West Northamptonshire Council UKSPF Investment Plan Survey

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West Northamptonshire Council is responsible for preparing a UKSPF Investment Plan, which will be submitted to Government by 1 August, to secure a 3-year core funding allocation of £5.4m.The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. To this end, the Council welcomes ideas from relevant organisations to inform its Investment Plan. However, we expect this funding opportunity will be over-subscribed. There is no guarantee that investment proposal suggestions will be successful and/or included within the Plan.All responses must be submitted by 29th June at 5pm.The Council strongly recommends all consultees to familiarise themselves with the background information and associated national guidance documents provided on the government’s webpage here.To access the survey, please click here. Your responses will be treated as confidential and in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.Please note that during the survey you will be prompted to upload a spreadsheet outlining the expected spend if you are proposing a project to fulfil the interventions of the Investment Plan. To access the spreadsheet please click here and for any other queries regarding this form, please contact maria.ioannou@hatch.com. For further questions, please contact West Northamptonshire Council at Economy@WestNorthants.gov.uk.

The Health Inequalities Plan 2022 – 2026

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The Integrated Care System across Northamptonshire has published its Health Inequalities Plan.

This plan describes Northamptonshire’s vision to work with communities to ensure that people living in Northamptonshire have the opportunity to thrive, to access quality services providing excellent experiences and optimal outcomes for all.

The long-term ambition is to see:

  •  An increase in healthy life expectancy.
  •  A reduction in health inequalities.
  •  A reduction in premature mortality.
  •  Improved community cohesion.

Plan content can be viewed here: Northamptonshire-Health-Inequalities-Plan-2022.pdf (poverty-truth.org.uk)

The Local Northamptonshire context can be seen between pages 12 and 16.

The aims and objectives of the plan can be seen from page 17.

Any Voluntary Sector comments about the plan should be made to info@voluntaryimpact.org.uk. Please Place HIP in the subject heading.

Comments will be sent through to the current Directors of Public Health across the two Authorities.

 

VCSE Assembly

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To view more information about the VCSE Assembly view our leaflet below.

VCSE Assembly Leaflet

U18 Better Starts Grant

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Local community groups can apply for grants of between £500 and £1500 to support a broad range of activities that contribute to improving children’s lives and contribute towards transforming local communities. The funding is being made available through round 2 of the Asda Foundation’s Under 18 Better Starts Grant. As a result of the cost of living crisis, the focus for round 2 funding is on ensuring children are supported during the summer. It could be providing essential food over the school holidays or a new uniform and sports kit ahead of the new school year, etc.

Applications should be made through each local Asda store’s Community Champion.

Applications can be submitted at any time up to the 19th August 2022.

Click here to read more : https://www.asdafoundation.org/how-to-apply

 

Business planning and strategy

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Watch our short video that explains how to write a business plan or organisational strategy.

A simple strategy called ‘Six Critical Questions’ helps when thinking about business planning. To get the most out of these questions, they should ideally be discussed as a group with trustees, staff, and volunteers.

Here are the six questions.

Why does your organisation exist?

Our core purpose is what gets us out of bed and keeps us inspired. This question aims to achieve a simple line or two that effectively defines your overarching mission. Organisations need to give this some considerable thought though, it’s not as simple as it sounds.

How do we behave, what are our values and how do we live by them?

Values define who we are and are captured in the way we behave and how we do business. Ask yourself what your core values and organisational beliefs are, and then think about how these translate into the workplace.

What do we do?

Can you describe what you do clearly and accurately, in a way different audiences can understand? This sounds simple, but many organisations struggle to define this. A great starting point is to list your projects and activities. In the process of listing, you begin to gain organisational understanding.

How will we succeed?

This is your effective and operational business plan or strategy. There are many paths to success, and strategy is about choosing yours. Rather than having every detail mapped out, you can try having three ‘strategic anchors’ that fit your organisational profile and make sense to all, that can inform day to day decisions. When we are clear on our strategy, it’s much easier to distinguish between opportunities and distractions, decide what’s important and what’s not, make day to day decisions and choose what to focus on.

What’s most important right now?

When organisations have different teams that pursue different agendas, the result can be chaotic, frustrating, or confusing. Organisations can do anything they wish, but they cannot do everything right now. Decide what you are going to focus on and what’s going to make the biggest impact on your core purpose.

Who must do what?

In an organisation, this is about roles and responsibilities. Trustees and chief executives generally make important decisions and include staff and volunteers in this process. It’s the sum of the parts which is important.

You can find out about these six questions at www.voluntaryimpact.org.uk/resources.

Help the Homeless

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Applications are accepted quarterly for capital projects that assist individuals in their return to mainstream society, rather than simply offering shelter or other forms of sustenance.

Up to £5,000 is available to small and medium-sized charities with an annual turnover of under £1m. the next deadline is 15th November. Visit the website for further detail and an application form

Applying for Funding — Help the Homeless (help-the-homeless.org.uk)

 

The Matthew Good Foundation

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Applications are open for Projects that Have a Positive Impact on Communities, People or the Environment

The Fund will share £10,000 between five shortlisted projects, which will be voted for by John Good Group employees. The project that receives the most votes will receive a grant of £3,500, second place £2,500, third place £2,000 with fourth and fifth place both receiving £1,000.

To be eligible, applicants will have to have had an income of less than £50,000 in the last 12 months.

Funding is awarded every three months and the deadline for the next funding round is the 15th September 2022.

https://www.matthewgoodfoundation.org/grantsforgood/

 

Friday Bulletin

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In this weeks bulletin, see the latest workshops offered by VIN, funding news and job and volunteering opportunities.

Social Value Workshop 14th June 2022

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19 VCSE organisations within Northamptonshire met with the Procurement Team of West Northamptonshire Council at the Icon Centre in Daventry on the 14th of June 2022. This event was funded by the Lottery Healthy Communities Fund.

The presentations for the event can be found here:

 

Gus De Silva (Head of Procurement for West Northamptonshire Council)  talked about the Procurement Triangle of cost versus quality versus time. He also mentioned the art of the possible through Partnerships or Coalitions, and how they would be welcomed by West Northamptonshire as a way of delivering services to local communities in the future.

Procurement and Social Values

Ashley LeDuc  (Assistant Director of Commissioning and Performance) mentioned Market Shaping and the preventative agenda – how healthcare generally needs to be repackaged and redelivered into communities and the engagement that forms part of that process.

WNC Commissioning

Martin Wilson (Sustainability Manager of West Northamptonshire Council) talked about Commissioning and Sustainability, and how West Northamptonshire is looking to provide a better future for the communities they serve.

Sustainable West Northants Social Value

VIN comments:

For those organisations that did not attend, the assumption that Commissioning does not link to the new world of the ICS would be an incorrect one. The ICS is largely about Point of Place delivery into communities via various Local Area Partnerships. Brave and intuitive Commissioning which focuses on the local is going to be an imperative within that. Commissioning will have to change to meet this new approach, and that’s why VIN believes that Commissioning Forums should be attached to each Local Area Partnership to keep the debate alive and ensure that Social Value lies at its heart. This is not the first time either that VIN has heard the call around Coalitions or Partnerships from the VCSE. We know that the ICS will deliver its services through Collaborative approaches and the idea that it will work through 70 odd single contracts is mistaken. Therefore VCSE organisations need to think about how they can come together to work at a LAP level based upon Population Health Data and the 10 ambitions enshrined In Live Your Best Life.

Martin Wilson touched on the idea that the VCSE should be thinking about its own Sustainability Pledges:  Any organisation that has can pledge here: Sustainable West Northants

If any organisation wishes to discuss their pledge, you can get advice and guidance by contacting the sustainability team – sustainable@westnorthants.gov.uk

IMB Five Wells Volunteer

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The IMB are looking for a new volunteer for HMP 5 Wells. See the advert below for the full description.

IMB FIVE WELLS