LATEST ISSUE OF BRIEFING BRADFORD

You can download the latest (September 2008) issue of Briefing Bradford from here:

http://www.bradfordcvs.org.uk/sep08bb.pdf


Sorry things have been a bit quiet here recently.

The blog is 'under review' (for which read 'wondering whether it is worth trying to maintain', to be honest).

If you have any views, one way or the other, please post a comment (or something).

Twenty-five people a day drop by here - but they may all be wanting to spam me.

THIRD SECTOR REVIEW - CONSULTATION

BRADFORD THIRD SECTOR REVIEW – CONSULTATION EVENT

Date: 23 September 2008

Time: 12.30 – 16.30

Venue: Hilton Hotel, Bradford

Objective:
To share initial findings and to find out what the Council and its Partners, including the Voluntary and Community Sector, need to do to ensure that the Third Sector is able to play an effective role and function in delivering better outcomes for the people of Bradford.

Who should attend?
Third sector/voluntary and community sector organisations and groups in the district

Cost: Free

How to register:
This is a major event with places limited to 150 delegates. To register a place, please e-mail sunil.pujara@bradford.gov.uk with your name, organisation details, address and telephone number.

Alternatively, fill out the online contact form at: www.bradford.gov.uk/thirdsectorreview

or write to Sunil Pujara, Department of Strategy and Performance, 2nd Floor, City Exchange, 61 Hall Ings, Bradford BD1 5SG.

THIRD SECTOR REVIEW - FOCUS GROUPS

Bradford CVS, like many local VCS organisations, has received an invitation to take part in a focus group which will feed into the local authority's review of (its relationship with) the sector. We reproduce this invitation, in slightly edited form, below:

Bradford Council is currently reviewing its relationship with the Third Sector. The aim of the Review is to see how, by working better together, we can maximise the difference we make to people in the District.

One of the themes of the review is to explore the Role and Function of the Third Sector within the Bradford District and identify what is working well, what could work better, and the types of things the council and our partners, including the VCS, could be doing to strengthen organisations like yours.

As part of the Review, we would like to invite yourself, or someone else from your organisation, to participate in a focus group. We would like to hear from you what the current situation is for organisations like yours. This will give your organisation an opportunity to contribute your views and will help the Review Team to set some recommendations that will ultimately help strengthen your role within the District.

The Focus Groups will run on 19th August 2008, at Carlisle Business Centre. There will be two sessions, 2.30 – 6.00 pm and 6.00 – 8.30 pm. A light tea will be available and we can offer to pay any travel and childcare costs you may incur by participating in this focus group.

If you would like to participate please email susan.long@bradford.gov.uk by Friday 8 August 2008 indicating which session you will be attending. If we have not heard from you by this date we will assume you do not wish to attend. Please advise Sue, when replying to this invitation, of any access issues or special dietary requirements.

For more information about the Review please contact Sunil Pujara on 01274 434989.

EVENT/FUNDING - SINGLE ISSUE GROUPS (15 May)

Consultation event, single issue group funding 15 May 2008

From the Regional Forum's website:

Cohesion Guidance for Funders / Consultation Event for BME, LGBT, Age, Disability, Religion & Women’s Specialist Third Sector Organisations

Last summer the Commission on Integration and Cohesion published a report, ‘Our Shared Future’. One of the recommendations was around what it termed ‘Single Group Funding’ (defined as that ‘awarded on the basis of particular identity, such as ethnic, religious or cultural’). This stated that ‘single group funding should be the exception rather than the rule for both Government and external funders’.

This led many organisations to respond to the Single Group Funding issue requesting a rethink and clarification as the recommendation’s impact, put at risk the funding of frontline organisations working with particular groups from a single identity. The Department for Communities and Local Government as part of its response to this report has produced the Cohesion Guidance for Funders which it is now consulting on.

The aim of this events is to shape the National Equality Partnership’s (NEP) response to this guidance by providing us with your views on how these recommendations would impact on your organisation’s work and what do we need to ensure is part of the guidance for it to be fair and appropriate.

To book a place or for more information, email ubc@unityha.co.uk