Dissemination in UK

Dear Partners

I am sending you a link to an article I wrote based on our recent meeting in London, just published in Civil Society, a UK journal written for and about voluntary organisations. I thought it would be a good opportunity to share our learning more widely.

The link can be found here: http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/blogs/content/13691/volunteering_lessons_from_europe

All the best

Belinda

Interactive Map of London

Dear Partners - Gentile Partner - Αγαπητοί Συνεργάτες - Dragi parteneri

Here is the link to the interactive map of London. We hope that you find this useful during your stay.

http://www.mylondonmap.com/

Insight Social Research Ltd is looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Adria meeting evaluation

Hello to everybody.
This is the URL of the questionnaire.
If the click doesn't work, copy the line and paste it in your browser.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/104705119/Adria-Meeting-Evaluation-Questionnaire-Results-Percentage?secret_password=w44huqbw4dcxpejsiva#page=1Adria-Meeting-Evaluation-Questionnaire-Results

Adria meeting minutes

       

Third transnational project meeting
Minutes				23rd -27th  MAY 2012				ADRIA, ITaly
Meeting called by		EURADIPONET
Type of meeting		Grundtvig Project meeting IVISOC - “Improving Volunteering in Social Care” (2011-2013)
Facilitator		Ivo Zambello
Note taker		Maria Michael
Timekeeper		NA
Attendees		Androula Avraam, Panagiotis Ioannou,Stala Kioupi,Maria Michail, Nikolaos Avramidis,Nikolaidou Eleni,Hayley Fisk, Iain Parker, Belinda Pratten, Janet Fleming, Radu Stefan Valentin, Tudosie Raluca Andreea, Ivo Zambello, Stefano Vallin, Luigi Cuoghi, Salvatore Filella, Raffaella  Mori, Moreno Tenani, Nicoletta Farinella, Silvia Berardi, Franca Cordella
Agenda topics
Thu 24th  May 2012 9:00-12:30				Working session Nr. 1				each partner
Discussion   1.     Check on the website 2.     Check on the blog 3.     Country report template on volunteering -  comparative analyses and conclusions drawn by all partners  part 1
Conclusions	1.     Check on the website ·          Username and Password to be given to every partner in order to be able uploading relevant documents. ·          Domain change to grundtvig-ivisoc.org. ·          Translate all content into English. ·          ‘Experience’ section’s label changed to ‘Shared Knowledge’. ·          ‘Teachers’ Forum’ section’s label changed to ‘Volunteering Forum’. ·          ‘Dissemination’ section divided into national language: ‘Italian’, ‘Greek’, ‘Romanian’, ‘International’). ·          In ‘Partners’ section, the name of each Partner should be a link to the organisation’s website. Below of the name of each partner add a short descriptive paragraph of the organisation. All partners are requested to send a representative paragraph to Francesco (Prometeo 2000, Italy) at asso.prometeo@libero.it. ·          The logo appears at the Home Page of the Website will be the official logo of the partnership for now on (all partners should download it from the Website and save it as an image). ·          ‘Note 1’ and ‘Note 2’ of the Blog should be added to the Website. 2. Blog ·          To find it via Google search: Grudtvig improving volunteering in social care (3rd option). ·          How to post in the Blog: Upper right corner click ‘Login’à Click on the icon ‘Create a new post’. ·          All the participants of the meetings held until now should be invited to the Blog. 3.Country  Report ·          The following reference document is adopted to develop a more effective framework: World Giving Index 2011, A global view of living trends               http://www.cafonline.org/pdf/World_Giving_Index_2011_191211.pdf
Thu 24th  May 2012   14:30 - 17:30				Working session Nr. 2				each partner
Discussion	1.     Questionnaires about  Recruitment of volunteers in social care ( Nr. 21) - comparative analyses and conclusions drawn by Euradiponet 2.     Framework: Best practices and guidelines on recruitment of volunteers in social care part Discussing each partner’s role and task with the project, according to their profile and expertise.
Conclusions	1.        Recruitment Questionnaire (Comparative Analysis - Outcomes) After analysis of 21 questionnaires delivered by partners, the conclusions drawn by Euradiponet are the following: ·          Female volunteer more  than male (a given reason: women in the project’s participating countries care more about other people, a cultural phenomenon). According to previous studies undertaken worldwide, men volunteer more. ·          Very limited use of the Internet for attracting and recruiting new volunteers. ·          There is a strong link between volunteers and organisations. ·          Volunteers are required to have skills but their attitude towards the organisation and its mission is considered to be the most important criteria. ·          No insurance is offered to volunteers in Cyprus, Greece and Romania. ·          Motivations Vs Skills: Motivations are fundamental but skills are also important when required. 2.        Best Practices (drawn from previous studies) ·                                              The different volunteer roles should be identified in a strategic way. ·       A clear policy regarding recruitment should be formed and communicated in a formal way (e.g. advertising). ·                                              Support, Supervision, Feedback. ·             Clarify whether volunteers should acquire specific skills before hand or it is preferable those skills are developed through training. ·             Clear information regarding roles, recruitment policy, expectations and the organisation itself should be provided to prospective volunteers. ·                                              Consistent approach. ·                                              Include volunteers that are socially excluded or/and disable (seek for diversity). ·                                              Indicate to volunteers the benefits they get by volunteering within the organisation. ·                                              Indicate to volunteers the value they are adding to the organisation’s purpose. ·                                              Recruit a volunteers’ leader. ·           *Each partner should prepare an example of a good practise for each of the three ‘R’s (if possible). It will be a separate section of ‘Examples of Good Practises’ at the end of the final report. ·                                             The deadline for preparing the examples related to the first ‘R’ could be 24th August 2012.
17:30-19:00	Visit to the National Archeological Museum - Adria
Fri 25th  May 2012   9:00 - 12:15			Working session Nr. 3				each partner
Discussion	1.     Framework: Best Practices and Guidelines on recruitment of volunteers in social care part 2 2.     The second “R”: Retention of volunteers (preparation of a daft questionnaire (suggestions for questions to be included) 3.     Preparation for the next meeting 4.     Evaluation of the meeting (the standard questionnaire to be filled in) 5.     Certificates of attendance
Conclusions	1.        Framework: Best Practices and Guidelines on recruitment of volunteers in social care part 2 ·          Clearly identify volunteer roles to be fulfilled. ·          Develop a clear procedure for placement for each role. ·          The recruitment process could be formal or informal, depending on the organisation. It should be flexible and not complicated and designed in a way that works efficiently for the organisation in question. ·          Update role expectations regularly. ·          Assign a named person responsible for supervising, monitoring and facilitating two-way communication with volunteers. ·          Face-to-face communication with volunteers is of vital importance. ·          Enlist the most effective instruments for attracting each (diverse) target group of volunteers. ·          Experienced volunteers could become mentors of prospective volunteers of similar background and experiences. ·          Show flexibility in order to match availability of volunteers with tasks and roles needed to be fulfilled. Use of the ‘time bank’: volunteers can deposit time in the ‘time bank’ and the organisation can utilize this time according to its needs. ·          Clarify what it is useful to the organisation and what it is useful to the volunteers. ·          Motivations are fundamental but skills must also be taken under consideration (depending on the role). ·          Show tolerance toward volunteers. ·          Clarify and communicate the boundaries of volunteers’ activity within the organisation. ·          Ensure smooth cooperation, mutual understanding and respect between volunteers and paid personnel. ·          Repay expenses and acknowledgements to volunteers. ·          Invest financial resources for the support of volunteers (training, monitoring, insurance). ·          Approach private firms, bank institutes and/or other foundations that would be interested in investing financial recourses in volunteering. ·          Develop a corporate volunteering strategy. The organisation must look attractive to companies that are involved in this type of volunteering. Promote the benefits/advantages of volunteering in the specific organisation. 2.The second “R”: Retention of volunteers (preparation of a daft questionnaire (suggestions for questions to be included) ·          Deadline: 20th July 2012 return 3 completed questionnaires to the Romanian partner. ·          The questionnaire about Retention should be filled in by the same three organisations that have filled in the questionnaire about Recruitment (for consistency purposes).   3. Preparation for the next meeting 4th Meeting, 6th-8th September, 2012, London – UK    (6th-7th working days). ·          Agenda: §   Present the results from the questionnaire about Retention (by the Romanian partner). §   Discussion on the results. §   Form Best Practices and Guidelines on Retention. §   Develop the questionnaire about Recognition.
·         Evaluation of the meeting (the standard questionnaire has been filled in from all participants) ·         Certificates of attendance are delivered
14:30 - 15:15  Visit to the “International after school” of Agnese Baggio - Adria
Sat  26th May 2012
Free time
Sat  27th May 2012 Departures

 

Observers	Fiorella Libanoro (President of Agnese Baggio Association) – Antonio Giolo (President of “Bocchi” Foundation) – Patrizia Osti (Culture Councelor of Adria Municipality)
Resource persons
Special notes

Health and social care policy (Malcolm J. Fisk) at The Guardian Policy Hub.

The co-director of the new Age Research Centre at Coventry University on rethinking policy frameworks for older people.
 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/2012/jun/14/leading-questions-malcolm-fisk

This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the Guardian Public Leaders Network free to receive regular emails on the issues at the top of the professional agenda.

 

Vision for volunteering in health [project] initiated by The King’s Fund [United Kingdom]

The Health & Social Care Act seeks to create a more competitive health and social care provider market, within which a wide range of organisations (public, private, social enterprise and voluntary) will be encouraged to deliver services. 

It is widely acknowledged that volunteers can add value in health and social care by providing timely and personalised support to [often] marginalised pupulation groups, but the true extent of their activities in health and social care remains poorly documented and the potential impact of the current reforms on volunteering is under-explored. The project purpose is:  

[1] to gain a greater understanding of the role, size, scope and value of volunteering in the health and social care sector; and

[2] to understand how health reform (particularly the potential changes in the types of organisations involved in providing health and social care) will impact on volunteering.

   

The focus of the research is on how reform could affect the likely growth in NHS provision for volunteering from a range of organisations (such as social enterprises, foundation trusts and private sector providers). The project has three main stages:

[1] a summary review of the literature in order to understand the value of volunteering to (a) volunteers, (b) patients or clients, (c) providers and commissioners, and (d) the health care sector as a whole;

[2] a qualitative analysis (using focus groups with volunteers and patients/users and semi-structured interviews with providers and commissioners) to identify how perceptions of reform could change volunteering behaviours and use of volunteers – to  be supported by quantitative analyses looking at relevant trends in volunteering; and

[3] a scenario analysis – a range of possible scenarios will be developed for how the future system (and volunteer's role in it) could develop – and workshop exploration will lead to recommendations on volunteering in the new health system. 

The final report will be published early in 2013. The project is being funded by the Department of Health and is supported by an external advisory group.

Visit http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/current_projects/volunteering_in_health/index.html to read this item again and find out more about the project (and the organisation).

Visit http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/vcs_health_outcomes.html to see the related blog and read an article titled ‘Do local voluntary organisations hold the key to improving health outcomes?’.

Publications relevant to volunteering, social care, civic participation and the impact of the economic downturn - in the EU and beyond.

[1] United Nations (2011) State of the World’s Volunteerism Report

http://www.unric.org/en/images/stories/2011/PDF/SWVR Report [Eng].pdf 

Published by United Nations Volunteers [UNV]: ‘the focus of this report is on the universal values that motivate people the world over to volunteer for the common good and on the impact of volunteer action on societies and individuals’.

[2] Internationale Politikanalyse (2010) World Economic Crisis and the Welfare State

http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id/ipa/07000.pdf 

Published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung [IPA] International Policy Analysis: ‘possible solutions to reduce the economic and social imbalances in the world economy, Europe and Germany’.

[3] World Health Organisation (2011) Impact of Economic Crises on Mental Health

www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/134999/e94837.pdf 

Published by the World Health Organisation [WHO] Regional Office for Europe: ‘this booklet aims to present current knowledge on how economic downturns affect population mental health and outlines some of the benefits of action that could be implemented to reduce the harmful effects’.

[4] Eurofound (2009) Second European Quality of Life Survey

www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2009/02/en/2/EF0902EN.pdf

Published by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living & Working Conditions: ‘offers a wide-ranging view of the diverse social realities in the 27 Member States, as well as covering Norway and the candidate countries of Turkey, Macedonia and Croatia’.

[5] Charities Aid Foundation (2011) World Giving Index

 www.cafonline.org/pdf/World_Giving_Index_2011_191211.pdf

Published by the Charities Aid Foundation [CAF]: ‘the World Giving Index aims to help organisations and individuals who have an interest in civil society, by providing evidence on the extent of giving globally’.