Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 2nd December 2016

Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP) Update; Camden Young People and Refugees; 25% London; Early Action Insights event on Mental Health; Strategic Partners Event; Report your energy data; HR Support from VAC; CPPEG open meeting; Camden Council’s Transition Support Development Grant; Volunteer Awards Camden; Moneytalk Camden North; Chair of Young Camden Foundation; Christmas 2016 Volunteering Opportunities + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Following the public meetings that the council held on the North London Sustainability and Transformation Plan you can view the presentation slides from the meeting here.
The Cabinet next meets on 14 December and it will consider the Council’s response to the draft North Central London Sustainability and Transformation Plan (NCL STP). You will be able to view the Council’s response on the Camden website in the Council and Democracy pages at http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/council-and-democracy/ closer to the date of the Cabinet meeting.
The full NCL STP draft document and a summary document are available on the Camden website.
If you would like feed in ideas or comments on the draft STP document, please send them to the NCL STP office at nclstpmo@nhs.net.
You can read the views of Healthwatch Camden on the STP here.

Camden Young People and Refugees
A short film about the refugee crisis seen through the eyes of a group of teenagers from Camden as they encounter activists, artists and those directly involved. Featuring Syrian refugee and activist Ahmad al-Rashid, AOI World Illustration award winner Olivier Kugler, the Jewish Museum, ice&fire theatre and campaigner Onjali Rauf who has been organizing aid with her charity Making Herstory.

25% London. Collecting the opinions of 500 young Londoners
Get involved via twitter and facebook @LondonsFuture . More info here.
The pledges will be collated into a photo montage and will be show to key city decision makers to inform their future projects. Any young person who enters is in with the chance of winning £100 or other prizes in our random draw. There is also an online survey for young people to complete.

Early Action Insights event on Mental Health Friday 9th December from 9.30am-12pm
The Early Action Task Force and Big Lottery Fund are hosting an insights event to launch a report looking at how we can act earlier to promote mental health and prevent mental illness.
Join us for a discussion involving practitioners who are pioneering early action in practice, and policymakers working in the field of mental health. The event will be chaired by BLF Chief Executive Dawn Austwick and include presentations from Mancroft Advice Project and Haringey Thinking Space.
More information, and to book a place at Eventbrite.

Strategic Partners Event
Camden held an event for it’s new Strategic Partners on Wednesday. The treasurer of Somali Youth Development Resource Centre gave one of the speeches and welcomed the decision to award the new community building at the Plimsoll building to SYDRC and Dragon Hall.

Report your energy data and receive your green mark of achievement
You can now report your carbon emissions online. CCCA have also updated the criteria of the Marks of Achievement so members who report their energy data and commit to put actions in place to reduce the energy consumption are automatically awarded the Going Green Mark. You can submit your data until 30 December. Follow the link: reporting carbon emissions form.

HR Support from VAC
Caroline Jepson, VAC’s HR Advisor has a new telephone number – 020 7284 6551. Her e-mail remains the same – cjepson@vac.org.uk. At present, due to funding from Camden, Caroline can provide free HR advice and support to Camden voluntary organisations employing staff. Get in touch to discuss your HR consultancy needs, from recruitment to redundancy and everything in-between.
VAC’s HR support aims to help trustees and managers understand employment law and to have robust HR procedures that reflect good practice so fewer workplace issues arise, and HR crises are averted or managed effectively. Caroline normally works at the VAC office on Thursdays but, to suit your requirements for one-to-one support, is available on other days by arrangement.
See also the free HR training available to Camden groups listed in this bulletin under Training.

CPPEG open meeting Monday 12th December (2-4pm) at St Pancras Hospital
The presentations and presenters for CPPEG open meeting on the 12th December are as follows:
Presentation 1: What are Camden CCG plans for digital communications between patients and General Practices?
Presentation 2: What is the patient experience telling Central and North West (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust?
Please RSVP: Martin Emery, Deputy Head of Engagement Tel: 020 3688 1755 Email: martin.emery@camdenccg.nhs.uk

Camden Council’s Transition Support Development Grant
Are you affected by rent support transition funding? Have you applied for the Transition Support Development Grant? If you need confidential advice and support on how to take your plans forward contact Kevin or Simone at VAC, email knunan@vac.org.uk or shensby@vac.org.uk 020 7284 6550.

Volunteer Awards Camden
Congratulations to all those who took part and the many award winners, but especially our own volunteer award winner Hasel Hooshier – well done and many thanks to all! VCC facebook page.

Moneytalk Camden North – Financial Education Facilitator Training Courses in 2017
Moneytalk Camden North is a project based on the award winning financial literacy resource Made of Money, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills.
We will train you to use the resources and approach to support your own client groups.
In January (18th & 25th) we are running a 2-day training course aimed specifically at those working with groups using languages other than English.
We will also be running 2-day comprehensive training courses on 9th & 16th March, 11th & 12th July and 4th & 11th October click here to find out more and download a booking form.
Contact: mtcn@qsa.org.uk tel: 020 8983 5047

Free HR Courses for Camden Organisations
The Communities and Third Sector team at Camden Council are offering Camden voluntary and community groups a series of HR training workshops. See Other Events section below for full details.

Young Camden Foundation, Refugee Therapy Centre, VAC, Hopscotch, Kings Cross Construction Centre, Camden Carers Centre, Refugee Therapy Centre, Manor Gardens, Headway North London, Age UK Camden and Camden PA are recruiting. See Jobs and Volunteers section below.

You can join in on Facebook. Like us if you like us.

Follow all the Camden Voluntary Sector news on OneCamden on Twitter.

You can read more about all of these stories on our news page at www.vac.org.uk/new

Lloyds Bank Foundation Director Warns Lords Committee that the Value of Small Organisations is being lost
He argues that the bar for the third sector is often set higher than that demanded of other sectors. Small charities in particular face an ill-informed presumption that they’re not good at reporting or measuring their impact.
“Over the years I’ve met countless small charities and I am yet to meet one that isn’t interested in improving impact measurement. But they struggle to find any money to fund formal evaluations, so they focus on measures that relate directly to their day-to-day work. Many use industry-recognised methods, such as the Outcomes Star, that create a different, nuanced conversation with their beneficiaries at the point of “sale”. Most public and private businesses would give their eye teeth for that degree of bespoke customer experience.
From speaking with small and medium-sized charities, we hear their experiences of working with commissioners obsessed with standardising how they measure impact across diverse services. Where accountability for local provision ends up being outsourced to a small charity, commissioners frequently insist on a payment-by-results contract with often damaging effects on the charity’s ability to deliver local services.
Society can’t afford to have these services, or the impact they have on local communities, trivialised in this way. We need to measure impact through the eyes of a person receiving the service: as a good business would its consumers.”
Read the article here.

See the Funding pages on VAC’s website for all the latest information.

Heritage Lottery Young Roots
Grants from £10,000 to £50,000
Apply for a grant of £10,000-£50,000 to help young people aged 11 to 25 to explore their heritage, from green spaces, museums, and historic sites to language, local memories and youth culture. Full details at https://www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/young-roots

GALAXY Hot Chocolate Fund opens on 7th November
Through the Fund, Galaxy will be donating seventy awards of £300 to warm hearted community projects and people. The fund is open from 7 November to 26th February. For information go to www.galaxyhotchocolate.com

Bright Ideas Fund is open
The Community Business Bright Ideas Fund aims to give your community group the support and tools to start setting up your community business. It will also give your group the early stage finance that you need need to carry out consultation with local people and feasibility studies to develop a community business idea the community wants and needs.
A programme of support and grants of up to £20,000 is available to develop your community business idea. See full details at the Locality website.

Food for London
In 2016/17 the Fund will shine a light on the disconnect between the high levels of food poverty that exist in London and the tonnes of surplus food that is thrown away, sent to anaerobic digestion or is fed to animals. Food for London will provide support to groups and charities who are using creative ways to repurpose surplus food or provide solutions to address hunger and food waste in London. Grants of between £1,000 and £20,000 are available to support work where there is clear evidence of benefit to those experiencing food poverty, disadvantage or isolation in London.
Full details and how to apply are available on the London Community Foundation website.

Governance in the Voluntary and Community Sector
18 May 2017 – 22 June 2017 6 Thursday evenings 17:30-20:30 in Camden
A short course for members of governing bodies or anybody who is interested in developing the
knowledge and skills required to be a member of a governing body in the voluntary or community sector. With the knowledge gained from this course you can become an effective participant in the governance of new and existing organisations. Full details at the Mary Ward website.

VAC’s Mental Health Training Programme for BMER groups
Are you a BMER group or do you work with BMER communities?
For more information about our any of our courses, please go to https://vac.org.uk/events/category/health-mental-health/. Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses are only £25 per person. All other mental health workshops are free.
Please note that VAC can only accept bookings from organisations working with BMER communities based in Camden, or which serve Camden BMER residents. Places are limited on each course to a maximum of two people per organisation. Contact mentalhealthteam@vac.org.uk

The scourge of modern day slavery – Has the Slavery Act 2015 made any difference?
Monday December 5, 2016 from 3:30 to 6:00 Bindmans LLP, 236 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X
Join us as we approach Human Rights day 2016. The event is designed to provide insightful information on human trafficking and its issues. The speakers will discuss and explore how the Slavery Act and European legal tools have helped to prevent the causes of human trafficking.
RSVP as soon as possible. Limited seats available.

Middle Eastern Women & Society Organisation Celebration Event
Community Celebration: Green Towers Community Centre 7 Plevna Road Edmonton London N9 0BU
Saturday; 17 December 2016, Start: 12.00pm
Food and drink. Traditional Middle Eastern Fashion Show. Lots of entertainment.
Everybody is welcome! For more information please contact 07958145666

True Honour Awards 2017 Ceremony
6-9pm Tuesday 7th March 2017, The University of Law, 2 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 4TY
Book at eventbrite. Nominations are opne: True Honour Award nominations

St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre Celebrating Christmas Around the World
Saturday 17th December 12.00 – 3.00pm, 2 Ossulston Street, NW1
Festive fun, crafts, carols and dance performances. hello@thelivingcentre.org 07958 164725

An introduction to intergenerational working
An intensive one-day training session ideal for people who would like to organise activities or projects which bring together older and younger people, improve their intergenerational practice or make their organisation or service more age-inclusive.
Wednesday 18 January 2-17 9.45am – 4.30pm. Free
Training and Development Centre, Crowndale Centre, 218-220 Eversholt Street, London NW1 1BD
To book your place go to www.camdentds.co.uk, search for the course and request a place.
For queries and to make bookings without an account, please email tdsonline@camden.gov.uk or contact Vanda Carter – vanda.carter@camden.gov.uk / 020 7974 2810.

Best practice working with and for older LGBT people workshop
Tuesday 6th December 10.am – 1pm at Lumen Church & Community Centre
Please register your details here https://equalitiesdec16.eventbrite.co.uk – where you will also find more information and the full programme

Do You Need Health and Safety Training?
VAC and London Hazards are planning health and safety training for community groups in Camden.
The training is free. To find out more contact Kevin – knunan@vac.org.uk

Free HR training workshops for Camden voluntary and community groups
Free and will take place between 9.45 and 1pm at the Town Hall Judd Street.
The workshops are for managers and trustees of voluntary and community groups based in Camden.
Managing Misconduct Wednesday 16th November 2016
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-misconduct-registration-27067000126
Handling Workplace Investigations Wednesday 7th December 2016
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/handling-workplace-investigations-registration-27067050276
Staff Appraisals Thursday 12th January 2017
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-appraisals-registration-27067569830
Managing Sickness Absence Thursday 9th February 2017
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-sickness-absence-registration-27067617974
Managing Restructure Wednesday 15th March 2017
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-a-restructure-registration-27067674142
Managing Difficult Conversations at Work Wednesday 12th April 2017
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-difficult-conversations-at-work-registration-27067711253
The workshops will be run by Shirley Briggs. Shirley is an independent HR consultant. Her background is in social housing where she worked as a HR manager for a number of large housing associations. She is also a trained workplace mediator.

Don’t forget that Camden TDS run a full programme of course which are subsidised or free for voluntary sector partner organisations. There is a link to a list of partner organisations on the home page.

Find more Training Opportunities at www.vac.org.uk

Chair of Young Camden Foundation
We are looking for a Chair for our Board of Trustees. If you have strategic and organisational leadership and management experience gained in the private, public or not-for-profit sectors and wish to support our new approach then we would like to hear from you.
Job profile and application form available from the Camden council website.
Please send the completed application form, along with your CV, to david.jaggs@camden.gov.uk before the closing date, which is 5pm on Friday 9 December.
Find out more about the Young Camden Foundation: Email eugene.griffin@camden.gov.uk or david.jaggs@camden.gov.uk. See also John Lyon’s Charity website

Christmas 2016 Volunteering Opportunities
Thinking of volunteering over Christmas? Head over to the Volunteer Centre Camden website to see a range of opportunties.

Kings Cross Jobs
You can view a constantly changing range of job vacancies on the Kings Cross website. For the latest news on jobs sign up to job alerts.

The Refugee Therapy Centre Seeks Two Posts
Bi-Lingual Psychodynamic Counsellor/Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist
Sessional, depending on the need of clients and Centre requirements
Deadline: 5th January 2016
The person interested to join our team on intercultural therapy must be a qualified Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist resistered with BAP, BCP, or UKCP-CPJA, or Psychodynamic Counsellor ­fully accredited by BACP.
Priority will be given to those fluent in Arabic, Farsi and Turkish language, with some experience of working with refugees, asylum seekers and other minorities.
Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist/ Clinical Psychologist
Sessional, depending on clients need and Centre’s requirements
Deadline: 6pm 5th January 2017
The person interested to join our team of intercultural therapists must be a qualified Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist / Clinical Psychologist and be registered as such with ACP, BAP, BPC, or UKCP-CPJA or fully accredited by BACP.
Experience of working with Refugees and Asylum Seekers or other ethnic minorities is desirable.
To apply, please send your recent CV and covering letter detailing your suitability for the role to:
Refugee Therapy Centre, 1A Leeds Place, Tollington Park, London N4 3RF
Suitable candiadates are interviewed soon after their application and shortlising.
Job pack on http://www.refugeetherapy.org.uk/get-involved/vacancies/bi-lingual-counsellorpsychotherapist.aspx
For further information, please write to: info@refugeetherapy.org.uk.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. *RTC is committed to Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults and will carry out enhance DBS and full pre-employment checks of selected candidates, as well as two references.

Camden Carers Centre seeks Project Manager, Working for Carers Programme
£22,400 per annum (£28,000 FTE) Fixed term to 30 September 2019 28 per week
Working in Camden and Central South London locations
Camden Carers Centre has an exciting opportunity for a Project Manager to develop, plan and implement the new Working for Carers programme. This project is jointly funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund.
The post holder will be responsible for developing a comprehensive employment support project for unemployed and economically inactive unpaid carers across Camden, Merton, Richmond, Kingston, Sutton, Wandsworth; Central South London. The project will need to include a range of activities that can be tailored to meet individual carers’ needs, including one-to-one support, peer and group activities and time-limited in-work support to enable sustainable employment. This project will be delivered as part of a wider programme of activity across all London boroughs aimed at developing an effective and replicable service delivery model for employability support services supporting unpaid carers.
Applicants must be willing to work outside of office hours to manage service delivery at sites across Camden, Merton, Richmond, Kingston, Sutton, Wandsworth (as required) and undergo screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
You can download an application pack from our website: www.camdencs.org.uk. If you have problems downloading the application pack you can request one via email: info@camdencarers.org.uk, or telephone 020 7428 8950
Closing date is 12am 4th December; interviews Monday 12th December at our offices in Chalk Farm

Refugee Therapy Centre seeks Volunteer Administrative Assistant
Accountable to: Fundraising and Office Manager
Flexible Working Hours – minimum of up to 2 days a week
Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10.00am – 7:00pm including one hour lunch
This is a varied and challenging post, providing secretarial and administrative support to a very busy charity. It is important that the post-holder is flexible, highly self-motivated and able to work to strict deadlines. Due to the nature of the work an appreciation of confidentiality at all times is essential. The successful applicant should be able to work with a wide range of people and have a welcoming disposition. S/he needs to have proven ability in secretarial skills, organisational capacity, IT familiarity, as well as an ability to efficiently time manage.
You will find the Job Pack here: http://www.refugeetherapy.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer.aspx
If you would like to apply as a volunteer, and are able to make a minimum of 6-8 months of committment, please complete the Volunteer Application and Equal Opportunities Form, and together with your CV and covering letter send it to us by post at:
Refugee Therapy Centre, 1A Leeds Place, Tollington Park, London, N4 3RF
For further information about volunteering opportunities, please send an email to info@refugeetherapy.org.uk
RTC is committed to Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults and will carry out enhance DBS and full pre-employment checks of selected candidates, as well as two references.

Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre seeks Employment Advisor
35 hrs per week 3 year contract £28,183 incl. ILW
For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Isabelle Terrisson, Senior Operations Manager. For all other details and an application pack, please contact Ruksana Begum, HR Administrator: Sunday 4th December 2016 at midnight.
Tel: 020 7388 8198 E-mail: info@hopscotchawc.org.uk Web:www.hopscotchawc.org.uk
Please do not send CVs as they will not be considered.

Volunteers are needed in GP practices!
Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) would like to hear from you! We are training volunteers to become Community Health Advocates in local GP practices.
• Do you live, work or volunteer in Camden?
• Would you like to support people in your community to improve their health and their access to services that will help them to maintain good health and wellbeing?
• Do you want to develop experience and skills in the field of public health?
• Can you commit at least 2 hours per week?
VAC is offering free Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) Level 1 training to those who want to volunteer their time to become Community Health Advocates. The RSPH Level 1 training is a two days course, with a 20 question multiple choice test at the end of the second day of training. It could provide a useful skill set and experience for people who may be interested in following a health related career path in the future.
After completing the training, VAC will support local teams of volunteers to act as links between community based services and GPs. You may wish to take advantage of additional opportunities to increase your knowledge, for example smoking cessation, cancer awareness, diabetes etc. In return for your commitment to the project for 2 hours a week we offer support, out of pocket expenses and other professional development opportunities.
For more information, please contact Mandira Manandhar, Health Advocate Volunteer Co-ordinator (Mon, Tues and Thurs) 020 7284 6550/07930669417 or email: mmanandhar@vac.org.uk
Peter Simonson on 020 7284 6550 or email: projectsupport@vac.org.uk
The RSPH training is provided FREE by on the understanding that participants are available to volunteer for the project and able to attend the regular training and support sessions.

Are you looking to employ an assistant to help with your care needs? CamdenPAs can help
CamdenPAs.org.uk is a new service that makes it easy to find a personal assistant (PA) and puts you in control of your care and support.
If you have care needs, you can employ a PA to help you to live as independently as possible.
CamdenPAs features an online ‘marketplace’ for you to browse through a list of profiles of PAs in the borough. Profiles give details about the services they provide, their skills, experience and personal interests.
You can look through the list to find suitable matches and choose someone you like to help support you.
When you find a match you can contact the PA to arrange an interview and see how you get on. If you like them you can then work out contract details such as hours, duties and wages, and hire them.
If you do not find anyone suitable, you can set up your own a profile describing your requirements and interests, for PAs to look through and contact you.
You can employ a PA whether you receive a direct payment or fund your own care. If you receive direct payments you can get support with the employment from Personalised Support In Camden or AgeUK Camden.
Become a PA
If you’re a PA looking for work or are just starting out, CamdenPAs can help you. As well as helping you finding a job, the site features advice on looking for work, becoming a PA and where to get training.
Why not set up your profile today? Find out more, visit: camdenpas.org.uk or phone: 020 7278 4437

Find Jobs and Volunteering opportunities at https://www.vac.org.uk/

Counselling Space Needed
Street Talk which is an outreach counselling service for women in street based prostitution and women who have escaped from traffickers. Until recently we had pro bono office space and a counselling space, that has come to an end and we badly need both a space where we can see women for counselling as well as just one room as an office. Contact Pip hockton pippahockton@gmail.com

North Central London Sustainability and Transformation Plan
Camden Council have now held two public meetings about the STP. You can read a summary of the STP here or the full publication here. You can read the Leader of Camden Council’s statement here and Camden CCG statement about the STP here, Campaigners have raised concerns. A major consultation with patients, the public and VCS is expected soon. Navca’s advice for the voluntary sector can be found here. Two notable quotes about STPs are:
“locally, the best source of support for linking with the voluntary sector is frequently the council for voluntary services (CVS)…”
“In many ways, STPs represent a complex ‘workaround’ to the fragmentation and complexity introduced by the Health and Social Care Act”.

Looking for some new office accommodation?
Training Link has some office space available Monday to Wednesday starting in January. Can accommodate two people comfortably. Reasonable inclusive charge. Also suitable for 1-1s and small meetings. We are situated in Somers Town at the back of the British Library. Accessible building and excellent transport links. Interested? Email Peter Lush on director@traininglink.org.uk

Camden Consultations
You can find all Camden consultation on the Wearecamden consultation hub.

FREE VAC Membership for Unfunded Groups: Voluntary Action Camden Small organisations with no paid staff and a turnover of less than £1,500 can now join for FREE. To take advantage of this offer just fill in the membership on the online form here.