COVID 19: NICVA - Update Friday 27 March 2020

The DfC Minister Deirdre Hargey has established an Emergencies Leadership Group to coordinate matters between Government and our sector.  The group met with the Minister on Friday 20 March and again on Thursday 26 March.  There is some information here but more will follow on Monday including participants.

Not everyone can be involved so we want to ensure that NICVA is the conduit for two way communications between our sector and Government. NICVA will lead on Communications for this group.

Thank you to those who completed the online NICVA survey. With a two day deadline well over 500 organisations completed it and we will publish the analysis shortly. You have raised a huge number of individual questions.  We collated earlier questions and fed them back to government where appropriate and will do the same with the survey - there will not always be answers but we will try.

We have reorganised the NICVA web site www.nicva.org effectively as a COVID-19 Information Hub with six channels, please check in regularly. 

Organisationally and personally I know everyone is finding it a bit difficult, chaotic even but we will get better at remote working and not-so-​remote working where necessary.  Voluntary and Community organisations want to help, it's in our people's DNA.  You are also inventive, imaginative and determined to do great things for our community.  But remember do it safely, look at the advice, practice it at all times.  Be sure to do no harm whilst trying to do good. Here is some advice from Volunteer Now.

Look after yourselves too.

Seamus