Author: ageukcomms

Age UK

Help inform the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research Innovation Observatory

The National Institute for Health and Social Care Research Innovation Observatory is currently seeking views about areas of unmet health and care needs in people aged 60 and over. 

The team are really keen to hear your views to ensure the issues and concerns most relevant to older people, care givers and those who work directly with older people to inform the future work of the Innovation Observatory.

The survey has six questions in total and should not take more than 5-10mins. 

Please visit this link to complete the survey – before 7 October.

Many thanks for contributing to the Innovation Observatory’s future priorities addressing unmet health and social care needs of people aged 60+.

Chairs and Governance Roundup – September 2022

This Chairs and Governance Roundup is a collection of recent resources, news, and upcoming events for Board Members of local Age UKs.

Welcome to the latest edition of our Chairs and Governance Roundup, a collection of recent resources, news, and upcoming events for Board Members of local Age UKs. Read on for details of some useful webinars from the NCVO, the upcoming Live Longer Better event, as well as some learning and resources from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Ageing Better programme.

Trustees’ Week 7 to 11 November

Trustees’ Week celebrates the achievements of the 1 million charity trustees in the UK and this year’s theme is “making a difference in changing times”. Throughout the week you’ll have the chance to connect with other trustees to share your experiences. You’ll also be able to develop your skills through our wide range of events, training and guidance.

For more information and resources, please visit: www.trusteesweek.org.

During Trustees’ Week NCVO is running a series of webinars, find out more here.

Live Longer Better – face to face event 19th October

The Live Longer Better movement promotes the 4 R’s: reconditioning, rejuvenation, risk reduction and revolution with the aim of enabling people to do just that: live longer better.

All Age UKs are invited to join the first in-person Live Longer Better national event where the programme will reaffirm its collective mission.

Find out more about the event by clicking this link.

Learn more about Live Longer Better here.

Learning and Resources from the Ageing Better Programme

The National Lottery Community Fund’s Ageing Better programme was a seven-year, £87 million programme designed to test different ways of improving the lives of people over 50 by addressing social isolation and loneliness within local communities. The programme was delivered by 14 place-based partnerships across England.

In this article, Ruth Bamford, Learning Lead for Ageing Better at The National Lottery Community Fund, shares below some of the impact from their Ageing Better programme, as well as highlighting the importance of delivering a person-centred approach when addressing loneliness and social isolation.

Click here to view the full article.

Age UK Influencing Conference 2022 “Getting through a difficult winter”


You can now sign up here to attend this year’s Age UK Influencing Conference on Wednesday 12th October 2022! We are welcoming staff, volunteers and trustees from across the Age UK Network and multiple attendees from the same local Age UK are welcome and encouraged.

This year’s conference will be looking at the challenges older people (and the local Age UKs supporting them) face, and sharing ideas, evidence and practical ways to improve their lives. We’ll hear from local Age UKs and policy experts on topics such as the cost of living crisis, digital exclusion, tackling health inequalities through targeted approaches to black and minority ethnic older people, and working with ICSs, sharing tips from across the network. We will also consider the very difficult winter ahead for local Age UKs, as energy prices soar, and what we can do to help through our influencing activity.

Click here to book your place.

Building good governance – short online sessions for trustees

NCVO run a series of online training events specifically for trustees covering topics such as:

  • Trustee basics
  • Financial intelligence for trustees
  • Safeguarding for trustees
  • Quality, diversity and inclusion

To find out full details, please click here.

Association of Chairs Event “Rethinking Charity Closure”

The Association of Chairs is running an event on 15 November to explore the issues around deciding to close a charity. Although this is often viewed as a negative decision, it can sometimes be a normal part of a charity’s natural life span.

As CC3 ‘The Essential Trustee’ highlights: Acting in the charity’s best interests means always doing what the trustees decide will best enable the charity to carry out its purposes, both now and for the future.

It’s not about serving:

  • the interests of trustees or staff
  • the personal interests of members or beneficiaries
  • the personal interests of supporters, funders or donors
  • the charity as an institution in itself, or preserving it for its own sake

Sometimes trustees need to consider collaborating or merging with another charity, or even spending all of the charity’s resources and bringing it to a close.

The event brings together three people with insight and expertise on closing charities. They offer practical hands-on experience and will share their insights on how to open up conversations about closure, and if it is the right course, how to navigate it well.

Click here for full details, including how to book your place.

The Association of Chairs publishes a free monthly e-newsletter containing useful resources and support, including events like the one above. To register, please click here.

Resources to support Chairs and Trustees with good governance

Age UK provides a number of online resources aimed at supporting Chairs and trustees to deliver excellent governance of local Age UK charities.

The resources include:

  • Pointers to the key Charity Commission guidance
  • A link to the Association of Chairs, an independent membership group which supports Chairs from all charities
  • Ideas on recruiting and retaining trustees
  • Guidance on CEO appraisals
  • Information on Age UK network quality standards
  • A briefing on the Charity Governance Code
  • Sources of support for local Age UKs relating to service development, funding, finance and more
  • Template governing documents for local Age UKs – useful when reviewing your constitution

These resources can be found on the loop – the intranet for the Age UK network – by clicking here.

If you do not have access to ‘the loop’ then please contact theloop@ageuk.org.uk

Hempsons’ Free Trustee Training Webinars – November 2022

Hempsons are delighted to announce that their annual trustee training will now be held online. They will be joined by haysmacintyre, charity accountants, who have supported the trustee training for a number of years.

The course will share experiences of some of the governance lessons that charities have learnt through the pandemic and as they re-focus strategy afterwards. These include an acceleration in decision-making and implementation. Organisational speed of response has been enabled by streamlined, focused delegation and greater board entrustment of staff and volunteers. Other efficiencies can include proportionate reporting to the board on the core areas they need to measure.

The programme has been split into three separate sessions, which can be attended as a full programme, or individually – the sessions are interlinked and build on each other. It has been designed for charity Trustees and Chief Executives, and is suitable for those new in post as well as the more experienced who are wanting a refresher. 

Click here for full details, including how to book your place.

Influencing Conference – Getting through a difficult winter | 12 October | Speaker Reveal!

Find out the speakers for this year’s Influencing Conference! The event is open to all Staff, volunteers and trustees from across the Age UK Network.

We’re pleased to announce the speakers for this year’s Age UK Influencing Conference – Getting through a difficult winter on Wednesday 12 October 2022! Speakers include Health Foundation, Resolution Foundation, The Kings Fund, NCVO and many more from across the Age UK network. You can view the full speaker list and sign up for the event here.

Please contact isabel.bailey@ageuk.org.uk with any queries about sign ups and mbalu.bah@ageuk.org.uk with any queries about the event.

Click here to book your place!

October 2022 Finance Network Meeting – “The Importance of Good Financial Governance”

The next Finance Network Meeting will take place on Wednesday 26th October from 11:00 to 12:30 and will focus on the topic “The Importance of Good Financial Governance”.

The next Finance Network Meeting will take place on Wednesday 26th October 2022 from 11:00 to 12:30. The meeting will cover the very topical subject of ‘The Importance of Good Financial Governance’ which will be presented by Judith Miller, a Partner in Sayer Vincent, leading auditors and advisers to charities and social purpose organisations. (Financial Governance here includes relevant financial controls and also good reporting practices, for trustee boards and for SMT use.) Find out full details below, including how to book your place.

We will also be joined on the day by Angela Croucher, Finance Director at Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, who will share some of her perspectives on Good Financial Reporting for the trustee board.

Both topics are very relevant because we are all living in very uncertain times right now – having come through the worst of the pandemic, we are now facing unprecedented challenges in the form of the cost-of-living crisis, spiralling energy costs (albeit now thankfully capped, but for how long?), inflation, staff recruitment and retention issues and radical changes in the funding landscape. If ever there was a time for trustees to ensure good financial governance in their organisations and to be receiving clear and informative financial reports, that time is surely now.

The pandemic impacted on the Network in varying ways and to different degrees. Many Brand Partners have found new ways to reach clients, adapting working practices to address new circumstances – in particular, by making greater use of technology. This will bring its own set of challenges and it is important that local Age UKs ensure their financial controls and governance processes are fit for purpose and have kept pace with these changes.

According to the Charity Code of Governance, a charity is best-placed to achieve its ambitions and aims if it has effective governance and the right leadership structures. ‘Skilled and capable trustees will help a charity attract resources and put them to best use.’

But effective financial governance carries more challenges because many trustees won’t have been recruited for their financial skills and may not feel confident about finance. Some may be over-reliant on others who have more experience to take the lead on financial matters, or they may engage in an inappropriate level of detail when effective financial management means looking at the bigger picture and longer-term sustainability of the charity.

This can be helped or hindered by the financial information with which trustees are presented. Do reports help them to understand the drivers of financial sustainability and explain, in simple terms, the charity’s position on results, cash, and reserves?

So as a trustee, or a member of the SMT, are you sufficiently up to speed with the present financial position of your charity? Are you able to consider the best way forward for the charity at this time of huge financial and economic challenge? Are you able to show the leadership which good governance demands of trustees?

Book your place

To book your place at the meeting, or if unable to attend on the day, to request a copy of the slides and the recording, please click here.

You will receive a brief confirmation once you have submitted your registration form. The Teams Meeting Link and Joining Instructions will be sent to you directly by the Financial Governance Team nearer the time of the event in the usual way. So please fill in the form using the above link, book out the time in your diary and watch out for the Teams Meeting Link email – thank you.

Webinar on 27 October – join us as we share lessons from 10 years of holistic advice projects

Learning is a key part of our culture at Age UK and we use it to better shape our programmes with the Age UK Network. Pulling together 10 years of learning, evaluation and feedback from four holistic information and advice projects that many of you have worked with us on, we’ve produced a report which we hope will influence potential funders to support this crucial work.

To help bring the report to life and share some of those key lessons with you, we’ll be running a webinar on 27 October from 10-11am for the Age UK Network. You’ll have a chance to hear from the team managing these projects, a local partner or two about their experiences, and share your thoughts and experiences of this type of work.

You can use the following link to join the Teams webinar directly on the day.

Please email justin.butler@ageuk.org.uk for more information.

Cost of Living – Enquiry Codes

We have received a lot of feedback from local Age UKs on cost-of-living issues, including how many older people are coming to you for support in this area, or how it is presented as a concern when older people are seeking support for other issues.

Information & Advice teams have told us that they would value a way to capture these enquiries. Collecting this data will also support Age UK to campaign and influence at a national level for additional support for older people affected by the cost of living crisis.

Changes

As a result, we have now updated the enquiry codes, and have added a new Tier 1 code.

25 – Cost of Living

There is also a Tier 2 code underneath this.

25A – Cost of Living, Energy

We have aimed to keep this as straightforward as possible for now. Please feedback to us any further suggestions. We will review the codes at the next quarter (Q4, January – March 2023).

What do you need to do?

Systems

For Information & Advice Teams using Charitylog, this will appear in your possible enquiry codes from 29 September. There is no further action required to ensure this code is available for use.

For Information & Advice Teams using Salesforce, this will appear in your possible enquiry codes from 1 October. No further action is required.

For Information & Advice Teams using alternative systems. You will need to add this into your own systems. We understand that for some Partners it will not be possible to do this immediately. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact localstatistics@ageuk.org.uk

Use of the New Code

The below is rough guidance, and we will look to refine this over the coming months as the code is used. We suggest using the code for cases where you feel it is appropriate.

The Tier 1 code (25 – Cost of Living) should be added to cases where the older person:

  • Expresses concern about the cost of living and their ability to pay bills, afford shopping or any other expenses
  • Identifies the cost-of-living crisis as a reason for their enquiry

The Tier 2 code (25A – Cost of Living, Energy)

  • Identifies energy prices as a reason for their enquiry
  • Expresses concern about energy prices
  • Will be unable to pay an energy bill without support

Questions and Feedback

If you have any questions or feedback please contact localstatistics@ageuk.org.uk

PIR for Q2 of 2022/23 now available for completion!

The form for the second Quarterly PIR of 2022/23 is now available for you to complete ahead of the 2nd November deadline.

This is to let you know that the latest Partner Information Return (PIR) is now available for completion here. This covers the period between 1st July and 30th September 2022, Quarter 2 of 2022/2023. The deadline for completion is the 2nd November 2022. Find out full details below, including the link to the data report from Q1 of 2022/23.

The reference copy and the data transparency statement for this PIR can be viewed below:

Word Doc Reference Copy:

PIR Reference Copy – Q2 2022-23

Data Transparency Statement:

PIR Data Transparency Statement
Click here to complete the partner information return for Q2 2022/23

Data Report for Q1 2022/23

A big thank you to all 99 Partners who completed the PIR for Quarter 1 of 2022/23 – this is the most returns we have received for the last five quarters!

You can find the full data report of your responses here.

Why the Partner Information Return Matters

The PIR is used to enhance Age UK’s knowledge of the Network, so that we can display our collective strength in media, fundraising, and influencing opportunities.

The more returns we receive, the more powerful and useful the data we can display when talking to funders over the winter, demonstrating the breadth of the Age UK Network’s work with older people.

If you have any questions or feedback please email localstatistics@ageuk.org.uk. Thank you as always for taking the time to complete the Partner Information Return.

Guidance for addressing the risks of the Don’t Pay UK Campaign

Age UK has produced some guidance to explain the risks to individuals considering cancelling their Direct Debit as part of the Don’t Pay Campaign, which your organisation may wish to use.

With energy prices set to soar in October, a campaign called Don’t Pay UK has launched, urging people to cancel their energy bill Direct Debit on 1 October 2022 in protest. The campaign action will be triggered when a million people sign up to take part. If it does not reach this target, it will not go ahead. Age UK has produced some guidance to explain the risks to those considering cancelling their Direct Debit as part of the Don’t Pay UK Campaign, which your organisation may wish to use when speaking to older people in your area about this subject. Click here to view the full guidance on the loop.

If you’re having any trouble accessing the loop, please email partnership@ageuk.org.uk.

Registration for the Age UK Influencing Conference closes on Wednesday 5th October!

Make sure to sign up for this year’s Influencing Conference before the October 5th cut-off date! The event is open to all Staff, volunteers and trustees from across the Age UK Network.

This is a quick reminder that you can still sign up here to attend this year’s Age UK Influencing Conference on Wednesday 12th October 2022! We are welcoming staff, volunteers and trustees from across the Age UK Network and multiple attendees from the same local Age UK are welcome and encouraged. Registration closes on Wednesday 5th October, so please register today to avoid disappointment.

This year’s conference will be looking at the challenges older people (and the local Age UKs supporting them) face, and sharing ideas, evidence and practical ways to improve their lives. We’ll hear from local Age UKs and policy experts on topics such as the cost of living crisis, digital exclusion, tackling health inequalities through targeted approaches to black and minority ethnic older people, and working with ICSs, sharing tips from across the network. We will also consider the very difficult winter ahead for local Age UKs, as energy prices soar, and what we can do to help through our influencing activity.

This year’s agenda will include external speakers from The Kings Fund, Resolution Foundation and National Energy Action, as well as presentations from both Age UK and local Age UKs.

The conference will take place online from 10am to 3pm on Wednesday 12th October 2022 but you can choose which sessions you’d like to tune into if your capacity is restricted. However, specific workshops have limited capacity, so please sign up now to avoid disappointment.

Click here to book your place!

Please contact isabel.bailey@ageuk.org.uk with any queries about sign ups and mbalu.bah@ageuk.org.uk with any queries about the event.

Reminder: Book your place at the Age UK Influencing Conference 2022!

The sign-up page for this year’s Influencing Conference is now live! The event is open to all Staff, volunteers and trustees from across the Age UK Network.

This is a quick reminder that you can now sign up here to attend this year’s Age UK Influencing Conference on Wednesday 12th October 2022! We are welcoming staff, volunteers and trustees from across the Age UK Network and multiple attendees from the same local Age UK are welcome and encouraged. Over half of the available places have been booked already, so please register today to avoid disappointment.

This year’s conference will be looking at the challenges older people (and the local Age UKs supporting them) face, and sharing ideas, evidence and practical ways to improve their lives. We’ll hear from local Age UKs and policy experts on topics such as the cost of living crisis, digital exclusion, tackling health inequalities through targeted approaches to black and minority ethnic older people, and working with ICSs, sharing tips from across the network. We will also consider the very difficult winter ahead for local Age UKs, as energy prices soar, and what we can do to help through our influencing activity.

This year’s agenda will include external speakers from The Kings Fund, Resolution Foundation and National Energy Action, as well as presentations from both Age UK and local Age UKs.

The conference will take place online from 10am to 3pm on Wednesday 12th October 2022 but you can choose which sessions you’d like to tune into if your capacity is restricted. However, specific workshops have limited capacity, so please sign up now to avoid disappointment.

Click here to book your place!

Please contact isabel.bailey@ageuk.org.uk with any queries about sign ups and mbalu.bah@ageuk.org.uk with any queries about the event.