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Welcome to LVSC News - July 2016

Dear Friends,

After almost 4 years with LVSC I am writing to let you know that I will be leaving LVSC at the end of July this year. Leading LVSC has been an incredible experience for me and I am very grateful for all the opportunities it has given me to champion the sector and make a difference!

I'm grateful to all the friends and colleagues who have supported me along the way and delighted to have made such great new friends as well. I remain very proud of the work that LVSC does and the incredible expertise that the staff and Trustee Board hold.

As you know it is a time of great change within the sector with the current infrastructure discussions taking place in London. Now more than ever as a sector we need to demonstrate and showcase our value and use these opportunities to effect change for the good of our beneficiaries.

LVSC Trustees are keen to ensure that the gap my departure makes is quickly filled to ensure continuity of leadership on behalf of our members and to ensure support to the sector as it responds to the very many challenges London faces. Recruitment for an Interim CEO is underway and we will keep you updated as soon as Trustees appoint.  I'm confident that our very talented staff team and strong Board of Trustees will lead LVSC firmly forward. My priority will be to ensure that there is a smooth transition during this time and we will strive to ensure LVSC continues to support our members.

Whilst there will be plenty of time for goodbyes this month, I want to take the opportunity now to say thank you to you all for your support and friendship while I've worked at LVSC. I wish you and your organisation all the very best for the future!

With warm regards

Eithne

Eithne Rynne
CEO

LVSC Vacancy

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Fixed-term to March 2017.  Hours negotiable. 
Based in London. Salary circa - £50,000 pro rata pa inclusive of Inner London weighting.

LVSC's vision is of a vibrant and sustainable city where lives of Londoners are enhanced through voluntary and community action.

We are seeking a highly skilled interim CEO to lead London's voluntary sector through the significant change, it has faced, and continues to face.

The ability to think and act strategically is essential.  As well as providing strategic direction for LVSC you will be providing leadership for London's voluntary and community sector.  Extensive experience of developing long-term strategic plans is essential.

You will be able to manage change, support staff and develop and manage new areas of work as well as existing ones.  Partnership working is essential as you will develop and maintain relationships with all sectors, including corporate business.

You will have extensive management experience and experience of running a small organisation.

To apply, please send your CV (Word format only) and supporting statement of no more than two sides of A4 paper, that evidences how you meet all the essential criteria required for the role, to cleo@lvsc.org.uk by 12 noon on Thursday 14th July 2016.

Only shortlisted applications will be contacted and invited for interview on Tuesday 26th July 2016.

LVSC welcomes applications from disabled people, people from Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee communities, LGBT people and older people. LVSC operates from an accessible building and strives to be an equal opportunities employer.

Policy Viewpoint - July 2016

Lisa Redding, LVSC Head of Policy and Sector Support shares her pick of VCS news.

Well that was a bit of a surprise....

I know I was not the only one to wake up to the news on the morning of Friday 24th June with a feeling of dismay.  I expect some of you out there will have voted for leave and that is your prerogative but I truly believe this is a sad day for the UK.  I think it is notable that London, as a region, voted remain - I know that five boroughs voted Leave, and others were quite marginal, but overall 59.9% of voters wanted to stay in the EU, a greater majority than the UK as a whole.

This is not surprising given our multicultural make-up, we are a city founded on immigration that stretches back for thousands of years. There have been calls (some tongue in cheek) for London to declare itself a city state and remain in the EU and while he is not going that far, our new Mayor Sadiq Khan has said:

"… as much as I might like the idea of a London city state, I'm not seriously talking about independence today. I'm not planning to blockade the M25. But on behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital - right now. More autonomy in order to protect London's economy from the uncertainty ahead. More autonomy to protect the businesses from around the world who trade here. And more autonomy to protect our jobs, wealth and prosperity. London needs to be able to determine its own future from now on."

But perhaps what has upset me so much about this decision - ill informed at best, based on a campaign full of lies and false promises at worst - is the almost immediate increase in racist incidents.  From Pro-Nazi and 'Whites Only' stickers being put up in Glasgow to reports of Polish workers being attacked and 'Go Back Home' demonstrations in Newcastle. It seems that people who hold racist and anti-immigrant views feel their opinions have been legitimised by the Brexit vote.  One of our Trustees, Andy Gregg, Chief Executive of ROTA, has written a blog about how Pandora's Box has been opened …

Our sector's press has already been busy looking at what all this means for us, with good analysis from Civil Society, NCVO and Third Sector.

The main themes range from what this means for the millions of pounds of EU funding that the sector accesses through the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund to and how Trusts and Foundations will be affected by a downturn in the stock market and the weakening of the pound; to the crucial role that the voluntary and community sector will play in trying to mend some of the divisions caused by a campaign built on fear and scaremongering.  If ever there was a time when our sector is needed to build cohesion in communities it is now.

New Child Poverty Figures

The London Child Poverty Alliance have circulated the latest child poverty figures for the UK and for London, taken from the Government's Households below average income (HBAI) statistics (2014/15)

In 2014-15, UK child poverty increased by 200,000 to 3.9 million (after housing costs)

• 66% of poor children live in working families (up from 64%)
• London remains UK region with highest rate of child poverty (37%)

London - child poverty in London remains unchanged from last year (2013/14)

• 37% of all children in the capital live in poverty - that's around 700,000 children
• Nearly 1 in 5 poor children in the UK live in London (18%)

Skills Exchange Survey

The Skills Exchange Project, which is being led by the Office for Civil Society within the Cabinet Office, aims to connect charities and business and raise the awareness of the benefits of skilled volunteering for both sectors.

The Skills Exchange Project has a cross section of representation from businesses plus national volunteering brokers such as the Cranfield Trust, Do-It Trust, Media Trust and Volunteering Matters, and has representatives from NAVCA, and NCVO and other key bodies such as Business In The Community, Small Charities Coalition, Big Lottery and Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and others.

To help achieve its aims the project is carrying out a survey to help understand the views of charities in relation to cross sector skills based volunteering.  The survey is being coordinated by the Zurich Community Trust and every survey submitted will be entered into a draw with a chance to win one of three £2,500 grants to your voluntary organisation from the Zurich Community Trust.  Deadline for responses is 31st July and winners of the three grant awards will be notified by the end of August.

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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

ESF update

Statement from Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) on the EU referendum leave result, in terms of its impact on ESF funded projects in the UK.

"Today's referendum result is likely to have far reaching implications - for the economy, for employment levels and, as a consequence, for the employment support sector.  Many of these implications are hard to predict.  However, I wanted to share with you our understanding at this point in time.

"Many of you hold DWP contracts or hope to hold DWP contracts.  We have been in contact with the DWP and asked that a statement is put out to the sector.  We are aware that it will take time to work through the implications of the vote with HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office." (Read more)

Many Hands  - LVSC's latest report examines the challenges for VCSE organisations providing employment and skills support to Londoners

LVSC has published a report 'Many Hands' that presents the findings of a research project examining the employment and skills challenges facing individuals, existing employability support, and the voluntary sector organisations active in this area in the capital. The report also lists recommendations on how the London voluntary sector should be involved in the design and delivery of employment support services.  Nehal Bradley-Depani, former Employment and Skills Policy & Project Manager, led this large, complex piece of research supported by LVSC's volunteers Yasmin Adib, Sangeetha Ilanko and Slavomir Sovik. Thanks to everyone for your commitment and time.

What is the State of Human Rights in the UK?

The Human Rights Alliance is collecting evidence from civil society organisations about the state of human rights in Great Britain to feed into the United Nations Universal Periodic Review process happening next year. Deadline for submissions has been extended to 6th July.

Find out about Stepping Stones Fund -  £1m social investment readiness grant programme

LVSC is inviting all interested charities and social enterprises in the Greater London area to an information session about the Stepping Stones Fund, a £1m social investment readiness grant programme of City Bridge Trust and UBS. It is taking place on 6th July 9:30am - 12:30pm.

LVSC Training for VSCE Employers

Managing Redundancy and Restructure

This practical course aims to raise the awareness of employment legislation and good practice in the workplace amongst employers. It is taking place on 21st July 10am -1pm at LVSC offices.

Managing short-term and long-term sickness absence

This course aims to increase a manager's confidence and ability to manage staff absence. It is taking place on 24th August 10am - 1pm at LVSC offices.

Health News

LVSC Report: New Models of Care: working together for a healthy London

Following the "New Models of care: Working together for a Healthy London" event LVSC has produced a full report of the views of over 100 delegates. This event held on 23rd March was co-delivered by LVSC through its membership of Regional Voices and London for All. We have included the presentations; workshop feedback; and recommendations we can take forward from the event.

For more information please contact: Sandra@lvsc.org.uk, Deirdre@lvsc.org.uk or Matt@lvsc.org.uk.

Population-based Health and Care: devolution as a model for London

UCLPartners hosted an event on 18 May 2016  to start a debate on how health devolution can begin in London. The event examined how everyone can work better together across health and social care to improve the health of Londoners.
The UCLPartners' blog argues that:

1. We must view devolution as a process & enables for change - not a goal
2. We mustn't lose sight of our ultimate goal - patient feedback

Safer Future Communities

Violence Against Women and Girls Expert Group (VAWG) discussions fed into MOPAC VWAG Board Meeting

The SFC Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Expert Group meeting was held on 24th May. Discussions from the Group were fed into the MOPAC VAWG board meeting held on 1st June. The new Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) will be expected to review current VAWG's priorities set by the previous Mayor as well as implementing the new Mayor's VAWG manifesto and also consult on the new Police and Crime Plan. Consultation is scheduled to begin in the Autumn.

Victims' Alliance Group asking for Effective Action on Mayor's Manifesto

The Victims' Alliance Group meeting was also held in May. Discussions centred around ensuring that the Group is fully consulted on the new Police and Crime Plan for London and that the Mayor's manifesto for Policing and Crime in London translates into effective action.

Safer and More Secure London  - The Mayor and MOPAC's commitment

The Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Expert Group met on 23rd June. MOPAC representatives reiterated the Mayor's commitment to developing anti-gang strategies and tackling violent crime through working closely with schools, youth services and local authorities. The group will also be fully consulted on proposed the new Police and Crime Plan.

Change and Challenge: the role of the VCSE in transforming rehabilitation

Discussion on the Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) agenda and the role of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) is still on-going. Clinks have recently published key findings and recommendations () highlighting some of the challenges identified by the sector in terms of its involvement in ensuring improved outcomes for service users. The network is currently exploring opportunities to see how the voice of the sector will be stronger in this critical area of the criminal justice system.

Featured Group of the Month - Tell MAMA

The feature group this month is Tell MAMA, an organisation that offers a secure and reliable service where people can report incidents of anti-Muslim abuse. They work very closely with several police forces across the country, including, of course, the Metropolitan Police to advocate for victims of anti-Muslim abuse. For more about Tell MAMA and their work, please click here.

Working with Health Inequality and Criminal Justice? Get in Touch

If you work on issues of health inequalities and criminal justice, it would be great to hear from you. We are particularly interested in hearing from VCS organisations about the challenges they face and how the sector can work better to tackle this. Feel free to contact Ade (ade@lvsc.org.uk) with your ideas, and for more information.

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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.

London for All  - sustainability

In our fourth and final year of the programme the London for All partners, in addition to delivering a wide range of training, events and activities, are also busy planning for the future and for life after the programme concludes in April 2017.

We feel there is a pressing need for focused support for the sector, in particular around a social justice agenda that embeds learning, voice and organisational development.  We will continue to reflect on the experiences of delivery, on what has worked and where the most acute and pressing needs exist.  We hope our efforts to innovate and consolidate will generate new funding opportunities amidst an uncertain wider policy environment and we look forward to reaching out ever wider to voluntary and community sector groups in solidarity and common purpose.

London for All - more opportunities

• Latest news
• Latest resources

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LVSC Events & Training

Information Session for the Stepping Stones Fund

Date: 6 July, 9.30 - 12.30
Venue: The Lift Islington, 45 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PW

We are inviting all interested charities and social enterprises in the Greater London area to an information session about the Stepping Stones Fund, a £1m social investment readiness grant programme of City Bridge Trust and UBS. The third round of the fund is now open for applications. This programme provides grants and risk finance to enterprising organisations that wish to prepare themselves for social investment in order to improve their social outcomes. The deadline for applications is August 15, 2016. 
Detailed information is available on the Stepping Stones Fund website.

Managing Redundancy and Restructure *

Date: 21 July, 10am - 1pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London, N1 9JP

The aim of this practical course is to raise the awareness of employers about employment legislation and good practice in the workplace.  
As the Voluntary and Community Sector faces an increasingly difficult funding environment with further cuts, the training will look at the legal requirements of redundancy dismissals, and how best to plan and prepare for change and restructure.

Managing Short and Long-term Sickness Absence *

Date: 24 August, 10am- 1pm
Venue: 200a Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London, N1 9JP
The course is for anyone who feels uncomfortable dealing with and managing difficult conversations or putting across tough messages. It will look at the legal framework within which absence procedures must operation including the Equality Act 2-10; whether absence is a matter of conduct, misconduct or capability; and what constitutes good practice in managing short and long-term absence.

*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 - July/August 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

• Introduction to Project Management - 25 July. This popular two-day programme provides a valuable introduction to effective Project Management from developing the original project idea to writing the final project report. It includes a range of practical project planning and management tools and provides a handy guide to the 'jargon'.
• Effective Report Writing - 27 July. This course will look at the basics of report writing, including structure, presentation and organisation. It will include practice sessions on aspects of report writing. Participants are encouraged to bring in examples of reports they have written or any material that will help them to begin writing a report.
• Training the Non-Trainer - 25 August. During this course participants will consider the learning process, explore training needs, plan a training programme and try different training methods. There will also discussion about problems that arise and difficult situations experienced by trainers.
• Effective Time Management - 15 August. This one-day course will explore the need for planning, organising, setting goals and responding to day-to-day activities and de­mands. Participants will consider what methods of time management are possible in their situation and how to make man­aging time a daily practice.

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Notices & Events

Ending Harmful Practices Training - FREE

The Asian Women's Resource Centre are providing multi-agency workshops with the aim of raising awareness about harmful practices, including Honour Based Violence (HBV), Forced Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Faith Based Violence (FBV).  The training is open to all frontline practitioners including, Police, Education, Early Years, Youth, Children's Services, Social Workers, Health Visitors, Midwives, Housing, Faith and Voluntary Sectors.

For Group Bookings of 20 or more within Pan London, training can be provided free of charge at your premises.  Alternatively, free half day training  is available on the following days at 108 Craven Park, Harlesden, London, NW10 8QE:  21st & 28th July 2016.

To book a place or session, please email: info@asianwomencentre.org.uk

Youth Innovation Fund and Team London Volunteering ESF Briefing

The GLA held a 'Youth Innovation Fund and Team London Volunteering ESF Briefing Event' at City Hall on 27 June 2016. You can download links to the presentation, Q&A and a copy of the GLA ESF mailing list from the website.

Anticipating and Adapting to Change

Date: 7 July 2016, 5.30 - 8.30pm
Venue: London Metropolitan University, 166-220 Holloway Road, London, N7 8DB

Islington Voluntary Sector Conference 2016 asks "What sort of city will Islington's voluntary sector wake up to in 2020?".

VAWG Consortium Coordinator - Women's Resource Centre

Full time, £37,483 (Incl London Weighting). Deadline is 6th July.

Brandenburg Choral Festival of London - fundraising offer

We offer small to medium-sized charities the opportunity to fundraise with us with no financial obligation. Charities can choose a concert to link to, sell tickets to the event and then keep up to 50% of the proceeds. We also undertake a retiring collection on behalf of the charities (maximum of 2 per concert), allocated according to proportion of ticket sales. Over 100 charities have participated to date and have found the concerts a valuable way of raising funds and awareness.

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