Aberdeen Voluntary Sector Providers Forum

• share information, training and resources
• assist its members to develop ways of working together, recognising that their Collective voice has more influence and authority than their individual voices.
• represent the interests of its members, while acknowledging their right to represent their own individual interests.
• influence social care policy and decisions concerning the provision of residential care and supported accommodation, at both a local and national level.
• develop and improve the quality of residential care and supported accommodation provision in Aberdeen.
• enable service users to exercise their right to be consulted and to influence decisions concerning the services they receive.
• work collaboratively with statutory and voluntary agencies and with other representative and umbrella bodies.

• 6th February 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm
• 19th March 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm
• 30th April 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm
• 25th June 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm
• 13th August 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm
• 17th September 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm
• 29th October 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm
• 10th December 2008 at ACVO Training Room, Robertson Building, Whitemyres Avenue from 11am - 12.30pm

The increasing demands of Care Commission and SSSC bring new challenges every year, and group members meet informally every month. Members include HR and non HR professionals – while some Charities have people with a dedicated role, others have non specialists who deal with HR issues alongside an Operational workload. Discussions tend to be topical and relevant to current issues, and speakers are invited to attend as appropriate. The emphasis is on participation and the sharing of ideas and discussion, particularly in problem areas of HR policy and practice. We want to avoid members re-inventing the wheel whenever possible.

In addition, the Forum has a lively e mail network, and members share documents e.g. procedures regularly, considerably lightening the workload of all the membership who are then able to use these as a template for developing their own documents.

The Forum also facilitates a local Benchmarking exercise once a year which is administered by ACVO in strictest confidence to preserve anonymity.

Issues such as those listed below have been addressed over the working life of the forum:

NETWORKING MEETINGS

• SSSC registration – timescales and systems
• Care Commission reporting requirements
• Criminal convictions and contractual responsibilities with the Local Authority
• Changes to Employment law and their application to Policy and Procedure
• Funding for Training and SVQ
• Recommending reputable, good value training providers
• Childcare Voucher systems
• Benchmarking
• Absence Management Procedures
• Application of the Working Time Directive in the care setting
• The Minimum Wage and its application in the care setting
• Equal Opportunities monitoring
• Rewards and Retention

E MAIL NETWORK

• Daily access to support, guidance and expertise of colleagues
• Job Descriptions and Policies and Procedures
• Employment law – available web sites and other contacts
• Meetings which may interest the membership

HR Forum - Meeting Dates for 2008

All meetings are held on a Thursday at 10am in the ACVO Training Room

• 31st January 2008
• 13th March 2008
• 24th April 2008
• 5th June 2008
• 17th July 2008
• 28th August 2008
• 9th October 2008
• 20th November 2008

If you are interested in becoming a member of the AVSPF (which includes a small membership fee) or the HR Forum, please contact Sarah Irvine,  Administration Assistant at ACVO on (01224) 686058 or at sirvine@acvo.org.uk or complete and return the membership form and you will be issued with an invoice.