 My holiday isn’t until September – which seemed like a good idea at the time, avoiding the August rush, although it now feels a little way off! It has, at least, given me a bit more space to reflect, and there’s certainly plenty to reflect on. We recently published a blog about the future of local infrastructure, setting out the challenges we face as a network, and how we need to shape ourselves to be futureproof. We focus on four things: the footprint at which members work and how we influence the changing pattern of local and strategic authorities; the critical nature of strategic leadership, connecting, and advocacy; the importance of independence from the statutory sector, and what this means in the context of service delivery; and the importance of EEDI across all our work. All of that is informing our membership review, and we’ve had lots of great conversations already. There is still time to book onto the member review happening on Wednesday 19th August - book your place here. We have also been reflecting on the new government, and what might be ahead. It feels like a moment of change for the country, with a shift to devolution by default and a focus on community. I’ve been taking opportunities to influence that from an LIO perspective – feeding in your views and experiences of neighbourhood health ad commissioning, particularly through opportunities created by being on the Covenant Council. As we sift through the government announcements, you'll find more information below, including useful policy briefings and summaries. Whatever you’re doing over the summer, I hope you have time to take a break and step back from work. I am sure from September there will be lots more to reflect on! NAVCA events and resources
Changemakers FundLast Wednesday, NAVCA submitted a stage 1 bid for the National Lottery Community Fund's Changemakers Fund. Thank you to everyone that input their time, ideas, and observations. Our programme proposal is informed by feedback about Local Trust’s Community Leadership Academy. We have partnered with Community Organisers – a national organisation focused on grassroots organising, social justice and system change. We envisage the majority of funding being passed through to members to deliver the programme and to mobilise and evolve your grassroots networks in three regions. After careful consideration, we felt there wasn’t enough time at stage 1 to develop an equitable and transparent process for involving members. Should we pass this stage, we will develop and share criteria for how the programme will be targeted and how members will be involved. Keep an eye on this newsletter for further updates. Good Finance Live 2026 resourcesGood Finance Live brought together charities and social enterprises to build knowledge and partnerships around social investment, and we're pleased to share that the recordings of the sessions are now available on the Good Finance website. With sessions on partnership building, risks and challenges of social investment, and stories of successful leaders that have used social investment, there is something for everyone, no matter what stage you're at in your social investment journey. Find out more and watch the sessions at a time that's convenient for you. Social investment stories - can you help?As part of our partnership with Good Finance, we are looking for members who have experience with social investment, or who have supported a local group to access social investment. If you have a story to tell, whether you're early in the social investment process, or have a fantastic success you'd like to share with the NAVCA network and beyond, we want to hear from you. If you can help, get in touch with Emily, Communications Officer at NAVCA, for a chat. Barking Owl - Engaging local VCSE networks in communicationsJoin NAVCA members to discuss how you engage your local groups and networks in your work, how to manage requests for sharing external content, and whether community noticeboards are the way forward. Bring your questions, ideas and challenges related to communicating with the groups and people you support. The Barking Owl is the NAVCA network for communications workers, and anyone who covers communications as part of their role. Each month, we chat about a specific comms topic, asking questions and sharing ideas in a safe and friendly space. The meeting will take place at 3pm - 4pm, 26th August. Book your place via the NAVCA website here. Health Freelance opportunity at the Gloucestershire Infrastructure CollaborativeThe Gloucestershire Infrastructure Collaborative is seeking an experienced freelance Convenor to support an exciting partnership of nine Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations working together to strengthen the sector's role within Gloucestershire's health and wellbeing system. This is a unique opportunity for an independent facilitator, connector and systems thinker who enjoys working in complexity across organisational boundaries, to build trusted relationships, strengthen collective leadership and help partnerships turn ambition into meaningful action. The Convenor will build trust, psychological safety and shared purpose, helping the group develop collective leadership, navigate complexity, challenge and learning together. Deadline for written, video or audio applications 12noon, Friday 4th September 2026. In person interviews 18th September 2026 in Gloucester. Find out more here. Please share this advert with anyone who might be interested. Government announces ambition to realign ICB boundariesThe Government has announced its ambition to align Integrated Care Board (ICB) boundaries with new Strategic Authority footprints by the end of this Parliament, as part of its wider devolution programme. The changes are intended to bring health and local government into closer alignment, although many areas are likely to experience further organisational change over the coming years. Key points
Policy Changes to procurement social value requirementsThe Government’s intention to simplify social value requirements in procurement is a positive step, particularly for VCSE organisations that already create jobs, opportunities and stronger communities through their day-to-day work. However, for these changes to deliver real impact, they must extend beyond central government. Local authorities and health systems are among the largest commissioners working with the VCSE sector, and suggesting they may adopt these approaches does not go far enough. To unlock the full potential of the sector, we need a broader shift in how charities and social enterprises are viewed across all levels of government, recognising the inherent social value they bring through responding to local need, building relationships, and strengthening communities. We look forward to seeing the full guidance in the autumn and will continue to advocate for these principles to be embedded across both local and central government. Join the conversation on LinkedIn here. Local government reorganisation: key trends for VCFSE infrastructure We have just published a new report, which summarises learning from NAVCA and ACRE’s work with local infrastructure organisations and rural community support organisations in six areas affected by local government reorganisation (LGR) and devolution. Funded by MHCLG and Lloyds Bank Foundation of England and Wales, the project explored how local infrastructure organisations need to respond to changing statutory boundaries, can sustain and strengthen relationships between the VCFSE sector local authorities, and co-design future collaborations across new unitary authority or strategic authority footprints. Download the resource and explore our wider collection of devolution and LGR resources here. Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement on 31 July 2026 The government recently announced significant changes to move power and decision-making away from Whitehall and to local leaders, primarily via strategic authorities and directly elected mayors. Funding and policy decisions on skills, education and training for young people, employment support, transport and house building all transfer to strategic authorities. From April 2028, strategic authorities will receive a share of income tax, retention of business rates will begin from April 2027 and they will also be able to apply visitor levies. Strategic authorities will become even more important partners for LIOs. Download the full NAVCA briefing via the Member Hub now. External events and resources Clinks events and trainingClinks supports, promotes and advocates for the voluntary sector working with people in the criminal justice system and their families. They run regular events for the voluntary sector, including regional calls. You can find more information about all their upcoming sessions here. Beacon CRM data breach guidanceMany charities have been affected by the significant data breach at Beacon CRM. We know some NAVCA members have been affected directly, and that you will be supporting many more smaller organisations who have been affected. We are concerned about the longer term impact of this situation, in terms of the capacity and energy which will go into the follow up and recovery as you reassure people and rebuild business functions and future resilience. We are concerned of the collective impact this will have in a place if multiple VCSE organisations lose frontline capacity to this recovery. If you are aware of significant problems in your area, please let us know. The Charity Commission has said it will publish guidance for organisations affected by the data breach at software firm Beacon CRM. Find out more at Civil Society News. You may also wish to share the following resources with any organisations that use Beacon CRM or were affected by the breach.
CAF Bank issuesWe are aware of ongoing and significant issues at CAF Bank, and the frustrations that it is causing. We understand that services are now back online, and CAF tell us that they are continuing to monitor the service closely. Like with Beacon, this has caused significant difficulties for many charities and some members, that may have long term implications for both finances and governance, for example if a serious incident report has had to be made to the Charity Commission. Many of you will also be working hard to support groups affected. If you are encounter ongoing difficulties that are not being resolved in good time by CAF, please let us know. Changes to DBS checks for people working with childrenThank you to Sarah Hickie from NAVCA member Voscur, who started a helpful conversation with DBS around changes to DBS checks for people working with children, and looped NAVCA in. We are working with the DBS team and want to hear from members about the challenges you face around supporting local groups with DBS decision-making. Get in touch to share your views and experiences. From 1 September 2026, the definition of regulated activity with children is changing. The change will affect organisations across all sectors that have paid staff or volunteers who teach, train, instruct, care for or supervise children. The current supervision exemption is being removed. This means some people who were previously not considered to be undertaking regulated activity because they were sufficiently supervised by someone else may now be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. This applies where they undertake the activity frequently enough or overnight. 1 September is an eligibility change date, not a deadline. Organisations will need to decide whether new DBS checks are required, and when they should be obtained, in line with their safeguarding arrangements and any relevant sector guidance. You can find out more about the changes here. Comments are closed.
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