessment in your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 4 June 2024, 10am to 11.30am

Learn our top tips for writing funding applications for your organisation or community group in this online training.

Cost: £10 per participant

Tuesday 9 April 2024, 6pm to 8pm

This online training will refresh your knowledge as a trustee, update you on current issues, improve your personal skill set and help you develop your role for the benefit of your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 28 March 2024, 10am to 11am

Identify barriers to volunteering and develop ideas to minimise and remove them during this training, to ensure your organisation isn’t missing out on great volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Thursday 23 May 2024, 10am to 12 noon

This online training, previously called “How to be a Better Leader of Volunteers”, takes you beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers and will explore some of the real-life issues that you’re facing as a Leader of Volunteers.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 12 June 2024, 10am to 12 noon

This online training takes you beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers and will challenge you to consider the difference that volunteers make to your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 23 April 2024, 10am to 12 noon

In any group of volunteers, there’ll be occasional disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts. Although these are hopefully rare events, this updated, online training will prepare you for when they occur.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 2 July 2024, 10am to 11am

Start your journey into the exciting and rewarding world of volunteer leadership with this online training that explores the volunteer journey from start to finish.

Cost: £10 per participant

Thursday 9 May 2024, 10am to 12 noon

Although the law has little to say about volunteers and volunteering, what it does say is important. This online training will help you develop an understanding of some of the legal requirements that relate to your volunteering programme.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 10 April 2024, 10am to 11am

Are your volunteer opportunities struggling to attract people, or people with the right interests and skills for your organisation? This online training will teach you how to enhance your volunteer role descriptions and make them stand out.

Cost: £10 per participant

The Practice Development Unit (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.

Thursday 18 April 2024, 10am to 12 noon

An online forum for professionals, volunteers and people with lived experience to consider ways for services to more effectively meet the needs of their neurodiverse clients. While not considered a core tenet of severe multiple disadvantage (SMD), a significant percentage of beneficiaries supported across the Changing Futures programme are neurodivergent.

The theme for this session is 'Navigating Vulnerability: Understanding the Increased Risks for Neurodivergent Individuals'.

Wednesday 24 April 2024, 10am to 12 noon

An online forum for professionals, volunteers and people with lived experience who are passionate or curious about co-production, to come together to learn and share expertise.

The theme for this session is 'Remuneration, Reward, Recognition'.

Deadline for submissions of interest is Thursday 28 March 2024
Training will be delivered online

The Nottingham City Severe and Multiple Disadvantage (SMD) Partnership, in collaboration with The Loss Foundation, is providing two ‘train the trainer’ workshops to upskill the workforce's response to grief and traumatic loss

• How to support those who are grieving - with a general focus on grief.
• Working therapeutically with grief - with a focus on prolonged or traumatic grief and how to use an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach.

Sessions will be three hours long and delivered online; places are limited to 20 per workshop. They are keen for a wide range of organisations to benefit from this project, and applicants must be from organisations that deliver services within Nottingham City and have an interest in supporting people who experience SMD.

The training is free and fully funded by Changing Futures, Framework, and Nottingham City Council; however, participants are expected to deliver at least one workshop per year for the Practice Development Unit (PDU). To aid with this, ongoing support and evaluation will be provided by clinical psychologists.

To apply, organisations are asked to submit a short expression of interest form before Thursday 28 March 2024.

A briefing pack has been created as well as a poster to share with any interested networks.

If you have any questions about this training, please contact Anna Tickle (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) at anna.tickle@frameworkha.org or Katie Hall (PDU Programme Manager) at katieh@nottinghamcvs.co.uk.

Thursday 25 April 2024, 10am to 11.30am
Online via Zoom

Join Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) for a free webinar on Improving Access to Diverse Communities from an Early Years Lens and learn how the SSBC programme working in diverse, higher-need areas of Nottingham has recognised local strengths and hear the commitment to change to enable greater equity in the early years.

The webinar is open to all and will cover learning from the SSBC team, SSBC parents, and award-winning commissioned partners, Nottinghamshire Health Care Trust, Early Years Speech and Language Team, and Shifting Your Mindset before closing with time for questions and answers. 

If you are a VCSE organisation in Nottingham City or a VCSE organisation recruiting to a job role which covers the Nottingham City area, you can submit a job advert for our website. Adverts remain on our website until the closing date. We feature new adverts once in the e-bulletin, where possible, depending on the volume of new adverts received.

There are lots more job listings on our website. You can view all the job vacancies available by clicking on the 'More Vacancies' button at the bottom of this section.

The Gendered Lens Framework for Homelessness Services is a recently launched service from Homeless Link to support homelessness services to respond effectively to women experiencing homelessness.

Women experience homelessness differently than men, and the Gendered Lens Framework aims to communicate what has been learned from women with lived experience. It includes seven approaches to service design and delivery:

• Co-production
• Valuing relationships
• Working together
• Intersectional
• Actively inclusive
• Trauma-informed
• Safer spaces

Homeless Link has also uploaded some bite-sized videos exploring different topics covered in the Framework. 

Nominations close on Monday 25 March 2024

The Jamie Marshall Award recognises the outstanding contributions of students from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) active in programmes run by the Centre for Student and Community Engagement (CenSCE). 

NTU are asking for organisations to nominate NTU students who volunteer with them and best represent Jamie's characteristics of kindness, resilience, supportive nature and sense of fun.

Read more about the Jamie Marshall Award, as well as past winners here.

Deadline for applications is Wednesday 3 April 2024

The University of Nottingham is opening its internship scheme for summer 2024. Organisations can benefit from fresh ideas, up-to-date skills and experience, and increased capacity for short-term projects.

To be eligible, organisations must have:

• The ability to support the intern to work effectively.
• Employer and public liability insurance.
• A written Health and Safety policy.
• A registered office, separate from any residential address (unless posting a remote internship).

Registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, and social enterprises, as well as private sector businesses are eligible. Organisations can host up to two students and must oversee their own interviews and directly hire the interns.

The internship must:

• Be offered to a current student or recent graduate from The University of Nottingham.
• Last for four weeks.
• Provide at least 30 hours of work per week for the duration of the scheme. Or equivalent over an extended period of weeks if the intern will be working on a part-time basis.
• Pay at least the National Living Wage of £11.44 per hour for the duration of the internship.
• Include tasks and responsibilities normally associated with a graduate-level position.

Charities will receive funding of £1,750 to subsidise the full salary of the intern.

Click here to apply.

The Arts Society Nottingham undertakes regular heritage conservation and arts awareness work in the community and is looking for new projects to lend their assistance. They have several member volunteers able to help with anything related to conserving heritage, from book conservation to textile work. They do ask, however, that organisations provide any necessary training and materials themselves.

If you are looking for volunteers, please contact Vivienne, Heritage Volunteer Coordinator, at Vivienne@jarvisfamily.me.uk.  For more information and to see past projects, click here.

The Co(l)laboratory team would like to invite you to join the Notts Community and Research Partnership, a new initiative from the Universities for Nottingham that’s all about tapping into Nottingham's collective community wisdom to help shape genuine new research projects.

The initiative is building a community-driven research forum and is asking for people with experience and insight to help them understand what challenges matter to people in Nottingham City. Covering important areas like Health and Wellbeing, Economic Development, Education and Family, Environment and Sustainability, etc., to create a local picture and shape new research that can deliver real-world benefits to local communities.

There will be five events running between April and October 2024, with participants being offered a £50 payment for every event they attend as well as other opportunities as a thank you. 
Events include:

• Three interactive introduction and challenge exploration workshops on a Wednesday, 17 and 24 April and 1 May 2024, 12 noon to 2pm.
• Annual research project co-creation event between Nottingham Researchers and Community Collaborators, Wednesday 5 June, 1pm to 4pm.
• Selection of the next projects to fund from the submissions they receive from their researchers and their community collaborators.

To join the partnership, please fill out this form before Friday 29 March 2024.

Nominations close on Wednesday 15 May 2024

The National Diversity Awards celebrate the excellent achievements of grass-root communities that tackle the issues in today's society, giving them recognition for their dedication and hard work. 

Nominations can be made in the following categories:

• Positive Role Model Award
• Community Organisation Award
• Lifetime Achiever Award
• Entrepreneur of Excellence Award
• Diverse Company Award
• Celebrity of the Year Award

So if you know of a group that has made a positive impact in their community, get nominating now! 

Nottingham City Council and the Nottingham Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategic Implementation Group are working together to complete the Homelessness Needs Assessment, which will inform and support the delivery of the homelessness chapter of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the review of the Nottingham Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Strategy.

They want to

• Establish the current and possible risks surrounding homelessness.
• Assess the demand on services within the city.
• Learn best practices and understand which services work well to prevent and address homelessness.
• Understand where there may be barriers or gaps within the homelessness support networks and consider how to overcome them.

To complete this work, they are inviting all Service User representatives and Front-Line Personnel within the Homelessness Networks to complete this Service Provider survey. Please only provide information and data appropriate to your service delivery and your own experiences.

General VCSE sector resources and reports

• Black Maternal health care and community groups: building trust and bridging gaps - A podcast about how community groups are bridging the gaps between Black mothers and health and care services. Listen to expert speakers and learn what the health and care system can learn from these findings.
  
  
• Pushed Under, Pushed Out: exploring the link between debt, poverty and living standards - Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has written a report exploring the link between debt, poverty and living standards. The report uses the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) as a benchmark. Read CAP's latest polling insights here.
  
  
• How can you meaningfully involve young people in your policy work? - Working with the Health Foundation, New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) has identified practical lessons for engaging young people in policy work. 
  
  
• A pro bono bonus: The impact of volunteering on wages and productivity - Pro Bono Economics has conducted research into the impact volunteering has on the economy and on the wellbeing of the volunteers themselves. They have found that reimbursing professionals who also volunteer and encouraging volunteering as a potential path into work will have massive benefits to the UK economy. 

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