News items and articles

Young Lives aims to keep the VCS informed of the latest news, reports and information affecting children and young people and the groups and organisations working with them.  This page contains links to items from daily e-bulletins, journals, publications and other websites that are of interest to the children and young people's sector.

May 2012

The Protection of Freedoms Bill
On 1 May 2012 the Protection of Freedoms Bill became law. Some of the changes include: the scrapping of the Vetting and Barring Scheme and creation of a new Disclosure and Barring Service to oversee a scaled-back barring regime focused only on roles working most closely with vulnerable groups. If you want find out more, visit the website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/protection-of-freedoms

Community Rights
The new Community Rights give communities more control about what happens in their local area. They give local people and groups a greater say about what happens to local amenities, how local services are delivered or how new development is planned. Visit the Government's Community Rights website and visit the links to find out more:
http://communityrights.communities.gov.uk/?utm_source=Commissioning+and+Procurement+News+-+A+right+to+choose+public+services%3F+&utm_campaign=opswp2012briefing&utm_medium=email

Many government policies for voluntary sector are worthless, says Theodoreson
The chair of the Charity Finance Group says much of what the government does makes little difference to the sector. Many government policies designed to support the voluntary sector make only a marginal difference or are "not worth the paper they are written on", Ian Theodoreson, chair of the Charity Finance Group, told his organisation's annual conference this morning. In the opening address, Theodoreson said that the government had proposed many policies that, "on the surface, sought to support, nurture and develop our sector". Read more at Third Sector:
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/Finance/article/1132461/many-government-polices-voluntary-sector-worthless-says-theodoreson/

Navca dismisses government procurement pledge
Navca has rejected the Cabinet Office's new Procurement Pledge, instead opting to support a Local Government Association (LGA) alternative, and is calling on other not-for-profit organisations to do likewise. The group feels that the pledge published by the government in April, which outlines its commitments to potential public service providers, takes a ‘top down' approach with too much emphasis placed on wealthy companies, a philosophy that Navca predicts will disadvantage the charitable sector and local businesses. The umbrella body prefers the LGA's draft pledge, currently out for consultation, which it says is more focused on users and citizens and prioritises voluntary organisations. Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/12394/navca_chooses_local_procurement_pledge_over_government_option

Families win right to personal budgets for SEN support
Parents are to be given the legal right to personal budgets to pay for their children's care, under the biggest shake up of the special educational needs (SEN) system in 30 years. In its formal response to the public consultation on the SEN Green paper, the government also confirmed plans to introduce legislation that will require education, health and social care services to jointly plan provision for children with additional needs. This will be achieved through a new single assessment process and care plan for all children from birth to age 25, introduced from 2014. Read more at CYP Now:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1073255/families-win-personal-budgets-sen-support?WT.rss_f=News&WT.rss_a=Families+win+right+to+personal+budgets+for+SEN+support

Government must engage voluntary sector more on Big Society, audit finds
The government's Big Society initiative is failing to bolster cuts because it is not sufficiently engaging poorer communities, the young and ethnic minorities, an independent audit has warned. Two years on from the formation of the coalition government, the audit released today by think tank Civil Exchange recommends that the government works more closely with the voluntary sector to engage more people from these groups and help to combat an estimated £3.3bn of funding cuts by 2016. The Audit finds that the most dependent areas have faced the deepest cuts in spending, and that despite high levels of giving to charities by individuals, donations are not likely to make up for this. It also states that the tax relief cap is "a backwards step", and that the change in the sector's funding nature towards contracts favours larger organisations, including private sector options. Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/12333/government_must_act_to_close_big_society_gap_audit_finds
or the full audit is available from:
http://www.civilexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/THE-BIG-SOCIETY-AUDIT-2012_Civil-Exchangefinal.pdf

To add nonsult to injury - a diatribe on Government nonsultation with the voluntary sector.
Dr Catherine Walker blows off steam in protest at the enormous time and energy spent responding to poorly devised, biased, and ultimately ignored government questionnaires and consultations - more aptly described as ‘nonsultation'. Read more on the Directory of Social Change website:
http://www.dsc.org.uk/PolicyandResearch/News/ToaddnonsulttoinjuryadiatribeonGovernmentnonsultationwiththevoluntarysector?dm_i=6S7,S4XV,29I7I3,2A8FY,1

Word from Hurd - Big Society Capital and Big Budget Blowback
This month Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd talks Big Society Capital: the new social investment organisation designed to ‘develop a third pillar of funding to sit alongside donations and money from the State'. The Minister also responds to the furore over caps on tax reliefs for charitable donations announced in the Budget. Read more at the Directory of Social Change website:
http://www.dsc.org.uk/PolicyandResearch/News/WordfromHurdMay2012?dm_i=6S7,S4XV,29I7I3,2A8FY,1  

April 2012

Grant making trusts that fund 100% of applicants?
New research from DSC provides fascinating insights about grant making trusts - including that 61 trusts funded every organisation that applied to them. Ben Wittenberg discusses findings based on research for the new edition of the Directory of Grant Making Trusts. You can read more at:
http://www.dsc.org.uk/PolicyandResearch/News/Thechanginglandscapeofgrantmakingtrusts?dm_i=6S7,S4XV,29I7I3,2A8FY,1

Nice guidance focuses on wellbeing in the early years
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is calling on early years and health professionals to do more to improve the emotional wellbeing of vulnerable children. In draft guidance launched this week, Nice said it wants to see a greater focus on early intervention projects targeting vulnerable families. The proposals suggest that all health and early years professionals prioritise building trust with vulnerable families. Other professionals such as housing officers and police should also focus on children's emotional wellbeing, according to the guidance. Professor Mike Kelly, director of public health at Nice, said: "This draft guidance responds to a real need to improve the level and quality of early education and childcare services, especially to make sure these services are readily available to those who need them most, vulnerable children and their parents." Read more at CYP Now:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1072966/nice-guidance-focuses-wellbeing

Action for Children demands overhaul of neglect laws
Action for Children has claimed that current laws surrounding child neglect are failing to protect children and is urging government to overhaul the legislation. The charity's Keeping Children Safe report argues current legislation, passed in 1933, is out of date. It claims that the legal definition, which covers neglect causing physical injury is too narrow. Action for Children wants to see the definition widened to take into account the long-term emotional harm that can also be the result of neglect. Chief executive Dame Clare Tickell said: "Neglect is the most common form of child abuse affecting children in the UK, yet we have an outdated law that does not reflect what we now understand children need and what neglect actually is. Read more at CYPNow:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1072964/action-children-demands-overhaul-neglect-laws

Comments on Tax relief cap

Sector 'needs a plan B on tax relief cap' 2
The voluntary sector needs to be mindful of the "political reality" of the tax relief cap and come up with an alternative plan that is palatable to both the government and the sector, charity tax expert Richard Bray said last night. Bray, who is technical director at Cancer Research UK and co-chair of the technical subgroup at Charity Tax Group, was addressing an Institute of Fundraising Special Interest Group seminar on the issue of the tax relief cap.
Emphasising that he was airing his own personal views, Bray told the audience that "the voices in the charity sector are not necessarily helping" and that "we need to be mindful of the political reality". Because the government has lowered the highest tax rate from 50p to 45p, it needs to be seen by the electorate to balance this with a policy that targets the wealthiest citizens. It is "naïve" of the sector not to see this, Bray said.
Let's get a plan B
While civil servants in the Cabinet Office and DCMS were "almost as horrified as we were" about the cap, Bray said it was clear that the Treasury is committed to the proposal. For this reason, while the sector is right to persist with the GiveitbackGeorge campaign, it would also be wise to propose a plan B that is acceptable to both sides. Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/12105/sector_needs_a_plan_b_on_tax_relief_cap?utm_source=12+April+Fundraising&utm_campaign=12+April+Fundraising&utm_medium=email

Government 'considers changes' on tax relief cap
The government is reportedly considering various compromises over the proposed tax relief cap, as opposition from the voluntary sector to the plan continues to mount. Options apparently being considered by the Treasury include making the tax relief cap apply only to donations made to foreign charities, and somehow exempting charities that are funded mainly by one or two major donors. Whitehall sources told the Daily Telegraph yesterday that work was under way to ensure the proposals are targeted at wealthy people who are using foreign charities to avoid paying tax. One source reportedly said: "We want to end the abuse involving foreign charities, but that is different to big established British charities raising large sums of money - that is not something we want to hinder." Meanwhile, aides to the Chancellor told the Financial Times that Osborne is not prepared to exempt the whole sector from the cap, but is seeking ways to make sure that organisations that are funded by just one or two wealthy donors, do not lose out. Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/12102/government_is_considering_changes_on_tax_relief_cap?utm_source=12+April+Fundraising&utm_campaign=12+April+Fundraising&utm_medium=email
Cameron to 'look sympathetically' at charity concerns about cap on tax relief
The Prime Minister says he is aware of concerns but stresses the need to crack down on abuse of the tax system. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has pledged to "look very sympathetically" at charities' concerns about the potential impact of a cap on tax reliefs for charitable donations. Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, Cameron said he was aware of concerns about the policy, which has been labelled a "philanthropy tax", but reiterated the government's desire to crack down on people using reliefs to avoid paying tax. George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in the Budget that from April 2013 the government intended to cap the amount of tax relief an individual can claim in any year to a quarter of their income or £50,000, whichever is higher. This includes tax relief on charitable donations. At the press conference today, Cameron said: "I want to see an increase in charitable giving and an increase in philanthropy in Britain. Read more at Third Sector:
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/bulletin/third_sector_daily_bulletin/article/1126556/cameron-look-sympathetically-charity-concerns-cap-tax-relief/?DCMP=EMC-CONThirdSectorDaily

Tax relief cap will cost sector £1bn, says Community Foundation Network
The Community Foundation Network has produced figures suggesting that the tax relief cap will cost charities £1bn while only producing additional tax receipts for the government of £200m. In a letter to the Evening Standard yesterday, CFN's chair Matthew Bowcock wrote: "We estimate that if you add together those who would have given and others discouraged from becoming donors, the charitable sector would be £1bn worse off while HMRC would gain only £200m. "You have to ask what's better for Britain," he stated. Bowcock also estimated that the 57 community foundations that fund small local charities and voluntary groups across the UK stand to lose around 20 per cent of their donations if the measure goes through. Meanwhile, voices as diverse as Business Secretary Vince Cable, Tory MP David Davis, Oxford and Cambridge universities and Macmillan Cancer Support have all waded in to the row today. Macmillan has warned that the proposed limits would affect its fundraising efforts for its new cancer centre, while the two universities have each written privately to ministers to express their concerns about the likely impact of the cap on alumni fundraising. Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/12113/tax_relief_cap_will_cost_sector_1bn_says_community_foundation_network?utm_source=13+April+IT&utm_campaign=13+April+IT&utm_medium=email

Mixed response for Big Lottery Fund's new strategic framework
There's approval from Navca, but Jay Kennedy of the Directory of Social Change says social investment should not be included. Social investment should not be part of the Big Lottery Fund's role, according to Jay Kennedy, head of policy at the Directory of Social Change. The BLF's updated strategy framework for 2012 to 2015, Fresh Thinking - the next chapter, pledges to support the development of social investment. "Their focus should remain on being a grant-maker - and working to improve and share best practice in grant-making," said Kennedy. He said that the commitment to build partnerships with the private sector, which is also contained in the new framework, "reads like a government policy". However, the new strategy was welcomed by local infrastructure group Navca, whose chief executive Joe Irvin said the BLF "is right to make people and communities in greatest need their top priority". He added: "What really pleases Navca is that building stronger organisations has been made a key priority."
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/bulletin/third_sector_fundraising_bulletin/article/1126059/mixed-response-big-lottery-funds-new-strategic-framework/?DCMP=EMC-CONThirdSectorFundraising

Youth action campaign receives £7m boost
More than £7m of lottery funding has been awarded to a campaign encouraging young people to change society for the better. The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) grant to Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) will enable the expansion of the Fixers social action campaign for 16-to 25-year-olds. The programme allows young people to choose and develop campaigns that will be useful to the community and help other people. More than 5,000 young people in England have already taken part in 600 Fixers projects, amassing more than 100,000 hours of voluntary work between them. So far young people have chosen a broad range of campaigns on problems they have often personally faced, including tackling negative stereotypes of minority groups including gender, race, sexuality and mental health issues. With the new investment PSBT is aiming to involve around 21,000 new Fixers over a period of four years. Read more at CYPNow:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1072857/youth-action-campaign-receives-gbp7m-boost?utm_content=&utm_campaign=Youth%20Work%20News&utm_source=Children%20%26%20Young%20People%20Now&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cypnow.co.uk%2Fcyp%2Fnews%2F1072857%2Fyouth-action-campaign-receives-gbp7m-boost

New BIG policy directions include social investment priority
The Cabinet Office has today published the new policy directions for the Big Lottery Fund, which introduce a new priority for boosting the capacity of the social investment market. The document also makes clear that BIG funding will go "primarily" to the voluntary sector and social enterprises, leaving the door open for the funder to continue to award some money to statutory bodies, as it does now. The publication of the final policy directions is the culmination of a comprehensive programme of research and consultation by the government and BIG around the content of the funder's strategy for the next few years.
When the draft directions were published at the end of last year, the Directory of Social Change raised concerns about changes to the clause on additionality - the principle that lottery funding should be additional to things the government has a duty to fund - and threats to BIG's independence from government. Visit Civil Society to read more:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/12061/new_big_policy_directions_include_social_investment_priority  

Cameron launches £600m social investment wholesaler Big Society Capital
Prime Minister says this shows a move away from stop-start, hand-to-mouth funding for the voluntary sector. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, today launched the £600m social investment wholesaler Big Society Capital by saying he hoped it would help charities grow in scale. He said that although organisations such as Greenwich Leisure, Macmillan and the Big Issue had shown it was possible to provide large-scale solutions to social problems, other organisations had struggled to grow, which meant that voluntary services provided "patchwork" solutions across the UK. "This is about providing finance to help society expand," he said. "We've seen that voluntary bodies and social enterprises are capable of delivering at scale. "This is going to help charities prove their business model and replicate it elsewhere." He said that he wanted to reduce the dependence of charities on "taxpayer handouts" in the form of grants, and increase instead the amount of money from government contracts. "While direct grants from government may be going down, the money available is going up," he said. Read more at Third Sector:
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/1125829/cameron-launches-600m-social-investment-wholesaler-big-society-capital/

March 2012

Social workers frustrated at slow progress on Munro reform
Frustration is growing among social workers at the government's failure to move quickly on plans to scrap statutory assessments and timescales for councils. The government originally promised to ditch the bureaucracy - as recommended by Eileen Munro in her review of child protection - by December 2011, following pilots in four key councils to test the move. But the pilots were extended until the end of this month and another four were launched in December. Feedback from all the pilots will form part of the wider consultation on changes to the Working Together statutory guidance, due to be finalised in July. Even among the pilot councils, the extension of the timescales has proved frustrating. Read more at Community Care:
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/26/03/2012/118102/social-workers-frustrated-at-slow-progress-on-munro-reform.htm

Ensuring effective engagement between government and sector
The Minister for Civil Society has written to all government departments about making sure consultations with the voluntary sector are meaningful, even if due to time constraints they are less than the 12 week period suggested in The Compact (the agreement between government and the sector). A short briefing written by Compact Voice accompanied the letter 'Ensuring Meaningful Engagement when Consulting'. "Ensuring Meaningful Engagement when Consulting" provides a benchmark of the minimum expected in order for engagement on consultations to be considered meaningful, in particular when the public body is unavoidably restricted to less than a twelve week consultation period. If this happens a clear explanation as to why this is needed should also be provided. Visit the website to download the letter:
http://www.compactvoice.org.uk/resources/publications/ensuring-meaningful-engagement-when-consulting
Also see the Compact Voice news item about the Compact across government at:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/84wzj5k

Big Lottery Fund's 'Building Capabilities' consultation
NAVCA has responded to the Big Lottery Fund's 'Building Capabilities' consultation. The consultation heralds a new approach to funding infrastructure services through a more demand led approach, where support is provided by a wider range of providers. NAVCA's response outlines the role for NAVCA members, issues of concern and thoughts on how to implement demand led funding in an appropriate way. NAVCA's response sets out the hallmarks of a good demand-led model and says that any demand led process has two stages: the first stage being diagnosis of needs and the second stage a larger investment to address these needs. NAVCA also argue in their response that it is important to ensure that providers are quality assured and highlights areas where demand led funding is inappropriate. Read the response at:
http://www.navca.org.uk/news/view-article/navca-responds-to-big-lottery-building-capabilities-consultation?utm_source=Linx+221+-+22+March+2012&utm_campaign=linx221&utm_medium=email

£1m boost for youth heritage programme
The Heritage Lottery Fund has injected an extra £1m into its Young Roots programme, which helps 11 to 25-year-olds engage with their heritage and build links with their local communities. From April, the UK-wide programme will receive £4m, up from the £3m allocated for 2010/12. Individual projects will now be able to bid for grants worth up to £50,000, double the previous year's maximum of £25,000. Previously, the programme had only been open to 13- to 25-year-olds, but has been extended to reach those aged 11 and above to reflect the changing needs of the youth sector. Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "Over the past 10 years we have seen some great projects come out of Young Roots - led by passionate young people who have been exploring their heritage in new ways while developing skills and confidence. Read more at CandYP Now:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Youth_Work/article/1122756/1m-boost-youth-heritage-programme/?DCMP=EMC-CONYouth%20Work%20News

Hurd informs Hodgson of progress on cutting red tape
Nick Hurd has sent Lord Hodgson - author of the Unshackling Good Neighbours report on cutting red tape for civil society organisations, a letter updating him on the progress at the half-way point to Lord Hodgson's review in May. Sent to Lord Hodgson on 26 January and published on the Cabinet Office website yesterday, Hurd's letter summarises the government's actions towards reducing the bureaucracy surrounding action in the sector highlighted in Lord Hodgson's May 2011 report. The report circles around three key questions:
• What stops people giving time?
• What stops people giving money?
• What stops civil society organisations (CSOs) growing?
Hurd says in his letter that "a lot has already happened" and that he is "really encouraged by the fact that two of the recommendations have been met". These are the continuation of cheques for "as long as they are needed", and the formation of a liaison group of insurers and CSOs to address insurance issues which create barriers to social activity. Read more about what it means a Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/11683/
or download Nick Hurd's letter from:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/11683/  

Charities hit by triple whammy of financial pressures during the recession
Charities faced a "toxic mix of circumstances" over the past year, with increased demand for services, rising costs and an unprecedented fall in income, our Chief Executive said today. New figures from NCVO depict a charity sector struggling with the worst recession for fifty years. The figures, released today for the first time, show that charities were hit by £2.3 billion in rising costs purely as a result of inflation between 2008 and 2010. Speaking at the NCVO Annual Conference, Sir Stuart Etherington also highlighted the dramatic drop in the voluntary sector workforce, losing over 70,000 staff in the past year. The figures also show that charities spent the years since the start of the recession 'swimming against the tide' to meet increased demand from users and beneficiaries. During the height of the recession in 2010, voluntary organisations spent 99 per cent of their income (£36.3 billion out of £36.7 billion) in order to keep pace with rising costs and expand their services to cope with demand; this was the smallest gap between income in spending in ten years. Many organisations dipped into their reserves to stay afloat, and a higher proportion of funding was channelled directly to frontline charitable activity. Read more at NCVO:
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/news/civil-society/charities-hit-triple-whammy-financial-pressures-during-recession

Local Grants Forum say new data reveals damaging decline in grant funding
The Local Grants Forum says that the 2012 NCVO Civil Society Almanac, published today, provides conclusive proof that a major shift from grant funding to contracting by local public bodies is taking place. Based on figures up to 2010, the Almanac shows public sector grant funding has fallen dramatically since 2005 - and fell by £500 million between 2007/08 and 2009/10. These figures reflect the position prior to the recent big reductions in public spending, which have resulted in much publicised further cuts to grant funding during 2010/11 and 2011/12. Read more at NAVCA:
http://www.navca.org.uk/news/view-article/new-data-reveals-damaging-decline-in-grant-funding-for-charities

Government to open up a multi-million pound market to deliver National Citizen Service
The Government is today calling on voluntary, business and public sector organisations to play their part in running National Citizen Service (NCS) schemes in a market that could be worth up to £110 million by 2014. Under the programme, young people from very different backgrounds are brought together into a team for three weeks, with a common objective, to give something back to their local community and achieve something of which they can be proud. The Government's ambition is to make NCS available to all 16-year-olds so that it becomes a rite of passage and is committed to providing 90,000 places by 2014. In order to do this it needs organisations, from big business to voluntary organisations, to run the schemes around the country. Expanding NCS will mean that the Government will deliver a key part of its Big Society agenda that will help transform the lives of young people all over the country and build a more cohesive, responsible and engaged society. Read more at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/government-open-multi-million-pound-market-deliver-national-citizen-service

Child poverty measure must not detract from the real problem, campaigners warn
Campaigners have hit out at the government over claims it is considering changing the way child poverty is monitored. Under the existing measure, introduced by the previous Labour government, children living in households with an income of 60 per cent or less of the median national income, are deemed to be living in poverty. The Times newspaper has claimed the government was considering scrapping the measure altogether, only to be met with strong opposition from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and children's minister Sarah Teather. The apparent motivation for the move was concern that the level could increase as a result of measures announced in Chancellor George Osborne's autumn statement, resulting in negative press headlines. Read more at C&YP Now:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/go/news/article/1119370/child-poverty-measure-not-detract-real-problem-campaigners-warn/

 Lord Phillips: 'Valueless' society needs the voluntary sector
The voluntary sector is the only hope for the future in our valueless society, Lord Phillips of Sudbury said yesterday. In an impassioned speech to a CFG reception at the House of Lords, the Bates Wells & Braithwaite lawyer told the assembled guests that society was in the midst of a "profound crisis" that only the voluntary sector, with its "essential egalitarianism", could fix. "It's not just a crisis about banks and money, it's a crisis of values," Lord Phillips said. "There is an ongoing de-moralisation of our society." One of the great paradoxes, he said, was that the "obscenely rich" gives less as a proportion of their earnings than those on the lowest incomes - "I think they must lose sight of the fact that these are their fellow human beings," he said. He added such an existential crisis arises once every 150 or 200 years, but thankfully, "being Brits we always manage to turn it around before we tumble off the cliff-edge" In the meantime though, he told the guests, "it is you, and the voluntary sector as a whole, who are the hope for the future. "When I get really depressed I think about the charity sector. Because as much as society has an absence of values, charity is value-rich. "There is an essential egalitarianism that I love about charity," he went on. "It's so inherent you don't even have to talk about it - everybody is treated equal to everyone else. And in this society, which is so obsessed with sex, money and celebrity, that is a gift beyond price." He concluded by saying: "I wish you godspeed in the work you do because it could not be more important."
(Source: Civil Society)

More than one in five charities report cancelled contracts
A survey commissioned by Charity Bank has revealed that more than 20 per cent of charities have suffered from the cancellation of contracts with businesses and government bodies during the last year. A further 25 per cent of charities with contracts reported that lengths of existing contracts have been shortened within the past 12 months. The research, conducted by the Charity Technology Trust in January and February this year, polled 386 charities across the UK. It found 36 per cent had increased monitoring of spending and performance with regards to government and statutory funding in the past 12 months. The survey also shows that charities' cashflow is being squeezed as they are being forced to wait longer for funds to be received. The types of payment affected include public sector earned income (24 per cent of relevant respondents indicated that payments were taking longer), public sector grants (22 per cent), trading (25 per cent) and trusts, lottery and foundations (25 per cent). Charity Bank is using these findings to review how it can best serve the charity sector in very tight economic conditions. Read more at:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/11652/more_than_1_in_5_charities_report_cancelled_contracts

Child poverty measure must not detract from the real problem, Campaigners warn
Campaigners have hit out at the government over claims it is considering changing the way child poverty is monitored. Under the existing measure, introduced by the previous Labour government, children living in households with an income of 60 per cent or less of the median national income, are deemed to be living in poverty. The Times newspaper has claimed the government was considering scrapping the measure altogether, only to be met with strong opposition from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and children's minister Sarah Teather. The apparent motivation for the move was concern that the level could increase as a result of measures announced in Chancellor George Osborne's autumn statement, resulting in negative press headlines. Read more at C&YP Now:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Social_Care/article/1119370/child-poverty-measure-not-detract-real-problem-campaigners-warn/?DCMP=EMC-CONInCare

February 2012

Government sees active role for charities in new £1bn Youth Contract
Employment minister Chris Grayling has said that he expects charities to be active in the delivery of the government's new £1bn Youth Contract, especially in the section for 16 to 17-year-olds. The Youth Contract was announced last year by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Under the contract 410,000 new work places, 250,000 work experience placements and more funding to support apprenticeships will be made available over the next three years for 18 to 24-year-olds. A roundtable was held yesterday with 18 charities and minister for civil society Nick Hurd, employment minister Chris Grayling and skills minister John Hayes, to discuss how the Youth Contract would work. After the meeting, employment minister Chris Grayling (pictured) told civilsociety.co.uk that he expected to see charities getting involved in the 16-17 year-olds section of the programme. Graham Perry, director of youth, employment and skills at Groundwork, which hosted the roundtable, told civilsociety.co.uk that during the meeting ministers seemed minded to open a tender process, for the 16 to 17-year-old section of the programme, with contract sizes more accessible to smaller, specialist organisations. Grayling also said he hoped that charities would use the financial support available to take on apprentices and create work experience placements. Through the Youth Contract, DWP will be providing 160,000 Wage Incentives worth up to £2,275 to employers who recruit 18 to 24-year-olds who are unemployed, claiming benefits and participating in the Work Programme. Employers in the voluntary, charity and social enterprise sector who can offer sustainable jobs to young people will be able to benefit from the Wage Incentive.
(Source: Civil Society)

Clegg launches first stage of £1bn Youth Contract
The first funding stream from the £1bn Youth Contract will be a £126m, three-year, payment-by-results programme for 16 to 17-year-old NEETs. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who announced the details today, said charities and business are invited to bid for contracts worth up to £2,200 for each young person successfully helped. The deadline for the first stage of tendering is in two weeks on 5 March 2012. The programme will start in July 2012 and end in 2015. Help will focus on at least 55,000 young people aged 16-17, who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs). Announcing the £126m funding package, Clegg said: "Sitting at home with nothing to do when you're so young can knock the stuffing out of you for years. It is a tragedy for the young people involved - a ticking timebomb for the economy and for society as a whole. "That's why I am calling on charities and other organisations at the coalface to work with government to help tens of thousands of lost teenagers onto a brighter path." Earlier this month, employment minister Chris Grayling said he especially expected charities to be active in the delivery of the section for 16 to 17-year-olds in the Youth Contract. The Youth Contract is being jointly delivered by the Departments for Education; Business, Innovation and Skills; and Work and Pensions. Data from the 2011 Labour Force Survey for quarter 3 showed that 150,000 16 to 17-year-olds (11.9 per cent) were not in education, employment or training.
(Source: Civil Society)

Charities pull out of controversial work placement scheme
Marie Curie Cancer Care, Shelter and Scope have led charities in publicly pulling out of the government's controversial work experience scheme which requires welfare recipients to do unpaid work to receive their benefits. The charities have followed high street retailers such as Sainsbury's, Waterstones and TK Maxx in distancing themselves from the work experience programme which is becoming an increasingly toxic issue for the government and employers. The scheme requires that jobseekers work for charities, private businesses or the public sector for 30 hours a week, for eight weeks, or face having their benefits cut off if they withdraw. Waterstones withdrew from the programme last week saying it did not want to "encourage work for no pay". Then on Friday Marie Curie Cancer Care and Shelter both released statements saying they had decided to stop participating. Scope followed suit on Saturday, and civilsociety.co.uk understands that Barnardo's - which has been lobbying hard against welfare reforms - is reviewing its involvement. A statement from Marie Curie said: "We participated in this scheme because we believed it could offer volunteers an opportunity to gain valuable experience. However, there is a difference between volunteering and being forced to work, and if there is any chance that people with terminal illnesses could be made to take part in this scheme we would take this very seriously." Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/11579/charities_pull_out_of_controversial_work_programme

Sector leaders call for a second transition fund in the Budget
NCVO has written to George Osborne ahead of the upcoming Budget calling for a second wave of transition funding for the sector. The letter, co-signed by 14 charity and social enterprise umbrellas asks for further funding focused on early intervention in the most deprived areas in the UK and for support on social investment. It feeds-in information from a recent economic summit which NCVO held with key players across the voluntary and social enterprise sector. On the need for early intervention funding, the letter states: "Preventing a problem from occurring is cost-effective and sustainable," it says. "In Scotland, there is already a commitment to shift public spending towards more prevention." The government's first transition fund helped charities and social enterprises which deliver public services, adapt to new forms of funding. It awarded around 1,000 organisations grants totalling £105m last year. The group also calls for better tax incentives around social investment, using a recent NCVO-led report as evidence. They also voice warnings about levels of investment-readiness of charities and social enterprises, and call on government to work with the sector to address the issue. Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/11609/charity_news_sector_leaders_call_for_a_second_transition_fund_in_the_budget  

The UK's four Children's Commissioners express deep concerns on impact of Welfare Reform Bill on children
"We, the UK's four Children's Commissioners, are deeply concerned at the serious negative impact of the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill on hundreds of thousands of children. "We urge the UK Government to reconsider its plans, specifically the £26,000 benefit cap to be imposed on families each year. The plan to reduce housing benefit payments and include child benefit within the cap limit will have a disproportionate impact on children. "Families who receive welfare benefits are particularly vulnerable because they live in poverty - small changes in their household income can have a big effect on their welfare. We are concerned that many more families and their children will be pushed into absolute poverty over the coming years if these proposed changes go ahead. Read more at Children's Commissioner website:
http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/press_release/content_461

Leading charities pledge support for £1 billion Youth Contract to tackle unemployment
Ministers have announced that leading organisations from the Voluntary and Community and Social Enterprise Sector are formally backing the government's programmes to ensure every young person is either earning or learning. At a discussion with charity leaders, ministers welcomed the support from charities including Mind, Groundwork and the NSPCC. Membership organisations the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) will also encourage
their members to consider the opportunities offered by the scheme.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/leading-charities-pledge-support-%C2%A31-billion-youth-contract-tackle-unemployment

Hurd: complaints about the Compact should come directly to me
Minister for civil society Nick Hurd has said organisations that feel there are ‘serious grounds for complaint' in how the Compact is working should take it up directly with him.
Hurd (pictured) was speaking at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Civil Society and Volunteering held by the NCVO, which looked at the Compact.
The APPG's chair Alun Michael MP told Hurd that there had been "pretty awful examples" of serious breaches of the Compact at the Department for Health and the Department of Justice. "I know how ***** awful it's been," he said. "There are instances when some don't get the difference between grants and procuring services, which is quite basic. Also, there are instances of not delivering on promises." In response, Hurd said he hoped the parties could talk to try and resolve issues. But, he added that the Office for Civil Society existed to be a champion of the Compact, and said that serious grounds for complaint should be directed to him, and he would take it up. Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/11454/hurd_complaints_about_the_compact_should_come_directly_to_me

Charity Commission's new regulatory framework places greater responsibility on trustees
New document emphasises prevention of problems and a focus on 'serious risk'. The Charity Commission has today outlined its new approach to regulation, which will place greater emphasis on preventing problems rather than dealing with them after they occur. Our regulatory approach to protecting the public's interest in charity: how we assess and manage risks was developed following the commission's decision to restructure in the light of its funding being reduced by almost a third between 2010/11 and 2014/15. Sam Younger, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said the document placed a "greater expectation" on trustees to tackle risks "head-on". It says the commission will adopt a three-stage process to deciding when and how to investigate charities and will focus on instances of "serious risk". It will first ask whether the commission needs to get involved; then, if it proceeds, it will assess the nature and level of risk before finally considering the most effective response. The publication says the commission will "place an emphasis on preventing problems" by identifying risks early and providing web-based guidance. The regulator will use, whenever possible, "streamlined powers" and encourage charities to "self-certify" changes. It gives an example of charities being able to use its website to seek legal consent to change their articles of association. The document says the regulator will "apply fewer resources to assessing charities with model or standard governing documents" and will fast-track such applications. But it pledges the commission will "routinely check a sample of accounts each year and take appropriate follow-up action". Read more at Third Sector:
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/Governance/article/1112195/charity-commissions-new-regulatory-framework-places-greater-responsibility-trustees/

January 2012

Children's Commissioner's scrutiny of Welfare Reform Bill
On the 11th January the Children's Commissioner for England published a child rights impact assessment of the welfare reform bill. This identifies the rights of disabled children, those living in families who receive housing benefits, and those in poverty as being at risk. The following risks are of real concern:
• An increase in child poverty as a result of the household benefit cap and housing benefit changes, resulting in poor health and educational outcomes for children
• The threat of a potential increase in household rent arrears due to reduced housing benefit payments
• Families living in poverty diverting money away from necessities for children's health and wellbeing such as heating, warm clothing, and nutritious food in order to cover their housing costs
• Children becoming homeless as a result of unaffordable housing for their families
• A disproportionate impact of some of the Bill's benefit changes on children from some BME groups, disabled children, and children of disabled parents
• Families having no crisis support in the event of flood, fire, or serious illness as a result of the Bill's abolition of the Social Fund.
Read more at:
http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/press_release/content_456

Commission on youth service provision to launch
A commission to determine minimum levels of youth service provision at a local level is to be set up by the National Youth Agency. The work, which will involve the creation of "sufficiency measures", is intended to feed into a government consultation on plans to revise existing guidance on the duty to secure sufficient activities for young people. Proposals to slim down the existing guidance were announced in the Positive for Youth policy paper, unveiled last month. Speaking at a conference in London on the future role of councils in supporting young people yesterday (17 January), Fiona Blacke, chief executive of the NYA, said plans to create a commission of four or five experts are in place. Read more at CYPNow:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Youth_Work/article/1112803/commission-youth-service-provision-launch/

Joseph Rowntree plans UK anti-poverty strategy
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust together plan to invest up to £125m over the next three years on services, research, and new property developments. The proposals are outlined in the two organisations' new three-year strategic plan, published this month. Top of their priority list is to identify the causes of poverty and inequality and produce a UK-wide anti-poverty strategy. They will also track the impact of the deficit on poverty and inequality and develop practical solutions to reducing poverty. The organisations will also work towards being anti-poverty organisations themselves, by aiming to pay all staff a wage that is equal or more to the Foundation's Minimum Income Standard for a single working-age adult. And they will try to maximise the income of Housing Trust residents by enhancing energy efficiency, exploring the potential for community enterprises, and promoting credit unions. The charities have also committed to reduce their own carbon emissions by at least 20 per cent between 2010 and 2020. The trusts are clear about their status: "We are independent, but we are not neutral: we are on the side of people and places in poverty." Read more at Civil Society:
http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/11345/joseph_rowntree_plans_uk_anti-poverty_strategy