Article: Hard decisions: hard times: what charity Trustees need to know about making people redundant

As many charities approach the difficult task of reducing their workforce to balance their books, this article looks at what trustees need to know about the process of restructuring and redundancy consultation.

Contact the library for a copy

Report: Embedding new ways of working: implications for the post-pandemic work force

This report published September 2020 summarises the results of a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey of over 1,000 employers during the first 3 months of the Covid-19 pandemic.  It covers workforce costs, furloughing, redundancies and flexible working.  It reports on the unprecedented shift to homeworking and the high probability there will be no returning to “business as usual” post the pandemic. 

Available to download

Report: Children's Hospice Across Scotland (CHAS) launch ambitious volunteer strategy

In 2019 Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) launched a new strategy demonstrating the key role volunteering will play in their ambition to reach every family in Scotland who needs their services. Head of Volunteering Morven MacLean explains how it was developed in partnership with volunteers.
Read more from the Hospice UK web site

Charity Finance Yearbook - a summary of key topics for charity governance

The 24th edition of the Charity Finance Yearbook is now available, summing up the key developments of 2019.  Covering 65 areas, each chapter of 2-3 pages sums up the last year and developments on a topic.  This includes:

• VAT updates: cases affecting charities from the last 12 months
• Fraud: how much of a problem is fraud for charities?
• Risk appetite: practical advice for trustees considering and documenting their charities risk appetite
• Trustee recruitment: a practical guide to identifying and acquiring new trustees
• Fundraising and corporate partnerships: weighing up the legal and ethical issues
• Charity law and regulation update over the last 12 months
• Employment law round up: the main developments affecting charities
• Property law update: a year of treading water waiting for developments
• Charity shops: how charities are swapping traditional shops for superstores
• Model terms of references including: the finance committee, audit committee, investment committee
• Model code of conduct for charity trustees

Contact the library for a copy of any of these

Article: HR has a central role in financial strength and sustainability

This article from Charity Finance magazine states: "People management should not be seen as an overhead - it is an area of strategic investment that will support your beneficiaries as well as your staff.".  It covers talent acquisition and management, learning and development, employee relations, well being and safety, diversity and inclusion and employee engagement.
Contact the library for a copy.

Article: How are charities responding to the apprenticeship levy?

The apprenticeship levy was generally unpopular within the charity sector when it was introduced in April 2017.  This article reviews how the levy is changing the way many charities and recruiting and developing their workforce.

Charity Finance Magazine, May 2019.  Contact the library@each.org.uk for a copy.

Article: Leadership needs to come at all levels to make a great workforce

An article describing how two Senior Managers at large NHS Trusts in London discuss have empowered their staff to improve performance.

Pearce, L. 2019. Leadership needs to come at all levels to make a great workforce.  Nursing Standard, 34 (6) p 55 - 58.  
Contact the library for a copy.

Article: The balancing act of flexible working

A review of what a number of NHS Trusts have done regarding role design and job flexibility to help the NHS recruit and retain staff.

Moore, A. 2019.  The balancing act of flexible working.  Nursing Standard, 34 (6) p 26 - 29.
Contact the library for a copy.

Research: Improving organisational well being - Schwartz Rounds

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) conducted this research looking at the effectiveness of Schwartz Rounds - a forum for clinical and non clinical teams to share stories and discuss the emotional impact of delivering healthcare.  115 organisations, including hospices who use them were involved in the research.  It showed that overtime staff participating in the sessions felt less stressed and isolated and more empathetic when dealing with patients and colleagues. It offers one of the few evidence based interventions that work at both organisational and person centred level.

Read more here

News: Charities warn that NHS pay award could hit charities hard

From the Hospice UK web site, a piece discussing the impact of the NHS pay award for hospices
Read more here

Guidance: Apprenticeship Levy Guide

Produced by the Charity Finance Group, and Grant Thornton, the guidance provides a good overview of the Apprenticeship Levy.  It includes how it works, paying the levy, some commonly held myths, using the levy, making apprenticeships work for your organisation and how to deliver high quality apprenticeships.

Contact the library for a copy.

Report: Volunteering Trend Data

This report from nfp Synergy looked at trends in volunteering over a 14 year period, from 2003 to August 2017.  It revealed that volunteering levels remain fairly stable, but the most interesting changes relate to age group and gender with young men, between 16 and 34 the most likely group to volunteer, followed closely by women from the same age group.  Volunteering in both the 45 - 54 and 55 - 64 year olds have declined. [17 pages]

Contact the library for a copy.

Article: Apprenticeship Levy

In April 2017 the government introduced the new apprenticeship levy.  This article from the Charity Finance yearbook published earlier in the year considers whether charities  can benefit from this.

Bray, R. 2017.  Apprenticeship levy.  Charity Finance Year Book. 

To request a copy, click here fill in form and return to library.

Policy Briefing: Potential impact of Brexit on UK Charities

Produced by the Charity Finance Group (CFG) the briefing, written shortly before the EU referendum result provides a technical analysis of possible financial and regulatory consequences for the charity sector on a vote to leave the EU.  The briefing covers employment law and HR, Pension law, EU funding for charities, Procurement, VAT and tax, accounting and reporting, and data protection. (19 pages).

Charity Finance Group Policy Briefing: Potential impact of Brexit on UK Charities.  May 2016.

Click here to download

Report: Work experience in hospices

The report outlines how hospices in England are currently supporting work experience, placed in the context of national development from Health Education England.  The report includes a set of recommendations, the results of a survey of adult and children's hospices in England, and case studies of good practice. It aims to assist hospices in considering how best they can support work experience activities, based on "what works".

Hospice UK, 2016.Work experience in hospices: final report of scoping study.  NHS Health Education England.

Contact the library for a copy

Guide: Overseas nurse recruitment and the children's palliative care sector

This guide shares the experiences of Demelza Children's Hospice of recruiting nurses from overseas.  It describes what they did to prepare for the nurses arriving, how it went once the nurses were in post, and what the learning points were from the experiences. It also covers the current rules about employing nurses from overseas.
Together for Short Lives, December 2015. Overseas nurse recruitment and the children's palliative care sector.
Click here to access the guide

Report: Civil Society Almanac 2016 - Volunteers and Workforce

The UK Civil Society Almanac, published 11 April 2016, is the most comprehensive guide to the state of the voluntary sector. It’s a detailed analysis of charitable accounts, carefully sculpted to include only the real voluntary sector in the UK.  These pages looks at the volunteering rate, volunteer profiles, volunteer activities, motivation and barriers, and the paid workforce working within charities. 

Click here to view

[Article] Changes in the pension rules in 2014

This article rounds up some of the key changes in pensions legislation, and how they affect charities.  Includes automatic enrolment, and the new flexibiltiesunder the tax laws.

Pilzer, P. Changes in the pensions rules in 2014.  Charity Finance Year Book, 2015. p 211 - 213

To request a copy, click here and return form to library.

Article: Volunteer activity in specialist paediatric palliative care: a national survey

This survey assessed the involvment of volunteers with direct patient/family contact in UK pallaitive care services for children and young people.  A total of 21 providers, covering 31 hospice services responded, revealing an average of 25 volunteers having direct patient/family contact.  Areas of particular involvement were complementary therapy services and pastorl/faith-based care, along with emotional support and recreational activities.  The survey highlights the range and depth of involvement and provides a basis for future research.

Burbeck, R., Low, J., Sampson, E., Scott, R., Bravery, R. & Candy.  2015. Volunteer activity in specialist paediatric palliative care: a national survey.  BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. 5 (3) p 287 - 293.

To request a copy, click here and return form to library.

Report: Resilience: a framework supporting hospice staff to flourish in stressful times

This report is intended for hospice trustees, chief executives and senior managers who have responsibility for supervising, managing and leading groups of staff.  The research, carried out by the Point of Care Foundation reports on a review of the literature and other related evidence about work stress and how it's addressed in hospices; provides a summary of the finding, provides a framework of interventions that hospice leaders may wish to implement, and a check list for hospice boards and senior managers to assess the degree they recognise and respond to stress in the workforce.

Hospice UK, 2015. Resilience: a framework supporting hospice staff to flourish in stressful times.  Hospice UK.

Click here to download copy from Hospice UK web site