Government responds to NICVA calls for flexibility to furlough staff

One of the concerns NICVA has been raising on behalf of sector organisations trying to sustain their services through and beyond the current crisis, has been the inability to furlough staff where a number of staff are part-funded by government.  We are pleased to report that the Department for Communities, following discussions with the NI Department of Finance and UK Treasury, has now written to NICVA to confirm that it will now consider, on a case by case basis, the reallocation of grants across funded posts to allow for the furloughing of some staff.   

Those affected can submit a request to the Department for grant realignment, outlining why furloughing is necessary and the expected effect on the funded programme's delivery of outcomes after furloughing.  The Department has indicated that the approval process will not be burdensome for organisations, and that for the majority of grant-funded organisations that were previously asked to submit a proposal on the work that they could undertake in the first quarter of 2020/21, a revisiting of these existing proposals may be all that is required. 

For further information, you should contact your relevant Programme Manager.