Latest NAVCA news and updates

NAVCA publish 'Reflections' - an insiders account of Leicestershire restructure

NAVCA has published ‘Reflections’, an account of the restructuring of local infrastructure organisations (LIO) in Leicestershire earlier this year. Although an analysis of the experience in Leicestershire, it highlights many issues that are important to any charity considering greater collaboration or merger. The report is an absorbing and frank account, written by Martin Gage, former Chief Executive of North West Leicestershire, one of the organisations on the ‘losing’ side of the competitive tender.

ILP Adviceline

Baffled by your LAA?

Confused by CAAs?

Want to know what YOU can do to get your voice heard?

- ILP can help

Get in touch with our Adviceline, whether you’re struggling to understand the jargon, or have a specific question about representation in your area.

We’re here to answer questions whether you’re from an LIO, voluntary action group or community empowerment network, whether you’re a representative, advocate or activist.

• Call us: 0114 289 3993
• Email us: ilp@navca.org.uk

NAVCA announces LIO delivery partners for the Tender Support Project

We’re pleased to announce the nine local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) that we will be working with to deliver the Tender Support Project:

• Community First for Portsmouth
• fit4funding
• GAVCA
• GMCVO
• Tameside Third Sector Coalition
• The Alliance, Herefordshire
• Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire
• Voluntary Norfolk
• Voscur

More information about the Tender Support Project.

The Tender Support Project is part of the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning.

Event papers: Every Child Matters conference 2009

19 November 2009
GMCVO, Manchester

NAVCA Chair Mike Martin opened and chaired this event - the second annual Every Child Matters Conference.

Below are the presentations from the day, and there is an album of photos from the day on navcaboodle (registration required).

Welcome & Plenaries

• Opening slide (PDF, 155KB)
• Ann McNicholl, Commissioning Support Programme (PDF, 399KB)
  Commissioning for better outcomes for children and young people - the national landscape
• Jim Taylor, Tameside MBC (PDF, 7.1MB)
  Measuring Outcomes Locally
• Shafiq Meghani, Charities Evaluation Services (PDF, 558KB)
  The importance of outcomes
• Sarah Durke, The SOUL Record (PDF, 1.3MB)
  Measuring the immeasurable

Workshops

• Shafiq Meghani, Charities Evaluation Services (PDF, 558KB)
  Measuring the difference you make
• Angela Barnes & Robert Beard, NAVCA (PDF, 5.1MB)
  Turning local children and young people’s plans into action

Worcestershire's voluntary and community sector: challenges, opportunities and solutions

NAVCA Chief Executive Kevin Curley’s address to
Worcestershire Infrastructure Consortium’s Annual Conference.

Worcestershire’s voluntary and community sector: challenges, opportunities and solutions (Word, 168 KB)

Campaigning Fund cancellation Early Day Motion

Jenny Willott, Charities Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, will table an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to reinstate immediately the £750,000 diverted from the Campaigning Research Fund.

Ms Willott described the decision as “a major blow to many small charities,” and asked, “How does the Government expect to convince other public bodies to abide by the Compact when they treat charities in this way?”

• Read the announcement
• Third Sector article
• Find out more

NAVCA is campaigning against the cancellation of the fund, see: NAVCA responds to the cancellation of the Campaigning Research programme

DWP Volunteer Brokerage Scheme and NAVCA members

NAVCA Chief Executive Kevin Curley has written to Angela Smith MP, Minister for the Third Sector, to relay NAVCA members’ concerns about the DWP Volunteer Brokerage Scheme and to request her intervention.

DWP Volunteer Brokerage Scheme and NAVCA members: letter to Minister for the Third Sector (Word, 33 KB)

Shaping the future of care together - NAVCA/Regional Voices response

NAVCA and Regional Voices have responded to the Department of Health consultation.

Shaping the future of care together: NAVCA/Regional Voices response (Word, 271 KB)

Shaping the future of care together: Department of Health Green Paper

Questions for Shadow Secretary of State for Health

NAVCA Chief Executive Kevin Curley wrote to Andrew Lansley CBE MP with questions on Conservative health policy. The questions and his answers can be found by following the link below:

Questions for Shadow Secretary of State for Health (Word, 43 KB).

Competition for five new prisons announced

The Ministry of Justice has today announced competitions for the management of five prisons: Birmingham, Buckley Hall, Doncaster, Featherstone 2 and Wellingborough.

Ministry of Justice: Competition for five new prisons announced

Does social change happen by working inside or outside the system?

NAVCA Chief Executive Kevin Curley’s speech to Directory of Social Change’s Campaigning Conference.

Does social change happen by working inside or outside the system? (Word, 116 KB)

NAVCA responds to the cancellation of the Campaigning Research programme

We were shocked and disappointed to hear that a decision had been made to cancel the Campaigning Research programme, especially as the decision was made so late in the day and with no consultation.

Kevin Curley, Chief Executive of NAVCA, has written to Angela Smith MP, the Third Sector Minister to express our disappointment, saying:

“NAVCA had promoted the programme and helped many local charities and community groups to submit proposals. These organisations will think it is now unfair and unreasonable to take their grants away.”

• Read Kevin’s letter to Angela Smith MP (PDF, 117KB)