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Newcastle CVS recognises the value of research to the voluntary and community sector. We do our own research, we commission research, and we contribute to research done by others (both locally and nationally). We believe that by finding out what is happening, collecting evidence (both qualitative and quantitative) we can produce a more accurate picture of the sector and the impact on the people who use our services. We disseminate research conducted by others where we believe it is of good quality and can be used by the sector, for example Northern Rock Foundation Third Sector Trends studies. We are always grateful to volunteers who can help us carry out research.
NHS Reforms: the winners and losers in the NHS
The Policy and Representation Partnership hosted by Voluntary Organisations Network North East (VONNE) funded a one year piece of work between Newcastle CVS and Involve North East to look at the impact of the NHS reforms on the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle.
There have been three reports produced which examined GPs views of the voluntary and community sector, the views of the general public, and reflections from the voluntary and community sector of working with a different NHS. A conference is planned for the end of May 2012 which will produce some key recommendations. This report will be available in a summary document to be published by the end of June 2012.
The third report, 'Here's Looking at You' was published in April 2012. It examines voluntary and community organisations' experience of working with the NHS to date, and their future expectations of working with the statutory health sector as the Health and Social Care Bill takes effect. Thirty-one people, representing thirty Newcastle organisations, took part in focus group discussions and/or completed online questionnaires. The research highlighted the range of services that voluntary organisations can offer to statutory health professionals and their patients, and the potential for the non-medical services they provide to substantially improve peoples’ health and wellbeing.
The second report, 'My body,my life' was published in March 2012. It collected information from 220 people on how people felt about some of the changes to the NHS - access to health records, freedom to change GP Practice, patient's choice and referrals to voluntary sector providers and non-medical treatments. It highlighted that most people valued the opportunity to exercise a degree of choice and control over their own healthcare. There were comments made about the support needed to do tghis, particularly for a significant minority of people.
The first report 'Time and People that we don't have' was published in January 2012. This report examined the views of 31 GPs working in Newcastle about working with the voluntary and community sector. The study indicated that while GPs were not always sure where to find the voluntary and community organisations that could support their patients, many believe that the sector can meet patients’ non-medical needs in a way that significantly improves their health. It was recognised that those GPs who responded might be particularly sympathetic to the sector.
The Heart of the City: the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle (April 2012)
Newcastle CVS and Unison published “The Heart of the City: the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle”. This work was commissioned by Unison and the detailed research was carried out by Judith Green, an independent researcher who is well known to local voluntary organisations. The strategic overview was provided by Newcastle CVS. The initial research was carried out in November / December 2010, to obtain a snapshot of the situation affecting many voluntary and community organisations at a time of major change, and to promote a better understanding of the diversity, values and cultures of the sector. Interviews were carried out with 32 organisations based in Newcastle.
The case studies were updated a year later to see what had changed and happened within that year. The new case studies illustrated some key themes:
- During 2011, the organisations faced, on average, a funding cut of around 10%
- For many organisations 2012/2013 will be the ‘make or break’ time
- The funding climate is highly precarious, creating great stress and uncertainty
- Considerable time and resources have been spent on reorganisation and creating more business capacity
- Some organisations have struggled to hold onto their core values and beliefs
- There has been a shift away from community development work with a greater emphasis on service delivery and contracts
- There is less capacity for partnership and joint working with others
- Demand for services has risen and is expected to continue to grow, even as resources diminish
The Heart of the City: the Voluntary and Community Sector in Newcastle
Changing Times: Women's organisations in Newcastle (March 2012)
This report highlights the challenges facing women's voluntary organisations in Newcastle in 2012.
Newcastle CVS launched this report on local women’s organisations on Thursday 8 March 2012 to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The report demonstrates that:
- Women’s organisations are facing a loss of funding
- There is growing demand for their services
- There is pressure on them to provide services for men as well
- There is a growing need for women only space and women only services
- The value of work with women is often not recognised by funders
The report describes the experiences and views from ten women’s organisations that are based in Newcastle upon Tyne. It shows that women’s organisations are facing an uncertain future, at a time when demand is increasing. It highlights that there is a definite and growing need for women only space and women only services.
Surviving or Thriving in Newcastle February 2012
The Surviving or Thriving in Newcastle report presents the results of the survey carried out in January 2012 in partnership with VONNE. The research shows us that charities and voluntary and community organisation across Newcastle are facing closure and turning away desperate clients, despite an increase in demand for services.
The 53 voluntary and community organisations who took part told us:
- 59% have lost funding, totalling around £2.8milliion
- 37% have lost staff, making at least 75 staff redundant
- 57% have experienced an increase in demand for their service
- 57% are using reserves
And the voluntary and community organisations told us that the future continues to look bleak:
- 18% may close in the next 12 months
- 44% expect to, or are thinking about, closing a service
- 47% will be, or are thinking about, reducing the number of beneficiaries they support
The report includes five case studies from Newcastle CAB, Tyneside Women's Health, Newcastle Law Centre, Skills for People and Streetwise.
The State of the Sector January 2011
This report presents the results of our recent survey, The State of the Sector, and looks at the impact of the economic downturn and public spending cuts on the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle. The results make for mainly unhappy reading with service closures and redundancies likely; however some organisations see opportunities ahead, particularly with the new GP consortia commissioning arrangements.
Prevention: a voluntary and community sector perspective February 2011
Newcastle CVS facilitates an Open Forum for the Wellbeing and Health agenda. This report is based on an Open Forum workshop event held in October 2010, and provides an overview of the sector's perspective on prevention together with some recommendations for future action.
Public sector commissioning practice and the voluntary and community sector October 2010
Newcastle CVS has worked with voluntary and community sector (VCS) groups to produce a report on public sector commissioning in Newcastle. The report calls for commissioners to improve their relationship with VCS groups through better communication and collaboration. The report acknowledges the challenging role commissioners have and the pressures they will be facing, particularly as public sector budget cuts take effect. However it asks commissioners to work with the VCS to develop a shared vision of health and social care priorities for adults, children and young people and to agree a common language and set of definitions so that we can all be clear what we mean when talking about commissioning.
The third sector in Newcastle upon Tyne: Findings from the local and national surveys 2009
This report presents the main findings from the 2008 local survey of the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle, and the 2008 National Survey of Third Sector organisations. It outlines the most significant findings from both surveys, looking at areas where Newcastle is performing well, and areas where action may be required. It also presents a short summary of key facts about the local third sector which emerged from both surveys.
Getting ready for procurement and tendering in the new commissioning world November 2009
Newcastle CVS produced this briefing paper for CHYP IN (the Children and Young People's Information Network). However it provides a practical approach for any organisation new to the processes involved in procurement.
The Journey to Participation and Work January 2007
The Regen Forum was commissioned to produce a report on the voluntary and community sector's contribution to employability. This report, The Journey to Participation and Work, identifies ten groups of people who together make up the 45,000 in Newcastle who are "economically inactive".
The report describes the main characteristics of each of these groups, identifies the barriers to work that they face, considers what needs to be done to overcomes these barriers and examines the ways that the voluntary and community sector can contribute to employability. It also makes proposals about how the sector can be procured to deliver employability services.
Report on the Consultation on Infrastructure Support for the VCS in Newcastle October 2007
This consultation was carried out as part of the ChangeUp programme, which was the government initiative intended to support the infrastructure agencies in the voluntary and community sector.
The report analyses the results of a questionnaire on the issue sent to all Newcastle CVS members; a focus group; and an analysis of the funding situation.
The Voluntary Sector in Newcastle upon Tyne 2005
In spring 2005 Newcastle CVS researched the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle. We looked at a number of key issues:
- staffing, volunteers, committee members and area of operation
- financial information, such as annual income, sources of income, and relation to Local Authority grant aid
We also asked groups if they had or were working towards any quality accreditation, and tried to assess potential interest in performance improvement.
Newcastle CVS conducted similar research on the voluntary and community sector in 2001. For further information please ring 0191 232 7445 or
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us.
IN DEPTH: 8 Case Studies (the Voluntary and Community Sector in Newcastle upon Tyne - Part 2)
This piece of research follows closely on from that of the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle upon Tyne 2005 paper above and looks in depth at a small sample of eight organisations.
The Economic Contribution of the Voluntary Sector
This discussion paper published in 1999 outlines the contribution made by the voluntary and community sector in Tyneside to the local and national economy. Although the figures in this paper are no longer current, we believe it still gives a useful overview of the ideas involved.
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