Latest NAVCA news and updates

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

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:27:54 +0000

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

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:50:15 +0000

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

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:53:32 +0000

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:

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

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:07:03 +0000

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

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0000

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

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:16:00 +0000

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?”

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

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:25:01 +0000

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

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:14:00 +0000

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

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:03:58 +0000

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

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:23:01 +0000

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?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:17:14 +0000

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

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:16:36 +0000

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)

LIOs and local businesses - survey results

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:25:46 +0000

LIOs and local businesses - survey results:

NAVCA have produced a short report entitled Local third sector infrastructure organisations working with local businesses. The report is based on responses to a recent members’ survey.

The survey shows that there is a lot of good practice already taking place in many local areas. This is especially true of employee volunteering and pro bono advice in fields such as accountancy, surveying, marketing and legal advice.

NAVCA needs to understand why relationships between the two sectors are so good in some places including the London Borough of Merton, Swindon, Derby and parts of Greater Manchester. We need to be clear about what works in these areas and then use our network of members to transplant good practices to other areas.

Download the report (Word, 229KB)

What do voluntary and community organisations in Newcastle Upon Tyne need to thrive?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:22:24 +0000

What do voluntary and community organisations in Newcastle Upon Tyne need to thrive?:

NAVCA Chief Executive Kevin Curley’s speech to Newcastle Upon Tyne CVS Vision in Conference.

What do voluntary and community organisations in Newcastle Upon Tyne need to thrive? (Word, 159 KB).

New podcast: Susanne Rauprich, Chief Executive of NCVYS

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:47:00 +0000

New podcast: Susanne Rauprich, Chief Executive of NCVYS:

NCVYS (National Council for Voluntary Youth Services) is an independent national body representing voluntary and community youth organisations in England. It works to help such organisations to build their capacity to deliver quality youth work.

NAVCA and NYCVS are natural partners and work closely together nationally. In this podcast, Katy Wing, NAVCA’s Director of Local Services Partnerships and Susanne Rauprich, Chief Executive of NYCVS, discuss how working together can benefit members of both NAVCA and NYCVS.

Podcast: Susanne Rauprich interviewed by Katy Wing (MP3, 503 KB).

New page: Children and Young People News

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:44:49 +0000

New page: Children and Young People News:

General news and updates about working with Children and Young People, as well as updates from NAVCA’s Every Child Matters project.

Updated: NAVCA RSS feeds

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:23:00 +0000

Updated: NAVCA RSS feeds:

Keep up to date with NAVCA general news and areas of NAVCA work by subscribing to one of our RSS feeds. The RSS logo is displayed on pages where a feed is available. Currently these are:

NAVCA News
General news items from all areas of NAVCA work.
Follow NAVCANews on Twitter.
Children & Young People News
News and updates from the Every Child Matters project. You can also follow ECM on Twitter.
Commissioning and procurement news
News and updates from the Local Commissioning and Procurement Unit.
Follow LCPU on Twitter.
ICT Champions
For national and regional ICT news from the ICT Champions network and updates to the ICT answers in a box.
Follow the ICT Champions news on Twitter.
Local Partnerships Infobank feed
Updates and resources from the Improving Local Partnerships team.
Follow ILP on Twitter.
Sports News
Updates from the Strategic Sports Partnership Project.
Sports news on Twitter.

Handy Browser Information Statistics

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:02:58 +0000

Handy Browser Information Statistics:

This is probably one for website developers, but still for all a handy reference site listing which are the most popular web browsers and which are now on the way out.

Trainers and Consultants Direct: skills for the voluntary, community and not-for-profit enterprises

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:12:04 +0000

Trainers and Consultants Direct: skills for the voluntary, community and not-for-profit enterprises:

NAVCA is pleased to announce that Trainers and Consultants Direct has undergone a complete transformation. Trainers and Consultants Direct brings skills to the voluntary, community and not-for-profit enterprises.

Trainers and Consultants Direct is an easy to use service for voluntary and community organisations looking to contract a consultant or trainer.

Bringing in the outside expertise of a consultant can solve problems and help to improve processes, products and profitability. Trainers and Consultants Direct holds profiles of individuals and consultants who have experience of working with voluntary and community groups, charities and third sector organisations.

If you are looking to commission a trainer or consultant, or if you are a trainer or consultant with experience of working with third sector organisations, visit www.trainersandconsultantsdirect.org.uk

NAVCA and WEA announce new plans to work together

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:30:52 +0000

NAVCA and WEA announce new plans to work together:

NAVCA and the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) are pleased to announce plans to build closer links nationally and amongst members locally, specifically working together on three specific projects. This collaboration builds on NAVCA and WEA’s shared interests, values and policy positions.

NAVCA members and the WEA have a proud record of working in the heart of local communities across the country. Much of that work helps to promote more sustainable, confident localities and to improve the quality of life for individuals and their communities. Our shared values mean that working together is a natural step and one we hope will increase the impact of our work.

The three projects that NAVCA and the WEA are collaborating on are:

Take Part Regional Pathfinder Projects
Take Part helps people gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to become empowered, enabling them to make an active contribution to their communities and influence public policies and services.
Take Part Training the Trainers
The Learning Revolution -
This is the government’s White Paper on supporting informal adult learning.

The projects will also draw support from the Government Departments of Communities and Local Government and of Business, Innovation and Skills.

NAVCA and the WEA are committed to build on this collaboration nationally and are encouraging the same at local level through increasing partnership and joint activity between NAVCA members and WEA Regions and branches.

To find details of your local NAVCA member, go to NAVCA’s directory of members
To find your WEA region or branch, go to WEA’s national directory of Regions, Branches and Groups

5 November 2009