Community First briefing

Lorna PrescottSenior Development Officer

Dudley CVS

lorna@dudleycvs.org.uktwitter.com/dosticen

Community First

• Communities coming together to identify their strengths and local priorities

• Communities planning for their future and become more resilient.

Community First

• £80m government-funded initiative (Cabinet Office)

• Runs until March 2015 • Two elements:

– a £30m Neighbourhood Matched Fund programme  allocated to some wards

– a national £50m Endowment Match Challenge

• Managed by the Community Development Foundation (CDF)

Community Organisers

• Aims to link to the Community Organisers programme wherever possible to further support social action in communities.It’s probably up to us locally to make the links

• The Community Organiser programme is managed by nationally by Locality, local host is CfED

Eligible Wards

• Belle Vale  £33,910• Brierley Hill £67,820 • Brockmoor and Pensnett £84,775 • Castle and Priory £67,820 • Cradley and Wollescote £33,910 • Netherton, Woodside and St Andrews £84,775 • Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood £33,910 • St James's £118,685 • St Thomas's £84,775 Allocations are for the whole 4 year period

Getting started

• People, groups and organisations in the eligible wards need to register with the Community Development Foundation (panel set up guidance available).

• Work together to set up a local panel • Set up a website. • Asks people in the ward to suggest priorities

for action.• Decide upon projects for funding in the ward.

Panels must…

• Be 4 – 8 people in number, aged over 18 years

• Be people who live in the ward or an existing group/organisation based or working in the ward

• Take on Community First responsibilities and agree a Terms of Reference

Panel partner

• Each Community First Panel is required to nominate a Panel Partner to provide support to the panel.

• Panel Partners hold and distribute expenses.

• They help to unlock funding to their area, and allow projects to begin to benefit the community.

• The panel partner should be a local registered charity or voluntary organisation, preferably (although not necessarily) in the ward the panel where the panel is based.

The funding

• Can fund both new and existing community groups.

• Every £1 provided in Community First funding must be matched by a similar amount of in-kind donations - this means donations of cash, services, free products or volunteer time.

• Funding given directly from CDF to the funded organisations (not through the panel).

What’s not on offer in the national programme

• Support other than a phone line at CDF

• Resources to buy in support or training

• Activity to bring panels together to share ideas, information, issues and concerns

• Support around social media, engagement, influence …

Our local offer

• Promotion of Community First • A shared blogsite and other online

networking• Free face-to-face networking events for

interested groups and emerging/formed panels

• Facilitating links between Community First Panels and key partners, including new community organisers

Our local offer

• Access to free training sessions in community engagement, facilitation skills, working in inclusive ways, focus groups, survey design

• Support developing and maintaining online presence (community website or blog)

• Access to free support in setting up blogs and other online sharing through Social Media Surgeries

• Free workshops on community influence (using the Voice framework)

Event on 15 December

Community First Information and Networking event 

• Give information about Community First, Neighbourhood Matched Fund and 9 wards in Dudley are eligible for.

• Enable people interested in being part of Community First Panels to meet each other face-to-face and find out what they each have to offer.

• Show people ways they can share and keep in touch online

• Find out which offers of support from Dudley CVS are likely to be taken up, and by which areas.

Websites

• www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/community-first • www.dudleycommunityfirst.posterous.com • www.cocollaborative.org.uk (Community

Organisers)

• Panel websites/blogsites will develop. CDF are providing guidance on using Posterous. Council officers will be blocked from these sites as they are web 2.0