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Dear Colleagues,

It's just over a month since our new Mayor was elected and we're awaiting the dust to settle and appointments finalised so that we can resume our discussions with the GLA on the importance of a focused third sector strategy. As you know LVSC submitted a detailed manifesto for the sector and co-hosted two hustings events where the response was overwhelmingly positive about the importance of mayoral engagement with the sector. Matt Scott, our Policy & Projects Manager Sector Support, is following this up with the GLA. See below.

I'm delighted to report on progress of The Way Ahead report. Initial meetings with local infrastructure groups took place in May to gather views on the report and to plan how the report can be best used for London's civil society. Further meetings will be scheduled to facilitate discussions between frontline organisations, local regional and specialist groups and other key stakeholders. Feedback from some local infrastructure groups indicated a willingness to share good practice and get engaged with the Whole Systems Group to implement the recommendations whilst suggesting that further engagement with the sector is needed to fully understand how the model might be implemented in London. LVSC will continue to work with the whole systems group to champion the role of the sector going forward.

And finally, I'm very pleased to extend a warm welcome to our two new members of staff  Ade and Jonathan both bring with them a wealth of experience from their work within the voluntary and community sector as well as strong links to statutory partners which will help them strengthen and grow our Safer Future Communities and Employment & Skills Networks.

With warm regards Eithne

Eithne Rynne
CEO

LVSC News

Introducing Ade Fashade LVSC's new Policy and Projects Manager (Crime and Justice)

I come to the post with over 16 years' experience of working in the public and voluntary/community sector in the areas of equalities/human rights; infrastructure policy development; and community advocacy & engagement. I have worked for organisations like Bassac (now merged Development Trusts Association to form Locality) and Centrepoint, as well as Newham Council and the Metropolitan Police Service.  My last full-time role was with Shelter, where I was the Equalities Manager from 2005 -13.  Since that time I have been working in Nigeria on volunteer projects looking at inclusive education and development in the country.

I am passionate about social justice, equality and human rights. The CJS sector is facing major challenges with many policy and systemic changes coming up that will impact on the work of VSCE organisations. It is important for the voice of the sector to be heard loud and clear to influence these changes for the benefit of a diverse range of beneficiaries.

Please feel free to contact me on 020 7832 5816 or email ade@lvsc.org.uk . You can also follow me on twitter: @ade_lvsc . I work 4 days a week (non-working day is Tuesday).

Introducing Jonathan Slater, LVSC's new Policy and Projects Manager (Employment and Skills)

I'm a policy professional with over ten years' experience working for national, international, regional and local organisations, in both the voluntary and public sector.

I have extensive experience of the workings of Whitehall, where in 2013 I was based in the Cabinet Office. I've briefed Government Ministers such as the Minister for Civil Society, and worked with elected London Council leaders from all three main Political Parties.  In 2014 I was elected as a Councillor for Whitefoot Ward in the London Borough of Lewisham. Since becoming a Councillor I was chosen by the Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock to be the Mental Health Champion for the borough.

I'm a Trustee of Hull Community and Voluntary Services, and Board Member of Phoenix Community Housing, who are a tenants run housing association based in the south east of Lewisham. Finally I'm a member of the Tate, Campaign for Real Ale, and Hull City fan.

Jonathan will be starting at LVSC on 20th June and will be in touch with his contact details then.

Call for Tenders for ESF Technical Assistance Project - Project Management

London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) and the Evelyn Oldfield Unit are calling for tenders for project management of its ESF Technical Assistance programme VCS Assist 2.0. The successful applicant will provide Technical Assistance to voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations bidding into and managing projects in the London 2014-2020 ESIF ESF Programme. The services required by LVSC and EOU will meet a high quality threshold and applicants must demonstrate a high degree of experience, knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the role. The maximum value of the contract is £43,000 delivered between June 2016 and June 2017 - applicants will be expected to bid for this amount.

Closing date for applications is noon on 15th June 2016

Selection will be based on information provided in response to tender documents. There will be no interview stage. For a tender pack please contact mulat@evelynoldfield.co.uk

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Jonathan Slater, Policy and Project Manager, Employment and Skills	VCS Assist  - support for VCSE groups in employment and skills	Ade Fashade, Policy and Project Manager, Crime and Justice Sector

LVSC Project Updates

VCS Assist - Employment and Skills News

London Councils launches the new Pan-London Poverty Programme

London Councils has just launched the London Councils European Social Fund programme for 2016-18. Funded by the London Councils Grants Committee and ESF, this round will provide funds to voluntary sector organisations only.

The tender specifications have been designed following public consultation by London Councils' grants committee and will provide £5.6m of funding for voluntary sector organisations between 1 September 2016 and 30 September 2018.

London Councils is seeking applications from organisations to support the following groups into employment:

• Parents with long-term work limiting health conditions
• People with mental health needs
• People from ethnic groups with low labour market participation rates
• Women facing barriers to employment
• People recovering from drug and/or alcohol addiction or misuse
• Homeless people

Please note that all participants must be eligible to work in the UK and not be on the DWP Work Programme. London Councils will fund pan-London provision and organisations are strongly recommended to begin developing partnerships. The deadline for applications is 22 June 2016 (submitted online). You can find more detailed information on the London Councils website.

Employment Support for Troubled Families

As you know the DWP launched its second ESF 2014-20 tendering round in London for employment support for Troubled Families. This programme forms a part of the London Enterprise Panel's (LEP) comprehensive package of ESF employment support provision for unemployed or inactive individuals, as well as individuals from troubled families, to move them into sustained employment.

The Invitations To Tender for each of the four Contract Package Areas (CPAs) for the Troubled Families programme were published on 6th May by the DWP via the DWP eProcurement Solution (ePS) Portal and are advertised on the Contracts Finder website. The deadline for applications is 17th June 2016.

Health News

Mapping social prescribing in London

As part of our Regional Voices' strategic partnership work, LVSC is mapping social prescribing activities in London. We will continue to update the map regularly over the coming year. The map includes links to social prescribing activities in London. Each link takes you to a uniquely created page with information about and contact details of each social prescriber. We will be updating the map again soon as more initiatives come to light including ones in Camden and Islington we just heard about.

If you are a social prescriber, you are cordially invited to complete our survey, which will inform your unique page on the map. It will also provide useful information for our work with HLP. If you know of other and emerging social prescribing initiatives not listed on the map, please email me: sandra@lvsc.org.uk. If you want to find out more about this work, please feel free to contact me as well (my working days are now Tue and alternate Tue and Wed only). Please forward the map to relevant contacts and other interested parties.

Final report of the VCSE review launched

The report sets out recommendations for voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in the health and care sector. This is a joint review by the Department of Health, Public Health England, and NHS England. The aim of the review is to:

• describe the role of the VCSE sector in improving health, wellbeing and care outcomes
• identify the challenges and opportunities in realising the sector's potential
• address challenges and maximise opportunities

The report makes recommendations for government, health and care system partners, funders, regulatory bodies and the VCSE sector. It emphasises putting wellbeing at the centre of health and care services, and making VCSE organisations an integral part of a collaborative system.

Further Reading: LVSC has also produced a 3-page briefing of the Review, which will give you edited highlights.   You can also catch up with Alex Fox's blog. Alex chaired the review committee.

Safer Future Communities

Key events round up from May from Ade

I am Ade Fashade, and I have just taken over from Sara Hyde as the new Policy and Projects Manager (Crime and Justice). I look forward to bringing you news and events from the world of Criminal Justice, and how LVSC is championing the voice of the sector in influencing policy and strategy. If you want to learn more about the Safer  Future Communities Network and become more involved, email me ade@lvsc.org.uk

A New London Mayor

The Mayoral elections have happened. Sadiq Khan was duly elected and he has now appointed the new Deputy Mayor for Police and Crime.  She is Sophie Linden. Her appointment is subject to confirmation by the Assembly Policing and Crime Committee on 9th June. Sophie is currently Deputy Mayor of Hackney with responsibility for crime and community safety, neighbourhood and civic engagement. Follow this link for more on the new Mayoral appointments

Queen's Speech

The Queen's Speech contained the big announcement about the largest shake-up of the Prison Service in generations. This will have huge implications on how offenders are treated by the Criminal Justice Sector (CJS). Transformation of prison culture, rehabilitation and opportunities for better life for all are key themes from the announcement.  Alongside this was also the publication of the Coates Review on education in prisons and how this can be improved. Click here for a handy summary of the review

Still on Prisons, it's worth noting Michael Gove's response to the recent Prisons Safety report by the Justice Select Committee.  The issue of prison safety has been in sharp focus since the release of figures in October 2015 indicating the decline in safety in prisons in England and Wales.

LVSC's Getting Ready for The Mayor workshops

As part of the LVSC's series of Getting Ready for The Mayor, we ran the last two workshops  'Research: Methodologies and using it to inform practice' and 'Commissioners and Funders Q&A' in May. Both were well attended, and served as an opportunity for VSCE organisations in the CJS to be updated and learn about developments in research and commissioning.

We welcome workshop ideas on key issues that in the Criminal Justice sector that you want to learn more about. Please email me, ade@lvsc.org.uk.

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London For All

London for All is a London Councils' funded project designed to build the capacity of London's voluntary and community sector. As a partnership project, led by LVSC, it offers: insight and learning from a collective 200 years' experience: and the practical applications of that knowledge.  London for All can strengthen your organisation's knowledge and skills; work more effectively and efficiently; and deliver more accessible services to support service users better.

New Mayor, new approach for London's Voluntary Sector?

Sadiq Khan rarely mentioned the voluntary sector in his campaign preferring to talk about macro issues such as housing, transport, clean air and employment.  However his campaign demonstrated his commitment to diversity and, as reported first at our Hustings at the House of Commons, support for a voluntary sector czar.

Fiona Twycross attended the hustings event on behalf of Sadiq Khan said, "Making London a living wage city is key, this will mean working in partnership with the VCSE sector. And the sector must have someone in City Hall to go to."

LVSC has asked the GLA to explain how it will take forward support offered by all candidates for our manifesto and to date have been told that the team will 'get back as soon as events allow'.  Whilst underwhelmed by this response, we will be gearing up for a continuation of our campaign to assert the value and importance of the sector.

Working Together against Hate Crime

Date: 7 June 2016 10am-4pm (arrivals from 9.30am)
Venue: Human Rights Action Centre, Amnesty International, New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA

Our London for All partner, HEAR, London's pan equality network, is holding an event to help voluntary and community organisations in London work together more effectively to improve responses to Hate Crime. The morning will be an opportunity to hear about successful projects and case studies, speak to police, safeguarding and other public services that are responsible for responses to hate crime and network with colleagues in the sector. The afternoon, for voluntary sector colleagues only, will be a 'safe space' for us to workshop ways to work together to improve responses to Hate Crime. To book your free place, please email hear@reap.org.uk or call 07466 119268.

London for All - more opportunities

• Latest news
• Latest resources

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LVSC Events & Training

How can we improve health and care services for offenders? Consultation event with Care Quality Commission inspectors?

Date: 8th June 2016, 10.30-1pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9JP
Cost: Free* 
Clinks and LVSC invite you to a workshop with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on how to share information about health and care services for offenders in London and encourage services to be 'outstanding'. CQC would like to build contacts with user and advocacy groups supporting people in the criminal justice system in London to better understand the quality of care they receive.

Tiny Films, Big Impact

Date: 14 June 2016, 10 - 2.30pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9JP
Cost: Free* 
Capturing and sharing your powerful stories in motion has never been easier - you don't have to produce a feature-length film to demonstrate the impact your work makes. Learn how to craft tiny yet beautiful videos using free online creators and popular apps with this new course from Superhighways.

Getting started with audio capture and editing

Date: 15 June 2016, 10 - 2.30pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9JP
Cost: Free* 
Communicating and engaging with supporters, stakeholders and beneficiaries is increasingly important for charities to gain additional funding and demonstrate that services do what they say they do. Audio is an easy way of capturing feedback from your beneficiaries.  They can talk about the impact your organisation has had on them in their own words and we the listener, get to hear this first hand.  The end result is just as powerful as video footage, yet so much easier to achieve.

Managing Difficult Conversations at Work

Date: 22 June 2016, 10 - 1pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9JP
Most of us dislike confrontation we sometimes avoid it which can often lead to even more difficulty misunderstandings and possible conflict In the current climate of recession and continued economic uncertainty we may find ourselves working with reduced budgets constant organisational change and ongoing performance issues as people try to make sense of all this.

Working Together to Improve the Well being of Londoners through Inclusive Employment

Date: 30 June 2016, 9.30 - 1pm
Venue: Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London, EC2A 3EA 
​The event will bring together organisations from across the VCSE, statutory and private sectors to consider how we can work collaboratively to meet the challenges facing Londoners with disabilities and those with health needs to find inclusive, employment.

Top Digital Tools for Monitoring and Evaluation

Date: 30 June 2016, 10 - 1pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9JP
Cost: Free* 
Does your funder need to see that you are making an impact? Would you like to improve your service or know the difference it makes in people's lives? Funders, commissioners and individual supporters are increasingly asking for demonstrable results before they will put their trust in an organisation.

Top Digital Tools for Communicating Impact

Date: 30 June 2016, 2 - 5pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9JP
Cost: Free* 
Funders, donors and the people you support all need to know that your organisation can make a genuine difference, yet sometimes telling people about your impact is almost as hard as measuring it in the first place.

*A note on our charging policy for courses and training

LVSC reserves the right to charge a fee of £50 per person in the event of a no show for training funded by the London For All programme. These courses are marked out with an asterisk*.

​LVSC Management and Personal Development Courses - June 2016

Happy People - the personal development division of Happy, delivers LVSC's management and personal development courses. 
Cost: starts from £95 for charities with 15 staff or under. For larger charities, please visit the website for the correct rate.
Venue: 3rd Floor, 9 Alie Street, London, E1 8DE

• Effective Presentation Skills 13 &14 June (20% discount -  quote May2016)
  This two day programme focuses on the importance of knowing what you want to say and organising your material. It examines the use of audio and visual aids, and will give an opportunity to put your new skills into practice by delivering a short presentation.
• Grammar and Punctuation 15 June
  This programme will make you more capable and feel more confident by learning how to write grammatically and punctuate correctly. You will also learn how to effectively structure and layout letters and emails.
• Assertiveness for Women 20 June
  This one-day training programme will help you to analyse your current behaviour patterns and situations where you are experiencing difficulty. You will learn and practice skills and techniques of assertive communication in order to express yourself more clearly, openly and confidently in your personal and professional relationships.
• Chairing Meetings 21 June
  This one day programme will explore the need for planning, organising, setting goals and responding to day-to-day activities and de­mands. You will consider what methods of time management are possible in your situation and how to make man­aging time a daily practice.

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Notices & Events

Volunteers Week 1 - 12 June

Share your #iwill pledge

#iwill is a national campaign that aims to make social action part of life for as many 10 to 20 year-olds as possible by the year 2020. Through collaboration and partnership it is spreading the word about the benefits of youth social action, working to embed it in the journey of young people and creating fresh opportunities for the participation. The campaign is being coordinated by the charity Step Up To Serve.

The #iwill campaign asks organisations to make a pledge to enable youth social action and celebrate the difference young people are making in their communities. June 8th, the middle of National Volunteers' Week, has been designated as Share Your Pledge Day to celebrate the achievements made by the 500+ partners who've pledged so far.

Small Charity Week 13 - 18 June

The Foundation for Social Improvement's Small Charity Week of celebrations starts with a day devoted to raising the profile of small charities across the UK.  There are plenty of training opportunities, free advice sessions, volunteer recruitment opps and recognition for the huge impact small charities have on local communities.

FSI Fundraising Conference: Sharing the Best

The FSI Fundraising Conference: Sharing the Best will take place during Small Charity Week on 16th June 2016. The conference will give small charities the chance to access learning from experts in the fundraising field on a range of different topics which include:

• Donor-centred Fundraising
• Community Fundraising
• Sporting and Challenge Events
• Corporate Fundraising
• Trusts and Foundations
• Online fundraising

This event is very popular so do book your place as soon as possible.

Vacancies

Parole Board Members Needed

The Parole Board plays a crucial part in contributing to public safety and maintaining confidence in the criminal justice system. The Parole Board makes risk assessments about prisoners to decide who may safely be released into the community. It is seeking to recruit independent, psychiatrist and psychologist members of the Parole Board. These appointments are made by the Secretary of State for Justice and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Applications are welcome from those aged 18 or over who meet the eligibility criteria.  For the psychiatrist posts, applicants must have full registration with the General Medical Council and have worked as a consultant psychiatrist in the UK for at least five years. For the psychologist posts, applicants must be registered as a practitioner psychologist with the Health Care Professions Council. For further information, including the criteria for appointment, please visit the following pages

Independent Members | Psychiatrist Parole Board Members |  Psychologist parole board members

Closing date: 13:00, 8 June 2016.

Sutton CVS is looking for a Director

Salary: £48,000

This is a challenging and rewarding role in which you will be responsible for the overall leadership, management and development of SCVS but also have a key role in representing the voluntary and community sector and developing effective local partnerships.  We are looking for candidates with significant knowledge of the voluntary and community sector, particularly the policy environment in which it operates and substantial senior management experience within a charity.

Please email info@suttoncvs.org.uk for an application pack.

Closing Date:  Noon on Tuesday 14th June 2016
Interview Date: Monday 27th June 2016.

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