Information and Advice for the Lancaster District’s Third Sector – 01 September 2022

We are working with the local voluntary and community sector and Lancashire and District-wide partners to support VCFSE organisations and people living in our communities. We encourage you to share this page with others.

An archive of previous editions can be found here.

Click headings below to expand each section.

Third Sector Trends Survey Closing Soon
The closing date for the Third Sector survey will be closing soon. If you haven’t had the chance to complete this, please spare 101-15 minutes so that we can build a picture of what is happening locally and compare this data to 2016 and 2019 and what you think is going to happen next. It’s quick, interesting, and easy to do. You can respond on your phone, tablet, or computer. If you’re ready to answer the survey, start here.

All answers are securely stored completely anonymously and confidentially, and we will provide a report focusing on results from the Lancaster district in the coming months. If you want to find out more, please contact Yak Patel on 01524 555900 or email [email protected]

PHP Social Prescribing Fund
This grant programme supports social or charitable activities and services linked to the patients and communities of PHP Health Practice Centres (in our area this is any service taking place within ten miles of the practice at Lancaster University). The programme will consider applications from groups that wish to fund a service which social prescribers can refer patients in to.

Find out more and apply.

Access to Paul Hamlyn Foundation Youth Fund Grants Managers
The PHF Youth Fund offers grants up to £150,000 to orgs that support young people facing complex transitions to adulthood

The next in a series of online Q&As with Grant Managers for organisations interested in preparing an application will take place on Wednesday 5 October.

Find out more and register.

Lancaster Community Well-Being Fund – Round 2 closing 9 September 2022
The Lancaster Community Well-being Fund’s Round 2 deadline is fast approaching. Community groups have until the 9 September 2022 to submit their applications.

To date, there has been an encouraging volume of applications for projects focusing on youth, but there still remains a great opportunity for projects working within BAME communities.

The Well-being fund is a small grants programme for community groups within the Lancaster District, aimed at smaller local organisations with an annual income of less than £100,000. The fund is to enable activities to take place that positively improve physical and mental well-being in the community.

Find out more, access guidance, and start your application here.

If you have any queries regarding the programme or require guidance with your application please contact [email protected]

The Population Health Investment Fund Deadline Extended to 8th September 2022
Bay Health & Care Partners have announced that The Population Investment Fund deadline has been extended to 8th September 2022. Organisations in the voluntary sector that are independent of government, private and public sectors are eligible to apply.

The Population Health Investment Fund was established in September 2020 with the aim of encouraging community-led responses in helping to address the inequalities in health across Morecambe Bay. 

Application deadline now 8th September 2022

Read more and Download the application form here

If you would like advice regarding your application, please contact Sharon Phillips at [email protected] to book an appointment.  These are available on Tuesday 30th August, Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd September

Fundraising Levy 2022/23 – upholding excellent standards of fundraising
The Fundraising Regulator is the independent regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, whose role is to inform and protect the public and promote and uphold excellent standards of fundraising, so that people can have confidence and trust in fundraisers and charitable fundraising can thrive.

The regulation is mostly funded through an annual voluntary Fundraising Levy (the levy). The cost is shared by the charitable organisations which carry out the most fundraising activity and is an established cost of business for those which spend £100,000 or more each year on their fundraising.

The levy begins on 1 September each year. The Fundraising Regulator will shortly be contacting eligible organisations to inform them about their fee band for 2022/23.

For more information about the levy and registration fees, visit the Fundraising Regulator registration webpage.

Community Ownership Fund Delivery Partner – Appointment Delayed
The Community Ownership Fund from DLUHC is currently open for expressions of interest. From Autumn 2022, there was supposed to be a development support provider available to assist applicants to submit a full bid to the fund. DLUHC have just announced that the tendering process for appointing the independent support provider has been delayed until the ‘autumn’.

This means that any local groups moving to full application stage currently will not have access to government funded support for sometime.  This fund helps community groups buy or renovate assets that would otherwise be lost to the community.

For more information and to express your interest in application

Intermediary Grant Maker required for £14m Know Your Neighbourhood Fund
The £14 million Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund will support activities enabling volunteering and tackling loneliness in targeted high deprivation local authority areas in England.

Launched on Friday 12 August, the Fund’s ambition is to develop an understanding of how to improve wellbeing and pride in place in communities through volunteering and community initiatives tackling loneliness. Citizens will be able to participate in local projects which build their skills, wellbeing and social networks.

DCMS are inviting bids through an open competition from non profit grant making organisations to take on an Intermediary Grant Maker role to deliver £14m funding to March 2025. Partnership bids are welcome.

DCMS will hold a virtual engagement session for clarification questions from 10:30am – 11:30am on Wednesday 31 August 2022.

The deadline for applications is 10am on Thursday 29 September 2022.

Find out more details on the above

 

Equity and the Social Determinants of Health in Lancashire and Cumbria
The report commissioned from the Institute of Health Equity by Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership, examining the extent of Lancashire and Cumbria’s health inequalities and the reasons for them, has now been published.

The report looks in detail at local inequalities, social determinants of health, our local health equity system, and makes a series of recommendations.

Download the report here.

Designing out deep poverty and destitution – New Local and Joseph Roundtree Foundation call for learning and ideas
The current cost-of-living crisis adds to the urgency to not only mitigate the impact of poverty, but to fundamentally rethink how systems can prevent people falling into the deepest forms of hardship.

JRF wants to galvanise a mission to design out destitution and deep poverty locally by demonstrating practically what can be done. New Local is working with JRF to help develop a proposition for what this could look like at a local level. This could be work by the public sector, voluntary sector or communities themselves.

Contributions are welcomed from from those working to address and prevent deep poverty and destitution in local areas including: councils, NHS, other local public sector organisations, voluntary and community organisations, community groups, and other organisations both locally and nationally working on this issue.

Find out more about the call for learning and ideas where projects, ideas and experiences can be shared, and forthcoming project workshops.

Call for evidence to report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Just Fair have been commissioned on behalf of civil society organisations to prepare an independent report examining the UK government’s performance under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The commissioned work includes support sessions for organisations which want to supply evidence but have not taken part in this sort of work before, and seminars explaining how getting involved can strengthen your own campaigning work.

Find out more here.

Good Things Foundation’s Online Centres Network
The Good Things Foundation are providing community organisations free online digital inclusion support for their local members. If you’re a community organization looking to help bring digital benefits to your community, joining the network will provide range of service such as:

  • Access to the National Databank
  • Free training and resources
  • Networking opportunities
  • Access to an online learning platform

The network is open to any organisation that is delivering or wants to deliver digital inclusion support. Find out more and sign up here or contact [email protected] for more information.

Get ready for the Charities Act 2022 – changes to Charity Commission guidance
The Charities Act 2022 simplifies charity law so that charities can spend less time and resources on untangling legal processes, from amending governing documents, to selling land, merging with other charities, and making use of permanent endowment funds.

The Act will be implemented in three phases over the next 15 months, with the first phase going live in autumn 2022.

To help the charity sector stay informed of the incoming legislative changes this autumn, the Charity Commission for England and Wales has published information about what impact these changes will have on their guidance.

For more information on the full implementation plan over the coming months, visit the DCMS Charities Act 2022 Implementation Plan webpage.

Support on cost of living available via ‘Help for Households’ campaign and toolkit
Government has launched the ‘Help for Households’ campaign and toolkit in response to increasing prices and pressures around the cost of living. Countries around the world are facing rising goods and energy prices, inflation and cost of living pressures after the pandemic and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The campaign aims to help people to access the range of support available, including new, exceptional one-off payments and existing benefits and schemes.

There are 41 schemes available to support citizens all of which can be found on the Help for Households Support website.

The Help for Households toolkit, includes free-to-download social media assets, newsletter copy, leaflets and FAQs, to help those most in need to access the range of support available at this time.

British Psychological Society and Mental Health Academy Suicide Prevention Summit
The purpose of this conference is to equip clinicians and community providers with the most up-to-date research, insights and practical resources around suicide prevention.

The event, taking place online on 10 and 11 September, is free to attend and provides CPD certificates for each session.

Find out more and register

Transfer of Care Hub
From 5 September a new transfer of care hub model will see a team based at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, utilising virtual links to work with partners across the system from health, social care, housing and the voluntary sector, to ensure services are linked and integrated care is provided.

The hub has been put in place as part of a new transfer or care policy in line with hospital discharge and community support guidance published in March.

Further information about the hub and future development is available from Tim MacCracken, Interim Project Manager at UHMBT

Faith Organisations and Social Prescribing
This NHS Social Prescribing Webinar event will focus on the potential for social prescribing through and with churches. Discussion at thr webinar will help support and inform a model of regional pilots with churches, as a preliminary module for engagement with other faith groups.

Find out more and register.

Critical and Creative Approaches to Mental Health Practice Drop In at the Gregson Community Centre
Reimagining Mental Health: A day of talking, reading, viewing and creating

Critical and Creative Approaches to Mental Health Practice (CCrAMHP) are hosting a mental health service drop in session for people with lived experience of mental distress (whether through using mental health services or supporting family or friends), mental health practitioners, students, educators, researchers and all interested others. The session will involve reading and other group interactive activities, viewing films and getting into conversation that make room for the sharing of experiences, ideas and practices.

Where: The Gregson Centre, 33-35 Moor Gate, Lancaster, LA1 3PY
When: Sat 22 Oct 2022, 10am-5pm

For more information please contact [email protected]

Read more at CCrAMHP 

Multi-Agency Early Help Training Offer
The Children & Family Wellbeing Service is offering a new series of multi-agency training programmes free of charge to all professionals working with children and families in Lancashire.

Several programmes have now been announced.

Early Help Assessment and Analysis Training
Over the 2 days practitioners will be supported:

  • To explain the importance of strength-based practice, be able to recognise and build on protective factors when analysing support needs and addressing risk 
  • To know what constitutes a good quality assessment and plan 
  • To access resources and tools that capture the voice of the child/family and know where and how to reflect this within the assessment process. 
  • To develop an awareness and confidence in applying:
    • Trauma Informed Approaches 
    • The Cycle of Change 
    • Motivational language 
  • With practical support in completing an Early Help Assessment

Delegates must book a day 1 session and a day 2 session:
Day 1: book here
Day 2: book here

Relationship Toolkit – Reducing Parental Conflict
This is a one day programme that will support practitioners to:

  • To understand parental conflict and what the research says about its impact family functioning and outcomes for both adults and children.
  • To recognise that there is a difference between domestic abuse and parental conflict.
  • To feel more confident about couple relationship quality enquiry in everyday practice
  • To become familiar with the with Amity Relationship Solutions toolkit and its contents
  • To understand the variety of tools, pre and post programme assessment and how to use them within the context of parental conflict support
  • To confidently assess, plan, implement and review parental conflict support with couples and/or individuals

Find out more and book

Transforming Lancashire’s Children’s Services: Thresholds & Strength Based Approaches to Practice
This is a one day course that will support practitioners to:

  • Understand the rationale for transforming Children’s Services in Lancashire and where change is happening
  • Demonstrate familiarity with Lancashire’s threshold document ’Working Well with Children and Families’, and the updated Continuum of Need.
  • Describe how thresholds are applied in practice and what factors may influence decision making

Find out more and book

The Voice of the Child
This 3 hour workshop is aimed at any professional providing early help support to children and families.  It will support practitioners to build their confidence and skills to capture the child’s voice and lived experience.  The aims of the workshop include:

  • The importance of capturing the voice of the child
  • Using resources and skills to understand a child’s thoughts and feelings
  • How to evidence the voice of the child in an Early Help Assessment

Find out more and book

Securing Consent and Engagement with Families
This 3 hour workshop is aimed at any professional providing early help support to children and families. It will support practitioners to build their confidence around securing consent and maintaining engagement. The aims of the workshop include:

  • Increasing understanding and the importance of gaining consent
  • Approaches to gaining consent and maintaining throughout the support
  • Approaches for establishing rapport and building a trusting relationship
  • Using communication skills to sustain relationships
  • Understanding barriers to engagement and how to manage these

Find out more and book

#iwill Fund Extension and Youth Volunteering Research
On Thursday 7 July, DCMS and the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) jointly announced a £12 million extension to the #iwill Fund, creating further social action opportunities for young people throughout England.

Initially launched in 2016, the Fund has a goal of making social action a part of life for all young people, focusing on those who would not normally have the opportunity to participate.

Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society, Nigel Huddleston, highlighted the transformative impact that participation in social action, such as volunteering and campaigning, can have on young people, and the #iwill Fund’s role in facilitating this activity.

Learn more about the #iwill fund

Multi-Agency Early Help Training Offer
See the Children & Young People section for more information

Morecambe Vintage by the Sea Festival – 3 & 4 September
Several events and activities at the forthcoming festival have been created or supported by local voluntary and community organisations:

  • Tours and performances at Morecambe Winter Gardens
  • The Queen’s Market building will be open to visitors
  • Free family arts and crafts workshops in a ‘little big top’ outside the Midland Hotel, including Co-operation Street run by Good Things Collective
  • Musical performances hosted by The Melodrome Stage CIC

Download a full programme to find out more.

Preparing for winter pressures webinar
The webinar, hosted by Skills for Care on 5 October, is focused on frontline managers in organisations delivering adult social care. It will provide an opportunity learn about different approaches colleagues across the country are adopting for the winter ahead, particularly around staffing, increasing costs, and COVID-19.

Find out more and register.

NHS England: Social Prescribing Link Workers Workforce Strategy
NHS England are looking to inform the future workforce strategy and build on the learning since the introduction of the Social Prescribing Link Worker role and would value your input.

Over the Summer and Autumn they are keen to work with Social Prescribing link workers, employers and wider stakeholders to understand if the current workforce is of the right size, with the right skills, organised in the right way and delivering services to provide the best possible patient care.

To ensure that they consider the broader workforce needs this includes gathering information from the wider workforce as well as from colleagues in other healthcare settings such as secondary care and community services.

They are holding a number of virtual engagement workshops in September (click the dates to sign up):

  • Tuesday 13th September (1.30pm-3.30pm): Session for social prescribing link workers
  • Friday 16th September (10am-12pm): Session for employers, PCN managers, GPs and host organisations
  • Wednesday 21st September (10am-12pm): Broader stakeholders
  • Thursday 22nd September (1.30pm-3.30pm): Open session for all – Contributions from Social

Prescribing link workers, employers, VCSE organisations, Local Authority, GP federations, and broader stakeholders are welcome.

For more information and registration details

For Dom, Bruno & the Amazon at Halton Mill
A month of activities in November 2022 centred around Halton Mill, honouring Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, and others risking their lives protecting the rain forests.

Environmental journalist Dom Phillips was travelling in Amazonia with indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, investigating the undeclared war on indigenous communities and solutions to tackle the destruction of the rain forest, when they were murdered by people involved in illegal fishing.

Dom’s sister, Lancaster musician Sian Phillips, has led a choir in Halton for many years and her bands have played at the Mill.

Halton Mill is honouring Dom, Bruno and other activists who have lost their lives with an exhibition and other activities – films, talks, arts activities, and a two day conference in partnership with Lancaster University Environment Centre – during November, to coincide with COP27 when eyes will be on the world’s leaders and their responses to the environmental crisis.

Find out more about the events and partnership, sponsorship and volunteering opportunities.

FoodFutures Harvest Market
Held in the Market Square from 10am until 5pm on 16 September, the event features local food producers, crafts people and artists as well as musical performances.

Some spaces for stall holders are also still available.

Find out more

– 

SELNET Social Business Expo
The Expo, taking place on 13 September, offers opportunities for social enterprises, charities and entrepreneurs to showcase their services, network, and share best practice, alongside three panel discussions:

  • How businesses can bring social enterprises into supply chains and the value that social businesses bring to the local economy
  • ‘Gross domestic happiness’ – What’s the point of measuring gross domestic product when it doesn’t include measuring people’s wellbeing & happiness?
  • How to overcome the main fears that hold our sector back from reaching their true potential

Find out more and book tickets.

UHMBT Recruitment Event
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust is holding a recruitment event for key workers.

Around 50 roles are on offer including clinical and non-clinical support workers, patient environment assistants (porters), domestics and catering staff for hospital sites across Morecambe Bay.

15 September, 8am – 6pm, Moor Lane Mills

Find out more and register to attend.

Several Roles at Rainbow Trust
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of time together, providing expert, practical and emotional support, where they need it for as long as it is needed.

Roles currently advertised locally include:

  • Kentown Family Support Workers (East Lancashire or Preston/Blackpool/Lancaster), £19,500 per annum, closing date 11 September
  • Kentown Programme Project Lead (North West), £28,000 – £32,000 per annum, closing date 11 September
  • Deputy Family Support Manager (North West), £23,000 per annum, closing date 18 September

Find out more and apply

Support Worker at Lancashire LGBT
This role provides one-to-one support to LGBTQ+ people as well as liaising with other agencies. There will also be opportunities to facilitate groups and engage with the wider LGBTQ+ population of Lancashire, in person and online.

Salary: £26,325 – £27,144 per annum pro rata
Contract: 22.5 hours per week, fixed term
Location: Preston
Closing date: 11 September

Find out more and apply

Domestic Abuse Caseworker at Victim Support
The role provides a pro-active, short to medium term crisis intervention service, through individual safety planning, advocacy, emotional and practical support.

Salary: £23,072 per annum
Contract: Full time, fixed term
Location: Blackpool
Closing date: 22 September

Find out more and apply

Several Roles at Trust House Lancashire
Trust House Lancashire work to support people affected by sexual violence or abuse, and with community groups to prevent and increase awareness of these crimes.

There are currently several vacancies in the organisation, with closing dates in September:

  • Senior Adult Therapist
  • Adult Therapist
  • Children, Young People & Families Service Manager
  • Specialist Family Support Worker
  • Senior Children & Young People’s Therapist
  • Children & Young People’s Therapist
  • Sessional Therapist with Language Skills
  • Children’s Sessional Play Therapist
  • Administration Apprentice

Find out more and apply.

Employment Consultant (North West) with the Forces Employment Charity
RFEA The Forces Employment Charity is looking for a highly motivated Employment consultant to join its Ex-Forces Employment team in the North West. The successful applicant will have a track record providing employment and job finding support.  Principal responsibilities will involve providing advice and guidance to support veterans into employment, develop links with local and regional businesses and business forums and facilitate veterans to access suitable training courses and employment grants.

Salary: £27,500 per annum
Contract: Permanent, Full time (35 hours per week)
Location: North West
Closing date: 18th September 2022, Midnight

For more information and to apply

Night Support Worker at Langley House Trust
The Langley House Trust are looking to recruit a Night Support Worker (Care) to join their team at the Lancaster care home. The role will involve assisting in the delivery of a stable and effective programme by the efficient delivery of the day-to-day service. The key purpose of the role is in supporting clients to achieve the outcomes laid out in their care/support plan and also ensure that the security of the project and it’s surroundings is maintained.

Salary: £20,415 per annum + Excellent Benefits
Contract: Permanent, Full time (36 hours per week)
Location: Lancaster
Closing date: 31 August 2022

Learn more and apply

Catering Assistant at The Glen in Morecambe
Elior are seeking a Catering Assistant for their Healthcare Division at The Glen in Morecambe. The successful candidate will become a critical member of the team, where there will be opportunity to grow within the role. There will be responsibility for ensuring the kitchens and service area is always clean and tidy, well presented and well-stocked. In addition, the Catering Assistant will be responsible for keep menus up to date and offer a warm and friendly service.

Elior are a multi-award-winning global player in the hospitality sector, founded in 1991 with over 105,000 colleagues wordwide, serving over 4 million guests every day.  The organization is committed to looking after the planet, supporting the community, cutting waste and supporting wellbeing.

Salary: £9.75 per hour + a wide selection of health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
Contract: Permanent, Full time (36 hours per week)
Location: Morecambe
Closing date: Unconfirmed

Find out more and application details

Home Energy Advisor with Green Rose
Green Rose are seeking a Home Energy Advisor to provide home energy advice and support to local households, through home visits and telephone calls, fulfil appointments, track stock and other requirements. Green Rose are a social enterprise working across Lancashire to help local households understand and reduce their home energy costs and to make their homes more sustainable.

The role is home-based with travel across North Lancashire.

For further information follow this link

Area Business Manager at Barnardo’s
The Manager will bring team building and organisational strengths to a team across multiple retail branches, ensuring that the very highest standards of presentation and customer services are upheld.

Salary: £32,449 per annum
Contract: Permanent
Location: Morecambe and Lancaster
Closing date: 5 September

Volunteer Coordinator at The Gregson Centre
The postholder will harness volunteer skills, celebrate their contributions and extend The Gregson’s volunteer family.

Salary: £25,000 per annum pro rata
Contract: 12 hours per week for 12 months.
Location: Lancaster
Closing date: 16 September

Find out more and apply

Grants Officer at Francis C Scott Charitable Trust
The Grants Officer will liaise with grant holders and applicants, complete the grant administration and assessment process’, prepare papers for Trustees and support the Director in the development of new strategic funding models and programmes

Salary: £25,000 – £30,000 per annum
Contract: Full time
Closing date: 21 September

Download the application pack to find out more.

If your organisation needs support whether it be working with volunteers, completing accounts and payroll, finding funding, solving governance issues, or just want a listening ear, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team:

Funding and governance support, contact [email protected]

Volunteering and upskilling your workforce, contact [email protected]

Payroll, bookkeeping and independent examinations, contact [email protected]

Membership queries: [email protected]

Partnerships, networks and strategic development, contact [email protected]

Alternatively, call us on 01524 555900

To promote your events, training, jobs, and sector news, email [email protected]