Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations - SCVO. Supporting the Growth of Community Action in Sandwell.

Working Together to Improve Relationships in SandwellPublished on 29th March, 2011

With funding becoming scarcer, and organisations in the public and voluntary and community sector facing tough decisions as budgets shrink and levels of need grow, it's never been more important to make sure that relationships between the sectors are based on strong, mutually-agreed principles. With this in mind, a draft Funding Code of Practice, jointly formulated through workshops between the statutory and voluntary and community sector is now out for consultation.   In addition to the Code, the main Compact document is also being refreshed to bring it up to date with the current environment in which we are all operating and in line ...

VCS Opportunity to Influence Enterprise PartnershipPublished on 29th March, 2011

The Black Country's Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has made it clear that it is very open to influence from the Voluntary and Community Sector.  The LEP brings together local businesses and "civic leaders".  The key role of  LEPs is to: "provide the strategic leadership in their areas to set out local economic priorities".  A significant part of its role will be about "removing barriers to growth". The VCS can contribute to economic growth and it should play a key role in working to ensure that the positive impact of this growth reaches our communities, who in turn will contribute to further ...

Budget AnnouncedPublished on 24th March, 2011

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne's Budget was announced on 23 March.  Within this there was a package of measures to support giving.  Delivery of what he called a 'Budget for Growth' the Chancellor said he would introduce a "series of substantial reforms that will support giving, from the largest donations to the coins collected in the charity bucket".  He said that this would be a "big help for the Big Society".  Please view for a more detailed list of the measures announced.

Tender Opportunity – Stop Smoking Services (Sandwell PCT)Published on 24th March, 2011

Sandwell Primary Care Trust (PCT) are aiming to increase the number of services available in Sandwell, giving smokers more choice  and easier access to stop smoking services. Stop smoking services are urgently needed to reduce the burden of preventable ill health, but research and regional data shows that current provision of these services is insufficient to meet the needs of the population. The Stop Smoking Services contracts offer voluntary organisations new opportunities to grow their business, diversify their income streams and develop staff in new areas of service provision. How much is a contract worth? Once a provider is accredited and the PCT activates the contract, the provider ...

Shaping the Future of SandwellPublished on 9th March, 2011

SCVO are interested in gaining your feedback in relation to the strategic engagement it has provided to voluntary and community groups through the facilitation of the Health and Social Care Forum and the Children and Young People's VCS Executive and related briefing sessions.  We would really value your input and feedback in order that we can establish what has worked well, what could be improved, and the areas to focus on in the future.  The survey will only take a few minutes to complete and the deadline for competion is Wednesday 23 March 2011. Your can access the survey by viewing ...