New Support for Fenland Groups 

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An exciting new project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund is now available to help communities and charities across the whole of the Fenland District. Known as ‘Support Fenland’ this is a five-year project delivered by the Support Cambridgeshire partnership (Hunts Forum and CCVS). The results of a pilot project in 2021, funded by Lloyds Foundation Bank, made it possible to identify the areas of support needed by Voluntary and Community sector (VCS) groups within the Fenland area.  

We are delighted to announce that help is now available through Support Fenland. The project enables the team to work alongside those groups, identifying their needs and provide the necessary support they require to maximise their potential and flourish within their communities. 

The support available ranges from training, advice, resources and guidance on areas such as identifying funding sources, how to make successful grant applications, structuring a group or charity, writing polices, governance, volunteering and much more. This is complemented by relevant events and networking opportunities organised throughout the year on a local and district level enabling groups to share information and work together. 

The new team spearheading the project are Marija Lysak, Fenland Development Officer and Didem Ucuncu, Fenland Communities Officer who both bring a wealth of experience. They have both lived and worked in the Fenland area for many years and have firsthand experience of some of the challenges facing community groups. They are passionate to see communities within the area, thrive and go from strength to strength.

Marija has over 25 years of experience of working in the private, education and charity sectors as a Business Development Manager, Education Consultant, Outreach Manager for a refugee support charity and Pastoral roles. Outside of work Marija volunteers on the Whittlesey Festival Steering Committee, helping to organise this popular community event. She has strong links with local schools and enjoys taking sessions that inspire all ages to get involved in the performing and creative arts.  

Didem (Dee) has 14 years of experience in the private sector and as well as being a busy mum, has dedicated the past two years to volunteering within Wisbech. She currently volunteers as a Walk Leader for the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks, a Timekeeper at Parkrun, Vice President of the Wisbech Lions Club, and a Community Listener/Community Project Researcher for Healthwatch Peterborough & Cambridgeshire.  

The Support Fenland project will be launched at an event on Tuesday 24 September in Wisbech. This will be an opportunity to hear more about the project, meet the team and see how you can be involved. For further information about the event or to find out more about Support Fenland please email Marija at marija@huntsforum.org.uk or Dee at didem@huntsforum.org.uk  

IT Grants/ Net Solutions Wales/ Ongoing

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Funding for charity’s ICT development.

 

What is available?

Net Solutions Wales can assist with IT Grants of £10,000 to £20,000 for community / charity groups ICT development.

The funds cover PC’s, laptops, smartboards, projectors (most main stream I.T) software and support.

Restriction of one application per year.

Typical projects that have been awarded include community re-generation/enrichment, community activities and those groups which involve their community in learning new skills.

They will assist in providing knowledge of the IT available and guide you in how best to maximise the Grant with IT that suits its purpose.

This does not affect any Core funding and applications are on a first come first served basis with a decision time of around one month.

 

Who can apply?

Charities and community groups.

 

How to apply

To find out more and to apply please visit: NET Solutions Wales: web design, e-commerce, web hosting: Charities and community grants

Please tell us your views about the proposed merger

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We want to hear from you!

Earlier in the year, the Trustees of Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service (CCVS) and Hunts Forum for Voluntary Organisations (Hunts Forum) announced their intention to explore a potential merger of the two organisations.

We would now like to know what you think about the proposed merger in a short survey. There are just four questions about your views. Please take the time to let us know. Your view is important to us.

We ask members, groups, stakeholders, funders, and those interested in our work to complete the survey below by September 17th, 2024.

If you need any help completing the survey, email – info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk

 

Fill in the survey here

About the merger – The Trustees feel that, in the past 5 years, there has been a significant increase in collaborative work undertaken under the shared brand of Support Cambridgeshire. Coupled with this the announcement of the retirement of Julie Farrow, the CEO of Hunts Forum, in April 2025 there is an excellent opportunity to look at a new way forward.

Both Trustee boards feel that this potential merger is an opportunity to improve and simplify the services on offer to Cambridgeshire charities and community groups by bringing all services and support under one single charity. The proposal would be to merge the organisations under the Support Cambridgeshire brand. Support Cambridgeshire would keep its existing bases in Huntingdon and Cambridge as these facilities sit in key delivery locations and provide an important hub for stakeholders, members and other partners.

Under one single charity, we would also be able to simplify and build our communications and refine our hugely valuable support and training offer.

The Trustees have arrived at this decision in light of both organisations being in a positive position both financially and reputationally. Collectively they feel that, as one unified charity, Support Cambridgeshire can more effectively and efficiently support and represent the sector. The aim of the merger would be to improve and streamline what is on offer to the sector and not be about reducing services. The Trustees believe that this will be in the best interests of both organisations – and the staff – and that it will result in a stronger and more sustainable organisation.

The Trustees confirmed that they will keep everyone updated with the project; and ultimately it will be up to the members of both organisations to make the final decision on the merger. The plan would be for members to make the decision at both AGM’s in November 2024 if this is fully agreed and endorsed by Trustees as the best route. Before that stage the Trustees of both organisations will carry out extensive due diligence and consultation to ensure that merger is the best way forward.

Disclosure and Barring Service training programme for the East of England (September – December 2024)

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A purple and black text header which says DBS and the East of England, Training programme. Photo of DBS regional outreach advisor Georgie.

 

Welcome to the Disclosure and Barring Service training programme for the East of England (September – December 2024)

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) offers a variety of training to support safeguarding and HR professionals across different sectors – and this is their training programme for those who work for voluntary organisations in the East of England! They have sessions around DBS checks (Disclosure), Barring, information gathering, the DBS Update Service and others. Our training sessions will provide knowledge, skills, and confidence to aid and support those working within safer recruitment and safeguarding.

If you’re unable to attend any of the upcoming dates please do not worry! These sessions will be run again in the first quarter of 2025 and further information will be shared closer to the time. If you are not based in the East of England, please contact the Regional Outreach Adviser in your area for support. A list of advisers can be found on GOV.UK.

Please share this training invite with any others within your organisation who may find this useful.

 

Hello! My name is Georgie Mitchell, and I’m DBS Regional Outreach Adviser for the East of England. It’s my role to support organisations across the East with most aspects of DBS, any DBS-related training in the East will be delivered by me. I’ve worked in the safeguarding community for the past few years, and it’s great to have the opportunity to support organisations and professionals with safer recruitment and employment!

Date?

18 September 2024

Time?

1:00pm – 2:30pm

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

This workshop will focus on the disclosure elements of DBS, namely DBS checks, with a particular focus on understanding eligibility for Enhanced, and Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS checks. The session will last around 90 minutes with time for questions at the end. This session is aimed at individuals who are involved in the recruitment of staff or volunteers and would like to learn more about the different types of DBS check and when a role is eligibility for a particular type of check.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

 

Date?

8 October 2024

Time?

10:00am – 12:00pm

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

This workshop will focus on the Barring aspects of DBS, with a particular focus on understanding the legal duty to refer. This session will last around 2 hours, with time for questions and answers. This session is aimed at individuals who are involved in HR, management of those in regulated activity, those who have safeguarding responsibilities and those who would be involved in making referrals to the DBS.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Harmful Behaviors outside the Workplace

Date?

11 December 2024

Time?

1:00pm – 2:30pm

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

This webinar will consider what we mean by harmful behaviours and how different types of harmful behaviours may transfer into the workplace. This session is suitable for those working in HR or Safeguarding roles who are involved in the barring referral process.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Update Service Masterclass

Date?

23 October 2024

Time?

1:00pm – 2:30pm

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

This webinar will explore the DBS Update Service for and the benefits to organisations. This session will be of value to recruiters and employers who are interested in learning more about the Update Service.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Enhanced DBS Check Process

Date?

05 November 2024

Time?

10:00am – 11:30am

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

This webinar will look at the what happens when an Enhanced check is received by DBS. The session will be of interest to those that process applications for DBS checks, particularly those working in recruitment or volunteer manager roles.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Barring Referral Service

Date?

26 November 2024

Time?

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

Organisations who employ individuals or have volunteers who carry out regulated activity with children or adults have a legal duty to refer to DBS if certain conditions are met. This webinar is designed to guide you through each section of the online barring referral service, what documents to include and will include the opportunity to ask questions.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Legal Duty to Refer Refresher

Date?

03 December 2024

Time?

1:00pm – 1:45pm

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

Organisations who employ individuals or have volunteers who carry out regulated activity with children or adults have a legal duty to refer to DBS if certain conditions are met. This webinar is designed to support organisations to understand their legal duty to refer. This session is suitable for those who already have an understanding of Barring referrals and would like a refresher.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Making a Quality Referral

Date?

20 November 2024

Time?

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Cost?

Free

Where?

Online via MS Teams

Organisations who employ individuals or have volunteers who carry out regulated activity with children or adults have a legal duty to refer to DBS if certain conditions are met. This webinar will look at how to make a Barring referral and which pieces of information and documentation organisations should be submitting to DBS. This session is suitable for those that already have an understanding of the Barring referral process and would like a refresher.

For more information and to book on, access this link: Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

These training sessions cannot be recorded or transcribed without prior consent of the DBS Partnerships team.

The DBS partnerships team reserves the right to amend or cancel should it, for whatever reason, be unable to deliver an advertised training session. In these circumstances, the partnerships team will endeavour to provide adequate notice but will also ensure that a substitute date is made available. The DBS Partnerships team reserves the right to cancel a course when it is not viable due to low numbers. An alternative date will always be provided.

If you require any reasonable adjustments please email Georgina.Mitchell1@dbs.gov.uk at least 2 weeks prior to the training session. If you are unable to attend a course, please cancel your booking via your MS Teams Webinar link. If you are having trouble cancelling your session, please email Georgina.Mitchell1@dbs.gov.uk.

Christmas Connections/ McCarthy Stone/ Deadline Oct 11th

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Funding for Christmas activities for older people.

What is available?

Grants of up to £1,000 are available for charities and community groups bringing together people over 65 at Christmas.

Priority will be given to those organisations connecting older people between 24th December – 2nd Jan, but applications for planned events earlier in December will also be considered.

At least 30 grants will be awarded, though the actual number may be in excess of this.

Examples of activities funded include: the provision of a meal on Christmas Day, group social events, and support for day care centres/community spaces providing services over the festive period.

 

Who can apply?

Organisations with an annual income under £250,000 will be eligible to apply.

 

How to apply

You can apply from the 1st of September 2024 here: Application Form – McCarthy Stone Foundation

Find out more here: Who We Support | McCarthy Stone (mccarthystonefoundation.org)

Deadline: Deadline Oct 11th at 5pm.

Free safeguarding, cyber security and GDPR training for groups

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VSL Learning is an online eLearning training provider that specifically supports charities and other not-for-profits. For the last year, they have been partnered with Support Cambridgeshire, providing voluntary and community groups across Cambridgeshire with our GDPR, Cyber Security, and Safeguarding training at a 25% discount, already saving Cambridgeshire not-for-profits thousands of pounds.

To celebrate the partnership’s first anniversary, VSL Learning is extending this training offer to provide all training free of charge to any Support Cambridgeshire organisations with a turnover of £100K or less. They will continue to provide the 25% discount to all other Cambridgeshire organisations.

Find out more about us and our courses at: www.vslcompliance.com.

 

The courses

· GDPR Awareness – ensures everyone in your organisation understands their legal responsibilities under the UK & EU General Data Protection Regulations. Aligned with the training requirements of the ICO’s Accountability Framework.

· Information and Cyber Security Awareness – allows everyone in your organisation to understand how to identify potential threats and take practical steps to keep your organisation safe from cyber-attacks. Aligned with the National Cyber Security Centre’s best practices.

· Safeguarding Children (Level 2) – Ensure all your staff and volunteers can identify the signs of child abuse and neglect and know how to respond. Take everyone from a total beginner to Level 2 competency. Suitable for everyone that works with children.

· Safeguarding Adults (Level 2) – Ensure all your staff and volunteers can identify the signs of abuse and neglect and know how to respond to adults at risk. Take everyone from a total beginner to Level 2 competency. Suitable for everyone that works with adults at risk.

 

Why choose VSL Learning?

· All thier courses are CPD certified, online self-paced eLearning.

· Designed specifically for charities and other not-for-profits.

· Delivered through thier safe and simple online training system.

· Super easy enrolment. All they need are names and email addresses.

· Each course comes with a user guide for those not familiar with eLearning.

· Instantly downloadable completion certificates.

· Regular completion status report to allow you to track training completion within your organisation.

 

Contact VSL Learning for more information or for a demo of the courses: contact@vslcompliance.com. They would love to support you with your training!

 

New on-Demand training – Legal Issues Around Managing Volunteers

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Support Cambridgeshire partner CCVS has developed a new free training course that anyone can access. This course aims to refresh your knowledge and allow you to feel confident in the subject area.

Legal Issues Around Managing Volunteers

WHO THIS TRAINING FOR?

Anyone involved in dealing with or managing volunteers, even if you are a volunteer yourself.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

Headline information about the key legislation, policies, and procedures to help you deliver your legal responsibilities to volunteers and those they support.

HOW LONG IS THE TRAINING VIDEO?

18.19 mins

 

The Support Cambridgeshire On-Demand Training portal updates your knowledge base around charity and community sector know-how. It is free to access whenever every you want. Fill in the form, press send, and you be sent the link to browse at your leisure, don’t forget to save the link so you can return it as many times as you want! Interested to learn? This click HERE

Henry Smith / Holidays for disadvantage children/ Deadline 19 Nov 2024

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The Henry Smith Charity’s Holiday Grants programme supports recreational trips or holidays for groups of children aged 13 or younger who experience disadvantage or who have disabilities. There is particular interest in contributing to trips that would not take place without the Charity’s funding.

Applications are currently being accepted for holidays taken between 1 September and 31 December 2024.

Schools, youth groups, not for profit organisations and charities in the UK can apply for a one-off grant of between £500 and £2,750 to support a day trip or a longer residential of up to a week for groups of children aged 13 years or younger. The trip could be to a countryside or city location but must be outside of the children’s immediate locality. Day trips should not involve a disproportionate amount of time spent travelling. Consideration will be given to trips which are more local but these should have an emphasis on providing a new experience for the children and broadening their horizons.

Priority will be given to projects level that will benefit disadvantaged and disabled children in the most deprived areas in the UK.

Grants are made on a first come, first served basis until the available funding for that round has been fully allocated. All applications should be received at least six weeks before the date of the trip to allow for administrative processing and decision making.

The deadline for applications is 19 November 2024.

https://www.henrysmithcharity.org.uk/explore-our-grants-and-apply/holiday-grants-for-children/holiday-grants-for-children-overview/

Brunel University / Innovation / Rolling

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Brunel Innovation Voucher Scheme Supports UK Organisations in Innovation

Brunel University London is offering the Brunel Innovation Voucher Scheme to support collaborative projects aimed at developing new products, processes, or services that foster innovation and growth within organisations.

The scheme provides vouchers valued at between £1,000 and £5,000, which cover specific academic project costs at the university. Participating organisations are required to contribute an equivalent value, either in cash or in kind, such as staff time, materials, or equipment.

The scheme is open to SMEs, social enterprises, and third sector organisations based in the UK, offering them an opportunity to collaborate with academic experts to drive innovation within their operations.

Applications are open on a rolling basis.

https://www.brunel.ac.uk/business/Help-for-SMEs/Innovation-Voucher-Scheme

Alzheimer’s Research / Public engagement on dementia / 14 October 2024

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Funding for Innovative Projects that Engage the Public on Topic of Dementia

Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Inspire Fund has opened for applications. This call is offering seed funding grants of up to £5,000 per project to new applicants from across the UK.

The funding is for projects that meet both of the following core criteria:

  • Projects must engage with underserved audiences on the topic of dementia, such as minority ethnic communities, marginalised or socio-economically disadvantaged people.
  • Build knowledge and understanding about brain health (in the context of dementia risk reduction) and explore ways to encourage behaviour change.

Projects can use a range of methods to engage with their audience and applicants are encouraged to consider their audience when selecting methods of engagement, to ensure people are able to take part.

Applications will be accepted from people with a range of backgrounds and expertise, such as dementia researchers, community groups, artists, creative organisations, and people responsible for cultural spaces such as museums and libraries. There is particular interest in proposals led by community groups and organisations. Applicants are encouraged to forge links with collaborators or groups to grow the scale of ideas and the impact of projects.

The grants will not support projects providing dementia care or other frontline services (including arts therapy).

An online information webinar will be held on 17 September 2024 (12-1pm) for potential applicants to find out more about the scheme and ask questions. Applicants can sign up to attend on the ARUK website.

The deadline for applications for seed funding grants is 14 October 2024 (5pm).

https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/grants/inspire-fund/

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