Young Lives RSS Feeds

CRB Checks - UPDATE

2012-05-20

CRB Checks
The Protection of Freedoms Bill became law on 1 May 2012. It will radically scale back the employment vetting process which would have routinely monitored 9.3m people.

The main changes are:
• the scrapping of the Vetting and Barring Scheme and creation of a new Disclosure and Barring Service to oversee a scaled-back barring regime focused only on roles working most closely with vulnerable groups;
• The abolishment of controlled activity;
• In the future the Disclosure certificate will only be sent to the applicant and NOT the employer;
• The minimum age that someone can apply will be 16;
• There will be the facility for applicants to register voluntarily to be continuously monitored, therefore allowing portability.

Please find attached a copy of a fact sheet which provides more information about what this means to the CRB process.

Young Lives Charity Shop launching soon!

2012-05-21

Young Lives will soon be launching its own Charity Shop in Peterborough specialising in goods for children, young people and families such as clothes, games, toys and books! As part of the Choose Charity Shops campaign we are asking you to have a sort out of your things and pass the items you no longer want, but are still in good condition, to us! You can drop items in to any of our offices. Please note if you have any items you would like to donate that are not children, young people or family related please still pass them our way as they will either be sold online or recycled to help further the work of Young Lives. More details about the Choose Charity Shops campaign can be found at www.choosecharityshops.org.

Young Lives Networking and Information Event for the VCS in Cambridgeshire

2012-05-21

Young Lives Networking and Information Event for the VCS in Cambridgeshire
Important Updates – Thu 12 Jul

Venue: Young People March
• Are you involved in the provision or delivery of Children's social care services in the VCS?
• Do you deliver services to children/young people with disabilities or complex needs in the VCS?
• Are you interested in an update from statutory partners about this area of work and what these changes mean for you?
If you answered yes to any of the above this event is for you so please express your interest by emailing Rachel at Young Lives and save the date in your diary. We will send you the final agenda nearer the time. The full day event will include:
• The new Social Work structure and an introduction to Systemic Practice and Social Learning Theory
• Information about the new Children's Disability Service, the Personalisation agenda and Self-directed Support
• A session on the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) Strategy
• The new service specification for Early Support
Speakers include: Eva Alexandratou, Head of Children's Joint Commissioning, Jane Ryder-Richardson, Head of Access and Sandy Watkins, Children's Social Care Training Manager. Spaces are limited, initially, to one person per organisation. If you have any further questions, please email Elena at Young Lives.

New qualification for the young people's workforce

2012-05-02

New qualification for the young people's workforce
The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) have released two new Level 2 qualifications for the young people's workforce. The award and certificate-sized qualifications are an excellent foundation for staff or volunteers in the voluntary and community sector working with young people, and NCVYS worked with the awarding organisation ABC to develop it. They cover 3 core areas: personal development; work-based skills and working with young people. It is the first time NCVYS have developed a national qualification. Read on. Young Lives are currently building interest in this course, so please email Training at Young Lives if you are interested in finding out more.

Young Lives Recycling Centre

2012-05-02

Young Lives Recycling Centre
Young Lives have now set up a Recycling Centre at Bushfield House in Peterborough! The recycling will not only benefit the environment but also raise money for Young Lives’ charitable work. We can accept books, cds/dvds, broken IT equipment, old mobile phones/mp3 players, empty ink cartridges or toners (not Epson + only original cartridges not already refilled ones), aluminium drinks cans, foreign currency coins or notes, scrap metals and textiles for recycling. Items can be delivered to any of our offices, including both St. Ives or Bushfield House, Peterborough. If you have a large number of items we can arrange to collect. We also have freepost envelopes available for people to post us mobiles/mp3s or ink cartridges. Please email Beckie at Young Lives or call on 01480 494333.

The Young Lives Consortium - National Citizen Service (NCS) summer roles

2012-05-02

The Young Lives Consortium - National Citizen Service (NCS) summer roles
We are looking for enthusiastic and experienced staff and volunteers to provide a fun summer programme for young people! We want young people aged 16 & 17 to have an unforgettable experience where they will develop life-long skills and make friends. You will be supporting 2 x week long residentials, planning community projects, and encouraging social action.
• Lead Youth Workers = up to 400 hours @£15/hr
• Assistant Youth Workers = up to 350 hours @ £10/hr
If you are interested in applying, please read all the supporting documents and return the application form to us. These can be found online.

National charities to run Peterborough City's Children's Centres

2012-04-19

NATIONAL CHARITIES CHOSEN TO RUN PETERBOROUGH CITY'S CHILDREN'S CENTRES

Children's centres are vital for many families, providing the services they need under one roof and close to where they live. They are places where families can get help and advice, meet other parents, help their children meet new friends and ultimately offer them the best start in life.

Following a rigorous commissioning process the city council awarded Barnardo's and Spurgeons the contracts to run the children's centres from 2 April 2012. The contracts will last for three years, with the option to extend them by two years. Read on.

Young Lives Training and Learning Providers Survey

2012-02-29

Young Lives Training and Learning Providers Survey
In order to establish and identify the range of training and related services being delivered locally and the needs of those delivering it Young Lives are undertaking a short survey and we need your help.

As a provider of training and assessment activities ourselves, Young Lives understands the difficulties in accessing relevant and affordable professional developmental opportunities for those providing training to this sector.

By undertaking this survey you will be helping us to produce a clear picture of what those needs really are in relation to our region

Click here to find out more and take the survey! Thank you.

Grant application tips : writing really well

2011-11-23

Grant application tips : writing really well
Check out the latest fundraising tips from NCVO (the National Council For Voluntary Organisations). Also remember that the Young Lives' Funding Guide for Small Organisations is still available through our website; and for Young Lives Members, if you want tips on a grant application you are making – or to talk through an unsuccessful application please email Helen at Young Lives.

Commissioning - What does it mean for the VCS?

2011-11-23

Commissioning - What does it mean for the VCS?
Over 30 of us attended this event at Cambridgeshire Golf and Conference Centre on 1 Nov. Commissioning is the process local authorities, NHS and other public sector bodies use to make decisions about local services. John Hedge and Janice Lucas from IPC facilitated the event and their sessions focused on the importance of recording "outcomes" to evidence what we do as organisations.

Eva Alexandratou, Head of Children's Joint Commissioning, Cambridgeshire Children and Young People's Services/NHS Cambridgeshire, gave us an overview of the county commissioning strategy and framework advising that the principles are;
•  A strong focus on meaningful outcomes for children and young people with agreed measures of impact;
•  Openness, transparency and visibility of the commissioning process and commissioning decisions – in the light of a climate of austerity and the need for greater efficiencies, clarity about where savings and what the consequences will be;
•  Fair allocation of resources;
•  Clear priorities with minimum expected standards of quality for all;
•  An inclusive process of how commissioning is undertaken with engagement of relevant partners and service users in identifying needs and delivering valued services that meet needs;
•  Needs-led commissioning through evidence based commissioning decisions;
•  Clear accountability for services.

Eva also explained the importance of the voluntary, community and statutory sectors working together to achieve the overarching aim of the Children's Trust to reduce inequality in outcomes for all children and young people in Cambridgeshire. There was an opportunity for us to raise queries and say what further help the VCS needs to improve its understanding of commissioning, and this will help Young Lives support the sector in the coming months.

The Cambridgeshire Atlas

2011-08-09

The Cambridgeshire Atlas
The new Cambridgeshire Atlas Ward Profiles has now been published, and displays key socio-economic and demographic data for Cambridgeshire. New local geographic filters are also available for neighbourhood areas and updated datasets now include crime, health and education themes. Click here.

How to involve young people in Voluntary Organisations

2011-05-18

How to involve young people
Young Lives has produced a Guide for Involving Young People in Voluntary Organisations. Click here to download.

Help Young Lives raise money, without it costing you anything!

2011-01-19

Help Young Lives raise money, without it costing you anything!
It's very easy! When shopping online, use easyfundraising with over 2,000 well know retailers like Amazon, Argos, ebay, John Lewis, Play.com and many more to choose from. Whenever you buy something, the retailer will donate a % of the sale to Young Lives. Yes – it's that simple – it's completely FREE and your shopping won't cost you a penny more! All you need to do is register with easyfundraising.org.uk and choose Young Lives as your cause and then before you buy something online go to the easyfundraising site, log in, find the retailer and use the button on the site to click through to their website! Click here to sign up now!