Network News – 28th November 2008

Community Network for Manchester Strategy Group Meeting - Tuesday 9th December 2008
The next Community Network for Manchester Strategy Group meeting will take place on Tuesday 9th December 2008, from 6:00pm - 8:00pm (refreshments from 5:30pm).
Venue: Green Fish Resource Centre.

The paperwork for this meeting can be found at: http://www.cn4m.net/node/447
Please confirm your attendance at the meeting or submit your apologies by emailing Estelle Worthington (estelle@cn4m.net) or phoning 0161 234 2915.
If you have any queries or concerns about the agenda or paperwork for the meeting please contact John Wareham (john@cn4m.net, Tel: 0161 234 2921), or a member of the Executive Group for clarification.

Forthcoming Strategy Group Meetings - dates for your diaries:
Please note that the following dates are provisional and will be finalised at the next meeting (on Tuesday 9th December 2008).
Tuesday 27th January 2009
Tuesday 10th March 2009
Contact about this story:
estelle@cn4m.net
Website:
http://www.cn4m.net/node/447
Network Updates

Recent updates from Community Network for Manchester's Networks and Pools can now be found on our website.
To view a special TIF referendum Transport Pool bulletin, visit: http://www.cn4m.net/node/143
To view the Sustainable Neighbourhoods Pool November bulletin, visit: http://www.cn4m.net/node/142

Local/Regional News

Pitch Your Project - Chance to win funding for organisations that benefit the health, wellbeing and fitness of their community.

TV Dragon wants you to Pitch Your Project!

James Caan, entrepreneur and 'dragon' on BBC 2's Dragons' Den is backing a competition for local community groups in Greater Manchester.
The Dragons' Den style scheme, Pitch Your Project, is looking for organisations that benefit the health, wellbeing and fitness of their community with the support of volunteers.

Whether it's running a sports club, befriending scheme, or patient support group, if the project has a great idea for making a difference with volunteers, they could win £2000 cash when they present their project and ideas to a panel of experts.
Five shortlisted projects will be given £250 to develop a plan for
using volunteers, as well as receiving face to face advice from a
panel of experts in communications, design, health and volunteering.
Pitch Your Project is run by TimeBank in partnership with the NHS
Foundation Trust Network and is looking for innovative and effective ways in which volunteers can support the delivery of health and wellbeing services.

Closing Date: 15th December 2008.

For further information, or to make an application visit: www.journeystohealth.org, or contact Nancy Towers on 0845 456 1668, or email
info@journeystohealth.org
Contact about this story:
info@journeystohealth.org
Website:
http://www.journeystohealth.org

Mapping Creativity Project - vote on who should receive the £25k commission

Through the Mapping Creativity Project, Manchester Beacon aims to commission an interactive project that drives Manchester's collective creativity.
The commissioned project will use disruptive, open source or social technologies to aggregate and maximise Manchester’s resources.
It will facilitate better communication between two or more social groups and provide tools to visualise this interaction.
The project will be co-designed with its users.
Three finalists received £1,000 to develop their ideas further before pitching for the final £25k commission. They took part in a pitching session on the 30th October. Each pitch was filmed and is available for you to comment and vote on.
How can I get involved?
Have your say on who you think should receive the commission at: http://just-b.com/btween/mapping-creativity
To vote just rate each pitch using the star system at the top of the page where it says Vote Now. Move your mouse along the stars and select your choice with 5 being the highest rate.
Website:
http://just-b.com/btween/mapping-creativity
VSNW survey to assess impact of economic downturn on debt advice services in the North West

VSNW (Voluntary Sector North West), on behalf of the Joint Economic Commission for the North West, is assessing the impact of the economic downturn on debt advice services in the North West.

The Commission was set up to support families, businesses and communities in dealing with the current economic downturn.
VSNW aims to discover what debt counselling services exist, the current levels of need and the demands being placed on services.
They will also look at possible solutions and actions that could support debt advice and related services in the North West.
In order to assist them in this please fill in the survey form below and return it to policy@vsnw.org.uk by Thursday, 4 December 2008.
An outline of the Commission’s role and membership is available from the Government Office website homepage: http://www.go-nw.gov.uk
Contact about this story:
policy@vsnw.org.uk
Website:
http://www.vsnw.org.uk
Attachment Size
Survey for advice services in the North West.doc
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National News

National Voices/ Royal College of Nursing survey - Local Healthcare Commissioning: The Patient's Perspective

This survey is being jointly conducted by National Voices (a new umbrella organisation established by and for the voluntary sector) and the Royal College of Nursing.

This survey is one of the first efforts to discover whether patients and the public really are involved in the government's local commissioning initiatives.
The survey hopes to explore the attitudes of patient groups (and other relevant voluntary groups) to local commissioning in primary care. The intention is to identify mechanisms by which commissioning processes can be improved from the patients' perspective.

The survey comprises 16 questions and takes no more than 10-15 minutes to complete.
National Voices and the RCN are interested in your organisation's views even if you have not been directly involved in any form of local healthcare commissioning.
Closing date: Monday 15th December 2008.

For further information, and to contribute to the survey visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9iIrJkBL44oLtNFseAlvxA_3d_3d
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact:
Louise Oatham ('NV/RCN study of patient/public involvement'), PatientView, Woodhouse Place, Upper Woodhouse, Knighton, Powys, LD7 1NG, Tel: 01547-520-965; e-mail: info@patient-view.com
Contact about this story:
info@patient-view.com
Website:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9iIrJkBL44oLtNFseAlvxA_3d_3d

Latest Events

Understanding your rights and the work of the Refugee & Migrant Forum Manchester
Posted November 28th, 2008 by estellew

Date/ Time: Monday 15th December 2008, 10.30am to 1pm followed by a light lunch
Venue: Manchester Refugee Support Network (MRSN), St James Centre, 95a Princess Rd, M14 4TH
Come and meet members of the Refugee & Migrant Forum Manchester to find out what we are doing to defend the rights of asylum seekers and refugees in Greater Manchester and how you can get involved.
There will be a FREE one hour training about UK Border Agency guidelines for the detention process, bail applications and fresh claims, with questions and answers with a solicitor from the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit.
Travel expenses will be paid by MRSN. Buses 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 109 from Piccadilly Gardens all go past the St. James Centre. Get off the bus at the second stop after the brewery & the big ASDA on Princess Rd.
(The solicitor will not be able to give advice on individual cases. Forum members can provide contact details of immigration advisors in Greater Manchester).
For further information, contact Sophie King, Forum Development Worker on 0161 232 7420, or email forum@mrsn.org.uk
Type of Event:
Community Event
Contact for more info:
forum@mrsn.org.uk
Website:
http://www.mrsn.org.uk/forum/
• Calendar

Participate in the LGF Full Circle Services Survey

Posted November 28th, 2008 by estellew
Type of Event:
Community Event
The Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) is conducting a Full Circle Services Survey and they need your help!

Come along to their Focus Group at Princess House on Wednesday 3rd December, 6.30 pm.
Ever used one of their services? The LGF needs your opinion!
What did you think? What would you change? What new services
should they offer?
Free pizza and wine.
To book a place, just contact Samantha on 0161 235 8020
or email samantha@lgf.org.uk
Contact for more info:
samantha@lgf.org.uk
Attachment Size
LGF Full Circle poster.pdf
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• Calendar

Fair Ground? Urban forum annual conference 2008, 8th - 9th December

Posted November 28th, 2008 by estellew
Type of Event:
Conference/ Seminar
Venue: Manchester Conference Centre
Although we live in the 5th richest country in the world, 1 in 5 of people in the UK lives in poverty. Isn't it time we got fair? Urban Forum's Annual Conference, Fair Ground?, will put poverty and inequality firmly in the spotlight. Join us in Manchester on 8th and 9th December to debate, share experience and help create fair ground for the 21st Century.
This year's theme will be explored in the usual variety of informative plenaries, debates, interactive research, and well as visits and workshops and, this year, theatre.
Conference Fees (per delegate)
Local Community and Voluntary Sector Organisations:
UF Members £180
Non-Members £240
For more further information on the conference see the flyer below or visit: http://www.urbanforum.org.uk/events/index.html
Alternatively, email annualconference@urbanforum.org.uk or contact Alistair on 020 7253 4816.
Contact for more info:
annualconference@urbanforum.org.uk
Website:
http://www.urbanforum.org.uk/events/index.html
Attachment Size
Urban Forum Conference - 8-9 Dec.pdf
1.07 MB

• Calendar

'Improving East Manchester: A Place Where People Want To Live' Workshop
Posted November 28th, 2008 by estellew

A Workshop led by: Sara Todd, Head of Regeneration, Manchester City Council.
Date/ Time: Friday 5 December 2008, 10am – 12.00 noon (followed by a light lunch).
Venue: The Grange, Pilgrim Drive, Beswick, M11 3TQ

You are invited to come along and find out more about the work that is being carried out in East Manchester to improve the quality of life of residents.
The brief workshop will involve input from experts working in the field. It's also a great opportunity to discuss some of the problems faced by people living in East Manchester with colleagues from a range of services.

This is not just for those who work in regeneration or who work in East Manchester. Come along if you:
- Deliver customer-facing services in East Manchester and need to develop better links with colleagues from other services.
- Have a role in planning and managing services within East Manchester and need to understand the broader aims of the community strategy and the work of key partnerships.
- Provide a support service and need to understand how you can improve that support to front line staff.
- Have a city wide remit and need to better understand front line delivery of services that meet the needs of neighbourhoods in Manchester.
For more information, or to book a place, contact Ben Walker (Organisational Development Officer Service Development Team, Manchester City Council) on 0161 234 3231 or e-mail b.walker@manchester.gov.uk
The above workshop is part of a series for all people working in East Manchester, and at a citywide level. We all contribute to working in some way in all of these areas, so the workshops are open to all services and to all staff across service partners.
Future workshops will cover:
Every Child Matters: 16 January 09
Strengthening the Economy: 13 February 09
Type of Event:
Conference/ Seminar
Contact for more info:
b.walker@manchester.gov.uk

• Calendar

Latest Employment Opportunities

Development Worker - Parish of St Mark with Christ Church Glodwick (Oldham)
Posted November 26th, 2008 by estellew
Actual salary: £19000 per year, plus non-contributory pension of 10%, Contract: 3 year contract initially, Hours: 28 hours per week.
The Parish of St Mark with Christ Church Glodwick (Oldham) have obtained funding to set up a community hub and learning centre based in St Mark’s House.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone to establish the project and to develop it in conjunction with the Parish and partners in the local community.
Closing date for applications: Friday 9th January 2009. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 20th January 2009.

Further information about this post can be found below. To request an information pack visit: www.manchester.anglican.org,
email: simonambrose@manchester.anglican.org, or telephone: 0161 828 1410.
Deadline for application:
9 Jan 2009
E-mail for more information:
simonambrose@manchester.anglican.org
Website:
http://www.manchester.anglican.org
Attachment Size

Development Worker job advert.doc
142 KB

Temporary Job Opportunity at EMERGE Recycling
Posted November 27th, 2008 by estellew
Deadline for application:
15 Dec 2008
Pay: £8.24 per hour (£15,000 pro rata equivalent) with 0.38 days holiday for each 35 hours worked, Hours of work:Ideally 35 hours a week but prepared to be flexible, Contract: Temporary for up to 8 weeks, Location: Based at EMERGE and within Manchester schools.
EMERGE Recycling is a fast growing and dynamic Manchester-based social enterprise that exists to promote the practice of the 3Rs of waste reduction. We are currently looking to employ a Schools' Recycling Service Analyst.
We require a methodical and scientific person with a flair for analysing and collecting information and data. The candidate will analyse 4 years worth of existing data regarding our Schools' Recycling Service and accompany our schools' driver to collect new data.
The purpose of this role is to produce a report outlining our achievements to date and recommendations for further improvements to our Schools' Service.
Contact Shaheen at realskills@emergemanchester.co.uk or 0161 223 8200 to request an application pack.
Deadline for applications: Monday the 15th of December at 5pm. Interviews: 18th of December.
E-mail for more information:
realskills@emergemanchester.co.uk
Website:
http://www.emergemanchester.co.uk/

Latest Volunteer Opportunities

Steering Group Member Vacancies - Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for Greater Manchester
Posted November 25th, 2008 by estellew
Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for Greater Manchester are looking for people to join their steering group. There are two places available and the steering group meets twice a year.
The CLAHRC has responsibility for conducting high quality applied NHS research and ensuring that it is delivered to enhance patient benefit in the NHS across Greater Manchester.
The CLAHRC is a collaboration between 19 NHS Trusts in Greater Manchester, and the University of Manchester.
Further information about this opportunity can be found below.
To arrange an informal discussion contact Julia Miller on 0161 275 4488, or email julia.miller@manchester.ac.uk
E-mail for more information:
julia.miller@manchester.ac.uk
Attachment Size
CLAHRC Steering Group member vacancies.doc
121 KB

Latest Training Opportunities

Free Training Available - A Unique Opportunity To Develop Your Project Idea Into A Viable Social Enterprise
Posted November 28th, 2008 by estellew
Date:
13 January 2008 - 9 February 2009
Time:
5.30pm to 8.30pm
Dates/ Times: 13th, 20th, 27th January, 3rd and 9th February, 5.30pm to 8.30pm
Venue: Business Support Solutions – Warren Bruce Court, Warren Bruce Road, Trafford Park, Manchester, M17 1LB
Business Support Solutions Start up and Legal Structure Programme is aimed at individuals or groups who wish to set up a social enterprise and require support with developing their vision and plan their project.
The programmes comprise a number of Workshops and One to One business support sessions, designed to give you the practical skills needed to develop and start a social enterprise.
For more information please contact Isabelle Farquhar, Business Support Solutions on 0161 875 2259 or e-mail isabelle.farquhar@business-support-solutions.co.uk
This programme is funded by:
Business Support Solutions – Enterprise Services Team – Warren Bruce Court, Warren Bruce Road, Trafford Park, Manchester, M17 1LB
Type of course:
Training course
E-mail for more information:
isabelle.farquhar@business-support-solutions.co.uk


Latest Consultations

Equality and Human Rights Commission consultation on future plans

Posted November 27th, 2008 by estellew
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is currently consulting on it's Strategic Plan, Equality Scheme and Grants Programme.
They are developing their three-year strategic plan and equality scheme, both of which will be published in April 2009. They are also looking at ways in which they can shape their grants programme in line with their strategic priorities.
The first stage of involvement and consultation is already underway and consists of regional events and an online consultation session. To take part in the online consultation, visit: http://equalityhumanrights.dialoguebydesign.net/
The closing date for this part of the consultation is Sunday the 7th of December 2008.
For further information, and a link to the consultation documents, visit: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/policyresearch/consultations/pages...
If you would like more information on how to get involved please email businessplanning@equalityhumanrights.com
Consultation end date:
7 December, 2008
Consultation e-mail:
businessplanning@equalityhumanrights.com
Website:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/policyresearch/consultations/pages/consult...


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