North East Child Poverty Commission publishes ‘No Time to Wait’
The North East Child Poverty Commission has published a major new report published which calls for regional leaders to take a ‘public health approach’ to tackling child poverty, based on the findings of wide-ranging research undertaken over the last year throughout the region. More than one-third of all babies, children and young people in the North East (35%) are living in poverty, with our region having experienced the steepest increases
Tipping Point: The Cost of Living Crisis
Tipping Point, the latest report by VCS Emergencies Partnership, describes some of the ways the voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been responding to the challenge of the cost of living crisis, focusing on the early part of 2023. It draws out insights, knowledge and practical ideas to help inform future preparedness and response to an ongoing crisis that will escalate again as winter approaches. Read more and download the report
Social Media Guidance for Charities
An update on the new guidance on social media produced by the Charity Commission The Charity Commission has released new guidance on the use of social media for charities which provides a very useful tool for trustees. The Charity Commission recognises that social media has become a powerful way for many charities to promote their work, engage their supporters and campaign for change. The public is also using social media
Embedding the VCSE sector in Integrated Care Systems
NAVCA has announced (25/09/23) the publication of a new set of resources for the VCSE around embedding the sector in Integrated Care Systems. The aim of these resources is to help VCSE organisations work effectively with ICSs to create a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, ensuring that community concerns are identified and acted upon through effective VCSE representation. The resource is split into two pages. Page one covers: Understanding
Organisational Health Checks: A How-to Guide
Health checks are an increasingly accepted way of identifying how your organisation really works and whilst primarily aimed at smaller organisations they can be used as a starting point for larger organisations. A health check for your organisation is like an MOT for your car. It enables you to look at all the different elements within your organisation and to check that they are working properly and running smoothly. Like
Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service
The Ministry of Justice has just launched a new service to help those at risk of losing their homes called the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service. The service provides: Early legal advice (legal help) on housing, debt and welfare benefits issues to those at risk of possession proceedings and loss of their home; and On the day emergency advice and representation at court to those with a listed possession hearing
Boardroom Behaviour: A Recipe for Success
How your board works together as a group is vital and improving this is often a key development need for boards. Some of the things that you can do to help to ensure ideal behaviour in meetings include: Effective chairing: A chair should spend their time listening, moving the discussion on, and then summarising. At the end of each agenda item the chair should ensure that everyone is clear about
The Charity Commission 2023 trustee and public trust annual research
The Charity Commission undertakes annual research which relates closely to their statutory objectives, including increasing public trust and confidence in charities, promoting compliance by charity trustees with their legal obligations and enhancing the accountability of charities to donors, beneficiaries and the wider public. The 2023 research has confirmed the following key findings: Public Trust: Charities continue to be well regarded and highly trusted, ranking second only to doctors. The research
National Lottery Awards for All
Social connections and community activities are at the heart of creating healthier, happier lives and a flourishing society. That’s why the National Lottery Awards for All fund supports amazing community-led projects. With funding from £300 to £20,000, for up to two years. You can apply for funding to deliver a new or existing activity or to support your organisation to change and adapt to new and future challenges. Awards for
Restructuring advisors say charity sector facing a challenging 2023
The number of charities in financial difficulty is expected to rise this year as a result of the increasing economic challenges facing the sector. This is the view of a North East restructuring expert, Chris Ferguson, who is Head of Recovery & Insolvency at RMT Accountants & Business Advisors based in Gosforth, Newcastle. His advice follows the publication of official statistics that showed there were over 22,000 corporate insolvencies across
Raising awareness of Usher Syndrome
Jo Milne, founder and Chair of UK Charity Cure Usher has teamed up with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to create an educational film which will help to raise awareness about the condition both within the NHS and the wider public. The film, which gives viewers an insight into what life is like for Jo as well as hearing from medical professionals, was produced by Northumbria Healthcare’s charity, Bright, with
Charity Trustee 5-min guides
As a trustee, your charity relies on your leadership to help it fulfil its purpose and its legal responsibilities. But could there be better ways of doing things? In these challenging and uncertain times, charities need to feel confident they’re getting things right. That’s why the Charity Commission has launched a set of simple, 5-minute guides, designed to help trustees provide the best possible oversight to
Digital Boost – free support to boost your digital skills
Digital Boost, a non-profit online platform that brings together those who work in small businesses and charities with a community of digital expert volunteers, is offering to help charities and small businesses get the essential digital skills they need by matching them with digital experts to offer one to one conversations and practical webinars for free. There are three Digital Boost services to help equip your organisation with essential skills: Mentoring
Suicide Prevention website launches to support the North East and North Cumbria
The North East and North Cumbria Suicide Prevention Network is a regional partnership of organisations and individuals, collaborating across different agencies and communities, to help enhance and support all suicide prevention activity across the region. They are working to ensure everything possible is done to get support and information to help people stay safe, and to manage their mental health and wellbeing during this incredibly difficult and stressful time. The
Working With the VCS: how can we make North Tyneside an even safer place to live?
The March 2020 Working With the VCS event, hosted by Whitley Bay Big Local, focused on the vital work of voluntary and community organisations in creating safe, cohesive and resilient communities in North Tyneside. Attendees included representatives from Job Centre Plus, North Tyneside Council, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioners team, and of course the voluntary and community sector. We began with an activity to familiarise attendees with one another, moving on to
Charity Commission urges charities to “listen and learn” when they receive complaints
Charities continue to play a vital role in our society, as they have for centuries. Most charities rely on the goodwill of volunteers, including their trustees, to carry out their work and all charities rely on public goodwill for the special status they hold. Charities’ ethos and purpose is part of what makes them unique. It’s also a factor in why the public has high expectations of them. The Charity
New digital portal to strengthen safeguarding guidance for charities
The Government has launched a new online portal that will strengthen its support to charities handling safeguarding concerns or allegations. Every organisation that delivers charitable activities has a responsibility to safeguard people from harm or abuse, whether they are staff members, volunteers, or other people who come into contact with your charity through its work. This tool will help charities in England to handle the reporting of safeguarding allegations about the
National helpline to support people experiencing domestic abuse
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or worried about your partner’s behaviour, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline run by Refuge, for free and in confidence. The helpline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and answered by highly trained, female advisers, who will never tell you what to do or judge you. Instead, they will empower you to understand your options and support you
HMRC updates guidance on recognising phishing emails
The government has updated its official guidance on recognising genuine HMRC contact and identifying phishing emails. Phishing is the fraudulent act of emailing a person to get their personal or financial information. These emails often include a link to a bogus website encouraging you to enter your personal details.Several scams have been devised in recent years by cyber criminals presenting their communications under the HMRC’s identity. HMRC’s guidance explains how to recognise
National Lottery Community Fund launches free impact tool
The National Lottery Community Fund has launched a new index tool of existing outcome frameworks and indicators as an open resource for the sector. Small and medium-sized charities, community groups and voluntary organisations will now be able to access free support when it comes to monitoring and measuring their impact. The move is expected to particularly benefit smaller organisations that often find seeking out the most relevant outcome frameworks and measures challenging
