Latest News & Events

Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) Information Event…What does ISA mean for the Voluntary Sector?

Venue: Withybush Pavilion, Haverfordwest

Wednesday 24th March 9.30am registration and coffee, 10am start, the event will end with a light lunch.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been created to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.  The ISA Vetting Barring Scheme (VBS) was introduced in Oct 09 and full implementation for ISA registration is planned for July 2010

Some key features include:  Anyone wanting to work or volunteer regularly with children or vulnerable adults will be required to register with the ISA. Employers will also be legally required to check that new employees are ISA-registered. When a person becomes ISA-registered they will be continuously checked and their status reassessed against any new information which may come to light.

The day will include:

Presentation from Liz Flack (WCVA Criminal Records Unit) – an Introduction to ISA in the Voluntary and Community Sector.

Get your questions answered.

What does ISA mean for my organisation?

There are a number of implications for organisations who manage staff and volunteers within the sector.  To find out more about how the new changes will affect your organisation book your place now by phoning PAVS on 01437 769422 or email enquiries@pavs.org.uk.

For more information about ISA you can visit the WCVA's webpage here (opens new window).

Future Jobs Fund

Pembrokeshire County Council has successfully tendered for the UK Government-funded Future Jobs Fund programme to initially provide 60 job opportunities for young unemployed people between October 2009 and March 2010, with every chance of a further 50 placements being secured in the New Year.  Whilst the majority of placements will be within the Authority itself, voluntary and community groups are also being invited to put forward placements within their organisations offering young people an opportunity to gain employment-related skills.

Placements are for 25 hours/week at minimum wage for up to 26 weeks and are open to 18-24 year olds who have been signing on for more than 39 weeks.  The Local Authority will employ each young person on the Future Jobs programme and all salary costs will be covered by the Fund.  The host organisation will be expected to provide a good quality placement opportunity, with appropriate on-the-job supervision and training.  The young person will also be required to attend the Pembrokeshire County Council Programme Centre in Pembroke Dock for additional skills training – this could be basic skills support or whatever is needed to help that person get into full-time employment in the future.  This will be in addition to the 25 hours placement. 

The Job Centre will identify eligible applicants, who will then be referred to FutureWorks (at Pembrokeshire County Council).  PCC will then “match” applicants to jobs on the placement register BUT it is the placement organisation that will interview and recruit the candidate, so you will have the final say in who is placed within your organisation.  An Employment Coach will also be assigned to the young person to provide mentoring, support and guidance throughout the placement, so there is plenty of help available.  For more details about what is expected from a placement provider, see the information sheet saved here.

If you are interested in providing a work placement opportunity, the first step is to complete the Work Placement Provider Application Form (saved here) and return it to Richard Drummond either by

e-mail (richard.drummond@pembrokeshire.gov.uk) or by post to Richard Drummond, Pembrokeshire County Council, Training & Development, London Road, Pembroke Dock, Pembs.  Pembrokeshire County Council will then assess the application for suitability and, if it is OK, it will be logged on the placement register. 

For more information, contact Richard Drummond (FutureWorks Employment Coach) on 01437 776433 or by e-mail to richard.drummond@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Knitting again!

The PAVS “V” Team have been knitting again for charity. This time they have been knitting miniature hats; not for elves but for smoothie bottles!

Innocent, the company that make fruit smoothies, began the Big Knit in 2003 to raise money for charity. Knitters across the UK knit miniature hats which then go onto the smoothie bottles. For every bottle sold (through Sainsbury’s), which is wearing a hat, 35 pence is donated to charity. The monies raised from the Big Knit 2009 will be used to fund projects with Age Concern and Help the Aged such as advice centres offering information on healthy eating and living activities as well as cooking clubs and get-togethers where older people can sit down and enjoy a meal in each other’s company.

The PAVS team have knitted almost 30 hats already and there are still a few days to go before the deadline, and you will be able to see the hats will be in store from 4th November.

Members of the V Team with their knitted hats

PAVS “V” Team Save with the Credit Union

A selection of the PAVS Volunteer Team has recently been trained to volunteer with the Haven Credit Union. As part of the PAVS Employee Volunteering Scheme members of staff will be volunteering on a regular basis in the new Credit Union collection point in the PAVS offices on High Street, Haverfordwest. The collection point is open to the public from 11am-1pm every Tuesday.

What is a Credit Union?

Credit Unions are non profit making financial co-operatives, offering their members an easy and convenient place to save, and access to low cost loans when required. 

They encourage their members to make regular contributions into savings accounts that create a central pool of funds.  This is used to provide loans back to the membership at very favourable rates.  The interest generated from the loans is used to cover administrative costs, with any surplus returned to the members as dividends.

Unlike other financial institutions owned by groups of stockholders whose interests include a necessary return on their investments, Credit Unions are owned totally by their members and the money stays within the local community.

In Pembrokeshire there are two credit unions that members of the public can join and you can start saving with as little as £1.

Haven Credit Union - visit the website here www.havencreditunion.org.uk   

Landsker Community Credit Union (which also covers part of Carmarthenshire) visit the website here http://landskercreditunion.co.uk  

PAVS "V" Team with their Haven Credit Union paying in books

Volunteer Team Knit for Oxfam

The Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services' Volunteer Team (known as the 'V' Team) has knitted and crocheted eighty 9 inch squares since April. The squares will be sent to Oxfam to make a giant blanket of 250,000 squares knitted by people across the UK . Each square will represent a pregnant woman who would have survived to care for her baby if she had received the basic medical care she needed. Oxfam will present the giant blanket to the UK Government ahead of an important meeting in September, where world leaders will discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals aimed at halving world poverty by 2015. After it has been presented the giant blanket will be divided into smaller blankets and sold at Oxfam shops and festivals to raise money.

Some of the V Team couldn't even knit or crochet when the project began. The more experienced knitters helped the learners by teaching them in their lunch breaks and even taught each other different, more complicated, stitches. Much of the wool used was from remnants donated by members of staff or bought from local charity shops.

If you are interested in any kind of volunteering please visit the Volunteering pages.