The Big Lottery Fund Youth in Focus Programme

Opening September 2010

Closing 30 November 2010

The newly-launched Big Lottery Fund Youth in Focus programme aims to help vulnerable young people to lead active and fulfilling lives.

The programme focuses on the following specific groups of young people:-

Young carers
Helping these young people between the ages of 10 and 25 to be heard and get better access to practical advice and the services that can support their day to day lives.

Young people leaving care
Supporting these young people between the ages of 15 and 25, so they get better access to education, housing, healthcare and employment advice and services.

Young people leaving youth offenders’ institutions
Helping these young people between the ages of 15 and 25 to develop their life skills and get better access to services, particularly young men with learning difficulties and young women.

The core requirements for applicants to the programme are:

• target one or more of the groups that the Youth in Focus programme aims to support;
• involve the young people who will benefit throughout, from the earliest stages;
• form a partnership of voluntary, public or private sector organisations with relevant expertise, led by a voluntary sector organisation;
• make sure that the benefits of the project carry on after funding ends;
  
  and share what they have learnt with The Big Lottery Fund and others.

Most applications are expected to be for between £500,000 and £1million and it is expected that only around 30 grants in total will be made through this programme.  For more information click here
 

Tender alert - National Citizen Service

National Citizen Service (NCS) is a flagship initiative supporting the Government’s vision for building the Big Society.  NCS will act as a gateway to the Big Society for many young people, by supporting them to develop the skills and attitudes they need to get more engaged with their communities and become active and responsible citizens.

The programme will promote:

•A more cohesive society by mixing participants of different backgrounds.
•A more responsible society by supporting the transition into adulthood for young people.
•A more engaged society by enabling young people to work together to create social action projects in their local communities.

Commissioning process
NCS plan to run a pilot for around 10,000 young people from June to September 2011, and will begin a competitive tendering exercise for organisations to deliver these pilots in early August. A specification document will be published on 2 August, inviting potential providers to submit bids. Organisations will develop bids from then, and NCS will announce the successful candidates at the end of October, at the latest.  (The scale of the project will be subject to the Spending Review).

They are looking for organisations that can deliver a pilot at a range of different scales, so that diverse approaches can be piloted.

The Government is looking to award grant funding agreements to organisations that can deliver the programme in a range of locations across England during the pilot period. Providers must ensure that participants have the opportunity to mix with other young people from different geographical areas during their NCS programme. The government is particularly interested in proposals that can deliver in rural and suburban areas, to test the NCS offer across the country.

Proposals should demonstrate a clear commitment to diversity and ensure that pilots involve a balanced social mix of young people. Mixing young people from different backgrounds is one of the core objectives of NCS, and they are looking for organisations to set out innovative approaches to achieving this.

Further details of the programme can be found at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2010/100722-citizenservice/national-citizen-service.aspx

Pathways through the maze: a guide to procurement law 

NAVCA (the National Association for Voluntary & Community Action) and NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations) have jointly published Pathways Through the Maze, the first comprehensive guide to procurement regulations written for voluntary organisations and community groups.

The Guide answers the most common questions voluntary and community organisations have about procurement processes and explains the legal requirements applying to public bodies' procurement exercises
http://www.navca.org.uk/localvs/lcp/news/maze 

Commissioning and the Community Sector 

This publication provides an introduction to commissioning for small and medium-sized voluntary and community organisations working with children and young people. It focuses on these organisations because, due to their size and capacity, they may face challenges that make being involved in the process of commissioning particularly difficult. However, because of the nature of voluntary and community organisations, they can make a significant contribution to the aim of commissioning, which is to improve outcomes for local children, young people and families.
http://www.commissioningsupport.org.uk/cs/groups/commissioning_and_the_community_sector/default.aspx 

The NHS commissioning environment: A guide for organisations in the third sector

This guide describes the key features of the NHS commissioning environment, along with key stages in the commissioning cycles, highlighting the potential roles and opportunities for the third sector.
http://www.navca.org.uk/localvs/lcp/news/nhscomm.htm  

Successful Commissioning: How to secure value for money through better financial relationships with third sector organisations

This National Audit Office guidance, developed in consultation with commissioners in local authorities and primary care trusts, focuses on financial relationships with third sector organisations and how commissioners and the third sector can deliver services and outcomes that represent good value for money.

http://www.nao.org.uk/guidance_and_good_practice/toolkits/successful_commissioning.aspx?alreadysearchfor=yes

Office of the Third Sector

Part of the Cabinet Office, the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) leads work across government to support the
environment for a thriving third sector enabling the sector to campaign for change, deliver public services, promote
social enterprise and strengthen communities.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector.aspx

Working in a consortium 
A guide for third sector organisations involved in public service delivery

Essential reading for voluntary organisations thinking of working as a consortium.  Contains a section on the
advantages and disadvantages of different consortium models i.e. steering group, lead contractor, prime contractor.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/107235/consortium%20guide%20final.pdf

Working in a consortium - Summary Guide is available at
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/136178/consortium%20summary.pdf
 

The Places Database

The Places Database provides access to a broad range of statistical data and information at several geographic levels across England (e.g. Cities, City Regions, Town Centres, Local Authorities and Regions).
http://www.places.communities.gov.uk/welcome.aspx 

Hampshire Action Teams

Hampshire County Council has provided a strong role for all local councillors to improve the quality of life in their area by re-styling its Hampshire Action Teams (HATs).

HATs were introduced in 2006 to strengthen local democracy and engage with their communities. The new model for HATs responds to opportunities for improvement; while aiming to deliver cost-effective local projects by working in partnership.

Under the plans, HATs will take a less formal approach and pro-actively reflect the local areas’ social needs. To help them
make a difference, each of the seven HATs will receive a portion of a ‘community chest’, based on the population size and needs of their area. Councillors can also choose to include some of their individual budget, which they use for community grants, to boost the funding.
 
There are currently seven HATs: Basingstoke and Deane; East Central (East Hampshire, Winchester and Havant); Fareham and Eastleigh; Gosport; Hart and Rushmoor; New Forest and Test Valley. You can find out more at www.hants.gov.uk/hats