This is where we’ll post third sector news and important updates that are useful for your organisation.
Content from NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations)
The NCVO have a helpful collection of tips and guidance on bringing money into your charity or voluntary organisation – from individual giving and legacies, to bidding for grants and digital fundraising.
It is clear that as the government advise older and vulnerable people to social distance that local communities can step up and help with simple support tasks including shopping.
There is a strong voluntary sector is Essex including faith groups, parishes, well established third sector groups and communities themselves. There has already been a strong reaction from the people of Essex stepping forward to help and we need to encourage and support all these local actions. Recent events mean too that we have had to do this at pace to ensure support will be available for people.
One key approach has been Essex County Council working in partnership with Facebook, local Facebook Admins and Community Groups to develop a social media campaign that seeks to build community resilience and community through the Essex Coronavirus Action Group.
It is a largely Facebook based initiative and can be found here: www.facebook.com/essexcoronavirusaction
The initiative consists of the Facebook page above, which has been authenticated by Facebook with the blue ticks to endorse it as a validated and secure information source.
Essex Coronavirus Action looks to carry out three core objectives in relation to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak – PREVENT, INFORM and ASSIST.
The latest NHS-approved advice about how to avoid exposing yourself to Covid-19 and passing it on to other more vulnerable people. Key messages will include:
The latest information to debunk the many viral myths on social media about Covid-19. Key messages will include:
A local authority-backed mobilisation of local Facebook groups to ensure that the most vulnerable members of Essex and their carers get the urgent help that they need, both practically and emotionally. Key messages will include:
We additionally need to encourage, amplify and support local action and have set up a Facebook Group that connects to the page that will enable Facebook Admins and VCS organisations in this space to connect and come together to share ideas and an approach to supporting those who may be self- isolating.
We will adopt a local first approach to mutual aid and will seek to direct people to the following:
We would also seek to work with our district partners to ascertain which trusted local partner they are choosing to work with and encourage them to engage with the Essex Coronavirus Action Page and groups.
Local first is important to us, particularly at the mobilisation stage of this challenge.
To this end we are creating a local action group database that will need to be populated as soon as possible. I will ensure that we circulate the sign up form this morning. The form will also be on the Essex Coronavirus Action Page and associated admin group today. This will be an organic document and we will adopt a common sense approach with this work, it will be as solid as it can be.
The intent is to then share the database of public facing VCS and Facebook Groups who are supporting or re-purposing to support those who are self- isolating or vulnerable to access their own support.
Where we are unable to facilitate or stream people into a local approach we can use our existing single point of access to ensure we can support people effectively at this time.
Assist is a key part of our approach and we have set up a means for people to register their interest as a volunteer. In less than 24 hours we have signed up 1,200 volunteers across Essex.
Although common sense is essential -we recognise that DBS checks maybe required for some daily living tasks and we are seeking to work with the Tribe project. The Tribe Project provided by Bronze labs is a secure app that can sit within the Facebook platform, it is able to confirm if a volunteer is DBS checked or not. It can also rapidly process a DBS check. The app provides a safe interface with volunteers who are geo located and allows those people who require support to confirm if they would like someone to be DBS checked, not DBS checked or if they would prefer a volunteer who had already had Covid-19. The system can support with DBS checking those volunteers who have already signed up to our existing form.
Essex Coronavirus Action has reached 25,0000 people and has 12,000 people signed up to a mutual aid group. The pages and groups are administered by trusted Facebook Admins, the ECC Communities and Communications team.
A big thankyou for all the excellent work you are doing – please stay safe and well. #UnitedInKind #EssexCoronavirusAction
Many thanks,
Kirsty O’Callaghan
Head of Strengthening Communities
Essex County Council
Content from PFCC
Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, has praised our health, emergency services, local authority, business, voluntary sector and charity colleagues as Essex responds to the Coronavirus pandemic. Read more…
Content from ACAS
Acas Coronavirus advice for employers and employees has been updated.
It now includes:
View our updated Coronavirus guidance
We have also released new guidance on homeworking and supporting employees who have been asked to work remotely due to the Coronavirus pandemic:
View Acas working from home guidance
Acas Coronavirus webinars for employers
Places are available for our free webinars for employers. These events cover:
Register your place for upcoming events via the links below:
Thursday 2 April 2020, 10.30am – 11.30am >> register your place
Tuesday 7 April 2020, 10.30am – 11.30am >> register your place
Further webinar dates will be available shortly. Check our webinar page for updates
Content from Maldon CVS
Maldon and District CVS has been working over the past 7 days to pull together a coordinated approach to delivering support to the community. Our ambition is to have a network of local hubs all coordinating volunteer support at parish level (or smaller) with some centralised support from the CVS, Salvation Army and Maldon District Council. Read more…
Content from Basildon, Billericay and Wickford CVS
We are compiling an audit of our local organisations that can support a community effort to overcome and support the public during this Covid-19 crisis. We are experiencing a high demand and it is essential for us to come together. We are performing an audit to establish the resources we can all draw upon. Please provide your response ASAP and share with as many organisations as possible. Read more…
Content from Rainbow Services
A useful tips guide for any hyper local groups emerging offering support to self-isolating people. You will all have seen the new directives from government last night. Please note the following regarding your health, that of your staff/volunteers/beneficiaries, and your close family members: Read more…
Content from Maldon CVS
Maldon and District CVS has received information on the outbreak and spread of the Corona virus from a range of sources. To help our members we have produced a round up document collating the information into one place which we hope will be helpful. Download it on the below link
Content from Digital Leaders
Just a few weeks ago most small talk in Britain was about the weather. “Are you working from home yet?” has replaced that. Coronavirus has made going into the office feel like the exception rather than the rule. It’s a sign of the unsettling times we live in that this most humdrum of activities, the daily commute, feels strange. Read more…
Content from Tendring CVS
You are warmly invited to nominate up to three volunteers from your charity or voluntary organisation to attend a special celebration of our district’s volunteers. This is an opportunity for local charities and organisations to acknowledge the valuable contribution made by the volunteers who help them. Volunteer guests will enjoy an afternoon tea with all the trimmings and there will be entertainment and singing. The event will be formally opened by the Chairman of Tendring District Council, Cllr Dan Land and all volunteer participants will receive a certificate of recognition.
The event is being hosted by Tendring District Council and supported by Community Voluntary Services Tendring and the aim is to celebrate the work of the many volunteers who give up their time freely to support activities in the local community.
The celebration afternoon tea will be held at the Princes Theatre on Thursday 26 March starting promptly at 2pm. Tickets are just £3 each (the full cost has been subsidised).
Due to the anticipated demand for tickets and the limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Organisations are requested to complete the RSVP form (available to download from the website) and return to CVST no later than Monday 16 March.
The celebration afternoon tea promises to be an enjoyable and uplifting occasion and we look forward to seeing your volunteers there.
https://www.cvstendring.org.uk/support-for-groups/e-bulletin.html