What you need to know -

- information and links to help you run your organisation

Setting Up a Voluntary Organisation

The Six Steps

The work done by voluntary boards and management committees, technically known as 'governance', is critical to the success of every voluntary organisation. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Governance website  offers a one-stop shop for members of boards and management committees looking for the information and support they need to maximise that contribution. Staff and development professionals who support boards and management committees in their work will also find the site of value.
• Whether you are new to board and committee work or have bags of experience, any improvement in your knowledge and skills will make a real difference to your organisation
• Grant makers increasingly look for evidence that the board or management committee is effective before investing money in an organisation - they know it helps guarantee success
• If your organisation is or might become a charity, company or similar, this site will help you get to grips with what is legally required of you
• Improving your knowledge and skills can also bring personal benefits - to your confidence, satisfaction and even your career
Useful information on Governance is available at the link below:
http://www.scvo.org.uk/governance/Home/Home.aspx
SCVO has recently published a summary step by step guide to setting up a new voluntary organisation. The online version of ‘Setting Up a Voluntary Organisation in 6 Steps’ (and downloadable as an MS Word file) at the link below:
http://www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/Information/ViewInformation.aspx?al=t&page=&all=&from=DSR&Info=1431&TCID=1&PageName=Trustees
STEP 1. Identify an unmet need
STEP 2. Build a team
STEP 3. Agree the broad aims and purpose of the organisation
STEP 4. Make a plan
STEP 4. Get constituted
STEP 6. Decide the legal standing: Formal or informal?
Local groups wishing advice, should contact their local CVS - click on the relevant area of map on the home page for contact details

Committee Skills Training

Argyll CVS has produced some Committee Skills leaflets which may be printed from the document library. The development workers are available to run training events for committee skills. Please phone 01546 606808 for more information.

Governance e-learning courses

SCVO has developed a suite of e-learning courses focusing on various aspects of voluntary governance. Six courses are now accessible online.  Each allows the learner to take the course at a level appropriate to their prior learning and circumstances.

Funding and CostingWorkforce and Governance Development - A Resource for the Voluntary and Community Sector click here

Governance Programme Website & Materials

SCVO have recently launched the above website, which contains information on all you need to know about effective governance in the Scottish voluntary sector, whether you are a voluntary management committee member, charity trustee, volunteer or staff member.  The website includes information on:

• Operational issues – e.g. roles and responsibilities, accountability etc
• Legal responsibilities – e.g. charity law, freedom of information and heath and safety
• Policy Work – past papers and current information on the progress of SCVO’s policy work
• Training courses, seminars, conferences and resources.

In addition to this the website also provides access to a range of useful resources including: An Introductory Leaflet: Your Mission Governance, The Getting to Grips with Governance Toolkit and the Guide to Constitutions and Charitable Status.

To visit the site please click here, alternatively please contact a member of the SCVO Governance Programme Team for further information on all the current initiatives, Tel: 0131 556 3882.

Legal

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Contract of employment - Written Particulars - link to DTI website samples

Changing your constitution help from OSCR

New Regulations on References to Charity Status in Printed Material.

Scottish Ministers have published new regulations using powers conferred in the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, section 15 and 103(2); and section 39(2) and (3).
The Charities References in Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2007 came into effect on 1st April 2007 (despite not being published until the 4th April) and specify how charities must refer to themselves in printed material.

Bodies entered on the Charity Register must;
 state their register number;
 the name they are entered in the Register as;
 any other name they are known as, and
 the fact that they are either “a Scottish Charity” or “a charity registered in Scotland”, or “a charity”, or “a charitable body”

This information must be stated on the documents listed in the Regulations.
These are;
 Business letters and emails;
 Adverts, notices and publications;
 Any document soliciting money or other property on behalf of the charity;
 Bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements and orders for money or goods;
 Bills rendered;
 Invoices, receipts and letters of credit;
 Statements of accounts prepared in accordance with the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006;
 Educational or campaign documentation;
 Conveyances which provide for the creation, transfer, variation or extinction of an interest in land;
 Contractual documentation.

Document Retention Rules and Guidelines

Midlothian Voluntary Action (MVA) has produced a excellent new publication "Document Retention - A Quick Guide" which provides an overview of the main situations in which voluntary organisations are required to hold on to documents. The guide, which was produced by MVA's Information Officer, Margaret Nisbet, covers the legal and good practice requirements on the retention of financial accounts, insurance policies, staffing records, etc. For further information please see the MVA website or contact Margaret.

Data Protection Updates

Finance

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Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) Charity Accounting Regulations

A copy of OSCR’s guidance on Scottish Charity Accounts – A guide to the 2006 Regulations will have been posted to all 22,000 active charities in Scotland by mid February. The guidance has been designed to allow for easy photocopying and is also downloadable from the OSCR website at www.oscr.org.uk
The guidance to the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 is divided into three parts:
 Part 1: The Overview should be read in conjunction with either
 Part 2: Receipts and Payments accounts, or
 Part 3: Fully Accrued Accounts, depending on the type of accounts a charity prepares.
The guidance contains flow charts to help charities determine the type of accounts they should prepare and the type of external scrutiny to which they should be subject. In addition to the guidance, two further example receipts and payments accounts and a workpack to help charities prepare receipts and payments accounts will be published on the OSCR website by the end of February.

A Brief Overview of Charity Accounts in Scotland

A short paper written by Sandy Mathers of Aberdeen CVO - click here  - thanks to Sandy for the link.

Introducing Funding and Finance pocket guide

NCVO have recently launched a new pocket guide Introducing Funding and Finance, commissioned by the Finance Hub, as part of our in-progress toolkit for funding advisors. This provides a snap-shot of sector funding and basic exercises to guide organisations through the topics covered. The pocket guide is lightweight, easily slipped into a bag or pocket, and is an ideal primer for very small and new Voluntary and Community  Organisations (VCOs), or for those new to the concept of sustainable funding and the wider funding environment. The pocket guide is free to download (at the link below) and additional hardcopies can be obtained by emailing sfp@ncvo-vol.org.uk
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Sustainable_Funding/Support_for_Infrastructure/Miniguide.pdf

Guide to Raising Funds

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is making available free of charge for a short period of time the updated version of its popular "How to Raise Funds" guide.The guide has been fully updated by Pam Judson and is aimed at small and medium sized organisations working in Scotland. It explores fundraising myths and truths, what you need to have in place before you can fundraise effectively, writing effective proposals, researching funders, bringing it all together and what to do when you get the money.
Copies can be downloaded here.

Child Protection

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The Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003

The Central Registered Body in Scotland (CRBS) website (www.crbs.org.uk) now contains “A Guide & Training Pack for the Voluntary Sector” on the POCSA 2003. The training consists of Six Modules (including example templates for policies etc) which cover:
1. The Act and its implications for voluntary organisations.
2. Meeting the Legal Requirements of the Act
3. A Care & Protection Framework
4. Recruiting and Supporting Workers (paid and unpaid)
5. Creating Safe Places and
6. Managing & Sharing Confidential Information
The pack provides a range of exercises and Case Studies to work through within the Modules. CRBS state that the training modules can be worked through by an individual or in small groups. Diane Miller at VSA Volunteer Centre is happy to convene and facilitate a small group coming together for a couple of hours fortnightly to work through these training modules, perhaps doing the exercises and case studies together as well as having some general discussion around the information in each of the Modules. Between meeting times participants would be expected to work through the information in each of the Modules. If you would be interested in participating in this group please send your details (Name, Organisation, Address, Contact Number and E-mail) to Diane Miller at VSA at Diane.Miller@vsa.org.uk. If they have four or more people interested, she will arrange an initial meeting where they can set dates to take this forward. Below is an extract from the CRBS website introduction to the training:
“This material has been prepared for voluntary organisations to help them meet their legal duties under the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 (referred to as the Act herewith). The Act is an important piece of legislation that will help to strengthen the safeguards already in place to protect children and young people. When workers are referred to in the Act and in this material it includes paid workers and volunteers. Where there are differences (for example because of the contractual rights of paid workers) these will be highlighted”.
Who does the Act apply to?
The Act applies to ALL organisations that appoint paid and volunteer workers to “child care” positions. The Act defines child care positions in a broad way. For full details and before you decide if your organisation appoints people to child care positions you must also access Schedule 2 of the Act on the Scottish Executive website. The guidance in this material will give you answers to a number of questions including:
• “Why was the Act introduced?”
• “What is its purpose?”
• “What must we do to meet our duties under the Act?”
• “What tasks and guidelines will help us to meet our duties under the Act?”
• “What do we already do that will help us meet these duties?”
• “What do we still need to do and how can we do this?”
• “Where can we go for further advice, information and training?”

Child Protection in Sport

Advice, consultation, training, resources on keeping children and young people safe in sport including child protection policies, safe recruitment of adults to work with children, how to deal with concerns about a child or an adult working with children. Link to www.childprotectioninsport.org.uk

Hands on Scotland

A toolkit of helpful responses to encourage children and young people's emotional wellbeing. Link to www.handsonscotland.co.uk

Evaluation

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Evaluation Support Guides

Evaluation Support Scotland has recently developed four free support guides to help you through the process of evaluation and give you some ideas on the different ways available to collect and analyse information.  The guides cover:

Support Guide 1: Clarifying your aims, outcomes and activities
Support Guide 2: Developing and using indicators
Support Guide 3: Using interviews and questionnaires to evaluate your project
Support Guide 4: Using visual approaches to evaluate your project

The organisation is keen to receive feedback on them, so if you have any questions or comments on any of the materials please e-mail.  In addition to these guides, the site also has links to other useful resources, tools and websites and Evaluation Support Scotland staff offer telephone, e-mail and 1:1 support to help organisations through the processes.  For further information on the various services available contact the organisation direct on Tel: 0870 850 1378 or e-mail. Events planned by ESS can be found by clicking here

Miscellaneous

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Guide to Managing ICT

Covering all aspects of managing information and communications technology, this guide from the ICT Hub is aimed to be useful to anyone whatever their level of technical knowledge. 'Guide to Managing ICT in the Voluntary and Community Sector' (dated August 07 but recently mentioned in their newsletter) can be downloaded in pdf format, 1.55MB, at: http://www.icthub.org.uk/publications/managing_ict_guide.pdf

New Inter-Agency Training Resource For the Mental Health of Children and Young People

This is a two-day course which provides basic understanding of children and young people's mental health and the target audience is those who work in universal services delivered to children and young people. The resource was commissioned by HeadsUpScotland and developed on their behalf by Young Minds. They would like to acknowledge with thanks the meticulous work and commitment of the Young Minds team in developing this helpful resource. Details of this training is now available for downloading from the HeadsUpScotland website at
http://www.headsupscotland.co.uk/workf.html

Playworkers Development

The first interactive CD toolkit to help employers develop their employees in the playwork sector has been produced by SkillsActive. Inspired by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Children's workforce strategy:
Building a World Class Workforce for Children, Young People and Families. The CD is designed to guide organisations through six simple stages resulting in a complete workforce development plan.
This toolkit aims to help small, medium and large organisations to build the skills and knowledge of Playworkers, paid or unpaid; increase the chances of accessing public funding for education, training and development; and, most importantly, improve the quality of the play opportunities they provide to children and young people. The CD toolkit is now available to buy at:
http://www.skillsactive.com/training/workforce-development/

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