LPF

The week has been dominated by two activities. First, Surrey CC Youth Support Services have had a series of open meetings to promote their revision of the Local Prevention Framework (LPF) funding (£2.5 mill over two years) which has moved from being a contract to a two year grant. The  purpose of the grants, which will be awarded by the County Council's Local Committees, is to maintain young people in education, training or employment. The process of applying is still on a bidding basis, via the Council's "procurement portal" (ie on-line, only) and some voluntray organisations will find this tricky to use. Others will find it tricky to do work with young people outside of school hours and at week-ends/holidays, but this is what is wanted (for otherwise the young people should be in-school). We are assisting SCC in promoting this as an opportunity for the vol. sector and can advise on bidding. 

The second activity has been the office working on launching our re- branding (from 1 April) with a brilliant issue of Surrey Youth News coming out...a collectors item - thanks to Kate Peters. Our Members benefits are being constantly enhanced by new deals and we have now done a deal with a national insurance company to provide discounted and competitive rates; we are also concluding a partnership arrangement with Business in the Community (thanks to Shelagh West). 

Our next workshop for young people about How To set up in self-employment/social enterprise is on 11 April in Redhill , and the message is beginning to get round in the same way as our"Youth Work- the Basics " course is well known (18 people on the last course).

I am advising the Consortium on longer term grant bids and doing really interesting work- met at County Hall about Troubled Families which SCC calls Supporting Families, and last night was at Surrey Uni trying to recruit an intern for the summer. We have advertised for a business admin apprentice.

 So it's all going well..except no heating in the office...and rugby which we don't talk about (but I did say I was apprehensive)...and me curtailing my charity marathon walk last Sunday at the half way stage as I was so cold/wet.

Read autobiography of Ignatius of Loyala this week (founder of Jesuits...the Order the new Pope belongs to) ...and heard a great new (to me) piece of choral music which I have now bought. 

Cold week- end in prospect..where is Spring?

Mike 
(Sacked Assistant England Manager, and not now required for the Lions Tour!)