English Voluntary Sector Organisations To Share £24m

Around 700 voluntary and community sector organisations will share a £23.9 million pot of government grants, Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis announced today.

The Department’s Section 64 scheme will give an average of £44,000 to fund 132 new grants and 256 continuing grants – a total of £17.2 million for projects that support high quality health and social care in England. The Department’s Opportunities for Volunteering scheme will have a total of £6.7 million for local projects that involve and encourage volunteers in health and social care.

Ivan Lewis said: “Increasingly, the voluntary sector has a key role to play in developing and delivering health and social care services which are innovative and focused on the individual needs of those patients, service users and carers.

“We have included new areas in Section 64 funding to support employment related opportunities for people with a learning disability and for developing innovative models of palliative care.

Nikki Squelch, Head of Volunteering at Scope said: “The DH funded Inclusive Volunteering project will be greatly welcomed by disabled people who would like more opportunities to volunteer and to break down the stereotypical images of disabled people who are often perceived as, the cared for, particularly in health and social care settings. This project will go some way towards redressing the inequality faced by disabled volunteers and contributing vibrantly to active lifestyles and independent living.”

The Opportunities for Volunteering National Agents will use their allocations to fund local volunteering projects in 2007-08. We expect around 300 voluntary organisations to receive funding which will empower individuals and communities through volunteering and, through support from volunteers, improve the experience of service users.

The Director of Volunteering Development and Grant Making, Rob Jackson said: “Volunteering England is pleased to have received prompt notification of our Opportunities for Volunteering funding for 2007/08 from the Department of Health. This will enable us to continue funding organisations to develop innovative ways of engaging volunteers in local communities.