vca wirral winter 2011 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
VCA Wirral's Winter 2011 NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
WIRRALWELL.ORG
Wirralwell.org is an online infor-mation resource, available 24 hours a day for wellbeing, health and social care services.
All organisations which provide
these services are encouraged to enter their details online now, ahead of the site being launched in the spring of 2011.
Consultant Jenny Naylor is re-sponsible for the facilitation of this project, hosted by Voluntary & Com-munity Action Wirral (VCA Wir-ral).
The benefits to services entering their details are numerous but include
raising awareness of their services amongst commissioners and clients for free!
Organisations can enter their details by going to www.wirralwell.org.
For more information about the project, please contact [email protected] or call 07946 596 092.
The only one of its kind in the country, the Mums and Midwives shop, based in Birkenhead town centre, has received some much needed equipment from Voluntary & Community Action Wirral (VCA Wirral) staff members and Wirral Local Involvement Network (LINk) members.
Set up as a result of the hard work and dedication of Birkenhead Com-munity Midwives at Wirral Uni-versity Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the shop is open five days a week between Tuesday and Saturday from 10.00 am until 3.00 pm. Having a local presence allows our community to have greater access to local maternity services, help, advice and informa-tion around a wide range of preg-nancy and postnatal issues.
Although only open for 12 months, the shop has already become such a huge success that it has won a pres-tigious Royal College of Midwives Annual Midwifery award, celebrat-ing the excellence, innovation and impact of midwifery practice across
the UK.With such a wonderful contribu-
tion made to the community already - the shop sees between 25 and 30 women each day it is open - more help is neeeded. After a great im-pression was made at a recent shop visit, members of staff from local support organisation VCA Wir-ral and members from a project it hosts, Wirral LINk, suggested that instead of exchanging Christmas cards to each other this year, they
would chip in to buy some equip-ment which will be of great value to the people who rely on the shop.
For further information about the shop or to contact your community midwife with concerns about preg-nancy or postnatal issues, please call 0151 604 7682.
If you would like to contact VCA Wirral about this matter, please call the Community Development Team on 0151 203 2111 or visit our web-site: www.vcawirral.org.uk.
WINTER EDITION ISSUE 11 FEBRUARY 2011
Mums and Midwives Shop, Birkenhead Town Centre
LOCAL SHOP RECEIVES HELP
VCA WIRRAL NEWS
At the end of November 2010, VCA Wirral staff facilitated and attended an event on the NHS White Paper and the Big Society at Wallasey Town Hall.
Run by VCA Wirral in partnership with NHS Wirral and Wirral Coun-cil, the event was well attended and well received - a full report will be published on the VCA Wirral web-site soon. In the meantime, there are some event pictures available at www.vcawirral.org.uk.
Delegates at the event heard presen-tations from Annette Roberts (Chief
Executive of VCA Wirral), James Kay (Acting Chair of NHS Wirral), Kathy Doran (Chief Executive of NHS Wir-ral), and Margaret McCloud (Policy & Network Officer Health and Social Care, Voluntary Sector North West).
Following these talks attendees were offered the chance to attend workshops on:
* Transforming Community Services
* Developing GP Consortia* Changing Adult Social Care* Public Health and the Voluntary Sector
The presentations and workshops were filmed by Wirral TV and the videos will be available online as soon as they are complete.
Dennis Jones, 3SA Development Officer at VCA Wirral, said that “it was great to see so many people from the sector taking the chance to hear about the planned changes to the NHS and what it might mean for them.”
VCA Wirral will be hosting a stand-alone event with NHS Wirral and Wirral Council in Hulme Hall on 16 March 2011 named ‘Engaging with the new NHS...making the most of the opportunities’.
Workshops will include a commis-sioing framework, Public Health ‘the local and national picture’ and GP consortia priorities amongst many others.
For more information, please con-tact Dennis Jones at [email protected]
Welcome to this latest edition of the VCA Wirral newsletter.
These next few weeks will be tough for all sectors; public, private, voluntary, community and faith, as many organisations are already making plans to deal with the un-certain future.
VCA Wirral is providing help and support to some of the smaller groups whose funding has come to an end and who do not wish to try and find funding elsewhere. This can be tricky for some and what to do and when to do it are just as sig-nificant when a group is finishing as when groups are setting up and starting out.
Despite this, overall there is a feeling of optimism and new op-portunities and many organisations are reporting an energy in the staff teams that seems to be looking posi-
tively to the future.Further afield, some organisations
are looking to merge and VCA Wir-ral, as a successfully merged or-ganisation (since August 2008), has been approached by two national companies to discuss our merge and all get involved. VCA Wirral and other merged organisations’ experi-ences will form part of a ‘guidance brochure’ for other groups who may be considering joining up.
VCA Wirral is looking forward to working with our partners in all sec-tors to contribute to, and hopefully influence, whatever the Big Society is going to look like in Wirral.
I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and, as always, contri-butions of articles of events notices are always welcome.
EDITORIAL
The Friends of Birkenhead Park asked ProHelp if they could assist them with a lease for some land that they had acquired on the pe-rimeter of Birkenhead Park. The land had been disused for over 25 years and the Friends wished to convert it into a Community Gar-den and Growing Area.
Kirwins Solicitors kindly stepped forward and explained some of the complicated legal language in the document which ensured that the
Friends were not left with an unwork-able piece of land. With the land fall-ing into a conservation area and con-taining many c o v e n a n t s , this advice was invalu-able.
In November, work finally started on the land and the internal pathways and car park were laid, the Edward Kemp Community Garden and Growing Area sign was erected and the new gates in-stalled.
In January, the plan was to begin landscaping the Gardens and Growing Area and a team of volunteers were raring to go!
None of this would have been
possible without the advice of Kirwins and the help of Julie Pod-more of Voluntary & Community Action Wirral. The Friends of Birkenhead Park would like to ex-tend their gratitude.
If you are interested in the Ed-ward Kemp Community Gardens or Growing Area or have any ex-perience in business planning, marketing or would simply like to get involved, please contact Sally Dobbing on 0151 653 5697 or email [email protected].
ProHelp is a network of profes-sional firms, committed to making a difference in their local commu-nity by providing free advice and support to groups and organisa-tions in need of help.
For more information, please contact Julie Podmore on 0151 203 2111 ext 220 or email [email protected]. Al-ternatively, visit: www.vcawirral.org.uk.
PROHELP SUCCESS STORY!
Karen Livesey (Business Development Manager), Annette Roberts (Chief Executive), Alison McGovern (MP for South Wirral), Lynda Denman (Community Support Manager) Karen Prior (Community Development Manager)
VCA WIRRAL UPDATES
VISIT FROM ALISON MCGOVERN, MP
BIG SOCIETY AND NHS WHITE PAPER EVENT
Alison McGovern, Labour MP for South Wirral, came into VCA Wirral’s Birkenhead Office (situated on the first floor of Birkenhead Fire Station) to vis-it the Senior Management Team in January.
The reason for her visit was for managers to explain to Alison ex-actly what VCA Wirral does and to discuss our plans for the future. Alison talked about plans for her constituency.
Discussions were very positive and we have already agreed for VCA Wirral to work closer with Heritage Lottery Fund, a particular interest of hers. Please visit www.vcawirral.org.uk for updates.
Annette Roberts (Chief Executive VCA Wirral)
James Kay (Acting Chair of NHS Wirral)
On 15 December 2010, Volun-teering Wirral hosted the annual 100 Hours and Lonf Service Award
ceremony at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton.
The event was hugely successful
and attracted hundreds of guests from the world of volunteering gathering to-gether for a great oppor-tunity for organisations and communities to thank their volunteers.
Congratulations to each of the volunteers from VCA Wirral’s Care Ser-vices who were awarded for their volunteer roles.
The Volunteering Wir-ral Team would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who supported the event on the day and during the build up to the event. We look foward to next year’s ceremony!
Please visit: www.vol-unteeringwirral.co.uk for more in-formation.
EVENTS
VOLUNTEERING WIRRAL EVENT
A free event to increase the num-ber of winning lottery ‘Awards for All’ grants for Wirral community groups hosted by VCA Wirral has been hailed a success!
More than 25 people attended a workshop at the Birkenhead Park Pavilion to learn more about writ-ing winning bids for National Lot-tery grants.
The event was held in partner-ship with Wirral Council and in-volved guest speakers Will Woan from the Big Lottery Fund and Zel
Rodgers (Funding Development Officer at VCA Wirral) who spoke about oversights in grant applica-tions. Zel explained “I’ve worked with many community groups to assist them as they apply for fund-ing with local projects. National Lottery’s ‘Awards for All’ scheme is an excellent opportunity to fund your project but common errors often mean that groups do not re-ceive funding - and we would like the change that!”.
Organisers of the event were overwhelmed by the demand of places and more events are already being planned. VCA Wirral Com-munity Support Team Manager, Lynda Denman, said “This event has shown that community groups need help with writing funding ap-
plications and free places went very quickly.
We have already started planning another event for other groups in the coming months so we would advise everyone to book early to avoid dis-appointment.”
For more details about the next Awards for All workshop, please email [email protected] or call 0151 203 2111 ext 217.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY GRANT
FUNDING
Community and faith organisa-tions across Wirral are invited to apply for grants to make their build-ings more energy efficient and re-duce their running costs.
Wirral Council has £66,000 of Energy Efficiency Grant funding to support the installation of more en-ergy efficient technologies includ-ing building insulation, heating and lighting upgrades and IT energy ef-ficiency improvements.
Information is available on the Council website: www.wirral.gov.uk/energygrant. Interested groups can also contact the Council by emailing [email protected] or calling 0151 691 8409.
The Cabinet Office has announced the availability of small scale con-tracts and grants for organisations to develop and implement activity within England, as part of the na-tional work programme for Euro-pean Year of Volunteering.
The Office for Civil Society has identified national priorities which support the Big Society Vision, and is seeking partner organisa-tions to support the development and implementation of activities within England which relate to these priorities.
For further details or to apply for this funding, please visit: www.supply2.gov.uk or email [email protected].
After the success of the last ses-sion in November 2010, VCA Wir-ral has plans to provide another free and informal funding workshop, taking place in the coming months.
The session, designed for small voluntary and community groups ready to apply for funding, will en-able attendees to: understand the terms which funders use, create a project plan and use this plan to complete a funding form.
For more details, please contact Lynda Fernandez on 0151 203 2111 ext 217 or email [email protected].
YEAR OF VOLUNTEERING SUPPORT GRANT
The Rotary Club of North Wirral organised the first Wirral Coastal Walk in 1987. From the humble be-ginnings of a few hundred walkers, it has grown to become a well-known annual event in the Wirral calendar and probably the biggest of its kind in the North West.
The Walk follows the Wirral coast-line from Seacombe Ferry on the River Mersey to Thurstaston Country Park on the River Dee, a distance of 15 miles.
It is a fun event for walkers of all ages and abilities. Its main attraction, apart from the exercise and the op-portunity to view the beautiful Wir-ral coastline, is that walkers can raise money through sponsorship for the charity or ‘good cause’ of their own choosing. For many local organi-sations and charities, the Walk has become a significant event in their money-raising calendar.
Every aspect of the event is or-ganised and controlled by the Rotary Club. All a walker needs to do is send for a sponsorship form, obtain some
sponsorship, turn up on the day, pay the registration fee (£4.00 for adults and £1.00 for children of 10 and under) and participate.
So dust off those walking shoes and invite, enroll, persuade, cajole, threaten or blackmail family and friends into joining you for a great day out whilst raising money for your favourite charity or ‘good cause’.
This year’s Walk is Sunday 22 May.
Forms are available by telephone on 0151 203 2111 or by email on [email protected].
EVENTS
AWARDS FOR ALL
WIRRAL COASTAL WALK 2011
‘FIT FOR FUNDING’ SESSION COMING SOON!
HOT TOPICS
Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark has recently launched a new service designed to help vounteers, community groups and social enter-prises overcome bureaucracy and get things done in their neighbour-hood.
Many people have great ideas for how they could make their commu-
nity a better place to live.However, some feel that bureau-
cracy holds them back. In some cases, discussion with the council can resolve problems locally but in others, the only way is for central government to take action.
From mid-December, councils, community groups, local institu-tions and individuals who need central government’s help to re-move barriers can submit a request through the website. Everyone who submits an enquiry will be given an individual number to track the prog-ress of their request and the contact
details of a named contact they can talk to from a dedicated team of “barrier busters” - senior civil ser-vants in the government who will help find ways to let local people take control.
Greg Clark said: “Local people often have brilliant ideas and are keen to get involved in making their neighbourhood a better place. Government rules and regulations should be there to support them - not stand in their way”.
For more information, please visit: http://barrierbusting.communities.gov.uk.
BARRIER BUSTING SERVICE LAUNCH
COMPACT RENEWED TEXTThe Compact is an agreement be-
tween the public sector and the vol-untary and community sector. The Compact provides guidance, from which the relationship between the sectors can be developed and strengthened for the benefit of the communities we serve.
Currently the Compact is a volun-tary agreement that does not have any legal or contractual status but a commitment has been made by many public and voluntary and community sector organisations when they signed up to the Com-pact in 2005.
A renewed text of the Compact has been agreed. The full version of which can be downloaded from Voluntary & Community Action Wirral’s (VCA Wirral) website, as can a summary. Please visit: www.vcawirral.org.uk.
Q&A: THE NHS SHAKE-UPA bill has recently been published
to pave the way for a major shake-up of the health service.
GPs are being given much more responsibility for spending the bud-get in England, hospitals are to be set free from central control and an independent board will oversee ser-vices.
It has been dubbed one of the most radical plans in the history of the NHS.
Who is reposonsible for the budget now and how is that changing?
About 80% of the budget is held by local managers working for Pri-mary Care Trusts (PCTs). There are
151 of these in England and they are effectively in charge of buying and planning local services such as hos-pitals, GPs, community clinics etc.
Ministers will transfer much of that responsibility to GPs working in consortia across the country.
As that happens, both PCTs and regional bodies, known as strategic health authorities, are to be phased out.
The aim is to get GP consortia up and running by April 2013.
What changes will patients see?Visually, none. They will still
walk through the doors of their local GP surgery and talk to the same
staff they always do! However, if the government achieves its aims, they may find themselves with more control over their care.
According to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley MP, these reforms set out a vision for an NHS led by patients and professionals, not poli-ticians. He has said that patients will be handed more choice over how and where they are treated.
For more information on these re-forms or how you can get involved, please visit: www.linkwirral.org.uk.
PUBLIC FEEDBACK MAKES A REAL DIFFERENCE TO WIRRAL’S FUTURE
Wirral’s Cabinet has cut £48 mil-lion from the Council’s budget while protecting key services.
Back office and administrative costs will be cut by more than £12 million.
And following the Cabinet’s de-cision to completely overhaul the ‘Strategic Change Programme’, a further £10.72 million will be saved.
Another saving of over £24 mil-lion will also be made following the Cabinet’s decision to offer all staff the opportunity to apply for Early Voluntary Retirement or Voluntary Severance.
The public have been key in help-ing prioritise where savings can be found, with 5,500 residents, em-ployers, community, voluntary and faith groups sending in their views and suggestions on how the Council can do more with less.
In December, Cabinet considered the results of the ‘Wirral’s Future: Be a part of it’ consultation when a
number of recommendations around the future of Wirral services were presented. Of the 93 recommenda-tions made by the Task Forces, all but a handful were accepted. These include increasing charging for the meals on wheels service and charg-ing for the removal of graffiti on private land. Cabinet also agreed not to introduce a charge for the garden waste collection service.
Cllr Jeff Green, Leader of Wirral Council, said: “Since May, the new Administration has worked hard to balance the books, without cutting services to the most vulnerable peo-ple in Wirral.
“We believe the Council needed to get its own house in order rather than imposing across-the-board cuts on the really important services people depend on.
“We also said that, never again, should the Council presume to know what is best for the Borough. Our consultation gave every neigh-bourhood and every resident the op-
portunity to get involved and give their views.
“By cutting back office and admin spending; by supporting the staff who have volunteered to leave and by having a proper, grown up de-bate with people across Wirral, we have balanced the books and are eradicating the deficit.”
Deputy Leader, Cllr Simon Hol-brook added:
“Residents, staff and partner or-ganisations understand that we need to change how we deliver services to make them more cost-effective and their views are genuinely helping to influence this. We still have more to do but we are confident that the work being undertaken will result in a much more efficient Council.”
Savings include:Around £2 million savings will be
found through better procurement, more than £5 million through ad-justing the amount we pay to inde-pendent care homes, £220,000 from ceasing to fund the already full-quota extended schools and healthy schools programmes.
A further £1,200,000 will be found by conducting value for money re-views in high spend areas within sport, recreation and open space services and a further £50,000 by safely dimming street lights where appropriate.
Other savings include £500,000 from an ICT review, £370,000 from reducing office accommodation and £480,000 from asset transfers and disposals of property.
Please visit: www.wirral.gov.uk.
HOT TOPICS
ASSEMBLY NEWS
The Social Change Awards given by the Directory of Social Change (DSC) celebrate the passionate indi-viduals and effective organisations committed to making a positive im-pact on society. This change can come about through the everyday actions of one individual, many people pulling together, a local
company which cares about their wider community or the thoughtful investment of re-sources.
At the national Social Change Awards ceremony, which took place on Thursday 25 November 2010 at DSC’s Char-ity Centre in Cen-tral London, Clint
Agard, Chief Executive Officer of Wirral Change came second for the Influence Award.
This award is solely for individuals who really know which buttons to press to make things happen - from campaigning for a change in legis-lation to bringing together different
groups to achieve what might have seemed impossible. DSC wants to acknowledge the determination and hard work required to communicate clearly, put forward a pursuasive argument and win people over to bring about positive change.
Clint Agard has done all of this in building Wirral Change from a small project into the busy and suc-cessful voluntary organisation it is today.
Clint would like to thank all Di-rectors, partners and staff of Wir-ral Change who voted for him and would also like to thank them for their own influence in bringing Wirral Change to its present level of success in serving the disadvan-taged communities of Merseyside.
For information about Wirral Change, please visit: http://www.wirralchange.org.uk.
WIRRAL CHANGE CEO HONOURED
With the help of Voluntary & Community Action Wirral’s (VCA Wirral) Community Support Team, Cambridge Road Amenities Group received £5,000 from the Grassroots Fund - Community Foundation for Merseyside for a project which will enable people at the Cambridge Road Day Centre to use the internet and IT equipment to enhance their day to day activities.
For further information on how VCA Wirral can help you obtain funding, please contact the Team on 0151 203 2111.
CONGRATULATIONS GO TO CAMBRIDGE ROAD AMENITIES GROUP
WIRED provides a wide variety of ser-vices covering a diverse range of people. Working within the voluntary and com-munity sector in Wirral they provide in-formation, advice and support.
Amongst these services are the Inde-pendent Visiting Service and Wirral Par-ent Partnership, which are both currently recruiting for volunteers to expand the services.
The Independent Visiting Service pro-vides an opportunity for young people who are in the care of the local author-ity to have someone they can spend time with on a regular, long term basis. The Independent Visitor meets with the young person for a few hours every month and engages in activities with them such as bowling, going to the pic-tures, offering guidance, support or just a listening ear.
Wirral Parent Partnership Service sup-
ports parents and carers whose children have educational additional needs. Sup-port includes giving impartial advice about school provision or procedures, help with form filling and support at school meetings. Volunteers are asked to commit two hours per week during school hours, term time only.
WIRED asks for a commitment to at-tend an initial comprehensive training programme which will equip successful candidates with the skills and knowledge needed to undertake either role. Ongo-ing training, support and guidance will also be provided.
For more information about these exciting opportunities please contact Michelle Booth, Independent Visitor Coordinator or Pauline Severs, Parent Partnership Coordinator on 0151 670 1500 or visit their website: www.wired.me.uk.
WIRED RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS
Clint is presented with his award along with fellow runner-up Sally Gimson and award winner Julia Lalla-Maharajh. Photographer: Tim Winter
HOT TOPICS
POLICY-MAKING: MADE SIMPLEGREEN PAPERA Green Paper (also known as a consulta-
tion document (is an early government re-port of a proposal without any commitment to action. If produced, a Green Paper will precede a White Paper.
Unlike a White Paper, it is not usually de-signed to persuade people to agree to a spe-cific policy proposal. Instead, it outlines issues, evidence, arguments, suggestions and proposals to aid public debate and ob-tain views and opinions. It would tend to cover the issues in a more complex way than a White Paper so that all sides of a topic are given full consideration.
WHITE PAPERA White Paper is
a statement of gov-ernment policy and usually signifies a clear intention to pass a new law.
It is written to suggest, detail and persuade towards a chosen plan of action It may, on occasion, be a consultation as to the details of new legislation.
A BILLA Bill is a proposal for a new
law or a change to a law put be-fore Parliament. There are differ-ent types of bills:
* Public Bills are the most com-mon type of Bill and change the law which appplies to the general public.
* Private Bills change the law as it applies to specific people or organisations, rather than the general public. They are usually promoted by organisations (for example local authorities, private companies) to give themselves powers beyond - or in conflict with - the general law. This type of Bill is introduced following a petition to Parliament by the or-ganisation which wants a change to the law.
* Government Bills embody government policy and a Minister ‘introduces’ them in Parliament.
* Private Members’ Bills are Public Bills introduced by MPs or Lords who are not ministers. Although they have much less chance of being discussed, let alone voted on, they can be an ef-fective way to bring an issue to public attention.
* Draft Bills go for consultation before being formally introduced into Parliament. This allows pro-posed changes to be made before the Bill’s formal introduction.
STAGES OF A BILLA Bill must pass through several stages in both Houses of Parlia-
ment to become a law. The following stages take place in both the House of Commons and the Lords.
1 First reading (introduction of the Bill without debate)2 Second reading (general debate)3 Committee stage (detailed examination, debate and amend-
ments)4 Report stage (opportunity for further amendments)5 Third reading (final chance for debate and amendments)6 When a Bill has passed through both Houses, it is returned to the
first House (where it started) for the second House’s recommenda-tions to be considered. Both Houses must agree on the final text. There may be several rounds of exchanges beween the two Houses until agreement is reached on every word of the Bill.
7 Royal Assent (granted by the Monarch).
AN ACT OF PARLIAMENTAn Act of Parliament creates a new
law or changes an existing one. An Act can come into force immediately, at some other date or in stages. Its practi-cal implementation is the responsibility of the relevant government department. An Act of Parliament is called primary legislation.
DELEGATED OR SECONDARY LEGISLATIONDelegated legislation allows the Government to make
changes to a law (for example technical details) without needing to introduce a completely new Act of Parliament.
IN OTHER NEWS
Want to make a new year’s resolu-tion you’ll stick to in 2011? Why not become a foster carer?
Liverpool City Council aims to boost its number of foster carers in the coming year by dispelling the myths about who can foster. Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet Member for Education and Chil-dren’s Services said: “We need to find happy homes for children of all ages and that means we need foster carers of all ages and ethnic back-grounds. You can also be single, married, or living with a partner, in same or mixed-sex relationships and you don’t need to already be a
parent.“Every child has a right to a lov-
ing, happy and safe family environ-ment. And that’s why providing a home for a young person who can-not live with their own parents is one of the most rewarding things you can do.”
There’s no doubt there is a lot more to becoming a foster carer than simply filling in an application form but the people who success-fully make it through the process say that it is worthwhile and there is plenty of practical and emotional support when you have taken a child into your home.
Not only that, you will receive a weekly fee for providing support which varies depending on the age of the child, isn’t taxable and doesn’t get counted against any benefits you might receive.
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer but are not sure whether you qualify please call free on 0800 634 7052 or visit www.youcanfos-ter.org and complete the enquiry form. You will then be forwarded a pack which will explain lots more about the foster carer role and why it could be one of the best resolu-tions you could make.
Liverpool City Council is one of 23 North West local authorities which are part of the “You Can Foster” campaign, hoping to re-cruit 150 new carers in 2011. The project is being supported by the North West Improvement and Ef-ficiency Partnership. Please visit: www.liverpool.gov.uk for further information.
RESOLVE TO FOSTER CARE
Wirral Council’s Area Forums will be taking place throughout February, giving local people op-portunity to shape services in their neighbourhood.
There are 11 Area Forums in Wirral, so there will be one where everyone lives! All residents are welcome to come along and give views and ideas about where they live as well as ask local Councillors, the Council and its partners ques-tions about their local area.
For dates and venues, please con-tact Wirral Council’s Community Engagement Team on 0151 691 8391 or visit: www.wirral.gov.uk/areaforums.
Charity Builder UK (CBUK) is an interactive web-based service pro-vided free of charge to VCA Wirral members.
CBUK has been developed to help local charities and community groups carry out key administrative tasks quickly and easily.
CBUK interacts with the user to create bespoke documents such as employment contracts, health and safety policies and staff hand-books.
It is written and kept up to date by experts and lawyers who are always
aware of changes in legislation.100,000 small businesses cur-
rently use this service for an annual subscription of £300 - charities and voluntary organisations will be of-fered this service free of charge.
If you wish to benefit from this service as a member of VCA Wir-ral or any of our associated projects, simply visit: www.charitybuilderuk.com and register. You will receive your user name and password within 48 hours.
For further details, please contact Lynda Fernandez on 0151 203 2111 ext 217.
AREA FORUMS WANT YOU!
ADVERTS
ARE YOU RETIRED AND AT A LOOSE END? THEN JOIN THE GRANGE PROBUS CLUB!Grange Probus is a Club for retired businessmen and professionals with lunch and a talk on various subjects. Come and join us on the first Wednesday of each month at the Heatherlands Restaurant in Thurstaston.For more information, please contact Peter Bale, Secretary, on 0151 334 3965.
Why not pop in for lunch, a light bite or just a coffee You will be made very welcome!
Willow Bank Court, Off Gorsey Lane, Poulton, Wallasey, Wirral, CH44 4EXTel: 07795 121 418
Opening Times:Monday to Friday - 9 am to 4 pm | Saturday and Sunday - 10 am to 3 pm
excellent choice of foodhigh quality sevice
great prices
Voluntary & Community Action Wirral’s
Home from Hospital Service
…needs volunteers!
Our aim is to provide low level support for patients on their
discharge from hospital for up to 72 hours until their care
package comes into place.Volunteers are needed to assist
the transition from hospital to home by visiting clients and
helping with tasks such as shopping, making drinks and
light housework.Please contact Claire Mitchell on 0151 203 2111 ext 303 or
email: [email protected].
WIRRAL ADULT DISABILITY SELF ADVOCACY GROUP
Self Advocacy Group for people with
disabilities meets on a monthly basis
Please contact Nicki Hancocks for more
information on 0151 666 5152 or nickihancocks@
wirral.gov.uk
Wirral LocalInvolvement Network
believes that being treated with dignity and
respect is a basic human right - not an optional
extra!
If you have had a positive or negative
care experience, please contact us on 0151 203
2111 or email [email protected].
are you thinking of starting a social
enterprise?join the social
enterprise launchpad!you will receive free
training and coaching.please visit:
www.singulier.co.uk for further information.
WEB SERVICE FREE OF CHARGE TO MEMBERS OF VCA WIRRAL CAN YOU OFFER SOME FREE
TIME TO HELP OTHERS?
Have you ever thought of volunteering to support parents or young people who are in the care of Wirral Local Authority?
We are currently looking for volunteers with
excellent people skills who would like to become:
Independent Visitors or Independent Parental
Supporters
To find out more or to request an information pack
please contact0151 670 1500 or
email: [email protected]
Got an unwanted shed or greenhouse to dispose of?
Please ring Stella Joseph at Streetscene on 0151 606 2004 so
she can offer them to tenantsof allotment sites
Give your old shed or greenhouse a good home
CONTACT
Voluntary & Community Action Wirral (VCA Wirral) is a local support infrastructure organisation which provides valuable help, support, empow-erment and guidance to voluntary organisations and community groups.Our vision is to build the capacity and potential for local groups to develop effective networks and partnerships.
Although there have been a num-ber of name changes, the organi-sation is now known as Wirral Community Payback - Merseyside Probation Trust.
As the Government is trying to reduce prision sentences, they look upon the service to work with of-fenders who are subjected to a Com-munity Order by the Courts.
Systems and procedures ensure that any offender put on Commu-nity Payback are not a risk to the public.
The work carried out includes litter picking, gardening, painting
and decorating, joinery, bricklay-ing, plastering, cleaning, charity shop work and so on. 80% of work comes from Wirral Council, under-taking tasks where resources are no longer available.
During the adverse weather con-ditions in the past year or so, the organisation has been involved in removing snow and ice from pub-lic walkways, entrances to schools and railways station, old peoples’ homes and much more. One exam-ple is the work which was under-taken for the New Ferry European Farmers’ Market... “The response
was very swift and the Community Payback team that you sent were helpful and thorough. Because of your prompt intervention, we had no accidents at all that we are aware of and everyone was able to move about safely...”
For more information, please vis-it: www.merseysideprobationtrust.gov.uk.
ORGANISATION IN THE SPOTLIGHT - WIRRAL COMMUNITY PAYBACK
The purpose of the VCA Wirral newsletter is to raise awareness of organisations, products and services which can be of value to the voluntary, community and faith sectors. VCA Wirral has made every effort to verify the content of this newsletter. However, this does not preclude the possibility of errors. Third party articles and opinions expressed in the newsletter are not necessarily to be taken as the opinions or recommendations of VCA Wirral.
Birkenhead OfficeBirkenhead OfficeFirst Floor Fire StationExmouth StreetBirkenheadWirralCH41 4NF
Wallasey Office220-224 Liscard RoadWallaseyWirralCH44 5TN
Bebington OfficePennant House63 The VillageBebingtonWirralCH63 7PL
West Kirby Office1 Westbourne RoadWest KirbyWirralCH48 4DG
Registered Charity Number: 1123267 Company Number: 6276431
Tel: 0151 203 2111 Email: [email protected] Website: www.vcawirral.org.uk
As always, if you have any news, information or events which you would like to be included in our next 2011 newsletter, please contact Charlotte Bevan on 0151 203 2111 ext 306 or email [email protected] by Wednesday 2 March 2011.Please note that 3SA members now have the opportunity to submit articles via our website. Please visit: www.vcawirral.org.uk/index.php/3SA.html.