AnnuAl RepoRt

Transcription

1 Annual Report

2 Volunteer Now Annual Report Funders and supporters Volunteer Now would like to thank the following organisations for their support during the past year: Atlantic Philanthropies Awards for All NI (Big Lottery) BBC Appeals Building Change Trust Belfast Health & Social Care Trust Co-Operative Membership Community Fund Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Department of Education Department for Regional Development Department for Social Development Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety Health & Social Care Board Lloyds TSB Newtownabbey Borough Council The Public Health Agency South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust Ulster Garden Village Youth Council for Northern Ireland Board of Trustees Joe McVey OBE Chairman Maire Young Vice Chair Dr Bill Smith Cathy Houston Martin Busch Rosemarie McDonnell Wilma Neilly Bernie Smyth (resigned Jan 2011) Mary O Neill (resigned Jan 2011) Volunteering is... dog walkers, 90,000 fundraisers, 27,000 management committee members, counsellors. 24,000 befrienders, school governors, 25,000 advice workers, Sunday school teachers, tour guides, 41,000 working with young people, youth club leaders, 9,000 drivers, mentors, 37,000 church volunteers, researchers, meeter and greeters, 12,000 charity shop assistants, crèche helpers, 25,000 coaches Volunteering is dog walkers, 90,000 The oftentimes negative perception that voluntary fundraisers, work is indicative 27,000 of management unpaid work committee members, devoid of personal counsellors. gain or remuneration 24,000 befrienders, is school quickly governors, dispelled within 25,000 a short advice period of workers, Sunday participation. school teachers, tour guides, 41,000 working Brendan with young Campbell, people, Volunteer, youth Warrenpoint club leaders, 9,000 drivers, mentors, 37,000 church volunteers, researchers, meeter and greeters, 12,000 charity shop assistants, crèche helpers, 25,000 coaches Volunteering is dog walkers, 90,000 fundraisers, 27,000 management committee members, counsellors. 24,000 befrienders, school governors, 25,000 advice workers, Sunday school teachers, tour guides, 41,000 working with young people, youth club leaders, 9,000 drivers, mentors, 37,000 church volunteers, researchers, meeter and greeters, 12,000 charity shop assistants, crèche helpers, 25,000 coaches Volunteering is dog walkers, 90,000 fundraisers, 27,000 management committee members, counsellors. 24,000 befrienders, school governors, You don t 25,000 have to commit advice your workers, life to volunteering, Sunday school but variety teachers, tour is the spice of life and volunteering helps to bring that variety guides, 41,000 working with young people, youth club into your life. Volunteering helps me feel fulfilled. Ian leaders, Grimason, 9,000 Volunteer, drivers, Fareshare, mentors, Belfast 37,000 church volunteers, researchers, meeter and greeters, 12,000 charity shop assistants, crèche helpers, 25,000 coaches Volunteering is dog walkers, 90,000 fundraisers, 27,000 management committee members, counsellors. 24,000 befrienders, school

3 ChairMAN and Chief Executive s Report 2010 was a rather special year for volunteering in Northern Ireland as it saw the birth of a new organisation, Volunteer Now. This was the result of a merger initiative that effectively brought together the work of nine local volunteer centres 1 and the regional support body 2 for volunteering. This created an integrated regional/local support organisation concerned with the promotion, support and development of volunteering. The commitment to merge was driven by an agreed benefits based approach. The organisations involved believed that an integrated organisation would: Give clear accountable leadership; Sustain and strengthen the local and regional expertise and experience; Increase volunteering, opportunities and good practice; 1 Armagh & Dungannon Volunteer Centre; Ballymena & Larne Volunteer Centre; Belfast & Castlereagh Volunteer Centre; Down District Volunteer Centre; Fermanagh Volunteer Centre; Lisburn Volunteer Centre; Loughside Volunteer Centre; Newry & Mourne Volunteer Centre; North Down & Ards Volunteer Centre. 2 Volunteer Development Agency Enhance capacity to meet the needs of volunteers and organisations; Demonstrate impact of the volunteer contribution and influence policy; Provide equity of access to volunteering opportunities reflecting local differences; Create consistency in service delivery and provide greater effectiveness in resource management. Throughout the year, as well as delivering for volunteering we also agreed a new five year strategic plan and restructured the organisation to reflect the new direction and mission. At the heart of this change were the staff and Trustees, working together to agree key priorities. It was clear that we want to raise the profile of volunteering; increase the number of volunteers; address under representation in volunteering; celebrate the contribution of volunteers; deliver effective services that reach out to individuals, organisations and communities. The aspiration is for Volunteer Now to be an organisation for social change, a centre of excellence and the lead organisation for volunteering. Connect Build Change Page 3

4 Volunteer Now Annual Report During the year we focused the work across three new Directorates Outreach & Engagement, Policy & Capacity Building and Business Services. The intention is to be an outward facing organisation having operational staff not in offices but out in the local community. This focus on outreach meant a reconsideration of office space and a refocusing of job roles and responsibilities. We want to warmly thank our staff, Trustees, volunteers, member organisations and funders for their support and commitment to the change process, recognising it as a creative dynamic to develop volunteering. The work of Volunteer Now is underpinned by the belief that individuals giving time to benefit others and their community does build a better society - a belief shared across Europe during this designated European Year of Volunteering Those organisations involved in the merger process took a leap of faith and the Board of Trustees and staff of Volunteer Now remain committed to carrying forward their motivation and turning aspiration into reality. We have taken on the challenge because we are passionate about volunteering and see the new integrated organisation having a key role in supporting and taking forward the future volunteering agenda across Northern Ireland. Wendy Osborne OBE Chief Executive Joe McVey OBE Chairman Page 4

5 Highlights of our work 2010/ organisations took part in promoting and celebrating volunteering during Volunteers Week in Volunteer Now events were held as part of Volunteers Week and attended by 1,080 people including 200 older volunteers who were recognised at an event at Parliament Buildings hosted by then Alliance MLA, Naomi Long. 139 charity shops had Volunteers Week window displays and information on volunteering in store. Over 12,000 items of merchandise were provided to help organisations celebrate/recognise their volunteers and information materials were available to download. Five promotional events were held in relation to the European Year of Volunteering 2011 across Northern Ireland. EYV ENews was developed for monthly distribution. Antrim Borough Council recognises the importance of volunteering and values the contribution that every volunteer makes to our community. Through our Community Support Plan, we work in close partnership with Volunteer Now to develop projects that will assist in supporting and developing local volunteers and their organisations. This partnership has helped to enhance the volunteering experience for individuals in our community by giving them the support and recognition they so richly deserve. David McCammick, Chief Executive, Antrim Borough Council offices, 99 libraries, 45 colleges, 27 careers offices, 8 Steps to Work, 14 Job Assist Centres and Job Directions across Northern Ireland. Student Volunteering Week was launched at Stormont with support from the First and Deputy First Ministers. Use your Head, Use your Vote resources were distributed across Northern Ireland including all secondary schools, further education colleges, universities and libraries to encourage young people to volunteer. Volunteer Now s range of work gained a total PR advertising value equivalent for media coverage of 1.27m for 2010/11 showing a 74% increase compared with 726k in 2009/10. Volunteer Now hosted and participated in 216 events to promote and recognise volunteering across Northern Ireland. Information was presented at 83 events attended by 2,880 older people which resulted in 638 older people registering an interest in volunteering through the Unlocking Potential project. Almost 200 people aged 50+ participated in volunteering in their local community in Ballymena, Belfast, Newry, Antrim and the North West as part of the One Good Reason Action Days. Be a Saint Action Days were held in March, in Belfast, Newry, and Fermanagh which involved 464 employee volunteers. 343 volunteers aged 50+, representing 94 local organisations, were recruited across Northern Ireland to take part in a longitudinal research study measuring self rated health undertaken by Volunteer Now in partnership with the University of Ulster. Volunteer Now initiated and launched an Unemployment and Volunteering campaign to encourage volunteering by people currently unemployed. Information materials were distributed widely through 44 benefit Well, they say that if you sit in the corner you get old I don t want to get old and I feel that if you can do something about it then you should. I m very lucky that I am as able as I am to carry out my voluntary work. Clare McVeigh (80), Volunteer, Newtownabbey Community Befriending Scheme Connect Build Change Page 5

6 Volunteer Now Annual Report Investing in Volunteers has been a very worthwhile process and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to any organisation that involves and values volunteers. Off the Street Initiative, Derry 125 delegates attended the Surfing the Silver Wave international conference held in Belfast in March 2011 which explored the issues of volunteerism and civic engagement in an ageing society. 1,740 people from Northern Ireland applied to be London 2012 volunteer Games Makers. Over 150 people became Volunteer Champions in Northern Ireland to champion volunteering through their sport, clubs and events. 50 Awards of Excellence were presented to GoldMark participants which recognises 200 hours of voluntary activity in sport. 130 participants gained University of Ulster Event Management for Volunteers accreditation. Almost 1,000 enquiries were dealt with by staff and 42,221 downloads of information/publications were made from our website. 5,778 new volunteers registered to volunteer during the year. Eight groups received the Investing in Volunteers Award - Northern Ireland Chest Heart Stroke, The Link, Little Hands Surestart, NI Policing Board, Belfast Central Mission (renewal), Youth Initiatives, Open Your Mind and FAST Rural Transport - with a further 23 groups progressing through the process to complete their IiV accreditation. Bursaries were provided by the DSD and Building Change Trust to assist organisations complete the accreditation. 132 healthchecks were carried out measuring organisations volunteer management practice against the Investing in Volunteers Standard and creating development plans. 2,841 participants attended 206 training courses during the year in volunteer management and safeguarding (73 delivered in Belfast, 130 throughout the rest of Northern Ireland and 3 in Dublin). Participants indicated a satisfaction level of 92%. Approximately 100 participants gained accreditation in volunteer management courses through funding by the Building Change Trust. 11 people from across Northern Ireland graduated from Queen s University having been awarded Volunteer Now s Certificate in Effective Management of Volunteers programme. GoldMark has provided a real focus on volunteering within the Unit. It has added an extra dimension to the time volunteers give. It is seen as beneficial, worthwhile, something to strive towards and an added incentive. Richard Gormley, University of Ulster Page 6

7 Keeping adults safe from harm is challenging and complex. It is the responsibility of us all to embed dignity and respect for vulnerable adults in everything that we do.this guidance, produced by Volunteer Now in conjunction with my department, will improve safeguarding outcomes for some of the most vulnerable adults in Northern Ireland by establishing standards of acceptable practice. Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey, speaking at the launch of Adult Safeguarding - A Shared Responsibility, October 2010 The DIY Committee Guide online resource had an average of 8,000 visitors per month. Volunteer Now carried out a Mapping Survey of volunteer involving organisations in Northern Ireland; from a sample of 8,000 just under 3,500 organisations responded. 96% indicated that they currently involve some 95,898 volunteers. Voluntary and community organisations account for 52,925 volunteers followed by Church/Faith based organisations, which involve 11,939 volunteers. Volunteer Now published and distributed 6,000 copies of Adult Safeguarding A Shared Responsibility guidance. Developed generic and tailored adult safeguarding training which was delivered to 119 participants. 94% said they now feel they have the knowledge to report safeguarding concerns in relation to the vulnerable adults they work with and 91% said they have since referred to the publication Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults - A Shared Responsibility. Through the Keeping Safe Child Protection initiatives the Our Duty to Care team supported 79 trainers who provided 195 training programmes on good practice in child protection to 3,739 participants in Northern Ireland; and 118 Keeping Safe trainers who provided 243 certificated programmes to 4,453 participants in the Republic of Ireland. Volunteer Now responded to over 20 consultations including the review of the Regional Infrastructure Programme, Consultation for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration, A Fitter Future for All, Child Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland, Draft Service Framework for Mental Health and Well Being, the Concordat for Relationships Between Government and Voluntary and Community Sector and the Vetting and Barring Scheme Review. We were actively involved in lobbying Her Majesty s Revenue and Customs on behalf of volunteer drivers and voluntary driving groups to extend the passenger allowance to include volunteer drivers. In this year s budget HMRC accepted that volunteer drivers should be eligible for the same tax relief as business car drivers. My experience with Volunteer Now s opportunities website is very positive. We have received many volunteer enquiries through the website, about 35 since we posted them, with 5 volunteers successfully recruited. Giovanna Alfano, Action on Hearing Loss, Belfast Connect Build Change Page 7

8 Volunteer Now Annual Report Volunteer Now raised concerns with Government officials, including the then Minister for Social Development, Alex Atwood MLA, regarding the negative impact on volunteering by certain proposals outlined within the Coalition Government s Welfare Reform Agenda. Of particular concern was the proposal that unemployment benefit claimants must take part in community work in order to retain their benefits. With funding provided through Building Change Trust and a collaborative partnership with CENI, BiTC, CFNI and RCN, we Volunteers within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust make an important contribution in supporting the delivery of patient care and improving patient experience in both the acute and community settings. Volunteer Now has provided support and direction to enhance our service and has helped to institute a regional approach to volunteering in health and social care in Northern Ireland. Bernie Mitchell, Volunteer Services Manager, Belfast Trust have been able to effect change through provision of training in volunteer management, developing new Timebank initiatives, providing bursary support to enable 15 groups to achieve IiV, developing and marketing the Volunteer Now website, piloting the impact assessment toolkit and enhancing governance information through the DIY Committee Guide. The vast majority of participants indicated that their experiences in the Millennium Volunteers programme have directly influenced their chosen career path and have subsequently contributed to their current employment. This attribution endorses Volunteer Now and the Millennium Volunteers programme as a key vehicle in enhancing skills, employability and ultimately the prosperity of young people across Northern Ireland. From independent report Millennium Volunteers A Decade of Dedication, June 2010 A new Volunteer Now website was developed and designed to be a one stop shop for volunteering, supported by the Building Change Trust A total of 2,731 young people received Millennium Volunteer Awards ( hour Award, hour Awards and hour Awards). 23 schools are now involved in the Millennium Volunteers Schools Programme and this year 479 young people received the Schools Award. Page 8

9 A total of 23 organisations have Millennium Volunteers Delivery Partner status, including all Education and Library Boards and a number of regional organisations as well as projects dedicated to the arts, young people with disabilities and youth projects. I volunteer at the local Youth Club and GAA Club three nights a week. I attended them both when I was younger and I decided to give something back by offering my time and skills as a volunteer. Darryl McCullagh, Millennium Volunteer, Omagh With support from the Youth Council for Northern Ireland we developed Essential Volunteer Management for Youth Workers. As a result of the success of the initial training, the Education and Library Boards have requested that the training is rolled out to all their youth workers across Northern Ireland. Millennium Volunteers celebrated its official 10th birthday in June with a party held at Parliament Buildings which was attended by almost 100 guests including young people, representatives of organisations and MLAs. As part of the celebrations Volunteer Now commissioned an independent report, Millennium Volunteers A Decade of Dedication, which examined the impact of Millennium Volunteers. We commissioned questions on volunteering, funded by the Youth Council for NI, as part of the annual Young Life and Times Survey which lead to the report, Youth Volunteering: Making a Difference to Community Relations, which found that volunteering had led to an increase in cross-community and inter-ethnic contact and that young people who volunteered were more likely to socialise with people from different backgrounds. In September 2010, a new Volunteer Policy Forum was launched by Volunteer Now in partnership with NICVA to focus on volunteering issues, and in particular, to coordinate and share policy information, discuss policy development and take steps to influence decision making. Three fora have covered topics such as police checking system (Access NI) and insurance. Provided support to 220 older persons groups and 2 senior citizens fora in North & West Belfast which included funding advice, training, programme development, recruitment and events. We delivered 7 breakfast briefings for older people across North & West Belfast providing information on opportunities to maintain their independence. A great trusting relationship develops between parents, the young person and the volunteer providing the travel training. Ultimately this is down to the expertise of those managing the Transport Buddy Service. Julia Sloan, Family Worker from Positive Futures Connect Build Change Supported Men Utd, a dedicated network to engage older men (aged 50+) tending towards social isolation across Belfast. 19 trips, outings and health and wellbeing activities were organised for the group which currently has 300 registered members. Produced over 10,000 newsletters and information materials to support older individuals, groups and fora. Page 9

10 Volunteer Now Annual Report The session was described as the best tailored training I have ever had by a member of the team the bar has been officially raised on their expectations for future training. Your delivery and content were excellent and the whole group felt engaged throughout. Michael Sloan, Oxfam Ireland Supported a group of older volunteers to broadcast a dedicated older persons weekly community radio programme on Feile FM in Belfast which delivered 80 hours of programming during the year. Vivien Dunlop, a Volunteer Now Befriender for 20 years, won the Befriender Recognition Award for the Northern Ireland region and Heather Cummings, a Transport Buddy volunteer, was awarded a finalist s certificate at the Rotary Volunteer of the Year award ceremony. We both derive a real sense of contentment from our roles within the Society! We enjoy the social aspect and spending time with the other volunteers, in some ways it has become like an extended family for us. Raymond and Marie McGinn, Volunteers, MS Society, Foyle Area Page 10 3 good practice befriending training sessions were delivered to 20 churches across Belfast. In Belfast our Befriending Service volunteers provided an average 171 volunteer befriending hours per month to 35 isolated older people. Our 10 Volunteer Drivers provided an average 94 volunteer hours per month and Practical Services volunteers provided over 6,000 hours of painting, decorating and gardening services for 278 clients during the year. In North Down & Ards our Volunteer Drivers supported 71 clients/families, made 6,416 journeys and gave 6,685 volunteer hours. Eighteen clients took part in Travel Training as part of the Transport Buddy Service. Ten of these clients are now travelling independently through the support of a team of 12 volunteers who provided 886 volunteer hours.

11 Current Staff Team Volunteer Now Sandra Adair Julie Aiken Lindsay Armstrong Julie-Ann Ashe Helen Beggs Gina Biggerstaff Charlene Bingham Shane Brogan Kelli Cleland Helen Connolly Paul Coome Scott Cooper Kathy Corbett Julie Cusick Paul Dinsmore Yvonne Dolan Maeve Donaghy Joanne Dunn Connect Build Change Billy Eagleson Sandra Faulkner Ann Finlay David Fitzsimons Lizanne Frawley George Gillespie Fidelma Glass Sarah-Jane Goldring Caoimhe Grant Suzanne Grant Veronica Gray Wenda Gray Lyne Greenwood Jane Gribbin Paula Hackett Denise Hayward Pamela Higgins James Hughes Jill Hunter Christine Irvine Lynne Jardine Frank Johnston Suzanne Liddle Emele Logan Maria McBride Sarah McCully Jacqui McDowell Hale Robert McGregor Ciara McLean Claire McLoughlin Colin Morris Ruth Mulholland Alice Murphy Deirdre Murphy Fiona Nicol Victoria O Neill Wendy Osborne OBE Antje Otto Judith Parr Sinead Quinn Ciaran Rice Kevin Robinson Raquel Rodrigues Colette Ruddy John Russell Ciara Smyth Lorraine Smyth Mabel Stevenson Lee-Anne Thomas Roisin Timlin Nicci Wilson Niamh Young Page 11

12 Tel: Web: Volunteer Now delivers services across Northern Ireland. We have offices at: 129 Ormeau Road, Belfast, Co Antrim BT7 1SH Fermanagh House, Broadmeadow Place, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh BT74 7HR 34 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, Co Antrim BT2 7DB Ballybot House, 28 Cornmarket, Newry, Co Down, BT35 8BG Houston s Mill, 10 Buckna Road, Broughshane, Co Antrim BT42 4NJ Supported by the Northern Ireland Executive through the Department for Social Development A full set of accounts are available on request. Registered Office: 129 Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 1SH. A Charity (Inland Revenue) No. XT Company Limited by Guaranteed No. NI602399