One EM Blog

Written by Claire Chapman, Information and Membership Officer, One East Midlands
In my last few weeks at One East Midlands (I’m leaving for South Yorkshire VCS pastures new at the start of March) I have been on a bit of a case study writing frenzy; whether its highlighting ERDF funded VCS projects, focusing on groups who have received training through an ESF funded project or just showcasing the great work of our members.
Throughout my almost five years providing communications support to a VCS infrastructure organisation I have lost count of the number of case studies I have written but not of the lessons I’ve learned writing them. My learning from the process is easily shared, making the experience as simple as possible for the project or organisation you are focusing on.
So here goes with my top five case study lessons:
1.    Do your homework. By researching your case studies in advance, making use of both the organisation’s website and other research that has highlighted the project, you will already have the majority of information you need for your case study so won’t need to rely on your case study organisation to spend time gathering it for you.2.    Don’t be a time waster. All VCS organisations and projects are busy and even though they will always be grateful for the publicity they don’t have time to spend hours assisting you. Tell them you only need half an hour of their time and give them your questions in advance so they come prepared. Only relying on them for a quick proof at the end, and by using times convenient for them, your case study won’t see you as a time waster.3.    Add some colour. Whether it’s a photograph (you can save even more time by taking this yourself), quote from a service user or volunteer or even just a logo you turn a page of text into something that shouts out to be read.4.    There is such a thing as free publicity. It is one thing adding the final case study to your website and hoping someone will find it, but by making the effort to spread it wider, through social media, your local press, in-house publications or by distributing copies at your events those featured will know you’re really spreading the word out and promoting their great work.5.    Do their own thing. My final lesson is give the featured organisation their own copy of the case study to use and show off as they wish, allowing them to show to others their great work and the support they’ve received from you.
Bearing all that in mind, don’t forget that it’s a case study and not a free advertorial for those featured. It can be difficult to explain to an organisation that re-writing the entire case study adding “excellent”, “fantastic” or “superb” to every sentence distracts from the point of the example study. Changing it back requires more than a little tact and diplomacy!
To look through the many case studies produced by One East Midlands visit www.oneeastmidlands.org.uk/case-studies.
P.S. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the East Midlands voluntary and community sector, its staff and volunteers, who I have worked with since joining One East Midlands in June 2010 and wish you all the greatest success for the future.

Written by Claire Chapman, Information and Membership Officer, One East Midlands


Volunteers Week, taking place from Sunday 1stto Saturday 7th June, is a great time to consider why volunteers volunteer, and as a volunteer myself I know there are many reasons volunteers do so.
Outside of my role as Information & Communications Officer for One East Midlands, I have two voluntary roles, one volunteering in a charity shop and the other as a trustee of a local charity, and for me volunteering is about giving something back to the community and supporting causes I believe in.
However at the shop especially the reason people volunteer varies considerably, including adding it to their CV or UCAS form, keep them busy during periods of unemployment or retirement, doing it as part of a University of Edinburgh Award, meeting new friends and potential other halves, just because they’ve being doing it for years, or for the same reason I do.
Most volunteers will start volunteering with one of these reasons for doing so in mind, but what they won’t anticipate is another great reason, which I will call “the buzz”.
The buzz is that reason for volunteering that is unplanned for but makes you feel all warm and fuzzy whilst volunteering. It can come unexpectedly but will come. Here are some examples of when I’ve had “the buzz” whilst volunteering in the shop:

• When you make a customer’s day by finding them a get a great bargain or just providing a friendly face;
• When you receive a massive donation, especially if you get the donor to sign up for gift aid at the same time;
• When you train up a fellow volunteer;
• When something you’ve chosen to sell through the website or display in the shop sells faster than you could have imagined;
• When customers keep coming back during your shift just because they know you’ll be there and be able to help them;
• When you know how much has been taken through the till during the time you’ll been volunteering and what a difference it will make to the charity;
• And many, many more!

Everyone who volunteers will have their own buzzes but will pretty much always keep them to their selves.
Now working in VCS communications I know the benefit of spreading the word, so when I’m volunteering I will happily tell anyone who inquiries in the shop about volunteering or who is doing their first shift how great it is and nine times out of 10 they’ll keep volunteering.
So this volunteering week, why not encourage your volunteers to do the same or what about asking for their buzzes and use these to create a buzz about volunteering with your organisation.
And a final thing to do this volunteering week, sign up for our monthly volunteering e-bulletin herefor all the latest volunteering news, events and opportunities of interest to VCS organisations in the East Midlands.

Written by Claire Chapman, Information and Membership Officer, One East Midlands

With Trustees Week kicking off on Monday 4th November and our AGM taking place later this month, One East Midlands is extremely grateful for the work of our dedicated team of trustees. However the results of recent surveys can sometimes put trustees of VCS organisations in a negative light – I examine why age may play a part in this.

According to research by the Charity Commission the average age of a trustee is 57 and only 0.5 percent of trustees are aged 18 to 25 years old. This has led to the suggestion that the boards of charities lack diversity and are often not representative of their beneficiaries.


As a 34-year-old who at the beginning of the year joining the board of Headway Derby (I’m looking forward to officially getting elected later this month at their AGM), I fall into the age range and views of those under 35s surveyed by Young Charity Trustees, where 85 percent of respondents wanted to become a trustee and 82 percent of those who had been a trustee rated the experience as positive or very positive.


However I should argue that I didn’t become a trustee because of the age range I fell into or to try and drop the average age, but because I wanted to put something back into a charity, my locality and make use of my skills and knowledge.


I’ll admit it took me a while to find the perfect board to join, despite signing up to newsletters and working for an organisation that will advertise trustee vacancies from across the region for free. But I didn’t give up hope and when I found the trustee vacancy for me I was welcomed with open arms.


At any moment there are thousands of VCS trustee vacancies, especially as we enter the run up to AGM season. So whatever your age and background, if you have the passion, skills and the time (often no more than a couple of hours a month) go for it, perhaps even taking your search a step further than mine and write to the charities you would like to support direct.


And if you are a VCS organisation struggling to fill your board vacancies, this Trustees Week make a resolution to spread the word wider and include the VCS in your search. Why, well in the small team at One East Midlands alone I’m a charity trustee, we have one former trustee, and our Chief Executive is a school governor. 
Although none of us have yet reached the age of 57 we all hope to still be volunteering until we get there and beyond. In the meantime we will continue to channel our passion and drive into useful voluntary roles and encourage others, including the younger population, to do the same.

Written by James Jacobs, Communications Apprentice at Nottingham CVS, a Full member organisation of One East Midlands
“Getting the message across” is one of those terms that you’ll hear frequently in the VCS – In fact, it can seem like a bit of a cliché. However, it is incredibly important you do. Why? In a world where there are financial constraints on many VCS groups we need to tell people what we do and why we do it. It may be to attract new service users – it may be with the aim of getting some much-needed funding – or it may simply be to raise awareness of an issue that effects your organisation or its beneficiaries.
Of course, there are many ways to communicate with an audience – this blog is a perfect of example of that. It is probably taken as a given that groups need some kind of web presence and although a website is obviously important it is not essential. Some smaller community groups may find it easier to operate a group or page on FaceBook.
Twitter is, of course, used by many VCS organisations. We have a twitter profile at @oneeastmidlands, and use it to compliment our website and blog. Twitter is good for short, pithy news items, links and points of interest and can work really well with a younger audience. Don’t worry if you don’t end up getting the same number of followers as Stephen Fry though – the main thing is that you’re aiming your tweets at the right audience – whether it is service users, fellow VCS groups or local worthies (councillors, MPs etc).
However, as much as social media and internet communications are great, they don’t fully encapsulate that phrase ‘Getting the message across’. E-bulletins and Magazines can prove a really effective shop-window for what your organisation does.
That takes us, conveniently, to our latest edition of InsightMagazine. This Autumn’s edition focuses on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), an important source of income for many VCS organisations throughout the East Midlands. We have a Spotlight on a long standing Member (and our landlords!), Nottingham CVS, and an article explaining the work of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and much more.
Whilst we have a great website and use social media effectively, Insight is a great way for introducing people to our work – it’s a high-quality, well produced magazine that can go in depth more than twitter or a even a website. In a world of the internet – don’t forget that traditional methods of publication can sometimes be just as effective in ‘Getting the message across’!
To access an electronic version click hereor a paper copy of Insight email information@one-em.org.uk.
But lastly, there is still no technological substitute for human contact.  Make all the tools above work for you but top it up with face-to-face as often as you can; the ultimate suite of tools to ‘get your message across’.

Yesterday One EM supported our fourth event focussing on VCS engagement with LEPs and in particular their future role in EU funding investment. The event was a great opportunity to get out into Lincolnshire and meet groups that we rarely get chance to have contact with nowadays. It was also an opportunity to further our thinking about the opportunities and challenges for the VCS in relation to future EU funding. 
In short there are many reasons why the opportunity is huge for the VCS:

• Discussions on the investment of EU funds have moved to a more local level than ever before – through LEPs;
• A large proportion of that investment must be focussed on promoting social inclusion and combating poverty;
• Other investments will include core VCS functions such as learning & skills, environmental protection, access to employment, ICT and local economic growth;
• Match funding is being made available to the VCS through Big Lottery Fund;
• The VCS could help drive better outcomes for LEPs in achieving the Equality & Diversity cross-cutting theme;
•   LEPs are encouraged to identify and respond to social innovation;
•  Community Led-Local Development is seen as a positive approach that can be taken by the LEP in achieving particular outcomes.

So with all this positivity why are some of us struggling to engage or shape our thinking quickly enough in order to respond? After all this is a once-every-seven-year opportunity to get it right.
Karen Parsons, Director of Children’s Links, hit the nail on the head yesterday. As a sector we are so used to being consulted on an almost completed strategy and marginalised in discussions that when our help is truly needed we lack the systems and processes and to some degree the confidence to step up.
This is a real opportunity to demonstrate how our work directly supports growth and productivity across our communities. There is no specified approach or toolkit that will help just us and our ideas. The timescales are tight and the task is huge so don’t procrastinate – get together and decide what needs to change, how and who can deliver it. I can guarantee that the LEP will be delighted that you did.

Written by Sharon Palmer MBE, Chief Executive, RAWM
It is sometimes said of the West that we do not value our old people and, because of this, we have lost the art of sharing stories and gaining access to experiences outside of our immediate environment. We end up always trying to re-invent because we have no sense of ‘living’ history, something quite different from the history books and yes, the memoirs, although I have read a few powerful ones.
Volunteering is not new even though everyone, government and the voluntary sector alike seem to be screaming it from the rooftops with slogans such as ....Get the perfect volunteer, Free charity guide on volunteering and Help your volunteers improve their skills....
75 years ago civil population was challenged, as never before, to prepare itself for whatever combat it might be its misfortune to experience” as we teetered on the brink of war. This heralded the birth of organised mass volunteering in the  ‘Womens Voluntary Service’ under the auspices of Lady Stella Reading whose mandate would be equally at home today as it was then, there being “no restriction to volunteering by virtue of age, background, position or possession, the job description being that the person offering herself needed the discretion of a sage, the speed of lightning and the quietude of femininity, the greatest disservice a woman can do at this moment is to consider herself useless”.
75 years on and, for many, we are on the brink of economic downturn, not just at home but worldwide, the civil population is again challenged, so what might the response be?
Back in 1938 government gave resources to build civil society infrastructure – this is not true of present day government although in the dim and distant memory we did have the blip of a Volunteering Czar. Lady Stella Reading claimed no glory for herself however, declaring that “the work we have undertaken, in so many different ways, can be accomplished not by the genius of one, but by the faithfulness of the many”. Volunteers came from every walk of life, not because they were forced to, but because they were all prepared to undertake any work they might be called upon to do in the service of their country, for there is nothing glamorous in voluntary service, it is not given by the leisured person, voluntary service is given by the person who, thinking it is right to do the thing, makes the time to do it.
It is the mark of the strength of a nation, which lies in the character of the men and woman who are that nation, and Voluntary Service is an integral part of that Character”. So what mark are we making - we give a damn, or who gives a damn?
There might not be any breadlines you can see but, we have a growing food bank sector. We may not see the old, the lonely or those who are ill, but we have an ageing population, the greatest single household population ever, and the numbers of those being diagnosed with mental ill health are on the rise. The economic downturn is not a business sector problem, a skills problem or a housing sector problem, it is a nations’ problem.
LEPs alone are not the answer, LEPs and social enterprises alone are not the answer, civil society is integral, is necessary and needs infrastructure funding, this is the lesson government has not, and is not learning. Her Majesty The Queen, recognised this by becoming the patron of WRVS in 1966 and last year agreed to support Diamond Champions Awards which recognised exceptional service by volunteers aged 60 and over.
We have many lessons to learn if only we learn how to listen, how to recognise that a lifetime service is just that, a lifetime, and no amount of short term thinking or funding will bring about such achievements. As WRVS, newly re-named Royal Voluntary Service enters its 76th year and once again begins the nomination process of finding Diamond Champions – government resource civil society infrastructure, commissions and funders seek out the hidden gems in civil society and resource them, volunteers know much has been and will be achieved through you the silent army.
In writing this I am indebted to Patricia Routledge CBE, Royal Voluntary Service Ambassador who provided the inspiration for this blog from her address at the 75th Anniversary, Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral last week.
For further information on RAWM, One East Midlands equivalent in the West Midlands, and to read other blog posts by their Chief Executive, Sharon Palmer MBE, visit http://rawm.org.uk/blog.

Written by James Jacobs, Communications Apprentice at Nottingham CVS, a Full member organisation of One East Midlands

This is the last day of Small Charities Week – a national week established to raise the profile of the thousands and thousands of small charities throughout the UK. Naturally, the East Midlands has its fair share of these.
Oxfam, Save the Children, the NSPCC – There are plenty of big charities in the ‘household names’ league that often get the media’s attention. However, underneath these gargantuan organisations there are many small, less visible charities often working below the radar but delivering a plethora of great work.
One of the real joys of working in the Voluntary and Community Sector is seeing the brilliant work that these small charities do. More often than not they are the groups that keep communities ticking – they cover a huge gamut of activities.
Here are just three examples of the fantastic work that small charities do:

• Take Double Impact, a Nottinghamshire based charity. They work with young people who are recovering or stabilising from problematic drug or alcohol use. They offer information, support and advice, as well as helping them with their personal development, delivered one-to-one support in small groups.

• Then there is the Pet Blood Bank UK. They collect blood from pet donors at collection sessions throughout the UK. The blood donated is taken to a processing unit in Loughborough where it is processed into red blood cells and plasma products.  It is then stored, ready to be supplied to veterinary practices.

• Crowland Cares is a charity that provides additional comfort and support for people in the Crowland area of South Lincolnshire who have health or social care needs. They provide information, transport to and from hospitals and surgeries, help shopping and filling in forms and letters.

Groups such as those mentioned are more flexible than large, sometimes cumbersome organisations. Though their budgets may not be as large as Oxfam or Save the Children, they are just as passionate about doing their bit for society.  Small charities are developed from and respond to local and niche needs and therefore bring with them a vibrant and committed army of dedicated volunteers (and volunteering opportunities).  All the household names once started in this way and supporting the growth of these valuable organisations is essential for a functional and civil society.

So, as the title says, small is beautiful. 

Written by James Jacobs, Communications Apprentice at Nottingham CVS, a Full member organisation of One East Midlands


Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK – it’s taking place from the 1-7 June 2013.This year’s Volunteers’ Week will focus on saying ‘Thank You’ to the millions of volunteers who regularly contribute to society, and will recognise the way that organisations celebrate the work of volunteers across the UK.Volunteers come in many shapes and sizes: Some are young, some are old. Some help befriending someone who has a serious disability; some help in running a grand stately home that might otherwise fall into disrepair.
However, what binds all volunteers is their commitment to being an active citizen who helps others. After all, you don’t volunteer for any financial gain!
That being said, volunteering is a major contributor to the UK economy. In a typical year, over 20 million people volunteer. They donate more than 100 million hours to their communities every week. It has been estimated that the economic value of this activity is worth in excess of £40 billion to our economy.
Of course, volunteering takes many different forms – sometimes people may not think of themselves as volunteers but they are. I, for instance, have recently volunteered to help organise an annual ‘Oxjam’ event in my home town, Beeston – it’s a day of music and fundraising during the summer.
The NHS is one of the many organisations that rely on volunteers, whether it’s helping run a group for young mothers or helping at a hospital cafeteria. When we visit hospital, the chances are that you’ll have met a volunteer at some stage.
You could be involved in one of the many Scout or Guide groups across the East Midlands. Or, for that matter, be a school governor or helping to run a City Farm in Leicester or Nottingham. In fact, the different forms volunteering takes are too numerous to mention.
However, recognition for this selfless service can often go unnoticed, especially by those in the media. We can all remember the praise - rightly given - to those taking part in the running of the Olympics last year. But how much have we heard  since then to sing the praises of our volunteers around the East Midlands? Well, this Volunteers’ Week is a chance to redress that balance – it’s a chance to congratulate, celebrate and trumpet the fantastic work that so many volunteers do in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire…and Rutland!

Big cheers to you all and keep up the fantastic work

Written by James Jacobs, Communications Apprentice at Nottingham CVS, a Full member organisation of One East Midlands



March 11 sees the start of National Apprenticeship week 2013. So, in the next few days and weeks you’ll be hearing a lot about them. However, why are they so good? Why should your organisation take on an apprentice?
Even now the word ‘apprentice’ can conjure up images of young people doing menial and hands-on work. With all this talk about apprentices in the news perhaps we can overlook what exactly an apprentice is - and that it can take many different forms.
In essence, an apprenticeship is a combination of both paid work and training (usually, as in my case, an NVQ). Through ‘learning on the job’, an apprentice can gain valuable experiences that look fantastic on their CV. And I can testify to this.
I am currently a Social Media and Communications Apprentice at Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS). There are currently four apprentices at NCVS, and we all get on well. We all have different ambitions for the future and different ideas about how we’ll use our apprenticeship in the future. However, what binds us all together is that we all are thoroughly enjoying working in the voluntary and community sector.
We are, of course, gaining valuable experience of working in an office environment. Even for a temporary job, ‘must have a year of working in an office [environment]’ is often classified as ‘essential’, so on that score alone our work here is important.
However, it goes way beyond that. As opposed to big-business or an unpaid internship down in London, our apprenticeships give us a chance to work in a friendly, local environment. The voluntary sector is a welcoming and open, which suits me well because I feel comfortable and supported by every member of staff.
Apprenticeships are widely encouraged from all sides of the political spectrum. The coalition government has committed to increasing the number of Apprenticeship places available, and has increased funding to encourage people to take them up. Labour is also promoting apprenticeships through the local councils they run.
The overwhelming evidence suggests that apprenticeships work – they do result in increased employment chances. Not only for the apprentices like me, but for the employers like NCVS. Research shows that the experience is a positive one for the vast majority of employers.
Apprenticeships have a real potential to provide exciting new routes into the voluntary sector for people who currently don’t traditionally think of a career in it – I never imagined I’d end up doing communications for an organisation like NCVS, but in no way have I ever looked back!
 

Written by Rachel Quinn, Chief Executive, One East Midlands


Two years ago I published a blog entitled ‘It’s voluntary, not free!’ 
In recent months I have been reminded that issues have changed very little and that members have valued my definition of ‘voluntary sector’ in making local challenge. We are therefore republishing this blog for all to use….
I have continued to be disappointed, whilst sitting in a variety of public arenas, still listening to embedded  misunderstandings of the meaning of ‘voluntary sector’ and volunteering.
I thought it would be helpful to share my own interpretation for all to use – I’m sure there are others out there but here goes….
The crux of the matter is ‘It’s all about governance!’
Governance in the private sector is motivated by the generation of wealth and profit through the sale of goods and services. Legal structures therefore enable trading to take place, governed by business directors and/or executive staffing with responsibility for ensuring that the business remains profitable and solvent. These roles are remunerated and often directly linked to the financial success of the business.
The public sector is often referred to as the ‘statutory sector’ as it is created out of statute. The public sector role is defined by government to deliver public services that meet the needs of the population at the time. From a governance perspective this requires them to be publicly accountable by direct linkage to democratically elected members at either local or national level (or in the case of linked agencies or QUANGOs they are accountable to these democratic structures). The public sector is borne from our democratic structure and therefore governed and responsible to it.
So where does the voluntary sector sit…
The voluntary sector is borne out of passion, commitment and the autonomy of people to make a positive change or address a problem in society. The governance of the sector is therefore undertaken by volunteers (often trustees) who undertake their role, not for financial reward or out of public duty but to achieve positive impact for their beneficiaries. How the voluntary governors choose to achieve their goals is very much up to them – and can often involve (and indeed require) the generation of income and employment of paid staff. As a result this means that voluntary organisations are simply steered not by the motivation of financial reward or out of a public duty but merely a drive to make a change for the better – they are not free and never will be.

The last two weeks have been dominated by a number of events and activities focussed on current and future EU funding in the East Midlands. But the appearance of this ‘EU fortnight’ has flagged for me some real failings in VCS engagement and the long term potential impacts of this failing.
As Deputy Chair of the EM ERDF programme board, the LMC, and operator of third sector technical assistance for ERDF, One EM regularly hears complaints from members around:

• Lack of flexibility in current programmes;
• Insufficient local dialogue and information sharing around use and availability of funds;
• Complex application processes and;
• Excessive and burdensome monitoring and audit requirements

BUT
In order to try to rectify this we have been working hard to create opportunities for engagement of our members in shaping the next programme from 2014. But the reality has been that although the opportunities are made available they simply aren’t being taken up.  I use the following two examples:

1. Third sector update and information session – a targeted session for TSOs with limited places. 15 of the booked places did not turn up and three of these were all from the same organisation (I will not name and shame on this occasion)
2. Government Cross-Departmental launch event – an opportunity to quiz the government departments directly on their initial delivery proposals. One EM managed to secure 12 places for members but five of these did not reply or send a substitute. One was from the same organisation that failed to send three delegates above and the other an organisation who has vociferously moaned about EU funding bureaucracy and has agreed to input more moving forward.

Don’t get me wrong, I know time is precious and we are all juggling competing deadlines and priorities but come on. This is millions of pounds of investment into our economy and communities. This money can really benefit front line if structured correctly and support providers have a duty to ensure that happens. Surely we need to have a say on how it is spent!!
With the availability of Chris and June offering ERDF Technical Assistance for the Third Sector here at One EM the resource exists to help you frame your thoughts and ideas – just get in touch and we will help.
The formal consultation will open in Feb/March. The message from me is clear – step up or shut up.

Written by Claire Chapman, Information & Membership Officer at One East Midlands


When I’m not working at One East Midlands, I regularly volunteer at a charity shop in Derby for a cause I’ve supported since I was a teenager. As someone who has volunteered there for over a year, I always presumed that most people who volunteered were like me, doing so because they supported the cause.
However, a quick survey during my last shift there proved me almost entirely wrong, with a group of new volunteers admitting that they were actually volunteering there because they were told it would look good on their CV or university application form. One volunteer asked me if the beginning of their second two hour shift was too early to ask the manager for a reference!
More worryingly for me however was the fact that, of the four that I spoke to, none could understand that I was volunteering there simply because I supported the cause. In fact, they were far more willing to accept the notion that I most be single and lonely, than my own explanation.
Now I know that there are plenty of volunteers out there who do volunteer because they are passionate about the work of the organisation they are volunteering with. I also acknowledge that drivers behind volunteering vary from individual to individual and that many volunteers have, at some point, gained skills and expertise that have been helpful in paid employment. But it left me thinking ‘how do we learn to understand one another better and if there are attitude still to change then how should we set about this?’
Great value could be achieved through encouraging volunteers to talk to each other; sharing their stories and motivations. Individual perspectives could be woven into marketing materials to encourage both more volunteering and greater understanding of the motivations behind volunteering.
For those of us already working in the voluntary sector, either as a volunteer, in a paid position or both, this would result in us having a far greater understanding of who are fellow volunteers are, why they do what they do and what they want to get out of it, allowing us to do our bit to improve their volunteering experience.
And for those looking at volunteering from the outside in, this could change their attitudes to volunteering for the better, perhaps even result in them signing up for their first ever volunteering position, whether at their local volunteer centre or, like me, through a charity whose cause they are passionate about.

Written by Richard Hazledine, Consultant at ConnectMore Solutions and member of East Midlands Health and Social Care Network Steering Group
At a time of funding cuts personalisation represents a new area where voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations can potentially develop new sources of income. There are strong arguments to promote the personalisation ideals of ‘choice’ and ‘control’ for users of health and social care services in terms of increased independence, confidence and wellbeing.
Whilst the potential exists for providers to develop new and innovative ways to deliver services it can be difficult for organisations to understand the journey they need to undertake to prepare for personalisation. This is arguably because so many organisations are used to funding through grants or Local Authority block contracts. The process to secure the custom of personal budget holders is not really like either of these traditional sources of funding.   
To help VCS organisations consider the possibilities of personalisation this article seeks to explore six key questions that organisations should consider in any appraisal of their potential to deliver services for personal budget holders? 
1.Do the people we support meet the eligibility criteria for a personal budget?  This is the starting point for most organisations to understand if they are well placed to work with personal budget holders. Local Authorities define the eligibility criteria for personalisation against the Fair Access Care (FACs) criteria. Understanding the criteria is the first step that your organisation should take to ascertain the strength of the connection between your existing service user group and emerging personal budget holders. Typically authorities will be looking to identify ‘critical’ and ‘substantial’ needs to meet the eligibility criteria. These needs will usually be found in older people 65+ those with physical, learning and sensory disabilities and users of mental health services.  
2.Do we know what services personal budget holders will actually want to purchase? Once organisations understand that there is a market to provide support services to personal budget holders the next question to consider is what services are these individuals likely to request? If your organisation cannot answer this question then appropriate consultation should take place with service users to gain more clarity. Ideally your organisation should understand the principles of person centred planning to ascertain this information. Consultation conducted appropriately at this stage will also provide clues on how to market your services.
3. Do we understand how to market our services? In order to effectively market your services organisations should understand what is important to service users and wider influencers of the decision making process (families, carers and professionals). Price, whilst important, may not be the primary consideration for personal budget holders. Factors such as credibility, reliability, location, peer interaction, qualified staff and the provision of services which provide opportunities to develop new confidence, skills and independence may also influence the final decision to choose a particular provider. 
4.Do we understand how to price our services? In a world of personalisation all providers will be expected to price services individually. Developing chargeable services represents a big change for many VCS organisations. Traditionally the work of many organisations has been financed through block contracts from the Local Authority. In future these arrangements will become less commonplace as organisations prepare to cost and price services for individuals at unit cost/price levels. These are significant changes for many VCS organisations which will in turn place new demands on personnel working in finance functions.  
5.Do we understand how our back-office functions will support personalisation? In addition to pricing considerations organisations will need to restructure their financial systems to cope with the requirements of personalisation.Traditionally block contract or grant funding arrangements are underpinned by a relatively small number of infrequent transactions with a funder.  To be ready for personalisation providers should be prepared to maintain individual contractual and financial arrangements with each personal budget holder. This in turn is likely to entail a significant increase in the number of invoices processed each financial year. Similarly, there will be a need to agree appropriate payment terms with each personal budget holder.
6.Do we have a plan to invest in our staff teams? At the heart of personalisation is the need for person centred planning and chargeable service provision. In the world of personalisation the service user becomes the commissioner. This in turn means changed relationships for staff and service users. Therefore organisations should consider appropriate training, support and encouragement for staff to understand why and how it is necessary to navigate these changes.
These are no small changes for many VCS organisations. The organisations that make the appropriate plans to restructure their services can begin to embark on a new journey with personal budget holders. The process is likely to reshape the culture affecting the way that many organisations operate and an ability to manage change is crucial. Emerging evidence suggests that personalisation can become the primary source of income for many organisations working intensively with vulnerable individuals. At a time when many organisations are seriously reviewing their future sustainability personalisation is therefore one opportunity that requires serious consideration.

Written by Rachel Quinn, Chief Executive, One East Midlands
At home I am quite an avid Facebook user. Yes you get lots of random rubbish popping up on it but if you manage your friend lists well and block the requests for games and shares that often flood out then it’s actually a marvellous social tool. For me it’s been a great enabler to keeping in touch with friends and contacts I have all over the country and world. It also allows me to build social contacts and social capital linked to my personal hobbies that would otherwise be impossible. I’ve received great advice, information and support from people I’ve never met before yet we share much in common.
In contrast I was recently ‘unfriended’ through Facebook by someone whom I have known for many years. Elements of my lifestyle, namely the rearing of free range animals for table, were at odds with their personal beliefs. In reality this was not a personal rebuff just a decision that we don’t need to be friends using this mechanism. Facebook amplifies the way in which you experience other people’s lives and I believe in this case it only served to amplify the bits that this person found distasteful. The result is that Facebook has become an online community for me with many people I barely know but share interests and values with. This is quite separate from my local community where personal relationships develop regardless of the lack of common interests outside local proximity and history. For me I value both and am stronger for them.
Just occasionally Facebook also throws up an interesting thought, dilemma or question. Recently an example of this popped up in the form of a cartoon with caption that summed up my current work related frustrations perfectly.
The cartoon showed a man and woman walking where the caption from the woman reads:
“My desire to be well informed is completely at odds with my need to remain sane!”
This is where my home use of social media immediately tips into work context and where, for me, this statement is currently right on the money. I need to know, I’m paid to know but quite often the more I know, the more disillusioned I feel.  This then leads me to the next type of social media where more trouble can start……
Twitter……still considering myself a novice I am nevertheless becoming a fairly consistent user of Twitter for work. It has limitations including irritation, failed links to online material and the potential to amplify your mistakes very far and very very quickly. However, it’s also the easiest and fastest way to make your point to key decision makers I have ever come across. For this reason I bear with it.
But Twitter sometimes gets me into trouble and I have learnt that it is an easy way to unintentionally undermine other organisations. Last week I let myself become annoyed at the number of “please like us on Facebook” style tweets flooding out from certain national orgs. I shouldn’t have bit but I did and publicly asked them to pack it in. It did the lead balloon thing is all I’ll say.
So what have I learnt – if social media brings us together and helps us build networks and articulate our thinking and dilemmas then that’s great. But bear in mind it also holds the potential to pit us against one another and damage relationships. All social media is a megaphone for our thoughts and opinions.
Remember - it’s so easy to post that tweet or status update but it’s a lot harder to later have to retract it. Use it and use it confidently because the benefits can be quick and effective but occasionally be ready to back track if you haven’t completely thought it through.

Considering the content of my recent blogs, focussed on the widespread reduction in public funds reaching the VCS, I was very surprised to hear the comments voiced at the recent EM Funding Forum.

All national funders around the table reported the East Midlands as having a relatively slow take up of grant opportunities compared to other regions in the country. There had also been a significant drop in the number of applications to some of the independent charitable foundations across the region, and in many cases country.

Whilst there is not a direct and obvious cause for this, it would seem sensible to attribute this to:

• Declining capacity and support for charities (infrastructure) to develop and work potential applications for submission; impacting across the region but in some areas more significantly than others. (this view was reinforced by the clear reduction in numbers of funding advisors across the region reported to our EMFAN needs survey)
• Many charities still waiting for a decision on their funding allocations (if any) from local authorities and other statutory bodies, awaiting to see if the ‘core’ is secured prior to applying for projects (although even those funders that do core costs are reporting a downturn in applications)

We approached Gary Beharrell, Chair of the EM Funding Forum and Regional Manager for Lloyds TSB Charitable Trust who commented:

"Stalling and cuts in statutory funding to the sector seems to have had an additional unintended consequence, in that this is also reducing applications to independent funders. The combined result will be significantly less investment into communities overall at a time of great need and this is a factor both LA’s and other funders need to address."

This is an odd quandary and may be a result of either groups being too stretched and under-resourced to manage additional bidding processes OR a misguided general feeling that there is no money out there and therefore we won’t waste our time applying.

The message is loud and clear – funding is available but it won’t come looking for you. Get out there and get those application forms filled in. For information on your nearest source of funding advice visit http://www.fanoogle.org.uk/.

What do cuts mean on the ground?


Following from the previous blog, we have been talking today to providers of homelessness support and hostel accommodation across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire who have been impacted by recent budget cuts. Supporting People, the fund which primarily paid for many of these services has been cut by approx 45% in both city and county reducing available funding from around £20m to £12m in each.

The following are a list of the reported impacts that this has had. At this time it is all we have, please don’t ask for more evidence because these groups are trying to cope with growing demand in difficult circumstances. Here are the headlines, much of which is anecdotal:

• Overall reduction in the number of bed spaces for homeless people across the county
• Closure of the only Nottingham City ‘wet’ hostel resulting in rapid increase in street drinking and low level antisocial behaviour.
• Police report increased arrests due to street drinking incidents
• Reduced opening hours for all day-service providers
• Staffing reductions at all hostels and service providers and a resulting drop in time and resources available for individual service users
• New volunteer only services are stepping up, through faith and community sources, to try to bridge the gap but struggling to support high-need cases
• Reduction in funding to 2nd stage ‘move on’ accommodation has resulted in ‘bed blocking’ in emergency hostels that would otherwise open up a flow through for service users
• Increased evidence of poor mental health due to reduced access to mental health services for this client group.

At the same time as services are being reduced, the economic climate is increasing demand. This has been demonstrated by:

• Increase in number of reported incidents of ‘sofa surfing’ as a result of reduction in Job Centre Plus resources and ability to process JCP claimants within an acceptable period, resulting in homelessness
• Day centres reporting increased uptake of services – Friary Drop In reported 3,720 visitors between October and December 2011 evidencing the huge scale of the problem
• Higher number of services users reporting debt concerns and struggling to make repayments
• Increase in the number of people arrested giving No Fixed Abode as their address
• More recently, there has also been a rise in the number of people returned to prison for reoffending giving lack of availability of accommodation support services as a factor in their reoffending.

Late in 2011 a new local food bank opened in Nottingham – in the first week they provided support to 50 people, 15 of which were children.

This is the impact of public sector cuts.

Putting context on Voluntary Sector Cuts


Tangible evidence is slowly coming to light that cuts to voluntary sector groups from public sources is now stretching into the £billions for just the current financial year; with the situation expected to worsen for the future. This blog tries to explain who is being hit hardest and why.

Public income to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) comes from a variety of sources:

• Grant aid – generally small donations (£500 - £25,000) from a general pot, often administered by a local authority or other public body. Grants are a general donation to local organisations and require no specific outcomes or services as a result. Funds must simply be used for ‘charitable purposes’. 
• Commissioned services – these are locally important services, which are procured by the public body. These are contracted with set contract requirements and are often won in open competition. Funding for commissioned services (such as homelessness support) often comes from national funding streams such as ‘Supporting People’ through local public bodies. 
• Earned income – services sold by the VCS and purchased by the public sector. These include room hire, training, catering services, event management etc. 
• In kind services – these do not involve financial transfer but include public sector in kind support, such as free meeting space, access to training opportunities, in kind administrative support, and HR or finance services.

At present we have clear evidence that all of these sources are reducing and that this is having a devastating effect on VCS frontline services. But who is being affected most?

The VCS is highly diverse and includes all organisations from very small, purely voluntary led organisations, with low turnover and working at very local level. This is the stuff of ‘Big Society’. This part of the VCS is mainly supported by local or direct philanthropic donations, membership fees or small charges for services, made cost effective by the added value from volunteers. This ‘micro’ VCS is generally stable and not particularly susceptible to cuts in public sector contracts, but may feel the pinch as in-kind support is withdrawn.

The next layer is those delivering more formal services and employing some staff. Generally with an income of between £50,000 and £1,500,000 pa (equates to 1-30 employees). These organisations will often be recipients of public support at local level (neighbourhood, district, county and regional level) to deliver highly specialised local services, which are made efficient by further volunteer support. Classic examples include Citizens Advice Bureaux and community based learning and employment centres.


Above this layer there is a complex striation of national charities, which deliver services to increasing scale and against greater public contract value.
In all this, it is that middle layer that is most at risk – delivering essential local services based on tangible need, too large to sustain purely on donations and local support but too small to compete with the private sector and larger national charities. These groups are in crisis, as the public sector drive for efficiences cuts here first.

Cuts to service provision therefore come from many angles including:

• Loss of delivery contracts due to closure of funding streams 
• Reduction in grant aid sources Loss of ability to earn income 
• Competition from private sector and large or national charities with more aggressive contracting strategies 
• The public sector, where former contracted services are being taken in-house.

One EM and our colleagues across the country have been tracking real examples of how this impacts on people and organisations. The following is a list of organisations who have been hit by cuts. The people and communities who benefited from these services are profoundly affected, and employees are facing cutbacks and redundancies.

If you are one of these services and are not listed below but would like to make the impact of your cut known then please reply to this blog and leave your contact details. The easiest way to explain the truth is through real examples – please let yours be heard.

Examples and links:

• One East Midlands Big List of cuts impacting on voluntary and community organisations in the East Midlands
• YMCA Nottinghamshire - lost funding from the Supporting People budget when their service to vulnerable homeless residents in their Shakespeare Street hostel was decommissioned in late 2010
• Volunteer Reading, which helping children who struggle with their reading to develop a love of reading and learning, has had their grant cut from £30,000 to zero by Northamptonshire County Council
• Nottingham older peoples friendship club CareWatch will lose all their funding from the end of March.
• Voluntary Action LeicesterShire's Stand Up For Communities campaign, helping groups understand what the cuts will mean for them and providing them with advice and support
• Northampton Chronicle news article showing impact of the withdrawal of stroke survivor services in Northamptonshire

Nottinghamshire cuts - what's the story? (Part 3)

Following our recent activity on County Council cuts to VCS funding in Nottinghamshire we are now receiving a flood of examples of how this is affecting real activity on the ground. In many cases the County Council contribution covered basic core costs which stabilised organisations and enabled them to seek additional project funding from elsewhere. The implications of cutting out the core are potentially devastating; risking loss of entire services or organisations when accommodation, organisational management or fundraising capacity is lost. We feel the best thing we can do to support them is to share their stories and place the reality of local cuts in the open.

• The Helpful Bureau - £55,000 cut resulting in closure of some services for older people and a reduction in others.
• Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire - Lost in the region of £40,000 to deliver core services, again reducing service delivery to older people.
• Tuxford Mine of Information - Grant for 2012/13 is currently £0, a loss of £10,000 on the previous year, leading to vulnerable people being turned away for services the organisation can no longer support.
• Self Help Nottingham - Loss of £36,000 on top of £4,000 cut the previous year, resulting in them no longer being able to employ a full-time training and development worker to work exclusively in the county.
• The Crossing - This church and community centre has lost it's annual grant of between £10,000 and £15,000, which has resulted in the redundancy of their volunteer coordinator. They are no longer able to induct and train volunteers and have not been able to find an alternative funding source.
• Carers Federation - Loss of grant funding means they are now no longer able to provide counselling for carers in the county.
• Nottinghamshire Scouts - Received £15,000 grant aid from the council (a 58% reduction on previous years), which equates to £2.30 per child per year, or 6.4p per child per week.
• Other VCS organisations whose cuts we have been informed of include Disability Nottinghamshire; A Place To Call Our Own; Mansfield Citizens Advice Bureau; Bassetlaw CVS; Nottinghamshire Unemployed Workers Centre; Mansfield Family Life Centre; Rushcliffe Play Forum; Jigsaw Support Scheme; and Broxtowe Women's Aid.

We have focussed here on the impact of cuts in Nottinghamshire as the decision to cut a third of grant aid budget in one year (reduced from initial attempts to halve it) has been poor; passing on in a single year 100% of the equivalent authority budget cut over three years.
However, there is massive variance between local authorities on VCS support and grant aid is not the only issue to consider. We will flesh this out further in the next blog but if you’d like to view cuts impact in other areas why not visit our Big List.

Nottinghamshire cuts – what’s the story? (Part 2)

Further to my previous blog regarding Nottinghamshire County Council cuts to the VCS, Notts County Council have now released a press statement in response to the letter from Eric Pickles:
Councillor Martin Suthers, Nottinghamshire County Council’s Deputy Leader, said: “We have had to make difficult decisions with our budget due to reduced Government grants and increasing demand for a number of critical services we carry out including adults’ and children’s social care.

“The Council’s voluntary sector grant aid funding reduction for 2011/12 was around a third of the funding available in 2010/12, which is proportionate to the reduction in our Government grant over a three-year period from 2011/12.

“We are planning no further reductions over the next two years and are introducing three-year grants where possible to give these organisations more stability.

“We are working with local voluntary groups to help them make the most of their grants and find the necessary savings whilst protecting their frontline service.

"The Council has also made it easier for groups to apply and use grant aid to allow them to get on with the job by cutting bureaucracy and red tape.

“We have and are continuing to follow Government guidance by giving the sector three months notice prior to any grant changes.”
My comments will surprise no-one:

1. If you are being cut by 34% over three years (I actually think the figure is 28% but hey-ho and happy to be corrected) then why pass on the cut in a single year to the VCS?
2. By definition of the above alone then I do not believe you are following Government guidance; and finally
3. As you are cutting funding to local support and development organisations by 100% over two years then how will you successfully ‘work with local voluntary groups to help them make the most of their grants’ when by April 2012 your investment in local infrastructure will be £0?

Nottinghamshire cuts – what’s the story? (Part 1)
Following pressure from national infrastructure providers (all of which are posturing to claim the ‘win’), Eric Pickles has taken the step of writing to Nottinghamshire County Council about their disproportionate cuts to the VCS. The letter urges the authority to reconsider its cuts policy to ensure they are ‘fair’ (that word again).
In around 90 seconds this morning I tried to convey the complexities of this issue on Radio Nottingham – clearly I failed to do justice to the issue. So I turn to my blog, twitter and a press release to try and get the truth (or at least the bits I know) out there.
NCC received an 8% cut to their budget this year and have passed on a same year budget cut that they accept as being 34%. However you look at it, that’s bad!! But this is only the tip of the iceberg, more cuts are not included.
In the initial consultation the grant aid budget was due to be reduced from £3m pa to £1.5m, but was later increased to £2m after huge outcry. However, additional cuts in streams such as Supporting People have seen some large commissioned services in the VCS lose up to 100% of funding for services, which have subsequently closed. As a result homelessness, street drinking, anti-social behaviour and hospital admissions are climbing.
The hidden tragedy is the cuts to support services not covered by grant aid. The authority previously funded local VCS support organisations at a standard level of £53K per year. These organisations provide vital support for smaller and frontline services when they are in crisis. In 2011/12 their funding was reduced to £20K each and they have been told there will be no further funding from next year. That’s a 100% cut in two years. When a small frontline group in Bassetlaw loses the volunteers that helped with their fundraising, where do they go to find new volunteers or get funding advice now?
In addition the authority has:

• broken up the Voluntary Sector Support team, which maintained relationships with the VCS;
• ceased hiring VCS premises for training and events, closing an additional important funding stream and;
• stopped providing in-kind support to the sector.

The final straw has come over the authority’s attitude to volunteering. Many groups facing cuts have been openly told to stop paying expenses to volunteers. NCC has publicly aired views that the reimbursement of out of pocket expenses is not appropriate for volunteers. The obvious deduction is that volunteering is only an activity for those who can afford to subsidise themselves. How very ‘Big Society’!
I firmly believe that NCC has behaved badly in this matter and are guided by an inflexible ideology that in itself is systematically damaging to the VCS.  However, this is not just a Nottinghamshire issue. Disproportionate cuts across upper tier authorities, the mass removal of many national funding streams and the national policy focus on ‘individual action’ as opposed to collective and organised responses have resulted in a local, regional and national systematic destabilisation and destruction of the VCS and can ultimately only result in strain and overload of public services.
This has been a failure at all levels to look beyond the end of a political nose – a nose which is sticking itself into too many areas of public life at once to manage any of them well.
As a movement we have to tell the whole story, it’s time!
Oh…and Mr Pickles…thanks for the letter but I think the issues are significantly more complex and have started a little closer to the centre.