About the Clearinghouse
Community organisations often need to access a range of websites and/or spend a good deal of time searching for information on what training and resources are available and appropriate to them. The VCOSS Training and Development Clearinghouse is a centralised, user-friendly and community sector-specific service designed to take the legwork out of this.
The Clearinghouse includes:
- A quality assured database of trainers recommended by community sector organisations for capacity building assistance
- Information and support for community organisations wanting to engage a skilled volunteer through pro bono brokers
- Access to free and subsidised capacity building training
- A range of support programs for community sector leadership, including professional mentoring
- A calendar of free training, conferences, seminars and events
- A list of resources and quick guides for finding skilled volunteers, IT assistance, funding, second-hand office furniture, etc.
All information provided on this website is backed up by friendly Clearinghouse staff who are available to provide information and referral over the phone and/or face-to-face.
For further information regarding the above or to subscribe to the PIECES e-newsletter, contact us.
OHS Projects
OHS Education Project
Education is an essential part of improving OHS in the Community Sector.
DHS asked VCOSS to develop and implement an OHS educational strategy for the community sector.
The two-year project has two phases. The first is a CSO needs analysis and the second will put those findings into practice.
Key outcomes of this project will be to make OHS management simpler and provide increased training opportunities.
OHS Equipment grants
Funded by Worksafe Victoria, the VCOSS equipment grants project will provide OHS equipment grants to community service organisations (CSO) to assist them to improve health and safety.
Grants of up to $5000 will be awarded to CSO’s to purchase equipment such as hoists, personal alarms, adjustable office chairs and desks but may also include minor workplace modifications such as installing security doors, shelving or shatter proof glass.
For further details about these projects or OHS in general, contact:
Richard Duffy at VCOSS on 9654 5050 or richard.duffy@vcoss.org .au
Showcasing the Community Sector showcases the community services industry as a career opportunity by demonstrating how and why the community sector is a stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable place to work. The project has also been developed to identify and promote good business practices in the community sector by enabling organisations to share information and learn from each other through forums and other events.
For further details, contact:
Nicole Wiseman at VCOSS on 9654 5050 or nicole.wiseman@vcoss.org .au
Work in this area aims to resource and support community service organisations in their use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) including computers and the Internet, document and information management, data storage and sharing, and all forms of communication.
Doing IT Better
This three-year project aims to build the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) capacity of the community sector by working directly with community organisations to improve their use of ICT, identifying and addressing ICT issues that are common to the sector, and ensuring that the government-community sector service delivery partnership recognises and supports the sector’s ICT needs.
Other Projects
Currently we are exploring a few other possibilities, including developing some shared resources for the sector, facilitating access to ICT health audits, and establishing an accessible and user-friendly online information service. Watch this space…
For more info contact ICT Projects Coordinator Dean Lombard on 9654 5050 or dean.lombard@vcoss.org.au
DARU
The Disability Advocacy Resource Unit - DARU is a statewide service run by and for people with disabilities, funded by DHS.
The DARU resources the Disability Advocacy sector and Disability Advocates by:-
- Making sure people with disabilities have their voices heard, can make decisions and participate fully in the community
- Sending out weekly email updates with news relevant to advocates and people with disabilities, and maintaining a website with links to a range of resources
- Developing a Code of Conduct so there are clear standards and principles for the sector to follow
- Providing professional development and training opportunities to help disability advocates do the best possible job they can. DARU strives to ensure that all disability related courses taking place in TAFE's or universities contains information on advocacy.
- Supporting people with disabilities and advocates to bring about positive changes in policy, legislation, practices and community awareness.
- Organising forums around the state to so that there is a coordinated approach to issues of concern
- Providing links to broader social policy and generic advocacy
- Offering a clearinghouse to support advocacy efforts
- Providing a resource and equipment library for Disability Advocates
- Ensuring this statewide service is accessible and relevant
