A

ABI

Area Based Initiative

Accountable Body

An organisation or group of people who form an agreement with another company to be completely responsible for receipt and use of funding and auditing a Programme or Project.

ACDF

Active Communities Development Fund

ACE

Arts Council of England

ACEVO

Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations

ACF

Association of Voluntary Organisations

ACIE

Association of Charity Independent Examiners

Active Community Unit

A unit in the Home Office which aims to promote the development of the voluntary and community sector and encourage people to become actively involved in their communities, particularly in deprived areas.
Their objectives are to build capacity in local communities and promote effective community development,
To promote and facilitate positive community involvement and citizenship,
To develop productive partnerships between Government and the voluntary and community sector at local, regional and national levels, and
To develop a modern legal and regulatory framework for the voluntary and community sector and to encourage good practice www.homeoffice.gov.uk

ACU

Active Community Unit (Home Office)

Additionality

A way of measuring the benefits of a projects activities which highlights the changes brought about, which wouldn't have occurred, if the project hadn't taken place.

AGM

Annual General Meeting

Aims and objectives:

The proposals and intentions that a project is stipulating that it will achieve.

ALI

Adult Learning Inspectorate

ALM

Action Learning for Managers

ALW

Adult Learners' Week

ANEC

Association of North East Councils

Anti-Poverty Strategies:

An attempt at a co-ordinated approach to tackling poverty including programmes to help people claim benefits, manage debt, have access to low interest small loans and better access to social work and housing services.

Area Based Regeneration:

In some areas, problems of economic (e.g. decline of a major local industry), social and environmental dereliction combine to lock local communities into a vicious cycle of exclusion. Area based initiatives encourage a range of partners to work together, targeting their resources to improve the quality of life in these specific areas.

ARVAC

Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector

Area Investment Frameworks (AIFs):

Set out the regeneration priorities for an area with the aim of targeting funding from regional development agencies (see RDAs). AIFs are developed by partnerships of local and regional agencies.

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Baseline:

A measurement of the starting conditions, for example numbers unemployed, before a programme is undertaken. The benefits of a programme can be assessed over time by comparing the baseline figures with more up to date figures.

BASSAC

British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres

BCD

Black and Culturally Diverse

Beacon Councils:

A government scheme which identifies excellence and innovation in local government. Round 4 beacons will be announced in April 2003 with learning exchanges starting in June 2003. www.idea.gov.uk

BECON

Black and Minority Ethnic Community Organisations' Network

Bending Main Programmes:

Tackling deprivation by focusing local agency and government department spending more specifically on the most deprived areas - see Mainstreaming.

Best Value:

A framework, based on a set of nationally determined indicators to help local authorities measure, manage and improve their performance. www.local-regions.odpm.gov.uk

BitC

Business in the Community

BL

Business Link

BME

Black Minority Ethnic

BSA

Basic Skills Agency

BSL

British Sign Language

BTCV

British Trust for Conservation Volunteers

BTEG

Black Training and Enterprise Group

BURA

British Urban Regeneration Association

BME

abbreviation for Black Minority Ethnic

Brownfield Land:

Land that has been previously developed.

Building Communities Initiative:

An initiative set up in 1999, managed by Free Form Arts Trust, a charity, the project encourages local communities to participate in housing regeneration projects.  It is facilitated by Free Form Design and Technical Services with the help of government funding. www.freeform.org.uk

Business Broker Schemes:

Local Strategic Partnerships are being invited to bid for these to assist businesses in maximising their contribution to Neighbourhood Renewal. Business in the Community and the British Chambers of Commerce are co-ordinating the project. www.neighbourhood.gov.uk

Business Improvement Districts:

A part of an urban area where local businesses pay additional rates to create improvements in services such as street cleaning, landscaping or crime reduction.

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CAB

Citizens Advice Bureau

CAF

Charities Aid Foundation

Capacity Building:

Shorthand for a wide range of support, techniques and initiatives which aim build the capacity of individuals or organisations within communities to contribute effectively to regeneration projects.  

Capital Funding:

Money spent on the purchase or improvement of fixed assets such as buildings, roads and equipment.

CAVOS

Community and Voluntary Organisations Sedgefield

CBI

Confederation of British Industry

CDF

Community Development Foundation

CED

Community Economic Development

CEDC

Community Education Development Centre

CEF

Community Empowerment Fund

CEMVO

Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations

CEO

Chief Executive Officer

CES

Charities Evaluation Services

CFN

Community Foundation Network

CHC

Community Health Council

CIO

Charitable Incorporated Organisation (proposed new legal structure)

CIPD

Chartered Institute of Personnel Development

City Challenge:

A five year Government initiative, now completed, aimed at transforming specific rundown inner city areas and significantly improving the quality of life for local residents within its policy area

City Growth Strategy Initiative:

A scheme, piloted by the Small Business Service in four areas to encourage towns and cities to develop and implement inner city strategies which put enterprise and business at the heart of regeneration, focusing on the competitive advantages of inner city areas

City Pride:

Citywide partnerships launched in 1993 to enhance the cities of Birmingham, London and Manchester.

CLGB

Consortium of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Voluntary and Community Organisations

Closed-Circuit Television Initiative:

Jointly managed by the Home Office, the ODPM and the National Assembly for Wales, the Closed-Circuit Television Initiative aims to help local crime and disorder reduction partnerships deploy closed-circuit television (CCTV) in areas with significant crime and disorder problems.

CLS

Community Legal Service

CO

Chief Officer

COMBINE

Community Business in the North East

Communities First:

A new Welsh Assembly programme to establish 100 partnerships in areas of deprivation across Wales to tackle deprivation using a comprehensive approach and the involvement of the local community.

Communities Scotland:

An executive agency of the Scottish Executive, directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament which carries out three functions: regeneration, regulation and inspection of social landlords, and investment and performance in housing. www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk

Community Businesses:

Organisations which are established to provide services and/or employment in a local community. Their focus is about building the community and the local economy, but doing so in a business-like way as independent and self-supporting organisations.

Community Chest:

Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chests are administered by voluntary sector 'lead organisations' and offer small grants of up to £5,000 to community groups for projects to help them renew their own neighbourhoods. www.neighbourhood.gov.uk

Community Empowerment Fund (CEF):

Aims to help community and voluntary groups to become empowered in order to participate in Local Strategic Partnerships and neighbourhood renewal. Government Offices for the Regions are responsible for distributing CEF resources and there will be £36m over three years. www.neighbourhood.gov.uk

Community Forum:

The Community Forum was launched on 23 January 2002. It's purpose is to act as a sounding board for Ministers and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit and provide a 'grass-roots' perspective on neighbourhood renewal strategies. www.neighbourhood.gov.uk

Community Fund:

The operating name of the National Lottery Charities Board, the independent organisation set up by Parliament in 1994 to distribute money raised by the National Lottery to support charities and voluntary and community groups throughout the UK and to UK agencies working abroad. www.communityfund.org.uk

Community Legal Service Partnerships:

Local networks of providers of legal services, supported by co-ordinated funding and delivering services to local communities based on identified priority need.

Community Planning:

The process where a local authority and partner organisations come together to plan, provide and promote the well-being of their communities. It promotes the active involvement of communities in the decisions on local services which affect people's lives including for example health, education, transport, the economy, safety and the environment.

Community Strategies:

The plans which local authorities are now required to prepare for improving the economic, environmental and social well being of local areas and by which the councils are expected to co-ordinate the actions of the public, private voluntary and community organisations that operate locally.

County Durham Economic Partnership

The sub regional partnership for Durham

COVER

Community and Voluntary Forum for the Eastern Region

CPRE

Council for the Protection of Rural England

CRA

Charity Regulation Authority (proposed new name for Charity Commission)

CRB

Criminal Records Bureau

CRE

Commission for Racial Equality

Creative Partnerships:

Organisations which provide a bridge between schools and cultural organisations, enabling every pupil to have the chance to work with creative professional and organisations to develop creative skills.

Creative Spaces Initiative:

A programme run by The Architectural Foundation. www.creativespaces.org.uk

Crime Concern:

A national crime reduction organisation and registered charity which provides advice and help to a wide range of professional and voluntary agencies to support their work in reducing crime and the fear of crime within local communities and runs over 60 projects across England and Wales. www.crimeconcern.org.uk

Crime Reduction Partnerships:

Statutory partnerships formed as a consequence of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which required the Police and local authorities and others to work together to tackle crime and disorder within a local authority area. www.crimereduction.gov.uk

Crime Reduction Programme:

A Government funded programme which consists of a series of diverse initiatives which have been shown to be effective at reducing crime or the fear of crime.

CURDS

Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, University of Newcastle

CURS

Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham

CSV

Community Service Volunteers

CVS

Council for Voluntary Service

CWACNEE

Community Work Assessment Consortium for North East England

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DAT

Drugs Action Team

DCMS

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

DDA

Disability Discrimination Act

Deadweight:

A way of measuring the benefits of a programme which identifies the things that would have occurred anyway without the intervention of the programme (see additionality)

DEFRA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Delegation levels:

The levels which determine who within an organisation is authorised to make certain decisions.

Delivery Plan:

A plan which sets out what a project or programme intends to achieve, when, where and at what cost.

DETR

Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (defunct)

Development Trusts:

A network of independent, not-for-profit, community-based organisations which are engaged in the economic, environmental & social regeneration of a defined area or community. www.dta.org.uk

DfEE

Department for Education and Employment (defunct)

DfES

Department for Education and Skills

DfT

Department for Transport

DIAL UK

Disability Information and Advice Line Services UK

Discount rate:

The annual percentage rate at which the value of money reduces over time to give a present day value.

Displacement:

The extent to which the effects of a project impact - positively or negatively - on surrounding areas

DoH

Department of Health

DPAS

Drugs Prevention Advisory Service

DPI

Drugs Prevention Initiative

DPTAC

Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee

DRC

Disability Rights Commission

DSC

Directory of Social Change

DTA

Development Trusts Association

DTI

Department for Trade and Industry

DTLR

Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (defunct)

DWP

Department for Work and Pensions

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EAPN

European Anti Poverty Network

Early Excellence Centres:

Local centres which offer models of good practice in early years education in deprived areas

EAZ

Education Action Zone

EC

European Commission

EC

Experience Corps

Education Action Zones:

Local clusters of schools in deprived areas receiving special government grants to work together with others to raise education standards. www.standards.dfee.gov.uk

Employment Zones:

Areas where additional money is available to help the long term unemployed into work. www.dfee.gov.uk/employmentzones

English Cities Fund (ECF):

A scheme aimed at attracting private sector funds into neglected cities. ECF is a partnership between English Partnerships, developer AMEC and investors Legal & General. www.englishcitiesfund.co.uk

English Partnerships:

The key delivery agency in the government's new 'living communities' agenda to regenerate our towns, cities and rural areas. www.englishpartnerships.gov.uk

Enterprise Zones:

Sites for industrial development within older urban areas across GB with relief from paying business rates and relaxed planning restrictions. The last EZs will expire in 2006.

EOC

Equal Opportunities Commission

ERDF:

European Regional Development Fund: an EC structural fund which aims to reduce inequalities in socio-economic development between the regions in the Community, by supporting infrastructure projects, job-creation investments, local development and aid for SMEs. www.europa.eu.int

ES

Employment Service

ESF:

European Social Fund: supports activities that develop employability and human resources in five key areas: active labour market policies; equal opportunities; improving training and education and promoting lifelong learning; adaptability and entrepreneurship; improving the participation of women in the labour market. www.europa.eu.int

ESFVON

European Social Fund Voluntary Organisations Northern

ESOL

English for Speakers of Other Languages

ESP's

Economic and Social Partners

EU

European Union

European Objective 1 funding:

Objective 1 targets EU Structural Funds on areas that have an economy falling well behind the European average for wealth creation. http://europa.eu.int/

European Objective 2 funding:

Objective 2 targets EU structural funds on areas that have suffered through the decline of a major industry. http://europa.eu.int/

European Objective 3 funding

Objective 3 targets EU structural funds towards developing lifelong learning, supporting those at risk from exclusion in the workplace, promoting the role of women in the workforce and promoting adaptability and entrepreneurship.

Evaluation:

An assessment, after a project or programme has started, of the extent to which objectives have been achieved, how efficiently they have been achieved, and whether there are any lessons to be gained for the future

Excellence in Cities:

A programme to drive up standards in schools in 47 areas of England. www.standards.dfes.gov.uk

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Family Service Units:

A charity working with families in need with 19 family service units in inner cities in England and Scotland. www.fsu/org.uk

FAWN

Funding Advice Workers Network

FCWTG

Federation of Community Work Training Groups

FE

Further Education

FEFC

Further Education Funding Council

FIAC

Federation of Independent Advice Centres

FINE

Funding Information North East

Floor targets:

Deprivation will be tackled through the bending of main Departmental programmes such as the police and health services, to focus more specifically on the most deprived areas. Departments now have minimum targets to meet, which means that, for the first time, they will be judged on the areas where they are doing worst, and not just on averages. www.neighbourhood.gov.uk

FOCAST

Federation of Community Organisations in South Tyneside

Forward strategy:

Arrangements, which will continue the process of renewal and development after funding from the renewal, programme stops. It is sometimes called an exit, continuation or succession strategy.

Foyer:

A place that provides homes, training and work opportunities for homeless young people. www.foyer.net

FRESA

Framework for Education and Skills Action

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Gap funding:

The main vehicle by which the government hopes to encourage developers to build on brownfield sites by providing aid for private companies to help them redevelop contaminated, derelict and disused sites that might not otherwise be profitable

GAYE

Give As You Earn

GNVQ

Greater National Vocational Qualification

GO-NE

Government Office North East

Government Offices for the Regions:

There are nine Government Offices, each working with regional partners and local people to help deliver the governments key aims at regional level. www.rcu.gov.uk

Groundwork:

A charity supporting regeneration through practical environmental work in deprived areas. www.groundwork.org.uk

GVOC

Gateshead Voluntary Organisations' Council

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HAZ

Health Action Zone

HDA

Health Development Agency

HE

Higher Education

Health Action Zones:

Partnerships between the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary and private sectors and local communities which represent a new approach to public health, linking health, regeneration, employment, education, housing and anti-poverty initiatives to respond to the needs of vulnerable groups and deprived communities. www.haznet.org.uk

Health Living Centres:

The Healthy Living Centre initiative is managed by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF). The programme targets areas and groups that represent the most disadvantaged sectors of the population. H