Britain’s largest union, Unite, today urged MPs to oppose the Welfare Reform Bill, warning that it will hit low paid working people, push over 200,000 thousand children into poverty and leave some families with as little as 62p per person per day to live on. The move comes as MPs consider amendments made by the House of Lords to the Bill, including the controversial cap on benefits.
An evaluation by the think-tank Demos finds that mentoring programmes can offer direct, positive outcomes – including on aspirations, a sense of agency, and soft skills – for both mentors and mentees. It finds that two-thirds of mentors surveyed believed that their experience had given them extra professional and ‘soft’ skills. When those who felt it was ‘too early to say’ were discounted, this figure grew to 90 per cent.
These projects will also make it easier for organisations to forge better links with local businesses, develop stronger partnerships with local public sector bodies and for people to volunteer. Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said: "This fund is not designed to support 'business as usual' - it's about making things better for the frontline. It's about supporting organisations with innovative business plans who want to play their part in modernising the landscape of local infrastructure.
A failure to treat people with mental health problems and get them back into work is costing the government, employers and society £67bn a year. A think-tank has revealed that a lack of understanding and support in the workplace and gaps in services have led to mental health problems becoming one of society’s costliest issues. New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), which works with charities and funders, says rising unemployment and a tough economic environment is making it even harder for people with mental health problems to find work.
Over £9 million has been awarded in the first window the Social Action Fund which is managed by The Social Investment Business on behalf of the Cabinet Office. Sixteen social action projects in England have had grants ranging from £100,000 to £2 million from the Fund to provide teaching support, increase citizenship awareness, improve green spaces in cities, and provide services to homeless people, disadvantaged young people and local communities.
The College of Social Work celebrates its launch today, with a strong defence of the profession in the face of unprecedented change. Social work is going through unprecedented change. The profession urgently needs a College through which to take control of its standards, speak with a strong voice to policy makers and promote excellence in practice for the profession and the people that it serves.
Skills – Third Sector has announced that new advanced apprenticeships in campaigning, fundraising and volunteer management have been approved by the National Apprenticeships Service for funding by the Skills Funding Agency. This means that third sector employers can now get help towards the training costs of apprenticeships in these professions. Keith Mogford, chief executive of Skills – Third Sector, sais: “This news represents the culmination of a lot of hard work on the part of Skills – Third Sector and partners in the sector. I hope that the new apprenticeship frameworks are sought out by employers, as they should be.”
Labour Shadow Ministers Gareth Thomas MP (Charities) Sharon Hodgson MP (Children and Families), Karen Buck MP (Education) and Chris Williamson MP (Communities and Local Government) hosted a summit of charity and voluntary sector groups to discuss the impact of the Government’s policies on children’s charities and the services they provide today.
Blackbaud has announced today that Blackbaud Merchant Services is now available to all UK customers using its The Raiser’s Edge product, offering not-for-profits an integrated payment and donation processing solution. The Blackbaud Merchant Services rates are 2.75%, plus 25p per transaction for Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, and 3.5% plus 25p per transaction for American Express.
A new coalition is being launched today to build a Scotland-wide debate about the constitutional future of the country. Alison Elliot, Convener, SCVO, said: "We need to shift the debate on the future of Scotland from powers, legality and timing to consider what we want Scotland to look like in the future, how we could do things differently and how to engage more people in this historic discussion. So far we have only heard from those who have a fixed idea of the result they want in the referendum and who seek to narrow the debate. This coalition will build a wide reaching, transparent discussion about the future of our country that considers people's aspirations and the challenges they face."
CFDG has published Managing risk in charities: Lessons from the past decade and a look into the future today at its Risk Conference 2012. Based on research by Paul Bennett and Tim Gage, two researchers from Cass Business School, this paper explores themes in the development of risk management in the sector and makes recommendations for improving practice. The research was based on 10 years of findings from the CFDG/PKF Risk Surveys, focus groups with senior finance professionals in the sector and interviews with a case study identified as demonstrating good practice.
Age UK’s new Care in Crisis 2012 report shows that this year spending on older people’s social care in England has fallen half a billion pounds short of even maintaining the inadequate levels of provision in place when the Coalition came to power. In order to maintain the same levels of service as in 2010, Age UK’s projections show that Government ought to be spending £7.8 billion this year. In fact councils have only budgeted £7.3 billion in the face of substantial reductions in central government funding.
Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced confirmed funding of £15.5m for four heritage projects in London, Stirling, Penzance and Birmingham. The projects are: completing the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre at the British Museum (£10m); telling the story of the Battle of Bannockburn through state-of-the-art 3D technology (£3.94m); rejuvenating Porthcurno Museum in Penzance, once the world’s largest cable station £1.4m);
A new report sets out recommendations for catalysing the growth of the social investment market. The report, which has been put together by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations’ (NCVO) Commission on Tax Incentives for Social Investment, explores the current market and makes recommendations for strengthening its role in building a strong economic future whilst also delivering social returns.
The minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, has announced that £1.3 million from The Social Action Fund has been awarded to enable the creation of new not-for-profit organisation, We're Altogether Better, formed to tackle social issues digitally. We're Altogether Better is run by the team behind the Charity Times Award winning children’s charity, Beatbullying, which was established in 2002 and has received on-going Government support for its pioneering anti-bullying work.
ACEVO's chief executive Sir Stephen Bubb has written to Vince Cable, secretary of state for Business, Innovation and Skills, expressing his pessimism about the likelihood that company boardrooms will change of their own volition in regards to executive pay and diversify the make-up of their boards. Instead Bubb writes: "In my view, a radical overhaul of corporate governance is needed, including legislation to ensure transparent recruitment processes and proper steps to recruit from diverse backgrounds."
A study into the perceptions of "public benefit" is underway as part of a critical study into one of the key requirements of charity law. The study, on behalf of the Charity Commission, is being carried out by a team from the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR), based in London, and the Centre for Voluntary Sector Research (CVSR) at Sheffield Hallam University.
This year’s pensions research undertaken by ACEVO and employee benefits specialist, Foster Denovo, indicates that nearly one third (31 percent) still need to consider their strategy in relation to the upcoming pension reform. However, this figure does represent a decrease from the 47 percent highlighted in last year’s survey, and the 51 percent from the 2010-11 research.
The Health Committee review of Public Expenditure in health and social care published its report on public expenditure today, highlighting that service integration to deliver the Nicholson Challenge is more important than management change. Chair of the Health Select Committee Stephen Dorrell MP said: "The Nicholson Challenge is the key issue facing the health and care system. The fact that there is another bill going through Parliament changing the management structure of the NHS means that there is a tendency for every comment about the NHS to be framed by the debate about the bill.
The Department for Work and Pensions has introduced the Work Programme quickly, in just over a year, and this has had benefits, but the speed with which it was launched has also increased risks, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report. Sector organisations welcomed the report. The Department and providers have made assumptions about how many people the Programme will get back into work but there is a significant risk that they are over-optimistic.
Triodos Bank and Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership (GMCP) have won a £4.5m DWP Innovation Fund payment by results contract to help support young people in Merseyside who may be unemployed or at risk of unemployment. Triodos Bank and GMCP are working together to deliver a three-year programme called “New Horizons” targeted at some of the most vulnerable young people in the Merseyside area.
New forecasts released today by The Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) indicate that the UK economy is already in recession with negative GDP growth in Quarter 4 2011 and Quarter 1 2012. The think-tank has also revised down its forecast for growth for 2012 as a whole from 0.7% growth as predicted last October to a decline of 0.4% with a risk of a more serious decline of 1.1% if developments in the Euro zone are especially negative.
A new economic forecast suggests the UK economy has fallen back into recession. The Ernst & Young Item Club said the UK has been left ‘paralysed’ as a result of the European debt crisis and unemployment could hit three million by the end of the year, the think-tank reported. Ernst & Young Item Club has cut its GDP growth rate from 1.5% to 0.2% for this year with the prediction coming days after nine European economies have had their credit ratings downgraded, including France.
Following months of discussions with the European Commission, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is pushing for the implementation of simpler rules for procurement in this country. Responding today to a Cabinet Office Consultation on the new EU proposals, NCVO pushed for adoption of a range of measures to make the rules simpler for social service delivery. These include: increasing the threshold for exemptions from procurement rules for social service contracts up to 500,000 Euro; this would enable many smaller organisations to access funds with a much lower administrative burden. However, it is important that wider social clauses are not lost from these contracts.
In response to the consultation and plans for a new statutory register for lobbyists opened today by Mark Harper, the minister for political and constitutional reform, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has stated that charities have a natural right to campaign. NCVO CEO Sir Stuart Etherington said: “Charities have a fundamental right to campaign and to lobby government and parliament. It is a vital part of our democracy.
Mark Harper, the minister for political and constitutional reform, has launched a twelve week consultation on the Government’s proposals for a register of lobbyists, inviting views from the third sector, public and lobbyist industry on how the register should work. The consultation seeks views on a number of issues, including: the definition of a lobbyist; who should be required to register; what information should be collected about them and the companies on behalf of which they lobby; and how the register should be funded.
Private philanthropy is improving the lives of some of the world's poorest people, but the Department for International Development (DFID) must do more to engage private foundations in coordinated global efforts to improve the effectiveness of aid. While private foundations make a huge contribution, concerns have been raised about the transparency and accountability, according to a new report by MPs on the International Development Committee.
Researchers at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) today welcomed the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee report into private foundations and called for a new relationship between private foundations and those working to end global poverty. The IDC inquiry, to which IDS submitted evidence, concluded “private philanthropy is improving the lives of some of the world’s poorest people but the Department for International Development (DFID) must do more to engage private foundation in coordinated global efforts to improve the effectiveness of aid”.
ACEVO and Social Enterprise UK have challenged the central tenets of David Cameron's speech on moral capitalism given this morning. Speaking to David Cameron following his speech on moral capitalism, Sir Stephen Bubb CEO of ACEVO, the body for charity leaders, called for Government to let bankers keep their bonuses but instead encourage them to give the money to charity or to invest more in social enterprise.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson today unveiled a new programme to boost the job prospects of thousands of young Londoners and steer them away from involvement in crime. In plans outlined by the Mayor today, thousands of youngsters will have the opportunity to join uniformed groups like the Guides, Scouts and Cadets. The £1.3 million programme, being run by the Safer London Foundation, will help young people develop vital skills and instil discipline and responsibility in young people, particularly those who are or at risk of being excluded from education, training or employment.
Charity leaders are today calling for urgent and radical reform of the criminal justice system. With prison population figures at record levels, reoffending rates stubbornly high and the Ministry of Justice facing a 23% budget cut, the charities argue that as an economy and as a society, we simply cannot afford to continue with the self-defeating status quo. ACEVO’s Reducing Reoffending taskforce is therefore urging Government to re-energise their commitment for a genuine Rehabilitation Revolution and work with the third sector to make sure it does not fall off track.
Legislation governing co-operatives will be put before parliament before next election, the Prime Minister has said. Legislation to consolidate more than a dozen outdated pieces of legislation governing co-operatives and mutuals into a single statute will be put before parliament before the next election, the Prime Minister announced today. The Co-operatives Bill will cut red tape and help to build a fairer economy, ensuring that even more co-operative members can share in the benefits of enterprise.
Islamist cleric and al-Qaeda associate Abu Qatada should be tried in Britain following the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that he cannot be deported to Jordan, the Henry Jackson Society argues today. Qatada, a Jordanian national, stands accused of conspiracy to cause explosions in his home country, but has never been charged with any offences in the UK, despite a long record of terrorist activity.
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has today welcomed the joint announcement from the three main political party leaders that they will each give 10 per cent of their estates to charity. CAF chief executive John Low said: “CAF warmly welcomes the announcement by each of the three party leaders that they will leave 10% of their estates to charity.
Charities involved in the Work Programme are not being adequately shielded from financial risk, according to a survey of over 100 voluntary sector sub-contractors released today. Members of the special interest group for Work Programme sub-contractors are voicing concerns that the welfare-to-work initiative in its current form could threaten the sustainability of many voluntary sector providers.
Against the backdrop of the welfare reform bill the Smith Institute calls for a major rethink of how to tackle poverty and inequality. Its new 135 page report From the poor law to welfare to work – what have we learnt from a century of anti-poverty policies (published today) concludes that without action on jobs and pay, poverty and inequality will continue to rise in the UK.
The Charity Commission has today published its new Risk Framework with information on how the Framework will be applied. The Framework explains to trustees, charity advisers, and the wider public the Commission's approach to regulation and how it assesses risks affecting charities, the wider charity sector, and public confidence. The Risk Framework was developed following the Commission’s Strategic Review consultation and subsequent restructuring in the light of the Commission’s funding being reduced by a third in real terms over the four year spending period.
The contribution of older people to David Cameron’s Big Society policy is overlooked and undervalued by government, says a new report from ResPublica. The report, in partnership with older people’s charity Independent Age, urges the Coalition to rethink the policies designed to support the Big Society, ensuring that they support and encourage older people who already contribute an estimated £14 billion worth of volunteering and childcare to the UK economy every year.
Peter Holbrook, the chief executive of the national body for social enterprise, Social Enterprise UK has responded positively to the proposal by the new cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, for a kitemark to vouch for the effectiveness of social policy schemes. Holbrook said: “This is exactly the sort of thinking we need to make sure that social policy innovations reach the people who need them most.
In the wake of the Chancellor’s plans to make the skills system more responsive to employers, a report published today by The Work Foundation argues that skills shortages are only part of the problem. The report shows how a failure to address the under-utilisation of skills, especially at the lower end of the labour market, constitutes a barrier to both social mobility and the competitiveness of the UK economy.
The Charity Commission in its inquiry into the Needy Children International Foundation, a charity set up to rehabilitate young offenders and relieve poverty and sickness abroad, found against the charity, citing that only 21% of the charity’s income was spent on charitable activities. The charity, which has since been wound-up, was connected to a number of individuals previously involved in improper fundraising activities.
Military academy schools should be introduced in Britain's most deprived and 'NEET' areas to prevent youngsters turning into a new generation of rioters, according to the think-tank ResPublica. In the think-tank's published report Military Academies: Tackling disadvantage, improving ethos and changing outcome says two-thirds of young people involved in the riots had some form of special educational need and more than a third had been excluded from school during 2009-10, laying bare the extent of educational failure in Britain's poorest communities.
A Fund supporting the creation of new social action opportunities has opened its second applications window today. Worth over £20million, the Social Action Fund managed by The Social Investment Business on behalf of the Office for Civil Society is offering grants of £100k and upwards to projects across England that will expand volunteering and giving of time, money, knowledge and assets. Successful applications will address the following themes: Encourage people to come together in their locality to support each other: Projects that scale proven models to regional or national levels, or replicate them in other localities...
A report, released by the Third Sector Research Centre, states that grassroots arts activity makes a ‘very significant and positive contribution’ to the development of Civil Society. Researchers from TSRC, in partnership with Universities of Exeter and Glamorgan as well as Voluntary Arts, reviewed a large amount of information on grassroots arts activity. They drew the ‘overwhelming conclusion’ that these activities help improve the well being of both individuals and communities.
The Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) is, today, issuing its annual call for members (both charities and suppliers) to complete their complaint return form, summarising all fundraising activity and complaints received during 2011. For the first time, from June 2012 the FRSB’s public-facing
website will clearly show whether each member has filed its return; a core membership obligation.
Employment in the voluntary sector has fallen by nearly 9% over the past 12 months according to the latest analysis of the Labour Force Survey. Data recently released for the third quarter of 2011 shows that the UK voluntary sector employs 723,000 people. This equates to a fall of 70,000 (8.7% of the workforce) over the past 12 months. In comparison, public sector employment fell by 4.3% whilst private sector employment rose by 1.5% over the same period. The data also indicates that certain parts of the sector have been disproportionately affected by the fall in employment.
The new Community First endowment, which aims to raise £150million to be invested to secure the future of local community projects in England, has been launched by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society today. The Government will give 50p for every £1 raised from individual, corporate and philanthropic donors – pledging up to £50 million in total. This combined with Gift Aid tax relief will create a pot worth in excess of £150 million.
The Government is right to increase aid to fragile and conflict-affected states, such as Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but it must be prepared to suspend or even cancel a programme if a Government flouts agreements or refuses to engage in efforts to increase transparency and accountability, MPs on the International Development Committee argue in a new report.
Prime Minister David Cameron has presented Waitrose with the latest Big Society Award for its Community Matters Scheme which has now donated £10m to charity. The scheme allows shoppers to choose three charitable causes each month to receive a £1,000 donation from their store by voting at the check-out. With more than 270 stores now taking part Waitrose has given £10 million to good causes since the scheme was set up in 2008. Online shoppers are also now able to take part by voting for three national causes to receive a share of £25,000 every three months.
Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, has proclaimed the Big Society success of the Government's academies programme, announcing another milestone as the number of academies in England reaches 1,500. Academies are a key element of building a school system in which teachers have more power and in which they are more accountable to parents - not politicians. Though they have faced opposition from the Labour Party and many trade unions.
The New Year’s Honours List recognises the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK and how they have contributed to the sector and wider civil society. The vast majority of people recognised include those supporting the Big Society by making a real difference to their local community through volunteering, fundraising, social action and philanthropy. There is an OBE for Christopher Preddie, who has devoted his life to youth work and reducing crime.
BTCV, the leading conservation volunteering group, has today announced that Tom Flood, CBE, chief executive of the BTCV Group, has decided to step down from the post in July 2012. Tom recently celebrated 25 years’ service with BTCV and has been Group Chief Executive since 2001. Under his leadership, the Group’s income has increased from £16m to £40m and BTCV currently supports over half a million people each year to take practical action to improve their lives and their environment.
Gateway 97.8, a community radio station in Basildon which aims to enrich the lives of young people and to tackle antisocial behaviour, is the latest winner of the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award. Set up four years ago, Gateway 97.8 both helps young and unemployed people to gain experience in radio and runs clubs and projects with local job centres to help those in hard to reach areas.
£3.1 million from dormant bank accounts will be invested in new projects to support local communities, Nick Hurd, minister for Civil Society has announced. The Big Society Investment Fund, which has been set up to support innovative projects ahead of the launch of Big Society Capital, has agreed in principle to invest £3.1 million in four projects including: money to help the long-term unemployed set up their own businesses; support for vulnerable young people to get into employment; a community energy project; and the creation of the first ever social stock exchange.
The UK is officially the fifth most charitable nation in the world – up from eighth last year – according to a new survey by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). The survey, called the World Giving Index 2011, shows that the USA is the most charitable country, while Ireland is second and Australia third. The World Giving Index, which is the largest study into charitable behaviour across the globe, demonstrates that the world has become a more charitable place over the last 12 months – with a 2% increase in the global population ‘helping a stranger’ and a 1% increase in people volunteering.
Today, £19m of funding to restore public parks across the UK has been announced by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG)
HLF has awarded confirmed funding of £11.3m to restore seven parks from Fife to London, while HLF and BIG have jointly awarded £7.8m to a further four parks in Goole, Manchester, Brighton and Crawley.
One of the co-founders of Alzheimer’s Society has been awarded an MBE in the New Year honours list. Morella Kayman, who is now vice-president of the Society, helped set up the charity in 1979 following her husband’s diagnosis of dementia seven years earlier. At the time, dementia was a taboo subject and a misunderstood illness. With no support and no information, Morella had no one to turn to for advice and no services to offer practical support. Appalled at the situation, she wrote to national newspapers and slowly but surely with support from others, Alzheimer’s Society was formed.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found police need to be better prepared, trained and ready to protect the public if they are to improve upon their response to public disorder in the report The rules of engagement: A review of the August 2011 disorders. HMIC heard of many acts of bravery by officers and commanders were thrown into managing challenging situations at short notice. But over a period of relative peace, public order policing has been eroded as a priority.
As a year of economic struggles draws to a close, a new survey suggests that charity leaders expect their financial situation to get even worse in 2012. The Charity Forecast Survey, published today by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), shows that nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of charity leaders expect their financial situation to worsen over the next twelve months.
The Leadership 20:20 Commission, hosted by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), launched a series of challenging recommendations yesterday at a Civil Society APPG reception in the House of Commons. The Commission, established in 2010 following an NCVO-led leadership enquiry, was mandated with setting out recommendations on what needs to be done to inspire and engage a new generation of civil society leaders
Sector groups are in broad agreement with the Public Administration Select Committee report published today, which suggests the Prime Minister's Big Society vision is doomed to failure unless a dedicated minister is appointed to help end confusion and get smaller charities involved. The Committee report said the Government had failed to explain the project properly or remove serious barriers to its success.
The Charity Commission has issued an alert for charities about the potential risks when getting involved in tenancy agreements linked to business rates relief. Full business rates are due on empty commercial properties that remain unoccupied after three months, including lower value properties such as small shops. However, charities occupying commercial property qualify for a mandatory 80% discount on business rates, provided the property is used wholly or mainly for charitable purposes.
The European Commission has published its proposals on the future of VAT system: Towards a simpler, more robust and efficient VAT system tailored to the single market. This follows the Commission Green Paper issued in December 2010 and the subsequent consultation exercise.Importantly for charities, in the document the Commission “calls on Member States to make use of the existing options to alleviate the burden of VAT on non-profit making organisations.” However, The Charity Tax Group (CTG) is very concerned that the only VAT solution proposed by the Commission is the wider use of targeted refund schemes and the continued reliance on social exemptions.
Over 1,700 UBS employees have been involved in the Bridge Academy, where UBS employees work with the Academy to support and inspire students, volunteering their time and skills in areas such as governance, staff development, fundraising and student literacy and numeracy. Last year alone 267 volunteers took part in 21 different projects giving a total of 1,620 hours, and in the first ten months of 2011, over 400 volunteers have contributed over 3,000 hours.
Prime Minister David Cameron thanked all winners of the Big Society Awards at a reception at Number 10 Downing Street last night. Hailing the contribution each an every one of them had made to their communities, the Prime Minister said: “I can’t think of a better group of people to have a reception with than the winners of the Big Society Awards because you’ve all done extraordinary things in your communities and it’s great to welcome you here.” The winners who attended last night’s event came from a diverse range of backgrounds.
People in the United Kingdom and United States overwhelmingly trust nonprofits and charities ahead of governments and corporations to create social change, yet most say they will make charitable donations at the same or reduced levels as last year, according to a new survey by campaigns organisation Fenton and research group GlobeScan. The 2011 Social Good Survey examines people’s views of nonprofits/charities and planned giving for 2012.
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has appointed the chief executive of a transformational social enterprise in north Yorkshire as its new director of Social Investment. In her new role, Stephanie Sturrock will have responsibility for developing the full range of CAF’s social investment activities, including the ground-breaking CAF Venturesome and the recently launched CAF Social Impact Fund, all of which are designed to provide funding for charities, social enterprises and community groups where access to traditional finance proves difficult.
The Charity Commission has today published its Strategic Plan for the next three years, up to 2015. Its sets out the Commission’s two key strategic priorities going forward, which are: Developing the compliance and accountability of the charity sector and developing the self-reliance of the charity sector. The Plan sets out the regulator’s new vision, mission and values, with the vision being ‘Charities you can support with confidence’.
Plans are on track to restore common sense to employment vetting processes while ensuring public protection, Criminal Information Minister Lynne Featherstone said today as the government responded to an independent review. A full response was published today to a review of the criminal records regime by Sunita Mason, the government’s Independent Advisor on Criminality Information Management. The response sets out which of the recommendations from the first part of the review are now before Parliament in the Protection of Freedoms Bill.
Deafness Support Network (DSN) appoints a new chief executive just in time for the New Year. Bob Birchall, 41, starts his new Chief Executive role at the charity this month and brings with him a wealth of knowledge from his work across both private and public sector healthcare services.
A social research inquiry by LSE and the Guardian found that widespread anger at people's treatment at the hands of police was a significant factor behind the summer riots in every major city where disorder took place. The Reading the Riots study, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Open Society Foundations, involves interviews with hundreds of people who participated in the disorder.
As part of the Coalition Government’s Social Mobility Strategy, deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg launched a Business Compact, asking businesses to do their bit. The strategy aims to ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. The Business Compact builds on Every Business Commits, working to remove barriers to success. This is good for us all, stopping talent and potential from being wasted and creating a more productive, more mobile society.
The winners of the Social Change Awards were announced at the fifth awards ceremony held on December 1st 2011 in London, to celebrate the work of passionate individuals and organisations committed to making a positive impact on society. With over 600 impressive applications, the judges had a tough job short listing 3 nominees in each of the five award categories. Out of the 15 finalists, the winners were chosen by the public who cast over 4000 votes.
Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are over represented in ‘stubbornly satisfactory’ schools that often fail to improve, according to a major report published today by the RSA. (Un)Satisfactory? Enhancing Life Chances by Improving ‘Satisfactory’ Schools found that those schools with disadvantaged pupil populations are more likely to ‘coast’, remaining ‘stubbornly satisfactory’ and not improving between inspections.
Charities need to prioritise their investment in fundraising in order to buck the current trend which shows that although more people say they are donating to charity, the average amount given per month fell from £12 in 2009/10 to £11. The Institute of Fundraising is commenting in response to findings reported in UK Giving 2011, commissioned by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
The Directory of Social Change (DSC) convened another of its discussions between the minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd, and charity leaders, which highlighted discontentment amongst some charities, and the approach of the government on matters relating to the sector. The idea behind the meeting was to connect charities directly with a leading decision-maker, providing an uncensored opportunity to influence which might otherwise not be available to them.
The Government has decided to reverse its plan to scrap mobility payments for disabled people living in residential care. The Government had announced in last year’s Spending Review plans to save £160m by removing this benefit. They will now amend the Welfare Reform Bill, ensuring 78,000 disabled people retain their independence. Clare Pelham, chief executive of Leonard Cheshire Disability, commented: “We applaud the Government for listening to the thousands of disabled people who have raised this issue, and reversing the plan to scrap this vital benefit.
Welsh secretary Cheryl Gillan has today presented the Creation Development Trust, a social enterprise set up to revitalise the local area near Bridgend, with the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award – the first one to be awarded in Wales. Creation Development Trust was set up in 2000 by members of the local community to tackle social and economic problems in the region.
The authorities in the USA must ban the imposition of life without parole sentences against children and review the cases of more than 2,500 prisoners currently serving such sentences to bring them into line with international law, Amnesty International said today as it published a new report on the issue.
Mitzvah Day, a national day of social action where thousands of people take part in hands on projects to support charities and build stronger communities, is the latest winner of the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award. Mitzvah Day was created in 2005 and this year over 150 local charity and community projects benefitted from people giving their time as part of the event. Based on the Jewish values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), tzedek (righteousness) and gemilut chassadim (acts of lovingkindness), the aim of the day is to reduce hardship and poverty and to help the environment.
Sector organisations have given their thumbs-up to George Osborne’s Autumn Forecast statement on shared services VAT cost sharing exemption. ACEVO, NCVO and CFDG all welcomed the Government’s plans to introduce the long-awaited VAT cost sharing exemption, announced today in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement document. Under the proposals, a VAT cost sharing exemption will be introduced from February 2012.
The independent Riots Communities and Victims Panel has published its interim report, finding many individual causes and motivations for the disorder between 6-10 August this year, but blames a lack of robust policing in Tottenham and warns the riots could return. Since the Panel’s call for evidence was announced ten weeks ago its members have visited 20 areas, and engaged with thousands of people who were affected by the riots, and some who were not.
Public trust in charities has rollercoastered from a 5-year high of 70% back in Jan 2010 – pre the May 2010 General Election – to a low of 53% in Jan 2011, before rallying to 59% in most recent polling (July 2011), according to a briefing out today.
A group of volunteers that rallied their community to take on, rejuvenate and run a heated open-air swimming pool in Beccles, have received the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award. Beccles Lido as set up following the closure of a once much-loved, open air pool, which had been running at a huge loss and was in need of massive investment. A group of local residents, conscious of what a tremendous loss to the area this would be, galvanised the people of Beccles and set about the ambitious task of revamping, re-opening and running the pool themselves.
Each year more than 21,000 older people end their days alone, penniless and in paupers’ graves, according to new figures. The figures paint a tragic picture across the UK with around 40,000 people passing away every year without money in place or family willing or able to pick up the bill and have a state-funded burial or cremation as a result. Over 65s account for over half (54%) of all public health funerals with, on average 17,000 in the North West, 11,900 in the West Midlands and over 11,000 in London taking place in the past five years.
Labour’s shadow charities minister Gareth Thomas MP and shadow employment minister Stephen Timms MP will host a summit of charity, social enterprise and voluntary sector groups to discuss the growing crisis in the Work Programme today. Francis Maude claimed that 35-40% of the value of the contracts under the Work Programme would go to the Third Sector. The ‘Invitation to Tender’ for the Work Programme made assurances that the scheme would build on pre-existing 30% levels of charity involvement in Welfare to Work Programmes.
A Norwich prison officer has been voted Public Servant of the Year at the Guardian Public Services Awards 2011. Dave Damerell, 48, a community liaison prison officer at HMP Norwich, won the prestigious prize for creating a work experience programme with his local shopping centre that has helped offenders into employment. Since the scheme was set up two years ago with the Chapelfield shopping centre, 80% of the 89 offenders who have completed the eight-week programme left prison with a job lined up – more than double the national rate.
Partner-Up, a new service to promote and facilitate mergers and collaboration for the sector, was launched last week by Nick Hurd, minister for Civil Society. Described by Hurd as a 'discreet dating agency', Partner-Up is an independent marketplace where charities, social enterprises and housing associations can safely explore partnership options and receive support in deciding which orgainsations to approach.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has revealed a £1bn plan to provide subsidised work and training placements to "provide hope" to thousands of young people and try and help prevent another lost generation of young jobless people. The Youth Contract Scheme, launched today, will give employers subsidies worth £2,275 to take on 160,000 18-to 24-year-olds, for six months, over three years.Youth unemployment hit 1.02 million in the three months to September. The new programme begins next April and aims to get young people into a range of employment sectors - from retail and construction to the green economy.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, is today delivering the Scarman Lecture, hosted by the People Can charity, to an invited audience in Brixton. In his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister will give a frank assessment of the race debate in Britain since the Brixton riots in 1981: “We have moved forward on a number of fronts: legal rights – where we have seen the most success. Political representation is better – though of course there is still a very, very long way to go. I say that as a leader of a political party that is still too male and too pale. A problem we are working very hard to fix.
Maureen McGinn has been appointed as the new chair of Big Lottery Fund’s Scotland Committee and UK Board Member, Francis Maude, minister for the Cabinet Office announced today. The Big Lottery Fund will invest approximately £327.5million in Scotland’s communities between 2010 and 2015, that’s over £1m a week. It is the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding in the UK. Since June 2004, the Big Lottery Fund has awarded over £4.4bn to projects supporting health, education, environment and charitable purposes across the UK.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission's inquiry into the home care system in England reveals disturbing evidence that the poor treatment of many older people is breaching their human rights and too many are struggling to voice their concerns about their care or be listened to about what kind of support they want. The final report of the Commission’s inquiry, Close to home: older people and human rights in home care, says hundreds of thousands of older people lack protection under the Human Rights Act and calls for this legal loophole to be closed.
Social investment is growing in popularity amongst charities looking for new ways to fund their services and a think-tank says government cuts and a decline in donations is making more charities consider new types of funding, but advises them to think carefully before taking on social investment. New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), which works with charities and funders, is today launching a new practical guide for charities and social enterprises, called Best to borrow?
Amnesty International today urged the authorities in Russia’s second largest city not to enact a homophobic bill, saying it would threaten freedom of expression and fuel discrimination against the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community. The bill, which St Petersburg’s city assembly passed nearly unanimously on the first of three readings on Wednesday, effectively bans public events by LGBTI people and organisations under the pretext of protecting minors.
Egypt's military rulers have completely failed to live up to their promises to Egyptians to improve human rights and have instead been responsible for a catalogue of abuses which in some cases exceeds the record of Hosni Mubarak, Amnesty International said today as it published a major new report on the Egyptian army’s record. In its 62-page report, Broken Promises: Egypt's military rulers erode human rights, Amnesty documents a woeful performance on human rights by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) which assumed power after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February.
In the face of tough economic times civil society organisations are increasingly seen as a key way forward for growth in Europe. NCVO and Euclid network are co-hosting an event today with Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, as part of the OCS Strategic Partners programme to identify ways to unlock EU funds. In recent announcements 50M Euros have been put forward through the European Social Investment and Entrepreneurship Fund from the European Investment Bank.
A new £16.8million central government fund to help not-for-profit free advice services in England will be delivered by the Big Fund, Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, announced today. The fund will provide immediate support to debt, welfare benefits, employment and housing advice services. In addition, the Cabinet Office will conduct a review to ensure that people continue to have access to good quality free advice services in their communities.
Charities experiencing staff cuts and rising demand for services are worried about the future of their organisations, SCVO’s State of the Sector survey has revealed. More than three quarters (76%) of third sector organisations expect demand for their services to increase in the next 12 months but nearly one fifth (19%) expect staff numbers to reduce over the same period.
IWM (Imperial War Museums) has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the First World War Centenary project, it was announced today. This initial support means IWM can progress their plans further to secure a full HLF grant of £4.5 million. The project will transform IWM London by creating new First World War galleries in time for the centenary of the First World War in 2014. The galleries will be complemented by a programme of participatory learning activities.
October 2012 will herald the introduction of new pension reform and in response to the changes being introduced, employee benefits adviser, Foster Denovo, has launched a pension reform helpline for all ACEVO members. The helpline will provide advice and support around the forthcoming pension legislation and enable third sector employers to talk through any queries or concerns they may have.
Impact measurement is an ‘entrepreneurial process’ that gives organisations power and influence, says research from the Third Sector Research Centre. The process of impact measurement, like all research, involves discretion and judgement over what is measured and how. This allows some organisations to take back control in what is often seen as an imposed activity. But it also makes it important for those who make decisions based on impact reports to understand how they are constructed.
A new independent audit of the Government’s Big Society - the first comprehensive assessment of how far community empowerment, social action and the opening up public services is being achieved - has been announced today. The Audit’s first report is expected to be published early next year and will bring key data together to measure how far, in practice, a genuine transfer of power from government to civil society is taking place.
Big Lottery Fund (BIG) has announced an investment of £6m that will develop the social investment market and further explore its potential to help tackle issues facing communities and individuals most in need. The £6m Next Steps: Supporting Social Investment in England initiative will see BIG awarding between £40,000 and £1m to social investment proposals that are already in development but are in need of some extra funding to realise their plans.
Grants to voluntary and community sector organisations that help people with taxes, benefits and tax credits led to additional tax of £16.8m being declared last year, up 68 per cent on the previous year. The HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) scheme also led to the take-up of an extra £48.7m in tax credits, benefits and tax repayments, up 70 per cent on the previous year. In addition, 4,000 volunteers were trained to assist with tax and benefits issues. This should ensure that an additional 200,000 people per year get help and advice on HMRC-related issues.
The report by the House of Commons Treasury Committee into The future of cheques was published today, with the Institute of Fundraising indicating that the fundraising sector’s Save the Cheque campaign has had an impact on Government decision makers. The Committee’s report focuses on the Payments Council’s decision to re-examine the abolition of the cheque guarantee card as well as the Government’s commitment to bring the Payments Council within the scope of financial regulation.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles has spoken of the vital role that faith groups play in local communities, enriching neighbourhoods and improving the lives of those around them. He was speaking at the formal launch of Near Neighbours, a £5million three-year Communities and Local Government funded programme that aims to bring together people from diverse communities and different faiths to get to know each other better and help them improve their local neighbourhoods.
Abolishing legal aid for employment advice will have the perverse effect of increasing the number of cases that end up at an employment tribunal, national charity Citizens Advice warned today. Far from achieving the government's objective of saving money and resolving disputes at an early stage, it predicts that the move will have the opposite effect. It is urging the government to rethink planned legal aid cuts or else find another way to fund the employment-related information, advice and assistance of the kind currently provided by Citizens Advice Bureaux and others to both workers and employers.
With the loss of equalities organisations as Office for Civil Society (OCS) Strategic Partners in April 2011, Voice4Change England is bringing together current partners to consider how the more general infrastructure organisations can provide support to, and meet the needs of, those with ‘protected characteristics’. Building on the Big Unfair Society campaign in the spring, Voice4Change England wants to ensure that Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and the organisations that support them continue to be heard at a strategic level.
Philanthropists who have invested their philanthropic capital in the new CAF Social Impact Fund, launched just five months ago, have already enabled CAF Venturesome, who manage the fund, to lend over £1million to help ten charities. Link Community Development was the most recent charity to benefit from a CAF Social Impact Fund loan. The charity works to improve education in Sub-Saharan Africa and is funded by both DFID and the EU. Like many charities reliant upon grants, they are vulnerable to cashflow swings as most programme funding is paid in arrears.
A new report has revealed the true cost of financial fraud within the National Health Service. In collaboration with the think-tank 2020Health, the accountancy firm PKF, and the University of Portsmouth, the report reveals that the total cost of fraud could be as high as £3 billion per year. The findings are likely to be seized upon by supporters of the government’s NHS reforms, who have long argued that NHS management has to change. The report’s authors argue that reducing fraud losses is one of the least painful ways to improve efficiency because tackling fraud incurs very little cost when compared with expenses such as procurement, staffing and utilities.
Lance Haggith, a local community figure and entrepreneur who has set up a chain of charity sports shops to ensure all children have the opportunity to take part in sports, is the latest winner of the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award. Haggith set up his first Sports Traider store in Bedford selling a mixture of new and high-quality second-hand sports clothing and equipment at affordable prices, as well as giving thousands of pieces free to locally disadvantaged youngsters where the shops are located.
Commenting on today’s press reports concerning the manner in which disabled people claim for Disability Living Allowance, Mark Lever, the National Autistic Society’s chief executive, said: “Reports suggesting that disabled benefits claimants have somehow taken advantage of the system by ‘just filling out a form’ are grossly misleading, and do a grave disservice to some of the most vulnerable in society who desperately need support.
UK family foundations – which have contributed £6.4 billion to charitable causes in the past five years – play a crucial role in addressing social issues in the absence of adequate state funding and amongst increasing economic uncertainty, finds the fourth annual Family Foundation Giving Trends 2011 report. The report, produced by Pears Foundation and the ESRC Research Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy at Cass Business School, found giving from foundations grew by 27% in the past five years (outpacing corporate and public giving).
Three connected companies that operated a charity collection scam have been closed down in the public interest by the High Court in London, following an investigation by Company Investigations of the Insolvency Service. The companies are Air Ambulance Support Community Interest Company, St Anthony (formerly Air Ambulance Service Trading Co) and St Anthony Repatriation (formerly Air Ambulance Service). Both St Anthony companies had a common director, Anthony Joseph Durkin. Tomas Mickauskas, a former director of Air Ambulance, worked as a leaflet distributor for the two St Anthony companies.
David Cameron issued a defence of his Big Society vision when he faced questions on his big vision by senior MPs. The Liaison Committee - made up of the chairs of the main Commons scrutiny bodies - chose Big Society as the focus of its latest session with the Prime Minister. In a session themed "Big Society or Broken Society?", the PM said that the "top-down" model of politics no longer worked and that it "was time to try something different"
The Select Committee for Political and Constitutional Reform’s recommendation that the Government abolishes the Edited Electoral Register has been greeted with alarm by the Institute of Fundraising. Mike Wade, director of fundraising and communications at the National Deaf Children’s Society and chair of the Institute’s Policy Advisory Board, commented:“It is important that charities continue to have access to the Edited Electoral Register.
Minister for Employment, Chris Grayling MP, has confirmed that Work Programme providers should enter into contractual relationships with voluntary organisations if they wish to access their services. Grayling said providers and their subcontractors “should not be approaching voluntary organisations if they have not entered into, or are intending to enter into, an agreement with them and they are outside the supply chain”.
Communities whose ambitions for economic growth have been stuck in the mud could benefit from a multi-million pound boost to help get their building projects off the ground. The £500 million Growing Places Fund will be available to help boost economic growth by getting the required infrastructure built to enable the creation of new jobs and homes by getting stalled projects moving again.
The Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) has welcomed the appointment of Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts as an independent reviewer of the Charities Act 2006, as announced by the Office for Civil Society. The FRSB runs the self-regulatory scheme for fundraising, which was introduced as a direct recommendation of the Act and will be reviewed as part of this independent process. Colin Lloyd, chair of the Fundraising Standards Board, said: “We have been working closely with the team at the Office for Civil Society, as well as Government in Scotland and Wales to ensure that they are happy with our progress to date.
Nick Hurd, minister for Civil Society, today announced that Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts will lead a full review of the law relating to charities in England and Wales. Lord Hodgson will report to Parliament by summer 2012.The Charities Act 2006 made a number of changes to the legal framework for charities. Parliament agreed that the Act should be reviewed after five years to test its effectiveness. The review will consider a broad range of issues, including the definition of charity, and the role and status of the Charity Commission as the sector’s regulator.
Research by the Charity Commission reveals that many organisations joining the register of charities do not provide any training to new trustees. The online research, conducted by the Charity Commission, suggests that charities-to-be may not be preparing their trustees for the duties and responsibilities they will face. The survey findings are unveiled in the first of a new series of registration bulletins launched today. The regular bulletins will provide facts and figures on new registrations and highlight themes and emerging trends in the charity sector, as well as promote good practice.
A charities expert at the UK200Group of chartered accountancy and lawyer firms has warned that changes to inheritance tax rules on charity donations may not lead to a hoped for surge in bequests to good causes. From April next year, when at least ten per cent of an estate liable to inheritance tax (IHT) is left to charity, IHT will be levied at 36 per cent instead of the standard 40 per cent rate. Inheritance tax is charged on estates valued at £325,000 or above. A new campaign, Legacy10, was launched this week to encourage people to take advantage of the tax concession.
A report published today by The Work Foundation and Private Equity Foundation has uncovered ten blackspots for youth disengagement - cities where between one in five and one in four young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The recession exacerbated this problem, with the largest increases in NEET rates in those cities which already had high levels.
As new figures show that the wealthiest people give less to charity as a percentage of their income than those less well off, John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), has called for the wealthiest members of society to take a lead in increasing giving by pledging to give at least 1.5% of their income to charity. Analysis from the soon to be published UK Giving 2011 research produced by NCVO and CAF shows that on average those earning under £32k give over 1% of their income to charity, while those on over £52k give just 0.8%.
Lord Low of Dalston has called on the Government to protect mobility payments for disabled people living in residential care, in his independent review report published today. Lord Low said: “If payment of the mobility component to people living in residential care ends, this will be a serious step backwards for disability rights.” Over 800 submissions were made to the 12-week independent review into how the personal mobility needs of people living in state-funded residential care are met.
The Legacy10 campaign launched yesterday by Roland Rudd of financial PR firm Finsbury, with a speech by the Chancellor George Osborne, will provide a boost to legacy giving, says the Institute of Fundraising and Remember A Charity. Aimed at the 3% of individuals who die each year and are Inheritance Tax payers, the campaign asks for charitable pledges worth 10% of peoples’ estates. The campaign aims to see the number of people who give to charity in their wills increase.
The Charity Commission has published a report involving over 30 charities it investigated after the Big Lottery Fund raised concerns about their grant applications. During its investigation the Commission removed a number of individuals as charity trustees and several former trustees have since been convicted of fraud and theft offences. The Big Lottery Fund first contacted the Commission, and the police, with its concerns in September 2004. The police investigation focused on suspected criminal activity by individuals.
