Tag: training

World Elder Abuse Day 2023 – 15 June

Training and resources to mark World Elder Abuse Day on 15 June.

World Elder Abuse Day was launched in 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the United Nations (UN). Whilst older people aren’t a homogenous group, the term ‘elder abuse’ is a term used globally to describe the intentional or negligent act of abuse and harm by any person towards an older adult.

This year’s theme is ‘Addressing Gender Based Violence in Older Age’. For more information visit the UN website.  

In the past 5 years, in England and Wales 44% of those women known to be killed by men, were aged 50 and above.

At Age UK, we are hearing from increasing numbers of older women who are or have been subjected to harm and abuse. Whilst we acknowledge men are also at increased risk as they age, this is predominantly experienced by women, so shining a light on gender-based violence and all forms of abuse is welcome.

We launched a partnership with Hourglass earlier this year and all colleagues from our Age UK network are invited to a free WEAAD23 Hourglass Webinar.

To view the Safeguarding Speaks webinars we hosted last year click here.

Age UK’s Safeguarding Lead Carrie Bower was interviewed recently about domestic abuse in later life & World Elder Abuse Day 2023. You can view the full interview here.

Reminder: Dementia Awareness eLearning Available

A quick reminder to access the Dementia Awareness e-learning before December 2023.

This is a quick reminder that our Dementia Awareness e-learning course is still available for completion on the Age UK e-learning platform until December 2023. Of those that have already completed this training, 93% would recommend this course to a colleague. Find out full details below, including how to access it.

How do I access this e-learning?

If you already have an eLearning account, you will be able to log in here and search “dementia e-learning”.

If you need to sign up, please complete this form.

Please note that registration to the e-learning site may take a few days. You will receive an email with your log in information once you have been registered.

If you have any questions on access to the e-learning site, please contact: adviceunit@ageuk.org.uk

What other e-learning is available from Age UK?

For a number of years, Age UK has provided a range of e-learning options to support Partners’ delivery of training online to your staff and volunteers. This includes the Age UK e-learning Platform and Grey Matter Learning – find out all about both training platforms here.

Sport England Club Matters Training Sessions and Resources

Take a look at the Club Matters website, which is full of free resources for those involved in the delivery of sport and physical activity in England.

For local Age UKs in England who deliver physical activities for older people, Sport England’s Club Matters website offers a range of training opportunities and resources which are free and available to those involved in the delivery of sport and physical activity in England. Details of some of the current training sessions available can be found on their website here.

Book your place at Leeds Older People’s Forum’s ‘Wise Up to Ageism’ training

Book your place at the free ‘Wise Up to Ageism’ training from Leeds Older People’s Forum.

Leeds Older People’s Forum is offering its free ‘Wise Up to Ageism’ training to organisations in any part of the country. The training will take place on 18 January 2023 online from 13:00 – 14:00.

The training aims to raise awareness of ageism and encourage people to find out more, discuss and reflect. It also aims to help participants to challenge ageism in their everyday life. The session explores the five key messages from the Age Proud Leeds campaign:

  • Let’s talk about ageism – What is ageism and how widespread is it?
  • Ageism affects people of all ages – Whether we are younger, middle aged or older – ageism affects us all.
  • Ageism. What does it do to us? – Age discrimination has many negative effects and having a positive attitude to ageing can help you live well for longer.
  • Older, different, equal – Older people are diverse and ageing and ageism affect us all differently.
  • Time to feel good about ageing – Ageing brings many benefits. Share the positives and celebrate the contributions made by older people.

To find out more and book a place click here.

Chairs and Governance Roundup – November 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 information about membership of the Association of Chairs, details on age-friendly communities, useful resources from NCVO, and much more.

The Association of Chairs (AoC) Membership

The Association of Chairs is run by and for charity Chairs and has a wealth of resources and support available. Membership for most local Age UK Chairs will cost £60 a year.

The AoC often host useful online events of around 60 or 90 minutes held at lunchtime or early evening.

Click here to find out more.

Age Friendly Communities – what are they and how to make it happen

The UK Network of Age-friendly Communities is a growing movement with over 50 member places across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK Network is affiliated to the World Health Organisation’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities.

One way to involve many local organisations to improve your local community and provide immediate practical help for older people through service provision, is to adopt the Age Friendly Community approach.

The Centre for Ageing Better coordinates the UK Network of Age Friendly Communities and has lots of information on their website that may be helpful.

Click on this link to find out more.

Finance Network Meeting – 7 December 2022 | ‘The Finance Function as a Business Partner’


On Wednesday 7 December from 11:00 – 12:30, the monthly Finance Network meeting will welcome Simon Hopkins, Director of Finance and Corporate Resources at Versus Arthritis, who will give his perspectives and insights on the ‘Finance Function as a Business Partner’ and the importance of strategic leadership, especially in the current operating environment.

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

NCVO Resources on governance and being a trustee

The NCVO website has lots of resources on governance, trusteeship and being a Chair. Click here for more information.

They have lots of short online courses aimed at trustees. Some are webinars on specific dates and others are online modules that you can complete in your own time, for example, roles and duties of trustees.

During Trustees’ Week, NCVO ran 5 webinars on leading a charity through challenging times. NCVO members can access the webinars which covered:

  1. Being a charity trustee in the current climate
  2. Setting direction in changing times
  3. Leading tough conversations
  4. Specialist skills and how to find them
  5. Trustees and continuous learning

Click here for more information.

Building good governance – short online sessions for trustees

NCVO also 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.

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

Upcoming Workshop “Cost Recovery and Sustainability Decisions”

Book your place at the upcoming “Cost Recovery and Sustainability Decisions” workshop from Age UK’s Financial Governance Team!

Age UK’s Financial Governance Team has organised a practical workshop on Cost Recovery and Sustainability Decisions. The workshop will take place on Wednesday 2 November from 9:30 to 12:30. Find out full details, including how to book your place, below.

In July, the Financial Governance Team delivered a workshop, primarily for Service Managers within Brand Partners, working through the basic financial considerations required to accurately cost and price a service. The aim of this workshop was to help Service Managers (together with Finance colleagues and other managers) to feel confident that an application for grant funding or a proposed charge to users for a service, would be fair and transparent, and that the provision of that service would represent a good use of the charity’s assets.

We received positive feedback on that workshop, much of which included requests for a more detailed follow-up workshop which would identify practical steps needed to calculate Full Cost Recovery and to help determine whether or not a service could be scaled up in a sustainable way.

In response to these requests, we are delivering a half-day workshop (9:30 to 12:30) on the 2nd November 2022, again via Teams, in which we’ll work through practical examples of the full cost recovery calculation process and show how to calculate the breakeven point for a service – the point at which total income (for that service) equals total costs, so that any further sales / income represents a pure contribution to reserves.

Whilst once again being primarily targeted at Service Managers, CEOs, members of Partners’ SMTs and interested trustees will be welcome to join. That said, given that we want to provide break-out opportunities for attendees to have some ‘hands-on’ discussion and practice, numbers will be limited. We will also have to apply a limit of two attendees per Brand Partner.

However, given the importance of understanding these issues, especially in the current challenging economic environment, a further workshop can be arranged for December if there is sufficient demand.

Book Your Place!

To register your booking request, please click here.

Please note that bookings will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

You will receive a simple ‘thank you’ for responding once you have submitted your registration form. We will confirm if you have a place or are on the waiting list a.s.a.p.

The Teams 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 email – thank you.

New training content on the Age UK e-learning site

There are some new training courses available for Partners on the Age UK e-learning site. Find out all about the new courses, including how to register and access the e-learning site.

We are pleased to announce that new training courses are now available for Partners on the Age UK e-learning site. There’s a Safeguarding Course designed to be completed as part of an induction process, as well as some Triage and Assessment Courses for those involved in call handling and Information and Advice activities. Find out full details below, including how to access the e-learning site.

Safeguarding Course

This course has been designed for all staff and volunteers to complete as part of an induction process. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and it is essential that everyone, in whatever role they undertake, knows how to recognise, respond to, and report abuse and neglect. 

This course does not cover elements of the legislation regarding people in a position of trust such as care workers.

Triage and Assessment Courses

New content is available to support those who are having to make triage and assessment decisions for clients. These courses will be predominantly useful for those involved in call handling and Information and Advice activities. This course has been assigned to receptionists, I&A staff and volunteers and service managers, but anyone can request access to his course form the advice unit if they do not already have it.

How to access Age UK’s e-learning site

Access to the Age UK e-learning site is free and anyone can register for an account using the link below:

If you’ve already got an e-learning account, you can access the e-learning site using the link below:

Any questions please contact chloe.longmore@ageuk.org.uk.

Network Infrastructure Programme Update: October 2022 Charity Log User Groups

The registration links for the October Charitylog User Group sessions are now available, find out full details including how to book your place.

The next Charitylog User Group sessions for local Age UKs using the system will run the third week of October. These will feature sub-groups on Volunteering, Training, and Reporting, ending with the Main user group session, which will be attended by the Dizions who run and manage Charitylog. Find out full details, including how to book your place, below.

The upcoming sessions will focus on service delivery, primarily aimed at managers and frontline staff to discuss the experience and efficiency of using the system. This is an opportunity to share knowledge, discuss challenges with others from across the network and identify high-impact, low-effort improvements. Summaries of each user group will be available after the session on the Network Infrastructure Hub.

If you are using Charitylog in a way that might be interesting to other Brand Partners or have something you would like to share at the session, please email networkinfrastructure@ageuk.org.uk.

You can register your place at the session below;

  • 14th October 2022 – Register for the Age UK Volunteering Sub-Group.
  • 18th October 2022 – Register for the Age UK Reporting Sub-Group.
  • 19th October 2022 – Register for the Age UK Training Sub-Group.
  • 20th October 2022 – Register for the Age UK Main User Group.

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.

Chairs and Governance Roundup – August 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 new 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 an upcoming Association of Chairs event, a new “Trust in Charities” research report from the Charity Commission, our upcoming online briefing session for Chairs of local Age UKs, and much more.

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.

Charity Commission “Trust in Charities” Research Published

The Charity Commission has published its latest “Trust in Charities” research, which includes the views of both the public and trustees. Conducted in spring 2022, the research found that people living in more affluent areas with higher ethnic and cultural diversity trusted charities more compared to those in less diverse areas with low economic security. It also reported that fewer members of the public (56%) thought charities were ‘essential’ or ‘very important’ for society than last year (60%).

Click here to view a summary of the research

“Being part of the Age UK Network” – online briefing session for Chairs of local Age UKs

Age UK and the Age England Association (AEA) are offering all Chairs at local Age UKs the opportunity to find out more about the support and resources that are available to local Age UKs and Age Cymru local partners.

This online briefing session will take place on Wednesday 21 September from 9am to 11am.

The aims of the session are:

  • To give an overview of the Age UK network, your organisation’s partnership with Age UK and the role of the Age England Association (AEA) 
  • To share experience with peers on chairing, good governance, leadership and more
  • To find out where to go for more detail on the support and collaboration opportunities available  

There are up to 20 places at each session and all Chairs are welcome. These events may be of interest if you have been appointed as Chair quite recently or if would like a refresher on the benefits of being part of a network with a shared purpose and brand.

Please let us know if you would like to take part but cannot make the above date and we will organise further sessions.

Booking your place

To book, please email BSupportAdmin@ageuk.org.uk. We will send an invitation to an online Microsoft Teams meeting nearer to the date.

If you have any questions about the content of the sessions, please email paul.robson@ageuk.org.uk.

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.