VoluntaryNews

Nearly half of the people who manage volunteers in the voluntary sector have not received any training that would help them in their work, according to a research report produced for Skills - Third Sector by the Institute for Volunteering Research.

A new official website provides access to UK legislation from 1267 to the present. Legislation.gov.uk brings together legislative content from Office of Public Sector Information and the Statute Law Database. Managed by the National Archives it aims to provide access to current and historic laws in a "clear and simple" format.

The Institute for Volunteering Research, the research arm of Volunteering England, has launched an Evidence Bank for volunteering research. The bank currently contains all of its own publicly available research produced since 1997, and will include research from other bodies later.

A training programme offering 25,000 places for staff and volunteers in the voluntary youth sector will now start in September (delayed from May). The Progress scheme is funded by the Children's Workforce Development Council and managed by National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.

See CYP Now news item at http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/1023533/.

Discrepancies over the definition of public benefit in Northern Ireland's Charities Act, which drew on legislation from Scotland as well as England and Wales, are the reason behind the delay in bringing in the registration of charities (as reported in newsletter 437). The dual sourcing has led to the possibility of lawyers claiming it is unclear whether, when registering charities, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland would assess their stated aims, as is the case in England and Wales, or their activities, as happens in Scotland.

(Part of a round-up of Big Society related news)

(Part of a round-up of Big Society related news)

Third Sector magazine reports that implementation of part 3 of the Charities Act 2006, which would make the Charity Commission the lead regulator of public charitable collections in England and Wales, has been postponed indefinitely. Charities minister Nick Hurd has said it will not be discussed until next year.

Until part 3 is brought in local authorities have full licensing responsibility. See news item at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/1022208/.