In the News

Date: Tuesday 22 October
Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm

The Office for Civil Society (OCS) – part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – has issued a newsletter dedicated to helping civil society organisations to prepare to leave the European Union on 31 October.

The newsletter includes:

Cascading Leadership is a free peer-to-peer leadership development programme for voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations working in health and wellbeing. It enables VCS leaders to share their extensive and varied expertise with peers, to talk about some of the challenges they face and to plan new ways of working. 

The Woodland Trust want to make sure that everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree.

So they are giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.

The government has opened a consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace and the legal protections available under the Equalities Act 2010. This has the potential to change how organisations safeguard and support not only their staff but also their volunteers.

In March 2019, Public Health England convened a workshop to explore the employer demand for an advanced level apprenticeship (level 3, see academic levels) for community-centred roles (such as social prescribers, link workers, community connectors, health trainers, and other similar roles).

The mission of the Institute for Community Studies is to include the voices and improve and inform the efforts of all people working in and with their communities across the UK.

The Making Tax Digital scheme will soon be mandatory for all organisations that process tax – Charity Digital News have found a list of resources where charities can go to find out all the details and comply.

From October 1st this year, tax is going digital for all charities. The Government is enforcing major new rules about how organisations process and submit tax and payments, with a strong emphasis on digital processes and tools.

This strategy sets out Public Health England's priorities for the next 5 years.

The PHE Strategy 2020 to 2025 sets out how Public Health England will work to protect and improve the public’s health and reduce health inequalities over the next 5 years.

Sexual harassment is any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that makes you feel intimidated, degraded, humiliated or offended.

The Equality Act 2010 says that employers are legally responsible if an employee is sexually harassed at work by another employee, and the employer had not taken all steps they could to prevent it from happening.

Why is the consultation happening?

Today, a record number of people are in work. More people are experiencing the benefits that good work can bring. But far too many disabled people and people with health conditions are falling out of work, missing out on the opportunity to showcase their talents.

A Million Realities want people across the world to live purposeful, fulfilling lives that are fully self-expressed.

Many of the world’s problems are getting bigger, not smaller. It is becoming clear that in order for us to find long term solutions to these problems we need to put ego aside, think big and invest in the new generation of brilliant and ambitious leaders who care as much about creating change as they do about inspiring others to do the same.

The Co-op Economy is the nation’s only comprehensive report on the UK’s co‑operative sector.

It reveals turnover, membership and employee figures for thousands of co‑op businesses across the UK. The 2019 report reveals:

The CSJ Awards is an annual, high profile award ceremony that honours the best grassroot, poverty-fighting charities and social enterprises across Britain. Six winners will receive a £10,000 grant and be profiled in front of hundreds of leading figures from across the country.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) exists to prevent and tackle poverty across Britain.

ACEVO and Voice4Change England are carrying out research to understand what people connected to charities think about race equality, diversity and inclusivity in the charity sector.

Please respond today and tell them about your experiences and opinions. Early responses are appreciated.

About the survey

The Lasting Difference is a unique guide to sustaining organisations and their impact.

The guide has been an amazing success since its launch in 2016, proving popular with voluntary organisations, social enterprises, funders, commissioners and policymakers.

People say it is:

"Devastating, cumulative cuts”: UK poverty and destitution levels a choice that could be unmade.

The Work and Pensions Committee publish its report on Welfare safety net.

Thursday 22nd August at 1 pm.

From 1st October 2019 all UK charities will be required to submit their taxes through HMRC compliant software, as part of the “Making Tax Digital” initiative. 

This directory showcases types of support that are innovative in their approach to improving people’s health and wellbeing.

They come in all shapes and sizes and share the following features:

Sharing and Celebrating Patient and Public Involvement in Healthcare community grants – apply now!

Has your voluntary, community or social enterprise group done some amazing patient, service user or carer involvement work that has improved healthcare services?

If so, we want you to tell us about it. In fact, we want to support you to tell everyone about it!

Government’s vision for building a stronger sense of belonging and shared prosperity within local communities.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon. James Brokenshire today (20 July 2019) laid out the government’s vision for building a stronger sense of belonging and shared prosperity within local communities.

The National Lottery Community Fund has launched a new £100 million Climate Action Fund that will enable people and communities to take the lead in tackling the climate emergency.

The new fund, from the largest funder of community activity in the UK, will build a network of people and communities, well-placed to drive change within, between and beyond their community.

The Tech to Connect Challenge is looking to help civil society develop their early stage ideas for tech that enables more or better interactions between people.

Tech can be alienating or divisive for those that are isolated, so we want to help civil society translate their knowledge into good ideas for new ways to connect people.

The Catalyst sets out to revolutionise how we tackle social and environmental issues in the UK: reshaping organisations to be more responsive to the communities they serve; more resilient; and more collaborative in the creation and scaling of solutions.

They are a coalition of major foundations, digital design agencies, civil society bodies and the UK government, seeking to massively accelerate the use of digital in the UK's voluntary and charity sector.

Following the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England and NHS Improvement committed to publishing an implementation framework, setting out further detail on how it would be delivered.

Local systems are working hard to develop their five-year strategic plans. These plans will clearly describe the population needs and case for change in each area, then propose practical actions that the system will take to deliver the commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

The GSK IMPACT Awards provide funding, training and development for charities doing excellent work to improve people's health and wellbeing.

They are funded by GSK and managed in partnership with The King's Fund. The awards are open to registered charities that are at least three years old, working in a health-related field in the UK, with a total annual income of between £80,000 and £2.5 million.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK.

This year the Queen’s Award results were announced on the 2nd June - the anniversary of Her Majesty’s Coronation. Greater Manchester enjoyed another successful year with 35 organisations being awarded (full list here). Congratulations to all awardees.

The Community and Education Awards award the unsung heroes, who despite adversity, go above and beyond in their community or within education to positively shape those around them.
 
Is there someone at your primary school or secondary school that always goes to infinity and beyond for your community?

Is there someone you would like to thank for giving you a helping hand when you needed it most?

Superhighways was awarded funding from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to offer training, advice and resources that small charity leaders can use to get important conversations started, make strategic decisions and build digital capability.

The Superhighways Digital Leadership 101 initiative partnership includes NAVCA, the FSI and London Plus, who have contributed to a comprehensive series of blogs offering tips and advice across a range of digital topics.

Following the success of the inaugural William Sutton Prize, Clarion Housing Group has today announced that applications are open for the second year of the scheme.

Clarion is seeking applications from individuals or organisations presenting an innovative concept, product or service that will have a positive social impact on a community.

Open call for evidence for the UK government’s National Data Strategy.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) leads across government on data-related policy issues, both within Government and the wider economy. This is a broad, wide-reaching remit and we will be in a continual process of engagement throughout the Strategy development to ensure that views across society, economy and government are taken into account.

Social Enterprise UK has commissioned BMG to carry out its national flagship survey of social enterprises.

Greater Manchester’s ambitious Local Industrial Strategy is designed to deliver an economy fit for the future, with prosperous communities across the city-region and radically increased productivity and earning power.

A new study shows 54% of small voluntary organisations (SVOs) identified “lack of time” as the top reason for slow digital uptake in their charity, despite over 82% acknowledging technology could support them to become more accessible[1], relevant[2] and efficient[3].

A review has been conducted of how the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) for accounting and reporting is developed and governed.

The Charities SORP sets out financial reporting requirements that apply to most charities preparing accounts. This review assesses how the future development of the Charities SORP is governed.

A £4.9 million programme to tackle unemployment has been launched in April 2019 with backing from the European Social Fund.

The funds have been granted by the government’s Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in partnership with Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership to the WEA (Workers' Educational Association), an adult education charity which provides training and learning opportunities for people at risk of exclusion.

‘Rebalancing the relationship’ is a new project exploring how large and small voluntary organisations, bidding to deliver services, can work better with and alongside one another.

A new brand for NCVO’s quality mark for excellence in governance and operations will help charities demonstrate their high standards, NCVO said today.

NCVO Trusted Charity, the new name for PQASSO, was launched today at an event in parliament.

Brevio believes that current grant-making processes are wasteful and inefficient. Charities must fill in many slightly different grant-application forms taking hours/ days to complete, often with low success rates.

From 1 June 2019, NHS trusts in England can bid for funding to install Changing Places facilities in NHS hospitals.

The prospectus sets out:

It’s been over a year since GDPR came into force, but what impact have the new regulations had in reality?

With 2018 seeing the biggest ever fines issued by the ICO, Charities are under increasing pressure to protect both their finances and theirreputation from a GDPR breach.

SEUK's latest research report calls for a rethink on how public bodies use social value, urging it to be placed front and centre of how local and central government works.

Based on in-depth research across local government, the report paints a mixed picture – one in which real progress is being made by forward-thinking local authorities but where the transformative potential of social value is not being fully realised.

Doit.Foundation are consulting on their small grants pilot.

Their aim is to explore how digital can enable them to provide small grants to small VCSE organisations in an easy way.

Before groups register for the grants pilot they need to complete a short questionnaire. This will help Doit.Foundation to plan the pilot and their wider small grants programme.

The questionnaire will run until 30th June 2019.

About the Webinar:

An improved understanding of your audience and your content goals can help your charity be more effective on social media and engage the right people at the right time.

On Thursday 16th May at 1 pm join non-profit social media experts Lightful as they share tips on how to include effective personalisation in your social media posting habits.

UK Giving from CAF is the largest multi-year study of giving behaviour in the UK.

The findings are based on monthly interviews and includes a yearly total of more than 12,000 individual interviews. The report will help you understand who gives to charity, what causes they support and how they like to support them.

On 9th May at 1 PM, join the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) for the third in their series of exclusive cyber security webinars for charities.

Thursday, 9th May 2019, 1:00pm - 2:00pm.

This online seminar is designed for voluntary sector organisations interested in health and wellbeing, to bring them up to speed with the latest developments in the NHS.

The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) is an independent statutory body, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It is the UK Government’s advisory body on social security matters. In addition to providing advice and assistance to the Secretary of State, it performs mandatory scrutiny of most secondary legislation laid before Parliament that underpin the welfare system.

Cutting through the noise and politics of Brexit can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task.

This new toolkit is aimed at those organisations wishing to equip themselves with tools to prepare for Brexit and engage with the decision-makers in the process. This could either be through lobbying around specific pieces of Brexit legislation or making sure members and activists are equipped to engage with key areas in the Brexit process.

Successful NHS England programme extended for three more years.

An NHS programme has seen GP practices free up more than half a million hours of time for patients in the last year.

Nfp Synergy's new report with the People's Post Code Lottery highlights how fundraising limits affect charity lotteries- and ultimately hurt smaller charities.

It explores the fundraising environment for small charities, examines charity lottery regulation and its impacts, as well as analysing attitudes toward charity lottery limits among MPs and the general public.

The Institute of Fundraising published their refreshed version of our GDPR: The Essentials for Fundraising Organisations guidance.

Sam Boyle, Policy and Information Officer at the IoF, talks through what has changed and why they felt the need to update it:

• Donating to a cause or fundraising for a charity in the UK will be completely free of platform fees on JustGiving from today, in the biggest change to the company’s fee model since it was founded 19 years ago
• Donors will be able to make a voluntary contribution to support the operation of the platform, increasing choice for donors and delivering more money for charities

The Civil Society Strategy committed the government to use its buying power to drive social change. Central government will, in future, take better account of social benefits in the award of its contracts.

The grant-giving sector is good at speaking about inequality, and the value of all people at bringing about social change.

But it has a diversity problem.

By 2027 they want to fix this.

The new, 12-month salaried programme takes brilliant frontline workers from working-class communities, and prepares them for decision-making roles in grant-making organisations.

Woodland Trust want to make sure that everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree.

So they are giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.

They are currently taking applications for trees to be delivered in November 2019. Please note that responses to applications may take a few weeks due to current high demand.

Esmée Fairbairn's insights on core funding.

Today Citizens Advice has launched a new service called “Help to Claim” for those who need help to apply for Universal Credit.

People will now be able to get support from the charity as they submit their Universal Credit application to get their first full payment.

The campaign urges women to attend their cervical screening, with data showing that the number of women attending screening has fallen to a 20-year low.

Public Health England (PHE) has today, Tuesday 5 March 2019, launched the major new national campaign ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’, to increase the number of women attending their cervical screening across England.

Mental health problems are the most common health issue among Citizens Advice clients, impacting 89,410 clients last year.

Previous research found people with mental health problems are more likely to struggle with essential services, and support offered by providers is inadequate.

Next month, several changes will be coming into force which will alter current employment law, and with it, the way you’re currently doing things.

How much you pay to abide by the National Minimum and Living wage, how you issue payslips, and how much you contribute to pensions will all change in April, so it’s really important to act now for your charity to be prepared.

A major new project aims to rebalance the relationship between large and small voluntary organisations in public services. 

Collaborative work between NCVO, ACEVO and Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, will explore how voluntary organisations of different sizes can work better together in bidding for and delivering public services. 

Following reports that primary schools in Manchester have been contacted by parents unhappy over sex and relationships lessons that teach children about LGBT rights, LGBT Foundation’s Chief Executive Paul Martin OBE has today written a public letter to schools in Greater Manchester setting out why LGBT inclusive education is so important.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has spent the past 2 years meeting and consulting with their member organisations across the English Coalfield regions to better understand the needs in coalfield communities.

Businesses who want to secure future government contracts will be urged to show they can also help improve society by tackling issues such as modern slavery and climate change.

The United Kingdom (UK) will leave the European Union (EU) on 29 March 2019.

Leaving the EU means a number of changes that will affect businesses and individual citizens.

Use the information below to find out how to prepare and the steps you may need to take:

The My MS My Needs survey is the largest survey of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK.

This year, for the first time, the MS Society are also running a MS family & friends survey, alongside My MS My Needs. 

The Mental Capacity Act is designed to protect and empower people who may currently lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care and treatment. It also facilitates people who have capacity to make preparations for a time when they may lack capacity in the future.

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham sets out how the ICO is helping businesses, particularly SMEs, prepare for a possible no-deal Brexit in her blog.

The Charity Commission requires charities to report serious incidents. If a serious incident takes place within your charity, it is important that there is prompt, full and frank disclosure to the Commission. You need to report what happened and, importantly, let the Commission know how you are dealing with it, even if you have also reported it to the police, donors or another regulator.

Safeguarding children, young people and adults aged 0-25 in the voluntary and community sector.

This set of recommended standards and accompanying guidance will help non-statutory organisations in England that work with children and young people up to the age of 25, to put clear safeguarding arrangements in place.

Communities across the country are set to benefit from a £6 million funding boost to help them build more of the homes that their area needs, Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP has announced.

The Community Led Homes Programme – managed by 4 leading housing charities – will provide local people with funding to kickstart community-led housing developments that will benefit their neighbourhood.

The LGBT+ Consortium is pleased to announce the launch of LGBT+ Futures Fund small grants programme to support LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans+) voluntary and community organisations across England. 

Applications are now open, with the deadline for receiving applications Wednesday 6th March at 5pm.

Victims of domestic abuse, homelessness or substance abuse, will be supported to return to work by a new government fund, launched today (7 Feb) by the Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt.

How are charities influencing change in the prison system?

In the first of two discussion papers, NPC focus on charities’ role in influencing change in the prison system. They share our early findings from conversations across the sector with policymakers, parliamentarians charities and funders. And propose a framework for thinking about how charities bring about change.

On Time to Talk Day we want everyone to have a conversation about mental health.

Time to Talk Day 2019 is taking place on Thursday 7 February.

This year’s Time to Talk Day is all about bringing together the right ingredients, to have a conversation about mental health. Whether that’s tea, biscuits and close friends or a room full of people challenging mental health stigma, we want you to get talking.

The Big Lunch is taking place on the 1st and 2nd June 2019.

The Big Lunch is about millions of people getting together to share food, have fun and get to know each other better.  It's a simple idea - that for a few glorious hours, cars stop, shyness stops and neighbours come together in the street to meet, greet, share, swap, sing, plan and laugh.

The event celebrated small charities across the region and explored the findings of the Foundation’s research into what makes small charities distinctive.

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has released research to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2019.

Five per cent of UK adults don’t believe the Holocaust – the intentional murder of six million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators – really happened and one in 12 (8%) say the scale of the Holocaust has been exaggerated, according to research released on Holocaust Memorial Day (Sunday 27 January 2019).

The NHS is one of Britain’s greatest achievements and for 70 years its dedicated staff has been there for us.

A lot has changed since it was created in 1948, and today the NHS is responding to changes in society that were never expected, let alone planned for.

The Government has announced additional funding for the NHS and this means they can plan to make the NHS fit for the future for patients, their families and our staff.

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation will soon be holding their National Campaigner Awards.

This year Holocaust Memorial Day will explore the theme Torn from Home.

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place each year on 27 January.

It can be confusing for people running community projects to find the right information, advice and support.

There are so many organisations, tools and websites, it can be difficult to know where to look.

Against a backdrop of growing need and a shrinking state, the social sector needs effective answers and solutions. NPC has launched a commitment by charities, funders and infrastructure bodies to work in a way that emphasises place as a positive way to achieve the changes we are all working towards.

Small charities are optimistic about their prospects in 2019 despite increasing uncertainty. The majority (84%) of its leaders expect to maintain or increase organisational income in 2019 and over three quarters say they plan to help more people. However, this optimism does not appear to be borne out of stability for the sector, as two-thirds report more uncertainty in their operating environments than in previous years.

Super-major charities (defined as those with an income over £100m) are experiencing similar trends and challenges with income to the rest of the voluntary sector, new analysis of data collected for the NCVO UK Civil Society Almanac has shown.

Pilotlight and the Garfield Weston Foundation would like to announce that the Weston Charity Awards are now open for applications.

Established to celebrate and support ambitious charities working in the fields of Youth, Welfare and Community, we are looking for charities who would like mentoring and coaching support to get their organisation to the next stage in its development. This year the Awards are will support 20 charities across the North, the Midlands and Wales.

You are invited to be a “Good Cause Santa Claus” this Christmas

Local Charities Day will be returning this year on Friday 14 December 2018!

NCVO have published the text of two letters sent by NCVO to the prime minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, seeking clarification around the use of 'adverse publicity' clauses in government contracts.

VCSE organisations are invited to attend a webinar hosted by NAVCA and NHS England to discuss one of the building blocks being looked at as part of the NHS long-term plan: systems architecture.

Civil Society Involvement (CSI) is a new programme part-funded by the European Social Fund to enhance the voice of the third sector at a national level.

CSI works for all third sector organisations involved in European funding programmes to facilitate a healthy exchange of knowledge and make sure that their voice is heard at national level.

• The Living Wage Foundation announces new UK Living Wage hourly rate of £9 per hour, an increase of 25p per hour
• London Mayor announces new London Living Wage of £10.55 per hour, an increase of 35p per hour
• Over 180,000 workers are set for a pay boost
• The UK rate is £1.17 per hour more than the government minimum wage (for over 25s) and the London Living Wage is £2.72 higher.

Responding to today’s Budget, IPPR North Director Sarah Longlands said:

EU citizens living in the UK and their family members will need to apply under the EU Scheme (EUSS) to obtain their new UK immigration status as the UK exits the EU.

Charity umbrella bodies have launched a new social media campaign #YouMadeItHappen.

NCVO, CharityComms, Small Charities Coalition, FSI, the Institute of Fundraising and Acevo are asking charities to thank their supporters and show the difference they have helped to make using #YouMadeItHappen on 19th November.

An influential group of over 120 children’s charities, teaching unions and other organisations have accused the Government of ignoring children and young people in its spending commitments.

In an open letter to Downing Street, the organisations have demanded that the Government recognise compelling evidence that the services and support that children and young people rely on are at breaking point.

The Big Lottery Fund launched a new Digital Fund on 22^nd October to offer dedicated digital funding support to the sector.

The move is a key step in delivering the Fund’s digital ambitions outlined in its ‘Supporting Charities and Community Organisations Strategy’^[1]. It follows recognition that more could be done to enable charities and groups to make the most of digital opportunities.

Shelter exists to defend the right to a safe home

A home is a fundamental human need and a basic moral right, as vital as education or healthcare.

But in Britain today, that right is being denied to millions of people whose lives are blighted by homelessness, bad conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction.

Pilotlight would like to invite you to take part in a short survey of charity leaders for the Weston Charity Awards – which they run in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Your answers will help them to better understand the needs of the sector.

Leading ethical bank, Charity Bank, has launched a campaign to encourage charities, businesses and individuals to move some of their savings or reserves to an ethical provider.

CAF releases its third charity street report

Three quarters of UK households (74%) have used a charity in the last 12 months, though three out of every 10 people did not realise they were using one, according to new research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

New research shows councils are struggling to provide services for rising numbers of people facing disadvantage, with the most deprived areas hit hardest.

What is the Community Wealth Fund?

Now’s the Time is the second programme from the Justice and Equality Fund managed by Rosa.

The programme aims to amplify the voices of individuals and groups who are calling for an end to sexual harassment and abuse, in their workplaces and in their communities.

If you are a Community Interest Company (CIC) you can apply to convert directly to a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO).

Step 1: Prepare a conversion resolution

The directors of the CIC will need to produce a conversion resolution which confirms that the members of the CIC wish to convert the CIC into a CIO under the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (Conversion) Regulations which came into force on 1 September 2018.

Enterprise Grants

The Enterprise Development Programme is a five year programme, providing a broad range of support for charities and social enterprises in England, helping them make a transition to new enterprise models, or grow existing ones.

Two year-long pilots of the Programme have launched in September 2018 for charities and social enterprises working in the Youth and Homelessness sectors.

In a new report on the impact of Brexit on charities, Charity Finance Group calls on the government to urgently adopt a six-point plan to create a better outcome for the sector.

While there has been some reassurance from Government, the overall picture suggests that, as it currently stands, Brexit will have a negative impact for charities.

Over £1 million will be available for initiatives which will help boost the digital skills of underrepresented groups and disabled people

• £1 million Digital Skills Innovation Fund will help people from underrepresented groups gain the skills they need to work in digital roles.

• An additional £400,000 will help older and disabled people get life-changing digital skills.

Practical problems, such as losing one’s home or facing redundancy at work, can worsen people’s mental health and quality of life.

Primary care and mental health services are seeing an increase in clients with practical problems that take up significant clinical time.    

The NHS has just celebrated its 70th birthday.

A lot has changed since it was created in 1948, and as a result the NHS is responding to changes in society that were never expected, let alone planned for, when it was set up 70 years ago.

The shortlist for the UK Social Enterprise Awards has been announced!

Click here to see the full list of shortlisted applicants.

Oversight Panel convened to review the SORP committee and SORP making process.

The four charity regulators in the UK and Republic of Ireland have decided to hold a governance review of the constitution and composition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) committee and the SORP making process.

• Localgiving to provide grants of £500 to small charities and community groups thanks to support from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery
• This fund will support sports and physical activities which help to overcome barriers to participation and increase social cohesion
• Applications take just 10 minutes and over 400 charities and community groups will be able to access a grant.

Last year the Charity Commission consulted with the charity sector about the annual return for 2018.

Agreement has been reached between the National Employers and the NJC Trade Union Side on rates of pay applicable from 1 April 2018 and 1 April 2019.

UNISON and GMB both voted to accept whilst Unite voted to reject. However, in line with the Constitution of the NJC, Unite accepts the collective majority decision of the other unions that the pay award should now be implemented.

This Call for Evidence is to improve understanding of:

Inclusive Recruitment Practices

What are employers doing, if anything, to create fair opportunities for ex-offenders to compete for jobs within their organisations in the UK?

What information or support would help employers to make the decision to remove the criminal conviction declaration tick-box from their job application forms?

The Charity Digital Code of Practice aims to help charities increase impact, develop skills and improve sustainability, based around 7 principles.  Its steering group are looking for input on the draft Code, and have launched an online consultation.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has published a report bringing together key findings and recommendations for change, following the completion of 20 local authority area reviews exploring how older people move between health and adult social care services in England.

The 2018 annual return service will be available by the end of August. It will include new questions that you can start preparing for now.

Last year The Charity Commission consulted with the charity sector about the annual return for 2018.

Key findings from The Status of UK Fundraising - 2018 Benchmark Report:

Celebrating Fundraisers

• The presence of fundraising staff directly impacts all aspects of the charity
• Fundraising is ranked first as the most important source of income, with government grants in second
• Fundraisers are vital to growth across all channels, irrespective of the size of charity

Making an impact

Benefit Mythbuster is a new online web tool designed to help address commonly held myths and misconceptions about universal credit.

People can choose from three options – ‘Starting a New Claim’, ‘Managing your Claim’, and ‘Solving Problems’  to find out more about their rights, including information on job search, the claimant commitment, in-work conditionality, sanctions, and more.

In a fragile and turbulent world, volunteers are active in every major shock and stress situation experienced by communities – from earthquakes and flooding to climate change and local conflicts.

Live Long and Prosper - People, Communities and Economies

1 - 2 November 2018, Liverpool

#duenorth5

The Fifth Annual North of England Inequalities Conference will be held in Liverpool on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 November 2018.

Housing First (HF) is an alternative homelessness intervention strategy, aimed at people with complex needs, particularly rough sleepers.

This House of Commons Library paper describes the principles behind Housing First and outlines some of the evidence behind it. The paper also sets out how Housing First has developed in the UK, and what support that it has been offered by the governments of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

On 1 August 2018 the law is changing to extend the scope of who will be disqualified from running a charity.

The rules about automatic disqualification for trustees are changing, more reasons are being added and the rules will also apply to some charity senior manager positions (chief executives and finance directors - and those in equivalent roles).

The SSAC is consulting on proposals to move existing claimants in receipt of a working age income-related benefit to Universal Credit.

The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) has today launched a public consultation on proposals for moving all existing claimants of a working age income-related benefit to Universal Credit.

The £11.5 million Building Connections Fund is a partnership between Government, Big Lottery Fund and the Co-op Foundation which was set up in response to the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness to support projects that prevent or reduce loneliness.

The fund aims to:

Charity Commission update shows continued increase in reports of serious safeguarding incidents by charities

Reporting of serious safeguarding incidents by charities continues to increase, according to the Charity Commission. The regulator has published an update on the work of its interim safeguarding taskforce, and has confirmed that it received 620 safeguarding related reports in April and May 2018, compared to 196 during the same period in 2017.

The Ministry of Defence has launched its first strategy to tackle domestic abuse within the Armed Forces and defence civilian communities.

The strategy builds on existing work by the military in this area, such as providing specialist training to welfare staff, and will include the launch of a campaign to raise awareness across the Armed Forces and enhancing support for civilian staff.

In a fragile and turbulent world, volunteers are active in every major shock and stress situation experienced by communities – from earthquakes and flooding to climate change and local conflicts.

Could your organisation be more effective, efficient and sustainable?

Pilotlight are looking for ambitious charities and social enterprises based in England and Wales who need support to get to the next step in their development.

By working with Pilotlight, organisations have:

For the last 18 months, The Social Change Project has sought to answer one critical question: what can we learn about how social change is happening today that can strengthen civil society’s future efforts?

What we have learnt is being launched today in a new report which urges civil society to unleash its “Social Power” by being much bolder and braver.

View the full report.

Charities should be willing to share information about how they work and operate with ‘a presumption of openness and appropriate transparency’, a draft code of ethics for the sector published today recommends.

Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally charity is continuing its 10th anniversary celebrations by launching its biggest ever competition offering prizes of £10,000 each to 10 small charities to help them expand their marketing.

With smaller charities struggling to attract new volunteers, supporters and donations the initiative aims to help overcome this by specifying the prize money must be used to fund an element of marketing.

The deadline to apply for the UK Social Enterprise Awards will now be midnight Sunday 15 July.

10 digital design principles have developed by over 50 sector organisations facilitated by CAST

Giving  Evidence and think-tank Charity Futures break new ground in researching what matters to charities and donors

Charities and community groups will get £20 million of new funding to help isolated people and those suffering from loneliness.

• Funding will support charities and community groups to bring people together
• The money will go to support programmes that are proven to benefit individuals and society
• Thousands of people will be helped to make connections in their communities

Small and local charities offer a range of economic and social benefits and play a vital role in their communities, a new study has found.

Small Charity Week celebrates and raises awareness of the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector who make an invaluable contribution to the lives of millions of individuals, communities and causes across the UK and the rest of the world.

Vital resources available free of charge

Charities and community groups can now benefit from receiving free resources, courtesy of businesses donating their surplus stocks.

The only requirement is that the charities and community groups register at www.givingworldonline.com, there is even an option to request certain products that would truly help the local community, completely free of charge.

The UK Civil Society Almanac provides a comprehensive overview of the UK voluntary sector with a lot of information on finance, workforce and volunteering.

Ahead of the Almanac 2018 launch in May, NCVO are giving a sneak preview of the latest data on motivations and barriers to volunteering.

Following the interest in the 2017 Charity Digital Skills Report, Skills Platform wanted to help the sector understand what has changed since last year.

33,000

In March 2017, there were 869,000 people working in the voluntary sector. As seen in the chart below, most were from the UK (814,000) while 33,000 were from the EU and 22,000 from the rest of the world.