Sheffield Volunteering Strategy
December 2009

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THIS IS A BLANK PAGE

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Sheffield Volunteering Strategy
CONTENTS Page Number 4 5 6 7 8 10 13 14 15 24 25 27

Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Defining Volunteering Background & Context The Sheffield Volunteering Scene The Development of the Volunteering Strategy Vision, Aims & Objectives Action Plan Appendix One: Sheffield Map of Volunteering Participation Appendix Two: Organisations & Groups Involved in the Development of the Strategy Appendix Three: Source Information

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Foreword
Volunteering is at the heart of a healthy civil society. This is especially true for a major city like Sheffield, with its diverse communities and many challenges. The 80,000 or so people who regularly volunteer in Sheffield already make a huge contribution to quality of life for many, or indeed most, of its citizens, but we know there is more we need to do to safeguard and develop this resource. There is a danger that in the current economic climate and the myriad of other concerns, promoting and supporting volunteering will not be seen by policymakers as a important priority for action. Or some may think that because volunteers are not paid, it is not something we need concern ourselves with and will carry on quite satisfactorily without anyone having to do much about it. To an extent this is true, but we know that if we want to optimise the opportunities that volunteering can bring to the community and to the individuals who get involved in it (and for many, myself included, this can be a life changing experience) then there is much that we can do to promote and support it. This strategy, which has been brought together with the involvement of over 100 local organisations in the voluntary, public and private sectors, is a serious attempt to bring about a sustained increase in the quantity and quality of volunteering through a series of focussed actions, nearly all of which require a high level of co-operation between different organisations. It is, as yet, only a strategy and will require investment (of money, time and energy) if it is to succeed in meeting its ambition of raising our game. But I believe that we now have the right ingredients and, with a fair wind, we can make it happen. Nick Warren Chief Executive Voluntary Action Sheffield Chair of the Volunteering Strategy Steering Group

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Acknowledgements
This is a partnership strategy and thanks go to all those from the public, private and voluntary sectors who have provided information, suggestions and feedback to develop and amend the finished Volunteering Strategy. Particular thanks go to those colleagues who have agreed to deliver key actions contained within this strategy: Art in the Park, Bridge Employment, Business in the Community, Manor & Castle Development Trust, NHS Sheffield, Sanctuary Housing, SAFE@LAST, Sheffield City Council, Sheffield First Partnership, Sheffield Health & Social Care Trust, Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust, Sheffield Mind, Sheffield Samaritans, Volunteer Centre Sheffield, Southey & Owlerton Area Regeneration, South Yorkshire Practice Learning Facilitators Team, SOVA, Sport Sheffield, and The Employment Service. Sincere thanks are also due to the Volunteering Strategy Steering Group for their contributions and guidance.

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Introduction
Volunteering has long been a cornerstone of society in general and in Sheffield in particular, building and strengthening trust and social networks within local communities, providing a source of much needed assistance for vulnerable groups and individuals, giving a sense of fulfilment and diversion for active citizens, and much more. Sheffield has an excellent history of volunteering, and support for it spans not only the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) but also the public and private sectors. All three sectors provide volunteers and volunteering opportunities. Research1 suggests that in excess of 80,000 people volunteer at least once a month in Sheffield, undertaking a vast array of different roles and tasks to help others. In this era of unprecedented political support for volunteering and emphasis on community cohesion, Sheffield First Partnership (Sheffield's Local Strategic Partnership) has commissioned this Volunteering Strategy to further strengthen voluntary action taken by local people in the Steel City. The Strategy has been shaped by a steering group comprising representatives from key voluntary and public sector organisations. It aims to make better use of existing resources, networks and systems, as well as establishing new projects and mechanisms. Some of those projects will depend on additional funding being secured, for which sources have been identified and work is being undertaken. The Steering Group members are: · · · · · · Kirstie Haines Interim Director Jeannette Miller Head of Patient Experience & Engagement Vince Roberts Partnership & Local Action Manager Sarah Shaw Business Coordinator Julia South Volunteer Centre Manager Nick Warren (Chair) Chief Executive Sheffield First Partnership NHS Sheffield Sheffield City Council Business in the Community Voluntary Action Sheffield Voluntary Action Sheffield.

This Volunteering Strategy is accompanied by an associated Business Plan, which will also be available to view at www.vas.org.uk and www.sheffieldvolunteeringstrategy.blogspot.com
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Place Survey 2008

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Defining Volunteering
Volunteering can mean different things to different people. Indeed many volunteers themselves often do not consider the activities they undertake to constitute volunteering (many refer to `just helping out' and so on). At a professional level, much debate has taken place nationally around certain schemes pertaining to volunteering but which some consider to involve unsuitable degrees of coercion or reward. Confusion also arises regarding when a simple neighbourly act becomes `volunteering'. In order to develop a suitable Volunteering Strategy for Sheffield that could be understood by all, work was undertaken at the first Partners in Time consultation event (June 2009) to agree a city-wide definition of volunteering. Delegates at that event agreed to use the widely-adopted definition from the National Compact as it stood at that time2: "Volunteering is...the commitment of time and energy for the benefit of society, the volunteer and the community, and can take many forms. It is freely undertaken and not for financial gain. It involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than (or in addition to) close relatives, and does not replace the time spent by paid workers." 3 In addition, the local priority indicator regarding increasing volunteering refers to an increase in regular, formal volunteering. These are generally described as follows: · · · Regular volunteering - generally meaning to volunteer once a month or more. Formal volunteering - giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit other people or the environment. 4 Informal volunteering - giving unpaid help as an individual to someone who is not a relative. 5

This document sets out the vision for further developing regular formal volunteering in Sheffield, including an Action Plan showing the practical actions that will be taken in order to achieve the vision.
The Compact is an agreement between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector in England. It recognises shared values, principles and commitments and sets out guidelines for how both parties should work together. 3 The refreshed Compact of 2009 has since shortened its definition to "The energy and commitment of people giving their time for the public good". 4 2007 DCLG Citizenship Survey 5 Ibid
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Background & Context
Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS) was asked by the Sheffield First Partnership Board in 2007 to look into research on how the quantity of volunteering and its contribution to the community might be increased. This followed evidence from the Household Survey 2006 that the level of formal regular volunteering in Sheffield (at 23%) was significantly below the average for Core Cities (30%). This result may however have been attributable to the differing ways in which questions were asked in the different areas' questionnaires, thus giving figures that were difficult to compare. The case for taking further action was strengthened by the development of a set of national indicators for local authorities, which included one on measuring the level of volunteering (NI 6). This was subsequently adopted by Sheffield First Partnership and the City Council as a Local Priority Indicator, as part of the Local Area Agreement. As a result, in the Autumn of 2007, Voluntary Action Sheffield commissioned a piece of research from Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Voluntary Sector Research to: · · · · · · Identify the current levels and profile of volunteering in Sheffield Assess the current demand for volunteers and likely trends Assess the perceived value and contribution of volunteering Identify factors which influence the level and quality of volunteering undertaken Propose a framework for the evolution of a volunteering strategy for Sheffield Identify specific actions, as part of an action plan, which could contribute to the development of a volunteering strategy.

The research team reported on their findings to the Sheffield First Partnership Board in February 2008, including a number of proposals to drive forward a strategic delivery plan. These included, in summary: · · · More effective collaboration around information, training, disseminating good practice, marketing etc across a wide range of volunteer-using and signposting bodies Promoting volunteering with groups at risk of social exclusion Development of specific brokerages where there was perceived to be a particular need (e.g. to support employee volunteering and volunteering in neighbourhoods)

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Inclusion of volunteering into city strategies as appropriate.

Since that report, various of those proposals have been implemented. For example, Volunteer Centre Sheffield now runs a Volunteer Coordinators Forum to share advice and good practice, volunteering is included in the Local Area Agreement and in several of the new Community Assembly Strategies, and brokerage of employee volunteering is developing (through Business in the Community and Volunteer Centre Sheffield). The Volunteering Strategy Steering Group was also formed, to advance the report's recommendations. The 2008 Place Survey provided a slightly different picture of Sheffield's place in the national picture of volunteering. The proportion of respondents who said that they volunteered regularly dropped to 21.1%, however this was a more favourable figure in comparison with other areas. Sheffield's population reported the highest level of volunteering in South Yorkshire, and came second only to Bristol (24.1%) amongst the Core Cities. Nationally, the average was 23%. Volunteering in Sheffield is therefore in a much healthier position that was originally thought, however the Volunteering Strategy Steering Group remained committed to further strengthening and galvanising that position. To that end, they have employed and guided a Strategic Volunteering Manager, based at Voluntary Action Sheffield, to take on responsibility for developing and implementing this Volunteering Strategy.

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The Volunteering Scene in Sheffield
Volunteering in Sheffield Sheffield boasts a diverse range of volunteering. Frequently referred to as the greenest city in England, it is home to not only over 503,300 people but also over 2 million trees! The unusual blend of industrial and rural environments presents Sheffielders with a wealth of volunteering variety, with opportunities to participate in everything from dry-stone walling in the Peak District National Park to educating school children on Sheffield's industrial heritage. Volunteer-Involving Organisations in Sheffield There is a vast array of different types of organisation in Sheffield that work with volunteers. These include large national charities and small community organisations, as well as a range of public sector organisations. Volunteering infrastructure in the form of community anchor organisations is varied throughout the city, being based mainly in the city centre and hard-pressed areas on the eastern side of Sheffield. Volunteers in Sheffield The first national Place Survey was carried out in 2008, with results released in 2009. Approximately 1400 households in Sheffield returned the questionnaire. Overall, 21.1% of respondents in Sheffield stated that they had volunteered at least once a month in the past twelve months. The Sheffield First Partnership has set a target of increasing that to 24.5% by 2011. The summary of those results shown below are based on "valid responses" only (i.e. they exclude the "don't knows" and those who gave no response). They have been weighted in accordance with guidelines set by the Office of National Statistics. Age: According to early Place Survey results, the age groups least likely to say they volunteer regularly and formally are those aged 25-34 and 65+. People aged 18-24 are the most likely to volunteer. This may be attributable to the significant investment that has been made into youth volunteering over recent years, and the resulting added support available to young people through groups such as v. Attention has therefore been paid to attracting older people to volunteer through this Volunteering Strategy. BME Groups: Unfortunately the low sample size for these figures meant that it was not possible to draw any reliable conclusions from this data.

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Disability: Unfortunately the low sample size for this data meant that it was not possible to draw any reliable conclusions for this group. National research however suggests that people with a limiting, long-term illness or disability usually participate less in formal volunteering.6 This is also a group identified as at risk of social exclusion by the Institute for Volunteering Research, which the Sheffield Hallam University report recommended be targeted. Actions have therefore been identified in this strategy to reduce some of the barriers those groups face. Gender: Women are more likely to say that they volunteer in Sheffield than men according to the 2008 Place Survey, with 24% of females saying they volunteer regularly as opposed to 19% of males. This is consistent with national figures7. Community Assembly Areas: According to the 2008 Place Survey, Community Assemblies 1 and 7 (East and South East) are the locations where people are least likely to volunteer (figures from LASOS 2009).

CA Area Central East North East Northern South South East South West

At least once a week 10 6 14 14 15 11 22

At least once a month 11 10 6 6 4 3 15

Total 21 16 20 20 20 14 37

Unfortunately it is not possible to break down the Place Survey results to ward or neighbourhood level. However, looking back to the 2006 Household Survey does enable us to get an idea of volunteering participation in more detail. The table below shows that a low proportion of residents sampled in the Household Survey in these wards volunteered on a regular basis in comparison to
Helping Out A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving, Office of the Third Sector, 2007, P19. "Women were significantly more likely to volunteer than men, either on a regular basis or at all." Helping Out A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving, Office of the Third Sector, 2007, P19.
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other wards in the city. Mirroring the Place Survey, six out of ten of these wards are in the East and South East Community Assembly areas and two of the remaining four are in the North East.8 Wherever possible therefore, (given the existing infrastructure already in place) partners have been sought within those areas to deliver the Volunteering Strategy. Percentage of respondents who said they volunteer regularly9 5.4 5.7 5.7 5.8 6.0 6.5 6.6 6.6 7.5 7.6

Ward Richmond (East Community Assembly) Shiregreen & Brightside (North East Community Assembly) Beighton (South East Community Assembly) Southey (North East Community Assembly) Gleadless Valley (South Community Assembly) Birley (South East Community Assembly) East Ecclesfield (Northern Community Assembly) Arbourthorne (East Community Assembly) Mosborough (South East Community Assembly) Darnall (East Community Assembly)

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Total number of wards in Sheffield: 28 These results have been calculated by amalgamating the neighbourhood data for question 18 on the Household Survey, available on http://www.lasos.org.uk/PublicHome.aspx

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Development of the Volunteering Strategy
Local and National Research A significant amount of research has been undertaken regarding volunteering in Sheffield which has informed the Sheffield Volunteering Strategy. In particular, Sheffield Hallam University published its report Towards a Volunteering Strategy for Sheffield in 2008 as outlined earlier in this document, and previously the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (also based at Sheffield Hallam University) brought out their Part of the Picture report (an in-depth study of the VCS across South Yorkshire) in 2006. Further work undertaken since the formation of the Volunteering Strategy Steering Group and the appointment of the Strategic Volunteering Manager has therefore been careful to review and build on that research rather than to duplicate it. Comparative studies were undertaken with other areas across the country. Particular attention was given to those areas that had developed or were developing Volunteering Strategies of their own, and where a higher percentage of people say they volunteer than is the case in Sheffield. Research was also collated around particular aspects of the draft strategy, such as timebanking and social prescribing. This took the form of desk-based research, including telephone interviews with projects across the country. City-wide Mapping As detailed in the previous sections, using the 2008 Place Survey and 2006 Household Survey, Sheffield City Council were able to provide a map of Sheffield indicating the levels of volunteering undertaken in areas of the city, broken down by Community Assembly Area, ward and neighbourhood. These results informed the strategy in terms of priority groups and communities to focus on. See Appendix One for more details. Stakeholder Consultation This strategy has been developed in consultation with stakeholders from across Sheffield's voluntary and community sector, public sector, and private sector. That consultation process took place between May and November 2009, and took several forms: · Two large group events in June and September 2009 · Small focus group meetings · Individual interviews · Online surveys. The results of those consultations have informed the development of the strategy at every stage. They included suggestions of issues that should be addressed by the strategy; feedback on the likely impact, sustainability and effort required to implement actions on the draft Action Plan; and recommendations of organisations who could lead aspects of its delivery.

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Vision, Aims & Objectives
Vision The vision of this strategy is that of more people enriching their own lives and making a positive difference to their communities and the city through volunteering, being supported by organisations that have the expertise to provide quality experiences and recognise the value of the contributions made. Aims & Objectives Using the research and consultation results outlined above, three aims, with correlating objectives, form the basis of the Volunteering Strategy: 1. Increase the proportion of the local population who volunteer formally to 24.5% by March 2011 a. Increase overall recruitment of volunteers through active promotion and improved access to information about volunteering b. Provide support for 100 people facing barriers to volunteering c. Increase take up of Employer Supported Volunteering schemes within private and public sector organisations, enabling employees in 20 more businesses to volunteer d. Improve retention rates of volunteers. 2. Increase the number and quality of formal volunteering opportunities, especially those geared towards meeting City Strategy objectives a. Create 200 additional volunteering opportunities in VCS and public sectors organisations by March 2011 b. Support VCS and public sector organisations to implement good practice in volunteer management. 3. Increase and improve collaborative working across the VCS and between it and the public and private sectors, including promoting opportunities to acquire new or share existing resources a. Improve peer support mechanisms and facilitate information sharing regarding volunteering across VCS and between VCS, public and private sectors b. Promote opportunities to acquire new funding or share existing resources.

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Action Plan
In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this Volunteering Strategy, the following delivery activities have been identified.

Aim One: Increase the proportion of the local population who volunteer formally to 24.5% by March 2011
The results of the 2008 Place Survey showed that 21.1% of people surveyed in Sheffield said that they volunteer at least once a month, as opposed to the national average which was 23%. The Sheffield First Partnership is ambitious to be above average, and has therefore set a target increase of 3.4%. As outlined earlier in this document, volunteers and volunteering opportunities can vary greatly. Measures taken to encourage more people to volunteer therefore need to take into account the range of different motivations of those individuals, and the situations they find themselves in. The priorities that have been identified and addressed by this strategy are: · · · · · · ·
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Improving access to information about volunteering (including making best use of `word of mouth', through which 66% of volunteers across the country said they heard about volunteering10) Reducing the number of `lost volunteers' (people who apply to one organisation but never become volunteers if deemed unsuitable for the first opportunity they show interest in) Increasing the number of older people volunteering Promoting volunteering as social therapy for people with low level mental health problems Reducing barriers to volunteering (for people with disabilities, learning difficulties, and mental health problems) Increasing the number of people enabled to volunteer through support from their employers Reducing the number of people who leave volunteering.

Helping Out A national survey of volunteering and charitable giving, Office of the Third Sector, 2007

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Objective A: Increase overall recruitment of volunteers through active promotion and improved access to information about volunteering. Activity Marketing & Communications Strategy - Direct to Public (including to older people in particular) 'Pass It On' Campaign Outcomes Increased number of people enquiring about volunteering Increased number of people enquiring about volunteering Increased number of people applying to volunteer Increased number of older people enquiring about volunteering Increased number of people enquiring about volunteering Increased number of people enquiring about volunteering Increased number of people undertaking a range of volunteering roles within sport Timescale Short Term Delivery Partners Voluntary Action Sheffield; SOVA (TBC); Sheffield Samaritans Volunteer Centre Sheffield Volunteer Centre Sheffield

New Volunteer Centre website Run Volunteer Centre talks in local community areas (4 per year) Promote the inclusion of volunteering information into employers' retirement packs Explore potential of introducing a volunteering ambassadors scheme Promotion of volunteering opportunities within council information Use 2012 to help inspire and create a strong infrastructure for sport volunteers

Short-Long Term Medium Term Medium Term Long Term

Voluntary Action Sheffield, Sheffield Samaritans Voluntary Action Sheffield; Volunteer Centre Sheffield, Sheffield Samaritans Sheffield City Council

Short Term And Ongoing Medium term

Sport Sheffield

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Facilitate VIOs 11 Volunteer Centre re-referral working together mechanism to maximise conversion of applications into actual volunteers Ensure IAPT12 programme volunteering is embedded in appropriate public sector referral pathways Social Prescribing Schemes

Reduced number of people abandoning volunteering as a result of first rejection

Short Term And Ongoing

Volunteer Centre Sheffield

Increased number of volunteering applications; improved mental wellbeing of patients through volunteering; improved understanding of mental health problems in mainstream organisations Increased number of volunteering applications; improved mental and physical well-being of patients through volunteering

Medium ­ Long Term

Sheffield Health & Social Care Trust

Medium ­ Long Term

NHS Sheffield; Southey & Owlerton Area Regeneration; Manor & Castle Development Trust

Objective B: Provide support for 100 people facing barriers to volunteering. Activity
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Outcomes

Timescale

Delivery Partners

Volunteer-Involving Organisations Improving Access to Psychological Therapies

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Hub & Spoke project (3 community organisations linked to Volunteer Centre Sheffield to promote and support volunteering referrals and activities in their area)

Increased numbers of volunteering applications; increased numbers of volunteering opportunities available; increased collaboration between local VIOs and `spoke hosts' Volunteering Buddy Scheme (to support people Increased numbers of people with learning difficulties to undertake their own with learning difficulties volunteering activities) undertaking volunteering Develop pre-volunteering training for people with Increased numbers of people support needs with disabilities, mental health problems and learning difficulties undertaking volunteering

Medium term

Voluntary Action Sheffield

Medium term

Medium term

Employment Service; South Yorkshire Practice Learning Facilitators Team Bridge Employment

Objective C: Increase take up of Employer Supported Volunteering schemes within private and public sector organisations, enabling employees in 20 more businesses to volunteer. Activity Promote expansion of ESV schemes within Council, NHS, Police and Fire Service Expand skills-based ESV schemes within corporate sector ESV section of new Volunteer Marketing Centre website & Outcomes Increased number of employees volunteering Increased number of employees volunteering Increased number of businesses taking up ESV schemes Timescale Short-long term Short-long term Short-long term Delivery Partners Organisations' HR departments Business in the Community Voluntary Action Sheffield / Volunteer Centre Sheffield / BiTC

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Communic ations Strategy ESV (Employer Supported Volunteeri ng)

Marketing via relevant local networks (e.g. Common Purpose, CIPD, Chamber of Commerce) Encourage businesses to host ESV promotion events Heightened promotion of the Sheffield Business Awards (Community Impact Award).

Increased number of businesses taking up ESV schemes Increased number of businesses taking up ESV schemes Increased number of businesses taking up ESV schemes

Short-long term Short term

Voluntary Action Sheffield

Business in the Community

Mediumlong term

Business in the Community

Objective D: Improve retention rates of volunteers. Outcomes Increase in nominations made to recognise volunteers' contributions Accreditation: Offer Community Volunteering Increased qualification levels of Qualification (ASDAN) to Volunteering volunteers; increased retention Advisers (via Hub and Spoke Project). levels of volunteers Support: Provide local networking Increased retention levels of opportunities for volunteers, face-to-face volunteers (through Hub and Spoke Project) and online (e.g. i.volunteer.org). Activity Recognition: Increase awareness / reach of existing awards (e.g. Night of Honour). Timescale Medium term Medium term Mediumlong term Delivery Partners Voluntary Action Sheffield

Voluntary Action Sheffield

Spoke Hosts

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Aim Two: Increase the number and quality of formal volunteering opportunities, especially those geared towards meeting City Strategy objectives
Although many organisations in Sheffield still cite a lack of volunteers as one of their main concerns, current and future schemes could potentially lead to a dearth of volunteering opportunities. For instance, government plans to introduce compulsory community service for young people and changes to citizenship laws giving priority to individuals who have undertaken volunteering, could mean that roles traditionally available to volunteers may in future be harder to find. Several actions have therefore been identified to create new opportunities. In addition, work will be undertaken to ensure that the opportunities available are of as high a standard as possible. Objective A: Create 300 additional volunteering opportunities in VCS and public sectors organisations by March 2011. Activity Develop a Time-bank and collaborate with Mental Health services to evaluate its impact on positive mental health outcomes Outcomes Flexible opportunities for people to participate in volunteering in an informal setting; evaluation results to inform other potential timebanking projects Improved opportunities for people to `try out' volunteering Added capacity to Hub & Spoke organisations to recruit volunteers Added capacity to promote volunteering to potential volunteers and potential VIOs Timescale Medium term Delivery Partners Manor & Castle Development Trust, Sheffield Health & Social Care Trust, Sheffield Mind

Taster opportunities

Medium term Medium term Long term

Volunteering Advisers

Hub & Spoke coordinator; SAFE@LAST, Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust, Art in the Park Voluntary Action Sheffield, Sanctuary Housing Volunteer Centre Sheffield

Explore potential of introducing a Volunteering Ambassadors scheme

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Objective B: Support VCS and public sector organisations to implement good practice volunteer management. Activity Encourage all public sector agencies to have clear HR policy and practice relating to volunteering. Develop a Compact Code of Practice for Volunteering Develop a South Yorkshire-wide set of good practice resources consistent with the Compact Code of Practice for Volunteering Support organisations struggling to meet good practice guidelines Outcomes Clear and consistent treatment of volunteers across the public sector Clear and consistent treatment of volunteers across the public sector and VCS Clear and consistent treatment of volunteers across the public sector and VCS 25 organisations supported to implement good volunteer management practice Timescale Delivery Partners Medium Voluntary Action Sheffield term Short term Voluntary Action Sheffield

Short term

Short term

Volunteer Centre Sheffield, Volunteer Centre Barnsley, Volunteer Centre Doncaster, Volunteer Centre Rotherham Volunteer Centre Sheffield

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Aim Three: Increase and improve collaborative working across the VCS and between it and the public and private sectors, including promoting opportunities to acquire new or share existing resources
One of the recommendations from Sheffield Hallam University's report Towards a Volunteering Strategy for Sheffield was to introduce "more effective collaboration around information, training, disseminating good practice, marketing etc across a wide range of volunteer-using and signposting bodies". Whilst this has happened to a certain extent, it is apparent that volunteer-involving organisations would still benefit from further development in this area. Objective A: Improve peer support mechanisms and facilitate information sharing regarding volunteering across VCS and between VCS, public and private sectors. Activity Activity: Communications Strategy ­ to VIOs13 Outcomes Advertise Volunteer Coordinators Forum Increased peer support more widely. between all volunteer managers Develop online Volunteer Coordinators More flexible access to notice-board to complement face-to-face peer support for volunteer forum managers Invite representatives of VIOs in the Increased peer support public sector to join Volunteer available to public sector Coordinators forums volunteer managers; increased consistency across public sector and VCS VIOs Timescale Shortmedium term Short-long term Short-long term Delivery Partners Voluntary Action Sheffield Voluntary Action Sheffield / Volunteer Centre Sheffield Voluntary Action Sheffield / Volunteer Centre Sheffield

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Volunteer-Involving Organisations

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Develop a Partners Network to involve referral agencies (e.g. Job Centre Plus)

Improved understanding between VIOs and organisations interested in volunteering (referral agencies etc)

Short-long term

Sheffield First Partnership

Objective B: Promote opportunities to acquire new funding or share existing resources. Activity Assist local VCS organisations to access relevant useful information (e.g. impact assessment kits, SYFAB links) Work together to identify additional and sustainable income source for Volunteer Centre Sheffield Facilitate discussions regarding the sharing of resources (relevant thread on online notice-board and regular slot at forum meetings). Outcomes Better informed and equipped VCS organisations More sustainable central volunteering infrastructure to support volunteering throughout the city More organisations facilitated to make best use of resources already available in the event of funds being reduced Timescale Short Medium term Mediumlong term Delivery Partners Voluntary Action Sheffield / Volunteer Centre Sheffield Voluntary Action Sheffield / Sheffield City Council / Sheffield First Partnership Voluntary Action Sheffield

Short term

This action plan has been developed into a full Business Plan, which will be available at www.vas.org.uk and www.sheffieldvolunteeringstrategy.blogspot.com. For further information on any aspect of this strategy, please contact VAS: Claire Walsh, Strategic Volunteering Manager c.walsh@vas.org.uk 0114 253 6638 Nick Warren, Chief Executive n.warren@vas.org.uk 0114 253 6600

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Appendix One: Sheffield Map of Volunteering Participation
The map shows results of the 2006 Household Survey and demonstrates that the community assemblies containing neighbourhoods with the lowest proportion of volunteers are: East, North East, South East, parts of Northern, and the eastern side of the South. This is backed up by the Place Survey results, which show that the South West Assembly is likely to have a proportion of roughly 37% formally volunteering at least once a month. In comparison, the East Assembly and the South East Assembly are both likely to have the lowest proportion of volunteers at 16% and 14% respectively.

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Appendix Two: Organisations & Groups Involved in the Development of the Strategy
Abbeydale Community Trust Activity Sheffield - Sheffield City Council Agewell & Lunch Clubs in Sheffield Alzheimer's Society Art in the Park Beighton Villages Development Trust Bridge Employment British Red Cross Business & Education South Yorkshire Business in the Community Cadence Works Catch 22 CLASSY Common Purpose Cot-Age Child Safety CYPS SCC Darnall Dementia Group Darnall Forum DASS Dimensions (UK) Ltd Embrace - The Children's Society Employment Service, The (previously Crown Hill Emp't Services) Friends of High Hazels Park Geographical Association, The Girlguiding Sheffield Hallam Volunteering Hillsborough Forum Inclusive Living Sheffield Irwin Mitchell Job Centre Plus Job Steps John Lewis Kickstart Community Programmes Ltd Labour Group, The Lifelong Learning & Skills Service Major Sports Event Unit, Sheffield City Council Manor & Castle Development Trust Manor Training & Resource Centre Museums Sheffield NHS Sheffield NOMAD Pakistan Advice & Community Association POPPs (Partnership for Older People's Projects) Project Buzz / Community Grants Reading Matters ­ Sheffield & Rotherham Relatives of Drug Abusers SAFE@LAST Sanctuary Housing Association SAVTE (Sheffield Association for the Voluntary Teaching of English) Sheffield Alcohol Advisory Service

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Sheffield BME Network Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care Sheffield City Council - Activity Sheffield Sheffield City Council - Library Service Sheffield City Council - Major Sports Events Unit Sheffield City Council - Neighbourhood Renewal and P'ship Service Sheffield City Council - Parks & Countryside Sheffield City Council - Praise Pods Sheffield City Council - Reading Volunteers Sheffield City Council - Street Force Sheffield City Council - Voluntary Sector Liaison Team Sheffield City Council - vTalent Sheffield City Council Children & Young People's Directorate Sheffield Community Economic Network Sheffield First Partnership - Children & Young People 0-19 Partnership Sheffield First Partnership - Environment Partnership Sheffield First Partnership - Health & Well-Being Partnership Sheffield First Partnership - Safer & Sustainable Communities P'ship Sheffield First Partnership - Strong Economy Partnership Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust Sheffield Health & Well-Being Consortium Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust Sheffield LINk Sheffield Mencap & Gateway Sheffield Mental Health Citizens Advice Bureau Sheffield Mind Sheffield Racial Equality Council Sheffield Samaritans

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Sheffield Volunteering Sheffield Wildlife Trust Sheffield Yoga For ME/CFS South East Community Assembly South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue South Yorkshire Police Southey & Owlerton Area Regeneration SOVA Speaking Up for Advocacy St James' United Reformed Church St Mary's Standards and Engagement Team NHS Sheffield Step Development Trust Tinsley Forum United Initiative, The (SUFC) vInvolved Team, Sheffield Futures Voluntary Action Sheffield Volunteer Centre Sheffield Wildlife Trust for Sheffield & Rotherham Zest

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Appendix Three: Source Information
Employer Supported Volunteering Better World: BT's Social & Environment Report, British Telecom, 2003 Can Corporate Volunteering Support the Bottom Line? The Case Foundation, 2005 Caring Companies: Engagement in employer-supported volunteering, Institute for Volunteering Research, 2007 Employer supported volunteering, KPMG, 2009 Employer-supported volunteering in the civil service, A review by Baroness Neuberger, the Prime Minister's Volunteering Champion Forging Sustainable Partnerships between Businesses and Communities, Volunteering England, 2009 Giving Something Back: Business, volunteering and healthy communities, Edited by Philip Collins and Moussa Haddad, Social Market Foundation, September 2004 Good Companies, Better Employees, Corporate Citizenship Company, 2003. More Than Making Money: Measuring The Difference Your Company Makes To Society, Business in the Community and The Corporate Citizenship Company, 2006. July 2009 Responsible Business, Financial Times Special Report, 2009 Responsibility in a recession: Checklist for restructuring and downsizing, Business in the Community, 2009 Volunteering Code of Practice: National Government Compact, May 2008 Compact Code of Practice for Volunteering Bristol Compact & Volunteers Charter, The Bristol Partnership, 2008 Code of Practice on Volunteering, Wiltshire Compact, 2005 Refreshing the Compact: A framework for Partnership Working, Consultation Paper, Commission for the Compact, July 2009 Rotherham Compact (Volunteering Code Of Good Practice), Rotherham Partnership, July 2005 The Volunteering Code of Practice, Wolverhampton Compact, 2008 Volunteering: A Code of Good Practice, Compact for Hull, July 2008 Yorkshire and The Humber Regional Compact, Government Office for Yorkshire & The Humber, October 2007 Sheffield Health Compact Action Plan 2009-10, Sheffield Health Compact, 2009 Sheffield Health Compact Good Practice Protocols, Sheffield Health Compact 2009

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Sheffield Compact & Codes of Practice, 2009 Social Prescribing Developing Social Prescribing and Community Referrals for Mental Health in Scotland, Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health, November 2007 Investigation into the feasibility of a social prescribing service in primary care: a pilot project, University of Bath, 2008 People in Public Health Expert Hearings, Centre for Health Promotion Research, 2008 Social Prescribing, Greater Manchester Arts & Health Network, December 2005 Social prescribing for mental health ­ a guide to commissioning and delivery, Care Services Improvement Partnership, North West Development Centre, 2009 Social Prescribing Information Sheet, The Care Forum (Bristol), 2009 The Evaluation of the CHAT Social Prescribing Scheme in Bradford South & West PCT, The Centre for Health Promotion Research, Leeds Metropolitan University, 2005 The Health Benefits Of Volunteering: A Review Of Recent Research, Corporation For National & Community Service (USA), 2007 Timebanking Co-production, time banks and mental health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, 2008 Co-production works! The win:win of involving local people in public services, Sarah Burns and Karen Smith, NEF, 2004 Getting Real: Timebanking, Co-Production and Mental Health, A Report on the Conference Held At The London Art House, NEF 2007 Hidden work: Co-production by people outside paid employment, David Boyle, Sherry Clark and Sarah Burns, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2006 Keeping the GP away, NEF & Dr Isabel Garcia, February 2002 Mental Health and Social Exclusion: Social Exclusion Unit Report, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004 Our health, our care, our say ­ one year on, Research Report, Opinion Leader, 2007 The Impact of Timebanking in Scotland, Time Banking UK, 2008 The new wealth of time: How timebanking helps people build better public services, NEF 2008 The Time Of Our Lives: Using time banking for neighbourhood renewal and community capacity building, University of East Anglia, 2002 Time for Health: New approaches to patient participation in primary healthcare, Rushey Green PCT / Value for Money, 2004

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Volunteering for Mental Health, Institute for Volunteering Research, 2003 What is Co-Production? David Boyle, Time Banks UK Reducing Barriers to Volunteering A practical guide to managing and supporting people with mental health problems in the workplace, Department of Health, 2007 Overcoming Barriers to Volunteering, National Network of Volunteer-Involving Agencies, 2009 Toolkit for involving older disabled volunteers, Volunteering in the Third Age, 2007 Volunteering among groups deemed at risk of social exclusion, Institute for Volunteering Research, 2007 You Can Volunteer, Mencap, 2007 General Active ageing in active communities Volunteering and the transition to retirement, Justin Davis Smith and Pat Gay, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2005 A Review of the Home Office Older Volunteers Initiative, Colin Rochester and Romayne Hutchison with Margaret Harris and Laura Keely, Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, June 2002 Conservative party policy on the voluntary and community sector, Policy Briefing 36, April 2009 Every Child Matters Consultation 2008: Findings for Sheffield, Sheffield City Council on behalf of the 0-19+ Partnership Board, 2008 Helping Out: A National Survey of Volunteering & Charitable Giving, Office of the Third Sector, 2007 Mapping and Need Survey of Infrastructure Organisations in South Yorkshire, Voluntary Action Sheffield, 2009 Measuring participation at a local level: be careful what you ask for! Jan Gilbertson and Ian Wilson, Sheffield Hallam University, 2009 Managing for success Volunteers' views on their involvement and support, Institute for Volunteering Research, 2007 Part of the Picture: The Voluntary and Community Sector across South Yorkshire, Rob Macmillan, Sheffield Hallam University, September 2006 Positive Contribution Findings for Sheffield: Every Child Matters Consultation 2008, Sheffield City Council on behalf of the 0-19+ Partnership Board Regular and occasional volunteers How and why they help out, Institute for Volunteering Research, 2007 Sheffield Development Framework: Core Strategy, Sheffield City Council, Adopted March 2009 Sheffield's Local Area Agreement 2008-11, Sheffield First Partnership, 2008

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Sheffield Children &Young People's Plan REFRESH 2008-2009: Transforming the School Workforce 2008 ­ 2009, Children & Young People 0-19 Partnership, Sheffield First Partnership 2009 Sheffield First Health & Well-being Plan 2008-11, Sheffield First Health & Wellbeing Board, 2008 Sheffield Community Health Champions Progress Report 2008/9, Altogether Better, 2008 Sheffield Safer Communities Partnership: Partnership Plan 2008­11, Sheffield First Partnership, 2008 The Future of Volunteering: Implementing the recommendations for change from the Commission on the Future of Volunteering, Volunteering England, 2009 The Impact Of Impact Assessment, NCVO, 2004 Towards a Volunteering Strategy for Sheffield, Tracey Coule & Gareth G. Morgan, Sheffield Hallam University, 2008 The Changing and Non-Changing Faces of Volunteering, Institute for Volunteering Research, 2007 Voluntary Action In The 21st Century, Conservative Party, 2008 Volunteering across the criminal justice system, Baroness Neuberger's review as the Government's Volunteering Champion March 2009 Volunteering works: Volunteering and social policy, The Institute for Volunteering Research and Volunteering England, 2007 What will our volunteers be like in five years' time? NCVO, 2009 Who gives time now? Patterns of participation in volunteering, Institute for Volunteering Research, 2007

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