3VA eNewsletter Issue 05

3VA eNewsletter – Issue 5

18 February 2011

This eNewsletter contains news relevant to our contacts across Eastbourne, Lewes District and Wealden, and helps keep members informed and engaged in consultation and information processes. Notices of publications, events and services do not necessarily carry an endorsement by the editor or 3VA, nor do they represent the views of 3VA.

Should you have any news you would like circulated to our members and distribution lists please click here 3VA Documents for guidelines.

Top Story

Health and Social Care Funding for the  Voluntary and Community Sector

East Sussex County Council and the local NHS  launched the ‘Commissioning Grants Prospectus’

on Monday 14 February.

The funding pot attached to this prospectus is offering two sizes of grant 

- one set for small grants under £5,000

- one set for main grants of £5,000 and over.

The funding available can be applied for by local groups whose services target one of the six outcomes stated in the Prospectus.

For a copy of the prospectus please sign up at www.businessportal.southeastiep.gov.uk or call 01273 481 309.

Alternatively for more information about the prospectus and an opportunity to meet the commissioners involved, please see details of the ‘Meet the Commissioners’ event below.

The application deadline is 28 April

Headlines

·                     Book to Attend Big Event 2011

·                     Deadline for Health Improvement Funding

·                     Last Few Places for Funding Conference

·                     Free Childcare Training for Voluntary Sector Advisors

·                     Invite to Meet the Commissioners

·                     LINk Survey Deadline Approaching

·                     Vetting and Barring Scheme Latest

·                     Shakespeare Hall Refurbishment

·                     3VA Training

 
Book to Attend Big Event 2011

The ‘Big Event 2011: Voluntary and Community Sector Preparing for the Future’ is on Monday 7 March from 9.30am to 3pm at the Winter Gardens, Eastbourne. This annual event gives East Sussex’s voluntary and community groups the opportunity to understand changes at national and local level, identify opportunities and engage in dialogue with both the public sector and other voluntary organisations. There will also be a Question and Answer session with senior public sector staff and an Advice Fair. The event is free to attend and the event flyer can be viewed here Big Event 2011.

Deadline for Health Improvement Funding

The Health Improvement Small Grants Scheme is making up to £500 available for groups based or working in Lewes District, Eastbourne or Wealden who are delivering services or projects that support one of the PCT’s ‘Choosing Health’ Programmes. Lewes District in particular is under-subscribed and this will be the last round of this funding, so make sure you submit your application before 4 March. Please contact 3VA if you would like to know more or have any questions about the scheme and your application, or click here for more details.

Last Few Places for Funding Conference

This year’s ‘Funding the Future’ conference will take place at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster on 8 March from 10am to 4pm. Leading statutory, Lottery and trust funders will host sessions focusing on areas of work ranging from community development to arts and heritage. Also in attendance will be Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd and other government representatives discussing ‘Statutory Funding and the Big Society as an Opportunity for Charities’. For more information visit www.actionplanning.co.uk

Free Childcare Training for Voluntary Sector Advisers

The Daycare Trust is offering free training sessions to voluntary and community sector advisers on supporting parents in securing childcare. In addition to open training dates, the Trust is offering to run three free sessions at a date and place of your choosing if your organisation can provide a venue and a minimum of eight staff members, while the training sessions must take place before the end of March. For more information email training@daycaretrust.org.uk or call 0207 9407510.

Invite to Meet the Commissioners

East Sussex County Council and the local NHS would like to invite you to a ‘Meet the Commissioners’ event on Tuesday 15 March from 9.30am to 4pm at the Winter Gardens, Eastbourne. The event is designed to find out more about the outcomes and objectives contained within the ‘Commissioning Grants Prospectus’. The Commissioning Grants Prospectus is a new way of investing in voluntary and community organisations, based on a consultation held over the summer of 2010 to deliver health, social care and wellbeing outcomes. For more details contact Claire Caddick on 01273 335670 or email claire.caddick@eastsussex.gov.uk.      

LINk Survey Deadline Approaching

With the Government planning for Local HealthWatch to take over from Local Involvement Networks (LINks) from April 2012, the ESCC Community Services Scrutiny Committee wants to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the East Sussex LINk. Having a good understanding of the best aspects of LINks and the challenges they have faced will inform the development of Local HealthWatch in East Sussex. To view the online click LINk Survey.

Vetting and Barring Scheme Latest
The official findings of the reviews of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) and criminal records regime were announced on 11 February, unveiling a new scaled back vetting scheme and some fundamental changes to the existing checks procedure. There are currently no dates for the implementation of these changes, but the CRB and ISA websites will continue to be updated with new information as it becomes available. For a briefing of the changes from East Sussex Volunteering Development Co-ordinator Sarah Hodgetts click Vetting and Barring Scheme Update.

Shakespeare Hall Refurbishment

Following the rescue of Shakespeare Hall in Newhaven last year, the planned £150,000 maintenance investment work is about to commence. The hall will be closed for a period of approximately six weeks from Monday 28 February whilst the refurbishment works both inside and outside is completed. For hall hire and activity enquiries please visit www.waveleisure.co.uk.

3VA Training

• Awards for All Workshop

Kate Sawdy from the Big Lottery Fund will be running two ‘Awards for All’ workshops for groups in East Sussex on Tuesday 15 March, one in the morning in Eastbourne, and one in the afternoon in Hastings. The ‘Awards for All’ workshop is aimed at people considering applying to Big Lottery Fund’s ‘Awards for All’ Programme for grants of between £300 and £10,000 on behalf of their organisation or community group. This workshop is free (normal price £45 each), but please book now if you are interested in attending. For more information click here or email Julia Fowler at julia.fowler@3va.org.uk.

• Food Hygiene

This course is a requirement for anyone who handles open, high risk food and it is recommended the training is undertaken every three years. Upon successful completion of the course, the CIEH Level 2 Award in Food Safety for Caterers will be awarded. The course will take place on 9 March from 9.30am to 4.30pm in the 3VA Annexe, 8 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne. For more information click here or email Julia Fowler at julia.fowler@3va.org.uk

•   ‘Understanding Health Improvement’ and ‘Covering Your Costs’ Courses

Unfortunately, these courses are now full and bookings are no longer being taken. There has been an incredible amount of interest in these courses and 3VA hope to run further courses in the future.