CAVOS
Supporting Voluntary and Community Action
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For any queries contact Donna at CAVOS on 01388 811 115 or email
donna@cavos.org.uk
CAVOS news
What next for CAVOS and what does it mean to you
By now, most of you may have read our final hard copy newsletter that included details of how our service will be changing after the end of March. For those of you who haven’t use the link below to find out about the changes, what they mean to you, what happens with the information we hold about you, the support you can expect and what you can do in the meantime.cavossupport.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/what-next-for-cavos-and-what-does-it-mean-to-you/
New CAVOS Updates
As our services will be changing and we will no longer be providing one-to-one direct support to voluntary and community groups as we have been, CAVOS will be creating a new contacts list. If you are interested in being kept up-to-date about CAVOS and our future developments, including: new events, resources, training dates and; particularly relevant for Children & Young Peoples groups; advancements in our Never Do Nothing Safeguarding Initiative use the link below to sign up.
eepurl.com/wu9AH
Future Volunteer Centre Services
As you may be aware, from the 1st April 2013 CAVOS will no longer be providing Volunteer Centre Services. However, it is not all bad news. Sharon Vasey our Volunteer Centre Manager will continue to work across the former Sedgefield Borough area from 1st April - 30th September 2013 but will be based at Chester-le-Street Volunteer Centre.What does that mean for you? - It will be service as usual for all the groups who are currently registered with the Volunteer Centre although contact will not be via CAVOS.
Sharon will continue to meet volunteers in the community and match them with your volunteering opportunities. From 8th April 2013 Sharon’s contact details will be as follows; The Volunteer Centre, Clarence Terrace, Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham, DH3 3DQ.Tel: 0191 3892947
volunteeringaction@gmail.com
Future voluntary sector support in County Durham
Any voluntary and community groups within County Durham (including the former Sedgefield borough) who would like direct support and advice should now contact Durham Rural Community Council on 01207 529621. You may not always get the support you want but they will try to get you what you need.CAVOS Achievement Awards
As part of our Christmas Event, CAVOS presents Special Achievement Awards to local voluntary community groups who have been nominated and selected to receive them, as well as one group who are awarded ‘Organisation of the Year’.Congratulations to Newton Aycliffe Youth Centre who were awarded Organisation of the Year 2012 and to Lifeline Community Action, Spennymoor Area Family Events (S.A.F.E.) Group, Aycliffe & District Bus Preservation Society and Agnew COmmunity Centre who were awarded Special Acheivement Awards.
Volunteering for Stronger Communities project
Volunteering for Stronger Communities is a 3 year programme funded by BIG Lottery and led by Volunteering England. It was launched October 2011. There are 15 projects throughout England, involving Volunteer Centres in a wide variety of locations. In County Durham the lead is 2D, Voluntary and Community Support based in Crook. These projects will run for two years with ongoing monitoring and evaluation, internal and external. The final year is for further research, development and evaluation. The aim of the County Durham project is to support those living in rural areas, predominantly, who are deemed ‘hard to reach’. These individuals face numerous barriers with regard to engaging in voluntary and community activities. Those recruited who become engaged in the project will benefit from being given support through ongoing advice and guidance, including mentoring where required, to ensure they have greater access to volunteering opportunities in order to gain experience and skills to improve their quality of life and, ultimately, employment prospects, in addition to the overall aim of strengthening community involvement, generally. More information is available by contacting Lindsay Wright, Development Officer at 2D on 01388 762220 or by emaill.wright@2d.org.uk.
Protection of Freedoms Act
The Home Office has published details of the implications of the Protection of Freedoms Act that was passed. The Act includes requirements around issues such as DNA retention, fingerprinting of children in schools and regulation of CCTV. It also replaces the Vetting and Barring Scheme and creates a new Disclosure and Barring Service to oversee "a scaled-back barring regime focused only on roles working most closely with vulnerable groups". Use the shortened link below to find out more. Source: NAVCAtinyurl.com/7ygwchh
Stay Healthy this Winter
The County Durham PCT have a useful leaflet with information to help you through the cold winter months ahead. It includes topics on: staying healthy this winter, top tips for keeping warm in the cold weather, being prepared for winter weather, safe winter driving tips to keep you safe on the roads, to knock next door and be a good neighbour, flu jabs and general information, hypothermia information, danger signs and action and useful contacts. Download the pdf below or contact CAVOS to request a hard copy.Winter Booklet 2011.pdf
'Never Do Nothing' Campaign
‘Never Do Nothing’ is a campaign that CAVOS is running in conjunction with our VCS Participation Project. The campaign is supported by Easington and Sedgefield Local Children's Boards (copyright 2011 CAVOS)The Campaign is focussed on encouraging volunteers to be aware of straightforward actions that they can take if they suspect that a child may in danger of harm of if they have any concerns for their welfare.
In the past, we have heard stories about people who failed to act because they weren’t sure of the correct actions to take.
This Campaign highlights the important of never doing nothing as there is always a course of action that can be taken. In good old CAVOS style, the campaign is extremely straightforward and outlines 3 key courses of action in the form of traffic lights Red: Report, Amber: Support and Green: Monitor and a straightforward action is assigned to each ‘traffic light’.
This campaign will hopefully raise awareness among voluntary organisations, community groups and volunteers that there is always a simple course of action that can be taken if there are concerns for a child welfare so....’Never Do Nothing’
Watch this space for more news about the campaign as and when it happens.
County Durham Police Authority Annual Report 2010-11 and Policing Plan 2011-14
Under the Police Act 1996, County Durham Police Authority in partnership with Durham Constabulary, are required to write an annual report. This report looks back on the year to tell you what they have been doing, how they are performing and what their priorities are for the coming year. They influence the way in which County Durham and Darlington is policed through their local policing plan. This sets out the priorities for policing the area and the targets against which they will measure the success of the Police Force in achieving them.The format of the Annual Report and Policing Plan has been given a radical new makeover and the new style document is sure to engage more people. Durham Constabulary and County Durham Police Authority consulted with CAVOS during the development of the Policing Plan to find out more about how the community may like to see the information presented. The resulting document is eye-catching, informative, easy to follow and relevant. You may actually find it to be a really good read!
Through effective consultation with a range of agencies including CAVOS, the new Policing Plan has been designed to engage effectively with it’s target audience - YOU!
One downside is that full Annual Report and Policing Plan has only been made available electronically. However, CAVOS is happy to provide a printed copy to any community groups or organisations who would like one. Simply contact CAVOS for your copy.
To access the full electronic version of the document, click the shortened link below:
tiny.cc/u9p7b
Social Enterprise - what is it all about?
Does your organisation have a social purpose that benefits the public? Does the main bulk of your work include delivering goods or services for money? Do you then feed your profits back toward achieving your social purpose?If the answer is yes then you’re probably working as a social enterprise! Famous examples of social enterprises include The Big Issue or Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant. Local examples include Divine & Delicious cafe and catering services and Vegelantes (both based in Spennymoor)
Social Enterprise isn’t a type of organisation, it’s a way of working. CAVOS has had significant interest in recent months, from people who would like to know more about this innovative and modern way of working. If you’re interested and would like to know more then contact Laura at CAVOS
Charity Registration & the Law - What you need to know
Is your organisation registered with the charity commission? Should it be?CAVOS is aware that there are many groups and organisations who are doing some incredible work out there! However, sometimes we’re all so focussed on the work that we’re doing that we forget about other things that we need to do by law - like registering with the charity commission.
If your organisation meets certain criteria, then legally you must register with the charity commission to become.....a registered charity! There are 3 simple criteria that, if you meet them, mean you need to register as a charity:
1) Your organisation has charitable aims (is ‘not-for-profit’)
2) The main purpose of your organisation is to benefit the public
3) If your annual turnover is £5,000 or more
The vast majority of voluntary organisations and community groups meet points one and two but they don’t realise that they need to register as a charity once their income exceeds over £5,000. Many don’t realise that this is a legal requirement and that they’re breaking the law by not registering. Many more think it simply doesn’t apply because they aren't aware of the criteria.
However, if all three criteria apply to your organisation then contact CAVOS for support to register with the charity commission. The process is straightforward and CAVOS are experts at helping you through the simple process. If you’d like more information on registering as charity or to have a chat with a member of our Team about the criteria and what they mean, ring us on 01388 811115
BIG SOCIETY – the simple guide
In previous newsletters, CAVOS has reported on key topics that have emerged as part of the new Government's Big Society agenda. Many of you have told us that Big Society still doesn't make much sense to you and have requested that we publish a simple breakdown of what this Big Society malarkey is all about!Well you asked.......we’ve answered! We now have a simple guide to the Big Society available to download from our ‘Online Resources’ page. This guide has been produced by the wonderful guys at Urban Forum, offers a simple breakdown on what Big Society is all about. We hope this clears a few things up for you!