Community and Voluntary News December 2007

According to research by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the number of people employed in the voluntary sector has risen by a quarter in the last ten years. The report also shows that government funding has only increased by 1.5% since 2001, that grants were 52% of funding in 2001/2 but only 38% in 2004/5, and that contracts were 48% in 2001/2 and 62% in 2004/5. For more information see UK Voluntary Sector Workforce Almanac on our publications section
The government’s programme to improve support for the voluntary sector has announced that £18million is to be given in grants to boost assistance for groups working in disadvantaged communities. The Change Up programme will give 100 grants of up to £150,000 through its CapacityBuilders Improving Reach programme. Support services which will be funded are advice and training, covering areas such as governance, computing, performance, and volunteering. For more information see The Change Up Fund on our funding database.
Research by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies claims that domestic violence, personal injury and divorce are more common among the poorest and most vulnerable. 60% of people who are socially excluded have reported being the victims of more than one civil justice problem compared to 28% of non-socially excluded people. For more details see http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/
A study published by the Commission for Compact, which oversees the relationship between the government and the third sector, claims that funding programmes are failing to pay for the full cost of projects. Out of 41 funding programmes, only 16 paid for direct costs of service provision and overheads. For more information see http://www.thecompact.org.uk/
A survey by the Workforce Hub has found that in England 24%, and in Wales 27% of employers have reported hard to fill vacancies in their organisations. The survey questioned 2,500 charities and concluded that skills shortages are a major driver of hard to fill vacancies. The gaps are most in evident in marketing, HR and fundraising. For more details visit see The Workforce Hub on our publications section.
The charity V, which encourages youth volunteering, has launched a new £75million programme. Vinvolved aims to help half a million 16-25 year olds make a difference in their communities. For more details see Charity V Programme on our funding database.
The government scheme to pay firms to train workers in management skills, computing and basic maths will be extended to the voluntary sector. Train to Gain is funded by the Dept for Innovation, Universities and Skills. For more information see http://www.traintogain.gov.uk/