TRANSFORMING SERVICES FOR BIRMINGHAM’S ......TRANSFORMING SERVICES FOR BIRMINGHAM’S VOLUNTARY SECTOR Transform is a partnership managed by ROUTES TO SUPPORT MORE FOCUSED, MORE

TRANSFORMING SERVICES FOR BIRMINGHAM’S VOLUNTARY SECTOR

Transform is a partnership managed by

ROUTES TO SUPPORTMORE FOCUSED, MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE NAVIGABLE 4PEER SUPPORTUNLEASHING EXPERTISE WITHIN THE SECTOR 6DIAGNOSTICS & RESOURCESANALYTICAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR A STRONGER SECTOR 10SKILLSXCHANGE BIRMINGHAMBUILDING GREAT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES 11

In 2011, a partnership of 20 Birmingham support providers, led by BVSC, successfully bid to the Transforming Local Infrastructure (TLI) programme, an Office for Civil Society fund administered by the Big Lottery Fund.

The resources came with a clear message from the Government: this is your opportunity to modernise, rationalise and transform the way frontline organisations are supported so that they are well-led, influential, responsive, efficient, and less reliant on statutory or Lottery funding.

The backdrop for the programme locally is a diverse and complex city with an estimated 4,000 civil society organisations. These range from some of the largest charities and social enterprises to the smallest volunteer-led community groups.

Extensive consultation revealed that organisations are confused about the support available and how to access it. Support is not reaching groups based in Birmingham’s priority neighbourhoods, where the need is greatest. Support providers are battling for survival. Agencies have limited understanding of one another’s services. Businesses want to engage with charities but need a clear route. There is growing demand for support that enables income generation. Groups want clear pathways to support.

The Transform project set out to address these issues, remove barriers and strengthen partnership working in order to dramatically improve support services for groups and individuals.

This special supplement features not only what partners have delivered over the past 18 months, but also the changes frontline groups can expect to see and the new services and resources that have been developed so that:

■ Voluntary and community organisations, no matter where they are based, are better served

A VISION FOR SUPPORT SERVICES IN BIRMINGHAM

■ Support needs are effectively diagnosed and met

■ Ways to access services are streamlined

■ Delivery mechanisms are integrated and customer focused

■ Support services are better co-ordinated

■ There is more and better facilitated pro bono support

■ Online tools enable more groups to engage

■ Peer support and self-help are developing as effective support models

■ Collaboration and combining of efforts, resources and assets among support providers continues.

Here are some of the ways we’ve transformed services...

■ Local support hubs – making it easier to find the support you need through streamlined enquiry, diagnostic and signposting services

■ Online business support resource library – high quality resources in one location

■ Organisational health check – interactive diagnostic linked to tailored support packages

■ SkillsXchange Birmingham – bringing business and charities together for mutual benefit

■ Database of support providers – sourcing expert help to strengthen your organisation

■ Peer support networks – learning models and case studies to create self help groups

■ Equalities Charter Mark – a new standard for organisations to assess and improve their approach to equalities and diversity

■ Volunteering – a volunteer toolkit and outreach volunteer centres

■ Transform Portal – providing central access to the above tools and services, hosted on the BVSC website and free to use.

2

The opportunity to re-focus and

re-organise the way in which we individually and collectively support the voluntary and community sector has been a rich learning experience for all partners. Closer relationships between providers are already delivering tangible improvements in some areas. Whilst the resources to provide infrastructure services continue to decline, Transform offers groups alternative support models so that the capacity we do have can stretch further.”Brian Carr, chief executive, BVSC

THE TRANSFORM PARTNERS...Collaborating for transformed services...

■ BVSC

■ Birmingham & Black Country Community Foundation

■ Birmingham City Council

■ Disability Resource Centre

■ Birmingham LGBT Community Trust

■ Birmingham Settlement

■ BAYC (Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs)

■ brap

■ Business in the Community (BITC)

■ Castle Vale Community Regeneration Services

■ Castle Vale Tenants and Residents Alliance

■ Chamberlain Forum Ltd

■ iSE

■ South West Birmingham Community Association

■ St Paul's Community Development Trust

■ BEST Network (Birmingham Employment Skills & Training Network)

■ The Digbeth Trust

■ WAITS (Women Acting in Today’s Society)

A VISION FOR SUPPORT SERVICES IN BIRMINGHAM

ACCESSIBLE EFFICIENT CO-ORDINATED QUALITY PROFESSIONAL TIMELY SUSTAINABLE EFFECTIVE RESPONSIVE FOCUSED RELEVANT CONNECTED LOCAL STREAMLINED INNOVATIVE EVOLVING INTEGRATED

OVER 300 PARTICIPANTS

JOINED PEER TO PEER GROUPS

TWO LOCAL SUPPORT HUBS ESTABLISHED

MORE THAN 1,000

GROUPS HAVE ACCESSED

ONLINE SUPPORT

3

Many voluntary and community groups in Birmingham struggle to find and choose between the range of support available to develop and strengthen their organisations. Particularly for small and new groups, the support landscape can be confusing and difficult to navigate.

Transform set out to remove these barriers by offering

clear and direct routes to support of all kinds. We

have simplified access, extended reach, improved

local and central co-ordination and put in place new

systems to enable effective signposting and referrals

so that organisations, regardless of where they are

based, receive a consistent quality experience.

By working together, we have streamlined channels so

that sourcing support for your organisation is much easier.

ROUTES TO SUPPORTMORE FOCUSED, MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE NAVIGABLE

Photo: Members of the national executive of the National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations welcome communities minister, Don Foster, to Birmingham at Bloomsbury Estate Management Board, Nechells

TRANSFORM PORTALHosted on the BVSC website, the

Transform Portal gives Birmingham’s

voluntary sector free access to a range

of resources, information and tools

to meet their development needs.

The portal also brings together the

research, case studies and services

that have been created by Transform

partners to improve support to frontline

groups using new and creative ways.

Access the complete package of

services and resources featured in this

supplement by registering online at:

www.bvsc.org/transform/portal

■ Diagnostics

■ Health checks

■ Services

directory

■ Peer support

■ Resources

■ Toolkits

■ Case studies

■ Pro-bono

support

EASIER TO FIND THE

SUPPORT YOU NEED

OBSTACLES TO SUPPORT REMOVED

CENTRAL AND

LOCAL HUB NETWORK

4

TRANSFORM HUBSWhilst online tools and resources enable us to reach more organisations than ever before, sometimes groups prefer to talk to an adviser, ask questions and discuss options to guide their first or next steps.

The newly formed ‘Transform Hubs’ – North, South and Central – offer telephone and appointment based enquiry, diagnostic and signposting services delivered by knowledgeable advisers. The hubs have access to current information to direct individuals and organisations to high quality resources and support agencies in Birmingham.

Working closely with BVSC, North and South hubs also act as outreach volunteer centres. A new volunteer toolkit, leaflets and web pages now make it easier for civil society organisations to work with volunteers and for individuals to be matched to opportunities.

We took great care to design the new hub model by listening and

responding to the needs and concerns of frontline organisations. We want clients to experience improvements in the way their enquiries are handled, how their support needs are identified and progressed through signposting and referrals. The hubs give us greater control over the customer journey which we hope will be smooth, efficient and timely.”Carole Lowe, South West Birmingham Community Association

Being involved in the Transform project has enabled Castle Vale TRA

to reaffirm our commitment to providing advice and guidance to small groups, including valuable face-to-face time. Increased partnership working has vastly improved our ability to make quality referrals to other agencies, plus we’re less parochial now which means we’re able to broaden our reach and help groups that are struggling to find quality support on their doorstep.” Judy Tullett, head of development and outreach, Castle Vale TRA

DIRECTORY OF SERVICESFor the first time, specialist support providers in Birmingham can be viewed on a central database that profiles their key services and expertise. As the database develops, the ability to rate and review providers will be introduced to enable groups to compare and assess the quality of support on offer.

Are you a support provider?You can join the directory and promote your support services by registering on the BVSC database and completing a provider form at:www.bvsc.org/transform/services

ROUTES TO SUPPORTMORE FOCUSED, MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE NAVIGABLE

SOUTH HUBSouth West Birmingham Community Association

[email protected] 459 6963

CENTRAL HUBAsk BVSC


NORTH HUBCastle Vale Tenants

and Residents Association


DIRECTORY OF SERVICE PROVIDERS

ACCESSIBLE ONLINE PORTAL

5

PEER SUPPORTUNLEASHING EXPERTISE WITHIN THE SECTOR

Using a variety of networks, action learning sets, cross sector knowledge exchange groups and mentoring, Transform partners have been able to demonstrate the untapped potential of peer support within the sector.

These approaches provide a viable alternative to

traditional support models and can potentially reduce the

sector’s reliance on funded infrastructure provision.

Through Transform we wanted to see what was possible

on many different levels. Peer support and mutual aid for:

■ Frontline groups – supporting enterprising

behaviour and new business models

■ Infrastructure organisations – providers

learning from one another

■ Active citizens – how new and emerging legislation can be

used to strengthen neighbourhoods and create opportunities

■ Cross sector relationships – maximising opportunities

for pro-bono and business mentoring and coaching.

Transform partners found a strong appetite for

peer support as we reveal in these examples.

ENVIRONMENT NETWORKBVSC, in partnership with Localise West Midlands,

established a third sector environmental network after

consultation revealed that although there were national and

cross sector networks, there was a need for a Birmingham

based third sector network. Embedded within the Third

Sector Assembly, the Environment Network meets regularly

and has secured a seat on the ‘Green Commission’

established by Birmingham City Council to realise a vision

of Birmingham being one of the greenest cities in the world.

The Environment Network is named as delivery partner in the

Green Commission’s vision document which is valuable recognition of our role, and gives us a real opportunity to influence the delivery of environmental activities at a strategic level in Birmingham and secure a full and fair role for the third sector.” Phil Beardmore, chair, TSA Environment Network

PEER SUPPORT FOR BME VCOsbrap brought together a diverse range of organisations led by and for black and minority ethnic (BME) communities to support their peer learning, peer support and networking. Using the key learning from this experience, brap has produced a useful resource of Dos and Don’ts designed to encourage peer support for BME VCOs. The guidance includes key learning points and a model for peer support and is available to download from the Transform Portal.

PEER POWER... ■ Rich learning experience

■ Focused and specialised support

■ Practical in nature, rooted in experience

■ Flexible and organic

■ Partnership and trading opportunities

■ Easy to get going, limited resources to run

■ Empowering and energising

■ Self directed

START LEARNING FROM YOUR PEERS...

Case studies, active networks and research reports are available to view on the Transform Portal.

Sign-up now:www.bvsc.org/transform/peer-

support

6


Main photo and inset: BAYC and St Paul’s Club (a business club) are bringing together business leaders with young people in a mentoring programme to nurture young potential.

INFRASTRUCTUREAs well as working together to improve services for frontline groups, Transform partners were able to access advice, support and skills development in terms of business planning, governance, fundraising, equalities, organisational development, income generation, pricing, marketing and social media, with much of the support sourced from Transform partners.

Our work with local development agencies has

enabled them to assess the climate they work in, where they want to go and how they are going to get there. We’ve been on a real journey together.”Sarah Crawley, chief executive, iSE

Action learningWAITS (Women Acting in Today’s Society) piloted action learning sets as a peer mentoring approach. An action learning set is a structured support group that enables participants to share ideas, concerns and gain insight and solutions through a supportive structured process.

We found that action learning sets are a good

model to enable senior managers and leaders to gain support from their peers, share learning and have support to implement new ideas. Quite often managers and leaders have no support outside their organisations to share their triumphs and challenges. This model could help strengthen leadership in the third sector more widely.”Marcia Lewinson, chief executive, WAITS

The strength and value of peer learning dramatically

increased for me as a third sector CEO when I made the effort to include in my network cross sector leaders and entrepreneurs with experience of leading an organisation through challenging times. TLI has been transformative for BAYC and how we work with schools, youth organisations and youth workers in the future.”Michael Don Smith, chief executive, BAYC

PEER SUPPORT FACILITATORS TOOLKITA practical guide to running a peer support programmeThe Governance Forum was commissioned by

Transform to develop a simple step-by-step

guide and toolkit containing various resources

and templates to help organisations and

individuals start, develop and run their own

peer support programme. The toolkit covers:

■ Key steps to running a successful

peer programme

■ Example peer support model

■ Marketing and awareness

■ Recruitment of participants

■ Delivery and evaluation.

The Peer Support Facilitators Toolkit is

available to download from the Transform Portal.

7


ENTERPRISESocial enterprise development experts, iSE, successfully launched two peer networks for social entrepreneurs: Social Enterprise Women’s Network and the Digbeth, Highgate and Cheapside Social Enterprise Network.

Both operate on a bi-monthly basis with key speakers who give their time freely. Each network has grown to around 40 members and iSE has found that networking meetings work best with an agreed theme that is well publicised in advance, taking place in a relaxed environment with refreshments.

The Digbeth, Highgate and Cheapside Social Enterprise Network has sparked the creation of Birmingham’s first social enterprise zone, led by Sir Albert Bore. Informed by the network, the Digbeth Social Enterprise Zone is thought to have the largest concentration of social enterprises anywhere in the country.

ACTIVE CITIZENSCommunity-led housingCastle Vale Community Regeneration Services mapped the support available for groups exploring community led housing projects and assessed the potential for peer mentoring between established and embryonic groups.

The research found well developed support infrastructure, regionally and nationally, but recommended that more could be done within communities to raise awareness of the options available by all housing sectors. Mutual Housing Schemes: A guide and evaluation of infrastructure support with a Birmingham focus is available on the Transform Portal.

Community OrganisersBirmingham Settlement is host to a Community Organisers project which prepares local people for community action. The Settlement decided to use peer learning to test the relationship between Locality’s Community Organisers model and its own community development model. Using various peer support methods (networks, focus groups and links to other communities) residents have been able to articulate their wishes and get themselves organised. The methodology has helped the Settlement offer peer support to other Community Organisers projects.

There’s a wealth of support available in the city and it

benefits everyone to pull together and provide a co-ordinated approach to infrastructure.”Lisa Martinali, director of community regeneration, Castle Vale Community Regeneration Services

The work The Digbeth Trust has done to support

individuals and groups to start social enterprises, and also through local forums raise awareness of new community rights legislation and how this offers opportunities to communities, has reinforced the fact that people still value one to one support alongside other forms of support. TLI has really helped us to focus on the services that matter to our clients.”Tony Clabby, chief executive, The Digbeth Trust

Photo: The Social Enterprise Women’s Network has an enthusiastic group of regular participants.

Prior to TLI it was imperative for iSE to find new ways

of meeting the needs of clients in Birmingham, and we were very motivated to establish the networks to see if they could work. We’re finding that members are getting strength and energy from coming together, that they wouldn’t necessarily get from more formal, funder driven, support interventions. Members say it’s a good use of their time, beneficial to their businesses and their personal development.”Sarah Crawley, chief executive, iSE

8


ONLINE NETWORKINGChamberlain Forum worked with over 64 groups active in Neighbourhood Forums, Community Powers, Asset Transfer, Community First and Community Hubs. Helping these groups to engage in peer support, they tested various models including online networking.

The Chamberlain Forum developed and launched a members-only online community for Neighbourhood Forums on the The Neighbourhood website. The forum enables members to post questions, topics and have online discussions, offering a cost effective and sustainable way of increasing the ability of groups to support one another.www.theneighbourhood.info

CROSS SECTOR WORKINGBAYC (Birmingham Association of

Youth Clubs) established a cross

sector peer exchange group consisting

of Birmingham City Council’s Youth

Service and Youth Offending Services,

Regional Action West Midlands

and Youth Forum West Midlands to

capture public and third sector good

practice in youth engagement.

The group found that the

changing landscape of youth

services meant that what worked

in the past would not work in the

future. The organisations, resources

and people who had supported

the sector were disappearing.

The report details recommendations

on how provision should be shaped in

the future including how it can be more

sustainable in the face of funding cuts.

VCS and Public Sector working

together in Youth Work: A legacy

report from the Peer Support Cross

Sector Exchange is available to

download from the Transform Portal.

BIRMINGHAM EQUALITY CHARTER MARKThe Equality Charter Mark has been developed by a partnership of Agewell Birmingham, BRAP (An Equality & Human Rights Think Tank), Birmingham LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender), DRC (Disability Resource Centre) and WAITS (Women Acting in Today’s Society).

Partners have pooled their collective knowledge, experience and expertise to create a clear and effective charter to help third sector and civil society organisations to recognise and promote equality amongst their staff, volunteers and service users.

The Equality Charter Mark involves organisations committing to a process of continuous improvement that starts with a health check to identify strengths and development areas. Constructive and confidential reviews with an equality auditor help each organisation to measure its progress against a development plan, which is supported by a range of tools and resources. The standard is a first for Birmingham and partners hope it will be widely adopted when it is launched later this year.

Working alongside other equality based organisations we found that whilst there were

differing perspectives from each partner, there was also a great synergy between us which made for a challenging but productive piece of collaborative work. TLI provided a rare opportunity for our groups to work closely together across equality issues and now the foundation for future work is in place. We are excited to have created some innovative tools and materials which can be used in a transformative way by other third sector groups in the city.”Pete Millington, information & community empowerment manager, Disability Resource Centre

The process of developing the Charter has facilitated new contact and relationships

with other organisations, which has enabled a much clearer understanding of how we collectively lead and respond to equalities and diversity agendas in a city like Birmingham. As a result, brap is much smarter in terms of seeing where the pushes and pulls are.”Cheryl Garvey, external relations manager, brap

I hope third sector organisations sign up for the Mark and show their commitment to equalities and

diversity to meet the needs of the communities they serve.”Steph Keeble, director, Birmingham LGBT

9

DIAGNOSTICS & RESOURCESANALYTICAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR A STRONGER SECTOR

New interactive health checks designed to help VCOs assess their needs and be directed to resources and support providers that can help.

Available on the Transform Portal, diagnostics are free and confidential and come in graphic form so that you can immediately see areas of strength and weakness and share and discuss the results with your colleagues.

TRANSFORM LIBRARY A comprehensive library of business support documents.

We’ve selected the best online guides, handbooks and toolkits and brought them together in one place to give you quick access to quality resources across a wide range of subject areas.

You can search by topic as well as resource level – basic, intermediate, advanced – and comment on their usefulness for others to see.

■ Start-up

■ Governance

■ Leadership and management

■ Learning and development

■ Managing money

■ Managing people

■ Managing resources

■ Planning

■ Services and activities

■ User centred services

■ Equality.

Search the librarywww.bvsc.org/transform/resources

RESOURCESXCHANGEAnother Transform innovation is ResourcesXchange which enables companies to offer resources such as products, equipment and venues, free of charge to the voluntary sector. Accessible through the Transform Portal, organisations can browse a directory of resources and also have the option of posting a resource request.

This service was informally available but needed

structure. It reflects back to the age of simple philanthropy, sharing and donating at a time when resources are decreasing; an easy way for corporates to support voluntary organisations and for the sector to make use of spare resources.”Nora Darby, special projects co-ordinator, BVSC

TAKE A 10 MINUTE HEALTH CHECK

Organisational developmentAssess your organisation’s leadership, governance, finance, people management and equality practices.

Quality and impactEstablish your current position and discover how to demonstrate your organisation’s impact and quality.

How it works...

SELF-ASSESSMENTEach diagnostic asks you to rate your organisation in core areas.

RESULTS AND READINGWe email you the results of your diagnostic together with a

package of useful resources to help you work on any areas for improvement.

SPECIFIC SUPPORT NEEDSFollow-up with any questions, issues, or areas that you

would like specific support with.

ACTION PLANBVSC will email you any additional reading and details

of organisations that can help.

1

2

3

4

10

SKILLSXCHANGE BIRMINGHAMBUILDING GREAT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BUSINESSES AND CHARITIES

SkillsXchange helps us target our social value at the groups

that need the support. We can spend more time delivering services and less time working out who we should work with. It’s a great way to showcase our services to a wider audience and give our team the opportunity to work on a variety of challenging projects.”Martin Hogg, managing director, Citizen Coaching CIC

Bringing businesses and voluntary organisations together,

so that both parties truly benefit, is good for our communities. Companies become better corporate citizens, VCS groups become stronger and more resilient.” Tracey J O’Brien, director of policy and programmes, BVSC

We have a lot to offer the charity and voluntary sector and are willing to

do this on a non-profit basis. SkillsXchange enables us to deliver on our CSR agenda and to reach charities in Birmingham.”Andy Copeland, head of charity and care division, Jobson James Insurance Brokers

BETTER CSRBVSC, The BEST Network, Birmingham & Black Country Community Foundation and Business in the Community looked at the different elements which make for a successful and sustainable model for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) engagement, and how talent, expertise and resources could best be channelled.

The BEST Network, a consortium of 70 not-for-profit employability and training organisations, surveyed its members and found that the three most requested areas of pro-bono support were: help with fundraising; marketing; and business planning. Difficulty in identifying CSR donors was a major hurdle. Their research found that the voluntary sector needs help to develop better support bids to the private sector.

Many VCS organisations don’t know how to access CSR support, and

typically within the business sector, CSR is seen as a ‘paint the wall’ job. We really need to raise our aspirations and engage strategically with companies for mutually beneficial big impact relationships.”Hamid Lea, programme manager, The Best Network

FREE BUSINESS SUPPORTSkillsXchange Birmingham is a one-stop shop for voluntary and community organisations to access pro-bono business support services from local companies.

We found an immense amount of goodwill among businesses to help charitable organisations, but finding the right organisation at the right time to provide the right services is not easy. SkillsXchange Birmingham acts as a broker, saving time on both sides.

From marketing advice and management coaching to financial analysis and legal representation, SkillsXchange is the platform to match voluntary and community organisations to the right professional services.

Register online and start xchangingwww.bvsc.org/transform/skillsxchange

Make a skills request Voluntary and community organisations in Birmingham can register for support today.

Become a SkillsXchange providerPrivate, public and voluntary organisations can register as pro-bono providers.

11

THE EASY WAY TO FIND THE SUPPORT YOU NEED THE NEW ONLINE PORTAL FOR

VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY SECTOR SUPPORT SERVICES IN BIRMINGHAM

TRANSFORM PORTAL

ORGANISATION DIAGNOSTICSInteractive tools signposting you to the right support and resources

TRANSFORM LIBRARYA searchable database of high quality information and factsheets

SKILLSXCHANGE BIRMINGHAMYour one-stop shop for access to pro-bono support from local companies

TRANSFORM SERVICESA directory of service providers that specialise in working with Birmingham’s voluntary and community sector

PEER SUPPORTActive peer support networks and case studies to facilitate greater co-working and mutual self-help

QUALITY AND IMPACTOnline health checks and good practice guides to measure the quality and impact of your work

SIGN UP TODAY AND MAKE THE MOST OF THE RESOURCES AND SERVICES AVAILABLE. SEE MORE AT:www.bvsc.org/transform

SEE HOW THE PORTAL CAN HELP YOU...

Transform is a partnership managed by

Documents

TRANSFORMING SERVICES FOR BIRMINGHAM’S ......TRANSFORMING SERVICES FOR BIRMINGHAM’S VOLUNTARY SECTOR Transform is a partnership managed by ROUTES TO SUPPORT MORE FOCUSED, MORE