NCVYS STRATEGIC INFORMATION SERVICE BULLETIN NO. 436

24 April 2009

Budget 2009 announcement

HM Treasury has published its budget for 2009. NCVYS has produced a briefing paper highlighting key points for young people and the voluntary and community youth sector. In particular a Hardship Fund for voluntary organisations delivering frontline services will be introduced to help the third sector and there is additional support for young people in gaining education, employment and skills which is welcomed as more than 800,000 16 to 24 year olds are now unemployed, that is 16.1% of the total youth population.

NCVYS Briefing: http://www.ncvys.org.uk/blogs.php?act=view_topic&id=116

Budget microsite: http://budget.treasury.gov.uk/

PM aims to get all young people helping communities

In a podcast released this week, the Prime Minister spoke about a new programme for 16 to 19-year-olds starting this September that will see 20,000 school leavers a year undertake full time community service alongside training. The Government will give ''extensive new support'' to all schools to provide service opportunities for pupils, while setting up pilots aimed at testing ways to increase community service participation within a given area.

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19106

Health and well-being study

ECOTEC Research and Consulting is undertaking a scoping study on behalf of the Speaking Out project to identify key health policy issues for young people. ECOTEC is looking for NCVYS members working in specific areas to feed in information about policy and practice on: diet, exercise and obesity; mental health and emotional well-being; support for family with a child that is disabled or has a long term condition; substance misuse; and sexual health. If you can help please contact Rachel Gardner, Research Manager (E: rachel.gardner@ecotec.com or T: 020 7921 3834).

Third sector views needed to shape the training of Directors of Children's Services

A training and development programme is being created for Directors of Children's Services. It is important that leaders of children's services understand and engage with the third sector, and have the skills and knowledge to do so. A short online questionnaire (two questions only) is now available and NCVYS encourages all members to express their views by the closing date on 15 May.

http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/dcs-training-consultation/third-sector

Generations Together funding

The Government has launched a joint £5.5 million fund to support intergenerational work in communities. Expressions of interest from all English local authorities are welcome and should come from social services or children's services. The aim is to develop up to 12 demonstrator sites of intergenerational practice. Bids must involve third sector organisations and at least 50% of the funding must be deployed within the third sector. The programme will run during 2009/10 and 2010/11.

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0076

Payback London scheme - call to volunteer organisations

As part of the joint work between the Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London (TfL) and the Metropolitan Police Service, the Mayor of London will be introducing Payback London, a Capital-wide scheme allowing under-18s who breach TfL's Behaviour Code and lose their free travel privilege to earn it back by volunteering in their local community. Payback London will commence with the new school year (2009/10) and the GLA is looking for an organisation (or consortium) to put in place volunteering opportunities. The deadline for grant applications is midday 22 May 2009.

http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=21800

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/transport/payback-london/

HMRC Charter consultation for young people

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are encouraging young people to get involved with the creation of their Charter, with an interactive online consultation. The Charter is an agreement between HMRC and their customers to say what they will expect from each other in terms of service and behaviour. The Government is hoping to encourage responses from students, school leavers and those new to the workforce aged between 15 and 24, in an effort to help educate young people to understand how they work, as well as make them realise their responsibilities as citizens.

http://charterconsultation.hmrc.gov.uk/

Tackling Race Inequalities fund

Communities and Local Government has announced a £6 million Tackling Race Inequalities Fund, which will run between 2009 and 2011. The fund aims to support third sector organisations working in the area of race equality, including research work, promoting equality of opportunity, reducing inequalities, increasing civic participation by people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and building capacity for organisations working in this area. Around 15 to 20 organisations will receive financial assistance of between £200,000 and £450,000 over two years. The deadline for applications is 27 May 2009.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/racecohesionfaith/raceandethnicity/grantsandfunding/

Racist crime and discrimination grossly under-reported

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has released results of the first ever EU-wide survey on immigrant and ethnic minority groups' experiences of discrimination and racist crime. The survey reveals that discrimination, harassment and racially motivated violence are far more widespread than recorded in official statistics. The results suggest a sense of resignation among ethnic minorities and immigrants who appear to lack confidence in mechanisms to protect victims.

http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/press/mr-220409_en.htm

Human Rights and Young People Training Course

The British Institute of Human Rights is offering a series of open training courses throughout June 2009. In partnership with NCVYS, BIHR will run a course on Human Rights and Young People at the NCVYS office in London on 25 June, giving organisations in the voluntary sector a unique opportunity to learn about how human rights can support and invigorate your work in empowering young people. NCVYS members are encouraged to apply.

http://www.ncvys.org.uk/blogs.php?act=view_topic&id=117

http://www.bihr.org.uk/events/upcoming-training

Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities

Communities and Local Government has published reports from the Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities research project providing an insight into 13 of the most significant Muslim ethnic diaspora communities in England. The reports seek to provide food for thought on characteristics of these communities to enable more effective engagement.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/racecohesionfaith/research/understandingmuslimcommunities/

UK at 24 out of 29 on new child wellbeing league table

Child Poverty Action Group has published a briefing drawn from a new league table of child wellbeing in European countries, in which the UK comes in 24th place out of 29 countries. The research included 43 separate indicators, summarised in seven domains of child wellbeing.

http://www.cpag.org.uk/press/2009/210409.htm

Making the case report

Ahead of the Equality Bill due to be published on Monday, the Young Equals campaign has published Making the case - the report which challenges the Government's position that there is "little evidence" of harmful age discrimination against children and young people. The report questions why the Government is failing to extend legal protection from age discrimination to under-18s within the single equalities bill due next week.

http://www.crae.org.uk/news-and-events/news/Equality-Bill-excludes-children-on-age.html

Social mobility report published

In recognising the link between inequality, redistribution and social mobility, the Government should make the case for a more progressive tax and benefits system to fund progressive policies to enable equal life chances for all children, young people and families, and reduce inequality. This is one of the recommendations included in the report published by the Speaking Out project on children and young people's social mobility.

http://www.ncvys.org.uk/index.php?alias=socialmobility

Consultation on safer recruitment guidance

The draft safer recruitment guidance published last week, is now available online as a consultation questionnaire until June. The consultation calls for views from those involved in the recruitment of staff and volunteers on whether the guidance is understandable to workers. Further dates are expected to be announced for more consultation workshops during May and June 2009.

http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/safeguarding/safer-recruitment/consultation-on-guidance

Managing local strategic partnerships

The Audit Commission has published findings from its national study on Working better together? Managing local strategic partnerships. It's a review of arrangements for performance, resource management and governance.

http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports/NATIONAL-REPORT.asp?CategoryID=&ProdID=05744773-42C2-4ba3-A945-6737715CDF2D

Safer Homes Fund

Community and voluntary sector organisations are invited to apply to a new £6 million fund for community-led initiatives and programmes which will reduce burglary and improve neighbourhood security. The Safer Homes Fund, launched by the Home Office in association with the Community Alliance, is available for one year and will offer around 300 grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to key frontline community organisations. A briefing will take place on Wednesday 29 April 2009 in London.

http://www.bassac.org.uk/node/503/

New Change4Life advert to get the nation moving

Results from the Change4Life survey of families launched in January 2009 show that 72% of children are not getting 60 minutes of daily activity outside of school. The campaign's new TV ad, which launched this week, urges families get up and about more in an effort to cut levels of obesity.

https://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?ReleaseID=399573&NewsAreaID=2&HUserID=878,793,889,855,779,868,870,845,786,674,677,767,684,762,718,674,708,683,706,718,674

The 2008 drug strategy: one year on

The Government published the new drug strategy in February 2008 and has now released a report on the progress since. Future plans include introducing a Youth Rehabilitation Order and consulting the public on proposals to make Personal, Social and Health Education statutory for all schools.

http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/drug-strategy/drug-strategy-2008-one-year-on

Speaking Out Drugs Strategy 2008 briefing: http://www.ncvys.org.uk/index.php?alias=sodrugstrategy

New strategy for social care workforce

As part of its Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy, the Department of Health has announced that fifty thousand long-term unemployed young people will be helped into social care traineeships. Backed by £75 million from the Department for Work and Pensions, employers will receive a £1,500 subsidy to take on social care trainees aged between 18 and 24.

https://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?ReleaseID=399491&NewsAreaID=2&HUserID=878,793,889,855,779,868,870,845,786,674,677,767,684,762,718,674,708,683,706,718,674

Free online guide to help your organisation survive the recession

Sponsored by Capacitybuilders, third sector infrastructure body NCVO has published an online guide to help organisations survive the recession. Advice includes recession proofing your organisation, tightening up your financial systems, staff management, strengthening crucial relationships, focusing on your mission, demonstrating your impact and making your organisation financially sustainable to help your organisation survive the recession.

www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/recessionresources

Community cohesion debates

From now until 6 May 2009, the HCA Academy is hosting an online debate giving participants a chance to have their say about how we can build cohesive communities during a recession in modern day Britain. A series of four films have been made to highlight the main aspects of the cohesion debate.

http://showcase.hcaacademy.co.uk/debate/in-the-midst-of-a-recession-how-can-we-develop-cohesive-communities.html#debate

Increasing volunteering figures

Research published by the Institute of Volunteering Research, shows  that 87% of local Volunteer Centres have seen an increase in enquiries about volunteering opportunities over the last 6 months. Furthermore, 76% of Volunteer Centres reported volunteers to a have high level of interest in using their experience of volunteering to find employment.

http://www.ivr.org.uk/researchbulletins/The+benefits+of+volunteering+for+employability+%E2%80%93+key+findings+from+recent+research+by+The+Institute.htm

Community of interest events: Faith and BME

NCVYS is organising two free Community of Interest (COI) events: a Faith COI roundtable on 30 April in Leicester and a BME COI event on 12 May in London. For more information please go to www.ncvys.org.uk or contact Diversity Officer, Victor Nkwo (T: victor@ncvys.org.uk or T: 020 7278 1041).

THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

Budget 2009 debates

Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement, Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron, and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg began a debate on the 2009 Budget.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090422/debtext/90422-0006.htm#09042264000798

Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, opened the second day of Commons debate on the Budget.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090423/debtext/90423-0008.htm#09042347000011

Looked-after Children report

A report published by the House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Committee this week says that the Government must be more willing to take on the role of a ‘pushy parent' for children in care and to put the experience of the child at the heart of policy. The report warns that the state fails as a parent because the Government is too timid in demanding that health services and the criminal justice and asylum systems give special consideration to looked-after children. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmchilsch.htm#reports

Olympic Legacy - Young People

Following a question by Peter Bone (Con, Wellingborough), Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell led a debate in the House of Commons on plans for the legacy use of Olympics sporting venues by young people.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090420/debtext/90420-0003.htm#0904203000025

Local Democracy Bill

Members of the Lords discussed further possible changes to the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill which will now be considered at third reading on 29 April. The Bill seeks to create greater opportunities for community and individual involvement in local decision-making. It also provides for greater involvement of local authorities in local and regional economic development.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldhansrd/text/90422-0007.htm#09042280000246

Equality Bill

Equalities Minister Harriet Harman introduced the Equality Bill to Parliament, beginning with the formal first reading.