Research Roundup 12

Within Research Update 12 you will find a request for information on equality and diversity within the recruitment and in-career development practices within the sector, details of information focused on young disabled people, the arts and research into disabled individuals experiences when using public transport in Northern Ireland. Other features include information on a signposting directory of support for voluntary management committees, a website with links to research into women's issues, details of a research workshop for Wave 1 of the Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey (NIHPS) and interactive maps of the public sector. You will also find information about a short questionnaire that is being undertaking to find out what you think of Research Updates and how they can be improved.

Research Request

A researcher included on the NICVA Research Update directory is currently undertaking research into equality and diversity within the recruitment and in-career development practices of voluntary and community organisations in the greater Dublin region as part of the EQUAL initiative. They would like to find out if any similar research has been undertaken in this area in Northern Ireland or the UK?

If you are aware of any research in this area please contact:research@nicva.org

Current Research

The latest edition of 'Inside Research', the first in a new series of joint NCVO-CAF publications looks at issues related to charitable giving. It includes the latest (Charitable giving in 2002) information on who gives to charity, how much is generated from these individual donations and awareness of tax-efficient giving. Key findings for 2002

• the total amount given to charities by individuals in 2002 was £7.3bn. This is higher than the £6.9bn given in the previous year. This reflects an increase in the average monthly donation
• over two-thirds of adults give to charity. In 2002, the 'participation rate' stood at 67.3%, slightly less than the 68.5% of the previous year, suggesting that the proportion of people giving is remaining relatively stable
• the average monthly donation in 2002 was £12.93. This is around 4% higher in real terms than the average monthly donation in 2001
• women gave more than men. The average monthly donation by women was £13.57, well over £1 more than men. Women were also more likely to give in the first place
• a small group of donors (fewer than one in ten) gave more than £50 per month. Although few in number, this group contributed over 60% of the total amount donated
• street collections and door-to-door collections remain the most popular ways of giving to charity. These 'loose change' methods continue to play an important role in enabling the donation of smaller gifts
• the two causes that draw the widest support from the general public are medical research (24.1% of donors) and children/young people (20.5% of donors)
• in 2002, 58.6% of the population had heard of tax-efficient ways of giving, while 41.1% had heard of Gift Aid - the most widely used form of tax-efficient giving."

You will find the full August 2003 issue of Inside Research below and also on the NCVO website at: www.ncvo-vol.org

Inside Research (208Kb)

A new evaluation by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation entitled, 'Our Life, Our Say! A good practice guide to young disabled people's peer mentoring/support' has recently been completed.Young disabled people face certain barriers when growing up and learning to become more independent. They experience both direct and indirect discrimination which in some cases leads to a lack of self-confidence,isolation from others of the same age and missing out on the opportunities that non-disabled young people may enjoy. The Young Disabled People's Peer Mentoring/Peer Support Project developed a range of activities to address these needs over a two-year period, building on previous work. The project was evaluated with the help of both adults and young disabled people. A detailed summary of the evaluation and order information for the full report (priced at £16.95) are available from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website. www.jrf.org.uk

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has recently published the first issue of 'Article' magazine. This twice yearly broadsheet is designed to spread the word about the wide range of funding available through the Support for the Individual Artist Programme for artists in Northern Ireland. The magazine is available to download from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland website www.artscouncil-ni.org

The Equality Commission has recently completed a report entitled 'All Aboard' , focusing on the experience of disabled people using transport in Northern Ireland. The introduction to the report highlights the fact that the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 gave rights to disabled people in the area of employment and services, but exempted important areas, such as transport and education which remain important barriers to their full participation in society as citizens. In October 2004, the final stage of the Disability Discrimination Act, governing physical access to buildings where services are provided to the public, will come into force. This will require barriers to access to be removed, altered, or avoided, thereby removing key obstacles to participation by disabled people.However, many disabled people are asking “What is the point in having accessible buildings, if I can’t get to them?”

To encourage the development and dissemination of good practice, the Commission has collected a series of transport case studies from disabled people in Northern Ireland.The purpose of these is to go beyond the arguments, statistics and budgets that are often used in terms of transport and disabled people and to bring to the foreground the individuals who are confronted by significant barriers when they try to use the transport system.

The report is available to download from the Equality Commission website www.equalityni.org

Useful Websites.
SIGNPOSTING DIRECTORY OF SUPPORT FOR VOLUNTARY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES

An online research link to a range of training, information and support is now available for management committees across Northern Ireland. The directory has been updated and now contains over 70 local and regional organisations. The site can be searched by geographic location, by topic or by organisation. There is a registration process to be listed on the site, contact the Volunteer Development Agency for further information.

kelli@volunteering-ni.org
http://www.volunteering-ni.org/search/searchall.asp
028 90 818 332

The Women and Equality Unit website contains useful links to research projects and publications focused on women's issues. Topics include women in public life, women at work, domestic violence and tackling discrimination both within Europe and internationally. If you are interested in finding out more about any of these issues the contact details are as follows:

info-womenandequalityunit@dti.gsi.gov.uk
www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk
084 5001 0029

Public Sector Maps

The public sector in Northern Ireland can now be revealed at the click of a mouse following the completion of a major exercise by the Review of Public Administration (RPA) team. The maps have been set out in an easily accessible form and they are interactive meaning that users can click on a the box for a particular government department to find details about budgets, staffing and its links with other public sector organisations. The maps are available on the RPA website www.rpani.gov.uk

Research Workshop

Introduction to Wave 1 of the Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey (NIHPS).
Location: Rooms 2B12 and 2B11 at the University of Ulster Jordanstown.
Date and Time: Wednesday 17 September 2003, 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. Workshop layout: 9.30am - 10.45am. Background to the survey (Room 2B12)

Workshop(119Kb)

10.45am - 11.15am Coffee
11.15am -12.30pm Introduction to the web-based data documentation (Room 2B11)
12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
1.30pm - 3.30pm Using the NIHPS data (Room 2B11)

The workshop will be facilitated be Katrina Lloyd and Pat McKee. Please note: There is no charge for this course; however, coffee and lunch will not be provided. Coffee shops and restaurants are available in the University.

To book a place please contact Katrina Lloyd at:
K.Lloyd@qub.ac.uk
www.ark.ac.uk/nihps
028 9027 3585

NICVA Research Update Development Survey

As part of our ongoing development of NICVA Research Updates we are carrying out a small web based survey to gauge your thoughts on layout, content and possible improvements to the service. The survey will be sent to your email address today with the subject title 'NICVA Research Update Development Survey'. When you open the email there will be a website address that you can click on to open the survey.

I hope that there are no difficulties when completing and returning the questionnaires. If there are any problems either with the completion of or return of the survey please do not hesitate to call Research either at 028 9087 7777 or research@nicva.org

The closing date for responses to the survey is Wednesday 10 September 2003. We are looking forward to reading your responses.

Thanks to everyone who sent information included within NICVA Research Update 12. Please remember to keep sending in requests for information and also details of current research.