The government have published information on working in the civil society sectors (including charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations) from 1 January 2021.
The website will tell you what you’ll need to do from 1st January 2021. It will be updated if anything changes.
Samaritans have launched new, confidential support lines for health and social care workers and volunteers based in England and Wales.
The confidential support line is open 7am to 11pm, 7 days a week.
Power to Change has launched the Community Business Renewal Initiative, a package of support for community businesses, in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Community Business Renewal Fund
The Community Business Renewal Fund provides grants to community businesses in England affected by the Covid-19 crisis to adapt, renew and rebuild their business so they can remain financially viable.
Powering Up!
We know that each community business is different, and will need a variety of support to rebuild and renew. After an informal session with a link worker, your community business will receive a tailored support package to increase your knowledge, assist with your wellbeing and equip you with the skills to boost your community business. Activities may include: peer-to-peer support, access to technical support and resources such as HR and digital, wellbeing support, depending on your needs. Powering Up opens for applications on Monday 16 November.
Community Business Crowdmatch
Community Business Crowdmatch helps communities to develop, test or grow your community business. The fund is designed to help you raise funds to cover key costs, help you build your network of supporters and provide match funding. Working with Crowdfunder, Power to Change will offer an investment, up to £10,000, to match the amount raised by your supporters. Crowdmatch opens for applications on Tuesday 17 November.
Subject to debate on the 4th November, these new restrictions will come into place on Thursday 5th November:
Until Thursday 5 November, the relevant Local Covid Alert Level measures will continue to apply in the area where you live. From Thursday the national restrictions replace the local restrictions in your area. No new areas will move in the LCAL Very High restrictions between now and Thursday.
From Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December, the Government is taking the following action:
These new measures are intended to achieve the maximum reduction in growth in the number of cases, preventing the NHS from being overwhelmed, whilst ensuring that schools, colleges and universities stay open and that as many people as possible continue to work.
The new measures will apply nationally for four weeks up to Wednesday 2 December. At the end of the period, we will look to return to a regional approach, based on the latest data.
Complying with the new measures will help limit the spread of coronavirus, reduce the impact on the NHS and save lives. They will be underpinned by law which will make clear about what you must and must not do from 5 November. The relevant authorities, including the police, will have powers to enforce the law – including through fines and dispersing gatherings.
It covers:
1. Stay at home
2. Staying safe outside the home (Social Distancing)
3. Meeting with family and friends
4. Businesses and venues
5. Weddings, civil partnerships, religious services and funerals
6. Going to work
7. Going to school, college and university
8. Childcare and children’s activities
9. Protecting people more at risk from coronavirus
10. Visiting relatives in care homes
11. Travel
12. Financial support
Centre for Mental Health want to find out how this is affecting people’s emotional and mental health. ‘A Year in Our Lives’ will gather and share the first-hand experiences of people living through the pandemic.
They want to find creative, truthful and open ways to tell the story of 2020 alongside the many surveys and academic studies that are already taking place.
Entries can be anything up to 2,000 words.
The Government have published new guidance for councils has been published to help ensure care leavers have the stable homes they need, and prevent them from becoming homeless.
Shoosmiths held a webinar where they discussed the responsibilities and powers of charity trustees, governance issues that commonly arise within charities and some suggested strategies to help trustees run their charities as effectively as possible in these challenging times. You find this on there website here.
They will also be running another webinar on Tuesday 3 November at 2:00pm – 3:00pm where they will be interviewing Paul Bott, the chief executive of St John of God Hospitaller Services about the successful programme of change he has led within that charity over the last two years. You can book onto this webinar here.
Charity Excellence Framework have published 100+ Christmas fundraising ideas for charities, to use in your Xmas appeal, festive campaign and events.
This Christmas will be even tougher and lonelier for many of our beneficairies and a fifth of charities estimate they will not be able to fully deliver their services, let alone cope with additional demand.
However, COVID restrictions will significantly impact festive season commercial activities and, whilst that’s not good, it offers charities a real opportunity to raise desperately needed funding, just when it’s most needed. The #FestiveFightback aims to help you do that.
CivilSociety News:
Environment charities and funders are “stuck in a vicious cycle” where work is underfunded, leading to less impact and less ability to attract funding, a report has warned.
Prioritising our Planet, published last week by the Garfield Weston Foundation, urges funders and charities to work more collaboratively and improve storytelling.
The funder commissioned research after it did not receive as many applications as it anticipated when it made funding available for environmental causes. As part of the research, carried out by IG Advisers, 68 environmental organisations responded to a survey.
The following webinars are being held to provide updates on the NHS Volunteer Responder programme.
The webinars are for referrers and colleagues working across health and care, including:
The webinars will provide an overview of the programme, including facts, figures and the most recent updates on programme adaptations in response to policy changes and the needs of vulnerable people.
Dates for the next webinars, and the links to join them, are listed below:
