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Welcome to the latest edition of the Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action E-Bulletin...

Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Awareness Training

This session aims to provide delegates with a knowledge and basic awareness of Safeguarding vulnerable groups and the action that should be taken if there is a cause for concern. Promoting a safeguarding culture within the organisation and an increased awareness of the local authority policies and procedures relating to safeguarding vulnerable groups both children, young people and adults at risk...

One Halton VCSE Sector Event

Halton and St Helens VCA are hosting a morning network meeting with a chance to hear from David Colin-Thome, Independent Chair of One Halton Programme Board on Halton’s progress towards integrating health and care services, the ambitions of the Board for a new way of working in Halton and the opportunities for VCSE sector groups to play a greater role in that work.

There will also be a chance to highlight your organisations work and influence VCA’s work as a member of the Programme board...

Celebrating Carers in National Carers Week

The St Helens Carers Centre is a local voluntary organisation, passionate about supporting family and unpaid carers in our area. They offer a free and confidential service. Caring will touch each and every one of us in our lifetime, whether we become a carer or need care ourselves. Carers Week is an annual awareness campaign which takes place to celebrate and recognise the vital contribution made by the UK’s 6.5 million carers. This year, Carers Week runs from 11 to 17 June 2018 and events will be taking place across the UK. The St Helens Carers Centre invites local Carers to contact them and access their support...

Swimming And Activity Sessions In Runcorn For Disabled Young People

Swimming and mixed sporting activities for young people with Additional Needs at Beechwood Community Centre, Runcorn, Saturdays 4.30pm – 6.30pm. This is a Short Breaks programme supported by Halton Borough Council. Sport Works will run weekly swimming and sporting activities, the sessions will provide fun and safe activities which will also allow young people (4-18 year olds) with additional needs the opportunity to increase their health, coordination skills and water confidence. The sessions also seek to achieve broader objectives around improving personal confidence and levels of socialisation, if appropriate...

Volunteers Needed for Summer Playscheme

Chain Lane Community Centre are offering this great opportunity to work in a friendly, fun, summer playscheme setting for children of primary school age. The Playscheme is entirely volunteer-run. It operates on 4 Wednesday afternoons in August and provides a range of activities for the children e.g. crafts, indoor and outdoor sports and games, baking, quiet table - puzzles, jigsaws, reading books etc. This opportunity is ideal for anyone currently working with children or who is looking to work in school settings or childcare. Experience is an advantage but not required. Enjoyment of working with children is a must...

Funding Bulletins from Halton Borough Council – June

Our colleagues from Halton Borough Council’s External Funding Team have prepared some Funding Bulletins containing valuable information for voluntary organisations looking for grants to get projects off the ground. The Monthly funding bulletins offering information on funding opportunities in the following areas: Arts, Community & Voluntary, Environment & Heritage, European, Faith, Health, Schools, Sports and Youth...

Disabilty Awareness Day 2018

Disability Awareness Day ("DAD") is the world's largest 'not for profit' voluntary-led disability exhibition, held annually in a huge tented village within the grounds of Walton Hall Gardens in Warrington. Visitors to the show can expect to find around 250 exhibitors, equipment suppliers, transport, holidays, leisure, employment, support groups and services. PLUS a Sports Zone including Scuba diving, an Arts Marquee, Centre Arena and family entertainment. The show opens at 10am and finishes at 5pm, and entry is free with a free programme. Disability Awareness Day 2018 will take place on Sunday 15th July at Walton Hall and Gardens...

Wellbeing Enterprises CIC - Job Vacancy

Wellbeing Enterprises CIC are looking for a passionate and empathic individual with qualifications and/or experience in youth and/or community-led work to play a crucial role in the delivery of a Children in Need three year funded project that will support children and young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing....

Finance/Administrative Assistant

Halton Play Council a Children's Charity is looking to recruit an experienced Finance/Administrative Assistant to support the Manager and Staff in the day to day operation at it's Runcorn Office. Part Time 23 hours per week £8.65 per hour - Fixed Term Contract. Closing Date is Friday 22nd June 2018...

Beacon Programme For Chairs Who Are Leading Small Charities

The Association of Chairs (AoC) support Chairs of charities and non-profit organisations to lead your boards effectively and ensure delivery of your organisation’s mission. They have produced a programe to support chairs of small organisations. Their resources are designed specifically to support you in your skilled and demanding role. They provide practical guidance and governance support tailored to the needs of Chairs...

Child Bereavement UK

Child Bereavement UK provides free support and information to bereaved children and young people up to the age of 25 and parents bereaved of a baby or child within Cheshire and the surrounding areas...

Halton Fibromyalgia Support Group Meetings

Your local Fibromyalgia Support Group serves Runcorn, Widnes, Warrington and St Helens  Their objective is to provide members with opportunities to help themselves and support each other. Meetings are informal, informative, relaxed, and friendly...

Safeguarding of Children & Young People in Halton

Working in an Inter-agency and Multi Agency way requires training that supports people to work effectively with practitioners from a wide range of agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Halton Safeguarding Children Board provides a range of courses for staff working with children, young people and families, or with adults who may be parents or carers. Halton Safeguarding Children Board’s Multi-Agency Training Strategy outlines the Board’s strategic vision and priorities around training...

Halton Mental Health Carers Support Group

If you care for someone with depression, bi polar, anxiety, psychosis, panic attacks, schizophrenia, OCD etc.  Halton Carers Centre and North West Borough Healthcare are here to support you at a new group.  It offers peer support, activities and guest speakers in a friendly environment where you can meet others in similar situations. The group meet at 1-3pm on the last Wednesday of the month at Mencap Acorn Centre, Runcorn...

Bereavement Advisory Group

Child Bereavement UK is establishing a Cheshire Bereavement Advisory Group to bring together representatives from Education, Health, Social Care, Voluntary Organisations and bereaved families so that they can develop and coordinate support services across the local area. Their experience across other regions has demonstrated the value of multi-agency collaboration for the benefit of bereaved children and families. Child Bereavement UK not only serves bereaved children and families but is also instrumental in developing and training the workforce...

Don't Forget...

VALUES in 3 Bitesize Sessions

Each of us has a unique personal pattern of priority values. Our values are closely interwoven with our sense of ‘self’. One the biggest challenges for any of us in any role is being confident in ‘who’ we are and how someone like us thinks and speaks. With greater insight into our own values, and how those values influence and inform our behaviour, we can better understand the meaning we make of situations. We can also bring a deeper authenticity to our relationships with others creating positive impacts on our resilience and both our capacity to exercise leadership and to be innovative.

Ninety minutes of discussion, small group work and individual tasks across three topics to develop actionable insights into what makes us tick and how to keep it ticking...

VCSE Connect

Information about the voluntary, community, charitable sector still remains one of the key issues raised by professionals and clinicians when you ask the question “What could the voluntary sector do?” or “How can I refer this person to something more appropriate?”

As the gateway into the sector, Halton & St Helens VCA holds lots of information and data about local voluntary action.  We have produced that in great detail, in “Here to Help”, provided a search facility on our website, share information with key organisations and have many different ways of sharing what groups do, but still people say they don’t know what groups exist, what they do and how they get to them or refer to them.  So Halton & St Helens VCA has been working on an extension to our database which will display information about groups in an easy format, tell you what they do and when, allow clinicians and other key professionals to log-in directly and make a referral directly to the group (as long as they have agreed to receive referrals).  This means for the first time there will be a single place where referrals to the local voluntary and community sector can be made.

If you would like your organisation to be included in the VCSE Connect directory...

Please feel free to forward this email onto any other organisations/individuals who you feel would be interested. Apologies if you receive this email more than once.

If you have any comments you would like to tell us about this e-bulletin, please send an email to ldaffern@haltonsthelensvca.org.uk or if you have any news/events you would like us to publicise, please complete our News/Events webform: https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/vca-newsevents-template

Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action