NCIA has £2,000 available for projects to link us with others (events, training, policy work, other ideas of your own…) Deadline April 16th
NCIA would like to take its arguments about the effects of privatisation on the voluntary sector to as wide an audience as possible. It would also like to create working alliances with … Continue reading
The NCIA Planning Group met on 19 March 2012 at TUC Congress House.
Present: Colin Rochester (chair), Melaina Barnes, Nick Beddow, Andy Benson, Ruth Cohen, Bernard Davies (notes), Rachael McGill, Maxine Moar, Laird Ryan, Nazreen Subhan, Frances Sullivan, Joe Taylor
Apologies: Adrian Barritt, Penny Waterhouse, Jonathan Hyams, Matt Scott
The NatCAN conference … Continue reading
We have been getting a lot of horror stories lately about the developing pace and rampant damage that commissioning strategies (especially local authority-based) are doing to local voluntary agencies. We are especially concerned about the impact of the national corporate predators and the success that they appear to be having in hoovering up local contracts … Continue reading
Learn to speak like a fully engaged, customer-facing choice moderniser…
Health Emergency have an entertaining and insightful guide to the language and spurious concepts used by those currently busying themselves with the dismantling of our welfare state. Have a giggle, get cross, pass it on:
http://www.healthemergency.org.uk/pdf/TeachyourselfLansley.pdf… Continue reading
The winners and losers in the Transforming Local Infrastructure beauty contest have been announced. But is twisting yourself into a pretzel to please the government the best way to support local voluntary action? Here Adrian Barritt has a rant against the rise of the cyberstate….
Back in the 1970’s, the Cybermen with their sibilous metallic … Continue reading
Click here for news of fighting back and battles won, alongside some sorry tales from voluntary organisations who’ve forgotten we’re meant to be heading for social justice not an unequal pay day. Plus a questioning editorial from NCIA’s Andy Benson: he’s never expected to be on the winning side, but wants to know who else … Continue reading
NCIA was pleased to see a strong attack on the effects of market-led commissioning models, but thinks the panel needs to be less cautious on the change that is needed on two key issues: funding and commissioning mechanisms, and the need for voluntary organisations to combine to fight off the threats to their autonomy.
NCIA … Continue reading
Last friday, 2 February 2012, time was called on applications to the Government’s Social Action Fund. Branded on its prospectus as “….funding big ideas, inspiring social action” some thought maybe, just maybe, this might offer some welcome support to authentic local voluntary action. But Adrian Barritt of Adur Voluntary Action discovered it was a missed … Continue reading
Compact Voice continues its happy-clappy approach to the disaster that is the Compact in welcoming the National Audit Office report on its (non) implementation in central government. “We are delighted that the Compact is supported by government departments and that the NAO have found good examples of it being applied” says Compact Voice’s Simon Blake, … Continue reading
For nearly two decades we have been told that ‘partnership’ is the way forward, bringing us all together in ‘one big happy family’. But is partnership working really a confidence trick, confirming and exploiting unequal power relationships? Here Professor Jonathan Davies of De Montfort University outlines the arguments and trails his recent book which locates … Continue reading