The Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF)  has won a prestigious Directory of Social Change (DSC) Social Change Award 2012 in the category ‘Great Giving Funders’ for its bespoke organisational support package. The Fund is managed by Ecorys, in partnership with Attend, Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and Primetimers.
The DSC Social Change Awards are for all those working to make a positive change in society.  The Great Giving Funders Award recognises funders that demonstrate a clear understanding of their beneficiaries and work with them to improve the process of grant-making and ultimately the impact the funding has. It is linked to DSC’s Great Giving Campaign, which aims to achieve better funding relationships.  The award winner is chosen by the public, who vote on a shortlist compiled by DSC.  

Offering a mix of grants alongside capacity building support, HSCVF has worked with more than 100 health and social care projects run by voluntary organisations over the past two years.  It has helped those organisations to become more sustainable and increase their effectiveness in addressing health inequalities and support social care delivery in marginalised communities throughout the UK.

Collecting the award on behalf of all the partners Ashfa Slater, Director of the HSCVF, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be recognised by the sector for the work we have put in to developing the bespoke organisational support package, which has helped to make the HSCVF such a success.  The organisations we have supported vary enormously, from working with hard-to-reach families in their homes to help reduce anti-social behaviour in young people to working with elderly people to help them maintain their independence and confidence.  We are always pleased to hear about the difference they have been able to make as a result of our intervention.  That’s what really counts and what motivates us to do the best that we can to support them.”

The achievement was applauded by Olivia Butterworth, who oversees the management of HSCVF for the Department of Health.  She said: “This award recognises the commitment and innovation which Ecorys, CSV, Primetimers and Attend have brought to the implementation of HSCVF.  I would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved - and to all those who voted for HSCVF.”