The document discusses a national citizen service program in Devon led by Young Devon. The program will provide places for 900 young people in 2011 to help with their transition to adulthood and encourage involvement in their local communities. Participants will engage in a two-week residential program and develop social action projects in their neighborhoods. The program aims to be flexible around school schedules to accommodate seasonal work.

1. NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE
Young Devon is to lead a consortia to deliver
this scheme in the South West and will be
working with partners across the region to
provide places for 900 young people in 2011.
The scheme aims to help young people with the
transition to adulthood and encourage them to
get involved in improving their local area. In
addition to a two-week residential component,
participants will work together to develop social
action projects in their own neighbourhoods. The
scheme aims to provide 16-year-olds with an
eight-week scheme next summer, but there is to
be some flexibility about when the programme
will be held. Lindie Whitfield, director of services
at Young Devon, said that "One of our
considerations was that lots of young people
here rely on seasonal work, so people can either
join right at the end of the school year or mid-
way through the summer holidays." See
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news
_releases/2010/101110-national-citizen-service-
pilots.aspx and
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Archive/1040951/NCS-
pilot-groups-reveal-plans/
CONTENTS
Devon/Regional News
Events
Training Courses
Publications and Resources
Grants / Awards / Competitions
National News & Information
VYS (Devon)
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
This is again being held at the Belmont
Chapel in Exeter and the programme is
currently being put together. The theme will
be around “Big Society” and the event will
be looking at the opportunities that this will
bring for those working / volunteering in the
voluntary and community sector with
children and young people. There will be
something of interest for everyone – from
those working in small local clubs to the
county-wide organisations so make a note
in your diary and let any colleagues who
might be interested in attending know.
THE NEWSLETTER FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN YOUTH WORK IN
DEVON AND PRODUCED BY VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICES
Issue 10 – NOVEMBER 2010
VYS, YFC Centre, Retail Park Close, Marsh Barton Road, Exeter EX2 8LG
Tel / Fax: 01392 250976 E-mail: admin@vysdevon.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1054442
www.vysdevon.org.uk

2. 2
DEVON NEWS
Anti-Bullying Survey - The UK Youth Parliament are launching a huge new survey for
children and young people across the South West who are or have ever been bullied, as
part of their regional anti-bullying campaign. The aim of the survey is to find out how it
feels to be bullied, what support works and what still needs to be done. Responses will
help to raise awareness, break down barriers and help Members of UK Youth Parliament
to campaign to beat the bullies. The survey closes on 17th December. See
http://www.learning-southwest.org.uk/page/UKYP-Anti-Bullying-Campaign
Awards for All success in Devon - Wren Music, based in Okehampton has been
awarded £6,480 to get more young people involved in the running of the group, which
uses traditional music to inspire creativity and celebrate the cultural identities of people of
all ages and abilities. Young people from different community music groups across Devon
will come together to discuss how to get more people involved in music, while developing
their own social and personal skills.
Breakthrough Music Project - Sound Gallery's group of young volunteers have been
successful in securing funding from VCASHPOINT and YOF to run their music talent
competition for all musicians (bands and singer-songwriters) based in the Southwest who
are under 19 years old. They want to hear original music, no matter what the genre is. The
top 15 acts will be invited to a live audition at Sound Gallery Studios in front of a panel of
judges. Each act will be asked to play one song. Four acts will be chosen to come back
and record one track for FREE in Sound Gallery's professional recording facilities, which
will then receive airplay on Phonic FM106.8 and be available on CD. For more details
contact Marc Langdon on 01392 495301 or marc@sound-gallery.net
Devon media consultation project – there is an opportunity for young people from
Devon to be involved with this project that is being led by Helen Williams of the
Engagement & Support Team at YouthNet. TheSite.org is aimed at 16-25 year-olds and
they pitch it as ‘A guide to the real world’. It’s packed with information and advice on a
range of issues relevant to young people. The resources are presented in the form of
articles, factsheets, a question and answer service, audio, video and community content.
It’s straight-talking impartial information on pretty much everything. TheSite.org Leaders
project has been created to put young people’s opinions and experiences at the heart of
developments on the website. They are in the process of training young people to
communicate effectively online, using their skills to create interesting and relevant
discussions to engage other young people in the consultation. They are looking to
recruit young people in Devon to attend a workshop (provisional date Saturday 15th
January) which will be a day of activities led in partnership with a social media expert.
After the training, the young people will be supported by the team at YouthNet (who have
vast experience in volunteer management) to initiate discussions among young people
talking about their ideas and experiences. The overall focus is on overcoming barriers to
accessing the support that’s available to them and how these barriers can be broken
down using online resources. There is lots of potential for further skills development and
learning through the opportunity. So, if you work with young people who you feel would be
interested and benefit from being a part of this project then please get in touch with Helen
at Helen.williams@youthnet.org or on 020 7250 5735.

3. 3
Devon Youth Service Review - the Final Report of the Task Group was taken to the
CYPS Scrutiny Committee on 3rd November at which meeting it was resolved that “the
report be approved as an interim report, subject to further consideration by the Task
Group (in April 2011), following clarification on the County Council’s budget proposals.”
The paper can be seen at:
http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/decision_making/cma/cma_document.h
tm?cmadoc=agenda_scs_20101103.html
Do you need help forming partnerships and consortia? There is a clear trend in the
public sector towards larger contracts and working with fewer providers. Devon
Consortium can offer training and support to groups which are considering partnerships
and consortia. If you are an organisation (or group of organisations) starting a partnership,
but you need some help to work through the issues, then they may be able to offer
support and resources. If you are interested contact the VCS Commissioning Officer,
Deborah Fisher on 01626 215914 or email her at commofficer@teigncvs.org.uk
Exeter Phoenix Youth Arts Project - Exeter Phoenix have received Heritage Lottery
Funding for a Youth Arts Project, focusing on the story of John Babbacombe Lee, ‘The
Man they couldn’t Hang’. This project will involve visual Art work, as well as a Dance
element, the project will take place on Saturday Mornings at Exeter Phoenix every other
week after Christmas. Participants have to be aged 13+. If you know of any young people
that might be interested contact Clare Saunders on 01392 667081 or email
clares@exeterphoenix.org.uk
Family Education Development Trust (based in Exeter) has a number of items of
furniture and equipment available free, though a small donation would be appreciated.
Contact Julia for details - juliabolt@btconnect.com
Free Cultural Awareness Training - Does your organisation need/lack Cultural
Awareness training? Fata He is now offering this training free to organisations in the
Voluntary Community Sector. If you think your organisation may benefit then please
contact Chaz Singh at chaz@fatahe.com or ring 01752 607853 or 07950 957909.
Roots Acoustic is looking for band members - Roots Acoustic is a new band for 12 to
18 year olds, specialising in folk music from Devon, England, and the rest of the world.
Working with professional musicians from Wren Music, young people will learn how to
arrange, improvisation and composition, and a load of techniques to make a simple tune
sound great. They are invited to bring their own acoustic instrument and also get the
chance to try out some unusual instruments such as hammered and Appalachian
dulcimers, double bass, mandolins, and squeezed ones such as concertinas, melodeons
and accordions. The group will meet once every half term to develop repertoire for
performing - working towards a series of concerts next year. Young people don’t need to
read music to be part of the group but will be expected to have a basic knowledge of their
instrument. All acoustic instruments are welcome. The band meets at the Beaford Arts
Centre, Winkleigh, EX19 8LU. For details contact Wren Music on 01837 53754 or e-mail
admin@wrenmusic.co.uk
Voluntary and Community Sector Baseline Study for Devon report – this report from
Devon Consortium is now available. It presents the findings of research commissioned by
the Devon Consortium to map the current position of the voluntary and community sector
(VCS) in Devon and identify its support needs. The most important short-term priorities are

4. 4
to grow the volunteer team and raise income levels. Tendering for public sector contracts
and increasing the number of paid staff were not aspirations for the vast majority of
respondents.
http://www.vysdevon.org.uk/uploads/documents/vcs_baseline_survey_nov10.pdf
Youth Music is looking for young people (14-19 years) to join its national singing team
and be part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. You are invited to bring a group of
young people to a free, open access singing event at Exeter Phoenix on 5th December.
This exciting one day singing workshop for young people is the beginning of a selection
process to find 150 young singers from all over the UK to join a new national vocal group.
The young singers chosen to be part of the ensemble will have the fantastic opportunity to
perform in high profile events celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. For details visit www.youthmusic.org.uk/voices.
EVENTS
6th December Increasing Impact through Technology is a FREE event from NCVO
aimed at trustees and chief executives of voluntary organisations to help you explore how
technology can support your work at this difficult time. IT professionals will be on hand
help you turn your ideas into action. It is taking place in Exeter. See
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/ictfortrustees-exeter
14th December VYON-SW (Voluntary Youth Organisations Network – South West) is
meeting in Taunton from 1.00 to 3.00pm. If you are interested contact Hayley on 01823
335491 or email hayley_lazarus@learning-southwest.org.uk
13th January How to Hit the Headlines is a half-day workshop from the Media Trust
being run in Exeter, and free to support providers. It will be taken by a journalist which
takes you through what journalists are looking for and how to hit the headlines. This will
be followed by an optional informal networking session which journalists will be present at
to discuss your specific press releases. You can find out more and register
on http://www.mediatrust.org/get-support/training/events/how-to-hit-the-headlines--
exeter/891060185/
19th January Big Network Meeting – VYON South West meeting which will look at the
impact of the comprehensive spending review.
20th January Financial Management Demystified is a training course from Cascade
Training being held in Bristol. This course is designed principally for non-accountants in
the Voluntary & Community Sector to help them understand the key elements of Financial
Management. As the title implies, it will not be technical and requires delegates to have
limited or no knowledge of the subject. It should be particularly helpful to those who need
to understand the finances of their organisation but feel daunted by the sheer weight of
detail and jargon surrounding financial information and reporting requirements. If nothing
else it will give delegates an opportunity to ask basic questions which they can sometimes
be reluctant to ask in front of apparently better informed colleagues. For details contact
Lauren on 07854 208369 or see www.cascadetrainingplus.co.uk.
27th January Tendering for Services – preparing & presenting your bid is a training
course from Cascade Training being held in Plymouth. Winning contracts has never been

5. 5
easy – especially when you have to produce a first class, compelling tender document
that will make your organisation stand out from its competitors. A good proposal may not
necessarily win a contract – but a poor one will lose it in an instant. This course is an
introduction to the tendering process. It will equip you with the skills and knowledge you
need to plan your tenders. This will include a review of Local & Regional Public
Organisation procedures for new and existing services. For details see
www.cascadetrainingplus.co.uk or contact Lauren on 07854 208369.
5th February VYS Annual Conference – This is again taking place in Exeter and further
details will be available shortly, but note the date in your diary!
TRAINING
ESCAPE and Parallel Lines parenting programme Facilitators' training is being run in
Bristol 5/7th April. ESCAPE is an evidence-based parenting programme which offers a
flexible framework for working with parents and young people, and has been widely used
with parents in the youth justice system and elsewhere. This programme promotes a
problem-solving approach in helping parents establish a positive relationship with their
teenagers. The ESCAPE programme can be used in one-to-one or group settings, and
includes Parallel Lines, a companion programme for working with young people in
conjunction with their parents. This three-day facilitators’ training course will prepare
practitioners for running their own parenting sessions using the ESCAPE programme.
http://www.youngpeopleinfocus.org.uk/courses/open_courses/escape.html
Open University offers accelerated versions of two of its youth work courses
(Introduction to Working with Young People and Leading Work with Young People) to
allow experienced youth workers to gain qualifications in five months rather than the usual
nine months. Both modules will start in February 2011 with a registration deadline of 22nd
December. For details contact Lucia Whitehouse on 01908 653276 or
l.whitehouse@open.ac.uk
RSPH Level II Award: Understanding Health Improvement - This course introduces
participants to factors influencing health and wellbeing and how to help people make
lifestyle changes which improve their health. Holders of the qualification will gain the
background knowledge and understanding necessary to help people who need support
and encouragement to make positive changes in their lives, including how to help them
access further assistance. It would be useful for youth workers and community group
volunteers amongst others. It is a two-day course and it is being run in Newton Abbot
23rd February and 2nd March and in Exeter 10th and 17th February. It is FREE for
volunteers and those working in the voluntary sector. For details contact Learning &
Development Department, NHS Devon on 01392 352100 or email
learning.devonpct@nhs.net
Starting in Social Enterprise - A Practical Approach and Working with Volunteers
are free E-workshops that are available via email and are in the form of workbooks. They
are suitable for newly started social enterprises or voluntary organisations and charities
wishing to consider developing a social enterprise. The workbooks are designed to help
your organisation develop good management processes without having to take time out of

6. 6
your working day to travel to an event. Ring 0845 519 5759 or email marie.white@co-
active.org.uk
Young People in Focus (formerly the Trust for the Study of Adolescence) runs a range of
training courses, some accredited, for those working with young people. For details ring
01273 693311or http://www.youngpeopleinfocus.org.uk/courses/index.html
PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
A Breath of Fresh Air is a report from the Charity Commission on young people’s
attitudes towards and experience of trusteeship. Just 0.5% of trustees in England and
Wales are aged between 18 and 24, even though that age group makes up 12% of the
population. The research found that few young people know about charity trusteeship, and
that charities are not thinking creatively about how to attract them to the role. This means
that most charities miss out on the energy, enthusiasm and fresh perspective that young
people can bring to the boardroom. They are urging all charities to do more to ensure that
their board includes a range of trustees of different ages. To help with this, they have
produced a checklist to help charities ask the right questions when thinking about
including young people on the board. They also provide tips for supporting young trustees
once they’re appointed. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Publications/rs23.aspx
Advice4Me - Citizens Advice has launched this new website aimed at providing support
and information to young people under 25. Last year the charity helped under 25s with
nearly three quarters of a million problems, 80% relating to just four issues: debt, benefits,
housing and employment. http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/advice4me.htm
Anti-Bullying: The Young Person’s Guide - the Children’s Safety Education Foundation
(CSEF) has launched this new digital resource. The anti-bullying programme has been
endorsed by the NSPCC and provides a unique insight into both the tactics by bullies and
the effects on victims of bullying and harassment. Using digital images, sound, video, text
and hyperlinks, young people will be able to explore the key messages through the use of
discussion-based exercises, simulation and improvisation. See
http://csef.digitalpc.co.uk/(X(1)S(32sked55qgtwpzfnnbduzf45))/TrialRegistration.aspx?Pub
licationId=13&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Data Protection - Ladder4learning have produced a useful briefing sheet on the Data
Protection Act 1998 which covers the regulation of the processing of personal data
relating to living individuals who can be identified from the information.
http://www.ladder4learning.org.uk/sites/ladder4learning.org.uk/files/10ELS326%20data%2
0protection%20%20briefing%20sheet.pdf
Engaging through social media – guidance from the former DCSF for youth workers
that explains social media technologies and functions using simple language. It provides
you with the tools to increase interest and attendance at your project by working with
young people and promoting your activities through social media.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/resources-and-practice/IG00676/
How to Involve Young People in your project is a guide based on findings from the
evaluation of the Big Lottery Fund’s Young People’s Fund programme that provides
practical tips on how projects can involve young people in developing, running and

7. 7
reviewing services and activities. It summarises information about the benefits of involving
young people in every stage of a project, provides examples of how YPF funded projects
involved young people in their activities, and details some of the challenges they faced.
www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/er_eval_how_to_involve_young_people_in_your_project.pdf
Icebreakers: Hot warm up activities for young people is a compilation of some of the
best ideas and favourite games of practitioners working with a wide range of young people
from 11 to 16 that has been compiled by Vanessa Rogers. In addition to the 26 games in
the icebreakers section, there are nine follow-up exercises for when larger groups have
been broken own into smaller ones and that are designed both to get young people
moving around but also to break up friends as they randomly select who works with
whom. Available from www.nya.org.uk or email sales@nya.org.uk
Inspiring Volunteers: A Guide to Recruitment and Communications is a new
resource from the Media Trust that aims to inspire small to medium sized charities and
community organisations who may struggle to effectively market
volunteering to a wider, more diverse audience and is full of ideas on recruiting,
communicating with and retaining volunteers. Free to download from:
http://www.mediatrust.org/uploads/128957702875264/original.pdf
Making a Difference Together? A guide to planning, monitoring and evaluating
voluntary and community sector collaborative working - Charities Evaluation
Services’ National Performance Programme, in association with Collaboration Benefits,
have launched this practical guide for charities considering or approaching collaborative
working. It covers the steps and issues you need to consider to develop an effective
evaluation framework for your collaborative project, and helps you to know whether
collaborative working really is making a difference.
http://www.ces-vol.org.uk/index.cfm?pg=726&dm_i=6FP,AVM2,12IC1X,U3OA,1
My Contraception Tool is a unique, evidence-based web tool designed by sexual health
charities Brook and FPA to support people’s contraceptive choices by evaluating their
preferences and priorities as well as their physical needs. Simon Blake, Brook’s National
Director, said: “We wanted to help young people think about the kind of things they need
to take into account when it comes to making contraceptive choices and this tool supports
them in doing that.” See www.brook.org.uk/mycontraceptiontool
NCVYS Snippets – the November edition is now available and can be downloaded from
http://www.ncvys.org.uk/Workforce.html
Starting in Social Enterprise - A Practical Approach and Working with Volunteers
are free E-workshops from Business Link that are available via email and are in the form
of workbooks. They are suitable for newly started social enterprises, voluntary
organisations and charities wishing to consider developing a social enterprise, and social
enterprises in their first year of trading. The workbooks are designed to help your
organisation develop good management processes without having to take time to travel to
an event. To obtain a copy email marie.white@co-active.org.uk or ring 0845 519 5759.
Tendering and Procurement Advice - The Devon Consortium now has a new section on
its website aimed at offering advice and information on a range of issues such as :
♦ Top tips for tendering
♦ Forming partnerships and consortia

8. 8
♦ A toolkit for checking your organisation’s readiness for personalisation.
♦ Budget cuts and managing relationships
See http://www.devonconsortium.net and clicking on Funding Options & Advice.
Voicing Your Right to Know: a guide to using the Freedom of Information Act in
campaigning The NCVO has published this guide to how voluntary organisations can use
the Freedom of Information Act for campaigning at both local and national levels. The
guide cites examples of how voluntary groups have used the act. http://www.ncvo-
vol.org.uk/yourrighttoknow
Work with Young Women is a resource handbook from Vanessa Rogers that provides a
diverse collection of activities and projects specifically designed to engage, motivate and
meet the needs of young women within a single gender environment. Filled with ideas for
discussion and small group work, it offers opportunities to build self-esteem, confidence
and assertiveness as well a learn new skills. Issues include body image, positive
relationships and peer choices, as well as work around alcohol and healthy lifestyles.
Available from the NYA www.nya.org.uk or ring 0116.242.7350 or email sales@nya.org.uk
GRANTS/AWARDS/COMPETITIONS
Antigone is a charitable trust that works with charities who work with socially excluded
people. Their particular interest is helping charities think through how they use web and
mobile technologies. Applicants should be registered charities. The next deadline is 31st
January. See www.marthalanefox.com
BT Community Connections - If you know of a group which helps, or wants to help,
people access the internet and improve their ICT skills, they could be eligible to receive 12
months' free broadband from BT. Applying for an award is easy. All people have to do is
go to www.bt.com/communityconnections to access the online application form and read
the full rules and guidance notes. The closing date is 13th January.
First Light Young Film Fund provides funding for organisations that involve young
people in filmmaking. The next deadline is 11th January.
http://www.firstlightonline.co.uk/fundingstream/young-film-fund
Dulverton Trust – provides grants to charities to fund youth and educational activities
and opportunities for disadvantaged young people, helping them to achieve their true
potential. This includes enabling young people at risk of offending or exclusion to access
education and employment. It particularly believes in the character-building value of
challenging outdoor activities such as adventure training and sail training that encourage
leadership and team spirit. Its small grants scheme is aimed at local charities with an
income below £400,000 and has a maximum grant of £3,500. http://www.dulverton.org/
Gibbons Family Trust is concerned with the care, benefit, support, education or
otherwise for the welfare of children or young people (up to the age of 25), in Devon and
the Isle of Thanet in Kent. It will accept applications from registered charities or
organisations, or individuals if applications are supported by a third party (such as a local
group, charity, social worker, school etc). Application forms can be downloaded from
www.gibbonstrusts.org

9. 9
Hilden Charitable Trust - one of its priorities is Community based initiatives for
disadvantaged young people (16-25).The Trustees wish to hear from projects which
develop the skills of young people helping them to improve their employment prospects.
This could be providing work placements, courses leading to NVQs, or motivational and
life skills classes. Preference is given to supporting small community organisations with an
income of less than £200,000 per year. See http://www.hildencharitablefund.org.uk/
Ideas Fund Innovators is a fund that supports young creative people aged 16 - 25. It
aims to offer ten projects £1,000 each each to help get them off the ground. In the past,
Ideas Tap have funded everything from dance and film projects to music videos and
photography collectives. Applications from any creative field will be considered, they are
looking for projects that are inspiring, original and innovative.The closing date is 20th
December and the project must take place between February and May 2011.
http://www.ideastap.com/Opportunities/Brief/db312702-9ed0-40ae-88e7-
9e02012e0f63#Overview
Jack Riley Trust supports young people in Devon aged 25 and under. The Trust can
support individuals, learning institutions (schools and colleges) and new or existing youth
or activity groups. Its focus is on mentoring and the personal development of young
people by young people. Priority is given to studies or activities which focus on personal,
social and moral education and improve personal relationships and development of
character. There must also be a real need of financial support and the Trust will not fully
fund any request. There is no application form or set procedure for making an application,
just contact the Administrator Tim Leat by e mail timothyleat@gilbertstephens.co.uk or
phone 01404 8122282 and he will then advise of Trustees requirements.
LandAid is the property industry’s charity which supports projects that help
disadvantaged or homeless people, particularly young people. Grants of between £5,000
and £25,000 are available to support projects that:
♦ Provide accommodation or assist in meeting accommodation needs
♦ Refurbish or renew facilities
♦ Deliver training, life skills or other educational programmes.
The closing date for applications is the 31st January.
http://www.landaid.org/latest-landaid-news/landaid-grant-programme-opens.html
Share and Learn Grant Scheme - NCVYS, with funding from CWDC, have launched this
scheme to support voluntary and community sector (VCS) front-line organisations
delivering services to children, young people and families to share their experience of
supporting and developing their staff and volunteers and enable other front-line
organisations to learn from their practice. The scheme will sign-up 13 Workforce
Development Champions across England, who will share information about their work and
host learning visits. A small number of grants are also available to 26 front-line
organisations (known as Learning Partners) to take part in learning visits. Other
organisations will be able to learn from the good practice examples the Champions will
produce.Application deadline for Champions is the 16th December and for Learning
Partners the deadline is 14th January. http://www.ncvys.org.uk/index.php?alias=share
Sport England Small grants scheme (Sport England’s Successor to Awards for All) can
provide grants of £300 to £10,000, but the total project cost for eligible elements can be
up to £50,000. Ring 08458 508 508, email info@sportengland.org or see:
http://funding.sportengland.org/funding_programmes/small_grants.aspx

10. 10
Tender Support Project offers local voluntary and community organisations one day of
consultancy for just £50 (usually £500). The project aims to improve the ability of
voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises to bid to deliver public
service contracts by providing individual guidance, advice and support. The project
provides one day (8 hours) of consultancy to help prepare your organisation for
contracting or prepare a good quality tender submission. It can be used for any support
related to the delivery of public service contracts. This may include, but is not restricted
to: Assessment of your readiness for tendering, Understanding tender requirements,
Guidance and advice on how to approach tenders, Assessment of policies, systems and
procedures for tendering, Pricing models and organisational pricing structure reviews,
Assessing tender suitability, Checking pre-qualification questionnaires, Reviewing and
improving draft tender submissions, Preparing for interviews/presentation with a tender
evaluation panel. The project runs until the end of March 2011. For more information ring
0845 053 3413 or email jump@leapfrogconsultancy.co.uk
Worshipful Company of Weavers fund aims to help young people (5 – 30) at risk of
criminal involvement to stay out of trouble and assist in the rehabilitation of offenders,
particularly young offenders both in prison and after release. For details see
http://www.weavers.org.uk/charitable-grants
NATIONAL NEWS AND VIEWS
Beyond One Voice: The challenge and complexity of representation for local
government and the third sector - Recent government policy has highlighted the
importance of participation and engagement and local authorities are now seen as pivotal
to the involvement of local citizens in civic life. Alongside this, there is an expectation that
local government and the third sector will work together, both to improve public services
and to foster the wider development of civil society. This crucial relationship between the
sectors requires effective arrangements for views to be collected and communicated.
However, in practice, the challenge of ‘representation’ in the third sector continues to vex
and confound practitioners. See: http://www.vysdevon.org.uk/news/2231
Big Society Award - The Prime Minister has launched a series of awards for
organisations that can show they are examples of the big society in action. The award will
be given to two or three organisations every month, for an indefinite period, chosen from
nominations made on the Number 10 website. A panel of judges, including previous
award winners, charities and businesses will decide who will receive the awards. The form
is at http://www.number10.gov.uk/bigsocietyawards
Big Society Bank - The primary focus of the Big Society Bank will be to fund youth
projects according to Tim Loughton, the junior children's minister, but this was countered
by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society saying that the government would not be able to
direct it to spend a certain proportion on youth projects. The aim of the Big Society Bank
remains to grow the social investment market and make it easier for social entrepreneurs
to access capital. There will a high-level government mandate to prioritise "community-led,
social enterprise initiatives to improve opportunities for young people" but the Bank will
make its own investment decisions. It seems likely that the bank will not begin making
loans until the second half of next year and is likely to have between £60m and £300m
when it starts. http://www.regen.net/bulletins/Regen-Daily-Bulletin/News/1039958/.

11. 11
Careers Advice - The government has revealed details of an all-age careers guidance
service which will launch in September 2011 and will build on the best of Next Step and
Connexions and provide a fully joined up service for all age groups. Schools will be under
a legal duty to secure independent, impartial careers guidance for their students, but will
be free to decide how best to support young people to make good careers choices.
Councils will be expected to offer a targeted careers guidance service for vulnerable
young people, although authorities will not be required to use the Connexions brand.
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=416365&SubjectId=2
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) has revealed a dramatic
increase in its workload, it received 6,291 reports of exploitation and abuse in 2009/10.
This is 880 more than the previous year, with the biggest increases coming from reports
relating to online abuse and grooming from social networking moderators, website
managers and mobile phone firms. These latest figures come as Ceop faces an uncertain
future as the government is proposing to merge it into a new National Crime Agency that
will replace the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.
Children England Free Membership Trial - Children England are the leading
membership organisation and collective voice for the children, young people and families
voluntary sector. Membership benefits include: weekly email news, free practical
resources, funding updates, policy briefings, quarterly magazine and networking
opportunities. For a limited time only, they’re offering a FREE trial membership for 3
months. To find out more visit www.childrenengland.org.uk
Children’s Trusts - statutory children’s trust guidance has been withdrawn and Children’s
Trust Boards will no longer be required to produce a children and young people’s plan.
http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-8AVD3Y. There is a Q & A
document (see weblink) and this has a specific question and answer on: “What is the
role of the voluntary and community in delivering children's services?” The answer
being as follows: “The voluntary and community sector has a vital role to play in the
delivery of children’s services. This Government wants a radical shift of power away from
the centre to local areas so that councillors, professionals and communities working
together design the services that best meet the needs of children - including joining up
and integrating services - where this makes sense locally. The key decisions about how
best to help vulnerable children has to be made in the local area - drawing on the
invaluable skills, insight and knowledge of the voluntary and community sector which is
often best placed to represent children with particular needs. The Localism Bill, which is
expected to be introduced later this year, will also potentially strengthen the role of the
voluntary and community sector in the delivery of children's services. The Bill is designed
to give voluntary and community sector organisations the right to challenge local
authorities to run services if they can do things better or more cost effectively.”
Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) -The government is withdrawing
funding from the CWDC in a bid to channel more cash to frontline services. The sector
skills council for the children’s workforce will also cease to be a non-departmental public
body (NDPB), and its functions will be carried out by the Department for Education (DfE).
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/1041155/?DCMP=EMC-
DailyBulletin

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Consultation from the Charity Commission - Following the announcement of a real
terms funding cut of 33% by 2014/15, the Charity Commission has launched a
consultation on its future role and focus. It is seeking to review its key priorities for the
next 5 years and develop a new strategy, which can be delivered within the resources
available. The consultation is the first stage of the review and asks for comments on the
key risks the Commission should seek to address, and the different expectations
stakeholders have of the charity regulator. As the review progresses, outline proposals
and further questions for consultation will be published. Deadline is 14th January.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/RSS/News/pr_strategic_review.aspx?utm_source=f
eedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CharityCommissionUpdates+
%28Charity+Commission+updates%29
Department for Education Business Plan contains a draft set of indicators for the
education and children's services system on which the department will be consulting. The
business plan will be refreshed in the light of that consultation in April 2011. Structural
Reform priorities include: Improve support for children, young people and families,
focusing on the most disadvantaged. Actions include:
♦ Review and reform provision for children with special educational needs, disabilities
and mental health needs
♦ Improve arrangements for protecting children from harm – including the publication of
Professor Munro’s child protection review and implementation of its reforms.
♦ Improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the care system
♦ Improve opportunities for, and support available to, young people – this includes
proposals to support a wider range of providers to offer services to young people;
establishing pilot National Citizen Service (NCS) programmes in 2011 and 2012 and
preparations to take the lead responsibility from 2013 for the national roll out of NCS;
proposals to support vulnerable young people by refocusing youth services on early
intervention; and an independent review to advise on how to address the
commercialisation and premature sexualisation of childhood.
♦ Take steps to end child poverty and improve the life chances of the poorest – including
a new child poverty strategy.
♦ Increase support for families experiencing difficulties.
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/d/department%20for%20education%20busi
ness%20plan.pdf
For Youth’s Sake is a campaign launched by Children and Young People Now that aims
to highlight the invaluable role young people’s services play in communities and raise
awareness of how such services cannot be lost without consequence. It will show how
services such as youth clubs are not places where young people just go to hang out, but
are a vital point of entry for a range of support from sexual health to careers advice. They
are the ultimate prevention and early intervention services that help to turn around young
lives and save taxpayers money. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/BigIssues/Details/85890/for-
youths-sake/
How will the Big Society influence funding schemes' criteria? The feeling from
speeches and documents emphasises the contribution of the volunteer (referred to as
‘social action’) and the importance that the sector levers in support from non-statutory
sources. There is a strong likelihood that this will be increasingly reflected in criteria for
funding applications:

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♦ organisations that are able to demonstrate match-funding both in-kind (including
volunteering) and in finance (from other supporters or from earned income) are
likely to be in a strong position.
♦ the Big Society places a strong emphasis on a participatory approach, which will
probably mean that the trend for funders to ask for evidence of beneficiary
involvement in planning services as well as engagement with the community is likely
to continue.
Organisations that are not in a strong position to demonstrate grassroots activity would
benefit from partnerships and collaboration with those who can. Conversely, those who
can demonstrate grassroots activity could benefit from a partnership with larger
organisations who can help to keep their costs down. (Information courtesy of NCVO)
National Children's Bureau (NCB) and NCVYS have formed a strategic alliance in an
effort to reduce duplication in the sector and strengthen their work. Having worked
collaboratively on different projects for many years, the charities will remain independent,
but will seek to increase the support they provide to young people by improving efficiency
and effectiveness across services. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-
Bulletin/news/1040337/?DCMP=EMC-DailyBulletin
National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) has launched a community
interest company to help its 180 members bid for contracts and broker relationships with
other youth organisations. The company, called "yeah", will also allow NCVYS to license
and sell programmes including its accreditation scheme for safeguarding children and
young people.
National Youth Agency has launched a partnership to encourage councils to
commission voluntary organisations. Joining forces with charity Re:generate and the
Social Investment Business, the NYA wants to support councils to commission services
by providing authorities with a local "agent" who will develop a supply chain of charities
and social enterprises that can deliver local services.
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/1039624/?DCMP=EMC-
DailyBulletin
NIACE needs your help! The coalition Government’s vision of the ‘Big Society’ puts
emphasis on young adults (16 – 25) contributing more to their communities through
voluntary and/or mandatory programmes of work – many of which are delivered by local
authorities and their partners. NIACE has been commissioned to develop an effective
practice guide for local authorities and services at a local/regional level. This will include
case studies and key success factors. Do you have an example of how young adults
(aged 16 – 25) have made a positive contribution to their community? NIACE are also
asking if you could provide a venue and/or a group of young adults to participate in a
focus group? They will be running 2 focus groups with young adults in December/January
to seek their views on their experiences of contributing to their communities through
voluntary or mandatory programmes of work. The young adults will be given vouchers to
take part. If you are able to contribute to this work please contact Sue Southwood on
07795 651071 or Sue.southwood@niace.org.uk by 6th December.
Ofsted: Improving outcomes for children and young people through partnership in
Children's Trusts - This evaluation of the impact of Children’s Trusts in six local authority
areas. The report found that successful trusts tended to have a clear children and young
people plan, services designed around the needs of children and a focus on early

14. 14
intervention and prevention. The report also found that those involved in the trusts were
ambivalent about whether it was necessary for the partnerships to be a statutory
requirement. While it did help to improve accountability and involve less willing partners,
many of the local authorities had good joint working arrangement in place before
Children’s Trusts were introduced. Both the full report and a summary are available:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-
by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Improving-outcomes-for-children-and-young-
people-through-partnership-in-Children-s-Trusts
Places People Play - Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, and
Sport England have announced plans for the mass participation legacy from the London
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. There will be £135m to invest in facilities, sports
leaders and sporting opportunities. One element of the plan is a nationwide campaign,
Sportivate, which aims to capture the excitement of sport, providing opportunities for
teenagers and young adults(14-25) to receive six weeks of coaching in the sport of their
choice and guiding them into regular participation within their community. This will launch
in April 2011 and will run until March 2015 and over this period Sport England will invest
£32 million into the programme.
http://www.sportengland.org/media_centre/press_releases/places_people_play.aspx
Right Time, Right Place: Alcohol-harm reduction strategies with children and young
people is a report from Alcohol Concern that says that alcohol consumption by children
and young people under 18 remains a significant problem and that government policy has
paid insufficient attention to the health problems that young drinkers face. It estimates the
cost of hospital treatment for underage drinkers in England to be about £19m a year and
that alcohol contributes to 5% of young people's deaths. The UK also has the highest
rates of teenage alcohol-related injuries in Europe. The report recommends that
professionals regularly working with children and young people incorporate responsibility
for alcohol harm reduction into their working practices.
http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/assets/files/Publications/Right%20time%20right%20plac
e%2023%20October%202010.pdf
Services for Young People - The Education Committee has launched an inquiry and call
for evidence into services for young people. The inquiry into the provision of services
beyond the school/college day for young people, primarily those aged 13-25, will consider
both universal services and targeted services for vulnerable groups. The inquiry
recognises the role the voluntary sector plays and invites submissions that address issues
around volunteering and the role of the voluntary sector in providing services for young
people. The Regional Youth Work Unit intends to respond and is interested in
receiving responses addressing any or all of the following points:
♦ The relationship between universal and targeted services for young people;
♦ How services for young people can meet the Government’s priorities for volunteering,
including the role of National Citizen Service;
♦ Which young people access services, what they want from those services and their role
in shaping provision;
♦ The relative roles of the voluntary, community, statutory and private sectors in providing
services for young people;
♦ The training and workforce development needs of the sector;
♦ The impact of public sector spending cuts on funding and commissioning of services,
including how available resources can best be maximised, and whether payment by
results is desirable and achievable;

15. 15
♦ How local government structures and statutory frameworks impact on service provision;
and
♦ How the value and effectiveness of services should be assessed.
Contact Jane Shipton at jane_shipton@learning-southwest.org.uk if you wish to respond.
The select committee asks for written submissions by 15th December.
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-
select/education-committee/news/new-inquiry-announced-services-for-young-people/ and
see the guide for written submissions to Select Committees which can be found at:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/witnessguide.pdf
Skills strategy - Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable and Skills Minister John
Hayes have launched the Government's strategy for skills, Skills for Sustainable Growth,
and its parallel publication, Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth. The strategy sets
out the Government's vision for reform of the Further Education and skills system in order
to improve the skills of the workforce, the performance of the economy and engagement
in learning. Proposals include:
♦ expanding the number of adult (19+) apprenticeships, so that by 2014-15 there will be
75,000 more adults starting than under the previous government's plans;
♦ improving the apprenticeships package, so that level 3 (A-level equivalent) became the
level to achieve;
♦ fully funding training for young adults aged 19-24 undertaking their first full level 2
(GCSE equivalent) or first level 3 qualification when they did not already have one;
♦ fully funding basic skills courses for individuals who left school without basic reading,
writing and mathematics;
♦ protecting investment of £210 million in adult and community learning.
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/s/10-1274-skills-for-
sustainable-growth-strategy or NCVYS has created a briefing which covers both policy
papers which can be downloaded from:
http://ncvys.org.uk/UserFiles/NCVYS_briefing_on_Skills_for_Sustainable_Growth.pdf
Skills - Third Sector have published the National Skills Framework for the Voluntary
Sector. The framework aims to give proper recognition of the sector's skills and talents,
because skills matter to the sector's ability to meet the challenges of the period ahead.
http://www.skills-thirdsector.org.uk/research_policy/skills_strategy_consultation/
Small schools, Big communities: Village Schools and Extended Services is a report
by Capacity for the Commission for Rural Communities that says that rural schools could
hold the key to the ‘Big Society’, but need to maintain their commitment to wider extended
services, such as breakfast clubs, youth work and support for families. http://www.wired-
gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/DNWA-8AMHYY
Social Exclusion Task Force created by the previous government has been wound up. It
had previously coordinated work across departments in order to form policies to help the
most disadvantaged members of society. http://www.regen.net/bulletins/Regen-Daily-
Bulletin/News/1039952/.
Spending Cuts - Children and families' charities have written an open letter to Education
Secretary Michael Gove expressing concern about the impact spending cuts will have on
the most vulnerable children and the charities that support them. The chief executives of
The Children’s Society, Children England, the Together Trust and the Fostering Network
are among the letter's signatories, which is calling on the government to provide support

16. 16
to the children and young people’s voluntary sector in the face of severe spending cuts.
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Youth-Justice/news/1038949/?DCMP=EMC-
YouthJustice
Straws in the Wind - Bernard Davies and Bryan Merton have published the findings of
an inquiry into the way policy influences the practice of youth work. It follows an earlier
report published in 2009 and features findings from visits to eight local authorities in
England. Although they found some reasons to be positive (such as the reputation of
youth work and the innovation of staff), overall they are deeply concerned about what the
future holds for the sector. http://www.dmu.ac.uk/faculties/hls/applied-social-
sciences/youthcommunity/researchconsultancy/reportspublications.jsp
Transition Fund - The government’s new £100m fund will be administered by the Big
Lottery Fund. The fund, which was announced in last month’s spending review, "will be
available to provide support for otherwise effective organisations that find themselves in
difficulties as a result of the public spending cuts, and can make a good case for
transitional support to help them develop a new business model. The intention is that the
organisation would need to be engaged in, or have a plan to operate in, delivering public
services, particularly in the Government's priority public policy areas. To qualify for funding
any organisation will have receive a high proportion of its funding (probably at least 50%)
from ‘taxpayer funded sources'."
Valuing Youth Work - Launched to coincide with Youth Work Week, this report contains
case studies of local authority-funded projects in a number of areas including Devon.
Each example shows how organisations and councils can work together to provide
services covering health, citizenship, participation, and training and education, and the
positive impacts such work has on young people.
http://nya.org.uk/dynamic_files/policy/Valuing%20Youth%20Work%20lo%20res[1].pdf
Volunteering – There is an interesting article in Society Guardian that looks at the
possible benefits of ‘The Challenge’, the volunteering scheme that forms a model for the
National Citizen Service.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/10/young-volunteers-model-national-citizen-
service
Youth Parliament -More than 300 UK Youth Parliament members voted not to raise the
school leaving age to 18 as a measure to reduce youth unemployment during the annual
youth parliament debate at the House of Commons. They also voted against a rise in
tuition fees and said troops should not be removed from Afghanistan by 2012. They
agreed sex and relationships education should be improved and transport subsidies for
young people should be protected. The five issues were debated during the one-day
sitting chaired by John Bercow, the House of Commons speaker.
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Youth-Work-Weekly/news/1038149/?DCMP=EMC-
YouthWorkWeekly
DISCLAIMER – VYS (Devon) accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure details are correct, VYS (Devon)
cannot endorse events or items mentioned in this newsletter.