Oh Blog it!

Lots going on so here is a quick round up of what we have been up to recently and some plans for the next few weeks. Good meeting with the Skills for Care focus group in Worthing last week with groups that work with adults in the community, looking at neighbourhood engagement work with adults. Where this is increasingly delivered in neighbourhoods rather than at centres that people come to, voluntary and community groups do more outreach often using volunteers. Groups agreed there is a need for some standard training and skills support for this and felt we could usefully faciltate the sharing of expertise around that; watch this space. On a related theme good to see Guild Care are leading a local workshop on 24th Jan supporting joint working to create better pathways for older people's services. 

Been busy with group development work recently. Congratulations to Superstar Arts who have just registered as a Community Interest Company! Looking forward to seeing them find funding and take-off this year. Pleased to have met with Action on Elder Abuse last week and support the development of a local group. Cruse Bereavement Care are looking for a free hot desking space locally in case anyone with space reading this can help.

Encouraged that local residents we have spoken to have been enthusiastic about the Community First project for Central ward which could put them in the driving seat in terms of local projects. We are holding an informal gathering for people interested in this on Saturday 26th Jan in the morning at Sydney Walter Centre with the Neighbourhood Worker for the area from Adur & Worthing Council.

Social Enterprise is beginning to take up a lot of the agenda and we are looking forward to meeting with the County Council Community Development team on 9th Feb and local voluntary and community groups to help them access a fund to develop enterprising activity. Along related lines we will be working with a group of partners including the colleges to offer skills support to community organisations around enterprise.

County Council are thinking about the procurement route for the local HealthWatch scheme and have asked us to let you know they are running a workshop on 27th February at County Hall North (Horsham).CVS's along with many other groups will be there and can keep you informed if you cannot get along.

Partners in the Advancing Infrastructure in West Sussex (Transforming Local Infrastructure) group will meet again on 23rd Jan when we will be looking at consortia building among other things. This programme is part of a national fund designed to transform the way that CVS's and other voluntary sector infrastructure groups shape and deliver their services. The results of the West Sussex bid will be know on 31st Janaury. However even if we do not get the grant we are determined to try and build collaborative working opportunities among the existing partners.

There are times when we are reminded of the sacrifices that have been made to give us the freedoms we enjoy and Holocaust Memorial Day  27th January is one of those.  There will be a commemorative event at Adur Civic Centre at 10am hearing from holocasut survivors followed by a wreath laying ceremony in Beach House Park Worthing at 11.30am that day.