News & events
Free Love Your Tender training – 13th March, Neston
Children England are offering a free Love Your Tender Training on Tuesday, 13th March 10am ‘til 3pm at West Cheshire Neston Community & Youth Centre, Burton Road, Neston, CH64 0SF. The training is for voluntary and community sector organisations that work with children, young people and families and are new to delivering public services in their local area who want to make sure they are tender-ready when the opportunity presents. Places are limited so book early. Further details and how to book are attached here (326kb PDF).
Half-term activities for children and young people
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service are running daily activity sessions for 13-19 year olds at Birkenhead Fire Station during February half-term. Activities will include practical fire-fighting drills, first aid, outdoor pursuits and much more. Further details are available here (212kb PDF).
The Active All-Sports Leisure Programme has a range of activities for children and young people who have a disability or specific needs running during February half-term at venues across Wirral. Further details are available here (222kb PDF).
Subsidised places available on PG certificate in voluntary management
The Big Lottery has widened access to Third Sector organisations in the North West to receive funding for the PG Certificate in Voluntary Sector Management, now recognised as a leading professional qualification and clearly demonstrates the commitment of participating organisations to building good leadership and management practice. The full cost of the qualification is normally £1,380 per person. With funded places available from £95 per person and funding and places limited, early booking is essential. Further details are available here (120kb PDF).
Activities and courses for a healthy mind and body
Wirral Mind are running a WRAP (Wellness and Recovery Action Planning) session on Monday 13th February (details here - 128kb PDF) and have a range of Self-Help groups to support and encourage adults to make positive life changes (details here - 108kb PDF). They are hoping to engage more people and provide opportunities for mutual support and understanding. Contact Wirral Mind on 0151 512 2200 or email learning@wirralmind.org.uk for further information.
The February 2012 Health Action Team Community Programme, a range of healthy activities and courses designed to help local residents become more active and lead healthier lifestyles, is now available online (170kb PDF). Most activities are free of charge.
Wirral Neighbourhood Plans
Tracey Smith, Wirral Council’s Consultation Manager recently outlined the findings of the Council’s Neighbourhood Consultation exercise and a copy of the presentation is attached (332kb PDF). The findings on neighbourhood surveys can be found online.
Useful resources and information for professionals, parents and organisations
The Big Lottery Fund has produced seven good practice guides for organisations working with young people, based on projects it has supported. Titles include Encouraging active citizenship, Actively involving young people and Working with young carers, and are available online.
Being a parent of a young child can be exhausting at the best of times, but at this grim time of year, with families often stuck indoors, caring for a toddler can be particularly hard work. From Breakfast to Bedtime (1.2mb PDF) is full of useful tips on keeping small children content – and is ideal for professionals to use in parenting classes.
The Children’s Society’s latest well-being report, The Good Childhood Report 2012, reveals that half a million children across the UK are unhappy with their lives. It outlines six key priorities needed for a happy childhood, after interviewing more than 30,000 children aged 8 to 16.
To compliment developments in the Public Services (Social Value) Bill, NAVCA's Local Commissioning and Procurement team has produced a new briefing and discussion paper on social value entitled Measuring social value, social outcomes and impact, which provides an overview of the different tools and approaches that are being used and developed and discusses the implications for smaller organisations.
Activities and information for disabled children and young people and their parents
Wirral Short Breaks Service have published their latest update giving details of sports and activities available for disabled children and young people and their siblings. The Update, available here (667kb PDF), also gives details of a new group for parents of disabled children and gives the new contact details for the relocated Short Breaks team. They have also circulated details of new inclusive dance sessions at Jigsaw Dance for children aged 5-11 with learning difficulties and disabilities, and their siblings. Further details of the dance sessions are available here (197kb PDF).
Job Opportunities at VCA Wirral – closing date 10th February
VCA Wirral are seeking to recruit a Development Officer, Volunteer Co-ordinator and Admin Officer for the Wirral Well project. Brief details, including how to apply, are attached here (200kb PDF). Closing date for applications is Friday 10th February.
Half-term activities for 13-19 year olds
The Oval in Bebington will be hosting organised 5-a-side football and football games daily during February half-term for young people aged 13-19. The sessions are free and can be booked on-line, by telephone or in person. Further details are available on the attached poster (128kb PDF), which can be printed and displayed for young people to view.
Grants of up to £10k available – closing date 24th February
The new Third Sector Development Fund will be offering grants of up to £10k to organisations seeking to improve people’s health and well-being or the health-related quality of life for carers. Applications to the fund, to be administered by VCA Wirral, won’t be available until 30th January, but places can be booked now for workshops to be held in February to support organisations with their applications. Further details on the Fund’s priorities are available here (383kb PDF) and Workshop information is available here (491kb PDF).
Expressive Communication and Makaton courses – from 25th February
Bidston Sports Ability are running a variety of courses at the Belvedere Centre, Wallasey aimed at carers, parents, volunteers and providers of care in Wirral. Refresher courses in Expressive Communication and Makaton are available, along with full courses in Makaton and Autism. Further details are available here (21kb PDF).
Preaching what we practice – conference 15th March 2012, Manchester
This year the Children England Annual Conference is being held at The Midland Hotel in Manchester on 15th March and CE members can have one place free of charge. The conference aims to shine a spotlight on the voluntary sector’s innovative direct practice with children, young people and families and will include practical workshops and troubleshooting and advice sessions, as well as inspiring speeches and lively debate. Further details and how to book are available here (1.14mb PDF).
Safeguarding: Practice, potential and the VCF Sector – seminar 28th March, Preston
The North West Safe Network are facilitating a free regional seminar which will be exploring the potential for voluntary, community and faith sector lead improvement and inputs that focus on the latest developments in safeguarding. Further details and how to book are available here (293kb PDF).
Have you submitted your Section 11 Audit?
The extended deadline for the return of completed Section 11 Safeguarding Audits from voluntary, community and faith sector organisations in Wirral has now passed but the return has been very low. If you haven’t submitted yours yet, please get it over to Elizabeth Hartley at elizabethhartley@wirral.gov.uk as soon as possible. The form (171kb MS Word doc) and guidance (213kb PDF) are attached. And don’t forget, the deadline for return of the attached one-page questionnaire on safeguarding supervision is Friday 27th January. These should also be sent to Elizabeth and she is happy to answer any queries you may have on either form.
Funding available to support capacity building – closing date for applications 15th February
The Council for Disabled Children, as part of their work as Strategic Partner to the Department for Education, is asking for applications to their Innovation and Sustainability Programme. The programme is intended to support the development of capacity building and sustainability across the voluntary and community sector. CDC wants to support up to 19 projects totalling £180,000. This programme is available to not-for-profit organisations only to use to:
· Help improve their sustainability
· Increase the participation of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs (SEN)
· Support innovative work which leads to better sustainability
Further details, and how to apply, can be found online. Closing date for applications to the programme is 6pm on Wednesday 15th February.
Free courses to help adults make positive life changes – January to March 2012
Wirral Mind has a range of free courses and self-help groups commencing in January, February and March as part of their Making Changes project. Courses include Overcoming Sadness and Depression and Understanding Anger. Further details are available here (99kb PDF) and an application form is available here (620kb MS Word doc), which should be emailed to learning@wirralmind.org.uk
Activities for young people at Involve Northwest
Involve Northwest are running a range of activities in Tranmere for young people from across Wirral at no, or low, cost. They’re also a Sports relief fundraising event for all the family in March. Further details are available here (114kb PDF).
Suicidetalk – awareness raising event - 11th February
Papyrus, prevention of young suicide, is holding a 90-minute suicide awareness session in Warrington on Saturday, 11th February from 10:30am to 12:30pm. Places are limited, so early booking is advised. Further details are attached (268kb PDF).
Need a Print and Design service?
Forum Housing Association’s Print & Design offers a wide range of services to organisations and individuals at competitive prices, with all profits going to support the work of Forum Housing Association. Further details are available here 1.29mb PDF.
socialXchange: Social in the age of digital - free event 24th February
So-Mo in partnership with LCVS and United Way are delivering a free event that aims to be an opportunity to explore how new ways of working, inspired by social media and network technology, can help third sector organisations to survive and even thrive. Designed as an ideas exchange, it will bring together Third Sector Leaders with specialists from the world of digital and social media inviting discussion that moves beyond the technology to explore social outcomes and opportunities in the digital age. So-Mo is a digital engagement company purposefully designed for the 21st century. They help people and organisations come together to mobilise strong networks for social change. They anticipate the event to be popular so advise you book early. Further details and booking information are available online.
Tools to support health and youth practitioners to develop their integrated practice
4Children have published 2 toolkits aimed at those who design, plan and deliver services for young people. The Operational Toolkit for Planning Integrated Working (349kb PDF) recognises the common barriers to integrated working and offers action plan solutions to overcome them. It describes a number of positive case studies focusing on the key elements to consider when joining up youth, health and extended services provision. The case studies are useful tools to enable health and youth practitioners to set up, develop and deliver multi-agency services from a strategic and operational perspective. The toolkit can be used in conjunction with the Strategic Toolkit for Planning Integrated Working (384kb PDF), which covers strategic planning to enable successful integrated working practices. It covers the strategic steps to take that will enable health and youth practitioners to plan, develop, and deliver multi-agency services.
Forthcoming Training and Events in Wirral and beyond
ACEVO and VSNW are holding a Roundtable on Youth Unemployment on 20th January in Manchester. Youth unemployment is at its highest recorded level, and is a particular problem in communities in the North West. ACEVO's commission on youth unemployment, chaired by David Miliband MP, is preparing a report on the issues for publication in early 2012. This roundtable will be an opportunity to feed your views into their work, culminating in a joint statement of 'key messages' for the Commission and other stakeholders. Further details are available online.
Community Matters are delivering a free Business Planning training event aimed specifically at VCF sector groups currently working with, or developing services for, children, young people and families. The training will be held on 7th February in Manchester and places are limited so early application is encourages. Further details can be found here (381kb PDF).
Wirral Met College Employer Services department are hosting two Apprenticeship events for employers in National Apprentice Week. The events, on 7th and 8th February, are an opportunity for you to meet the team and get information about Apprenticeships along with presentations from Invest Wirral, National Apprenticeship Service, WMC and organisations who currently employ Apprentices. Further details can be found online.
Voice4Change England, in partnership with One North West, are holding an event in Manchester on 9th February to look at what the Big Society is and what it means for equality. Big Society and Equality: Make it Happen aims to be a dynamic day of discussion, learning and networking, striving to make Big Society policies work for a fairer more equal society. Places are limited so you're advised to book early. See here (591kb PDF) for more details.
Community Matters Free Consultancy Roadshow – Liverpool/Manchester 13th to 17th February 2012
Improving the operation of your organisation can be complex and time-consuming. Training and workforce development are costly, while recruiting the services of a consultant to provide the expertise you lack is often a confusing and expensive process. However, Community Matters is here to help! If you work with, or are developing work with children, young people and families, their free Consultancy Roadshow can offer you a day of free in-house support. Whether you have hit a stumbling-block, need a critical eye cast over your organisational strategies, or have a specific project you'd like to get off the ground, the Community Matters team are currently taking bookings for in-house, face-to-face support through the Consultancy Roadshow, running from 13th to 17th February in the North West. Further details, and how to book, are available here (298kb PDF), or visit their website here.
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