The Girls Brigade are about to get very fit now they have been succesful in winning a Nintendo Wii Sports Package. Janet Turner (of the Girls Brigade, Hyndburn) won the prize as a result of completing Young Lancashire's Big Sector Survey.

Recent research by Capacitybuilders shows the majority of public service commissioners would like to see greater collaboration and merger between organisations that provide support and advice to civil society groups. The findings of the report show that commissioners think m

The Equality Act brings together nine separate pieces of legislation into one single Act simplifying the law and strengthening it in important ways to help tackle discrimination and inequality.

A conference report and presentations from an event held by Barnardo's on the Personalisation agenda. Some of the questions and fears raised are particularly pertinent in the funding environment we now seem to be moving into.

The draft Lancashire wide CAMHS service specification is now out for consultation.  The final version once agreed, will serve the basis of the new service specifications across Lancashire.  The transition document into adult mental health services is also available for consultation.  The CAMHS PIG (Project Implementation Group) was assigned the task of redesigning the CAMHS specification in response to the Joint Area Review.

MUNRO SAFEGUARDING REVIEW - CALL FOR EVIDENCE FROM VCFS GROUPS A “call for evidence” from Professor Eileen Munro undertaking the Munro Safeguarding Review is currently being requested – and as key partners, the VCFS have a role to play in this.  Professor Munro is seeking views and evidence in a number of different ways, starting with evidence of local innovations and new approaches to child protection as well as improved front-line social work practice.

A briefing paper Big Society Step by Step from VSNW provides an introduction and analysis of the Big Society agenda with key questions on commissioning, local authority accountability, localism and consultation processes. This briefing is supported by the Insight Public Affairs (IPA) briefing on Big Society.

Key messages from the Blackburn with Darwen's local safeguarding children board (LSCB) recent meeting in July are available. For more details...