Head of Operations, NCVS, to report
Minutes:
This item does not contain any decisions that are eligible for call-in.
To be as covid-safe as possible, the Committee received a written update only from the Head of Operations, NCVS, as follows:
Support to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) during COVID-19
(a) NCVS Group Development
NCVS continues to work remotely, delivering group support sessions via video link, phone or email. This work is part funded by arrangement with Area Based and Community of Identity Leads however, there are a still lot of groups in the city who ‘slip through the net’. In addition, there is no free training available for those very small, grassroots groups who cannot afford event the low-cost training offered by NCVS.
The voluntary sector has been widely recognised as playing a vital role in supporting communities and vulnerable people directly affected by the pandemic. There is no doubt that without volunteers, grass roots organisations and front line staff in the sector many more citizens would have suffered or died as a result of the pandemic. NCVS is concerned that, under current arrangements, there are a number of groups and organisations in the city who cannot access Area Based support and funding. We remain keen to discuss with NCC in detail a more efficient way of ensuring equal access to NCC VCSE support and development across the city for all groups.
(b) State of the Sector Report
NCVS is currently co-ordinating a State of the Sector 2021 survey. Data and information collected will contribute to our understanding of the VCSE sector groups and organisations which provide services and support in Nottingham city. All who have completed this survey currently have (or have had) a presence in Nottingham city in the last two years.
The survey is designed to explore the extent of VCSE sector activities, the role organisations plays in the local community, and the challenges faced. Questions focus on what has changed in the last two years, as well as looking ahead to the next 12 months.
All City Council ward areas are represented in the responding organisations. Interim findings show that 66% operate across all city ward areas. Two-thirds of respondents have needed to reassess their organisation's original aims and service delivery. Two-thirds have increased their service provision. Organisations have pivoted quickly to respond to crisis, but attempting to meet demand leaves no time to plan ahead. Organisations are reporting that they are working together more. This was a trend over the last two years – only half thought this was directly due to Covid.
89% of organisations who had seen an increase in income and said this was due to Covid are reliant on grants. Some of these also fundraise through private donations and charging for services. Only 22% have contracts of some kind. Almost all of these organisations accessed emergency grant funding either through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund (National Lottery Community Fund & Government) or the National Emergency Trust Coronavirus Appeal funding.
Challenges faced by the VCSE sector over the next 12 months include creating a sustainable funding base. Of all survey respondents, 47% say the funding they receive now doesn't cover all of their costs and only 48% consider their funding situation to be 'stable'.
The highest support need is support to write tenders and funding applications. Skills shortages around web / digital and communications / marketing also score highly. Recruiting skilled staff is an ongoing challenge which is seen across all sectors.
Interim findings are also showing that Volunteers are essential. 64% of our respondents either don't employ staff or are of micro size (1-9 paid workers). Of those who don’t employ staff, none have an income above the £10,000 to £49,999 bracket. 37.5% have an income under £5,000. 77% of respondents experienced an increase in demand for services. Considerations need to include that an increase in volunteers can also mean an increase in volunteers who have higher personal support needs. Can these be met?
NCVS will be producing a full State of the Sector report in the coming months.
(c) NCVS Training Programme
NCVS have redesigned its training programme to be accessible and user friendly in a virtual world. The 2020/21 programme included additional sessions in response to demand: Mental Health Awareness, is your Insurance Appropriate? Also, Health and Safety Risk Assessments. Responding to the number of requests for training, we will be further adding to our training programme with Communications and Marketing training which is specifically tailored to VCSE.
There continues to be a huge demand for VCSE Safeguarding training. The VCSE in Nottingham will need Safeguarding training in order to apply to many funders. Those groups who do not have the resources to access even the low cost training offered by NCVS, will be at a disadvantage when applying for funding.
(d) Networks and voice
NCVS continues to host network meetings during the pandemic, continuing to provide a forum for local organisations to connect, have their voices heard and collaborate:
· Children and Young People Providers Network;
· Vulnerable Adults Providers Network;
· Designated Safeguarding Leads;
· Leaders of Volunteers Network.
Through our regular e-bulletin and social media channels, we share information with the sector about campaigns, surveys, the latest jobs etc. The NCVS website COVID emergency pages includes urgent appeals for donations, changes to service delivery, emergency grants and other support which we've been made aware of locally.
(e) Funding Updates
Green Social Prescribing
NCVS is playing a key role in a two-year partnership project aimed at improving the mental wellbeing of communities hardest hit by Coronavirus. Green social prescribing refers people to local, non-clinical, nature-based activities to help improve their physical and mental health. GreenSpace is a pilot test & learn project, working to build a network of trusted groups and organisations to embed green social prescribing throughout Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire.
Achievements so far are:
· Delivery of Framework’s specialist Nature in Mind programme reaching over 150 unique participants in June/July/August;
· Delivery of water-based activities in city on canal with Canal & River Trust (181 participants in June/July/August);
· Co-production workshops with Link Workers and other social prescribers to help design effective and appropriate referral pathways;
· Relationship building between Link Workers and Green Providers – development of community gardens, co-location of Social Prescribing Link Workers, trust building;
· Network of Trusted Green Providers in city that provides a ‘menu of choice’ for referrals and meets needs of Social Prescribers;
· GreenSpace support for NCC Active Travel Expression of Interest to DfT GP Prescribing Pilot for walking and cycling;
· Linkages and contribution of GSP outcomes for CN28 ambitions identified;
· Renewal Trust securing £109,000 through the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund for New Roots – to deliver volunteering, employment and skills development in the green sector – part of our bid;
· GSP National Advisory and Project Board visit to St Ann’s Allotments.
Majority Led Black Churches Project
The leaders of the Majority Black Led Churches (MBLC) in Nottingham have united over their concerns about the disproportionate effects of Covid-19 and the subsequent hesitance to take up vaccinations within the communities they serve. They developed the idea of equipping volunteers with the tools they need to deliver factual messages about the vaccination programme to help people make informed choices and increase take up.
As a network, MBLC doesn't have the infrastructure to directly employ someone to support the volunteers. So, they partnered with us, and NCVS agreed to be the employer of record for the MBLC Volunteer Coordinator to enable this vital work to happen.
Work with NCVS in collaboration with MBLC is to thoroughly address the misconceptions and misinformation around the Covid-19 vaccine and the impact on societies, especially predominantly Black communities.
We are particularly looking for student volunteers and young people from Black African or Caribbean communities. Volunteers will:
· be supported with informal induction and relevant training, and work as part of a team;
· provide outreach, support and information to people who are cautious about Covid-19 vaccination;
· Support promotion of, and engagement with, pop-up vaccination centres located in African and Caribbean community locations within Nottingham city.
IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) Community Engagement
NCVS have recruited a Community Engagement Coordinator who will lead on engaging BAME communities, particularly South Asian communities, to raise awareness of mental health and feed back to the IAPT services to enable them to better engage and support BAME communities.
Practice Development Unit
The PDU is a partnership between Opportunity Nottingham and NCVS. Its aims are to promote and facilitate collaborative learning and the sharing of good practice and expertise amongst professionals in Nottingham and neighbouring areas, who work with people experiencing multiple disadvantage (such as mental health, substance misuse, homelessness and offending). PDU members can access a range of resources, including took kits, reports and presentations, with both a local and national focus.
Over the last year, the PDU has:
· Delivered 18 workshops and 15 Community of Practice (CoP) meetings;
· Set up a new CoP looking at working with autistic adults;
· Launched new e-learning modules with a focus on staff wellbeing;
· Reached 383 individuals from over 120 different organisations through our events and CoPs;
· Gained nearly 600 new users of our online hub;
· Strengthened our own co-productive approaches, with the invaluable help of Opportunity Nottingham's Expert Citizen Group;
· Undertook an independent evaluation of the impacts of the PDU on the local workforce.
For more information, please visit the portal at www.pdunottingham.org
Resolved to note the update.