Comprehensive Cuts - National Council for Voluntary Youth Services

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2 Those organisations who have already felt the impact of cuts have had to deal with a substantial reduction in funding. The graph below shows that most of the organisations facing cuts are affected by the loss of over 20% of their funding. Nearly 10% of the organisations surveyed have already lost half of their income, and many more of them are considering mergers and closure. Consequently, whole programmes, many of which are targeted at the most disadvantaged young people, are being cut, and hundreds of employees are being made redundant. Over 80% of the respondents indicated that programmes are ending – a snapshot of the kind of projects shows that this is work with NEETs, with young people at risk of offending, a skills and IT training initiative targeting BME women and a counselling service around sexual health. It is hardly surprisingly that almost 90% of the charities who responded think that the young people they work with will be adversely affected as a result of these cuts. They highlighted that young people will suffer from the loss of opportunities, support and advice available to them and also from the impact of less qualified staff working with them. In many cases, the young people they work with have complex needs and limited opportunities, and the loss of these services will be keenly felt. With 27 (20%) of the respondents considering closure, and the vast majority of these (24) unable to suggest alternatives, it is likely that the outlook for young people will get worse.
What the survey reveals about the sources of cuts The majority of those who have experienced cuts have pointed to local authority cuts to grants that they receive, in particular area based grants. A number of respondents have expressed concern about the way some commissioned projects have been cut, often with little notice given. Other significant sources of cuts come from central government grants and the reduction of grants from v for volunteering initiatives. The economic climate means that alternative sources of income are also more difficult to come by. One charity has highlighted that ―individuals ... circumstances [are] changing for the worse, impacting on their giving.‖ Others have pointed out that local businesses, also suffering in the recession, cannot continue previous levels of support. Those who have been attempting to invest have found the recession’s impact has hit investment income. Funding applications to trusts and foundations are becoming increasingly competitive as the sector looks to them for support. Cuts hitting other organisations also affect those who rely on them, for example, sharing a building with another organisation which has had to close. With many of the government’s spending priorities remaining unclear, one of the most noticeable aspects of the survey is the uncertainty surrounding the sector. Many organisations say that they do not know what will happen, and although they are preparing for a future without the levels of government support that they have received, the current financial climate makes it incredibly difficult to access the resources they need to keep valuable projects running. Workforce development The survey also revealed that cuts are impacting detrimentally on workforce development. Over 70% of respondents revealed that they are making reductions in their staff training budgets. In an environment where more and more young people are facing difficult situations it is concerning that staff may not be adequately equipped to deal with the complexities of these situations. It is hoped that the NCVYS led Progress project will enable the VCYS to continue to invest in staff development. 5 3. Case studies Northamptonshire YMCA Northamptonshire YMCA is losing over £1m, the vast majority of its income, because the Supporting People grant - cut by £30 million by the Department for Communities and Local Government - is no 5 Progress, funded by the Children’s Workforce Development Council, s owned and led by the voluntary and community sector (VCS), and offers up to 25,000 accredited training places to VCS staff and volunteers working with young people in England until the end of March 2011. 3
Page 1: 1 1. Context Since the May 2010 ele
Page 5 and 6: Another fund that has been reduced,
Page 7: Recent announcements of redundancie

Comprehensive Cuts - National Council for Voluntary Youth Services

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