Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) launches Green Paper consultation: ‘No One Written Off – Reforming Welfare to Reward Responsibility’

This wide ranging consultation relates to the future of welfare. The Green Paper highlights the importance of volunteering; “voluntary activity can have many advantages for unemployed people as well as the community. It can help keep them in touch with the labour market. It can offer opportunities to obtain the skills and experience that can make moving into work easier”. The Green Paper advises that the DWP wants to “ensure benefit conditions do not prevent people taking part in voluntary activity that might help them back into paid work”.

The consultation period runs until 22 October 2008. If you would like to take part, click here .

 

'Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care': consultation

The Department of Health launched on the 3rd June 2008, a ‘Vision towards a Volunteering Strategy’, for consultation. The aim is to promote the role of volunteering in the context of health and social care reform, and inform improvements to support volunteering across the health and social care system.

 

DH recognises that volunteering plays a huge potential role in the context of more flexible, responsive and patient-focused health and social care services.  The consultation exercise is designed to discuss and debate the five key elements of the “Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care document”

• Support for individual volunteers
• Effective management within organisations
• Commissioning environment and infrastructure
• Promoting partnership
• Leadership

The consultation will run until 30 September 2008, with a view to publication of a final strategy and implementation plan in early 2009.  

For more information and to take part in the consultation visit the Department of Health website

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/DH_085186

A number of consultation workshops are being held across the country. The workshop for the north east workshop is being held at:

 

North East Event - Friday 12th September

The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle Street, Newcastle, NE1 5XN

Time: 9.30am – 1pm

 

If you wish to attend contact:

karen.cardy@nimheneyh.nhs.uk

 

If you are unable to attend any of the events and would like to take part in the consultation process and have your say heard please feel free to contact

Sharon Fontaine on 0113 25 45122 or by email volunteeringstrategy@dh.gsi.gov.uk