Life enhancing,
enterprising voluntary
action at the heart of
vibrant communities in
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services
Registered Office:
36/38 High Street
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA61 2DA
Telephone: 01437 769422
Website: www.pavs.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
Company Limited by Guarantee
Registered Number: 3343059
Registered Charity Number: 1063289
VAT Reg. No. 103 9978 92
An
nu
al R
evie
w
2
PAVS acknowledges, with thanks, funding from the
following sources:
FUNDING SOURCES
3
PAVS’ Mission, Strategic Aims and Values
PAVS Mission, Strategic Aims and Values The Association has been established as the County Voluntary Council for Pembrokeshire. Its membership is made up of voluntary and community groups and social enterprises (collectively known as "the third sector") operating in Pembrokeshire. The Mission Statement for the Association states that PAVS exists to: Encourage voluntary activity Support its members Engage with the public and private sector, and Promote the vision espoused by the third sector in Pembrokeshire In the Business Plan approved by the Board in 2011, the following strategic aims are identified:
To encourage voluntary activity PAVS will:
Build capacity within the third sector by offering information, advice, training, funding and development support, ICT support and consultancy,
Provide facilities and offer support services through the Pembrokeshire Centre for Voluntary Action,
Run a small grants scheme, Promote volunteering in the community, and; Expand its membership base.
To support its full and associate members PAVS will:
Accumulate an evidence base to contribute towards their policy development, funding applications and procurement bids,
Assist them in identifying, and where possible quantifying, their outcomes and impacts, and
Offer discounts on training, ICT support and consultancy.
To engage with the public and private sectors PAVS will:
Represent local third sector views to statutory bodies, and; Undertake partnership working with public and private sector organisations.
To promote the vision of the third sector in Pembrokeshire PAVS will:
Develop networks linking third sector organisations with similar objectives, and; Discover opportunities by identifying market failures, policy failures and unmet needs. PAVS has agreed a set of values and approaches that guide the way that the Association will deliver its mission and strategic aims. The values that PAVS has adopted are: Enthusiasm
Competence
Inclusiveness
Collaboration
Innovation
Sustainability
4
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
During the year under review, Welsh Government published two White Papers for public consultation under the banner “Devolution, Democracy and Delivery”. The first focused on Local Government reform, based on the recommendations in the report published by the Williams’ Commission. The second was entitled “Power to Local People” and set out ideas for new models of public service delivery. Both papers point to a clear direction of travel - active citizens working closely with town & community councillors and elected members to design and deliver community-led local services.
Despite the local focus, Welsh Government pressure on County Voluntary Councils (like PAVS) to work in formal regional structures continues to build. The Minister has made it clear in a recent letter to CVC Chairs and Chief Officers that she does not expect to fund more than one Third Sector Infrastructure (TSI) body in each new local authority area following local government reform. More recently, guidance that CVC’s should not merge before the new structure of local government has crystallised has been ostentatiously withdrawn. So we need to navigate a treacherous course in poor visibility. Our strategy is to fashion flexible collaborative regional structures that could adjust to whatever emerges and also channel grant-in-aid to Community Voluntary Councils operating within the current county boundaries.
During the year under review, I am pleased to report that PAVS has continued to work closely with local third sector organisations and statutory partners to support volunteering; third sector development; citizen voice, and engagement in strategic and service planning processes. In addition, we have strengthened our regional working relationship with our CVC partners in Mid & West Wales. We have produced a Regional Delivery Plan for 2015-16; developed a regional on-line directory of third sector services; delivered shared contracts; held regional management and leadership meetings and made good use of technology to overcome the challenges of geography. We are committed to working regionally in order to protect and enhance front-line services that support voluntary and community groups and social enterprises in Pembrokeshire.
Looking ahead, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act is the first legislation to embed sustainable development as the central organising principle for the provision of statutory services. PAVS is a signatory to the Welsh Government Sustainable Development Charter and the Board has formally adopted an approach to sustainable development based on the stewardship of five capital stocks (human, social, cultural, natural and built). This is very much in line with the new Act. PAVS is keen to work with statutory and third sector partners on the basis of this approach and the underlying principles to build a sustainable future for Pembrokeshire communities.
Good governance is absolutely essential to the long-term success of any organisation. So I am deeply indebted to the Trustees who served on the Board during this year which ended in March 2015. They freely give their time, skills, knowledge and experience for the benefit of the Association. I remain wholly confident that the Board will continue to provide a strong strategic lead to PAVS in the year ahead.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the PAVS staff team for their incredible hard work and commitment to the Association in what was a very difficult year. Five European funded projects came to an end during the year, resulting in nine members of staff leaving the Association either to take up new posts or through redundancy. Sadly, one member of staff died very suddenly at the end of March, and our thoughts remain with his family and friends. Finally, I would like to thank you, our members and supporters from the voluntary sector, our funders and our partners, for your ongoing support and encouragement. PAVS certainly could not do it without you, and we look forward to continuing to work with you.
John Gossage, Chair
Chair’s Foreword
5
Chief Officer’s Report
PERFORMING WELL IN DIFFICULT TIMES I am delighted to report that this has been yet another busy and successful year for PAVS due to the hard work of a talented and committed staff team and the strategic leadership of Board members. PAVS has again performed extremely well against the targets set out in the Infrastructure Partnership Agreement with Welsh Government and in the various Service Level Agreements held with statutory partners, in particular, Pembrokeshire County Council and Hywel Dda University Health Board.
Last year, the Board re-stated its commitment to getting more money out to the Pembrokeshire third sector. I am pleased to say that during the year PAVS distributed £209,631 in grants to local third sector groups. This includes a total of £48,141 distributed to 14 groups through a new Caring Communities Innovation Grant, funded by the Welsh Government Intermediate Care Fund and administered by PAVS on behalf of Pembrokeshire County Council. The success of this grant scheme has been recognised as best practice and we will shortly be announcing the continuation of the grant for a further two years.
Our Business Plan includes the strategic aim that PAVS should strengthen its relationship with the private sector with a view to securing a higher level of investment of time, money and resources in the Pembrokeshire third sector. During the year, PAVS took a major step towards achieving this aim with the launch of a new partnership with South Hook LNG, the first formal partnership between PAVS and a private sector business. The partnership has already seen the transfer to PAVS of the administration of the South Hook LNG Community Development Fund; sponsorship of the Community Zone at the Pembrokeshire County Show; and support for the South Hook LNG employee volunteering programme. I am sure there is much more yet to come! PAVS looks forward to strengthening this partnership over time, and to developing similar relationships with other private sector organisations.
As mentioned above, PAVS has continued to provide the full range of services expected of County Voluntary Councils as set out in the National Core Services Framework. Each element of the service has delivered some notable achievements during the year, as detailed later in the Annual Review. Once again, I would like to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of the whole staff team. Your achievements speak for themselves.
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to a number of colleagues during the year as they left the Association either to take up new posts or through redundancy, as European funded projects came to an end. In March, one colleague died very suddenly, which shocked and saddened the whole staff team. Losing talented, skilled, knowledgeable and experienced staff is something that no organisation wants to go through, and PAVS is no exception. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our former colleagues for their contribution to PAVS over the years. We continue to miss you all.
I would also like to thank the Board of Trustees for their support and guidance during the year under the excellent leadership of the Chair of the Board, John Gossage. Once again, John has devoted a huge amount of time to PAVS over the year, attending numerous local, regional and national meetings and always being there to provide advice and practical, hands-on support whenever needed. There are tough times ahead as we face core funding reductions of up to 40% over the next 4 years. However, I remain confident that the Board has the right mix of skills and experience to secure the long-term future of PAVS and the local delivery of services to the sector.
Finally and most importantly, we have once again appreciated the support offered to us this year by our members, service users, funders, and colleagues in the voluntary sector and our statutory partners. We look forward to continuing to work with you all in the coming years.
Sue Leonard, Chief Officer
6
PAVS’ People - The Trustee Board
Trustee Board for 2014 following AGM held on 06 December 2013
Dilys Fletcher John Gossage (Chair) Robin Mogg James Parkin (Vice Chair) Simon Preddy Bernard Scourfield Marc Tierney Alan Thomas Beryl Thomas-Cleaver Phill Vickery
Trustees with Special Responsibility (TSR)
TSR Finance:
Bernard Scourfield
Special Advisor: Vacant
Trustee Board for 2015 following AGM held on 05 December 2014
Dilys Fletcher John Gossage (Chair) Rosemary Mecklenburgh Robin Mogg James Parkin (Vice Chair) Simon Preddy Bernard Scourfield Marc Tierney Alan Thomas Phill Vickery
Trustees with Special Responsibility (TSR)
TSR Finance:
Bernard Scourfield
Special Advisor: Cllr Keith Lewis
John Gossage Chair
Robin Mogg
Dilys Fletcher
Phill Vickery
Simon Preddy
Bernard Scourfield
TSR Finance
Beryl Thomas-Cleaver
Alan Thomas
James Parkin Vice-Chair
Marc Tierney
Rosemary Mecklenburgh
7
PAVS’ People - The Staff Team
Full list of all staff in post between 1st April 2014 and 31st March 2015
Chris Allman ICT Technical & Development Support Officer - Third Sector Rural Circuit Rider
Mike Beckett Communities 2.0 Digital Champion Learning & Development Officer
Sue Blantern Communities 2.0 Circuit Rider
Julie Campbell Investors in Carers County Development Officer
Michelle Copeman Third Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator
Tim Fletcher Sustainable Organisation Development Officer - Collaborative Communities
Lara Herde Enterprising Communities Development Officer
Lee Hind Third Sector Link Officer - Children & Families
Josh Hoole Communities 2.0 Project Manager
Anne Isaac Sustainable Organisation Development Officer - Collaborative Communities
Sue James-Davies Senior Administrative Officer
Vanessa John Senior Learning & Development Officer
Julie Kirk Local Service Board Link Officer - Making the Connections
Sue Leonard Chief Officer
Lorna Livock Sustainable Organisation Development Officer - Collaborative Communities
Nathan Mathias Finance Clerk
Anna Morgan Trainee Finance Assistant
Lindsay Morgan Administrative Assistant - Communities 2.0 & Volunteering Pembrokeshire
Jean Morris Volunteering/Youth Volunteering Officer
Angela Phillips Voluntary Sector Broker
Louise Raine-Lower Administrative Assistant
Liz Roach Voluntary Sector Broker
Judith Roberts Senior Finance Officer
Jayne Smith Communities 2.0 Digital Inclusion Worker
Carolyn Thomas Administrative Assistant
Caroline White Volunteering Pembrokeshire Co-ordinator
Alan Wilkinson Community Voice Portfolio Co-ordinator
Louise Wilkinson Finance Claims Officer/Community Voice Project Monitoring Officer
Cara Wilson Enterprising Communities Development Officer
8
PAVS’ Funding Picture for 2014/2015
Income for 2014/15
Expenditure for 2014/15
9
Wales Third Sector Infrastructure Partnership During the year, the Association has continued to provide the full range of services expected of County Voluntary Councils (CVCs) as set out in the Wales Third Sector Infrastructure Partnership Agreement. The current members of the Infrastructure Partnership are the Welsh Government; Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA); the Wales Association of County Voluntary Councils (WACVC) and independent volunteer centres. In future, there is an expectation that all volunteer centres will be integrated with the CVCs. PAVS is the County Voluntary Council for Pembrokeshire. The volunteer centre, Volunteering Pembrokeshire, is fully integrated within PAVS. The Third Sector Infrastructure Partnership Agreement with Welsh Government Agreement sets out 11 results under 3 broad outcomes, namely:
Active and involved citizens
A thriving and sustainable third sector
Effective engagement in policy
The terms of the Agreement are subject to the National Core Services Framework, which describes the full range of services to be delivered at a national level by WCVA and at a local/regional level by CVCs and Volunteer Centres. In addition, CVCs need to demonstrate that they are properly accountable to the third sector through their membership and governance structures and that they are well-managed. Membership numbers stood at 126 at year end and the Association extended its reach to around 1,000 third sector organisations. A Delivery Plan, which sets targets and describes activity for the coming year, is submitted annually to WCVA. Quarterly monitoring returns are made against 20 quantitative Key Performance Indicators. A qualitative report is submitted twice a year providing evidence of progress towards achieving the overall outcomes and impacts. The performance of all Infrastructure partners is reported to the Welsh Government at regular Partnership Review meetings. In 2014-2015 PAVS achieved an excellent or satisfactory outcome against the majority of performance indicators and performed strongly when benchmarked against the wider Partnership. Once again, PAVS’ qualitative impact report was identified as exemplary practice. The core funding that is received through the Infrastructure Partnership Agreement does not cover the full costs of delivering the service specifications described above, but is used to match and/or lever in additional project funding as required. Core funding available from the Welsh Government through the Infrastructure Partnership Agreement, together with that provided by Pembrokeshire County Council, only represents 11.6% of the total income for the year. All related claims and monitoring reports are submitted in line with funders’ requirements.
Third Sector Infrastructure Partnership
10
Outcome 1: Active and Involved Citizens This area of work covers the services delivered by Volunteering Pembrokeshire in terms of encouraging people to volunteer; recruiting and placing volunteers and providing best practice guidance and support to volunteer-involving organisations. The outcome is also delivered through PAVS’ citizen engagement activity, with a specific focus on engaging vulnerable groups of people in public service design through the Community Voice projects. Achievements
638 referrals received through the Volunteering Wales website
268 volunteers interviewed and referred to potential placements
20 presentations made to groups of potential volunteers
19 events attended to promote volunteering and publicise volunteering opportunities
3 employee volunteering initiatives supported in the public and private sector
28 young people awarded Millennium Volunteer certificates for long-term volunteering
£5,000 provided to Pembrokeshire Youth Bank to support youth-led projects
120 third sector volunteer initiatives supported to achieve best practice in volunteering
36 organisations provided with bespoke volunteer management support
23 volunteer e-bulletins disseminated to around 1,000 registered volunteers
34 e-bulletins sent to 200 members of the Pembrokeshire Volunteer Organisers Network
808 Facebook friends and 688 followers on Twitter received regular volunteering updates
6 categories of awards presented at the Pembrokeshire Volunteer of the Year ceremony
14 volunteers provided with advocacy support relating to benefit queries whilst volunteering
8 community-led projects received a total of £152,676 for citizen engagement activity
19 voluntary groups exhibited in the Community Zone at Pembrokeshire County Show
Primary funders – Volunteering Pembrokeshire
Welsh Government (through WCVA)
GwirVol (youth volunteering)
Port of Milford Haven (Treats for Time) Primary funders – Citizen Engagement
BIG Lottery - Community Voice
Making the Connections – Convergence ESF (managed by WCVA)
Pembrokeshire County Council
Hywel Dda Health Board
South Hook LNG (Community Zone)
Active and Involved Citizens
National Volunteers’ Week event 2014
11
Outcomes and impacts Result 1: More people in Wales benefiting from their volunteer involvement Volunteering makes a difference “Since I began at SPAN Arts, I’ve been given the opportunity to develop many skills, using online mailing systems and selling tickets to the public. This is valuable experience I can add to my CV”
Chelsea, SPAN Arts volunteer
“Volunteering helped me regain self-esteem and confidence. Being in care made me lose my self-esteem and I didn’t know anyone, but meeting new people helped me build my confidence. Volunteering also gave me a chance to use my Welsh. I enjoy volunteering and now that I’m Chair, I feel like I’m moving up the ladder”
Faye, now Chair of Ceredigion People First
“I feel like I have done something productive with my day and helped someone - it’s about much more than just what it looks like on a CV. I have found a position that I am passionate about. I didn’t know where to find these sort of opportunities until I spoke to PAVS and I’m so pleased that I have found something relevant.”
Ceri, volunteer mentor with SOVA Result 2: More communities benefiting from volunteers Employee Volunteering Volunteering Pembrokeshire has developed an Employee Volunteering Catalogue to promote employee volunteering to employers within the County. The catalogue hold details of suitable “task and finish” projects identified by volunteer-involving organisations across Pembrokeshire. During the year, Volunteering Pembrokeshire continued to promote and support employee volunteering initiatives. Pembrokeshire College ran their annual Make a Difference day for a third successive year. South Hook LNG organised two employee volunteering days, with teams of volunteers carrying out projects at a number of organisations including Pembrokeshire Mind, Pembrokeshire FRAME, Bloomfield Community Centre and Pembroke 21C Community Interest Company.
Active and Involved Citizens
South Hook LNG employees carrying out environmental improvement work for Pembroke 21C
12
Treats for Time (T4T) During the year, Volunteering Pembrokeshire continued to deliver the Treats for Time volunteer incentive scheme in partnership with the Port of Milford Haven. T4T provides a one-off “treat” worth around £50 for volunteers on the scheme who complete 50 hours of volunteering with a registered third sector organisation. It was set up to encourage more people to volunteer within the third sector in Pembrokeshire. Since the start of the scheme, 180 volunteers have completed their 50 hours of volunteering. Ceri Price is one of the most recent volunteers to receive her reward under the T4T programme. Ceri is a volunteer at PAVS, helping with reception duties and administration. For her treat, Ceri enjoyed a massage with Pembrokeshire Massage, who have recently joined the ever-increasing list of “treat providers”.
“I heard of an opportunity to volunteer with PAVS and it is the best move that I have made this year. My self-confidence is definitely improving and it is helping me to get some structure back in my life. I also registered with the Treats for Time incentive scheme. I used my treat to have 2 hours of massage with Pembrokeshire Massage, which is a wonderful luxury that I wouldn’t have been able to afford since being off work. I would highly recommend volunteering to anybody.”
Ceri Price, Administrative Volunteer with PAVS Result 3: More organisations providing quality volunteering opportunities
Investing in Volunteers
Investing in Volunteers is a nationally-recognised quality standard administered in Wales by WCVA which is awarded to organisations that can demonstrate outstanding practice in the recruitment and management of volunteers. Volunteering Pembrokeshire provides support and advice to organisations working towards the Investing in Volunteers standard. PATCH (Pembrokeshire Action to Combat Hardship) received their Investing in Volunteers quality mark following a successful assessment in July. The achievement of this award was the result of a lot of hard work by all at PATCH and intensive development support from PAVS Volunteering Pembrokeshire. Many congratulations to all involved! During the year, Volunteering Pembrokeshire promoted the Investing in Volunteers quality mark to all members of the Pembrokeshire Volunteer Organisers Network (PVON); provided bespoke one-to-one volunteer management support to 36 organisations and ran 3 Volunteer Management workshops.
Active and Involved Citizens
Pembrokeshire Volunteering Awards winners 2014
13
Result 4: People and communities engaging in the co-production of public services
Community Voice - Getting Heard Stronger Communities: Better Services is a portfolio of eight community-led projects being managed by PAVS under the BIG Lottery Community Voice programme. Its aim is to build stronger communities that are better able to contribute to the design of the services they need, with people becoming more involved in making decisions that affect their future. During the year, a commissioning and engagement event was organised, bringing together third sector organisations and statutory partners with responsibility for service commissioning. The afternoon session focused on how to ensure that the work being carried out within the Community Voice programme could influence and support the commissioning process. Theatr Fforwm Cymru presented a powerful piece of Forum Theatre dealing with homelessness and housing issues, which was very positively received by statutory sector colleagues. A second event focused on co-production, providing an opportunity for Community Voice portfolio partners and commissioners to discuss the benefits of co-production in service design and delivery. This event proved to be an excellent starting point but it also highlighted a need for more awareness-raising on co-production. Further events will be planned!
Building Community Resilience The Environmental Network for Pembrokeshire (TENP) represents the third sector on the Pembrokeshire Environment Forum, which reports to the Pembrokeshire Local Service Board on the environment priorities in the Single Integrated Plan (SIP). TENP was invited - and agreed - to take the lead on the very challenging SIP headline action “Create resilient communities able to cope with climate change”. With support from PAVS Making the Connections Officer and funding from Natural Resources Wales (via Pembrokeshire County Council), TENP commissioned specialist consultants to conduct a baseline survey and run a series of three workshops to engage statutory partners, third sector organisations and town & community councils in a dialogue around community resilience. As a direct result of this engagement activity, an action plan has been drawn up focusing on community engagement, collaborative working at a local level and awareness raising. TENP continues to work with partners to secure further funding to progress this important area of work. WCVA provided funding through the Making the Connections project (funded by the European Social Fund under the Convergence programme) to produce a short film to capture this innovative work on community resilience. This can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/121397131
Active and Involved Citizens
Community Resilience Workshop participants Community Voice at the County Show
14
Outcome 2: A Thriving and Sustainable Third Sector
This area of work covers all the capacity building and development support services directly provided to voluntary and community groups and social enterprises across the County including governance and organisational development; sustainable funding, fundraising and grant distribution; training and ICT (information communication technology) development. Achievements 263 enquiries received for organisational development and governance support
318 enquiries received relating to sustainable funding and fundraising
£3,276,854 notified as income secured by the Pembrokeshire third sector
£48,141 distributed to 14 groups via the Caring Communities Innovation grant scheme
9 new groups established and 12 new services developed with support from PAVS
5 funding events delivered to 147 participants
34 training courses delivered to 394 participants with a 98% satisfaction rate
100 third sector groups supported via the Social Enterprise & Economy Network (SEEN)
Regular e-bulletins disseminated to SEEN and the Pembrokeshire Trustee Network
Primary funders – Learning & Development
Convergence ERDF – Collaborative Communities
Convergence ERDF – Enterprising Communities
Grants
Welsh Government - Intermediate Care Fund (managed by Pembrokeshire County Council)
South Hook LNG - Community Development Fund Grant administration
Primary funders – ICT Development
Convergence ERDF and Welsh Government – Communities 2.0
Rural Development Plan (Axis 3) – Rural Third Sector Circuit Rider .
A Thriving and Sustainable Third Sector
Trustees’ Week Events
Training Courses
15
Outcomes and impacts Result 5: Trustees are confident about leading their organisations and maintaining high standards of governance PAVS Development Officers have provided support to trustees to develop their capacity, knowledge and skills to effectively lead their organisations. This support has included working with individuals who want to set up a new group; tailored governance and strategic planning sessions for whole trustee boards and one-to-one sessions focusing on specific issues. During the year, PAVS assisted a number of organisations to register as Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) by providing a mixture of one-to-one development support and training courses. PATCH - Pembrokeshire Action to Combat Hardship: PAVS delivered a tailored Roles & Responsibilities of Trustees workshop structured over 3 sessions to PATCH Board members. As a result of this training, the trustees identified the need to adopt a more strategic approach to the Charity’s development. PAVS was invited to facilitate a one-day workshop for trustees and senior staff to generate ideas and discussion about what should be in the business plan. This session was held at the Charity’s premises on a Saturday - a day when they are closed to the public. The session was well-received by those attending and PAVS continues to support PATCH to develop their business plan and strengthen the overall governance of the organisation. Saundersfoot Youth Club: following a series of telephone calls and e-mails providing advice and information, PAVS was invited to attend a preliminary meeting of individuals who were interested in setting up a Youth Club. The PAVS Development Officer went through the model constitution with all present, including young members, community police officers and volunteer committee members. Following that meeting, and with a little more support, they turned around the new constitution, set up a bank account and started the Youth Club within a very tight timescale. The Youth Club is now up and running and providing a much-needed service for young people in the community. Result 6: Third sector personnel have the knowledge and skills they need to enable their organisations to operate sustainably, fairly, legally and safely During the reporting period, PAVS delivered an open programme of workshops and training courses designed to meet the needs of voluntary and community groups and social enterprises in Pembrokeshire. When designing the training programme, PAVS takes into account not only the national and local policy, legislative and economic environment, but also draws directly on feedback from local groups. Once again safeguarding training was a high priority for third sector organisations with 16 sessions delivered during the year. Other courses delivered include Applying to Charitable Trusts; Writing Successful Funding Bids; Basic First Aid and CIEH Level 2 Food Safety; Social Media Strategy Success; Using Low-cost and No-cost Online Tools; Project Management; Treasurer, Book-keeping and Budgets; Planning & Running an AGM and Introduction to Volunteer Management.
A Thriving and Sustainable Third Sector
16
Information is provided to third sector groups through a variety of channels including the PAVS website and quarterly newsletter, Pembrokeshire Voice. The new WCVA on-line newsletter is also a good source of information and is widely disseminated to the sector. Regular e-bulletins are also sent out through special interest networks. PAVS’ Development Officers also signpost to specialist sources of expertise, as appropriate. During the reporting period, referrals have been made to the Communities 2.0 programme (ICT development); Pembrokeshire Business Initiative (business support) and the Pembrokeshire Sustainable Agriculture Network (sustainable food production). Officers also work closely with regulatory bodies such as the Charity Commission, Companies House, CIC Regulator, HMRC, Public Protection, WCVA Criminal Records Unit, WCVA Legal Services Advisor and various funders to provide specialist support for third sector groups within the County.
Top Tips for … Project Management: Officers within the PAVS Learning & Development team designed and delivered a new half-day workshop on project management tips and techniques to meet the growing demand from groups for support in this important area of work. Based on feedback from the sector, the course covered defining the scope of a project; how to set and meet project targets and milestones; the importance of measuring outcomes and “distance travelled”; how to manage project costs; and the importance of managing risk. Feedback from participants was extremely positive. Result 7: Organisations secure and generate the resources they need to survive and grow PAVS has continued to support the sector to develop funding strategies based on diverse income sources including grants, charging for services, fundraising (including on-line platforms), trading, delivering contracts, issuing community shares and other forms of income generation. Many groups are open to considering trading as a major element of income generation, but this frequently requires time to implement as it often entails a cultural shift; time to assess the potential; and an initial investment of resources. Pembrokeshire Funding Conference: now firmly established in the PAVS annual calendar of events, the Pembrokeshire Funding Conference was attended by around 100 delegates from third sector organisations. The event also included some “fringe” sessions including Heritage Lottery funding surgeries; a BIG Lottery workshop for environmental project applicants; and a Benevolent Funders section aimed at individuals. As in previous years, feedback from event participants and funders alike was extremely positive.
A Thriving and Sustainable Third Sector
Pembrokeshire Funding Fair 2014
17
A Thriving and Sustainable Third Sector
Innovation and Community Grants: one of PAVS’ strategic objectives is to distribute grants that promote and support voluntary activity and, in the year under review, PAVS distributed £209,631 in grants to third sector organisations in Pembrokeshire. This figure includes £48,141 distributed to 14 groups under the new Caring Communities Innovation Grant, designed to support innovative community-led pilot projects to help frail older people live independently for longer in their communities. The grant scheme was funded by the Welsh Government Intermediate Care Fund, allocated by the Regional Health & Social Care Collaborative, managed by Pembrokeshire County Council and administered by PAVS - a real partnership effort! Based on the success of the first round of funding, Pembrokeshire County Council has made a commitment to continue the grant scheme for at least a further two years. In January 2015, PAVS took over the administration of the South Hook LNG Community Fund as a key element of an innovative private and third sector partnership agreement. PAVS Development Officers promote and administer the scheme, including facilitating grant panels made up of South Hook LNG staff. PAVS Officers and South Hook LNG staff also work together to monitor the grants by undertaking joint visits to projects - a very enjoyable experience!
Result 8: New organisations or services are established to meet identified needs During the period, PAVS supported the development of 9 new groups and 12 services, including a number of on-line services developed with support from the Rural Third Sector Circuit Rider.
Swim Narberth: The Narberth community came together to take on the swimming pool from the Local Authority for the benefit of local people and PAVS Development Officers provided ongoing support for this process alongside other partners. This included constitutional support; information on employment and TUPE; lease and insurance issues; community share options; charity registration and community engagement. As a result, two new organisations have now been established - Swim Narberth, to manage the pool and Energy Narberth, to generate energy for the pool.
PIVOT: This new preventative service, funded by the Welsh Government Intermediate Care Fund, was co-produced with the third sector and is delivered through a third sector partnership facilitated by PAVS. The main service delivery partners are Age Cymru Pembrokeshire, British Red Cross, Care & Repair and PACTO (Pembrokeshire Association of Community Transport Organisations). The service aims to provide practical help and support to prevent people being admitted to hospital unnecessarily and to facilitate early discharge from hospital. The PIVOT service is available 7 days a week from 9.00am - 10.00pm with referrals being made to a single telephone number. Calls are dealt with on a rota basis by British Red Cross and Age Cymru Pembrokeshire with support being co-ordinated by a case worker, who makes appropriate referrals to a range of third and public sector service providers. Volunteer drivers provide transport from hospital and Care & Repair provide “rapid response” home adaptations, where these are required. The scheme has proved extremely successful and is likely to be rolled out across the West Wales region.
Sponsors, partners, community and voluntary organisations at the Pembrokeshire County Show
18
Outcome 3: Effective Engagement in Policy
Engaging the sector in strategic planning, public service design and delivery, policy issues and consultations remains a key element of the Association’s work. Outcomes of this work demonstrate that PAVS is involved in the full range of local, regional and national strategic planning partnerships and that there are appropriate mechanisms in place to engage the sector in the work of those partnerships Achievements
60 strategic planning and working groups involving third sector membership
18 third sector special interest forums or networks facilitated at local and regional level
3 Voluntary Sector Liaison Group meetings held with the Local Authority and Health Board
On-line resource for third sector policy engagement – www.pembs-networking.org.uk
On-line directory of third sector services - infoengine - www.info-engine.org.uk
PAVS Policy Engagement team consists of full and part-time Third Sector Link Officers covering key policy areas within the Pembrokeshire Single Integrated Plan (SIP) including:
health, social care & wellbeing
children & young people/safeguarding
community economic development
tackling poverty
environment/community resilience
community safety
The team also includes two part-time Voluntary Sector Brokers who work as members of multi-agency Community Resource teams to broker third sector services into individual care plans. A part-time Investors in Carers Officer works with GP practices, secondary schools and community pharmacies to help them develop a better awareness of carers’ issues and establish Carer Information Points. PAVS Chief Officer represents the third sector on a number of strategic partnerships including: Local - Pembrokeshire Local Service Board; Pembrokeshire Health, Social Care & Wellbeing Commissioning Partnership; Pembrokeshire Children & Families Executive Group
Regional - Regional Learning Partnership Strategy Group; Mid & West Wales Health & Social Care Collaborative and the Integrated Services Programme Board
National – WCVA national planning partnership for Health & Social Care Ministerial meetings; Third Sector Skills Strategy Group The BIG Lottery funded Community Voice portfolio Stronger Communities: Better Services also sits within the Policy Engagement team, ensuring that citizen voice is taken into account in the co-design of public services. Primary funders – Policy Engagement
Pembrokeshire County Council
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Convergence ESF – Making the Connections (managed by WCVA)
Welsh Government
BIG Lottery – Community Voice
Effective Engagement in Policy
19
Outcomes and impacts Result 9: The sector can contribute effectively to policy at all levels
During the year, PAVS has provided representation for the Pembrokeshire third sector at local, regional and national levels. There has been a significant increase in the work required to represent the sector at a regional level, particularly in the policy areas of Learning & Skills and Health & Social Care. Integrated health and social care services: CVCs in Mid & West Wales were invited to nominate two people to represent third sector interests on the Regional Health & Social Care Collaborative Board. The Chief Officers of PAVO (Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations) and PAVS were nominated to be full members of the Board and the Older People’s Programme Board (now the Integrated Services Programme Board). There is no doubt that third sector representation at Board meetings brought a fresh perspective to the discussions. The PAVS Chief Officer was invited to join a small multi-agency working group to generate ideas around developing preventative well-being services for older people. There was broad agreement that investment in building community resilience and encouraging active citizenship (volunteering) was important in the context of developing community-led prevention and early intervention services. As a result of that meeting, an outline proposal was drafted, which included the third sector as a key partner. Working regionally - Delivering locally: In November, the four CVCs in Mid & West Wales held a joint consultation event on the new Welsh Government Third Sector Scheme and Codes of Practice for Funding and Volunteering. Each CVC hosted a local event but the keynote speakers were webcast live from the PAVO Annual General Meeting in Builth Wells, with an interactive question and answer session to follow. Local “breakout” sessions then took place, with each CVC facilitating discussions around the Codes of Practice and how they could be adapted to suit local needs. The technology held up well and feedback was generally positive. This approach is one which PAVS would like to promote regionally and nationally, particularly with the improvement in broadband speeds with the roll-out of SuperFast Cymru across Wales. Result 10: The sector is recognised as a vital route to participation and engagement, including with minority and disadvantaged groups The BIG Lottery Community Voice programme is specifically designed to find new ways of engaging with people and communities that are considered to be “hard to reach”. During the reporting period, PAVS has continued to co-ordinate the delivery of the Community Voice programme in Pembrokeshire - Stronger Communities: Better Services. The programme forms a key element of the Local Service Board Engagement Strategy and targets older people, people with learning disabilities, young homeless people, unpaid carers and people with disabilities. PAVS has also continued to work in partnership with the Hywel Dda University Health Board and the CVCs in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire to deliver Investors in Carers. This work aims to identify “hidden” carers and provide them with information and support, as required. PAVS’ Chief Officer is the co-Chair of the Children’s Rights and Participation sub-group which reports directly to the Children & Families Executive Group and which is responsible for the delivery of key priorities within the Pembrokeshire Single Integrated Plan. Working with homeless young people: With funding from the BIG Lottery Community Voice programme, Theatr Fforwm Cymru worked with young homeless people to present a piece of Forum Theatre to Commissioning partners. This was very well received and has enabled those young people’s experiences to be heard. Based on the success of this event, statutory partners have commissioned Theatr Fforwm Cymru to do other pieces of work with “hard to reach” groups.
Effective Engagement in Policy
20
Investors in Carers: This work is funded by the Hywel Dda University Health Board and delivered by County Development Officers based in the CVCs in West Wales. Through this project, the majority of GP surgeries across the region have now achieved the Bronze level Investors in Carers standard. This requires practice staff to demonstrate a good awareness of the issues faced by unpaid carers and to set up a Carers’ Information Point within the surgery. A number of community pharmacies have also signed up to the scheme. The outcome of this work has been a significant increase in the number of unpaid carers referred for ongoing support. Many GP surgeries are now working towards their Silver award and Investors in Carers is now being introduced in secondary care settings and in schools to raise awareness of the needs of young carers.
Result 11: The sector plays an effective role in planning, delivering and scrutinising public services PAVS employs two part-time Voluntary Sector Brokers (funded by Pembrokeshire County Council). The Brokers work as members of the multi-agency Community Resource teams which support people with complex health and social care needs. Their role is to broker third sector services into individual care plans. During the year, PAVS has facilitated third sector engagement in provider networks brought together to review public services, such as day opportunities and advocacy provision. PAVS has also engaged the third sector in discussions with Pembrokeshire County Council around new models of public service delivery in the context of reduced public funding being available. Re-imagining Public Services: Following a request by Pembrokeshire County Council, PAVS set up a Savings Consultation meeting with third sector organisations. The meeting was attended by around 25 people from 18 third sector organisations and generated a lively conversation with a number of innovative suggestions coming from the floor. The PAVS Annual General Meeting in December also focused on new service delivery models. Feedback from the event has been used to inform service planning meetings.
Effective Engagement in Policy
Photographs from PAVS’ AGM held in December 2014
21
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Although ICT development is not specifically included in the National Core Services Framework, PAVS believes that it is an important element of capacity building for the third sector. In recent years, PAVS has managed to secure additional funding to provide ICT development and digital inclusion support for the sector. Unfortunately, following the closure of European funded projects, PAVS has been forced to withdraw the ICT development service from 1st April 2015. Achievements Digital inclusion: working in partnership with libraries and Job Centres, the PAVS Communities 2.0 team delivered a significant number of digital inclusion sessions, specifically targeting older people and job seekers. PAVS also developed and delivered a Digital Financial Inclusion workshop, which has since been used by partner organisations such as Communities First and CAB for direct delivery to their service users. During the reporting period, a new national Digital Outreach Programme was launched by Communities 2.0, with a view to providing digital inclusion support to as many people as possible across Wales. The PAVS C2.0 team worked with a range of local partners to identify tutors and venues to run digital inclusion sessions across the County. PAVS also worked with Age Cymru Pembrokeshire to deliver bespoke sessions to older people. Digital development: the PAVS Communities 2.0 team has delivered ICT development support to local third sector organisations including ICT reviews, digital action plans, website advice and support. In addition, PAVS has developed a series of Technology Essentials courses demonstrating the use of no-cost or low-cost Cloud tools such as EventBrite and on-line survey tools to help organisations become more efficient and effective. Between December 2014 and March 2015 PAVS worked with WCVA to deliver Effective Technology workshops to 30 Development Workers across Wales. These workshops were designed to raise awareness of how signposting to advice on mainstream technology can support third sector organisations to become more sustainable. The RDP funded ICT Development Officer (otherwise referred to as the Rural Third Sector Circuit Rider) also provided a range of ICT support services to voluntary and community groups including website development; databases; social media; content management systems; and on-line fundraising and trading. Primary funders
Convergence ERDF/Welsh Government – Communities 2.0 Rural Development Plan – Axis 3
General Information, Guidance and Support
PAVS delivers a range of services to its members and the wider voluntary and community sector through the Pembrokeshire Centre for Voluntary Action based on the ground floor of PAVS’ offices on the High Street in Haverfordwest. The Centre provides:
Fully accessible meeting rooms
Flexible “hot desks”
Well-equipped training rooms
Wireless broadband access
A resource centre
Practical services such as photocopying, laminating, binding and mailings
Loan of equipment such as laptops, multi-media projectors, flip chart stands, etc
More things to know about PAVS
22
General information
4 editions of Pembrokeshire Voice distributed in hard copy to 138 recipients and published in electronic format on the website
Specialist newsletters and e-bulletins sent out regularly during the year to third sector networks
PAVS website provides access to a wide range of information sheets provided as part of the National Information Framework for third sector organisations
82,497 visitor sessions were logged on the PAVS website during the year
Increasing use made of social media to keep in touch with third sector organisations and individual volunteers
PAVS extended its reach to around 1,000 third sector organisations and membership numbers stood at 126 at year end
PAVS achieved the Evolve Exemplar Employer Award 2014 accolade awarded by Chwarae Teg to recognise employers that support a diverse, skilled and flexible workforce
PAVS has maintained its Level 2 Green Dragon Environmental Standard
Plans for the Future
In spite of facing significant reductions in income following the closure of European funded projects and Ministerial pressure to move to a regional structure, PAVS remains committed to local delivery of volunteering, funding, governance and development support services to third sector organisations and volunteers in Pembrokeshire. Specific plans for the future include:
Working with partners on the Pembrokeshire Local Action Group to develop an area-based approach to improving the well-being of current and future generations through community development, citizen engagement and service delivery
Increasing access to small capital and revenue grants for the voluntary and community sector in Pembrokeshire
Increasing unrestricted income streams through appropriate income generation activity and working with partners to identify additional financial resources to continue service delivery under the terms of the National Core Services Framework
Developing more effective relationships with the private sector for the benefit of third sector organisations in Pembrokeshire
Developing more robust and comprehensive intelligence about the third sector in Pembrokeshire
Raising the profile of the third sector with private and statutory sector partners and continuing to strengthen citizen engagement in the co-design of public services
More things to know about PAVS
