Training Track

Welcome to the March edition of the Training Track newsletter.

The CVS team is here to support your organisation to reach its full potential by enhancing expertise and capacity. We are excited to share the latest training programmes, workshops and events. We trust that you will find these opportunities affordable, accessible and impactful. Please do get in touch with us if there is an area for development that you think would benefit your organisation.

We are pleased to inform you that we have launched a spring programme of training and workshops including Introduction to Governance and Professional Boundaries. Look out for upcoming training workshops that will include Making the Most out of Social Media, as requested by members.

Please remember to save the date for the Communities 1^st annual conference and AGM, where we will be delivering a programme of informative talks and insightful workshops.

Best wishes
Sadie M Charles
Assistant Manager, VCFSE Partnerships

This online Professional Boundaries training session will help you to understand how to develop and maintain professional relationships that adhere to appropriate boundaries.

Where: Online
When: Thursday, 24 April 2025

Members can join this course for £25, and non members can join this course for £40. 

This online session is an introduction to full cost recovery and how to apply this knowledge to funding applications. No previous knowledge is needed to attend the course.

Join this session to understand:

• What is meant by full cost recovery
• Your direct costs and overhead costs, and how to factor these into an application
• How to apply the full cost recovery concept to future grant and funding applications.

Where: Online
When: Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Members can join this course for £25, and non members can join this course for £40.

Even small groups need to ensure a board of Trustees is in place. Come to this online session to find out about Trusteeship, as well as how to ensure your group complies with obligations such as policy formulation, safeguarding, and accountability correctly.

Where: Online
When: Thursday, 3 July 2025

Members can join this course for £25, and non members can join this course for £40.

This course will help you understand sight loss and how to support people living with sight loss. It will introduce you to common sight loss conditions and how they affect vision. It will also cover the role of volunteers in supporting people with vision loss and the help they can seek.

Monday, 28 April 11am - 12pm

Learn about what domestic abuse is and how it impacts many people. Professionals would also benefit from learning about domestic abuse and the support available. 

Monday, 28 April 10am -11am

In this session, you will gain confidence and basic skills to communicate with those who are living with deafness and hearing loss. You will understand deafness, including signs that someone cannot hear you, body positions, and ways of communicating.

Wednesday, 30 April 2025 10am - 12pm

Conflict is an inevitable part of working with people, especially in volunteer-involving organisations where diverse backgrounds, experiences, and challenges converge.

This intensive two-hour training session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to better understand where conflict comes from, recognise the warning signs and respond effectively to manage and de-escalate difficult situations – thereby helping to create safer and more positive environments for everyone.

Where: Online
When: Thursday, 24 April 2025 

We hope you have saved the date for our annual conference for the VCFSE sector which will take place on Thursday 26 June at Verso Vineyard Church in St Albans. We want everyone who attends to get as much out of the day as possible. Therefore, we would like to find out what topics and information would interest and help you the most in your work. This will help us to ensure that we put together a conference that is tailored to your needs and maximises the value for all attendees.

Please email your ideas to  memberservices@communities1st.org.uk