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The official magazine for the voluntary and community sector in Eastbourne, Lewes District and Wealden
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The official magazine for the voluntary and communitysector in Eastbourne, Lewes District and Wealden.
Be in the Know: Changes to Charity Regulationand Law
Tapping theTalent ofDisabledWorkers, page 5
3VA AreaForums, page 4
Volunteeringfor All?, page 9
Plus...
and much more inside...
SPRING 2016
3VA supports community groups, voluntary organisations and individuals to improvequality of life across the Eastbourne, Lewes District and Wealden areas. Providing arange of practical support on issues ranging from charity governance, funding andfinance to promotion and start-up, some of our successes during Quarter 3 (Octoberto December 2015) included:
• delivering 6 training courses attended by 53 participants representing 41 groups.• helping 9 new groups establish themselves (2 in Eastbourne, 4 in Wealden District
and 3 in Lewes District.• providing expert one-to-one support to 77 groups (41 in Eastbourne, 24 in Wealden
District, 8 in Lewes District and 4 multi-area).• providing funding advice to 45 groups.
Nurturing the growth of communityand voluntary sector groupsSuccesses from October to December 2015
“I approached 3VA in something of a panic! I didn’t knowwhere to start and so it was reassuring that I immediatelyreceived the kind of positive response that I was hoping for.3VA were quick to help me identify the most pressingpriorities and break down the various tasks into somethinglogical and manageable.”
Of our services, Felicity Bull of Lewes Toy Library said:
9 77 45
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BrightonWomen’s
Centre
RailwayLand
WildlifeTrust
SSAFA
Welcome to our newestmembers!
Winter 2015 3View Page 4
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Would you like theopportunity to gettogether with otherorganisations in yourarea to discuss issuesand identifysolutions?
Come to a 3VA AreaForum this spring!
If you belong to a voluntaryor community group andwould like to get involved,please book a free place foryourself. We look forwardto seeing you there!
Fruitful Eastbourne ProjectDeadline: asap
Eastbourne Lions ClubsCommunity Needs AssessmentQuestionnaireDeadline: 31 March 2016
NHS Health Checks Client SurveyDeadline: 31 March 2016
East Sussex Libraries Opening HoursDeadline: 3 April 2016
Wealden Mobile Phone andInternet Access SurveyDeadline: 18 April 2016
Plan to Improve Air Qualityin NewhavenDeadline: 30 April 2016
Residential Services &Southview Day Service -CrowboroughDeadline: 13 May 2016
Current Consultations and SurveysClick on the title to participate
These meetings can be a real opportunity to shareinformation and learn from each other. A chanceto tackle common issues together.
“
”- a participant at a recent event
At a time when the voluntarysector is facing seriousfunding pressures, the
importance of appointing andretaining the right staff is essential.Wasted recruitment costs cannotbe justified and finding the bestpool of potential employee talent isa key to success. Yet one resourcethat is rarely focused on is that ofdisabled people. Indeed, thenumber of disabled job applicantsfor vacancies is invariably very low.Why is this and how can we in thevoluntary sector put into practiceour genuine wish to be ‘inclusive’employers?
We know from those staff we retainsuccessfully after they becomedisabled that many disabledworkers have an excellent trackrecord in terms of their jobperformance and reliability. Thenumber of Barriers that disabledpeople face throughout therecruitment and employeedevelopment process is the mostsignificant factor that continues toprevent potential disabled workersfrom entering and progressing inthe employment market.
What are the Barriers? They’re all around us and present atall stages of employment. It isessential to look critically at policies,information and procedures, as wellas the attitudes of the organisationtowards disabled people. TheEqualities Act 2010 requiresemployers and service providers tomake ‘reasonable adjustments’ fordisabled people, in order to ensure
that they are not disadvantaged inthe workplace or when accessingservices. Removing conscious andunconscious barriers within ourown organisations will open upfresh opportunities for disabledworkers and customers to becomea regular and significant resource.
What does this mean in practice?The best way to identify andremove Barriers is to carry out apractical ‘audit’ exercise of youremployment systems andadministration. For example, jobdescriptions and personspecifications, as well as advertsthemselves, may contain words andcriteria that will automaticallyexclude some disabled people.Phrases like ‘needs to hold a fulldriving license’ or ‘must be able towork under pressure’ willautomatically raise an alert in theminds of an otherwise suitablecandidate who is visually impairedor has recently recovered from amental health problem. What weare really saying is that theapplicant must be able to get fromA to B or needs to work to tightdeadlines. By accurately describingspecific job tasks we are removingsubjectivity from the selectioncriteria, which in this example hascreated two unjustified barriers.
The next key area is advertising and how to reach disabled jobseekers. Making sure that job andvacancy information is targetedtowards disability and relatedcommunity media is crucialto convey a commitment to
disabled people and a desire toreceive their applications.
Other areas to review carefullyinclude short-listing procedures,interview and selection tools,induction programmes andpersonal development systems. Youwill be amazed just how manypotential barriers you find, and thebonus is how straightforward andeconomic they are to remove!
There are lots of resources andsupport available to employers whoare keen to attract disabledcustomers and staff. These includenational bodies like Access to Workand the Business Disability Forum,as well as local voluntaryorganisations like East SussexDisability Association and 3VA.
Andrew Bruce is a freelancedisability and employmentconsultant who has extensiveknowledge and experience of HRmanagement in both the public andprivate sectors as well as directexperience of disability as awheelchair user. For further advice,information, and a FREEconsultation, please contactAndrew on 01323 761 763 or 07833451 666 or [email protected].
Expert eyeTapping the Talent ofDisabled Workers
by Andrew Bruce FCIPD
Changes to Charity Regulation and LawThe Charities (Protection and SocialInvestment) Bill is set to become law afterpassing all its stages through Parliament.Now only needing to gain royal assent tobecome law, the Bill is expected to beapproved in the coming weeks.
The overall objective of the Bill is to protectcharities, increase transparency andaccountability and enhance public trust andconfidence in the effective regulation of thecharity sector. The legislation will ensure thatTrustees take responsibility in complying withall legislation. This applies to all charities - notjust those registered with the CharityCommission.
Main Aims of the BillThe main aims of the bill are:
• to provide stronger protection for charities in England and Wales from people who are unfit to be charity trustees;
• to give the Charity Commission new andstrengthened powers to more effectivelyand efficiently deal with abuse of charities;
• to enable charities to more easily undertakesocial investments;
• to improve and clarify fundraising practices;and
• to address matters in relation tocommercial fundraising agreements.
Increased Power The Charity Commission will have moreregulatory powers over charities and will beable to issue statutory official warnings. Whilstapplicable to all charities, it is anticipated thatthese official warnings will only be used wherethe Commission has concerns about a charity.It is also anticipated that the CharityCommission will have the power to direct thewinding up of a charity if deemed necessary.
Disqualification of TrusteesThe Charity Commission will have a newpower to automatically disqualify from servingas Trustees, CEOs or senior managementpeople who have convictions including thosefor money laundering, terrorism, sexualoffences, perjury, perverting the course ofjustice and misconduct in public office. Theinclusion of CEOs and Senior Management inthis power is new and aims to make thegovernance and management of charitiesmore robust.
Disqualification of any trustees or CEOs by theCharity Commission will be applicable acrossthe sector. The Government, however, hasagreed that this element of the Bill will not bebrought into force for at least twelve monthsto enable assessment of the impact beclearer.
FundraisingTo reduce aggressive fundraising, there will be
greater control on the relationship betweencharities and commercial fundraising
organisations and agreements forsuch work will need to be
compliant. There arerequirements for better self-regulation of charities in theirfundraising practices with theneed for larger charities to
include a statement about this intheir annual reports. If self-
regulation fails, the Government has
by Maureen Anstey, Community Development Officer (Eastbourne)
Winter 2015 3View Page 7
the power to set up a Fundraising Regulatorwith which charities would be required toregister. Arrangements are in place toestablish a Fundraising Regulator (probably bythe end of 2016), but until then theFundraising Standards Board (FRSB) willcontinue to support the self-regulatory model.
Social Investment The Bill gives charites the legal power to makesocial investments which will yield a financialreturn for the charity and provide a positivesocial outcome that may further theirobjectives. It is hoped that this statutorypower will bring clarity and certainty to enableTrustees to make the best of theopportunities this offers.
Changes to SORPThis is a reminder that after the changes tothe Accounting Standards and Statement ofRecommended Practices (SORP) over the lastcouple of years, accounts for financial yearscommencing on or after 1 January 2016 mustcomply with the new FRS 102 standards and
the relevant FRS 102 SORP. Many thresholdshave increased during these changes, soorganisations must ensure that they areworking to the most up-to-date legislation.For more detailed information on the changesgo to www.charitysorp.org.
The Annual ReportMuch of the recent and new legislation willhave an impact on the Trustees’ AnnualReport (TAR) and Accounts, includingstatements about fundraising strategies, howreserves policies are calculated, and why anorganisation chooses not to hold reserves.Review the TAR for your organisation thisyear.
The Charity Commission will expect trusteesto comply with its good practice guidance (CC10) and will want explanations andjustification on any divergence. It investigatedtwice as many charities in 2015 than in theprevious year and this legislation gives theCharity Commission more ‘teeth’ which it willuse.
The main points of the new legislation are:
• Greater regulatory power for Charity Commission • Wider range of automatic disqualification for Trustees • New power to disqualify CEO and Senior Management• Greater control over fundraising strategies• Proposal for Fundraising Regulator• More information required in Annual Reports • Further stage of SORP changes• More power for Trustees to make social investments
It is important to understand the new legislation is vital, butcharities with good governance, a stable structure, and clearpolicies and guidelines should not be affected by these changes.
Mark your calendars - SpeakUp Forum is pleased to
announce that this year’s Big Eventwill take place on
Wednesday, 6 July 2016.
is coming!
BIGEVENT
2016
Winter 2015 3View Page 9
Everyone and anyone who wants to volunteer can…ofcourse they can…can’t they?!
This was the question posed to participants at the EastSussex Volunteer Coordinators’ Networking Forum heldat Zu Studios in Lewes on February.
During a lively discussion among representatives fromover twenty-five different voluntary groups itemerged that the consensus of opinion was that forsome people there are often significant barriers andhurdles to overcome before they get anywhere nearbeing able to offer their time, skills and love for a causethey care deeply about. So much so that for somepeople the barriers are not broken down and theopportunity for them to give and gain via volunteering isfrustrated and lost.
Participants looked at how those of us working to engagevolunteers can help to kick over some of the barriers andto acknowledge too the ways in which we might actuallyinadvertently create them.
Two main outcomes resulted from the Forum.
By examining what can get in the way of peoplewanting to volunteer and sharing the ideas andpractice of everyone present, we identified specificsources of targeted volunteer recruitment and theintention is to develop this into a resource directoryaimed at helping groups identify and engage ‘hard toreach’ volunteers.
Linked to this is the offer to assist individual groupswith developing their own specific plan aimed at makingvolunteering genuinely more accessible for everyone. Any volunteer-involving organisationswanting to do this can book time with VCES’s Volunteering Development Coordinator, LeeShepherd, by emailing [email protected] or calling 07535 992 638.
All of the Volunteer Coordinators’ Networking Forums are free to attend and you can get thelatest information about upcoming Forums and other VCES news and events atwww.vces.org.uk.
Volunteer Cente East Sussex (VCES) is acountywide service offering support and advice togroups that involve volunteers in any aspect of theirwork and individuals interested in volunteering. Youcan follow VCES on Twitter @VolCenES.
by Lee Shepherd, Volunteering Development Coordinator
Volunteering for All?
Janet Coles, the Mayor of Eastbourne, and Stephen Lloyd,patron, attended the official opening of a new lift at Alice CroftHouse. After many months of fundraising and following agenerous grant from local solicitors Mayo Wynne Baxter, thecharity was able to proceed with the installation of the muchneeded facility. Margaret Ticehurst, Chair, said:
“Our new lift will enable access to all especially those who haveexperienced difficulty climbing our stairs. Now our facilities willbe open to everyone.”
Priory Builders were thanked for their excellent workmanshipand project management.
Anyone aged 50 and over is welcome to join the many activitiesand groups that meet weekly at Alice Croft House in CornfieldLane, Eastbourne. Private room hire is also available. For furtherdetails please call Lesley or Kim on 01323 728 157.
Adam Chugg, 3VA's Chief Executive Officer, recentlyran a short session with young team members at thePrince's Trust at Sussex Downs College in Lewes.
Adam discussed what a charity is, some of theconnotations generally associated with the word andthe misconceptions. He talked about the current unit,a community project, that the young people areworking through and gave some useful tips andadvice on fundraising and working with donors. Theyoung people are about to embark on their first everproject and are having to think of all the differentelements that charities normally think of whencommencing a project, calculating costs, labour, materials, donations, etc. All of this work willculminate into a brilliant project at the Nutty Wizard Café in Lewes, a café that is a safe haven foryoung people in and around Lewes to come and visit the drop in centre every Wednesday. Thecafé is currently having a reshuffle with their volunteers and so the Prince’s Trust teamprogramme is coming at a welcome time, coinciding with the relaunch. The young peopledemocratically decided to decorate the interior of the café giving it a new lease of life and serveas a space that is both inviting and fresh.
There are many different elements of the course in which the young people are involved and localvoluntary organisations are welcome to get involved. If your group or organisation can take on ayoung person on the scheme for a few weeks and/or if you would be interested in being part ofone of the Prince's Trust Community Challenges, please contact Henrietta Valler-Still, TeamLeader at the Prince’s Trust, at [email protected] or on 07342 065 442.
Pictured in the new lift from right to left:Margaret Ticehurst, Janet Coles andStephen Lloyd.
Pictured: Adam Chugg (standing, centre) with young teammembers at the Prince’s Trust.
New Lift at Alice Croft House
Prince’s Trust in Lewes SeeksVoluntary Sector Involvement
Winter 2015 3View Page 11
The Big Wealden Switch is a collectiveenergy switching scheme which will run from22 March until 22 May.
From 22 March, you will be able to registeronline with Wealden District Council and putyour name down for the Big Switch Energy auction which could save you £200 to £300 a year onaverage. When registered, the collective bargaining power of people like you will be used by I-Choosr to get energy companies to compete for the business with the cheapest tariff at auctionon 22 May.
Once the auction has taken place, you will be sent a letter offering you a new tariff. You do nothave accept it, but it could represent a real saving on your current contract. There are noobligations or no fees involved. Just go to www.wealden.gov.uk/thebigswitch after 22 Marchor ring Wealden District Council on 01323 443 322 to find out more. Make sure you have yourlatest fuel bill to hand. As long as you are the bill payer you can take part, regardless of whetheryou are a home owner or tenant, or the meter type.
Big Wealden Switch
Are you in contact with vulnerable people whose health may be at risk from living in a coldhome? Every year, around 385 more people in East Sussex die in winter compared to the rest ofthe year, with nearly a third of these deaths believed to occur because of cold temperatures inthe home. As the Fuel Poverty Coordinator for East Sussex, Marie Jones is eager to enlist yourhelp to make people aware of the support that’s available. Voluntary and communityorganisations are ideally placed to recognise vulnerable people at risk of fuel poverty andhealth harms from living in a cold home and then to connect them with relevant local services.
East Sussex County Council’s Winter Home Check service operates all year round and needsyour help to make sure that those who need it most are reached. The service offers home visitswhich include more than just advice - a wide range of practical assistance is on offer from minorwork such as draft proofing and energy supplier switching to more significant work such asarranging a new central heating system if suitable. The service even has emergency heaters tokeep people warm until a broken boiler can be repaired or replaced.
The Winter Home Check service is appealing to all 3VA member organisations that come intocontact with low income households, older people, families with young children, or thosewith mental or physical health needs to get in touch as Marie Jones would like to hear fromyou and, if possible, come to meet you. If there are team meetings or training sessions takingplace within your organisations, the service would like to offer to come along and add a 10minute quick presentation to equip your frontline staff and volunteers in how to identify andrefer households to the Winter Home Check service. For more information, please contactMarie Jones, Fuel Poverty Coordinator for East Sussex, at [email protected].
For more information about the Winter Home Check service, please visitwww.eastsussex.gov.uk/keepwarm or call 0800 0851674.
Winter Home Check Service Appeal to Local VCS
3VA Registered Office 8 Saffrons RoadEastbourneEast SussexBN21 1DG
3VA Lewes OfficeBizspaceThe Malling Business Centre112 Malling StreetLewesEast SussexBN7 2RG
3VA Wealden Office79c High StreetUckfieldEast SussexTN22 1AS
01323 639 373 [email protected]: 3VA.CVSTwitter: @3VAsupportVCS
3VA is a Company limited byGuarantee Registered in England andWales Number: 4637252 Registered Charity Number: 1096788
3VA is a member of the NationalAssociation for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) and theNational Council for VoluntaryOrganisations (NCVO).
3VA is supported by East SussexCounty Council, Eastbourne BoroughCouncil, Lewes District Council andWealden District Council.
If you would like to find out about advertising through 3View, 3VA’sweekly e-Newsletter and our websiteplease email [email protected].
3View Editor: Scott Roedersheimer, 3VA Marketing & Information Officer
Notices of publications, events andservices do not necessarily carry anendorsement by 3VA, nor do theyrepresent the view of 3VA.
Contact Details Diary Dates________
Wealden Forum15 March9:30 am to 12:30 pmUckfield Civic Centre, Bellfarm Lane, Uckfield TN22 1AE
Covering Your Costs16 March10:00 am to 12:30 pmKing's Church, Brooks Road, Lewes BN7 2BY
Lewes Forum17 March9:30 am to 12:30 pmCounty Hall, St Anne's Crescent, Lewes BN7 1UE
Demystifying ‘Social Capital’22 March10:00 am to 12:30 pm3VA Annexe, 8 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne BN21 1DG
Trustee Essentials12 April10:00 am to 12:30 pm3VA Annexe, 8 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne BN21 1DG
Emergency First Aid at Work (AOFAQ, QCF Level 2)13 April9:30 am to 4:30 pm3VA Annexe, 8 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne BN21 1DG
Social Media Marketing19 April9:30 am to 12:45 pmCo-hub, 1 Commercial Road, Eastbourne, BN21 3XQ
Eastbourne Dementia Action Alliance19 April9:30 am to 11:30 amEastbourne Town Hall, 1 Grove Road Eastbourne BN21 4UG
Child Protection: Taking the Lead20 April10:00 am to 1:30 pm3VA Annexe, 8 Saffrons Road, Eastbourne BN21 1DG
Eastbourne Forum26 April9:30 am to 12:30 pmAlice Croft House, Cornfield Lane, Eastbourne BN21 4NE
For further details and to book a place on an upcomingevent, please visit www.3va.org.uk/upcoming.
