November 2008, Issue 78

Welcome to the November 2008 edition of the South West Forum Newsletter.

Your contributions, comments, queries and complaints about SWF news and information services should be directed to sue@southwestforum.org.uk.
All SWF staff can be contacted on 01392 823758.

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The best networking event of the year?

How would you like to have dinner with Peter Wanless, breakfast with Nick Hurd and lunch with Ben Bradshaw - not to mention spending 24 hours in the company of over 100 South West voluntary and community sector representatives?

Independent and Indispensable: the future for South West social purpose organisations is SWF's Annual Conference and AGM and it is now just over a week away. Over 100 VCS reps will be there - will you be one of them? If you haven't yet booked a place, there is still time but you'll need to act quickly as there are only a few places left.

Speakers

Debra Allcock Tyler: Chief Executive, Directory of Social Change
Ben Bradshaw MP: Minister for the South West
Faith Davey: South West Regional Manager, Age Concern England
Nick Hurd MP: Shadow Minister for Charities, Voluntary Bodies and Social Enterprise
Mark Sharman: Chief Executive, Help and Care
Peter Wanless: Chief Executive, Big Lottery Fund

SWF Member residential rate is just £125

It includes all meals, refreshments, activities for both days and overnight accommodation. Or book for the full programme without accommodation for £80 or choose an evening-only or day-only place for £50. Due to popular demand, exhibition spaces are now fully booked.
Click here to view the full programme. (266KB MS Word document)

To book your place, email Marilyne Johnson with:

  • your full contact details
  • any dietary or access requirements and
  • whether you want a 24hr residential, evening-only, day-only or 24hr non-residential place.

We're looking forward to seeing you there.

We are the champions!

As a founding partner of the South West Regional Compact, South West Forum is absolutely delighted that the South West Regional Compact Partners have won the Compact Excellence Award for collaborative working at regional level.

The winners of this year’s Compact Awards were announced on Wednesday 5 November 2008 at an awards ceremony in London hosted by Sir Bert Massie CBE, the Commissioner for the Compact and South West organisations were out in force.

Local South West Compact groups were well represented at the awards, with Gloucestershire Compact Group receiving a Compact Excellence Award as a finalist in the Local Compact of the Year 2008 and Devon Compact Group awarded a Highly Commended Certificate in the same category.

South West organisations even got a look in nationally, with the Compact Award for Excellence at a National Level collected by the Department of Health Third Sector Funding and Investment Review Project whose delegation at the award ceremony included Stephen Woollett, South West Forum Chief Executive.

Roger Haworth, SWF Policy and Sector Development Officer said:

"This award is a wonderful recognition of the work we have done in the South West to build better relationships between the public sector and the voluntary and community sector. The South West Regional Compact signed in 2004 was the first ever regional Compact. Since then the regional partners have worked together to improve the quality of life for everyone in the region. However the current economic and environmental difficulties make the need for effective partnership working even more urgent and we must not become complacent."

Nigel Williams, the Partnership Manager of the South West Regional Development Agency was equally delighted with winning the award:

"I'm very proud as an individual, as a representative of the Agency and the Regional Compact Partners, that the shared principles and values we recognised in the Regional Compact in 2004, are still shared today; this award marks our collective commitment from the past, but I believe it also sets a high standard for us to aspire to in the future."

The South West Regional Compact partner organisations are:
Black South West Network, Citizens Advice (South Area), Creating Excellence, Equality South West, faithnetsouthwest, Government Office for the South West, Jobcentre Plus (South West Region), National Offender Management Service (SW Regional Manager’s Office), Natural England, South West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, South West Forum, South West Councils, South West of England Regional Development Agency, South West Regional Assembly and SWAN – The South West ACRE Network.

Find out more about SW Regional Compact Group at www.southwestforum.org.uk/index.php?content=com

Sir Bert Massie CBE said:

"I would like to congratulate the South West Regional Compact Partners for winning the Compact Award for Excellence at a Regional Level. The quality of entrants for this year’s awards was extremely high and the judging panel was very impressed with the level of commitment to the Compact. All of our finalists demonstrate how the Compact can be a living document that influences action and encourages both sectors to work together to improve and enhance the services and support they offer to the public."

South West Regional Compact group members (L-R) Nigel Williams (SWRDA), David Curtis (GOSW), Andy Youl (SWRDA) and Roger Haworth (SWF) with Sir Bert Massie CBE (centre) at the Awards ceremony.

Infrastructure Co-ordinator appointed

Welcome to Georgie Constable who joins us as our new Infrastructure Development Co-ordinator. Georgie picks up the baton from Jean Erskine who has been filling in on a consultancy basis since the end of Jaclyn Cross's secondment.

Those of you involved in the Infrastructure Development Partnership will have already heard from Georgie - and those coming to conference and the NAVCA SW regional meeting will see her there.

Contact Georgie on 01392 823758 / georgie@southwestforum.org.uk

Current Vacancies

To view vacancies and details of SWF job advertising service, please visit www.southwestforum.org.uk/jobs. You may also wish to visit www.vistajobs.org.uk for voluntary and community sector jobs in Somerset and beyond.

Policy Officer and Knowledge Manager

Salary: £28,000 - £32,000
Location: Bristol
Hours: 30hrs
Contract: 4yrs

We are looking for an experienced Knowledge manager /policy officer with demonstrable understanding of current government policies & knowledge management tools and systems.

In this post you will support BSWN in delivering a programme that is aimed at influencing policy, promoting, protecting and building the capacity of BME third sector in the South West.

Utilising knowledge management skills, policy tool kits and methodologies, your role will include:

  • Working with the Project Director to identify and develop key policy areas
  • Managing the organisation’s information service
  •  Assembling, Interpreting and analysing information
  • Maintain contact as appropriate with partners and other external organisations
  •  Work effectively and collaboratively with all other stakeholders
  • Maintain a knowledge management system
  • Work is largely office-based with attendance at meetings, events and conference usually a feature of the work

Closing Date Friday 21st November 2008.

Contact: Sado Jirde, Black South West Network
5 Russell Town Ave, Redfield, Bristol BS5 9LT
Tel: 0117 939 6648
E-mail: sado@bswn.org.uk www.bswn.org.uk

Chief Executive

faithnetsouthwest is seeking a dynamic and committed to drive forward this developing regional organisation.

You will lead a small team dedicated to supporting faith-inspired social action through partnership, and enabling all Faith Communities to be heard in policy and decision–making, locally, regionally and through national networks.

Location Currently in Bristol, with flexible working arrangements possible within the South West region

Salary £36,000 - £40,000 p.a. Contributory Pension Scheme

Applications by 12 noon on Friday 14th November 2008
Interviews Friday 21st November 2008

Visit www.faithnetsouthwest.org.uk

Download Chief Executive Brief (89KB MS Word document)

Contact Alison Paginton, ISR, 162 Pennywell Road, Bristol BS5 0TX
Tel. 0117 955 7430
Email alison@ccisr.org.uk for further information and an application pack

Exeter Take Part Pathfinder

The Exeter Take Part Pathfinder project aims to increase the number and diversity of people ‘taking part’ in civil and civic roles, decision-making and community leadership, and to identify and reduce barriers to participation. A key objective will be to identify those in the community currently under-represented and enable them to increase their understanding of democracy and influence in local decision making

As part of its preparation for this exciting new partnership project, Exeter CVS is seeking to employ the following staff from January 2009 until March 2011.

Development Worker and Tutor
Salary: £23,405 per annum pro rata related to NJC scp 28
28 hours per week

Develop and deliver a programme of learning for citizens, within a community context and offer access to accreditation for citizenship learning and skills development

Information and Publicity Officer
Salary: £16,941 per annum pro rata related to NJC scp 18
21 hours per week

Research information and publicity on civil and civic roles, design information, publicity and learning materials

Project Administrator
Salary: £15,247 per annum pro rata related to NJC scp 13
21 hours per week

Provide general administrative support to the project and tutors and liaise with learners. Organise meetings, training venues and events

All posts are subject to confirmation of funding.

Closing Date: 9am on Wednesday 26 November
Interview date: 2 / 3 / 4 December 2008

For an application form see: www.exetercvs.org.uk
or contact Exeter CVS, Wat Tyler House,
King William Street, Exeter, EX4 6PD
Tel: 01392 202055 Email: cvs@exetercvs.org.uk