cedric's blog

The Hantsweb Awards are a chance to nominate your favourite web site for, well, for an award. There are various catagories - see more information here

Disappointing news from the Hampshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership - Nationally the rate is down a little further (11.4% decrease in 2004 to 11.8% decrease in 2005)
The not so good news for Hampshire is that following a successful decrease to reach our 2004 target there has been a slight increase. The rate (per 1000 young women aged 15-17) was 30.9 at the end of 2005, an increase from 30.3 in 2004.

The Partnership comment "We need to ensure that we work together to look at ways of returning to a downward trend to ensure our 2010 target is met"

A new product catalogue is now available containing details of the latest Microsoft products available through the CTX donation programme.  These include Windows Vista Business Upgrade, Office Professional 2007 and Access 2007. To download a copy of the new catalogue click here

This from Donna at Solent Youth Action

Please find below information from the new youth volunteering charity V:

The 'v inspired' Website aimed at young people seems to be up and running - complete with 'do-it' linked search facility, news of latest campaigns, blogs, videos etc.

http://www.vinspired.com/

Details of a new initiative - the vcashpoint fund - which may be of interest to your MVs are on the site. It's a funding initiative run by v20 for young people aged 16 - 25 who want to set up their own community project. By providing grants of up to £2500, vcashpoint can help young people turn their ideas for voluntary projects into reality. nformation at:

This from communitycare.co.uk

Thousands of voluntary sector projects will close if the government goes ahead with reported plans to raid National Lottery funds to pay for the 2012 Olympics, according to Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Etherington told last week's NCVO annual conference that about 86,000 grassroots projects would find themselves without money from the Big Lottery Fund, if reports that the government will use £1.9bn from the fund to pay for the spiralling costs of the games are proved to be accurate.

This from "Young People Now"

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is considering making volunteers pay for police checks.

It is understood that the bureau is keen to change the "operational definition" of volunteering to reduce the number of people who receive free checks, and increase its income.

An estimated one in five CRB checks are carried out on volunteers. They are currently offered free to those meeting its definition of volunteers - people who are not paid, but who do receive some expenses. The bureau wants to limit this definition to those who receive nothing.

List here on the Big Lottery web site

This is Cllr Thornbers response to letter which may be found here

21 February 2007 

Dear Mr Riley

CHILDREN'S SERVICES BUDGET

Thank you for your letter dated 8 February 2007 and I am somewhat concerned about its contents.

I am not sure why our budget papers have taken time to come to your notice and would ask you to let me know how budget papers are normally revealed to you and what might have happened in this context.

This from Young People Now

Northumberland County Council is considering setting up a separate company to run its integrated youth support service.

Council officials are looking at what combination of elements should be included in the integrated service, which is likely to include the management team for the youth service.

Options include procuring services through a tendering process, setting up a separate business unit for the children's trust, or setting up a company with separate legal status.

It is understood that the local authority has ruled out the option of taking Connexions in-house.

An Alliance of children's and young peoples voluntary sector organisations say that "Hampshire's across the board cuts in grant funding and drastic reductions in subsidies for the use of school facilities threaten the future of many valuable community services provided by the voluntary sector"

They are also alarmed that these cuts are being proposed without proper consultation with the sector- against the spirit of working arrangements only recently put in place.

Local press quickly picked up on proposed cuts in the Children's Services funding which threatened Stubbington Study Centre. In response Leader of the County Council, Cllr Ken Thornber found an extra £95,000 to give the Centre a year's reprieve.