June 2006
Welcome to Rocket Science's June e-newsletter. In this issue we focus on London 2012 and the recent Cabinet changes which have brought the voluntary and community sector to the centre of government policy-making with the creation of the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.
- Building a World Class Third Sector in the London Thames Gateway
- Ensuring the voluntary and community sector benefit from London 2012
- How good is your partnership?
- Changing the Focus
- Social Enterprise Re-Union wins sponsorship from Rocket Science
- Approaches: the Young People and Health Conference Report
Building a World Class Third Sector in the London Thames Gateway
Can the Third Sector rise to the challenge of the opportunities presented by the massive investment in the Thames Gateway and the London Olympics?
May 15 saw the launch of a cross-government policy review into the future role of the Third Sector in social and economic regeneration. It will be the largest and most ambitious cross cutting review of the Third sector ever undertaken by government, led by Ed Miliband MP, the newly appointed Minister for the Third Sector based in the Cabinet Office.
The anticipated growth of the London Thames Gateway (the biggest regeneration project of its kind in Europe), combined with the challenges presented by London's hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provide a fascinating case study of the capacity of the Third Sector, which encompasses charities, voluntary and community sector organisations and social enterprises, to contribute to an area's long-term regeneration.
We have just been commissioned by the Thames Gateway London Partnership to work on the development of a Third Sector Strategy for the sub-region. This will identify how partners can enhance the sector's capacity to contribute to the economic development, social inclusion and long-term sustainability of the London Thames Gateway.
Following a phase of fieldwork in each of the 12 London Thames Gateway local authority areas, the project will bring together sector representatives, key partners and funders for a feedback and consultation event to consider different possible future for the Third Sector in terms of its contribution to delivering the vision for the Gateway. The initial one-day event will be held on Wednesday 5th July at the Rich Mix Centre in Shoreditch, East London.
Further consultation sessions will look more in depth at the different roles and responsibilities of the sector:
- As a key employer/sector in the sub-regional economy
- As a strategic advisor and participant in local and sub-regional decision making
- As a managing agent and coordinator of partnerships
- As an agent of service design, delivery and appraisal
- As a route for those who are most at risk of social/ economic exclusion
- As part of, and a significant contributor to, a vibrant civil society
If you would like more information on any of the consultation sessions, or you would like to get involved in this project, please contact John Griffiths.
Ensuring the voluntary and community sector (VCS) benefits from London 2012
The risks of the VCS NOT being involved in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games may compromise their legacy.
A key contribution to London's winning the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was its commitment to the Games' legacy. The Bid promised long term improvements to communities in terms of health and well-being, skills and training, job opportunities, cultural entitlements, housing and social integration. These areas are where the voluntary and community sector (VCS) are critical stakeholders.
Prime Minister, Tony Blair reaffirmed this in his recent launch of 'London's Challenge for 2012: Building on Success' last April, that the government is keen to see a greater role for the VCS in designing and delivering public services and strengthening local communities in the run up to 2012.
What is the reality for the VCS? Strategies are being drawn up, and consultations with community groups are being carried out in some London boroughs. But is the level of engagement at a high enough level to ensure the sector can exert real influence on the decisions that matter to them?
London Civic Forum champions the need for strong VCS involvement in the 2012 Games. The Forum has commissioned Rocket Science to consult a range of voluntary and community organisations to assess the risks of the sector not being involved in the Games, which will help to identify ways of enhancing VCS engagement in the lead up to the Games.
For more information please contact Annabel House
How good is your partnership?
Public sector organisations are often thrown together in a bid to tackle current policy agendas on social and economic issues. But how do you ensure your partnership is working effectively?
Most public sector organisations are involved in partnerships of some kind, often thrown together in a bid to attract funding or government support for addressing a particular policy objective. But how do you ensure your partnership is working effectively?
Partnerships can evaluate and monitor their processes and performance.
Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire recognised the importance of evaluating the value and effectiveness of the partnerships they belonged to and commissioned us to develop a Partnership Evaluation Tool (PET), based on our tried and tested scorecard technique. PET is an easy to use self-assessment scorecard that can help partnerships benchmark their strengths and weaknesses and address these in a structured and strategic way, aiding partnerships' rationalisation.
When partnership teams use the PET they work through a series of investigative questions on issues such as the partnership's purpose, management, communication and outcomes. The PET translates the scores to guide a partnership towards a strategic review or towards support options for specific areas that require development.
We offer bespoke toolkits and can specifically tailor the PET to suit the needs of your organisation or partnership. If you are interested in how you could use the Partnership Evaluation Toolkit, please contact Richard Scothorne.
Changing the Focus
Changing the Focus national conference (29/30 June 2006) is the first of its kind to address gay and bi-sexual men's sexual health and wellbeing in Scotland.
We have been commissioned by Healthy Gay Scotland to organise Changing the Focus national conference, a first of its kind to address gay and bi-sexual men's sexual health and wellbeing in Scotland. The event will provide a learning space for those attending to ensure the Action Plan associated with Respect and Responsibility, the sexual health strategy for Scotland, can be implemented to meet the specific needs of gay and bi-sexual men.
The conference aims to share and learn from the wide variety of contributions made to gay and bi-sexual men's HIV and sexual health in Scotland and internationally. It will bring together policy makers, practitioners and academics who are engaged with various topics related to this key target group.
Who should attend?
This conference is FREE and is aimed at all professionals both paid and voluntary workers who have a role in improving the sexual health of gay and bi-sexual men.
Conference Programme
The conference will be opened up by Andy Kerr, Scotland's Health Minister and Chair of the National Sexual Health Advisory Committee, with themed sessions, presentations and workshops proceeding around the following areas:
- Research into practice
- Research updates
- Examples of innovative projects
- New developments and updates
- Networking
- Link to National Sexual Health Strategy Advisory Group
- Links to wider policy developments
To register please go to www.changingthefocus.org and click on the registration section. The website also provides details on accommodation options. The conference will also offer a market place for delegates to network and connect with workers from other agencies.
For more information on the conference please contact Julia McGhee
If you would like to know more about our events and facilitation work, please contact Debbie Adams
Social Enterprise Re-Union wins sponsorship from Rocket Science
Edinburgh social enterprise company Re-Union won £1,000 worth of Rocket Science consultancy in 'Dragon's Den' style competition organised by Senscot.
We were delighted to team up with Re-Union, whose canal boat offers an alternative venue for voluntary and community groups to carry out training days (or half days) whilst taking a trip down the Union canal. Other groups such as youth groups and schools use Re-Union for activity days. Educational packs which focus on environmental aspects are available on Re-Union, prepared specifically for school-aged children to enhance their learning experience whilst aboard.
The boat is piloted by volunteers, specifically those from the most disadvantaged areas in Edinburgh, some of whom suffer from mental health problems or learning difficulties. These volunteers have greatly benefited from their involvement in Re-Union, which provides them with a calming and alternative learning environment, which for some has provided a stepping stone back into paid employment.
This social enterprise provides a training ground for learning how to pilot and manage canal boats, canal boat building and Canadian canoe building. Such opportunities act as a vehicle for introducing young people who are not in education, employment or training ("NEET") back into training and employment. Re-Union can report three volunteers completed the NCBA Community Barge Management qualification.
Re-Union opted to spend their prize consultancy time on marketing. We provided one-to-one marketing support to Re-Union's business development manager to help develop a marketing strategy and define clearly their key customer groups and the marketing activities required to target them.
Re-Union website: www.re-union.org.uk
For more information please contact Keira Farley
Approaches: the Young People and Health Conference Report
The report from the Approaches: the young people and health conference which was held in Glasgow in January 2005 is now available.
This conference was organised by NHS Health Scotland, in partnership with YouthLink Scotland, and focused on the health of young people in Scotland. The report outlines the points from the main speakers and summarises the discussions of over 40 workshops that occurred over two days. Rocket Science were commissioned by NHS Health Scotland to project manage the event, from professional support to the Steering Group, to workshop organisation to speaker liaison, as well as event design and facilitation.
To order your copy of the report please email: publications@health.scot.nhs.uk
For more information on event design, facilitation and management please contact Debbie Adams.