VOLUNTARY SECTOR JOINT LIAISON COMMITTEE

 

 

MINUTES of a meeting held on 29th November, 2006.

 

Present: Councillor Miss J. Cole (Chairman); Councillors G.A. Cox, Mrs. V.M. Hartrey, Mrs. M. Kelly Owen, A.G. Powell, A.J. Readman and Mrs. M.R. Wilkinson.

 

Representatives of the Voluntary Sector: Ms. A. Steere (Vale Volunteer Bureau); Ms. H. Powney (Vale of Glamorgan Victim Support); Mrs. G. Reed (Vale CAB); Mrs. R. Connor (Vale Centre for Voluntary Services); Ms. T. Burris (Age Concern); Ms. L. Nelmes (Penarth Youth Project).

 

 

565     APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE -

 

These were received from Councillors Ms. L. Burnett, H.J.W. James, A. Clive Williams and Ms. Y. Rogers (Barnardo's Cymru); Ms. M. Dixon (Wick and Monknash Village Hall); Mr. P. Clarke (MIND in VoG) and Mr. Bin Sufyan (Muslim Welfare Association).

 

 

566     MINUTES -

 

AGREED - T H A T the minutes of the meetings held on 13th September, 2006 and 24th October, 2006 be accepted, subject to the inclusion of Councillor Mrs. M. Kelly Owen in the list of apologies for the September meeting.

 

 

567     DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST -

 

Lisa Nelmes declared an interest in Agenda Item 4 - Project No. 11 Penarth Healthy Youth Team and took no part in discussion of this matter.

 

 

568     ALLOCATION OF FUNDING UNDER THE VOLUNTARY ACTION SCHEME 2007/2008 (DFICTP) -

 

A joint working group which comprised of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Voluntary Sector representatives and officers of the Council met on 14th November, 2006 to consider applications under the Voluntary Action Scheme and the recommendations were for consideration by the Committee as to the award of grants for 2007/2008.  The sums available for allocation, subject to the necessary funding being approved by Council, were £87,000 (2007/08), £176,000 (2008/09) and £203,000 (2009/10).  These figures were based on the current year's budget provision of £203,000 less the commitment given last year and the year before to fund two and three year schemes.

 

Following a Cabinet review of grant schemes operational departments were asked "whether the scheme would be a top priority for their service, ranking equally with expenditure included within their budget" (Minute C2307 Cabinet - 15th February, 2006 refers),and comments were included in the report..  There was a balance of funding in the sum of £30,000 still to be allocated and the Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee were asked to consider whether to allocate this sum to either Vibe Experience Ltd., or Amelia Trust Farm and also to consider the recommendations of the Joint Working Group.

 

AGREED -

 

(1)       T H A T the recommended projects identified by the Working Group be supported.

 

(2)       T H A T the balance of £30,000 not allocated by the Joint Working Group be allocated to Vibe Experience Ltd. for one year funding 2007/8 only.

 

(3)       T H A T the Cabinet be requested to approve the allocation of grants to the projects detailed below:

 

 

 

Recommended allocation

 

 

 

 

2007/8

2007/8

2008/9

2009/10

 

 

Grant

Single Yr

Multi Yr

 

Applicant

Project

Requested

Funding

Funding

Funding

Funding

 

 

Per annum*

 

 

 

 

 

£'000

£

£

£

£

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Applicants seeking one year only funding:

British Red Cross Society

Practical "aids to living" project

10

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Applicants seeking two year only funding:

Cruse Bereavement Care

Service development

8

Nil

8

8

 

Applicants seeking three year funding:

Vibe Experience Ltd

Area 41 Vibe operations

34

30,000*

(allocated at Committee meeting)

Penarth Youth Project

Health Project

14

Nil

14

14

14

Vale Direct Payments Social & Peer Support Group

Support group development

20

Nil

20

20

20

Penarth Live at Home Scheme

Volunteer expenses, clerical staff costs, training etc.

5

Nil

5

5

5

 

TOTAL NOW RECOMMENDED

 

40,000

47,000

47,000

39,000

 


569     VOLUNTARY SECTOR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT AND ACTION PLAN - ACTION PLAN PROGRESS REPORT (DFICTP) -

 

The Voluntary Sector Partnership Agreement and Action Plan had been approved by the Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee on 13th September, 2006.  The actions set out in the Plan were in accordance with the provision of the Council's Compact with the Voluntary Sector.

 

AGREED - T H A T the report and progress on the Action Plan be noted.

 

 

570     VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL VOLUNTEERING POLICY (DCS) -

 

A Compact between the Voluntary Sector and the Vale of Glamorgan Council outlined responsibilities for both parties in the management of their work together.  The initial development of the Compact was seen as a positive development and the Council was the first Authority in Wales to enter into such an agreement.  The Council was committed to working with volunteers to meet its purpose and objectives.  Volunteering involvement in appropriate tasks was welcomed and encouraged in all the Directorates of the Local Authority.

 

Volunteers were an established and integral part of the work of the Vale of Glamorgan Council.  There were currently three types of volunteers who assisted the Council:

 

·               Group One - Volunteers who belonged to an existing constituted group who offered their services to the Council and service users;

·               Group Two - Volunteers for local communities who ran amenities on behalf of the local community, but who derived from community benefit for themselves, for example, School Governors and Community Hall Committee Members;

·               Group Three - Volunteers who provided direct services to Local Authority Service Users to complement existing service provision, for example, Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers.

 

The Vale of Glamorgan Volunteering Policy had been drafted to recognise the importance of volunteers within the work of the Local Authority.  Through the Policy, the rights and responsibilities of the Council in relation to the rights of the volunteers was made explicit.  The Policy also outlined the level of support to be given to volunteers working on behalf of the Council particularly in relation to training and development.

 

The Vale of Glamorgan Policy outlined that any volunteers working to support the Vale of Glamorgan Council's services should be recruited in accordance with the Vale of Glamorgan Council's Recruitment, Selection and Screening Policies.  The Policy outlined that volunteers were able to claim out of pocket expenses subject to the production of suitable receipts.  The experience of Directorates to date, was that many volunteers did not access this remuneration.

 

The Volunteering Policy set out the formal arrangement and outlined responsibilities for both the Council and the Voluntary Sector in the management of their work together.  The Voluntary Sector indicated that they were very pleased to see this document as it had been under discussion for a significant period of time.  The Policy was very clear and incorporated all the points raised by the Voluntary Sector.  The representative from the Vale Volunteer Bureau indicated that the Vale of Glamorgan Council would be the first in Wales to adopt a Volunteering Policy and indicated that they would like to share this document as good practice with other Vale Volunteer Bureaux in Wales.

 

AGREED - T H A T the Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee add its support to the draft Council Volunteering Policy and request Cabinet to approve the adoption of this Policy.

 

 

571     COMMENCEMENT TIME OF FUTURE MEETINGS -

 

The Chairman indicated that the meetings had commenced at varying times in previous months and asked whether Members would prefer an earlier start time to meetings.  As there was no consensus of a suitable time, the Chairman indicated that future meetings within the municipal year would be held at 6.00 o'clock in accordance with the time given in the Council's Year Book.