Anne Milton

WGSA ELECTION PROCESS Nominations for council members will be extended until 23 June 2024 at 12h00. Nominate members here: https://bit.ly/WGSA2024AGM Voting for Election of the 2024/2025 WGSA Council will open at 12h00 on 24 June 2024 and will remain open until 19h00 on 27 June 2024. Existing council members need no nomination but need to confirm that they are members in good standing (fully paid up) and that they are prepared to stand for another cycle. Their standing must be seconded. Full Members may nominate themselves or may be nominated by another Full or Candidate member. If they are nominated by another member, the nominee needs to confirm via email that they accept the nomination. Nominees must be members in good standing (paid up members). See List of FULL WGSA members shared on the WGSA WhatsApp and Telegram groups. If nominated and accepted, please send a short bio (max 500 words), head and shoulders photo, and one paragraph (200 words max) on how you intend to contribute to council, if elected before 23 June 2024, 12h00 Voting members may ask direct questions of any of the nominees via [email protected], and nominees are expected to respond to the best of their ability. Electronic voting will take place via SURVS. Every voting member will get the link and the system will only allow one person to vote per link to ensure that every member only votes once. If two members reside at the same premises and make use of the same computer, the second person will need to contact [email protected].

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Insightful report that clearly articulates the current challenges

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Ever wonder where the learning from Connect Northamptonshire is landing? This webinar from the National Lottery"s Community Fund and The Innovation Unit brings together insights from all 12 grant holders of the #Health Equalities Grant Stronger together: Insights into forging deeper relationships between health and the voluntary sector Date & Time Oct 23, 2024 09:30 in Tackling health inequalities is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. We know that this sort of complex, transformational change can’t be done by one organisation alone. It requires a deep commitment to working in partnership across sectors, and finding new ways to address the root causes of those inequalities. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund’s Health Equalities programme has been supporting 12 partnerships across England to develop effective and sustainable partnerships between the voluntary, public and community sector, to improve health and wellbeing, reduce health inequalities and empower communities. Join this online event to hear from the Health Equality Grantees about their experiences of cross-sector partnership so far, and collectively explore how to strengthen partnerships between health and the VCSE sector. This event is free to join and open to all. It will be especially of interest to people who are either interested in or working to reduce inequalities or strengthening cross-sector partnerships. Find out more and registerhere: https://ow.ly/BFm550TKTSq

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Following a damning report on the regulator's failings, OACP sets out 10 things we believe need to change at CQC: https://conta.cc/3Sodx5q

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Legacy Futures' new report Building Better Futures in Legacy Fundraising is out now, available to download for FREE. We're pleased to have contributed to this important report, which explores the recruitment and retention crisis facing the legacy sector and provides strategic and practical recommendations that charities could take to help overcome the challenges. Read more and download the report here: https://lnkd.in/gfxT9MVD #Legacy #Fundraising #Recruitment #Report

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How can your charity take action on environmental issues? Our new guide explains how in 4 steps: including key actions to take, key questions to ask, and how to address common concerns. All alongside inspiring case studies and links to further resources: https://lnkd.in/ehSpY8SW

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Six questions charities should think about to ensure they have the right practices and policies in place when insuring and employing volunteers. Read more in #TheCover: https://bit.ly/4fOpziK

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The latest from FRRR (Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal). DCPM are proud supporters of FRRR and the important work they do. More funding for mental health initiatives in remote, rural and regional areas More funding is now on offer to support mental health projects in remote, rural and regional communities, thanks to new supporters of FRRR’s In a Good Place grants program, with grants of up to $20,000 are now available. First established in 2018 with the support of CCI Giving, the program’s focus has been on supporting community-driven initiatives that reduce social isolation, increase social participation and connectedness, and increase help-seeking for people within rural, regional and remote communities who are at risk of, or are experiencing, mental health issues. Now the IAGP program is expanding, adding a stream focussed on farmers and farming communities, following the recent National Farmer Wellbeing Report, which was presented at a recent mental health and wellbeing forum, hosted by National Farmers Federation (NFF). The Report called for additional funding and support, which prompted six new partners who have committed to the program for three years, ensuring dedicated funding for farmers and farming communities from 2024-2026. In total, $1,063,000 has been committed over the next three years. FRRR’s CEO, Natalie Egleton, said that the insights shared by farmers and farmer advocates, reaffirm the relevance of the In a Good Place program, and the role it can play in supporting the wellbeing of farming communities. The expanded program supports a range of approaches that are preventative or responsive in nature, reduce social isolation by increasing social participation and connectedness, and reduce stigma surrounding mental health by encouraging open discussion and supporting self-help-seeking. Communities of less 10,000 will receive priority. Grants of up to $20,000 are available from a funding pool of at least $290,000. Grants are available via two streams: Community wellbeing – focussing on mental health and wellbeing within remote, rural and regional communities; Farmers and farming communities – supporting mental health and wellbeing of farmers and the communities they live in. Applications are via an expression of interest process, with EOIs due 30 April, with final applications for those shortlisted due 15 May. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/gyXuDzB. Read the full article here - https://lnkd.in/gRMyxzPn #resilientcommunities #frrr #regionalaustralia

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I have just signed this open letter to the Chancellor, and I urge all leaders of charities and voluntary organisations to do the same. Charities are increasingly struggling to make ends meet. Many have had to reduce services, make job cuts, or even close their doors entirely. At the same time, the expectation from central and local government seems to be that we will continue to take on the heavy burden of providing essential, and often life saving services to vulnerable people, because statutory services are no longer able to do so. It seems incomprehensible, therefore, that the government, would further increase the financial pressure on charities by failing to include an exemption to the increase in employers NIC, as they have done for public sector organisations. This short-sighted approach is going to cost even a smaller charity such as Trauma Breakthrough many thousands of pounds per year, and medium to large charities are facing five and six figure increases to their wage bills. This is something we simply cannot afford. It means that more charities will go under and many more will have to reduce or close services. The government has proclaimed loudly that it wants to form a new covenant with 'civil society'. These are fine words, but the government needs to understand that unless it makes immediate practical changes to its policies, the voluntary and charity organisations that make up civil society may not be around long enough to participate.

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Good governance is the essential foundation to running your charity successfully. 👍 Take time this #TrusteesWeek to brush up on core topics with our recently updated guides: https://lnkd.in/esCe7z-e ✅ Charity finances ✅ Decision-making ✅ Charity meetings

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The new government has promised a ‘fair pay agreement’ for social care, setting out minimum pay, terms and conditions. Our new report in collaboration with the Nuffield Trust sets out five policy options that could form part of the government’s approach to social care pay: ➡️ Better enforcement of economy-wide, statutory minimum wages ➡️ Uplifts to economy-wide, statutory minimum wages ➡️ Bonus payments ➡️ A sector-specific minimum wage for social care, set above the National Living Wage ➡️ A national sector pay scale, similar to Agenda for Change in the NHS. These proposals have a mix of aims, including improving recruitment and retention and ensuring parity with the NHS, and could be introduced in combination. Increasing wages alone won't solve the workforce crisis in social care; wider reforms are also needed to improve the lives of thousands of care workers and the quality of people’s care. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/esQDKyZx [Alt text: Research report, July 2024 From ambition to reality Lucinda Allen, Nina Hemmings, Cyril Lobont, Hanan Burale, Ruth Thorlby, Hugh Alderwick, Natasha Curry]

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What are the challenges brought by a change of government? Register for our Community Cuppa and join the conversation. 📅 Date: August 16th 🔗 Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/ebtkRcfc #CommunityCuppa #GovernmentChange #Challenges #JoinUs

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Investing in prevention is the way forward for Health and Social Care. We're encouraged by recent discussions from health ministers pushing for increased Treasury funding for prevention projects, which aligns with our focus at Attenti in assisting local authorities with building an informed and sustainable prevention strategy. https://buff.ly/3ZSW6yr Investing in early intervention not only alleviates pressure on social care services but also fosters healthier, more resilient communities by identifying those who would benefit from early support. We believe in a proactive, person-centered approach that will prevent the rise of complex cases by addressing issues before they arise. Learn more about our prevention strategies: https://buff.ly/3XxyPAJ Or contact Betty Lu at [email protected] for more details. #preventativeservices #socialcare #socialcarereform

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