Third sector organisations should be given grants for up to 25 years to encourage long-term thinking, innovation and independence, according to the chief executive of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action. Graham Benfield will tell a WCVA conference in Llandudno tomorrow that three-year funding is not long-term funding. “It means one year to set up, one year to implement and one year to close down and search for more money,” he will say.

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6 October 2008
© Paul Jump, Third Sector Online

Compact Voice, the body charged with representing the voluntary and community sector in England on the agreement with government, has produced a pack to support participation in the debate on the Compact. ‘Framing the debate on the future of the Compact’ is in pdf, 76KB, at http://www.compactvoice.org.uk/module_images/Framing%20the%20Debate2.pdf, and an online questionnaire is at http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/compactquestionnaire. Respond by 10th November. The Commission for the Compact’s discussion document (pdf, 47kb) is at http://www.thecompact.org.uk/shared_asp_files/GFSR.asp?NodeID=101783. It has also just published research findings, ‘The State of Independence: A research study into independence and the Compact’. This finds that while The Compact has created an environment which encourages and supports central government departments to respect the independence of the third sector, there are still challenges ahead.

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2 October 2008
© VoluntaryNews

John Soutar, 15 years old from Lionel, Isle of Lewis, has been selected as the national winner in the 2008 BT Internet Ranger of the Year Awards. The awards are a nationwide hunt to find and reward young people who are playing a crucial role in helping older generations get online.
The BT Internet Ranger Awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate stories of outstanding young people who are sharing their internet skills with others. It forms part of the BT Internet Ranger campaign, set up following research which highlighted that nearly a third of parents and grandparents, 32 per cent, have been taught or encouraged to try the internet by a young person aged between 13 to 16 years. John was presented with his prize of a laptop plus £250 in IT vouchers from Angus McNeil MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar at a special event held today at the BT Tower in London. John, who attends Nicolson Institute in Stornoway, was recognised for helping his mum, Elspeth, start a new life on Hebridean Island after she became a single parent. With a solid understanding of the internet and a natural knack for web design, John designed and built a website for the family business - two self-catering cottages for holiday-makers on the island - from which the entire family income had to be earned. John spent hours teaching Elspeth how to manage the website as well as how to research, advertise and take bookings using the internet. With patience and a level-headed approach, John provided Elspeth with regular refresher courses as the business became more successful and consequently, more complicated. John’s internet-tutoring skills and talent for web design were quickly picked up by the local community, where he has offered his expertise to help teach both adults and children about the internet at an innovative local IT project, for which he has also spent hours building their website.

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7 October 2008
© BT

Latest FSB survey results show decrease in trade and increase in costs for small businesses. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has sent results to the Bank of England of a snap poll demonstrating the devastating impact of the credit crunch, and is calling on its Monetary Policy Committee to cut interest rates this Thursday. Figures released today from the FSB poll reveal that a majority of small businesses have seen their operating costs increase and trade reduced in the last year while most would back a reduction in interest rates by the Bank. Over 80 per cent of respondents said their costs had increased in the last year and 46 per cent had seen a decrease in trade. When asked about increases in the cost of finance such as loans and overdrafts, 40 per cent said they had seen increases in such facilities from the clearing banks. A worrying 51 per cent had seen an increase in their payment times from invoicing to full payment and this reflects the FSB’s concern that large companies are improving their cash flow on the back of their smaller suppliers.

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6 October 2008
© FSB

‘Mediation: An Employer’s Guide’ is a new publication from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Acas which champions mediation as an effective way of organisations avoiding ending up at employment tribunals. It draws on a comprehensive survey of CIPD members and case studies (which included Salisbury Cathedral as a small/medium-sized charity). Acas news item at http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2103 or download (pdf, 486KB) from http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1364

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2 October 2008
© VoluntaryNews

The charity has warned that 20 per cent of its placements could go unfilled this year because the economic downturn is affecting people’s willingness to volunteer. Only 48 professionals have gone overseas on two-year placements since April, VSO said, and enquiries from prospective volunteers have slumped. The charity’s target of recruiting 335 volunteers for two-year placements is under threat. If current trends do not change, 70 jobs will be left unfilled by the end of March.

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6 October 2008
© Third Sector Online

Councils around the country are gearing up for this year’s local democracy week, which takes place on Wednesday, 8th October 2008 at 9:30am Location: Hilton London Metropole
We’ll be attending this Housing Corporation event about the complex challenges of ensuring the right mix of housing is delivered for rural communities. ‘Housing: Investing in Rural Futures’ will help ensure organisations are best placed to benefit from the forthcoming changes in affordable housing provision and regeneration, as well as making sure you are fully appraised in the latest rural housing policy: http://www.housing-investinginruralfuturesevent.co.uk/

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6 October 2008
© Commission for Rural Communities

Following a government commitment in response to the Commission on the Future of Volunteering’s report ‘Manifesto for Change’ earlier this year, Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has published its renewed guidance on volunteering whilst on benefits. The Office of the Third Sector has worked closely with the DWP to ensure the renewed guide makes clear the message to potential volunteers and volunteer involving organisations, that volunteering should not affect an individual’s benefits. It responds to concerns voiced by the third sector that individuals in receipt of benefits are not always aware of their right to volunteer and can be put off if they think volunteering will affect their benefits. The guidance offers clear advice on how volunteering relates to benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance and Working Tax credits. The guide is now available: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/websitecontent/dev_015837.pdf

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6 October 2008
© WCVA

Councils around the country are gearing up for this year’s local democracy week, which takes place from Monday 13 to Sunday 19 October. Resources on offer from the LGA include a resource pack for citizenship teachers, featuring successful lesson ideas from up and down the country, and advice on how to hold political speed dating sessions, mock elections and more. Councils can order the information packs from Ben Dudley, the LGA’s local democracy week co-ordinator, by emailing ben.dudley@lga.gov.uk. There is also a wealth of information online at http://localdemocracy.lga.gov.uk

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6 October 2008
© LGA

The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation (VVF) has launched a guide that promotes healthy eating as a way to help prevent cancer. A campaign by the charity called One In Nine has led to the production of A Fighting Chance, the guide which provides practical advice on what to eat. The booklet explains how certain foods such as meat and dairy could trigger the disease and offers recipes to try that may help prevent cancer. VVF’s senior health campaigner and author of A Fighting Chance said it should be read by all women and it is important to get the information in the public domain. “Women diagnosed with breast cancer receive very little, if any, guidance on what can help them fight this disease,” she said. The One In Nine campaign focuses on the fact that one in nine women will be affected by breast cancer at some point in their lives and the VVF believes healthy eating can reduce this. Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in Britain and since 1971 the number of people with the disease has risen by 80 per cent.

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1 October 2008
© CLA