Transition & Next Steps

VCS matters is now taking the lead for the CVSF in Birmingham.  Jason Wright at VCS Matters will be co-ordinating CVSF work for the transition period.  He can be contacted at jasonw@bvsc.org or 0121 - 678 8832 (on Thursdays and Fridays).  If you want to share your services/events with the rest of the VCS, then please forward details to Jason.

Commissioning - Arrangements for VCS groups who are currently contracted to deliver against targets (YAF etc) will not change and your 1st port of contact remains the same as detailed in your contract.

PA Hub arrangements - PA's are still delivering services to young people within the VCS; however they are now being line managed within area teams.  If you wish to access PA support for a young person please contact your nearest area team.  Please click here for Connexions Centres contact details.

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Worklessness & Young People 

Following on from the Connexions Way Forward Event in October 2008 where Chrissie Garrett, Director for Inclusion Services, Children Young People and Families, Birmingham City Council presented Worklessness As A City Priority and The Third Sector Assembly's position paper Worklessness - Terms and Conditions the Third Sector Assembly and VCS Matters jointly hosted key note speakers Andrew Barnes from Birmingham City Council, Employment and Development Team who presented Addressing Worklessness - A City Strategy for Birmingham and Andy Stowe, Senior European Policy Advisor, West Midlands European Network for a look at Worklessness - The European Union Perspective at BVSC on 16 December 2008.

Worklessness is a term that is becoming increasingly widely used to differentiate between ‘unemployment'; which could be used to describe a person that "may not have a job this week" and whose jobless position can be considered temporary. Rather worklessness refers to the portion of the population in receipt of working age client group benefits, including Job Seekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Income Support amongst others and often facing multiple barriers to employment including social disadvantage or subject to generation(s) of family unemployment, and so adopt the attitude of low expectation such as ‘I never expect to have a job so why bother trying'

From a local perspective the key points of the afternoon were firstly that the Working Neighbourhood Fund (WNF) allocation to Birmingham, £57 million over 3 years, will be made on a commissioned basis, with service specifications and guidance on how to tender likely to be available in February. Andrew emphasised that due to the likely scale of service specifications a consortia approach was likely to be required.

Further to this Neighbourhood Employment and Skills Plans (NESPS) and Constituency Employment and Skills Plans (CESPS) form part of the strategy for addressing worklessness at a local neighbourhood level. Plans are initially being developed in areas of the City where 25% or more of the working age population are defined as workless. 7 NESPS have been identified Aston, Lozells and East Handsworth, Nechells, Kingstanding, Sparkbrook, Washwood Heath and Shard End and a further 9 CESPS Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Northfield, Perry Barr, Ladywood, Erdington, Hodge Hill Yardley and Hall Green.

Agencies who wish to feed in their views and ideas for consideration in the planning process are advised to contact the officers in area teams who are drafting and refining the various plans. A full list of all areas identified as NESPS and CESPS and their area planners including contact details are included below.

NESPS and CESPS Area Planners and Contact details:

From a European perspective West Midlands European Network is a regional resource for Third Sector organisations seeking information and assistance with regard to European Funding in the West Midlands.

Andy Stowe highlighted the Youth In Action Programme as a further potential funding opportunity for voluntary sector organisations. The Youth in Action Programme is a pan-European initiative which aims to give young people valuable international experience for their personal and professional development, through various activities, within the remit of non-formal and informal learning. The West Midlands area is currently undersubscribed and first time applicants are particularly encouraged, there are 5 bidding rounds per year with 1 April the next deadline.

For further information visit http://www.wmeuronet.co.uk/