Supporting Voluntary and Community Action
Policy round-up: Spring 2019
Those of you on our mailing list will have noticed that this quarter’s policy round-up omitted the very important announcement that Theresa May would step down as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 7 June. Unfortunately we hit the send button moments before this was announced. Since then we have also seen big wins for the Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats in the Local Elections. What does all this mean for the VCSE sector? Well according to a recent blog post by NCVO’s Chris Walker, we should make preparations for a no deal Brexit. For more information on what this involves, check out our short guide to how to prepare for Brexit.
Prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement we saw more musical chairs in the cabinet. Rory Stewart was been appointed International Development Secretary after Penny Mordaunt was promoted to Defence Secretary. However, Ms Mordaunt will retain her position as minister for women and equalities. International Development network, Bond, has welcomed Mr Stewart and published a list of four asks of the minister.
This month has seen several national announcements that will impact the VCSE sector, including a new Youth Charter, a new measure of poverty and the renationalisation of probation services.
This quarter has also seen a large number of useful resources released; and there is more on the horizon, with NCVO announcing that it is leading a coalition of 13 charities in developing a range of new safeguarding resources for VCSE organisations.
We’ve also been busy blog writing, with our Funding Lead Jenny Wildblood posing poignant questions on the future of core funding and the role of treasurers.
If you have any comments on any of the stories in our round up then get in touch to let us know.
Want more local news? Want us to dig deeper into certain issues? Tell us which direction we should take this round-up. Specifically, we’d like to hear your thoughts on whether we should have:
Top story
UK to get a new experimental measure of poverty
The Government has announced that it will begin the process of developing an experimental statistic based on the measure of poverty developed by the Social Metrics Commission. This is the process that all statistics need to go through before they become official national statistics.
According to the commission, there is significant debate about how poverty can be measured. The SMC’s mission has been to provide a new consensus around poverty measurement that enables action, informs policy making and so seeks to improve the lives of people in poverty.
News
Probation services to be renationalised, involving the VCSE sector
Image credit: Pixabay
Probation services in England and Wales are to be renationalised after a widely criticised part-privatisation programme, Transforming Rehabilitation, which involved 21 private companies.
By 2021, the National Probation Service (NPS) will be entirely responsible for supervising offenders in the community, in a model that justice secretary David Gauke says will “harness the skills of private and voluntary providers”.
Youth Charter aims to address decline in youth work training
A new Youth Charter will be developed to set out a vision for young people over the next generation and beyond. The announcement was made last month by Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society. It is hoped it will help address the recent decline in the number of people taking up youth work training and give youth workers the skills they need to best support young people.
Safer Sector Partnership to develop safeguarding resources
A coalition of 13 charities, led by NCVO, will be developing a range of new safeguarding resources for VCSE organisations. The partnership, called the Safer Social Sector Partnership, will aim to ensure that everyone who has contact with voluntary organisations will be safe from harm. Read the full article here.
Blogs
Are foundations the answer to core funding woes?
I remember, more years ago than I care to think about, when no grant funder would even have considered awarding core funding. Back then the system was clear – statutory funders provided the core funding, trusts and foundations topped that up a little and kept projects going. Those of us who were fundraisers in those days well remember the formula “we will not support any costs previously met by your local authority”.
Is the treasurer the most important role on the board?
Good financial governance is the bedrock of any organisation and is vital to it having any sort of sustainable future. But should we go as far as to say that the treasurer is the most important role on a VCSE organisation’s board?
Briefings
Are you ready for ePrivacy changes?
By now you’ve hopefully got to grips with GDPR and your newly compliant organisation is reaping the benefits of having more focused and reliable customer data. However this is no time to rest on our laurels; GDPR’s sister legislation, the ePrivacy directive is set to introduce a number of similarly wide-ranging requirements. These are expected to further impact the way organisations interact with people and use their personal data.
Resources
What Works Wellbeing guide on measuring loneliness
Sustainability and investment: a business plan template
Sustainability and investment: an organisational diagnostic tool
Good governance for safeguarding: A guide for UK NGO boards
VCSEs: a bidder's guide to working with government
Charity Commission publishes guidance on relationships with non-charities
Consultations
Help the Care Quality Commission work better with the VCSE sector