Register before: 14 December 2023

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), is running another annual special festive Christmas Challenge for 11-18-year-olds on 14 December. This is an opportunity for students to put their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills to the test in a series of puzzles, which is being coordinated for the day on 14 December.

Registrations are invited from:

• schools,
• colleges and
• educational institutions.

Members of the public however, will still be able to take part and download the challenge from the GCHQ website on Thursday 14 December.

Click here to visit website where you can download a registration pack which will provide more details about the Challenge.

Deadline: 6 December 2023

The UK Government proposes to take action to protect future generations from the harms of smoking, and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) would like your views.

The consultation asks questions in 3 areas for which new legislation would be needed, which are:

1. Creating a smokefree generation: consulting on the smokefree generation policy and its scope.
2. Tackling youth vaping: consulting on several options to ensure we take the most appropriate and impactful steps, building on England’s analysis of the youth vaping call for evidence.
3. Enforcement: consulting on the proposal to introduce new powers for local authorities in England and Wales to issue fixed penalty notices to enforce age of sale legislation of tobacco products and vapes.

Read Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation.

Click here for the survey.

A letter from the Chief Executives of the UK charity regulators has highlighted the difficulties many charities are experiencing with opening a bank account, and also with:

• having accounts closed
• loss of bespoke services
• no access to online banking

For more details click here.

View or download a copy of the letter below.

Deadline for applications: 28 November 2023 (11pm)

50 For Free offers fifty stays at Landmark properties for charities on behalf of their service users. A selected range of Landmarks throughout England, Wales, Scotland will enable people with differing access needs to participate in this scheme.

The stays offered as part of the 2024 scheme are:
• midweek (four nights) and
• weekend (three nights)
• breaks 8-11 March or 11-15 March 2024.

Please note: Applications should be made by charities for their service users.

To find out more, click here.

Jed Skinner started a discussion:

Calling voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector colleagues!  Would you be interested in trialling new training opportunities designed to support health care staff understand and adoption innovations to improve patient care?

Context:

People working in health and care interact with innovations in a variety of ways, yet, the health and care workforce are not systematically supported to adopt innovations, which can be a complex process. There is no standard programme for innovation adoption training (practical skills development) or education (theoretical knowledge development).

Following extensive scoping with health and care staff across all sectors, NHS England and partners are developing an innovation adoption programme to support health and care professionals with a range of education and training offers. Stage 1 of this work is to develop an online training offer suitable for all health and care staff (including NHS, care homes, community providers, VCSE sector). Once this has been developed and tested, the work will move on to further phases developing more formalised training routes for those who wish to pursue it. These will include formal qualifications and likely placements.

Stage 1 has included an exercise to compile existing resources available to health and care professionals. We are now trialling these resources with a group of user testers from parts of the health and care workforce. The testing process will review how useful the content is, how accessible the formats are (e.g. podcasts, written documents etc.), and where there is opportunity to create new materials with our partners to address the gaps.

The ‘Ask’:

We are looking for teams/ organisations to be part of our ‘Cohort A’ testers. You will be the first people outside the project team to view the resources and give feedback. Organisation who agree to be part of the user tester/ market research will be asked to identify teams or individual staff who can review and complete specific modules of training and complete brief feedback surveys as part of the evaluation. Its anticipated that teams/individuals will spend approximately 10-15 hours reviewing the materials before the end of December 2023. Up to £1000 per organisation involved in user testing is available.

Next steps / Longer term:

This is phase 1 of the work and there are plans for further development of this learning and development programme.  There will be opportunities to stay involved, should you wish, and be part of a national cohort of ambassadors influencing and shaping this work.

Organisations interested in finding out more should contact england.aacppi@nhs.net in the first instance.

This is the key information source for fundraisers. The Directory will help you target grant-makers that are relevant to your charity and discover funders you might not have known about.

DSC’s (Directory of Social Change) flagship guide to grant-makers includes:

• Concise information and contact details for every entry
• Total amounts of funding available for each grant-maker
• Examples of beneficiaries in each listing, for guidance on the types of project previously funded
• Extensive indexes divided by geographical area, field of interest and type of beneficiary, type of organisation, and type of grant available
• Each grant-maker’s description of project types that can or cannot qualify for funding

Click here to visit website for a copy.

The Safe & Together Institute is an international leader in in-person and distance learning in the domestic abuse and welfare fields.

With the goal of supporting domestic violence-informed practice and organizational change, Safe & Together provides a full range of different learning methods to meet individual needs: in-person, virtual, e-course and blended learning options.

The 4 day training module aims to train up to 40 practitioners who have a specific role in working with families where domestic abuse is prevalent. The Training is suitable for the following target audience:

Child welfare; domestic violence advocates; mental health, substance abuse and other community service providers; batterer intervention or men’s behavior change staff; court and legal personnel; law enforcement; health and home visitors and others who work with families impacted by domestic violence.

Click here to visit website for further details.

See below CORE Training Information Sheet (4 Days)

Several events and activities will be held during the month of October. An opportunity to enjoy food, music and poetry.  You will hear from guest speakers on Equality and Diversity and the empowerment of women.  Watch this space for invites and opportunities to raise awareness on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion which impacts all. 

The Resource Pack, is a rich collection of educational and inspiring content celebrating the invaluable contributions of black individuals to British society, with a particular emphasis on the exceptional achievements of black women. 

 Here’s a brief overview of what you’ll find: 

• “Saluting Our Sisters”: This year’s theme underscores the pivotal role played by black women in shaping history and society.
• Posters: A compilation of A1-sized posters paying tribute to remarkable black women across various fields, also available in A3, A2, and A4 sizes for your convenience.
• BHM Supporter Logos: Display your support for Black History Month 2023 with these logos.
• BHM 2023 Screensaver: Add a touch of inspiration to your screens with our screensaver.
• Roller Blind Artwork: Elevate your surroundings with these captivating designs.
• Teams Meeting Backdrop: Make an impression during virtual meetings with colleagues and classmates.
• BHM Logos: Additional options to proudly showcase your support.
• British and Global Icons Posters: Explore the achievements of notable Black women from the UK and around the world in A4 format.
• Downloadable Resources: Access assembly notes, lesson plans, and other materials to enhance your Black History Month experience.
• Video (MP4): Watch an inspiring video that encapsulates the essence and significance of Black History Month 2023.
• Social Media Elements: Stay connected and engaged on various platforms.

Should you have any questions, encounter any issues with the download, or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact  david@smm-media.co.uk.

Visit the website for more information www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk

The Charity Commission who register and regulate charities has published a renewed guidance on charities and investments. This guidance (CC14), offers greater clarity and explains what trustees need to know and do giving them the confidence to make investment decisions that are right for their charity.

Click here for more information.

From NSPCC:

NSPCC Learning has launched a safeguarding in sport package of elearning courses aimed at professionals with a lead role in running a sport or physical activity involving children.

The training package provides one individual with access to four online courses which include:

• child protection in sport and physical activity settings;
• running safer sports events;
• recruiting the right staff and volunteers; and, online safety.

Access the training package: Safeguarding in sport training package