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In this issue:
  • VCSE COVID-19 Social Impact Survey
  • VCSE Emergency Response Alliance (VERA)
  • Local VCSE community provision
  • New National Lottery funding available
  • Discretionary support fund for small businesses in Cornwall goes live - some charities can apply too
  • £2m fund for domestic abuse charities
  • Funding available for veterans charities
  • Nominate someone who is responding to coronavirus for a national honour
  • Post Office current accounts and access to cash
  • Resources for people working in their communities
  • Promas helpline for unpaid carers
  • Mental health information for children and young people
  • Do you know what your children are looking at online?
  • Comfort bags for pregnancy loss
  • Grant programme for voluntary organisations in criminal justice
  • Help for problem gamblers
  • Bereavement scheme extended to NHS support staff and social care workers
  • Free parking in Cornwall Council car parks for NHS and health and social care staff
  • Previous issues of the Voluntary and Community Sector Update
  • Important links

Voluntary and Community Sector COVID-19 Update - 22 May 2020

Dear Colleagues,

A warm welcome to this week’s edition of the joint Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum (VSF) and Cornwall Council newsletter for the voluntary sector in Cornwall. This week we would like to provide you with an update on our progress around measuring the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE)as we continue to invite our colleagues from this sector to participate in our online survey hosted by Exeter University. The closing date for responses is Tuesday 26 May 2020.

VCSE COVID-19 Social Impact Survey

Just over 100 VCSE organisations have participated in our online COVID-19 Social Impact Survey so far, and we are hoping to increase this still further by 26 May 2020 when the survey closes. Helen Boardman, Chief Executive Officer of Cornwall VSF, has been participating in TV and radio interviews to raise the sector’s awareness of the survey, and many colleagues have also been sharing the survey link to their contacts – thank you, please keep on sharing. 

In order to encourage people to fill in the survey, our friends at the Eden Project are offering up to 25 respondents privileged tickets to their first weekend opening, which will be restricted to NHS and care staff. Names will be drawn from a hat, but you have to be in it to win it, as they say!

We want to hear from as many organisations in Cornwall as possible about what the impact has been on their finances, their operations, their staff, and volunteers. With our new-found insight, Cornwall VSF, Cornwall Council and health stakeholders will then be able to co-analyse this impact. Together we will be in a better position to co-create recovery plans which will help the sector to not just bounce back again but to bounce forward. 

We would also like to hear about where there may have been a positive impact on the VCSE sector because of the need to adapt to the crisis. An example might be discovering the benefits of remote working and becoming a more agile and responsive organisation. Please use this link to access our COVID-19 Social Impact Survey: https://exeter.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/complete-cvsf-covid-19-survey. Please share this opportunity to participate in our survey with your VCSE networks wherever you can. 

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VCSE Emergency Response Alliance (VERA)

VERA colleagues have been exploring the lessons learned for the VCSE workforce throughout this crisis. We have been exploring the different ways in which we can lead the VCSE workforce through the crisis, and how we can help our staff and volunteers to remain emotionally resilient during this time. We know that for many of staff and volunteers, continuing to work virtually on the frontline while at home has been particularly hard. They have had to balance meeting their client’s needs with simultaneously supporting their loved ones to remain safe and well. 

Cornwall VSF and Cornwall Council want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to frontline VCSE staff and volunteers, on behalf of all residents in Cornwall. We know that you have done your utmost for those you continue to serve. Thank you for working so tirelessly and compassionately throughout the crisis. Because of your determined effort we know that our residents in Cornwall will stand a much better chance of recovering from the adverse impact of this crisis.

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Local VCSE community provision

This week, Cornwall VSF’s Helen Boardman facilitated a drop-in session with VCSE representatives who are working with VSF across the 19 Community Network Areas in Cornwall. This week’s discussion was mainly about how to help clients to access advice about money matters, during a time when many individuals and families are finding themselves much in need of financial assistance. 

Our colleague Gill Pipkin, Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Advice Cornwall, was on hand to provide some guidance, signposting citizens in Cornwall to the Citizens Advice Money Advice Service. This offers specialist debt support, including bankruptcy and debt relief orders. In addition, the generalist Citizens Advice service can help with benefits claims and appeals, employment, consumer and housing issues. Citizens Advice has a team which specialises in helping individuals to claim Universal Credit. 

For access to this support, call 03444 111 444 or text 78866 with the word DEBT, if it is about debt, or ADVICE, to the same number for any other information. 

From Friday 29 May there will be a weekly telephone drop-in service to enable people to get more immediate information. We will circulate details about this drop-in.

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New National Lottery funding available

A new fund has been launched that makes available £200m in Government funding, aimed primarily at small to medium organisations in England. The key objectives are to increase community support to vulnerable people and to reduce temporary closures of essential charities and social enterprises. See the National Lottery website for details. 

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Discretionary support fund for small businesses in Cornwall - some charities can apply too

Eligible businesses can now apply for a grant of £10,000 or £25,000 from the Government’s discretionary business support fund.  

Cornwall has been allocated £13.5million by the Government to fund discretionary business support grants.  

The Government has set out the guidelines for distributing this new pot of money for businesses that are struggling to survive due to the coronavirus shutdown but are not eligible for other grant funding schemes, including the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.   

Grants of £10,000 are available. Only in very exceptional circumstances will larger grants of up to £25,000 be considered, however these applications will take longer to determine.  

The Government guidance instructs local authorities to prioritise support for businesses that fall into four groups:  

  • Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible work spaces, for example industrial parks, science parks and incubators which do not have their own business rates assessment  
  • Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment  
  • B&Bs which pay council tax instead of business rates  
  • Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.    

Businesses not in these groups and unable to access any other form of Government funding are strongly encouraged to submit an expression of interest for funding for the Council to consider. This will support the Council building a clear, evidence-based, picture of the need for support across Cornwall. It is expected that there will be more businesses that qualify for the discretionary fund than the Council has funding for, and the Council will continue to lobby Government for additional support beyond the £13.5million made available to it. 

First payments to eligible businesses are expected to be made by early June. 

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£2m fund for domestic abuse charities

Home Office will launch a £2 million fund for domestic abuse charities with a national or regional presence which are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and for which other funding streams for domestic abuse charities are not specifically designed. The funding allocation guidance sets out the broad eligibility criteria.

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Funding available for veterans' charities

£6m of new funding has been announced via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, for armed forces charities and community interest companies delivering services to veterans and others in the Forces community. Grants up to £60,000 are available for programmes addressing urgent need caused by COVID-19. For more information about the award, and how to apply, see the Armed Forces Covenant Fund website. The closing date is Friday 29 May. Support has been offered also by Holly Meager, Armed Forces Covenant Lead for the South West, via Holly.meager100@mod.gov.uk for applications. 

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Nominate someone who is responding to coronavirus for a national honour

A COVID-19 honours nomination form is available on the GOV.UK website and can be used to nominate someone who lives in the UK for a national honour for their contribution to the response to the coronavirus crisis. This contribution could include volunteering in the community or for service organisations in support of those affected by COVID-19.

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Post Office current accounts and access to cash

There is now an accelerated, telephone-based, nominated agent process for Post Office Card Account (POca) customers who are not able to leave home.  

The new process allows any POca customer who is having trouble accessing their money due to self-isolation, or if they are among the shielding cohort, to arrange for a nominated agent to collect cash from a Post Office branch on their behalf. To request this service, the customer rings the POca helpline on 0345 722 3344, then selects Option 1 and, when prompted, holds for an advisor. 

The customer will need to have their POca card when making the call to verify their identity and will need to provide details of their named nominated agent. A new POca card and pin number is then sent to the customer at their home address which can then be used by the customer’s agent to access cash on their behalf at any Post Office branch. The customer will receive separate statements showing the transactions undertaken using the nominated agent card. 

This new process removes the need for the customer to visit a Post Office branch to collect, complete and return the nominated agent form. 

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Resources for people working in their communities

Cornwall VSF has been asked to collate information for organisations working in the community, to help resource them around certain issues. 

There are information pages on Cornwall VSF’s website around:

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Promas helpline for unpaid carers

Promas has launched a new helpline service offering support for unpaid carers. The service is available on 07435 870 587, 07775 756 454 or 01736 339 226 and info@promas.co.uk. Calls from 10am-4pm, Monday to Friday, emails or texts at any time (reply within 24 hours except at weekends). 

For more information about Promas, including online courses for unpaid carers, see the Promas website

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Mental health information for children and young people

Inclusion Cornwall has gathered an extensive resource of links to mental health information for children and young people (and some also for parents and carers). Cornwall VSF has compiled it all on a web page, to help ensure that as many people as possible can access it, especially now with half term coming up next week. 

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Do you know what your children are looking at online?

Parents in Cornwall are being urged to get the skills, knowledge and understanding to help their children stay safe online, as more children are using the online world to keep up with schoolwork and maintain relationships with friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Children Partnership Board’s new website includes hints and tips about staying safe online, along with a host of other useful information designed especially for children and their families.

The safeguarding board is a partnership between Cornwall Council, Devon and Cornwall Police, NHS Kernow and the Council of the Isles of Scilly and is in place to protect children in Cornwall from harm. 

Anyone with an urgent safeguarding concern or who is worried about a child or young person’s safety should ring the Multi Agency Referral Unit (MARU) on 0300 1231 116.

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Comfort bags for early pregnancy loss

Cradle, a national charity that supports the NHS and bereaved parents who are receiving care during or following early pregnancy loss, launched in Treliske Hospital at the end of April. For more information about the support they can provide, including how to donate to, or receive, a comfort bag, see the Cornwall VSF website.

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Grant programme for voluntary organisations in criminal justice

Clinks, the umbrella organisation for voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice sector, has launched a grant programme to help small organisations to keep running during this crisis. For more information on this, and also details of the early-release programme in prisons, and online support for children with a parent in prison, see the Cornwall VSF website

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Help for problem gamblers

Charity GamCare has resources for those who have a gambling problem, and their friends and family members. Their free helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0808 8020 133, and you can chat live on their website, or on a forum. For more details see the GamCare website. They have specialist programmes available for youth, for those in prison, and for women, as well as awareness and training for professionals.

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Bereavement scheme extended to NHS support staff and social care workers

The Home Office has extended the bereavement scheme to the families and dependants of NHS support staff and social care workers who die as a result of contracting coronavirus. Non-EEA family members of any NHS worker or a healthcare or social care worker who has died as a result of coronavirus now receive immediate indefinite leave to remain, free of charge.

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Free parking in Cornwall Council car parks for NHS and health and social care staff

Cornwall Council car parks will remain free for NHS and health and social care staff and critical care volunteers when car park charges are reintroduced on Monday 1 June. 

When parking in a Council car park, staff will need to display the permit provided by their NHS Trust or use the intercom when leaving a pay on exit car park. 

Like many local authorities across the country, the Council will be reintroducing car parking charges on 1 June as coronavirus lockdown measures start to ease. 

Tariffs will remain at 2019 levels and not increase with inflation this year as originally planned. Free evening parking in most Council car parks will continue, as will flexible pay and park options during the day, including the option to buy batches of reduced rate parking sessions via the JustPark app. 

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Previous issues of the Voluntary and Community Sector Update

You can view previous issues of the Voluntary and Community Sector COVID-19 Update on Cornwall VSF’s website.

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Important links

Anyone who needs help can request a volunteer by ringing Volunteer Cornwall on 01872 266988 or emailing requestforhelp@volunteercornwall.org.uk

Community volunteers can register with Volunteer Cornwall on their website or by emailing mid@volunteercornwall.org.uk. Volunteer Cornwall will match people who ring up needing help with the community volunteers in their local area – or, if they have more complex needs, with specialist services.

Find out more about Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum, including joining as a Member (which is free), at www.cornwallvsf.org, or email office@cornwallvsf.org

Please send all coronavirus related enquiries or issues to Cornwall Council’s dedicated email address covid19@cornwall.gov.uk. This email address is monitored seven days a week and will be staffed from 9am-5pm.

There’s an information page on Cornwall Council’s website specifically for clinically vulnerable residents who are in the shielded group.

Support for those living with domestic abuse is available from Safer Futures. People can make a referral online, email saferfutures@firstlight.org.uk or ring 0300 777 4777. There is also refuge and support via the Cornwall Refuge Trust website and their 24 hour helpline 01872 225629.

Cornwall Council’s Coronavirus Funding Resources web page is a roundup of coronavirus funding resources and guidance for charities and community groups. 

Please share our newsletter with your partners, and encourage them to sign up to receive it themselves, using the link below. 

Stay in touch, stay strong, stay safe. 

With very best wishes,

Julian German
Leader of Cornwall Council
Hembrenkyas an Konsel
Helen Boardman
CEO of Cornwall Voluntary
Sector Forum

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