Review of Voluntary Sector Organisations
(Community Learning and Development)
The Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary
Organisations – Scotland (CEMVO)
10 August 2010
Contents
Page
1. Introduction
1
2. Context and background
1
3. Key strengths
2
4. How well did CEMVO meet the needs of its stakeholders?
2
5. How effective was CEMVO in key aspects of management?
4
6. How effective was the leadership of CEMVO?
5
7. What is CEMVO capacity to improve?
6
8. Main points for action
6
9. What happens next?
6
Appendix 1: Quality indicators used to evaluate CEMVO
7
1.
Introduction
In January 2010, the Scottish Government (SG) commissioned HM Inspectorate of
Education (HMIE) to undertake a review of The Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary
Organisations – Scotland (CEMVO). HMIE and SG agreed the quality and
performance indicators to be used in the review from the framework of indicators
within the HMIE publication How Good Is Our Community Learning and
Development?2 (HGIOCLD?2).
The fieldwork for the review took place in June 2010. HM Inspectors visited CEMVO
bases in Edinburgh and Glasgow and interviewed a range of stakeholders including
participants, staff and referral agencies. They also interviewed headquarters staff
and members of the board of directors. Individuals and organisations in Aberdeen
and Inverness were interviewed by telephone. Inspectors analysed questionnaire
responses from external stakeholders.
2.
Context and background
CEMVO was established in 1999 following a United Kingdom (UK) wide programme
of consultation with over 9,000 black and ethnic minority voluntary and community
sector organisations. The conclusions of the UK wide consultation identified the
need for customised development programmes, the provision of support structures,
and access to extended networks, to help provide the sector with a more secure
platform from which to deliver services, and to engage with its constituents.
Subsequently, CEMVO was established in Scotland in 2003 to address the needs of
the Scottish ethnic minority voluntary sector.
CEMVO Scotland is a national intermediary organisation, and strategic partner of the
Scottish Government in delivering race equality, with the aim of building the capacity
and sustainability of the ethnic minority voluntary sector. The organisation is a
registered Scottish Charity and Company Limited by Guarantee with a board of
directors. CEMVO Scotland has offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness. It
currently has 13 members of staff who deliver a range of programmes to the ethnic
minority voluntary sector and its communities.
Since 2003, CEMVO Scotland has developed a network of over 600 ethnic minority
organisations throughout Scotland and has engaged in continual dialogue with over
300 ethnic minority groups about the issues and needs affecting the sector. A
diverse range of programmes have been developed to directly build the capacity of
the ethnic minority voluntary sector and its communities.
CEMVO Scotland contributes to the Race Equality agenda by engaging with decision
makers and advocating the issues affecting the ethnic minority voluntary sector. This
has included Public and Statutory bodies, the Scottish Government, and the Scottish
Parliament. CEMVO Scotland also organised a series of events across Scotland
targeting ethnic minority communities to involve them in democratic processes such
as the Calman Commission and the National Conversation.
1
3.
Key strengths
•
Very effective engagement with diverse range of ethnic minority groups and
communities.
•
Effective balance of strategic development and response to local need.
•
Strong engagement and contribution to national policy and strategy
development.
•
High quality partnership working.
•
CEMVO’s role as a national catalyst for continuous improvement.
4.
How well did CEMVO meet the needs of its stakeholders?
CEMVO makes a highly effective contribution to building capacity within ethnic
minority community organisations. CEMVO is recognised as a key contributor to the
national equalities agenda and is actively engaged in influencing national policies
and strategies. The CEMVO business plan is comprehensive and clearly sets out
the organisation’s goals. A useful risk analysis section highlights possible financial,
organisational and operational threats.
CEMVO regularly evaluates the range of programmes it offers. External evaluation
of the capacity building programme identified very positive impacts including more
effective management and greater accountability to service users. Excellent support
programmes are of a high standard and based on identified need. High numbers of
community groups benefit from quality support programmes. As a result
organisational capacity and confidence has increased considerably The Social
Enterprise Capacity Building Programme supported ethnic minority organisations to
create 33 new jobs in the ethnic minority sector across Scotland in the financial year
to the end of March 2010.
Reporting to external funders is very good. Funders such as Big Lottery receive
detailed end of year programme reports. Very good progress has been made in
achieving agreed targets.
Through the Quality Management Project (QMP) community organisations are
making good use of initial assessment tools to improve their management and
evaluation practice. This is positively informing improvement planning. As a result of
participating in the QMP, organisations are better able to identify areas to improve
their performance. The QMP is helping to instil a culture of continuous improvement
within voluntary organisations. It offers organisations a clear progression on from the
capacity building programme. Reporting on the longer term impacts on participants
and progress reporting to the board could be improved. Good practice was identified
in The Black Leader Network (BLN), Ethnic Minority Civic Congress (EMCC) and the
QMP.
2
How well did CEMVO impact on participants and communities?
Community members are confident, skilled and active. Organisations place great
value on input from CEMVO. A wide range of quality programmes have a positive
impact in terms of building capacity both as effective organisations and as active
contributors to wider decision making. Organisations make good use of services
available to progress their own objectives and goals, building on skills and knowledge
gained. Groups such as the EMCC and the BLN are actively influencing both local
and wider decision making.
Highly effective capacity building programmes support organisations to develop
robust policies and procedures. Support to organisations over a sustained period of
time is a critical success factor. Effective and constructive relationships contribute to
the growth and success of organisations. CEMVO staff are approachable and
flexible with meeting times set to suit organisations. Support is thorough, systematic
and long term. As a result of the trust and openness established, organisations are
better able to identify and resolve issues.
Local social enterprises such as childcare services, youth work provision and
catering have been developed in response to identified need. As a result of
participation in “Inclusive Scotland” increased numbers of ethnic minority people
successfully exercised their right to vote. Organisations such as the Nepal Scotland
Association have an increased knowledge and understanding of heath and safety
and risk assessment legislation. As a result, outings are better organised and safer,
Organisations’ planning and management is more systematic and the use of
evaluation is improving. Progression opportunities for group and individuals are
excellent. High numbers of women have completed childcare training in Dundee
International Women’s Centre. From this, 18 women have successfully progressed
in to full-time employment including childcare management. The capacity building
diagnostic toolkit assists groups to adopt a more systematic approach to
development planning and resource management. The BLN offers an effective
network for sharing practice and building collective action. Opportunities for training
and development are effectively communicated. Opportunities for organisations to
influence CEMVO future developments are very good.
How well did CEMVO meet the needs of staff and volunteers?
Staff are highly motivated, with a strong commitment to the organisation and to the
promotion of racial equality. They feel valued and effectively supported by senior
managers, however there is no formal support and supervision or appraisal system in
place. They have a strong sense of teamwork and appreciate the management
approach which is supportive but acknowledges their ability to work on their own
initiative. Staff make effective use of informal opportunities to share skills, knowledge
and information, improving the range and quality of service available to groups and
projects. Monthly staff meetings and quarterly reporting contribute towards
accountability. All staff have access to training and an induction process is in place
for new staff. The quality of professional development undertaken is high. Staff have
been supported with funding and time to successfully complete their Masters in
Business Administration and staff have also trained as European Foundation Quality
Model (EFQM) assessors. Staff training needs are not systematically identified and
3
there are no training plans in place. Staff contribute to organisational planning
through away days but there are no opportunities for board members and staff to
come together for planning.
5.
How effective was CEMVO in key aspects of management?
Inclusion, equality and fairness
CEMVO’s commitment to inclusion and diversity is evident in all aspects of its work.
The organisation welcomes social and cultural diversity and demonstrates this in its
staff complement. CEMVO is open to all organisations and a broad cross section of
ethnic minority communities, including gypsy travellers, are actively engaged.
Membership of CEMVO, the BLN and the EMCC comes from across Scotland,
including the Highlands and Islands and Dumfries and Galloway. CEMVO offers
good national coverage with staff based in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness.
CEMVO is currently engaged with Rape Crisis Scotland to improve support to ethnic
minority women. They are involved in the early stages of setting up an advisory
group to improve equalities within the Scottish Court Service. CEMVO regularly
advises public bodies such as Lothian and Borders Health Trust on race equality
issues and recruitment processes. They have published a good practice guide on
religion and belief for employers.
The EMCC very effectively influence developments in education, health, equalities,
and immigration. They have a positive impact on the quality of translation services
available. The Congress is committed to democratic principles in the election of
members to its External Liaison Committee, ensuring gender and age balance.
Improved inclusion of disabled people is actively being pursued. Ethnic minority
organisations identify that, as a result of their contributions, they have a higher profile
and increased recognition in a wide range of settings across Scottish society.
Individuals and groups report that they are more politically active and nationally
aware.
The organisation would benefit from further engagement with public sector bodies
that are engaged in community learning and development for example Youthlink
Scotland and Learning Link Scotland.
Participation of service users and other stakeholders
Relationships with almost all stakeholders are positive. Participant organisations
contribute through evaluation of programmes which are used to inform developments
in service delivery. BLN members actively participate in the planning and policy
development of the network. Members also regularly contribute to CEMVO’s
gathering of views from managers within the ethnic minority sector about racial policy
issues. The EMCC members lead in the development of the EMCC, its aims and
policy development. They also produce a quarterly newsletter. Through its
engagement in a wide range of feasibility studies and research, CEMVO gathers
knowledge and intelligence from the ethnic minority sector which is used to inform
policy making and service development at strategic as well as organisational level. A
4
formal mechanism would enhance external organisations abilities to contribute to
organisational development.
Staff are regularly involved in the development of service delivery, planning and
organisational development. All staff contributed to the review of the vision
statement and aims of the organisation. Both staff and board members would benefit
from coming together to engage in joint review.
Operational planning
CEMVO provides regular detailed progress reports to external programme funders.
Monitoring and evaluation of training, events and programmes is consistent and
informs future improvement and development. Staff actively contribute to
organisational planning and are clear about processes, reporting and plans. They
also contribute to structuring the development of work. A comprehensive business
plan setting out clear organisational goals is regularly reviewed. Links between the
business plan and programme plans are clear. Programme planning is based and
reported on in line with funder requirements.
Staff work plans have agreed timelines, however individual worker planning formats
lack consistency. Work plans are output, not outcome focused and work programme
outcomes are fairly general, lacking detail and measures. Outwith funder
requirements there is no systematic approach to identify and measure the change
made. Opportunities for staff and board members to engage in planning could be
improved. Progress reporting could be improved to better inform strategic
decision-making at board level.
6.
How effective was the leadership of CEMVO?
The CEMVO board members have a broad range of skills and knowledge and are
very committed to the organisation. They are effectively supported by the director
who provides strong leadership and direction. The organisation has effective
systems for risk management which enable managers to monitor their business.
Reports to funders and business plans show resources are well managed and used
efficiently. The organisation demonstrates a clear commitment to continuous
improvement. The vision and mission statements are clear and link to an established
set of values. There is a strong focus on building organisational capacity and
sustainability within CEMVO.
The organisation maintains a good balance between responding to local need and
engaging at a strategic level. Partners and stakeholders have a clear understanding
of the role of the organisation and value the contributions made to strategic and
policy development at local and national level. Attendance at board meetings is not
always consistent and this, together with the limited level of detail discussed at
meetings, has a negative impact on effective decision making.
5
7.
What is CEMVO capacity to improve?
CEMVO demonstrates a strong capacity to improve. Self-evaluation shows a
detailed understanding of the impact of the work of the organisation. There is a
strong commitment by staff to taking the organisation forward to meet the needs of its
members. CEMVO is helping build organisational capacity and confidence within the
ethnic minority sector. Plans are in place to continue to support organisations
towards recognised EFQM status. The organisation is also taking forward
improvements in stakeholder engagement and the standardisation of self-evaluation
processes. It recognises the need to adopt a more structured approach to staff
development. CEMVO need to better capture the impact of their capacity building
work, in addition to the requirements of funders, to demonstrate the added value
CEMVO brings to the sector.
8.
Main points for action
CEMVO should take action to address the following main points for action.
•
Better capture the impact of capacity building work, in addition to the
requirements of funders, to demonstrate the added value CEMVO brings to the
sector.
•
Improve the effectiveness of strategic decision-making at Board level.
9.
What happens next?
HMIE will take no further action in relation to this positive report. Colleagues in
SG will continue to monitor progress in relation to their grant funding.
Ros Sutherland
Managing Inspector
HMIE
6
Appendix 1:
Quality indicators used to evaluate CEMVO
HM Inspectors use performance measures and quality indicators when making
judgements in their reviews of national voluntary organisations. The quality
indicators used were selected from those published in June 2006 in the publication
HGIOCLD?2. This publication is available on the website www.hmie.gov.uk.
Improvements in performance
Impact on the community
Impact on paid and voluntary staff
Inclusion, equality and fairness
Participation of service users and stakeholders
Operational planning
Leadership and direction
7
very good
excellent
good
excellent
very good
good
good
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by
inspectors.
excellent
very good
good
satisfactory
weak
unsatisfactory
outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
major weaknesses
If you would like to find out more about our reviews or get an electronic copy of this
report, please go to www.hmie.gov.uk.
Please contact us if you want to know how to get the report in a different format, for
example, in a translation, or if you wish to comment about any aspect of our reviews.
You can contact us at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or write to us at BMCT,
HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600 236. This is a service for deaf users.
Please do not use this number for voice calls as the line will not connect you to a
member of staff.
You can find our complaints procedure on our website www.hmie.gov.uk or
alternatively you can contact our Complaints Manager, at the address above or by
telephoning 01506 600259.
Crown Copyright 2010
HM Inspectorate of Education