COVID-19 updates and guidance

Last updated 15 January 2021

Read Public Health Wales’ daily statement here.

COVID-19 EMAIL UPDATES

If you’d like email updates on the latest COVID-19 news for the voluntary sector in Wales, please sign up here.

LATEST UPDATES

• Jane Hutt AM has thanked the legion of community volunteers across Wales, who are working hard to help keep you and your loved ones safe and cared for in these very difficult times
• Wales Co-op are conducting a Social Business in Wales survey to find out how social enterprises are being affected by the pandemic
• Some criminals are using the COVID-19 vaccine as a way to target the public by tricking them to hand over cash or financial details. The UK Government have released this guidance and this poster to help raise awareness
• Letters about the Welsh Government’s COVID-19 vaccination plans will shortly begin to arrive at the front door of every household in Wales
• All eligible adults will be offered a vaccine by the autumn, under plans published this week
• This map outlines the locations of vaccination centres in Wales
• Welsh Government is investing £4.9 million to improve digital public services in Wales so that they are easier for people to use
• The #ValuingVaccines campaign has added Wales specific bilingual resources to help you promote the vaccine

OTHER NEWS

• First Minister Mark Drakeford today has confirmed the alert level four coronavirus restrictions in Wales will continue until the end of January
• The Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund (RRLF) deadline has been extended to 31 March 2021
• The British Society for Immunology has lots of helpful guidance and resources to help you address common issues and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine
• You can still do voluntary work under Welsh Government guidelines – but must do so from home if practicable. Find out more about alert level 4 restrictions in the Welsh Government FAQs
• Public Health Wales have updated their vaccine FAQs for Health and Social Care professionals
• All schools in Wales will remain closed until 18 January – with the exception of pupil referral units and special schools
• People with a clinical background can find out more about volunteering to support the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Wales and register their interest
• Under alert level 4 restrictions in Wales, community centres, youth centres and similar may be opened to provide essential voluntary services
• The advice to those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, previously ‘shielding’ has changed from today to advise those within this group that they should no longer attend work or school outside the home

COVID-19 GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES

We’ve collated all of our guidance and resources for voluntary organisations in Wales onto this Covid-19 guidance page. Here you’ll find information and advice related to Coronavirus on things like volunteering, funding, trustees and governance, and health and wellbeing.

BLOGS AND VIEWS

• Following the Welsh Government’s vaccine announcement today, Elen Notley, Marketing and Communications Manager at WCVA outlines how voluntary organisation can support the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine in Wales by sharing communications
• Emma Taylor-Collins and Hannah Durrant from Wales Centre for Public Policy, and WCVA’s Helpforce Cymru Manager Fiona Liddell look for a pattern in recent volunteering success stories from across Wales
• How do we maximise the impact of volunteering post-pandemic? Fiona Liddell, Helpforce Cymru Manager at WCVA argues that this is a good time to reappraise the potential of volunteering to achieve positive outcomes for your organisation
• Ben Lloyd, Head of Policy at WCVA, examines Levelling Up Our Communities, a report by Danny Kruger MP which proposes actions to ‘sustain the community spirit we saw during the lockdown’
• Our Policy Officer David Cook explains what we’re doing to stand up for Wales’ voluntary organisations in Westminster since the coronavirus pandemic
• This summer, Welsh Government ran its Our Futures Wales consultation to find out people’s thoughts about the best approach to recovery from COVID-19. WCVA Head of Policy, Ben Lloyd, looks at how we engaged with the sector about this and highlights the key points in our response
• As we move towards a ‘new normal’ Anna Nicholl, Director of Strategy and Sector Development at WCVA, reflects on what we’ve learnt from our ‘Preparing for different futures’ sessions with the voluntary sector, discussing community response, wellbeing economies and more
• As we gradually ease out of lockdown from the Coronavirus pandemic during the coming months, we look forward to involving volunteers once again. Fiona Liddell, Helpforce Cymru Manager at WCVA, discusses the way forward and identifies some useful resources
• WCVA Board Member Fran Targett, formerly Director of Citizen’s Advice Cymru, takes a look at how the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted pre-existing inequalities in health and social care and asks how we can move forward to a positive outcome
• WCVA Volunteering Manager Felicitie Walls covers the main points of consideration when preparing or returning to volunteering after lockdown
• Menai Owen-Jones blogs about the role of leadership in building a different and better future for Wales, and how we have choices and decisions to make that will profoundly influence what comes next
• WCVA Trustee Joe Stockley and six other young Welsh people express their ideas for what they’d like ‘the Wales of the future’ to look like post-pandemic
• Korina Tsioni at WCVA blogs about five simple ways to keep on top of your quality assurance during the pandemic
• What COVID-19 means for creating a wellbeing economy – Jess Blair summarises the discussion from our final #DifferentFuturesWales event
• Felicitie Walls, Volunteering Manager at WCVA, explores how changes to volunteering could enable young people to counteract the negative effects of lockdown restrictions on their lives, in the short and medium term
• Sally Rees, National Third Sector Health and Social Care Co-ordinator at WCVA shares her experiences of caring for her mother with dementia during the Covid-19 emergency
• The latest in the #DifferentFuturesWales series of COVID-19 events focussed on what the pandemic has meant for influencing decision makers. Jess Blair summarises the discussion
• Last Thursday WCVA held the fifth in the Preparing for Different Futures event series, examining the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on climate change. Jess Blair reports back
• Judi Rhys, CEO at Tenovus Cancer Care raised in a recent #DifferentFuturesWales event that voluntary orgs should consider mergers as a way to adapt post-pandemic. In this blog she shares her views on merger and her personal experiences of mergers as CEO of Arthritis Care
• Mike Corcoran, Evaluation Specialist with Co-Production Network for Wales, outlines seven questions for meaningful evaluation of your services in a time of crisis
• Lauren Pennycook, Senior Policy and Development Officer at Carnegie UK Trust, looks at how storytelling can help improve towns across Wales once the Covid-19 crisis has abated
• Short-term homeworking solutions could be costing charities more. Jonathan Levy, Managing Director of Class Networks, explains why it’s time to set up longer term solutions and business continuity plans
• In this blog, Joseph Carter, Head of Devolved Nations for British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK, details the present concerns of both organisations, and how they’re supporting those with lung conditions through the pandemic
• FareShare Cymru and Neath Port Talbot CVS have come together to keep foodbanks stocked as they struggle for donations in the wake of Covid-19
• Our Risk, Procurement and Governance Manager Emma Waldron talks to CIPS about difficulties with PPE provision to the voluntary sector
• Emma Morgan, Volunteer at WCVA, explains why you should consider creating volunteer virtual fundraising roles for your organisation during the pandemic
• Elen Notley, our Marketing and Communications Manager, urges the voluntary sector to shout about the incredible impact the sector is having during the pandemic
• Judith Stone provides some examples of how voluntary organisations in Wales are adapting and rising to the challenges of the pandemic
• Coronavirus funding: which should I apply for? New blog from Alison Pritchard, Sustainable Funding Manager at WCVA
• Felicitie Walls, Volunteer Manager at WCVA, asks would-be volunteers who’ve signed up to help fight against coronavirus to be patient while the sector gets its bearings at this strange time
• An eye on the future in uncertain times: Anna Nicholl, our Director of Strategy and Sector Development, talks on the challenges of the present and the importance of looking forward past the current crisis
• Rocio Cifuentes outlines key concerns which are emerging around the impact of Covid19 on BAME communities in Wales
• Stepping up: Ruth blogs about the resilience and commitment she’s seen in the voluntary sector during this time of need, and how we can carry this beyond the current crisis
• The national networks from across the voluntary sector have met to discuss COVID-19 and how the voluntary sector can contribute to supporting those most vulnerable at this time. Ben Lloyd, WCVA Head of Policy, reports from that meeting
• We’ve collated a list of various funders’ responses to the virus
• Our Chief Executive Ruth Marks outlines the role of WCVA and the current focus of our work to support voluntary organisations during this difficult time
• How can charities keep doing social good during social distancing? Judith Stone, our Assistant Director of Sector Development, makes a return from secondment to talk about what charities can do to continue their vital work
• Lauren Swain, Wales Development Manager for Localgiving, highlights some of the fundraising activities that organisations in Wales are proactively undertaking at this difficult time
• Due to the coronavirus pandemic charities in Wales are losing income as fundraising events are cancelled and individual donations decrease. Alison Pritchard, Sustainable Funding Manager at WCVA, has some advice for charities on how to enhance their online fundraising presence

POSITIVE STORIES

• Active Inclusion projects in North Wales took part in an event to share how they’ve been helping people deal with the economic challenges over the pandemic
• Richard Smith leads a team of eight as the British Red Cross team leader for the PIVOT service in Haverfordwest. We asked him to tell us how Coronavirus had impacted on the service, which is provided by a team of staff and volunteers
• Volunteers at Hear to Help clinics have been helping the hearing-impaired community of Powys by undertaking minor repairs of hearing aids. Read their story on our website
• The turbulence of 2020 has been difficult for us all – read Hope Rescue’s story of how Third Sector Resilience Fund money kept them above water
• We spoke to Innovate Trust about what they’ve been doing with their Active Inclusion participants during lockdown – they’ve really been living up to their name! Read their story
• Since we last spoke to Welsh Charity Awards winners Blood Bikes Wales, the COVID-19 pandemic has made unprecedented demands on the charity’s ability to adapt and respond through the crisis. Nigel Ward, Chair of Blood Bikes Wales explains
• Read about Media Academy Cymru’s work during the pandemic, diverting young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system by giving them a passion for media and film – with the help of the Voluntary Services Emergency Fund
• Read the story of Stephens & George Centenary Charitable Trust, an education charity in Merthyr Tydfil, and how they’ve mobilised to take on the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic
• With help from the Voluntary Services Emergency Fund, the Centre for African Entrepreneurship (CAE) has been providing Swansea’s BAME community with vital services during the coronavirus pandemic. Read their story
• Bridgend Carers Centre has seen a rise in carers feeling isolated and anxious about keeping their loved ones safe during the pandemic. Read about how they’ve had to adapt and create new services to help their community
• Thousands of people across Wales will be able to access extra support for their mental health from Mind Cymru thanks to funding from the Voluntary Services Emergency Fund
• Cardiff’s Coronavirus Relief Project marked Ramadan with a fantastic community response, sending out 500 food parcels and collecting over £5,000 in generous donations, with over 100 volunteers signing up to help. Read their story
• Home-Start Cymru are among the first recipients of grants from the Voluntary Services Emergency Fund. Read how they’re adapting their services to the coronavirus pandemic
• 14 voluntary organisations working on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus have received funding in the first round of the Voluntary Services Emergency Fund
• Talbot Community Centre are showing that even in times of dire crisis, resilient communities can come together and help their most vulnerable. Read their story
• Generous citizens across Wales have been more than willing to give up their time for others – we share some stories from voluntary sector staff

MORE GOOD NEWS NEEDED

There hasn’t been a lot of positive news lately – between COVID-19 and the recent devastating floods across Wales, the mood seems pretty sombre across the nation.

What we haven’t been lacking in is stories of resilient communities coming together – for example the news that groups such as Coronavirus Support Blaenau Gwent have been assembling volunteers to help people in need.

We’ll be sharing good news stories and examples of good practise as part of this newsletter. If you know of any other positive stories like this of communities pulling together to cope with COVID-19 then please let us know!

OUR STANCE ON THE CONTINUING PUBLIC HEALTH DEVELOPMENTS

Ruth Marks has written a piece on the role of WCVA and the current focus of our work to support voluntary organisations.

As part of the ongoing response to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), WCVA is paying close attention to advice provided by UK Government as well as guidance from Public Health Wales.

We would recommend that everyone follow NHS hygiene advice.

Due to the current advice on the Coronavirus we’ve taken the decision to close our offices. However, all of our staff have been equipped to work from home and we’re still here doing everything we can to support voluntary organisations during this difficult time.

We’re currently suspending all face-to-face training and events, but will continue to deliver online learning where possible.

We will continue to monitor any developments and will inform the voluntary sector of any further action we take as things change.