http://www.community-links.org/media Master Feed of content published on the Community Links Website en no-reply@community-links.org Copyright 2013 2013-05-23T13:25:03+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/e/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/e/#When:13:25:03Z Education Links is an OFSTED registered school and specialist education provider working with young people excluded from mainstream schools, giving them another chance at education. Approval of the Free School application is a great endorsement of the work that Education Links, part of Community Links, has been doing for over 17 years. The school has been supporting young people in Newham to engage with their learning and achieve their potential. At the same time the school has grown - from delivering basic skills to offering GCSE and BTEC qualifications, and is catering for the full range of abilities. Education Links is providing an individual approach for pupils appropriate to their needs, and has seen a continuing growth in candidates sitting and passing external examinations. School Principal Sandy Davies said: Secure and sustained independent Free School funding from the Department for Education will enable Education Links to strengthen our offer to young people and underpin improvements in outcomes for them. Education Links will continue to go from strength to strength as we enter a new phase. Enabling planning over a three year cycle, rather than one at present, allows the school leadership to explore new possibilities with existing and new corporate sponsors, and to forge stronger bonds with partner schools in Newham and beyond.     Press Releases 2013-05-23T13:25:03+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/education-links-free-school-application-successful/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/education-links-free-school-application-successful/#When:13:07:15Z We are delighted to report that Education Links, Community Links' OFSTED registered school has been successful in its application for Free School status. We are one of the 102 groups that have moved to the Pre-Opening stage – towards opening as an Alternative Provision Free School in September 2014. This is a great endorsement of the work that has been done at Education Links. For over 17 years we have been here supporting young people in Newham to engage with their learning and achieve their potential. At the same time the school has grown and we have been striving to achieve our full potential. From delivering basic skills we now offer GCSE and BTEC qualifications, and cater for the full range of abilities. We are proud to have individual pathways for pupils appropriate to their needs, and we have developed these drawing on our wide experience. Secure and sustained independent Free School funding from the Department for Education will enable Education Links to strengthen our offer to young people and underpin improvements in outcomes for them. Looking to the future as a Free School we see new opportunities opening up for our young people. We will forge even stronger bonds with our partner schools in Newham and beyond, and explore new possibilities with our corporate sponsors. Education Links will continue to go from strength to strength as it enters a new phase, and we look forward to sharing that experience with you all.   News 2013-05-23T13:07:15+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/jobs/job/contracts-administrator/ http://www.community-links.org/jobs/job/contracts-administrator/#When:13:28:11Z 2013-05-21T13:28:11+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/community-links-is-a-partner-in-new-cafe-on-queen-elizabeth-olympic-park/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/community-links-is-a-partner-in-new-cafe-on-queen-elizabeth-olympic-park/#When:12:35:36Z The Café will be one of four permanent cafes and four permanent kiosks across the site and will be the first to open on the Park in July. Alongside the Café there are two community rooms, which will be run by Community Links. The London Legacy Development Corporation has also announced today that all permanent sites will be required to sign up to the Food Legacy Pledge and the Healthier Catering Commitment, both of which are supported by the London Food Board. Rosie Boycott, Mayor of London’s Food Advisor, Chairwoman of the London Food Board said: “London’s Games raised the bar in terms of serving up food that met high standards, not only in terms of taste but also through a commitment to improved food quality and animal welfare. This showed that good catering can be achieved even when working to tight commercial budgets. We adopted these standards at City Hall and urged others to do the same, so I am delighted that visitors to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Unity Kitchen Café will continue to enjoy tasty grub served up by a company that’s committed to providing good food.” Dennis Hone, Chief Executive, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park said: “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be a great destination for visitors and a new community park for East Londoners. The Camden Society and Community Links will create a great new facility in the Unity Kitchen Café and provide jobs and training opportunities for local people. We are delighted that this will continue the commitment to food standards that were adopted during the Games.” Geraldine Blake, Chief Executive, Community Links said: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting project. We look forward to making sure Unity Kitchen Café is a fantastic resource for our local community as well as a destination for visitors from around the world.” Unity Kitchen Café will be in the north of the Park at the newly built Timberlodge. It has space for up to 80 indoor diners and a further 100 at table seating outside. The community rooms cover almost 150m² and open out on to a lawn enclosed by hazel woodland, which could also be used for events. They will be used for a whole range of local activities including craft days, award ceremonies, enterprise events, parties and performances. Timberlodge has been purpose built by Bam Nuttall, it sits alongside one of the best children’s playgrounds in the UK. Read Full Press release News 2013-05-08T12:35:36+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/giving-evidence-to-the-public-accounts-committee/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/giving-evidence-to-the-public-accounts-committee/#When:12:12:30Z This week Community Links' senior advisor David Robinson gave evidence to the Public Accounts Committee as part of their hearing on Early Action you can see video of the hearing below. The hearing followed publication of the National Audit Office's Early Action Landscape Review, which resulted from a recommendation of the Early Action Task Force last year. Community Links hosts the Task Force, which David chairs, and we have warmly welcomed the report, which sets out the significant challenges standing in the way of a shift to early action across the public sector. It found that across the four departments studied only 6% of spending was devoted to early action.  David was joined at the hearing by Anna Coote of the new economics foundation (another Task Force member) and by Samantha Callan from the Centre for Social Justice. Following their session, the committee heard from senior civil servants from the Departments of Health and Education, and the Treasury. The Early Action Task Force produced a briefing for the PAC in advance of the hearing.        News 2013-02-27T12:12:30+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/community-links-seeking-new-trustees/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/community-links-seeking-new-trustees/#When:17:11:46Z Community Links is seeking to appoint additional Trustees to our Board. New Trustees will join us at a particularly exciting time as we launch our new strategy which sets out our unique role in delivering a Living Legacy for east London. If you have a commitment to our vision and values and a passion for making a difference, we want to hear from you. Please note we are particularly (but not exclusively) interested in hearing from those with expertise in procurement & contract management and external affairs & communications. Closing date for applications: 25th February 2013 Interviews will be held on: 11th and 18th March Trustees commit for a term of four years. Note that Trusteeship of Community Links is an unpaid position. Download an application pack And find out more about Community Links, about our current trustees, and read our latest corporate documents.  News 2013-01-23T17:11:46+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/community-links-joins-national-advisory-group-on-tackling-poverty/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/community-links-joins-national-advisory-group-on-tackling-poverty/#When:11:34:12Z The Centre for Social Justice is an inflential and independent think tank established in 2004 to seek effective solutions to the poverty that blights parts of Britain. Back in 2007 the Breakthrough Britain Report reinvigorated the national debate about tackling poverty by focusing on the five root causes of poverty: family breakdown; economic dependency and worklessness; educational failure; drug and alcohol addiction and serious personal debt. Five years on Britain is in a very different political and economic position. Individuals and society face challenges worsened by the recession and government action. Therefore it is an exciting opportunity for Community Links to work with other experts to form policy recommendations, which impact on the people we work with every day. We have already presented evidence to the advisory group, based on our expertise on poverty and the informal economy. We will also be contributing the policy recommendations that flow from research into Personalisation of Welfare Support report later in 2013. We hope this project will contribute positively to British government policy on tackling poverty and look forward to sharing our expertise in this exciting project. Here’s a list of the other members of the advisory group on economic dependency and worklessness: Chair: Debbie Scott, CEO of Tomorrow’s People Matthew Bell, Head of Government Relations for the Berkley Foundation Nicholas Boys-Smith, Head of Strategy for Lloyds TSB Mike Brewer, Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies Deven Ghelani, Senior Researcher at CSJ Jeremy Hay-Campbell, Head of Marketing Communications and Policy Manpower Corin Taylor, Senior Economic Adviser at the Institute of Directors Our work in this area will be led by Maeve McGoldrick please contact her for further information.   News 2012-12-13T11:34:12+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/launch-of-the-deciding-time/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/launch-of-the-deciding-time/#When:08:00:31Z Louise Casey spoke today at the launch of the Early Action Task Force's second report, The Deciding Time.  The report identifies the six big obstacles that are thwarting progress towards earlier action. It shows that isolated initiatives are insufficient. Structures and systems must change to meet imminent liabilities and to unleash the triple dividend – thriving lives, costing less and contributing more. New rules, duties, structures, tools and funding are suggested to break the constraints of short-term thinking and siloed delivery. In addition to the full report, available for download, there is a short summary. The Deciding Time is the second report of the Early Action Task Force, their first - The Triple Dividend - was published in November 2011. Welcoming the report, Chief Excecutive of Action for Children Dame Clare TIckell said:  "Far too often, we see children and families facing severe and complex issues which could have been prevented if the right support had been in place for them at an earlier stage. "We know from our annual Red Book report – an investigation into the real impact of Government spending decisions on children across the UK – that not intervening early could cost society more than £1.3 billion a year. Added to this, the current system of short-term, quick-fix funding is simply exacerbating existing need and instability. "It is crucial that we shift from a system of crisis management to crisis prevention by developing long-term strategies and investing in the kinds of early intervention services that help prevent problems from spiralling out of control." Dharmendra Kanani Big Lottery Fund Director of England: “Current services are struggling to keep up with increasing demand and the greater complexity in the types of problems people are facing. Action needs to be taken now before it is too late.” “Prevention is better than cure – we all know this but do little about it. Too often this common sense does not feature in policy making or public spending decisions. We are all far better at responding to problems than stopping them from getting worse or starting in the first place. “The Big Lottery Fund is clear we can really add value to making the case for prevention through our funding and support, that’s why we funded the work of the early action task force and are at the at the forefront of recognising that change is needed by putting our money where our mouth is. Our £165m commitment to improve the life chances of over 10,000 vulnerable babies over a ten year period is but one example. This funding is about leading the way on early action, showing what is possible, and ultimately transforming the lives of people and communities in need.” News 2012-11-28T08:00:31+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/our-national-work/publications/the/ http://www.community-links.org/our-national-work/publications/the/#When:11:01:12Z This second report of the Early Action Task Force paints an urgent picture of escalating needs and diminishing resources. As funds have been cut over the last year acute services have been prioritised at the expense of earlier action. More problems have become more difficult when they might have been prevented entirely. These trajectories are unsustainable but they are not inevitable. This report considers some of the many examples of successful prevention and points out that the benefits are economic as well as social. Effective early action is a need reduction strategy reducing future liabilities and promoting growth. So why is it not the prevailing economic orthodoxy and the dominant organising principle at the heart of our public services? The Task Force identify the six big obstacles that are thwarting progress. They show that isolated initiatives are insufficient. Structures and systems must change to meet imminent liabilities and to unleash the triple dividend – thriving lives, costing less and contributing more. New rules, duties, structures, tools and funding are suggested to break the constraints of short-term thinking and siloed delivery. The recommendations here are rooted in experience. They are practical and pragmatic but would in aggregate result in a different kind of politics and a different kind of society – one that valued sustainable solutions above short term crisis management, one that looked ahead. The challenges and the choice posed in this report are profound, urgent and for us all. Prevent now or pay tomorrow; in every dimension of our lives, we need to decide. In addition to the full report, available for download below, there is a short summary. The Deciding Time is the second report of theEarly Action Task Force, their first - The Triple Dividend - was published in November 2011. 2012-11-27T11:01:12+00:00 http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/early-action-report-launch/ http://www.community-links.org/news/pr/early-action-report-launch/#When:17:57:09Z  On 28th November the Early Action Task Force will launch our second report, The Deciding Time, with speeches from Louise Casey and Lucy de Groot. Please join us if you can.  Speakers Louise Casey - Director General, Troubled Families, DCLG Lucy de Groot - Chief Executive, CSV Ben Jupp - Director, Social Finance Ambreen Shah - Deputy Director England Policy, Big Lottery Fund David Robinson - Chair, Early Action Task Force The cross sector Early Action Task Force has been working for 18 months on a set of ideas that have the potential to transform British society. Our second report The Deciding Time paints an urgent picture of escalating needs and diminishing resources. As funds have been cut acute services have been prioritised at the expense of earlier action. More problems have become more difficult when they might have been prevented entirely. These trajectories are unsustainable but they are not inevitable. The report considers some of the many examples of successful prevention and shows how the benefits are economic as well as social. Effective early action is a need reduction strategy reducing future liabilities and promoting growth. The Task Force identify the six big obstacles that have thwarted progress in the past and show that isolated initiatives are insufficient. Structures and systems must change to meet imminent liabilities and to unleash the triple dividend – thriving lives, costing less and contributing more. New funds, rules, duties, structures and tools are put forward to break the constraints of short-term thinking and siloed delivery. The 30 recommendations are practical and pragmatic, work on developing them is already underway in some areas, but they would in aggregate result in a different kind of politics and a different kind of society – one that valued sustainable solutions above short term crisis management, one that looked ahead. We will be launching The Deciding Time and announcing plans for development: At the Abbey Community Centre in Westminster, 34 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU On Wednesday November 28th Coffee from 8.45 for a 9.15 start. We will finish by 10.45. This event is free but please RSVP to Ahjaz.Atando@community-links.org as soon as possible. Will you join us? The need is urgent. We want a vigorous and well informed discussion and we want to get cracking on developing the potential together. David Robinson will talk about the report and those opportunities. Then Louise Casey, Lucy de Groot, Ben Jupp and Ambreen Shah will push us forward. Louise is Director General of the governments Troubled Families programme. She is forth right and passionate and vastly experienced at getting things done from within government. Lucy de Groot brings an unparalleled cross sector perspective to the early action agenda. Currently leading CSV she has also worked at the top of government (Treasury and IDeA) and a big local authority (Bristol). Ben understands how change happens and what gets in the way having served most recently as Director of Public Services Strategy in the Cabinet Office before moving into the third sector as a director of Social Finance. And Ambreen is Deputy Director, England Policy for the Big Lottery Fund and will speak about BIG's support for the agenda and funding opportunities for early action.  News 2012-11-15T17:57:09+00:00