Voluntary Sector Training Alliance
Supporting the voluntary sector
The Volunteer Centre West Berkshire and Connecting Communities Berkshire have partnered together to provide a training resource for the voluntary sector in West Berkshire.
Training isn’t always about developing new skills, our workshops will help you to better understand problems you may be having and will support you with planning and implementing solutions to them. Please contact Rachel or Tim to discuss further.
If your training need is not being met please let us know what course you are looking for. Please fill out this form to let us know your training needs.
Local West Berkshire Training
Please note: We need a minimum of 6 people to run this course, with a maximum of 16 spaces available. Bookings are accepted on a first come, first served basis. You will not be booked until we have received payment.
We can deliver this programme as a closed course exclusively for your organisation, with a minimum of 12 delegates.
To discuss your requirements, please contact us at: wbspag@vcwb.org.uk
Information on Giving Machine free help/offers to good causes, - our community grants and GivingLottery, including how they work and who they are open to, as well as some testimonials.
Summary
Who are TGM?
How did we start and what do we do?
Who’s it for?
Any Not-For-Profit, charities, schools, CICs, social Enterprises etc.
Details:
FREE Online session Via Microsoft Team
Hallmark Level 1 for Village Halls & Community Buildings
Purpose of this Session for Trustees:
- Understand and apply best practices in managing the charity’s operations, ensuring your work aligns with recognised standards.
- Reflect on and improve existing procedures, helping your hall run more smoothly and effectively.
- Work towards formal recognition for achieving high standards in governance and administration—something to be proud of as a trustee team.
Hallmark Level 3 for Village Halls & Community Buildings
Hallmark 2: Promoting Safety, Security, and Compliance
Purpose of this Session for Volunteer Trustees (for halls with Hallmark 1):
- Build on your strong foundation by adopting best practices in health, safety, security, and licensing.
- Encourage improvement in established customs & procedures, ensuring your hall remains a safe and welcoming space for all.
- Gain recognition for obtaining good standards in the management of the hall - further strengthening your hall’s reputation and resilience.
Hallmark Level 2 for Village Halls & Community Buildings
Purpose of this Session:
- Develop effective ways to connect with your community, ensuring the hall reflects local needs and interests.
- Improve how you consult with users and stakeholders, and enhance your marketing and outreach efforts.
- Gain recognition for making your hall a valued and visible hub at the heart of the community.
We’ve received interest from the charity sector in running training courses across a range of subjects. If your colleagues, staff, or volunteers would like to attend, please complete the form below with your preferred course topic.
Once we receive a minimum of 6 participants, we will proceed with organising the course.
Thank you for your continued support and collaboration!
The online help sessions will take place every 3rd Monday of each month with hourly sessions starting from 11am and ending at 3pm.
Individual one-to-one sessions are also available online or by telephone at other times.
Individuals who wish to participate in the help sessions need to e-mail to book a place and a time
help@s-b-s.org.uk or telephone 0800 7720723
These workshops are weekly sessions either over a lunchtime or after school hours, where different charities, teams and organisations will provide an overview of what they do, how they support families, and how you can refer to them. They are FREE workshops, hosted on TEAMS, and the dates, times and links are all included in the attached document “Early Help in the community bitesize workshops”. All workshops are either on a Tuesday at 1pm or a Wednesday at 4pm. We hope that this is something to develop and add more dates to with other groups delivering workshops in the new year.
You do not need to sign up to these, (or even have your camera on!) so please join those that are of interest and where you are available to!
For further information contact Flic Ellmes, flic.ellmes1@westberks.gov.uk
Family Transitions Triple P parenting course
This group assists parents who need extra support to adjust and manage the transition from a two-parent family to a single-parent family. It focuses on skills to resolve conflicts with former partners and how to cope positively with stress. Groups are run monthly.
To book your place, please call or email : 01635 503090 RPC@westberks.gov.uk
Cyber Security on-line free webinars,
June-October 2025
The South- East Police Cyber Crime Team are running free webinars throughout the year on online safety .
The South East Cyber Crime Unit is a collaborated team covering the four Police services of Thames Valley Police, Surrey Police, Sussex Police and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. The unit is made up of teams which investigate cyber crimes as well as proactively educating individuals and organisations across our communities in how to defend against and be more resilient to cyber crime, through our dedicated Cyber Protect team.
Please consider signing up to our webinars to learn all kinds of useful information which will help to keep you and your loved ones safe in a digital age. This collection has 22 events in total which includes Cyber Security for Businesses, Online Safety for Women and Girls as well as General On-Line Safety for all ages and parents and carers webinar on on-line safety for children. The parent and carer sessions are really good with great feedback from earlier sessions.
Link for the calendar of sessions through June to October. Police - South East Cyber Crime Unit Events - 23 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
At Risk
Programme
The At Risk Programme (ARP) is a fire safety guide for those involved in the care of the community. It lays down the minimum recommendations for the protection of residents who are at risk from fire. As part of the partnership approach Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service can supply the following resources to support agency partners, families and the end user.
This training package is designed to enable you to work with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service to protect vulnerable residents living in the community from the risks of fire. It has been designed for use by anyone that supports residents of Berkshire The aims of the At Risk Programme the increased risk of fire to vulnerable residents living in the community Who is more at risk The protection measures and additional equipment that is available When to make a referral to the Fire Service How to make a referral to the Fire Service To book onto one of upcoming At Risk courses, please follow the link Sign up for the At Risk Programme.
To find out more about the courses or book yourself and members of your organisation on to one of the training programmes, contact the Prevention Team at prevention@rbfrs.co.uk.
National Trainings
The Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL), an Academic Centre of Excellence in the OU Business School. It provides learning opportunities and resources to help you develop and strengthen your leadership practice in the voluntary sector.
Courses include:
Developing leadership practice in voluntary organisations
Level 1: Introductory Free Course 15 hours study
This course provides an opportunity for people who work within voluntary organisations, as paid employees or staff, to develop energetic, practical and thoughtful leadership practice.
Collaborative leadership in voluntary organisations
Level 1: Introductory Free Course 24 hours study
This course will help you to reflect on and develop collaborative leadership practices that will make a difference. It is aimed at people who work within voluntary organisations as paid staff or as volunteers, or for people who work regularly with voluntary organisations, such as public sector staff or politicians.
Involving Volunteers
Level 1: Introductory 14 hours study
This short course on volunteering has been developed by Volunteer Scotland and the Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL) and the main driving spirit comes from the volunteer’s perspective. The course is about the essential things you need to consider to ensure a positive experience for individuals engaging in volunteering.
Free Safeguarding Awareness Training for Workers
Who Enter People's Homes
Free Safeguarding Awareness Training for Workers
Who Enter People's Homes
Recognise the signs of possible abuse and neglect in homes you visit and help keep children safe
Do you know how to recognise the possible signs of child abuse and neglect?
Every day, thousands of children and young people are normally seen by lots of different adults like family members outside of the home, teachers, health and social workers and neighbours.
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing measures, children and young people are spending much more time at home and we know isolation can put some children at a greater risk of abuse and neglect.
Postal workers, delivery drivers and workers who regularly visit homes are well placed to spot any emerging safeguarding concerns or signs of possible abuse and neglect.
To support you, we're temporarily making our paid-for online safeguarding course (It's your call) free for you to access.
