Community Grants

LTCW has been awarded the contract from the Learning and Skills Council to deliver the ESF Community Grant Scheme in the Cheshire, Halton and Warrington areas from 2008 to 2010.

The European Social Fund (ESF) has made this programme available to Voluntary Community and Faith Sector organisations to support disadvantaged or excluded unemployed and inactive people to progress towards employment particularly from the following groups:

The amount available for allocation between 2008 - 2010 is up to £215,000 across Cheshire and Warrington and up to £35,000 across Halton.

Further information is available from the Community Grants page on the LTCW website from this link

Cheshire Learning Resource Network
The Cheshire Learning Resource Network (LRN) supports social care employers in Cheshire to train and develop their workforce so that quality services can be provided to their service users and carers. The LRN is supported by Skills for Care (the Sector Skills Council for Social Care), but is managed by local stakeholders in Cheshire. Further details about the LRN are available from this link.

There are two sources of funding which are available through LRN
1) The National Training Strategy Grant is to assist employers in meeting the training and qualification targets of the National Training Strategy.

The LRN Steering Group has agreed that the following qualifications and training are eligible under this grant
• NVQ’s in Health and Social Care at any level
• Registered Managers Awards
• LDAF Awards
• Training/Materials to assist employers to meet the National Induction Standards
• Underpinning Knowledge for NVQ’s, with priority being given to training in Medication and Adult Protection. Costs which can be reclaimed include training materials including ematerials, trainer costs, venue costs (excluding catering) and backfill costs.
• The costs of assessor/IV training and qualification

2)The Human Resources Development Grant is to assist employers in developing skills/resources in the management of people and in ensuring the future capacity of the workforce by improving recruitment. There is also a small amount of this grant for post qualifying awards for social workers.

The LRN Steering Group has agreed that the following will be eligible under this grant:
• The costs of recruitment officers or special recruitment campaigns, but not the costs of routine advertising
• The costs of generic leadership and management training/qualifications, or specific training/qualifications in relation to people management. (For NVQ programmes, the rate of £75 per unit applies)
• Specialist HR posts, including training posts
• Social Work Post Qualifying Awards, including backfill costs.

How to apply.
• Applications can only be made by social care employers working within the boundaries of the County of Cheshire. (Social Care as a term is interpreted broadly and includes a mumber of activities not necessarily related to personal care ). Where employers are part of a larger organisation, applications can only be made for those staff whose workplace is within the boundaries of the County of Cheshire
• Applications can only be received from members of the LRN. A copy of the signed Partnership Agreement must be received with all applications for funding.
• Application must be made on the appropriate form.
• Applications are considered by the LRN Finance Committee which meets approximately monthly.

For further details contact Vicki Harper on 01244 606907 or by E-mail vikki.harper@cheshire.gov.uk