Hello Everyone

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been involved in an ever-increasing number of meetings that are planning for the transition from the COVID-19 crisis/responsive situation to planned re-opening and adaptation. 

During each of these meetings I have been worried and have voiced the opinion that we also need to contingency plan – what happens when there is a local spike or (heaven forbid) a return to national lockdown.  I have worked in the voluntary sector all my life and it seems we always have to plan for the worst and hope for the best! 

The need for a local lockdown in Aberdeen should surely be a wakeup call to all our statutory partners.  More importantly, it’s a stark reminder to us of the fragility of our communities as we consider how we are going to continue to support people and communities during such uncertain times.  If it wasn’t enough to deal with our own financial and capacity concerns, we know the anxiety in our communities is at a level we haven’t experienced before.

Our strength is our ability to work with people, support our staff and volunteer teams, and to collaborate with each other. 

Over the next few months, I believe it’s even more important to continue to come together through the various networks supported by EVOC and many others to share our intelligence and hard learning from the last 5 months. 

Please also check out EVOC website – we are about to launch a series of free courses/seminars for voluntary sector staff focused on building and support their resilience and wellbeing. 

This is a long haul and we must support the very people we know make a difference.

Ella Simpson

Chief Executive, EVOC

REPORTS, SURVEYS AND LESSONS LEARNED

We are currently pulling together as many surveys, reports and reviews carried out by the sector and local communities as possible – to compile a summary of the findings to share with organisations and decision-makers across the city.
We would be very grateful indeed if you have done any pieces of work like this in the last three months and we were willing to share to add to a bank of knowledge we plan to hold about the pandemic and the voluntary and community sector response in the city. Please submit reports/surveys to ian.brooke@evoc.org.uk

EVOC IS RECRUITING

Do you know someone who is passionate about the voluntary sector? 
Someone who believes that by working collectively as a city we can tackle some of the issues contributing to poverty and inequality? 
We are seeking to recruit a skilled individual to a new and exciting post to lead on the marketing of EVOC, the wider Edinburgh voluntary sector’s work and to develop our communications:

Marketing & Stakeholder Affairs Officer Full-time

• EVOC Grade 4 – SJC Points 28-32 £27,916 – £31,708pa
• Fixed-term to 31 March 2022

Full details of the vacancy can be found here we’d be grateful if you could please share amongst your networks!

CELEBRATING THE POSITIVES

In our previous newsletter, we spoke about recognising and celebrating the positives that have come out of the past few months.
Organisations of all sizes have come together to maintain connection and collaboration as well as look at the future, adapting the delivery of their services and their own thinking in response to Covid-19. 

We wanted to continue to share with you all the positive stories and encourage you to share yours too whether that be on your social media or within your communities. 

Inspiring stories of change and adapting
Our inspiring story is one is around Inspiring Change: how organisations in Edinburgh have come to adapt, maintain connections, and collaborate for the benefit of their local community.  There are many local Edinburgh organisations that have contributed to this story and shared their viewpoints, if you haven’t already read this article then we would encourage you to do so as it really serves to highlight how organisations have adapted to make a difference: Inspiring Change article

Sharing positive stories is something that is very important to us as a way of facilitating change and supporting the adaptation of the services we provide.
We have adapted our training sessions taking them online, as we discussed in our last newsletter there were lots of factors that we needed to consider but we really enjoyed delivering the course online as did our participants: 

“Excellent pre-course administration and distribution of course materials. The online course was managed very well. The speakers were knowledgeable and friendly.

Please have a think and share any positive stories of change or how you have adapted your services during recent times.

As a sector, we have done a brilliant job in supporting our local communities so it would be great to celebrate our stories together. 

We will soon be adapting our own website to enable you to submit your positive and inspiring stories (more to follow soon), but until then tweet your stories and tag @EVOC so that we can see them and share!

UPDATES ON TRAINING

We have lots of new training information to share with you. 

As the summer continues we are delighted to announce three areas of training provision for the coming weeks and into the autumn:

• Manage time. Harness energy. Avoid staff burn out: Thu 20^th Aug (3pm – 4:30pm)  To note your interest please email julieanne.hill@evoc.org.uk and she will send you the link to book a place. Note we have a limited number of places available on this course. 
• Cultivating a Positive Mindset: Tue 25^th Aug (10am – 12noon) then will be run again on 15^th Sept at the same times.
• Coping with Change and Building Resilience: Wed 26^th Aug (9:30am – 11:30am)

• 25th August: ‘Governance Four’: An introduction to Charity Finance Reporting session. 
• 16th September: ‘Governance Four’: Trustees Roles and Responsibilities.

Full details for of all of our courses visit the training page of the EVOC website here

Feedback from our previous online sessions has been really positive with one of our recent participants saying: ‘Courses are always interesting, well presented, enjoyable, and very informative‘

3. The traditional EVOC training programme starts again in September with our ‘Support and Supervision: An Essential Guide online course’.

The programme will be further developed in the coming days and weeks. We will also resume our training bulletin, if you would like to sign up to receive this please you can do so here

Further information on training can also be found at the Institute of Fundraising. 

RED BOOK ONLINE DIRECTORY

As we emerge from lockdown and more organisations and services restart, we have dusted down the EVOC RedBook and repopulated all the data to reflect exactly what is happening across the city right now. There are currently over 330+ services and activities provided by voluntary organisations across the city to meet local need and overcome adversity. We have archived the original directory data ready for further reopenings and relaxing of lockdown – but all organisational data is searchable even if services are currently mothballed.

Have a browse HERE, check your entry is up to date and share.

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISATIONS THAT ARE A LIFELINE FOR COMMUNITIES

We are shining a spotlight on something a little different in this newsletter. 
Working together whether it be in the community or local organisations coming together has brought about new connections. One of the South Edinburgh Voluntary Sector Forums, early on in the Covid crisis came together to collaborate and produce a leaflet for the elderly in their communities. 

Perhaps not your ‘traditional’ format of leaflet, but one that contained all of the information that people in their local communities needed in an easy to read visual format and was very well received by the recipients!

CYBER RESILIENCE & COVID SCAMS: LATEST NEWS

Get the Cyber Resilience Bulletin 

FORUMS AND NETWORKS: KEEPING US ALL CONNECTED

Edinburgh Pact – City Wide Workshop

An opportunity for voluntary organisations and community groups from across Edinburgh to come together with officers from Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership to discuss the ‘Edinburgh Pact’, which is currently being developed to create a different type of relationship with residents, communities and organisations across the city.

To read more, book a place and receive details of the log on to Zoom conferencing:

https://www.evoc.org.uk/updates/edinburgh-pact-city-wide-workshop/

Slack online channel

As well as the EVOC networks and forums that we all attend and enjoy, did you know that there is a thriving online community of 350+ organisations sharing information and ideas on our EVOC Slack Channels?  Each network and forum will also have a more focused ‘private channel’ which members will be invited to join – both the geographic Voluntary Sector Forums and the various thematic networks and forums.
To join, please contact the forum leads as below: 

EVOC’S REMINDERS FOR YOU, YOUR NETWORKS AND YOUR COMMUNITIES

With one eye on the coming Autumn and Winter months, we’ve already started the discussion around keeping on top of the day to day things that we take for granted.
Building on the things we know make a difference to the local community as well as the key messages from local and government bodies will we hope, make a difference as we approach the Autumn and Winter, and what this often brings health and wellbeing wise. 

Please help us in sharing these key messages with your local communities and networks.

• Keeping on top of your medication: make sure that you request your repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so you don’t run out of or leave getting your regular medication to the last minute
• If you aren’t already then register with a local GP. Details on how to find a GP local to you, and on how to register can be found here 

EVOC MEMBERSHIP AND BENEFITS

Full EVOC membership is open to all voluntary and community organisations. 
Membership helps to support EVOC’s work and whilst membership is not necessary to be part of any of our networks or forums, membership does provide an established network of all kinds of voluntary and community organisations working in Edinburgh. 

All EVOC members can now benefit from our partnership with Law at Work. 

Find out about all the benefits of EVOC membership here

AND FINALLY…..

It’s August and at this time of the year, Edinburgh would usually be alive with all things festival related.

However, with the festival having being cancelled this year, that isn’t the case, so we wanted to share some information from Edinburgh Festival City.
Even though the festival isn’t happening as usual in person, there are in fact lots of events both online and offline that are taking place.

You can find more information on what is happening by visiting the Edinburgh Festival City website here, please do share this information with your networks and communities. 

An opportunity for voluntary organisations and community groups from across Edinburgh to come together with officers from Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership to discuss the ‘Edinburgh Pact‘:

To book a place at the workshop on Wednesday 19 August, 10.30 – 11.45am and receive details of the log on to Zoom conferencing:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/edinburgh-pact-voluntary-sector-workshop-tickets-116598355821

I was reading a Guardian article this morning which detailed how unprepared governments across Europe were for the coronavirus pandemic. 

Apparently, on 26^th February the Italian government issued an appeal to the EU as a whole asking for help as their hospitals were overwhelmed with the numbers of patients and they didn’t have either the trained staff to deal with people coming through their doors or the equipment to keep the staff safe. The appeal was met by a deafening silence – not because no-one wanted to help but because no-one was prepared in any way shape or form to deal with this level of crisis. 

On 17^th January only 12 of the 27 EU member states joined a conference call which was convened to address what public health experts knew to be a major crisis. 

Against this backdrop haven’t we absolutely nailed it as a sector! 

Citizens have volunteered in every community, voluntary organisations have provided immediate support and help to people, voluntary organisations have worked together to ensure no-one was left behind. 

As a sector we didn’t just think about immediate needs – food, medicines, getting the dog walked – or longer-term needs – loneliness, anxiety – we actually DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT. So thank you to every single “problem solver” out there, thank you to everyone who peeled the tatties, walked the dogs and turned their hands to anything that needed doing. 

The newsletter highlights some of this amazing work – we can’t possibly cover all the amazing work but we wanted to celebrate in a small way.
Happy reading!

Ella Simpson
Chief Executive, EVOC

UPDATES FROM TSI SURVEY

The national Third Sector Interface (TSI) survey that many of you will have completed has been published.
This gives a Scotland-wide picture from across third sector organisations who completed the survey.

On Wednesday EVOC will publish an in-depth analysis of the results from those organisations working in Edinburgh that completed the survey.

Keep an eye on our website should you wish to see a copy.

UPDATES ON TRAINING

Our usual training sessions for trustees have been on pause as we all went into lockdown and adjusted to new challenges and new ways of working. But after getting some requests to restart we decided it’s time to take the plunge into online delivery!

These are sessions we’ve done hundreds of times before, it’s obviously impossible to perfectly replicate face to face training, and of course, there are things lost in not being able to do that, but there are some real advantages as well. Namely, it makes training so much more accessible when no one has to travel or arrange childcare.

For people attending our (or other) online training sessions, our best tip is to try to embrace it and continue to ask questions or add your comments as it really helps the sessions feel a bit friendlier and interactive despite the format.

One of the best things about our training sessions normally are the excellent questions people raise and the discussions they lead to, and also the valuable experience that people share, and if your child wants to say hello or a cat jumps in front of the screen, the more the merrier!

More online training sessions will be confirmed soon, please keep an eye on the training page of the EVOC website. 

If you’d like to read our full review of how our first few online training sessions went then click head over to the EVOC blog here.

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON ORGANISATIONS THAT ARE A LIFELINE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

It’s so important to build on and celebrate the positives that have come out of the past few months such the willingness of organisations to learn and adapt their services and offerings; networks and communities coming together as well as maintaining the equal respect of everyone within our communities. 

One such smaller organisation that we wanted to shine a light on is ACE IT, an Edinburgh based charity that helps older people learn IT skills.
We got to know ACE IT through their attendance at one of our voluntary sector forums (VSF’s). Katie from ACE IT gave us her view on how the VSF’s have helped ACE IT, as well as how they have enabled her to connect with other organisations for their and their communities benefit.

The VSFs have been fantastic for me. I was new to this job in June and within two weeks, I had built up a large contact list of people from other charities/organisations.

We were able to reach out and promote our projects to new audiences as well as collaborate with other charities/organisations to improve our outcomes.

– Katie, ACE IT

Please also share your partnership stories with SCVO #nevermoreneeded campaign which is focused on how essential the voluntary sector is in society. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF FORUMS AND NETWORKS IN KEEPING US ALL CONNECTED

Recent months have shown us the continued importance of us all keeping connected. One of the positive things to have come out of the Covid crisis is how networks and organisations have adapted and come together to help and support each other and their local communities in different ways. 

Whether that be sharing ideas, peer support, or new connections made, the digital world of the past few months has enabled us all to keep in touch with one another. 

There are different ways that we can all stay connected with each other – as well as the network forums we also have our increasingly popular non thematic Voluntary Sector Forum.

As many of you know, these forums are held across localities, bringing together different organisations and groups both small and large. 
The past few months have seen the VSF’s go into overdrive with new links that have made been between groups and organisations. 

The aim of the VSF is to link people and networks for present and future working be it for signposting or laying the groundwork for future partnership working.

‘The tenacious linking with the four small area networks, from Gorgie to Oxgangs, Broomhouse to Wester Hailes has also been of real support’

– Bridie, Space Broomhouse

‘The VSF lead has supported the VSF with insightful comments about everything from technology platforms and challenges to supporting people to feel included.’

– Leah, WHALE Arts

We would like to say thank you and to celebrate the commitment of all of the local organisations in coming together for the benefit of their local communities. 

If you haven’t yet had a chance to join your local VSF but would like to please contact Kate, using the contact details below.

Another reminder that our Slack online channel is still open. 

Many of you will have joined your respective online networks and forums on Slack, but if you haven’t yet we would encourage you to do so. 

Please join if you are an Edinburgh voluntary sector organisation – it is where you’ll get the most up to date information, be able to share things quickly, and stay connected.

How it works

When you join you’ll have access to a number of ‘public channels’ on topics such as community food, funding, legal regulation, offers of help and training.

Each network and forum will also have a more focused ‘private channel’ which members will be invited to join – both the geographic Voluntary Sector Forums and the various thematic networks and forums.

How to join

Please contact the forum leads for access to specific channels: please just get in touch:

EDINBURGH COVID – 19 SERVICES MAP

The map is continually being updated with information submitted to the Directory – please use and share it to promote what you’re doing. 

NEAR ME NOW: INVITATION TO PROVIDE YOUR COMMENTS AND SHARE WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITIES AND NETWORKS

The use of video consultations in Scotland has rapidly escalated since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Prior to March, there were around 300 appointments using the Near Me system, by June, there were over 17,000 every week, with over 150,000 in total.

Building on this and looking to the future the Scottish Government has produced a vision that all health and care consultations in Scotland are provided by Near Me whenever it is appropriate.

To raise awareness about the vision an engagement exercise is underway across Scotland. The purpose is to find out what people think about having their appointments by Near Me and how it might be improved for the future.
The engagement will include inviting the public to take part in an online survey or the option to phone or email their views to the National Near Me team.

To ensure that as many views are captured, please share this amongst your team/ members and communities as you deem appropriate. 

The Technology enabled and Digital Healthcare Innovation Directorate would also like to invite comments from you and your teams including potential policy links, benefits, and barriers for future use from your perspective. As well as ideas and support as to how we reach out to those not online or seldom online during Covid-19. Please contact Maimie Thompson – who is overseeing the public engagement by emailing her direct to mnthompson@btinternet.com

The findings will be analysed and published and will feed into the wider evaluation which will inform the future use of Near Me.

EVOC’S REMINDERS FOR YOU, YOUR NETWORKS AND YOUR COMMUNITIES

As we start to slowly transition out of lockdown it remains our responsibility to be vigilant and to help and guide our local communities on how to continue to protect themselves and their loved ones. 

Whilst we are only in July, the months leading up to Winter will be crucial in helping prevent the spread of many winter viruses including Covid-19. 

The past few months have shown us that prevention and keeping on top of the things we take for granted can have a positive impact on our local community, so we would appreciate you sharing and continuing to share the following ‘health housekeeping’ messages within your networks and communities.

• Keeping on top of your medication: make sure that you request your repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so you don’t run out of or leave getting your regular medication to the last minute
• If you aren’t already then register with a local GP. Details on how to find a GP local to you, and on how to register can be found here

We will be adding more messages for you to share with your communities over the coming months, thank you for sharing!

CYBER RESILIENCE & COVID SCAMS: LATEST NEWS

As a result of the significant rise in COVID-19 related scams, over the next few months, the Scottish Government Cyber Resilience Unit will share important information. They aim to share these updates weekly.

Advice and information is changing daily as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, so please ensure you only take information from trusted sources.

Get the Cyber Resilience Bulletin

EVOC MEMBERSHIP AND BENEFITS

Full EVOC membership is open to all voluntary and community organisations. Membership helps to support EVOC’s work and whilst membership is not necessary to be part of any of our networks or forums, membership does provide an established network of all kinds of voluntary and community organisations working in Edinburgh. 

All EVOC members can now benefit from our partnership with Law at Work. Find out about all the benefits of EVOC membership here

Hello Everyone

In “normal times” next week would be the start of school holidays and we would all be looking forward to well-earned breaks.  I know that my team are feeling the strain and getting tired and I’m sure you will be seeing the effects of the pressures on yourself and your colleagues.  I have therefore taken the unprecedented decision to close EVOC for a week from Monday 29^th June.  We need to make sure we are looking after ourselves to be able to continue at this pace for the longer term.  We will be in touch with everyone re any work which was planned for next week to let you know how we are going to ensure we are continuing to support you and your amazing work.

Looking forward there are a number of things which COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus for us all but fundamentally we know that at the wellbeing of people must be at the heart of every decision.  EVOC is a member of a national network of Third Sector Interfaces (TSI) and across Scotland we have just completed a questionnaire.  The full details will be published by the end of this week.  It won’t be a surprise to you to hear that the concerns we hear in our networks and forums are being echoed nationally.

• Sustainability of the voluntary sector: the short-term crisis funding has supported incredible work in communities but it all comes to a grinding halt early autumn.  We are increasingly hearing about the longer-term issues of statutory funds and how these have been depleted during the last 4 months – what of the future planning?
• People: there are growing concerns for mental health and wellbeing of a large number of people who were already vulnerable pre-COVID-19
• Poverty: the greatest economic impact of COVID-19 will be felt by people who were in jobs which were already unstable.  This will only increase the levels of poverty in our communities.
• Partnership: all the statutory bodies have praised and thanked communities and the voluntary sector for their incredible work over the last few months.  How can we ensure this new found understanding of the power and reach of the voluntary sector translates into a partnership approach going forward.

All big questions which we will be discussing at the various networks and forums and Third Sector Strategy Group over the next couple of months.  Please join us for these meetings – it is important that our collective voice is heard as recovery/refresh/review work forges ahead within the statutory sector.

Finally – please take time for yourselves.  This is a marathon and there will always be urgent, important and vital work to be done but unless we look after ourselves, we really won’t be able to have either the headspace or the energy to best serve our communities.

Ella Simpson
Chief Executive, EVOC

UPDATES FROM SCVO AND OSCR ON THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON THE SCOTTISH VOLUNTARY SECTOR AND CHARITIES.

SCVO and OSCR have both published their results from their respective surveys on the impact that COVID – 19 has had on the Voluntary Sector and Charities. The survey results outline how voluntary organisations and charities have had to adapt through the crisis in order to continue to provide support.

Various themes emerge from both surveys:

Finance and Income: OSCR’s research showed that 51% of charities had lost fundraising income and taken action financially, 25% had applied for emergency funding of some kind.
Both OSCR and SCVO reported financial stability being of concern: 20% of charities foresaw decrease in income within next 6 – 12 months, (strongest for charities with an income over £25K (OSCR)) and SCVO reporting that income drops and reduction of funding meaning that over 50% of charities will run out of funds within 6 months fearing closure.

Adaptation of services: Both reports showed that charities have had to adapt the way they provide services.
OSCR reported that the most common reaction from charities was to change the way in which they deliver services (84%), whilst SCVO stated that many leaders are looking at ways to ‘build back better’ to make the most of new ways of working and delivering services.

Methods of Support:
OSCR reported that guidance on funding, making funding applications and processes easier were considered to be the most beneficial methods of support by those responding to the survey. With SCVO reporting the importance of transitional funding that will help charities impacted by closures and loss of revenue being highlighted across a number of surveys.
SCVO are continuing to collect surveys, briefings, case studies or blogs on the impact of coronavirus on voluntary organisations. All research and insights shared will be collated in their searchable Evidence Library.
Email research@scvo.org.uk if you have any that you would like to share.

You can get more information on the survey results from: 
SCVO on the sector response to COVID here
OSCR: COVID – 19 Impact on charities here

The national Third Sector Interface (TSI) survey that many of you will have completed is also published shortly and we will analyse the Edinburgh results in our next newsletter.

INSPIRING CHANGE: VOLUNTARY SECTOR RESPONSE TO COVID-19

“Thanks for still being there for me.”

‘Said by a young person who is being supported by The Junction, it was the shortest and simplest, but summed up the fact that in the toughest of times, local organisations have found a way to adapt, focus on people in need and make people feel heard and looked after.’

We’ve written a blog article to highlight how Edinburgh’s voluntary sector has collaborated to create new opportunities and meet the needs of the city’s most vulnerable.

People Know How, The Junction, Health Opportunities Team, The Yard and Go Beyond gave us their insights. It’s an article that looks to the future and inspires change – you can read the article here.

If you have an inspiring story to share, contact Tessa Williams (tessa.williams@evoc.org.uk).

UPDATES ON TRAINING

Training dates confirmed
Our popular Governance Four: Roles and Responsibilities training for Trustees will be running on the 14th July . 

We are also planning on holding a Writing Funding Applications workshop on the 21st July. 

Both sessions will be online sessions. 
To find out more or to book your place please visit the EVOC website here

EDINBURGH COVID – 19 SERVICES MAP

The map is continually being updated with information submitted to the Directory – please use and share it to promote what you’re doing. 

PARTNERSHIPS ‘WORK’

In the sector we talk a lot about ‘partnership working’ but we want to shine a light on the fact that ‘partnerships work’.

We’re collecting examples from across the city and across thematic areas to show Government, the statutory sector and the public that the voluntary sector rises to current challenges again and again, that we’ve done it quickly, effectively and together. 

Tell us your partnership stories

Please also share your partnership stories
with SCVO #nevermoreneeded campaign which is focused on how essential the voluntary sector is in society. 

CYBER RESILIENCE & COVID SCAMS: LATEST NEWS

As a result of the significant rise in COVID-19 related scams, over the next few months, the Scottish Government Cyber Resilience Unit will share important information. They aim to share these updates weekly.

Advice and information is changing daily as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, so please ensure you only take information from trusted sources.

Get the Cyber Resilience Bulletin

FORUMS AND NETWORKS: CONTACTS

 Join us on Slack

If you haven’t already, you can now join all of our networks and forums online via Slack.

Slack is a very accessible and easy to use platform. We can provide guidance on how to get set up and use it well.

Please join if you are an Edinburgh voluntary sector organisation – it is where you’ll get the most up to date information, be able to share things quickly and stay connected.

How it works

When you join you’ll have access to a number of ‘public channels’ on topics such as community food, funding, legal regulation, offers of help and training.

Each network and forum will also have a more focused ‘private channel’ which members will be invited to join – both the geographic Voluntary Sector Forums and the various thematic networks and forums.

How to join

We’ll be supporting you all the way to get to grips with Slack – once you’ve got started it’s easy to use.

Please contact the forum leads for access to specific channels: please just get in touch:

EVOC MEMBERSHIP + LAW AT WORK PARTNERSHIP

Full EVOC membership is open to all voluntary and community organisations.  Membership helps to support EVOC’s work and whilst membership is not necessary to be part of any of our networks or forums, membership does provide an established network of all kinds of voluntary and community organisations working in Edinburgh. 

All EVOC members can now benefit from our partnership with Law at Work. 

You’ll be able to access their exclusive online client area which contains their employment law and HR template letters, style policies and guidance notes. There’s a template staff handbook to download and you’ll also see legislation updates.

They also have a wide-ranging Covid-19 resource section with toolkits and checklists.

Find out about all the benefits of EVOC membership here

You can now join all of our networks and forums online via Slack.

Slack is a very accessible, easy to use platform and we can provide guidance on how to get set up and use it well.

Please join if you are an Edinburgh voluntary sector organisation – it is where you’ll get the most up to date information, be able to share things quickly and stay connected.

How it works

When you join you’ll have access to a number of ‘public channels’ on topics such as community food, funding, legal regulation, offers of help and training.

Each network and forum will also have a more focused ‘private channel’ which members will be invited to join – both the geographic Voluntary Sector Forums and the various thematic networks and forums.

How to join

We’ll be supporting you all the way to get to grips with Slack – once you’ve got started it’s easy to use.

Please contact the forum leads for access to specific channels:

Hello Everyone

In what seems like another lifetime back in February, and after extensive consultation with all our stakeholders, team members and the Board, we agreed a new strategic plan for EVOC.

The headlines were leadership, development and advocacy.  

Who would ever have thought those values and principles would be tested so dramatically. Our role is to support the amazing collective leadership demonstrated in communities across Edinburgh, the rapid development of effective working partnerships and advocating at every opportunity for the sector – now, during whatever transition takes place and as a force to be taken seriously as the statutory sector re-assess how they engage with communities.

To help us with this can you please take 15 minutes from your really busy day and complete the survey in this newsletter.  We have worked with colleagues across Scotland and our aim is to collect information which we can then interrogate locally and thematically.

This will provide the hard evidence of the effort and work you have done in the last 2 months; alongside the amazing stories of the differences you have made we can and will work together to ensure the voluntary sector is central to future planning. 

Its particularly important that we have this evidence at this time as every strategic planning group is now considering the “transition and recovery” journey.

Take care and stay safe,

Ella Simpson
Chief Executive, EVOC

VOLUNTARY SECTOR TOGETHER: NATIONAL SURVEY

As the coronavirus pandemic continues it is important that we have a strong understanding of its impact on community groups, voluntary organisations and social enterprises, as well as the people and communities you support.  
 
Edinburgh TSI, which EVOC is part of, is a member of a network of Third Sector Interfaces (TSIs) covering every local authority area in Scotland.
 
We are asking you to complete a survey.  We know this is a busy time, but good quality information will help us provide better support to you and enable us to make the right asks of government and funders.  

Before you begin you should know: 

• This is a national survey with the results able to be used locally and nationally.  If your organisation covers more than one local authority area you may be asked to complete this more than once.  Ideally we would like a single response from your whole organisation covering the full area you cover.
• It would be helpful if the survey was completed by a senior person in your organisation.  Some of the questions are about the leadership and strategic challenges at this time.
• The survey contains 26 questions and will take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.  Most of the questions are multiple choice. 
• The survey is confidential and no individual organisation information will be published. Your individual response will be shared with the TSIs where you operate.

Complete the survey here 

TOP TIPS IF YOU’RE APPLYING TO THE WELLBEING FUND

The Wellbeing Fund is open again for applications until noon, 22nd May.

EVOC, ESEN and Volunteer Edinburgh are supporting the assessment process so we’ve put together a list of top tips based on the applications we saw in the last round. 

Top Top Tip: The criteria is very strict – please read it carefully!

Download the Top Tips from the EVOC website

FUNDING NEWS

Funding Newsletter: Our colleagues at GCVS in Glasgow have created a funding newsletter which covers a lot of what’s happening nationally  >>>

The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund: Open to third sector organisations so they can provide enhanced peer support, parenting support and perinatal counselling services during pregnancy and in the early stages of life  >>>

BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme: Supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances   >>>

EDINBURGH COVID19 SERVICES MAP

The map is continually being updated with information submitted to the Directory – please use and share it to promote what you’re doing. 

Go to the map

PARTNERSHIPS ‘WORK’

In Edinburgh, thanks to the incredible hard work of over 20 organisations working together, over 17,000 meals have been delivered to people who need support in just one week.

In the sector we talk a lot about ‘partnership working’ but we want to shine a light on the fact that ‘partnerships work’.

We’re collecting examples from across the city and across thematic areas to show Government, the statutory sector and the public that the voluntary sector rises to current challenges again and again, that we’ve done it quickly, effectively and together. 

Tell us your partnership stories

Please also also share your partnership stories with SCVO’s new campaign  #nevermoreneeded  

CYBER RESILIENCE & COVID SCAMS: LATEST NEWS

As a result of the significant rise in COVID-19 related scams, over the next few months, the Scottish Government Cyber Resilience Unit will share important information. They aim to share these updates weekly.

Advice and information is changing daily as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, so please ensure you only take information from trusted sources.

Get the Cyber Resilience Bulletin 

FORUMS AND NETWORKS: CONTACTS

Any Edinburgh Voluntary Sector organisation can join these forums, please just get in touch:

EVOC + LAW AT WORK PARTNERSHIP

All EVOC members can now benefit from our partnership with Law at Work. 

You’ll be able to access their exclusive online client area which contains their employment law and HR template letters, style policies and guidance notes. There’s a template staff handbook to download and you’ll also see legislation updates.

They also have a wide-ranging Covid-19 resource section with toolkits and checklists.

Find out about all the benefits of EVOC membership

The following are some hints and tips for organisations making funding applications to the Wellbeing fund and other emergency COVID-19 response/recovery funding.

We advise you read this alongside the main wellbeing fund guidance. 

The guidance below is based on the experience of assessors from across Scotland in relation to the Wellbeing Fund applications, however many can be universally applied to all types of funding applications.

You can also download the tips here.

1. Read through all the guidance once and then read it again, noting the key details – for example, you can apply for no more than 20% of income. Don’t let your application fail because of a technical detail.

2. You cannot apply for more than 20% of your previous year’s income. In some cases, your last set of accounts submitted to OSCR may show a lower income than a more recent set of accounts not yet submitted. You can submit a complete draft set of accounts for the most recent financial year if it is a more accurate reflection of your income. Ensure that you note that you are submitting draft accounts in the application and why.

3. If you’re not sure if your organisation meets the requirement to be ‘independently governed’ refer to SCVO’s eligibility guidance on its membership page this is the working definition that assessors are using.

4. If it’s possible, try not to work on it alone – get another colleague or trustee/board member to read the guidance and make sure you’ve understood it correctly and discuss what you plan to apply for. You can also access funding application support via City of Edinburgh Council by emailing supportforgrants@edinburgh.gov.uk

5. Read through what is and is not eligible for funding. Write down the activities that you are thinking of applying for and make sure all are eligible.

6. Be clear, detailed, and specific in the description of your activities and especially the budget.

7. Provide a concise description of your current situation, be very specific about what additional or modified services you plan to offer and clearly define your targeted vulnerable group.

8. If you’re including staff costs, explain why these costs are additional and not already covered by your existing funding and include timescales, number of staff and hours budgeted for. Many applications appear to be asking for staffing costs due to loss of income or which appear to be already be covered by other funders, this would make the request ineligible for the wellbeing fund but potentially eligible for the Third Sector Resilience Fund or the Recovery and Resilience funding from Foundation Scotland.

9. For any larger costs in your budget, give a detailed breakdown.

10. For equipment, particularly IT costs, try as best you can to provide realistic, researched pricing.

11. Read through the application from the perspective of an assessor – and, if possible, get someone else to also.

Finally, ask:

a. Does this meet all the technical criteria?

b. Are the activities that we’re applying for allowed in our governing document?

c. Do we have the correct supporting documents requested (most recent accounts, statement, and governing document?

d. Are all of the activities applied for eligible in this fund?

e. Have we described who we’re working with, why, and exactly what we’re doing clearly to someone outside our organisation?

f. Is our budget specific and detailed?

DOWNLOAD: Emergency Funding Application Tips

Hello Everyone

Here’s a quick update for this week:

Future Planning
While everyone is working flat out to respond to immediate needs it’s apparent that we will also need to think longer-term about how we continue to support our communities.

Increasingly we will have to reflect on immediate learning and what further changes we will need to make. This will need to become part of the core discussions at the forums and networks, so please also keep an eye on the Slack channels.

Connect with me on Slack
We’ve added a new channel for #evoc_ceo_updates where I’ll be posting news and information from meetings and forums I attend. You can also ask me questions and let me know your thoughts on strategic issues arising.

There are also channels for funding, community food, offering help, legal issues, training and volunteering as well as the thematic and geographical networks we support.

Keep up the brilliant work,

Ella Simpson, Chief Officer

NEW: FORUM FOR ORGANISATIONS SUPPORTING CARERS

A new Edinburgh Forum for Organisations Supporting Carers has been set up to help support the steep rise in issues for carers arising from COVID-19.

The forum will be a place to:

• Share issues, knowledge and insights
• Provide mutual support
• Gather a full picture of the situation carers and organisations supporting carers are facing and identify potential solutions

The first meeting is on Tuesday 5 May

Contact Maria Arnold to join

VOLUNTARY SECTOR TOGETHER

Voluntary Sector Forums (VSFs)

VSFs are held regularly across the city using Zoom, bringing together third sector organisations responding to the challenges brought by COVID-19.

The forums are geographically based and are an opportunity to:

• Share what is working and what is proving challenging
• Create a space for organisations to explore new models to serve their community
• Enable resource sharing, increase partnership working and avoid duplication

Many of the forums have moved from a quarterly schedule to more frequent weekly or fortnightly meetings, so there are regular opportunities to check in with others delivering services in your area.

Forum members are also encouraged to stay connected through the online EVOC Slack Workspace (free to join and use).

Please get in touch if you’re interested in attending and would like to know what is available in your area.

Contact Kate Barrett

Working Together to Support Children, Young People and Families

This week online meetings started in all four Edinburgh localities bringing together staff from charities and the council who work with children, young people and families.

The aim is to respond quickly to the needs of children, young people and families as the emergency situation changes, and to make the best possible use of resources. The groups are called Locality Operational Groups and have been developed by the Children’s Services Task Force led by EVOC and City of Edinburgh Council.

The purpose of the Task Force is coordinate our shared efforts and resources to support our vulnerable children and their families in response to the impact of Covid-19.

We’ll keep you posted on the progress of the groups but you can also get in touch:

Contact Katherine Anderson

FUNDING NEWS

Support with Funding Applications

The Council has established a team of officers to support community projects and organisations who may need help to identify suitable funding and assist with bids.

Contact SupportForGrants

£50k Fund for Small Community Projects and Voluntary Organisations

This funding is available to community projects or organisations who have been unsuccessful in securing funding for their response to Covid-19 within the community. An initial £50k will be available from the Council to provide targeted support to smaller-scale community groups in their efforts to help vulnerable residents.

More information

BE AWARE:  FAKE CARERS 

Sadly we have heard reports of people posing as carers to gain access to the homes of vulnerable people.

One man was targeted multiple times by “very insistent people who were very organised”. When he challenged them and asked to speak to a manager they put him on the phone to someone who was also very insistent.

In this case they didn’t gain entry and the police were informed, however we would encourage all organisations providing food, support and care to consider how vulnerable people can be protected.

COVID-19 TESTING

Some voluntary sector workers are now eligible for Covid-19 testing.

What the changes mean for keyworkers in Scotland
Access to Covid testing in Scotland has been widened and will now be determined via a prioritisation matrix for key workers that includes a broader range of private sector workers and essential services.

Third Sector staff that can access testing:

• Staff involved in volunteering to provide support to vulnerable people and communities
• Staff working for third sector organisations supporting people and children who are vulnerable, including grant aided schools

More information about testing and eligibility