Winning Bids Workshop – Bham Related

Winning Bids Workshop

Improving Your Chances of Success

The workshop is aimed at anyone looking to develop, sustain or grow a social enterprise. The workshop is being delivered by Kevin Lloyd – Evans, Ventures Manager, with UnLtd -The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs.  Kevin has over 10 years experience helping community organisatoins and social enterprises securing funding from a range of funding organisations.

What is happening?

This is a half day workshop looking at how to put together a successful funding application to different types of funders.  The workshop will focus on real examples of successful bids and the ingredients behind them. We will look at how to approach funders, what to say and how to judge whether an application is on the right lines. We will look at funding applications in the context of developing and sustaining social enterprises.

What you will get out of it?

• You learn about funding databases and information points to help you find funding opportunities.
• You will learn about funding a strategies and plans.
• What application questions really mean.
• How to ensure your time is not wasted completing forms.
• You will hear from people who have been successful with application.

Where is it going to be held - St Pauls Community Development Trust, Room 23 – Initiative Centre (Clifton Rd Entrance), Hertford St, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 8NJ

When is it going to be held – 20^th May 2013 9:30 – 1:00pm

To book a place please email Hafizun.nessa@stpaulstrust.org.uk as soon as possible with the following detail:

Name:

Organisation:

Contact Number:

Email Address:

Brief detail of your organisational background:

 

 

Senior Enter & View Officer – Health Watch Solihull Job Opportunity

Healthwatch Solihull is a new consumer champion focusing on health and social care in the borough of Solihull.

We are looking for an energetic and enthusiastic Senior Enter & View Officer. This is a full time role.

Salary : £24,000 to £29,625 per annum.

The role of the Healthwatch Solihull Senior Enter & View Officer is to find out local people’s views on health and social care services, and to feed these back to service commissioners and providers. This will be achieved by carrying out community engagement activities, and networking with representatives of service commissioners and providers in order to achieve the aims and objectives of the Healthwatch Solihull.

The Senior Enter & View Officer will also take lead responsibility for providing expert guidance and advice to the Healthwatch Solihull Management Board on the development of the Healthwatch Solihull’s Work Plan, based on knowledge and understanding of local and national issues in health and social care.

The Senior Enter & View Officer will be expected to project manage Healthwatch Solihull activities, including commissioning projects from external providers when appropriate, and monitoring the projects carried out by external providers.

Working with the Healthwatch Solihull Administrator and other host the Senior Enter & View Officer will enable appropriate communications with Healthwatch Solihull Management Board members, Healthwatch Solihull members, local stakeholders and the wider community.  This will include publicity materials where appropriate and maintaining awareness of local networks and community groups so communication with these groups can take place. The Senior Enter & View Officer will also build effective working relationships with the local media.

The Senior Enter & View Officer will additionally support Healthwatch Solihull to work within the agreed governance framework, and with support from other host staff, keep abreast of legislative changes that may affect Healthwatch Solihull.

The role also requires quarterly reporting of Healthwatch Solihull activities and outcomes for contract monitoring purposes.

All applicants will need to have two references and undergo Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service Clearance.

For an application pack please apply today (CV’s alone will not be considered) to martinc@healthwatchsolihull.org.uk.

Closing Date for Applications: 3rd May 2013 at 12noon.

Interviews will be held 14th May 2013.

 

Thinking of applying to Santander (SEDA) then this is for you!

Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards (SEDA) – West Midlands Region – workshop for potential applicants
Tuesday 7th May from 9:45am to 12:00pm at BBCCF, Nechells Baths, Nechells Park Road, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 5PD

Event Description:
After a highly successful first year, the Santander Awards are running again this year and will open for applications in late Spring 2013. BBCCF is delighted to be managing the Awards for the East & West Midlands region.

Before this fund is open and we start to accept applications, Santander and BBCCF would like to invite you to a FREE EVENT where we want to share learning from the first year and what makes a successful application. We hope this will encourage you to enter and also help you to strengthen your applications

To book a place please email team@bbccf.org.uk or call 0121 322 5560

School for Social Entrepreneurs – West Midlands – Recruiting a CEO

Well, this is a job some of you out there might fancy?

A high level position to develop the new West Midlands School for Social Entrepreneurs

Application pack (click to download) it includes:

·         Overview information on SSE

·         Brief overview of West Mids SSE

·         Introductory paragraphs on the role and the person we’re looking for

·         Revised JD with new salary range, hours negotiable and revised priorities, experience and skills

Deadline for applications is 10am Monday 15th April.

Good Luck!

 

 

£4000 to Start a Social Enterprise – SSE comes to the West Midlands

The School for Social Enterprise (SSE) is launching in the West Midlands and only has two weeks to go!

SSE West Midlands are currently recruiting social entrepreneurs and also want to see organisations / support providers that are interested or want to find out more.

Here’s the detail from our friends at SSE

Things are moving fast now for the new school and we have decided to hold some taster sessions for potential students to find out a little more about the school and what we offer them during the upcoming Lloyds West Midlands SSE course (www.yourideastartshere.co.uk) in the West Midlands.

 

Come and meet us at the following venues:-

• Wednesday the 20^th March — The Renewal Family Centre, Vulcan Road, Solihull,  B91 2JY   17.30 – 19.30*
•  Monday the 25^th March — Room 201 UCB Building, Colmore Row, Birmingham,    B3 2AP     14.30 – 16.30*
•  Wednesday the 27^th of March — Goldmine Centre, The Vine Trust, 33 Lower Hall Lane, Walsall WS1 1RR   17.30 – 19.30*

*As this is a new school to the region we have also booked the venues for a three hour session prior to the taster sessions to enable interested parties (eg. established social entrepreneurs, social enterprise and business advisers, local authorities, charities and third sector organisations etc) to just drop in and find out more about the school.

For further details please see the attached flyer

 

Supporting Birmingham and Solihull’s Young Unemployed – Are We Doing Enough?

I had the pleasure of attending the BEST Network’s (a consortium of over 70 third sector learning and employment training providers) Advance Programme Launch yesterday.

The morning’s event was held at the Bordesley Centre in Camp Hill and was attended by over 100 (estimate) delegates and exhibitions from around 10 of the Network’s employability training providers, providing plenty of networking opportunities.

The Advance Programme

Delegates got to hear about the Advance programme from a range of speakers including, the Chair Richard Beard; CEO Dan Freshwater and two of the Network’s Advance Programme delivery organisations Carole Gallant from Create a Future and Robert Brown, CEO of Merlin Venture. We also heard about Birmingham City Council’s commitment to tackling young people’s unemployment from Shilpi Akbar – Assistant Director BCC Development and Culture Directorate and a keynote speech on “Tackling Long Term Youth Unemployment ” from the Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP and it was this that highlighted to me that Birmingham’s commitment and pledge of resources (around £2m) is woefully short when comparing the statistics with other “forward thinking councils” around the UK.

However, before we get into a little bit of the statistics presented by the Rt Hon Liam Byrne, let’s first highlight the good stuff about what BEST Network is doing with the Advance Programme.

The Advance Programme is a DWP funded “pay by results” programme of support for NEET young people aged between 14 and 24. The programme is financed by Advanced Personnel Management (APM UK). This means that assuming the Network delivery partners meet their targets and outcomes then:

• They get a funded programme of support that makes a difference to young people employability prospects
• The BEST Network gets credit for managing a complex and new style contract more suited to large “primes”
• APM get their investment back and make a reasonable profit on their investment.

There are obviously other benefits, but I’m not trying to list them all here. What I’d like to do is highlight that if you are in touch with NEET young people in Birmingham and Solihull and aren’t aware of the programme and therefore the funded support it offers for Birmingham and Solihull’s young people then contact the BEST Network, it may go some way to helping some of the young people you work / are in contact with get employment.

Now to the “are we doing enough” bit.

Many of us will know that Sir Albert Bore (Leader of BCC) made a pledge to redress young people’s unemployment in Birmingham and to this end has pledged £2m to support this agenda. Now I’m not scoffing at £2m, nor am I saying it is easy to find in the current economic climate where there are significant cuts, as the £2m pledged will undoubtedly mean £2m taken from elsewhere.

Now in addition to this there is of course other money that has been pledged to support the NEET agenda, and that is the Talent Match programme which in Birmingham and Solihull could see another £1.2m lottery money each year for five years. Then of course there’s national money such as apprenticeship programmes etc.

But when you consider that Glasgow is “investing £24m in paid work opportunities over two years” and ”nearly 40% of the people seeking work in the UK are under 25″ and “Birmingham is “Britain’s youth unemployment capital” (Liam Byrne MP), then Birmingham’s commitment falls almost into insignificance.

Now of course we know, and I agree, with Liam Byrne that “prioritising the fight to get people back into jobs” (particularly young people) is an important one, and it has been “disappointing how the Third Sector has been treated in the Work Programme” because the “Third Sector, can bring services together in a unique way, (which) makes the Third Sector an important partner” in tackling young people’s’ unemployment because, “it reaches corners of our communities, that mainstream provision doesn’t”.

However, in order to do this (really tackle young people’s’ unemployment), we need long-term investment at a scale that is proportionate to the level of the problem, and we need to ensure that there is innovation in the service provision and effective monitoring and quality.

So in conclusion

Glasgow, well done you’re stepping up to the plate and moving in the right direction and Birmingham, you’ve made commitment which is great, but let’s find a way of gaining more investment, ensuring that we provide quality provision (i.e. not the usual suspects) and ensure the Third Sector is at the forefront and treated with the respect it deserves for its skills and abilities it has in tackling unemployment.

Healthwatch Birmingham – Strategic and Operational Job Opportunities

Healthwatch Birmingham is a groundbreaking independent social enterprise that will put the voice of local people at the heart of health and social care services across the city.   The organisation – which will be one of the largest of its type in the UK – will have a remit that is far-reaching in being able to influence, signpost and advise the public regarding a range of NHS, public health and social care services.

Healthwatch Birmingham are currently recruiting for the following roles:

Chair of the Board – £15k per annum

This critical position is the “face” of Healthwatch Birmingham, and will act as an ambassador for the organisation.  The successful applicant will provide strategic direction to Healthwatch Birmingham, and be able to demonstrate outstanding leadership, partnership and communication skills that ensure the organisation becomes the recognised consumer champion for Health and Social Care services in England’s second city.
Closing Date applications: 11th March 2013

Non-Executive Directors – £2k per annum

Non Executive Directors will support the Chair in the governance of Healthwatch Birmingham, providing a range of complementary skills which will include finance, business planning, legal, equality and health and safety. Suitable candidates will also have the knowledge and passion to champion specific Healthwatch functions at a strategic level.

Closing Date applications: 18th March 2013

For further information on the board roles or for details on how to apply, please contact Michele Saul on 0121 678 8824 or email micheles@bvsc.org <mailto:micheles@bvsc.org>

Chief Operating Officer
Salary – £40,000 to £50,000 per annum

Reporting to the Chair of Healthwatch Birmingham, the postholder will support and guide the Chair and Board in implementing the organisation’s statutory and contractual obligations.  This role will also provide strategic support, leadership and operational management in the design and implementation of Healthwatch Birmingham’s business plan, including appropriate income generation.



Closing date for applications – 11th March 2013 (by 10.00 am)

Member & Volunteer Co-ordinator

Salary – £27,052 – £28,636 per annum

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer the post holder will be responsible for extending the reach of Healthwatch Birmingham to a broader and diverse range of citizens and groups within the city.  The role will develop and implement volunteer involvement in Healthwatch Birmingham and take responsibility for the effective operation of the organisation’s Enter and View function.

Closing date for applications – 11th March 2013 (by 10.00 am)
For further information on the staff roles or to request an application pack please contact Kam Sandhu-Patel on 0121 6788809 or e-mail kams@bvsc.org

This is a direct circulation of the Healthwatch

Birmingham and Solihull Talent Match Open for Expressions of Interest

A quick post to say, if you are an organisation working to support young people then the Talent Match programme needs you. The Talent Match is a £7.5m lottery funded programme of support over 5 years.

The lottery have invited the Greater Birmingham and Solihull partnership to submit a full two year business plan and the lead and accountable body is now looking for expressions of interest from suitably qualified organisations.

See this link for further information http://www.bvsc.org/news/talent-match-expression-interest

 

Social Enterprise Growth Awards – Open Now

Just a quick post that I think a number of you will be interested in.

The Santander Social Enterprise Growth Awards are open now. If you meet the criteria you could be awarded £5k for developing your enterprise.

Criteria as we know it:

• Organisation must be a social enterprise
• Organisation must be West Midlands based for this fund [there are usually other regions open at the same time, so check your local area if you are from outside WM]
• Organisation must have a turnover of less than £100k
• Organisation must be trading and less than two years old
• organisation must work directly with the community in one of the following areas:
•            improving social inclusion
•            supporting disadvantaged people
•            creating a greener environment

Download the guidance here!

Download the application form here!

One more thing, good luck!

Social Enterprise Start up and Business Development Support – Birmingham

The Enterprise catalyst Project

I recently started working on the Enterprise catalyst project with Digbeth Trust. The project provides intensive support to individuals who want to start a social enterprise and even has some seed funding to get the idea going.

In addition the project helps and grows existing businesses in the area with the possibility of support with business development grants of up to £10k.

“The project titled Enterprise Catalyst, seeks to raise entrepreneurial levels to help new businesses get started, and offers customised enterprise coaching and financial assistance (where required).”

A mentoring and support service is also available to existing businesses ensuring sustainable growth.

To be eligible for the programme you must be:

• a business start-up – resident within the qualifying wards*
• an existing business – based within the qualifying wards*

Please note that this is a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme, and as such we cannot support retail activity. Existing retail businesses that wish to diversify into other markets may be eligible for support.

To discuss your business idea or check eligibility please call 0121 675 7580.

*List of qualifying wards:

• Aston
• Bordesley Green
• Hodge Hill
• Ladywood
• Lozells and East Handsworth
• Moseley and Kings Heath
• Nechells
• Soho
• South Yardley
• Sparkbrook
• Springfield
• Washwood Heath

Don’t miss the opportunity, get in touch today! Who now’s you may even get some free business support delivered by me as part of the project [there are others working on the programme too]