NCVS e-bulletin - Thursday 17 October 2024

The Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS) e-bulletin will be back in a fortnight. The deadline for contributions and comments is Monday 28 October 2024. Email communications@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Did you know we keep an archive of past NCVS e-bulletins? View the archive here.

We were really pleased at the turnout for the Collaborative Workshop: Shaping Future Services Together event held on Thursday 3 October. We worked collaboratively with Nottingham City Council Commissioning Team and the Social Enterprise Accelerator programme with NTU. More than 60 VCSE organisations took part, providing valuable insights from those working closest to our communities. 

To read more about the event, including details about how to be involved in future events, click the link below.

As your friendly neighbourhood infrastructure, we like to keep on top of what's going on in the voluntary sector and beyond. Recently, a recurring topic in our web of communications has been the discussions around X (formerly known as Twitter) and whether people are staying or leaving. After some team discussion, we decided that X might not be the best platform for us to engage with, so we've chosen to step back from posting there. Don’t worry, we still have an X account—we don’t want that FOMO feeling—we just won’t be posting from it.

Read more to keep up to date with our social media plans, including where you can connect with us and a handy new tool to help you decide the best platform for you.

The NottAlone website is expanding to offer mental health support and signposting to people of all ages across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Since its launch in 2021, the NottAlone site has supported children and young people up to the age of 25. Since Thursday 10 October 2024, which was World Mental Health Day, it now offers local mental health advice to anyone of any age, all in one place. The website address will remain the same: www.nottalone.org.uk.

The NottAlone website is a joint project by Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board.

On Your Side is an organisation that helps anybody in the UK who identifies as part of an East or Southeast Asian community. You can find support and report any experiences of racism or hate.

In light of the recent riots in the UK, they are keen to help affected communities get the support they need. They also want to raise the public's understanding of hate crime and the communities' rights.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 22 October 2024

Ofgem’s Energy Redress Scheme offers four funding streams, providing grants ranging from £20,000 to £1.5 million. Funded by voluntary payments from companies that may have breached Ofgem rules, the scheme has been managed by the Energy Saving Trust for five years. The scheme prioritises support for vulnerable energy consumers, the development of innovative products or services, and the empowerment of consumers to reduce their carbon emissions.

There are four funding schemes available, and registered charities, community benefit societies, and community interest companies can apply for funding under all of them.

The deadline for applications is Thursday 31 October 2024

The DWF Foundation (also referred to as the Foundation) is an independent charity, founded by DWF, with the sole aim of providing funds, resources, and mentoring support to help individuals, groups, and communities achieve their full potential.

Funds of up to £5,000 are available to registered charities whose work impacts homelessness, health and wellbeing, employability, education, the environment, and sustainability.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 18 December 2024, 12 noon

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund has grant funding of between £50,000 and £100,000 available to fund projects that explore and pilot solutions for family members—collectively and as individuals of wounded, injured, and sick serving persons or Veterans. The fund is open to registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), local authorities and statutory organisations.

We're regularly updating the funding news on our website, so click the button below and find the fund for you!

Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at NCVS, continues his series of articles in support of Leaders of Volunteers.

At a time when fewer volunteers are coming forward to join our organisations, Dave shares ten practical ways that you can hang on to the volunteers that you have now and keep them enthusiastic:

1. Show your appreciation
2. Give them meaningful tasks
3. Offer learning opportunities
4. Build a community
5. Communicate clearly
6. Be flexible
7. Encourage leadership roles
8. Ask for feedback
9. Promote inclusivity
10. Show the impact

Wednesday 20 November 2024, 10am to 12 noon
Nottingham Central Library, 1 Carrington Street, NG1 7FH

A face-to-face networking meeting for anyone with an interest in managing, supporting or leading volunteers.

Share your experience, give and receive advice, and network with people who understand volunteers and volunteering. This is a great opportunity for you to meet your fellow Leaders of Volunteers in person, to share good practice, ideas and celebrate your successes.

Please share your ideas for agenda items and topics for discussion with Dave Thomas, Volunteering Development Officer at Nottingham CVS, by emailing davet@nottinghamcvs.co.uk or calling 07564 040 767.

Places are limited, and it's important that you book your place. So if you'd like to attend, please register now. Full details and venue information will be shared with registered attendees in advance of the meeting.

Green social prescribing is a way of connecting people to nature-based activities and green groups, projects and schemes in their local community for support with health and wellbeing. Often this will be through a referral from a Link Worker based at a GP practice or another primary care professional.

Our scheme in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, called GreenSpace, was one of seven government Green Social Prescribing Test and Learn sites.

While the National Test and Learn may have ended, NCVS continues to embed green social prescribing into health systems to make nature-based/outdoor activities an intervention of choice to support people to improve and maintain their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Sunday 24 November 2024, 6pm to 8pm
Sneinton Market, NG1 1DT

This event has been organised by Equation and aims to raise awareness against sexual violence and promote women's safety. The march will proceed to Market Square, followed by speeches and activities. It's an opportunity for the community to stand in solidarity, advocate for change, and support survivors. All are welcome to participate and show their support.

Monday 18 to Friday 22 November 2024 is Safeguarding Adults Week, and Ann Craft Trust has some exciting events arranged to support the week. All events are online and free to attend, except for their annual Safeguarding Adults Conference, which does come with a cost. Click the 'Read more' button below to find out more and register.

They have also provided resources that you can use to show your support for the week and raise awareness of some key safeguarding issues.

Friday 25 October 2024, 1pm to 3pm
Room 4, Nottingham Central Library, 1 Carrington Street, NG1 7FH

This third workshop, a partnership between Citizens Advice Nottingham and District Autism Service and Working Well East Midlands, focuses on supporting disabled people, including autistic individuals, in the workplace. The event will cover job interview processes and converting interviews into job offers. The agenda includes a presentation on applications to interviews, drafting responses, a discussion on employers' understanding of autism in recruitment, and a Q&A session. The venue is wheelchair accessible, and additional information about quiet rooms and transport is provided.

Thursday 24 and Friday 25 October 2024, 10am to 4.30pm
Nottingham Council House, Old Market Square, NG1 2DT

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every single person in the UK and, in many cases, continues to have a lasting impact on lives. Every Story Matters is an opportunity to share with the Inquiry the impact it had on you, your life, and the other people around you.

The Every Story Matters team will be at Nottingham Council House to help you share your pandemic experiences.

For those that can’t make it in person, they can share their story online.

More event listings on our website

Head over to the dedicated 'External Events and Training' page on our website to view more events and training opportunities from Nottingham's Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.

If you would like to submit an event to feature on this page, please fill in our online event submission form. Events will be approved for publication on the NCVS website at our discretion, taking into account our aims and mission.

Our full Training and Development programme is available to view on our website. All courses take place online via Zoom.

We have new sessions and new dates for 2024/2025. Book now.

Thursday 9 January 2025, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities in safeguarding adults and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 23 October 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children and young people and how to respond to concerns.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 27 November 2024, 10.30am to 1pm

This online training will give you a basic understanding of the role and responsibilities of a Designated Safeguarding Lead Person for an organisation working with vulnerable children and young people.

Cost: £25 per participant

Wednesday 13 November 2024, 6pm to 7.15pm

This online training explains your safeguarding responsibilities as a trustee for an organisation working with vulnerable adults or children and young people.

Cost: £15 per participant

Monday 3 March 2025, 6pm to 8pm

This online training covers the basic information that all trustees should know.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 5 February 2025, 10.30am to 12.30pm

This online training takes you through the basics of being a Fire Warden/Fire Marshal and will prepare you to carry out this very important role.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 25 February 2025, 10.30am to 12.30pm

Learn the basics of taking effective minutes in this online training – and make note taking easy.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 21 January 2025, 6pm to 8pm

This online training will teach you the basics of health and safety, and explain the process of carrying out a risk assessment in your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 12 November 2024, 6pm to 8pm

This online training will refresh your knowledge as a trustee, update you on current issues, improve your personal skill set and help you develop your role for the benefit of your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 24 October 2024, 10am to 11am

Identify barriers to volunteering and develop ideas to minimise and remove them during this training, to ensure your organisation isn’t missing out on great volunteers.

Cost: £10 per participant

Tuesday 26 November 2024, 10am to 12 noon

This online training, previously called “How to be a Better Leader of Volunteers”, takes you beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers and will explore some of the real-life issues that you’re facing as a Leader of Volunteers.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 3 December 2024, 10am to 12 noon

This online training takes you beyond the basics of managing and supporting volunteers and will challenge you to consider the difference that volunteers make to your organisation.

Cost: £20 per participant

Tuesday 22 October 2024, 10am to 12 noon

In any group of volunteers, there’ll be occasional disagreements, personality clashes and conflicts. Although these are hopefully rare events, this updated, online training will prepare you for when they occur.

Cost: £20 per participant

Thursday 23 January 2025, 10am to 11am

Start your journey into the exciting and rewarding world of volunteer leadership with this online training that explores the volunteer journey from start to finish.

Cost: £10 per participant

Tuesday 12 November 2024, 10am to 12 noon

Although the law has little to say about volunteers and volunteering, what it does say is important. This online training will help you develop an understanding of some of the legal requirements that relate to your volunteering programme.

Cost: £20 per participant

Wednesday 29 January 2025, 10am to 11am

Are your volunteer opportunities struggling to attract people, or people with the right interests and skills for your organisation? This online training will teach you how to enhance your volunteer role descriptions and make them stand out.

Cost: £10 per participant

The Practice Development Unit (PDU) aims to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice among professionals and volunteers from all sectors, in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD). This is understood as a combination of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, offending and domestic abuse, among other issues.

Contact our PDU Team if you need more information: pdu@nottinghamcvs.co.uk

Join our free online hub www.pdunottingham.org

Follow us on Twitter @NottinghamCVS #PDUNottingham.

Did you know the PDU Online Hub hosts a comprehensive e-learning suite? Check out this fortnight's PDU highlight below.

Wednesday 23 October 2024, 10am to 12 noon
Online via Zoom

PDU would like you to come and join them at the Coproduction Communities of Practice, which will be facilitated by the Lived Experience Team Leaders within Changing Futures. The theme for this session will be around ‘How to support people to get involved in coproduction’. The session will be looking at ways to introduce people to engage with people to coproduce meaningfully and effectively at all stages of the coproduction process. During this session, discussion from the group is encouraged to share thoughts on what has worked and resulted in positive outcomes as well as the challenges and barriers that have been experienced to learn from each other.

During the second part of the session, there will be an opportunity to review the Coproduction Communities of Practice with the group to look at how it is working currently and what members feel would be valuable moving forward. PDU would really appreciate it if people are able to think about what they would find beneficial and want to gain from attending so we can have further discussions during the session to shape the future of the Communities of Practice.

Wednesday 13 November 2024, 10am to 12 noon
Online via Zoom

An online forum for professionals, volunteers and people with lived experience who are passionate about employability, skills led recovery and resettlement, or new to this area and curious to learn more.

The theme this time is 'Trauma-Informed Employability'.

Various dates throughout the year, 10am to 1pm
Online

Al-Hurraya is offering free online training for professionals in Nottingham. The training is designed to enhance professionals' knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures, communities, and faiths. By bridging the gap between services and service users, they aim to support organisations in their efforts to address hidden harms.

Topics covered include modern slavery, female genital mutilation, grooming, and extremism, but our training also explores other forms of hidden harm within diverse communities.

To book on to one of the available sessions, please contact info@al-hurraya.org, stating the date you would like to book:

• Wednesday 6 November 2024
• Wednesday 20 November 2024
• Wednesday 4 December 2024
• Wednesday 11 December 2024

If you are a VCSE organisation in Nottingham City or a VCSE organisation recruiting to a job role which covers the Nottingham City area, you can submit a job advert for our website. Adverts remain on our website until the closing date. We feature new adverts once in the e-bulletin, where possible, depending on the volume of new adverts received.

There are lots more job listings on our website. You can view all the job vacancies available by clicking on the 'More Vacancies' button at the bottom of this section.

For almost 30 years, Media Trust has matched communication skills with great causes to give charities a stronger voice.

If you’re a charity looking for support with communications, their volunteers can help you strengthen your voice. If you’re a media, tech or creative professional looking to give back, they can give you the opportunity to share your expertise with the causes that matter to you.

The University of Nottingham’s Nottingham Consultancy Challenge is an extracurricular activity led by the Careers and Employability Service that connects small, multi-disciplinary groups of students with a real-life business or charity organisation looking to solve a problem or explore an issue that impacts the organisation. In this consultancy simulator, students collaborate on a project over the course of six weeks in the Spring 2025 term, culminating in a final meeting where students present their findings and recommendations to the organisation via a visual presentation and accompanying written report. 

Students will work independently and collaboratively, holding weekly meetings both with each other and with their ‘client’: the organisation. They are encouraged to inhabit the role of consultants building a relationship with their ‘client’, whilst receiving guidance in the background from Careers practitioners and other experts on how to develop and draw on existing competencies that are vital to consultancy work, as well as transferable to many other roles and sectors, including professional communication and writing, project management, group work, and designing and delivering a great presentation. 

Anna White, who runs the Challenge, would be very happy to discuss any aspect of it or answer any questions. Email anna.white@nottingham.ac.uk to start a conversation. 

Radford Care Group has programmes of special support sessions for carers of people with dementia that will give an improved understanding of all aspects of dementia.

The free 7-week programme has experts guiding the group and also offers mutual support from other carers, refreshments, and a chance to get your questions answered in a relaxed and informal setting. Help with respite care may be available (subject to suitability).

The following programmes are currently available to book:

• Every Wednesday from 16 October to Wednesday 27 November 2024, 11am to 1pm.
  Watnall Road Community Centre, Hucknall, NG15 7NH
  
  
• Every Monday from 13 January to 24 February 2025, 10.30am to 12.30pm.
  Middle Street Resource Centre, Beeston, NG9 2AR

Both programmes are available to Nottinghamshire county and city carers, and prebooking is required. 

For more information or to reserve a spot, please contact the team by phone at 0115 9786133 or 07513 856647 or by email at sue.cain@radfordcaregroup.org.uk.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 8 December 2024

Nottingham's universities are inviting people from the local community to apply for paid, full-time PhD research projects that aim to improve the lives of communities across Nottinghamshire. The PhDs have been created to solve real-life problems in the community, following input from researchers and those involved in community organisations.

Co(l)laboratory is a pioneering eight-year, £5.1m project supported by Research England, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Nottingham, and the Universities for Nottingham partnership. Find out more. 

General VCSE sector resources and reports

• Resource centre for charity and non-profit finance leaders - Iplicit have curated a selection of free digital transformation resources to help you and your finance team. 
  
  
• The 2024 Newton Charity Investment Survey - The survey indicates that while cost-of-living impacts are easing, charities still face high demand and financial pressures.
  
  
• Data protection framework - The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a new audit framework to help charities and other organisations assess their compliance with legal data protection requirements. Read an article from Civil society Media here.

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