SCA Group

SCA are pleased to announce that they have been recommended for continued certification against the standard ISO 9001 2008.

This was following a major audit which took place at the end of January.

The external Auditor, Chris McMillan of AJA Registrars said of SCA "SCA are a fantastic company offering a wide range of services and doing a fantastic job for the local community.

Since the previous audit a number of improvements have been seen, as the company continues to grow and adapt so well to the pressures that they are put under."

SCA has successfully held the standard since 2003.

Deputy CEO, Heidi Oldrey said "This reflects the high standards of service delivery being provided by our colleagues, day in, day out and they are to be congratulated on their efforts. The systems we use support the high level of care giving and provide reassuranc for our customers"

The scope of operation covered by the standard includes: Dial-a-Ride, Community Day Centre Transport, Community Transport, Voluntary Car Driver Scheme, Ramsey Healthcare and Domiciliary Care , including Extra Care Services, Welcome Home and Rehabilitation, High Dependency, Take-a-Break and Support Work.

Third sector organisations may need to find new ways of making money if they are to survive the recession, according to Mark Oaten, MP for Winchester and the Meon Valley.

Mr Oaten, a Liberal Democrat, who is standing down at the next election, was speaking at a conference on The Third Sector and the Next Government, organised by the SCA Institute of Social Enterprise and Community Action Hampshire.

The conference, at Old Alresford Place in Alresford, Hampshire on Friday 12 March 2010, included guest speakers from the three main political parties.

They included Mr Oaten as well as Nick Hurd, MP for Ruislip North and Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering, and Dr Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test.

Around 50 delegates attended the event, including CEOs, directors and chairs of many of the leading third sector organisations in Hampshire.

Mr Oaten said charities may need to experiment and find new income streams to meet the future shortfall in public sector spending.  This might mean being adventurous and taking on projects outside their normal functions, he said.

(L-R) Paul Chamberlain, Chair of Community Action Hampshire; Nick Hurd MP; Dr Alan Whitehead MP; Sue Dovey, Chief Executive of Community Action Hampshire; Mike Morgan, Chair of SCA Group.

Mr Oaten said he was on the Board of five charities and that every meeting had been dominated by the impact of the economic recession and budget cuts.   He feared that organisations doing "unfashionable" work or whose role included challenges to Government policy might be the first to suffer from budgetary restrictions.

Charities could help themselves, he said, by investing more in fundraising, developing new income streams and in some cases by cooperating more with organisations working in similar fields.

Dr Whitehead said national and local government should continue to support third sector initiatives and to recognise the immense value of the work the third sector does.

Any future government should recognise the ability of the third sector to help the country recover from the recession through its volunteering and skills training opportunities.  Some of the barriers to volunteering also need to be broken down through more simplified bureaucracy and clearer guidelines on issues such as CRB checks and benefits.

Mr Hurd said the third sector provided solutions to some of society's most stubborn problems and that "magical" outcomes could sometimes occur.  The sector is often the glue holding communities together, he said.

He believed that a future government should adhere to a principle of "do no harm" to the third sector, by retaining developments that had worked, such as the Office of the Third Sector, and by removing bureaucratic barriers.

Businesses could do more to embrace the third sector through employee volunteering programmes. A step change in attitudes is also necessary, he said, where people are more connected with the joy of philanthropy and of giving.

"It was very gratifying to hear the positive comments made by all three MPs about the added value contributed by third sector organisations and their need for continuing support in the recession," said Rev Brian Strevens, Chief Executive of the SCA Institute of Social Enterprise.

"We are delighted at the success of this event. Arguably there has never been a more important time for politicians and the not-for-profit sector to talk to each other," said Sue Dovey, Chief Executive of Community Action Hampshire.