Group Support

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 VIN has always provided information and advice to VCSE organisations both large and small.

Group Support will now be provided by Alison Hodson at 2 days per month and starting from September 2022 through to March 2023.

If your organisation requires support, then please E Mail VIN at groupsupport@voluntaryimpact.org.uk in the first instance and Alison will be in touch. When E Mailing please explain the nature of your query and the information or advice you may need.

VIN can offer information on advice on a range of subjects which include:

Governance

Constitutions

Writing Effective Funding Applications

Fundraising

Bank Account queries

Trustees Responsibilities and Much More..!! 

This information and advice service is separate to any Training courses that me may provide. Please also remember that a range of free Resources are available at our website: www.voluntaryimpact.org.uk

 

The story of Brad and Happy @ Home

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Brad lives alone, he is 77 years old and has severe heart problems which affects all aspects of his life.   His mobility is very poor, and he can only walk a few steps before he becomes breathless.  As a younger person Brad worked locally in the boot and shoe Industry. He lost his dear wife some years ago and one of his children.

His mental health has been severely affected not only by his losses and his illness, but also by his living arrangements and this is the issue that he had desperately been asking for help with. Brad lived in the bottom half of a house owned by the council.  The top half of the house had been sold by the council to younger people.  He experienced difficulty getting in and out of his home due to rubbish being stored along the side of the property where he kept his scooter.  He was also disturbed (day and night) on a regular basis by loud music.  Brad’s home was no longer his safe place!

Brad’s flat had many problems.  Mold and damp were all over his bedroom walls, and stains appeared on his kitchen ceiling due to leaks from properties above. His internal doors wouldn’t close which made it difficult to contain the heat in the drafty rooms.  His bathroom was not fit for purpose as he had difficulty getting in and out of the bath due to his mobility issues. His mobility scooter which couldn’t be kept inside the property as it was deemed a fire hazard was stolen from outside his home.

He desperately wanted to move into a bungalow that would be more suitable for someone with his mobility challenges. 

Brad was referred to Happy@Home Northampton by Social Services who believed that having a volunteer befriender to talk to might help Brad cope with his circumstances!

Happy at Home | Voluntary Impact Northampton

One of our Happy@Home Coordinators Roz contacted Brad to discuss our befriending service and to arrange a home visit. Roz was disturbed to see the hostile environment in which Brad was living, and to learn that nothing appeared to be happening to rectify his situation.                                          

Roz notes that during her two visits with Brad he was upset and in tears. 

With Brad’s consent Roz put pen to paper and contacted his local MP and social worker.

And now, after some time Brad is in his new home, a home where the doors all close, a home with a bathroom he can actually use and a home where he can relax and talk to his neighbours.  He doesn’t need a befriender as he can get out and about on his replacement scooter and he uses the buses on a regular basis. 

Brad states:

This has changed my life: I feel free of all the problems I had with the old house.  I have no roads to cross as the bus stop is right outside my door: I am sleeping better as well – I am grateful to Roz as she really got things moving for me.   

Brads story is also the story of our Happy @ Home Befriending service. Sometimes people just need a little extra help and support, and our team is there to provide that.

The passing of Queen Elizabeth

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As you will now be aware Queen Elizabeth has passed and we now have a new King in Charles.

Please find attached some useful links relating to the National Period of Mourning, which includes a bank holiday for the Queens Funeral, which has now been agreed as the 19th of September 2022.

  • This gives advice on travelling into and out of London-

 Travel advice for the mourning period – Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk)

  • This is general advice for businesses throughout the mourning period-

 The Demise of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: National Mourning Guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

  • This is advice regarding the funeral day itself which has been confirmed as a Bank Holiday on Monday 19thSeptember-

 Bank holiday announced for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral on Monday 19 September – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Memorandum agreed by both Health and Wellbeing Boards

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The Health and Wellbeing Boards of both North and West Northamptonshire met respectively on the 6th and 8th of September 2022. Both Boards agreed and endorsed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Integrated Care System (the ICS) and the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector (collectively known as the VCSE).

The Memorandum of Understanding can be viewed here:

The MOU is a high-level document which sets out the relationship between the System (the ICS) and those organisations that provide health and wellbeing services.

We all know that the VCSE as a Sector provides a range of important services, and brokers engagement in communities. The latest NHS Guidance suggests that the VCSE will have an important role to play in any ICS, and that includes Northamptonshire. The MOU will also be an important reference document when services are devolved into Place (through Local Area Partnerships). VIN encourages VCSE organisations to read and understand the document. The Health and Wellbeing Boards will review progress against the MOU on an annual basis.

Watch this space for more information on the ICS and its development over the next 3 months.

 

Tesco Community Grants

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The Tesco funding continues.

We are accepting applications for the January – March 2023 voting period!

Groundwork UK administer the funding programme on behalf of Tesco, and Groundwork Northants is the local (independent) Groundwork company.

There are no themes for applications, any programme can apply for funding, demonstrating its Community Benefit. We are particularly low in applications in Daventry, Brackley, Corby and Kettering.

Follow the link for more information.

Tesco Community Grants

Liz Truss appoints her Secretaries of State

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Details on the Secretaries of State for the three main departments Charities interact with have now been confirmed.

Therese Coffey Secretary of State Department of Health and Social Care and Deputy Prime Minister:

 MP Suffolk Coastal since 2010, Coffey led the Truss leadership campaign. She is an avid Boris Johnson supporter and regular interacts with the Media.

Aged 51, with an extensive ministerial carer since 2010, Coffey has held positions in Defra, Business and Energy and as the Deputy Leader of the House. Most recently Coffey was the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions between 2019 and 2022. Her voting record suggests conservative views on reproductive and LGBTQI+ rights: Her first slogan on appointment was ABCD – Ambulances, Backlog, Care and Doctors and Dentists.

Simon Clarke Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities:

 MP Middlesborough South and East Cleveland since 2017, and now aged 37. He was Minister of State for Housing in 2020-21 and was most recently Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 until yesterday. He was one of the few ministers not to resign from Government in July.

Michelle Donelan Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport:

 Donelan has been the MP for Chippenham in Wiltshire since 2015.  She has held various ministerial roles in the Department of Education since 2020, mostly at Minister of State Level with two days as Secretary of State in July OF 2022. Donelan worked in TV and magazines prior to election to the House. She has been a trustee [and may still be] of a domestic violence charity in Chippenham and has been a member of the steering group of Wiltshire carers. She has experience of the VCSE.

More Junior Appointments and the Appointments of Parliamentary Private Secretaries will follow later this week.

Local Area Partnerships – A Framework for Action in the ICS

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Whether its in North or West Northamptonshire, Local Area Partnerships (or LAPS) are going to be an important component part of the new Integrated Care System (ICS) which became a reality in Northamptonshire from the 1st of July 2022.

ICS Local Area Partnerships Identified | Voluntary Impact Northampton

There will be 17 LAPS in total across the County, geographical areas with population sizes ranging from 30 to 50,000.00. These LAPS will drive Placed Based Delivery and will focus on the Wider Determinants of Health – those factors such as poverty, housing , employment and education which all impact on a community’s ability to be healthy (both physically and psychologically).  Whilst the concept of LAPS is still being developed (beyond geographical size) what values they work to and how they will operate should be interesting. Early indications from both sovereign authorities (North and West) suggest the following:

  • Community voice and engagement should always be at the heart of any LAP operation.
  • Mobilising existing community assets (organisations, individuals, and buildings) will be crucial to their success.
  • Involvement of collectives, groups, networks, and residents and utilising their knowledge and experience will be an important deciding factor in how LAPS make decisions.
  • LAPS need to be flexible in their delivery whilst understanding the often-unique circumstances of their local area.
  • LAPS will evolve and develop over time and will be learning and sharing experiences.
  • Who sits where within LAPS and why is still a live and active discussion to be developed over the next 6 months.

Look out for further engagement on the LAP concept by visiting this news section regularly.

What are the most common mistakes when writing a business plan? 

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Watch our short video that explains how to avoid making common mistakes when writing your business plan.

With the right preparation, your business plan will be a powerful tool that enables you to make quick decisions, rapidly adjust your processes and decisions and optimise management of the team. 

Avoid making the following mistakes.

Using a single static plan 

Things constantly change within the VCSE environment. A good business plan is never truly finished. Undertake a lean plan and keep it focused. Revisit it regularly and be brave enough to alter or amend it if you think it’s right to do so. 

Losing the focus on income 

While income is not our prime reason for existing it is vitally important. A business plan that does not mention income and expenditure or set out your funding requirements for now and the future is not a solid and robust plan.

Skipping idea validation 

Never underestimate the importance of an idea. Ensure your plan sets out the idea, how you came to the conclusions you did and what you require to execute it. Give idea validation some critical thought. It may present your organisation with opportunities to generate income or enable you to deliver more to many. 

Making the planning process overwhelming 

Writing a business plan is not as hard as you might think. For example, a simple, lean plan contains a few pages of bullet-point lists, tables, and essential projections. Never get tempted to make the business plan process overwhelming. 

Vague goals or objectives 

Leave out vague and meaningless business phrases. Remember that the objective of a plan is its results, and for results, you need tracking and evaluation, as well as well-defined and robust objectives in the first place. If you cannot define these, then some development work is required before writing any business plan. 

Thinking that all business plans need to be the same 

Each plan should be unique to the circumstances of your organisation and tailored accordingly. 

Showing a distinct lack of care 

Funders will see through poorly thought out or careless business plans. If you start from the premise of a plan being a good thing to do for the organisation, rather than a burden on the organisation’s time, your finished business plan should be robust, well presented, and full of useful and informative content. 

Find out more at www.voluntaryimpact.org.uk/resources. 

Engagement Day – HMP 5 Wells

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HMP Five Wells are hosting an engagement day with food, games and engaging activities.  For more information, take a look at the poster below.

Engagement day poster