Liverpool Black & Racial Minority
Community & Voluntary Sector Forum
action to date
Liverpool BRM CVS Forum has helped to increase the funding base for the local BRM VCS organisations within Liverpool :
BRM CVS has so far successfully assisted, amongst others:
- Muslim Women’s Youth, Sport & Education Forum
- Somali Welfare Development Trust
- Muslim Youth Association, Liverpool
- Horn Africa Ltd.
- Saha (= Health in Arabic)
- Arab Cultural & Educational Youth Club and Al-Muhajreen Quranic School [now Al-Ghazali Multi-Cultural Centre]
- and
- Unity Community Association, Liverpool
- Al-Rahma Mosque Elders Day Centre
- Integration by Sport, Birmingham and Manchester
The Forum has increased the knowledge of mainstream institutions and has helped to increase the effectiveness of Liverpool’s BRM VCS organisations by providing information, advice, representation, development and advocacy services, and running the ‘pilot’ BARTER project.
information & development
Assistance has been provided/given on a variety of issues/topics :
- Funding sources (as above)
- Legal Structures – Constitutions, Mem & Arts, Trust Deeds
- Charity Registration (for organisations above)
- Company Registration
- Building Professionals – Tender procedures, etc
- Staffing issues – Recruitment, Codes & Conditions of Employment, etc
- Policy Consultations
- Access to NACVS Circulation & LINX e-mail bulletins has increased access to funding and other information
Advice has been given on :
Liverpool BRM CVS Forum was established in 2001. Its aim: to secure resources to provide quality organisational and community dvelopment (capacity building), funding and practical support services to the BRM VCS in Liverpool.
- Legal Structures and Company & Charity Registration
- Insurance issues – nature and types required
- Child Protection policies & issues – OFSTED, Police Checks, CRB, etc
- Budgeting – Budgets and Cashflow forecasting
- Financial planning – Match funding, Audit requirements, Salaries.
representation & advocacy
- Lobbying – using political processes, getting access to statutory sector Officers
- Attending important meetings, consultations
- Advocacy – letter writing, Complaints procedures, calling funders to account, interpreting rules & regulations, speaking up on groups’ behalf (especially where English is not their first language)
- Advocacy has taken place with funders & service providers (as above).
- A document was produced and used as the basis of the BRM ChangeUp Research
