NCVO, in their governance round up article, describes the purpose of the new Act to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for charities to operate. It does this by allowing for:

• More straightforward amendment of governing documents where the Charity Commission needs to approve the change – the same test will now apply to all charities, rather than different tests for different forms
• Reduced rules around disposal of property, ex gratia payments, and charity mergers
• Flexibility in the way that charities can use permanently endowed funds.

The government’s implementation plan provides details of what comes into force in Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, and Autumn 2023.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charities-act-2022-implementation-plan

Some of the first provisions that come in force include:

• Section 30: Remuneration of charity trustees etc. providing goods or services to charity
• Section 32: Trustee of charitable trust: status as trust corporation

---

If you are a Leicestershire county based organisation and would like to discuss any topics relating to governance of your organisation, you can contact VAL using the helpline email helpline@valonline.org.uk . Or phone number 0116 257 5050.
Your request for support will then be allocated to a member of the sector support team.

Although services will not be delivered as UAVA Ltd,  member organisations of this consortium will continue to provide commissioned services.

The new services will be delivered by organisations including Freeva, Living Without Abuse, Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited and Panahghar.

The new contracts will build on current provision which has been in place since December 2015.

The existing helpline number, 0808 80 200 28, which is a free phone, and hidden from bills, will remain and will be for both members of the public and professionals.  This will be the main route for people to access or signpost to all domestic and sexual violence services locally.

The current professional line 0116 255 0004 will be phased out over the next few months.

Further details of the new services are as follows:

Service Name & Interventions	Provider	Eligibility	Access
Helpline & Engagement Service Helpline: 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week 10am – 4pm on Bank Holidays Advice, advocacy, information on rights, processes and option Emotional support face to face and webchat Assessment of need, risk and Barriers/ Safety planning Co-ordination of support Access to accommodation if required Support through the Specialist Domestic Violence Court Represent the victim’s voice at Daily MARAC Onward referral to other specialist services as appropriate Initial support specific to children and young people Initial assessment/support for perpetrators	Freeva www.freeva.org.uk	Services are available to: Adult and Children victims of domestic and sexual violence Family/Friends Professionals Perpetrators of domestic violence/abuse Children & Young people using violence /abuse within dating relationships or towards parents/carers. Services are available to all who reside (temporarily or permanently) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28,Online referral form via websiteWeb-chat Text phone: 07715 994 962 Email: info@freeva.org.uk
Sexual Violence & Abuse Service Individual and group support victims Support through the criminal justice system Support to help victims to cope and recover Training	Freeva www.freeva.org.uk	Available to all who reside (temporarily or permanently) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and have been subject to sexual violence or abuse and other third parties who are concerned about them. The service is available to victims of all ages	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28Online referral form via website
Leicester children, young people, and families domestic abuse service Individual and group support for children, young people, and parents. Specialist workers for young people. Practical and emotional support. Training.	Living Without Abuse www.lwa.org.uk	Resident temporarily or permanently in Leicester and with children under 18 in the household and Have experienced domestic abuse which is having a current detrimental impact on the children and young people in those families. Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28Online referral form via websiteIn person via community hubs
Leicester Domestic Abuse Locality Service (adults) Individual and single sex group support Advice clinics Support at court Training	Living Without Abuse www.lwa.org.uk	Age 16 or over and; resident temporarily or permanently in Leicester and; have experienced domestic abuse and be suffering a current detrimental impact of that. For men and women. Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website In person via community hubs
Leicester Domestic abuse perpetrator service Respect accredited programme Foundations programme Dad’s programme Partner and ex-partner support worker Training	Freeva – The Jenkins Centre www.jenkinscentre.org	Aged 18 years and over Resident temporarily or permanently in Leicester No ongoing court proceedings connected to domestic abuse Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website
Leicester Women’s Refuge 15 units of refuge accommodation in Leicester over two sites and staff on site. Regular individual support and advocacy Emotional and practical support, including with move-on into independent housing. Access 24 hours a day. Free accessible WiFi	Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited www.wa-leicester.org.uk	Women aged 16 or over with or without children Resident or fleeing to Leicester At current risk of domestic abuse Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website
Minoritised Ethnic Communities Women’s Refuge 15 units of refuge accommodation in Leicester over two sites and staff on site, some suitable for larger families. Regular individual support and advocacy Emotional and practical support, including with move-on into independent housing. Access 24 hours a day. Free accessible WiFi	Panahghar Safehouse Ltd www.safehouse.org.uk	Women from a BME community aged 16 or over with or without children Resident or fleeing to Leicester At current risk of domestic abuse Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website

Harmless’s clinical team are running a virtual event on Thursday 12 May 2022 10am to 11am to explain :

• What to expect from the Harmless Self Harm Support Service
• How to signpost and refer into their service
• Case studies and testimonials from individuals supported
• How they can work with you to ensure early intervention and care for those affected by self-harm
• The funded (free to delegates) self-harm training offer which is open to professionals working across Leicester/shire

As well as answering any questions you might have about the service.

You can book to attend the event here.

If you are unable to attend the event, but wish to signpost someone to this new local service, the online secure form can be found here.

For more information contact the organisation direct.

This year’s theme, is ‘Loneliness’.

The Mental Health Foundation, who organise the week, describe why they chose the theme. “ Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic. Our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health and we need to find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. We can all play a part in this. Reducing loneliness is a major step towards a mentally healthy society.”

For more details about the week and how you can get involved click here.

More locally, Mind, a national charity with a network of around 125 local Minds across England and Wales, has made a commitment to work tirelessly until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets the support and respect they deserve. To help honour this commitment they have ambitions to develop support and services across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR).

They aim to develop identity, to influence, and to have impact in the local area and they will do this by putting people at the heart of what they do.

Their services and support packages are evidence-based and co-designed with people who have lived experience of mental health problems.

If you would like further information about how they are establishing a Local Mind for LLR or would like to support the organisation in any way, contact Rachel Nott, Mind Nottinghamshire’s Engagement and Development Lead  at rachel.nott@nottinghamshiremind.org.uk

This year, The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) is running a special additional award to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee. They want to celebrate the fantastic work completed by national charities and their volunteers to empower young people and provide them with skills and opportunities.

This opportunity is only open to registered charities that are organised on a national basis (either UK-wide or with a national reach in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales)

You can find out more of the criteria and how to apply by clicking here. 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-queens-platinum-jubilee-volunteering-award

Previously we reported about the annual Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is open to a wider category.

Nominations for the 2023 awards are now open and they are accepting nominations until 15 September 2022. Further details can be found here.

‘Simple’, ‘easy to use’, and ‘an effective way to raise money’ are phrases used to describe online funding platform easyfundraising by other voluntary organisations, charities, and CICs.

---

easyfundraising makes fundraising for your organisation effortless. By partnering with over 6,000 online brands, easyfundraising turns online shopping into free funding your organisation can put to good use. With most people shopping online now, it’s an easy way for your volunteers, supporters, and the wider community to support your fundraising efforts for free. Every time they shop online, they’ll generate a donation for you at no extra cost to them.

---

How is Space Youth Services fundraising for staff development and new pilot initiatives?

Along with thousands of voluntary organisations, charities and CICs, they are benefitting from monetary donations when their volunteers, staff and supporters use fundraising platform easyfundraising to shop online.

Your organisation can do the same by setting up an easyfundraising account so your volunteers and can raise money for you when they shop at over 6,000 online retailers including eBay, Amazon, M&S, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Space Youth Services say,

“I would definitely recommend it to other organisations as a simple, straightforward way of raising additional funds that require little input and maintenance.”

Find out more about easyfundraising here:https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/val/

The pandemic and the cost of living situation has compounded the need for emergency food provision and a lot of local VCSE organisations are involved in this type of community support.

VAL has come across the Pathways From Poverty model (‘Pathways’), which involves placing specialist advice workers into community-led food projects to help resolve some of the wider issues that households are facing when they receive help with food.

This approach is gathering momentum across community food providers, including food banks and Affordable Food Clubs such as pantries and social supermarkets.

You can find out more about this model. As well as some considerations if you wish to pilot the model in your area by clicking here

If you are a local group providing food provision and want any help with developing your services, get in touch with VAL via it’s helpline to see how we can help.   https://valonline.org.uk/contact/

The role of a VCSE representative includes :

• Acting on behalf of the VCSE sector and advocating the views and perspectives of the sector at various local boards
• Be accountable to the VCSE sector – gathering input from colleagues and feeding back to them

VAL is keen to hear from anyone that acts as a VCSE representative at a local level. Be that parish, district/borough, county, or a wider geographical remit.

Please get in touch by contacting our helpline.

In future sector support newsletters we hope to feature more about our local county representatives.

 

The campaign is designed to drive awareness and uptake of the regulator’s 5-minute guides, which together make up an introduction to the ‘core syllabus’ that they are keen all charity trustees should be familiar with.

In November 2020 VAL wrote a blog when the first 5 minute guides were introduced.

The 5 minute guides on offer at that stage were:

• Managing Charity Finances
• Charity Purposes and Rules
• Managing conflicts of interest in a charity
• What to send to the Charity Commission and how to get help
• Making decisions at a charity

The blog titled Trustees Week 2020 – What’s new to read and action can be accessed here.

In November 2021 a further 5 minute guide was added called:

• Safeguarding for charities and trustees

That guide can be accessed here.

Details about the campaign can be found here.

---

 

Videos:

The new campaign will run for six weeks on digital channels including social media.

Here are some of the animated videos uploaded so far.

The animated video promoting the making decision guide can be found on you tube here

The animated video about managing finances guide can be found on you tube here

The animated video promoting the delivering purpose guide can be found on your tube here

The animated video promoting the managing conflict guide can be found on you tube here

If you are a trustee and would like help with your trustee board or committee of trustees understanding their responsibilities then get in touch via VAL’s helpline

Charity Digital (registered as Charity Digital Trust – charity number 1133179) was established in 2001 to help other charities accelerate their missions using digital technology.

Their content editor and writer has recently written an article about the ten digital trends that are set to dominate 2022 and offered charities some essential advice and guidance on each trend.

These include :

• The increasing inevitability of cloud based storage which helps remote and hybrid working.
• Virtual reality with charities like NSPCC pioneering the use of a computer simulation programme to help tackle child abuse.
• Artificial intelligence with charities like Mencap using an  ‘Understand Me’ chat bot on their website. The chat bot guides users and donors through a conversation with Aeren, who was born with a learning disability. The chat bot gives users information about her life, while also providing statistics on learning disabilities in the UK.

For more details of the trends and what to consider, click here.

If your charity would like help with reviewing your digital strategy you can access support by contacting VAL’s helpline here.