Voting is now open to vote for the Best Community Space Spirit of Manchester Award 2016. 
Award criteria
A community space can be a piece of land or a building available for use by the community. Organisations needed to show:
• Best use of a community space
• How the space is seen as central within the community
• The impact it has within the local community
The Summer Reading Challenge takes place every year during the summer holidays. This year, the Summer Reading Challenge is celebrating 100 years of the world’s greatest storyteller, Roald Dahl.
Sign up at your local library, and then read at least six library books of your choice to collect special collector cards and other incentives – all for free.
For further information, visit: www.manchester.gov.uk/summerreadingchallenge
Each year the Fostering Network supports fostering agencies in recruiting the additional foster carers that are required for children in public care.
Every 20 minutes across the UK a child comes into care in need of a fostering family. This equates to 1,008 children during the two weeks of Fostering Fortnight.
Child Action North West are seeking to recruit Appropriate Adults to their service. Manchester City Council have recently commissioned them to provide attendance to vulnerable children and adults who are in custody.
What is an Appropriate Adult?
They are individuals who oversee the welfare of a young person (10-16 years) whilst that young person is detained and questioned at the Police Station.
Note: this "conversation" has now closed but we're leaving the page here so the information is still available.
Could you give us 10 minutes to talk about health?
As part of Greater Manchester’s Devolution agenda, for the first time Greater Manchester is taking control of £6 billion of public funding for health and social care from April 2016.
The Hilden Charitable Fund has allocated a small budget to help community groups run summer play schemes for disadvantaged communities. Some priority will be given to projects which show they are inclusive of children from refugee families, and show BME involvement. Grants of £500 to £1,500 are available.
The Trustees are looking to fund:
• Projects for children aged 5 to 18 years
• Locally based schemes lasting from 2 to 6 weeks
• Schemes with strong volunteer support
Award winning young people's charity Reclaim have been funded by the Police and Crime commissioner to deliver a young woman led project to raise awareness about Child Sexual Expoitation.
REIGN is an innovative, youth-led project which aims to raise awareness about child sexual exploitation (CSE) and affect change in this area.
“Early Help is intervening early and as soon as possible to tackle problems emerging for children, young people and their families or with a population most at risk of developing problems. Effective intervention may occur at any point in a child or young person’s life”.
The Kusuma Trust UK, an independent grantmaking organisation, aims to facilitate and increase access to education and other life opportunities for children and young people, with a focus on the most disadvantaged. The Trust enables children and young people to realise their potential and break the inter-generational cycle of poverty. The Trust has developed a strategy which includes working in England to improve education outcomes for young people.
Registered charities in England can apply for grants of up to £10,000.
BBC Children in Need’s vision is that children and young people in the UK have a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential.
Their role in achieving this vision is by making grants to charities and other non-profit organisations that support and work with children and young people who are disadvantaged and face challenges in their lives.