Trustee Week – Come join us, it’s not just for your committee and board

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We are very excited to bring you the Support Cambridgeshire Trustee Week, happening between the 8th and 10th of November, National Trustees Week in the UK.

As part of that, we are hosting four events across three days which are aimed at upskilling and broadening the knowledge and understanding of those who drive are part of the strategic vision of our Voluntary and Community Sector.

Each event is open to anyone who wants to know more, and most are passive, with the option to ask questions of some fantastic professionals. This is an excellent opportunity to engage your ​board and committee in upskilling, which supports their development in making the right decisions for your organisation. However, we are happy to have you if you’re a volunteer, member of the public or staff member interested in the subject.

These events are open to any organisation, however small or large, that works within the county of Cambridgeshire and the city of Peterborough. We thank those who have supported us in offering this event timetable.

Day One – What it is to be a Trustee 

This event is perfect for the current trustee or committee members who need a recap of their responsibilities. It is also perfect for new committee and board members who want to know more. We also welcome those working within the VCSE who want to know more about the role of a charitable Trustee or committee member.

Day Two – 101 Day

In the morning, we have Insurance 101, which will allow those on board​s to grasp the types of charitable insurance on offer and ask professional questions. This includes trustee insurance which covers those on boards for liability.

We then have DBS 101 in the early evening, another topic that those making decisions about the organisation’s direction need to know. For example, what is a ​data barring check, why is it needed and do your volunteers and staff need to have one?

Day Three – Who’s the Boss? 

Getting on Board is supporting Support Cambridgeshire to host this exciting event which looks at the role of the Chair and what makes the relationship between Chair and CEO work. Open to all to come and listen to some fantastic and talented speakers to talk through this relationship and how chairs and CEOs take this further.

Some events will be recorded, but this is the only opportunity you will have to ask questions of the professionals we have pooled together. We, therefore, suggest you book your place as soon as possible.

 

Want to know more and how to book click the button below.

Click here to book

Volunteering : Do we need Passport or Passporting?

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Following the Connecting Communities Conference, there was a keen interest in learning more about the concept of Volunteer Passports and how moving people around organisations could be possible.

With that, we invited Gethyn Wiliams to talk through the theory of Passports and give space for groups and organisations to explore the ideas of how or if this could be something Cambridgeshire VCSE could be up for.

Below you will find the slides, recording and notes which followed the presentation, which was part of the event on the 20th of September 2022.

Next Steps

Thank you to all those who attended and took part, at this stage the Support Cambridgeshire team are not sure where we go with what came out of the event and thank you to all those who are intrested to know and be part of future conversation, if you where unable to make the event but would like to be kept in the loop of the event please email info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk 

 

SLIDES

VCSE Health Alliance Group update – Sept 2022

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The VCSE Health Alliance group met again on the 14th of September to update the members on the progress the ICS and VCSE have made over the past couple of months, and in particular, to agree on a plan to utilise funding received from the ICS covering some important issues within the voluntary sector;

  • Partnership Development 
  • Securing Funding and External Investment – 
  • Tackling Inequalities

The meeting was chaired by Julie Farrow, CEO of Hunts Forum and was held at The Commemoration Hall in Huntingdon.  We had good representation again from across the VCSE sector.

Julie opened the meeting by updating the group on the progress of the ICS VCSE Strategy.  The Strategy was completed by the deadline of 30th June and sent to ICB for approval.   Unfortunately, due to the number of papers at that board meeting, the Strategy was pushed back to the next board meeting.

Julie confirmed that the Strategy had been agreed upon in principle, and thus we are to continue and work from it.  NHS England has given it the green light and hopes it will be approved at the next ICB meeting soon.

Julie also updated the group following an expressed interest for volunteers representing the voluntary sector on identified boards and committees.  These were forwarded to the ICB Governance team and had only recently responded; thus, the VCSE sector hasn’t been represented at any of the boards that met in the last month or so.  This will hopefully be resolved moving forward.

So the positive news from the meeting surrounded the fact that Hunts Forum has received £200k funding from the ICS to help the VCSE sector focus on and develop the following key projects;

Partnership Development – System, Place and Neighbourhood

Julie explained an initial allocation of £100k (this can be amended and split differently between the other two projects) to look at how the voluntary sector continues to embed itself in the ‘system’; how the VCSE plan to work in place & finally, who within the VCSE is involved.  Julie proposed that we recruit somebody to write an update for the sector, i.e., who are the key partners, what makes up the finances, and which unfunded projects added value.  This was agreed in principle by those present.

Securing funding and external investment – how sustainable is the VCSE sector?

This project is all about identifying gaps and opportunities to tender for additional funding from external fundraisers.  £50k has so far been allocated for this project.  Julie confirmed that the project would be more focused on pulling together collectively as a sector and working collaboratively to see how we can lever in additional ‘resources’ to add ‘added value to the health system.  It was suggested that Julie invite Nicci Briggs, Chief Finance Officer at the CPICS, to understand the financial structure within the ICS to one of our future meetings.

Tackling equality – encouraging the broadest possible involvement

£50k has been allocated for this project.  This project looks at social capital, mobilising what is in place and tackling funding inequality.

NHS England additional funding

It was also highlighted that Julie had also secured an additional £10k funding for developing branding and communications for the Health Alliance group.  This money will also be used for internal communications and provide consistent access to information on who’s doing what in representing the VCSE on boards and committees and sharing feedback on key comments and actions arising from those meetings.

Actions points that rose from the meeting

  1.  Julie to organise an online session to address the concerns many members had experienced in the lack of voluntary sector participation at various ‘health’ meetings.  In particular, this session will address what value health meetings put on the voluntary section due to the fact that VCSE issues aren’t currently included on the meeting agendas.  If you are interested in attending, please email Julie.farrow@huntsforum.org.uk
  2. All members agreed to forward ‘content’ that can be uploaded and shared via a regular newsletter to all members detailing key activities, events, and feedback from attending the various health boards.
  3. A few members expressed concern over their commissioning contracts, particularly the delays in renewing their contracts with many charities forced to operate ‘as a going concern.  Julie offered to send a letter signed by CEOs expressing their collective concerns direct to the CPICS.

Any other business

It was suggested that future meetings alternate between face-to-face and virtual. Therefore the next meeting will be online.  Any requests for a change of location or area for face-to-face meetings should contact debbie.drew@huntsforum.org.uk.

Support Cambridgshire Impact Report- June – August 2022

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Below you can see an infographic highlighting the impact of the Support Cambridgeshire partnership between 1st June 2022 and 31st August 2022.

If you wish for this information not in infographic form, please contact info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk

Support Cambs Infographic Quarter 3

 

How our Community Engagement Lead rose to the challenge in Fenland

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As hundreds of thousands of elderly people start to receive their autumn coronavirus booster vaccine this week, Debbie Drew, our Community Engagement Lead Fenland, talks about the challenges and barriers she faced in setting up the vaccination programme in the Fenland region.

As Debbie says, ‘I was employed to look at vaccine hesitancy and uptake in Fenland, particularly with the Eastern European Community and the Homeless. To enable this, two local organisations were engaged and funded to provide workers. Ferry project had one full-time worker, and Access Migrant support had a Latvian / Russian speaker and a Lithuanian speaker’.

‘Having these two organisations on board helped break down some of the barriers (particularly language for me) as they already had a trusted presence in the community.’

‘The project did various things over the year but included a lot of engagement with businesses. Often the workers in the businesses have the information we needed, particularly issues arising and general feelings towards a vaccine.’

‘Since March this year, we have been investigating places where we could bring a roving vaccination team to the different communities. This was either by hiring a room or bringing the vaccination vehicle to a site. Therefore, I spent time visiting all the four market towns (and some villages) to see where we might get a good response’.

‘I found a suitable venue in Chatteris, and the first pop-up we did there was during a big storm day (we nearly cancelled), but we still saw 54 people turn up for vaccination. However, booking the venue and turning up does not alone produce consistent numbers. Therefore, during the previous week, I organised for some posters and flyers to be printed and hand-delivered to shops, doctor’s surgeries, sports venues and anywhere else that will take them’.

‘Engaging directly with local businesses on the ground proved to be a great help.  Going around and speaking to everyone and sharing information, as well as answering general questions, proved extremely helpful and led to great attendance at these events. The highest turnout was 141 in Chatteris after the Spring Booster was announced. The businesses have all gotten to know me, and I have no problem asking them to share the information’.

‘The most important thing that I have learned is that although there is hesitancy around vaccines for many people, there were bigger issues facing them. The main one is limited access – if you live in a village and do not drive, getting to a mass vaccination site is difficult- local transport is not always the best. Many people also found that the opening times were not suitable or the slots at weekends were unavailable’.

‘Many people had been offered vaccinations 20 to 30 miles away, but this was too far to travel for some, especially for those who didn’t deem vaccinations or boosters’ top priority. Even now, at some of our recent pop-up sessions, we are still getting people coming for their first-time vaccination’.

‘If the public were carers (this can include parents), getting to a vaccine centre takes time and meant time away from caring for, which was not always possible. When you have several children, taking them all to a vaccination centre is not ideal either. Thus the more local approach tended to suit these people’.

‘Needle phobia was another reason people did not attend the vaccination centres.  However, at the pop-up sites, the staff were able to offer to see people in a quieter environment and gave them extra time & support’.

Debbie concluded by saying ‘Although we have had some great results this year, I cannot get complacent and will keep pressing hard and setting up pop-up sessions wherever we can.  With infections falling, health bosses are still predicting a rise in Covid and flu cases this winter, which is expected to increase the pressure on hospitals’.

The funding and project are due to finish on 18th October 2022. To find out about the vaccination programme in Fenland before then, please get in touch with Debbie on 07955440672 or email her at debbie@huntsforum.org.uk.

Guidance for this period of mourning

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Support Cambridgeshire partners are greatly saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We wish to provide our condolences to the Royal Family during their time of personal loss. We will always be grateful for what the Queen did for our sector.

In this difficult time, we wanted to put out what NCVO have published as guidance on expectations.

https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/what-charities-need-to-know-during-this-period-of-mourning/#/

Along with government guidance

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-demise-of-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii-national-mourning-guidance

Free Gas Safe Training for frontline staff and volunteers

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The Gas Safe Charity provides free hour-long Zoom training course to raise awareness of carbon monoxide (CO) risks, aimed at front line staff who provide support to vulnerable people in their own homes. Already thousands of people have attended these courses but we want to promote it even more widely, as it is such an important topic, particularly at the moment. It could save lives.

As we move into Autumn and heating is switched back on, risks increase. It has never been more important for front line staff and volunteers to be more aware of the risks of CO in the home. The cost of living crisis is increasing those risks, particularly to vulnerable people who may be using unsafe heating practices in their home or not having their gas appliances checked in order to save money. New legislation about carbon monoxide detectors for landlords is also becoming law later this year, which is covered in this training.

Aimed at front line staff and volunteers, they help people who work in the homes of vulnerable people to be more aware of the risks and to help prevent poisoning taking place. The interactive workshop lasts an hour. To find out more and to book, please click on this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/115618952399

Changes to the Charities Act 2022 – Phase one goes live in the Autumn

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The Charities Act 2022 simplifies charity law so that charities can spend less time and resources on untangling legal processes, from amending governing documents, to selling land, merging with other charities, and making use of permanent endowment funds.

The Act will be implemented in three phases over the next 15 months, with the first phase going live in autumn 2022.

To help the charity sector stay informed of the incoming legislative changes this autumn, the Charity Commission for England and Wales has published information about what impact these changes will have on their guidance.

Proposed plans to re-shape the ICS with a new Health and Wellbeing & Integrated Care Strategy

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As a new ICS, the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System (CPICS) is continuing to get together a range of strategies, including the Health and Wellbeing and Integrated Care Strategy, with a 5-year forward plan.  This plan will focus on what needs to be done around our ‘health and care’ provision for our local people and communities.  

The plan aims to be submitted before December 2022. As part of the process, the CPICS want to gather views and insights from local people and communities before drafting the strategy and then go out to gather views once the strategy is drafted.   

The initial engagement will focus on ten questions, issued alongside context-setting material, for people to answer along with listening and talking events. National Guidance has been issued, and this includes a detailed list of whom we need to speak to as a minimum.  

What is the Health & Wellbeing Board? 

Previously operated as two separate committees and meetings, the Health and Wellbeing board supports integration and partnership between bodies from the NHS, public health, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) and local government. Health and wellbeing boards bring together the NHS, public health, adult social care, and children’s services, including elected representatives and Local Healthwatch, to plan how best to meet the needs of their local population and tackle local inequalities in health. 

During the statutory committee meetings, the board tackles vital health and well-being issues within our area. 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Health & Wellbeing Board (HWB) is a statutory committee established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 for local authority members and local health organisation leaders to work together to create a Health and Wellbeing Strategy for the area. 

The Board assesses what health and wellbeing support our local communities will need. The strategies implemented out of these discussions plan how the ICS can operate a better-integrated function and how we can promote improvements that reduce health inequalities. 

Together with their partners, including Healthwatch, they are committed to establishing a single approach that will be both an integrated care strategy and a health and wellbeing strategy: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phase 1 will gather information over the next few months before writing the strategy and work closely with voluntary sector charities such as Healthwatch and other local partners.  

For more information about these plans go to https://www.cpics.org.uk/health-and-wellbeing-decisions 

To read the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Health and Wellbeing Board Whole System Joint Sub-Committee  meeting summary minutes from March 2022, click here 

 

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