Walsall Voluntary Action

NHS Walsall Bidder Information Event

ian — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:03:53 +0000

NHS Walsall is currently advertising a contract for the operation, management and part-funding of an In-Patient Palliative Care Facility.

An information event for prospective bidders is being held on Thursday 11 March at the Village Hotel, Tempus Drive, Tempus Ten, Walsall WS2 8TJ, from 11:00am to 1:00pm. The event will provide potential bidders with the opportunity to clarify any points arising from the contract and to find out more about the procurement objectives and requirements of NHS Walsall.

To register for the event, please complete the registration form below and email it to procurement@walsall.nhs.uk.

PCC Bidder Event - Registration Form

Age Concern Walsall seeks Trustees

ian — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:21:01 +0000

Age Concern Walsall is a trusted charitable organisation within the borough that aims to improve the quality of life for older people by actively working to promote choice, independence, inclusion and dignity whilst working to overcome isolation, exclusion and discrimination.

The charity is now looking to recruit new members onto its Trustee Board. Trustees have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the charity and must ensure it is solvent, well run and delivers the charitable outcomes for older people within Walsall.

Age Concern Walsall is looking for Trustees who have the skills and experience to take forward the organisation’s aims and objectives and help to meet the inevitable challenges of supporting an ageing population. You must have a willingness to devote the necessary time and effort into effectively overseeing the Charity which will include attendance at monthly board meetings.

Age Concern Walsall offer a full induction programme so previous experience serving on a Board of Trustees is not necessary. However experience and skills in other professional environments will be essential - eg HR, Marketing, General Business & Finance.

To find out more about these challenging but rewarding positions, please telephone Davina Lytton, Chief Officer, for an informal chat. For an application form and job description please call Cheryl Cumbley 01922 638825 or email cheryl@ageconcernwalsall.org.uk.

Walsall Bite Size launches 2010 Directory

ian — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:12:13 +0000

A comprehensive guide to free adult learning taster sessions available across the borough of Walsall has been launched.

Walsall Bite Size is being promoted by the Walsall Lifelong Learning Alliance and the Black Country Learning and Skills Council to encourage adults into trying something different through short, free taster sessions.

Details of the sessions can be found in the new Walsall Bite Size Directory, which is being distributed to households and community facilities across the area. You can also view a copy of the Directory and catch up on the latest news by visting the Walsall Bite Size website here.

West Midlands Later Life Forum Launch Event

ian — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:18:02 +0000

The West Midlands Later Life Forum and Assembly will be holding their inaugural meeting on Monday 29^th March 2010 at Carrs Lane Church Centre, Birmingham. The Assembly and Forum will provide a regional voice for the views and aspirations of older people. If you are an older person or you currently work in the Local Authority, PCT’s, or voluntary and community organisations at local, regional or sub-regional level and have experience of later life issues your attendance is welcomed.

Please contact laterlife@gowm.gsi.gov.uk for more information on the event or to reserve your place.

Putting People First in Adult Care

ian — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:38:01 +0000

Walsall Council’s People First Team have published a briefing pack for local voluntary and community organisations on the personalisation of adult social care services.Personalised services are being introduced under the Putting People First initiative. This is an agreement between national and local government and other organisations about the changes required to adult social care to ensure that people have more choice and control over the social care services they receive.

The briefing pack outlines Walsall’s plans for self directed support, which is part of a national programme related to personalisation. Self directed support starts with the individual, rather than the service. Instead of a social worker or other professional assessing the individual and their needs, the individual will be supported to assess themselves. They will talk about what they need and want out of life and develop a support plan to achieve it. The person won’t be limited to the ‘usual’ type of services and support such as day care, home care or meals on wheels. They will be encouraged to think about different, less traditional ways of getting support, using family, friends, community groups and organisations.

The briefing pack provides an update on the operating model developed by the People First team - the “Citizen’s Journey”. To access the pack, please follow the links below.

An introduction to self directed support

What’s it all about?

The Citizen’s Journey

The Citizen’s Journey explained

Frequently Asked Questions

IYPSS Competitive Grants Programme placed on hold

ian — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:17:10 +0000

Walsall Children’s Trust has announced that the Integrated Young People’s Support Service Competitive Grants Programme is being placed on hold.

All current and potential applicants have been informed of the decision and the Trust will be announcing a new timescale for the programme shortly. Work is also being undertaken to align the grants programme with Walsall’s new neighbourhood management areas.

Walsall Voluntary Action will make sure that the sector is kept informed as to developments - so keep an eye on our website for further details!

Your chance to comment on Walsall’s Children and Young People’s Plan

ian — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:17:52 +0000

Walsall Children’s Trust is seeking comments on a draft ‘refreshed’ Children and Young People’s Plan. The three year plan is now in its second year of operation.Each year, the Trust reviews the progress made on the plan’s priorities and updates its analysis of local needs. As a result, the Trust have changed some of the success measures. These are shown in the refreshed plan, along with the key actions to deliver improved outcomes for children and young people in Walsall. A copy of the draft plan can be viewed by following the link below. The Trust is keen to hear your views on the refreshed version. If you have any comments, please email them to Laura Wells at wellsl@walsall.gov.uk, by 5^th March 2010.

The final refreshed plan will be approved by the Children and Young People’s Trust Executive Group on 31^st March 2010 and will be made available on the Children’s Trust website on 1^st April 2010.

Walsall Children and Young People’s Plan: Draft Refreshed Version

Core Finance and Admin Assistant - Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council

ian — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:15:15 +0000

Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council supports voluntary groups and organisations across the City to operate effectively, works to “champion” the sector, and runs a number of projects ensuring that the voices of “experts by experience” are central to decisions about services.

To further develop their capacity, WVSC’s Core Finance and Admin Team have created the following new post:

Core Finance and Admin Assistant (12 month contract)

Salary NJC points 14 - 17: £15,725 - £16,830

37 Hours per week

The successful applicant will also have the opportunity of joining the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Assisting both the Office Manager and the Finance Officer in the day to day operations of WVSC’s Core Finance and Admin Team, you will be:

Very numerate with excellent communication skills
IT literate
Interested in working for the voluntary and community sector

For more information or an application pack and job description, contact Hema Birdi on 01902 773761. Alternatively, you can download these documents by following the link here.

Walsall Council - Victims Champion: Anti Social Behaviour/Young Victims

ian — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:29:03 +0000

Walsall Council is seeking a Victims Champion, for a fixed term 12 month contract working for 25 hours per week. The salary will be between £24,646 and £26,276 per annum (pro-rata to hours worked).

This is an opportunity to deliver a support service to victims and witnesses of anti-social behaviour in Walsall. As the Council’s Victims and Witnesses Champion, you will be responsible for developing and promoting this new borough-wide service. The ability to work in partnership with other agencies is a key requirement. You will also need to be motivated, organised and have experience of direct work in statutory, voluntary, social and community settings.

Proven verbal and written communication skills are essential, together with experience of recording and monitoring statistical information. The ability to work effectively and sensitively with a range of people and agencies is central to this role as is the ability to engage effectively with young victims of crime.

The deadline for completed applications is 22 February 2010 and interviews will take place in early March. To access the job description and application forms, please follow the link here.

Making the voice of the West Midlands heard in Westminster

ian — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:39:22 +0000

Westminster is coming to the Midlands on Monday 22 February, as the House of Commons’ West Midlands Regional Committee holds a special session in Birmingham.

The Committee will be discussing how the people of the West Midlands can make their voices better heard in Westminster and will look at ways of making sure that regional bodies such as Advantage West Midlands and other government agencies are as effective as possible in serving local people.

The Commons Committee was appointed in March last year to examine the work of regional bodies and the regional strategies that are designed to guide investment and development. It has so far produced two reports, the first looking at how regional businesses fared in the downturn, and the second looking at the problems the people of the region have faced, and the help that they have been offered, in dealing with economic difficulties.

The Committee now wants to prompt a discussion about how official bodies based in the region might change to provide the best possible service to the people who live here, and how best to make the voice of the region heard in Westminster and throughout central government.

This meeting is not a formal evidence gathering session, but is intended to be a participative event where all who attend can play an active part. Richard Burden MP, Chairman of the Committee, will open the meeting by talking about the work of the Committee, what it has uncovered in its inquiries so far and how it might work with other bodies to act as a channel to present the views of the region to the Government.

Professor Graham Pearce, of Aston University, will talk about regional bodies, how they work together and the extent to which there is such a thing as regional government in the West Midlands.

The session will then be open for contributions from the invited audience, with other members of the Committee also participating. Amongst those invited will be representatives of regional bodies, local authorities, business groups and unions. The Committee is particularly keen to encourage representatives of local voluntary and community groups to attend, in order to gain as broad a picture as possible of how people would like to see the structures in the region evolve.

The Committee intends to produce a report following this meeting, highlighting the issues discussed and setting out the agreed conclusions of those present on the key issues raised during the discussions

The meeting will take place on Monday 22 February at 10.30 am at the Lakeside Centre, Conference Aston, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET. To book your place, e-mail regionalcommittees@parliament.uk or telephone 020 7219 0280.