Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 13th January 2017

Camden Giving Job; Winter Weather Update; Camden Transition Town Groups Meeting; post-Christmas debt; Age Friendly Museums Network; Teckkie Tea Party; Camden Community Radio Workshop; dentistry in Camden; Rewired: the Brain, Art, and Innovation; + funding jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

January is the month when the bills for all the Christmas spending start dropping through the letterbox, and many people will bury their heads in the sand when it comes to managing their debt, and it is likely to hang over them for many months.
As a voluntary organisation we know that your service users may well approach or talk to you about their money difficulties. If you knew someone with boiler problems you would refer them to a gas engineer specialist so if you know someone in debt why wouldn’t you refer them to a debt advice specialist?
Capitalise is a partnership of voluntary organisations that give free, professional, accredited advice on debt and money management and who are also independent and impartial. This means we can tailor the support for the client based upon their needs and not on targets or bonuses (we do not receive any funding or payment for recommending debt relief options – we are funded by the Money Advice Service), we also understand that everyone’s story is different and that anyone can become indebted and so offer a non-judgmental supporting environment.
To find out more please visit www.capitalise.org.uk, we are also on twitter @CapitaliseLdn

Exciting Opportunity to lead Camden Giving
Director of Camden Giving Salary £40,000 (pro rata – 3 days per week)
Camden Giving is an exciting, new local fund with the aspiration to make Camden a fairer and more inclusive place to live and work. It will raise and pool donations to support grassroots community initiatives. see ‘Jobs’ section below for details.

Winter Weather Update
Get the latest from Camden Council here.
Get advice from the NHS on staying well here.
Get tips on staying warm this winter from Age UK Camden here.

Camden Transition Town Groups Meeting
You’re invited to a meeting of local Transition Town groups- listen in, maybe get involved! Wed 18 Jan at Primrose Hill Community Centre, 29 Hopkinsons Place, London NW1 8TN.

Age Friendly Museums Network Cross-sector Conference
Thursday 16th February 2017
9.30 – 16.30 at the British Museum, London
Book your free place through Eventbrite
Join us to explore current age friendly thinking and practice in museums developed through cross sector collaborations.
Themes will include:
Creativity and ageing
Demographic change and its potential impact
The value of partnerships between practitioners from different sectors
How museums can support age friendly communities
Innovative use of collections
Working with those living with dementia and stroke survivors

Teckkie Tea Party, Friday 20th January
To celebrate the Launch of RecommendMe. Councillor Alison Kelly and Diane Scarrott will say a few words, then an opportunity to use RecommendMe and develop your iPads skills, whilst enjoying all the free tea and cakes you desire.
We look forward to welcoming you next Friday at 4pm at Castlehaven Community Centre!

Free Workshop with Camden Community Radio Tomorrow
Learn how to write, record and edit a radio package at our studio in Camden. Tweet us for more info.

Share your views on dentistry in Camden
Healthwatch Camden represents the views of local people and we have the power to influence the delivery and design of local services.
We want to know what you think about dentists in Camden. Please take five minutes to fill in our online survey and have your say: www.tinyurl.com/HWCdental
Whether you visit the dentist regularly or hardly at all, what you say will help us get a better picture of services in Camden and push for improvements. We’ll use the information to create a report about services which will include recommendations to decision makers and service providers.
You can also call us to take the survey over the phone (we’ll call you straight back!) 0203 771 3930.

Rewired: the Brain, Art, and Innovation
Rewired features leading London-based neuroscience clinicians and researchers, tech innovators, and artists and is produced by and in aid of Movement for Hope.
The event aims to raise public awareness of neurological conditions using artistic collaborations and cutting-edge research.
This event is supported by UCL, Imanova and Alzheimer’s Research UK Dementia Network. UCL Departments involved include the Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation and the Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre.
Friday 10th March, 2017, 19:00 – 21:00 GMT at the Ondaatje Theatre, Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR
Tickets and Booking General Admission: £12. Concession: £10 at Eventbrite
For further enquiries please contact emma.biondetti@movementforhope.org

Camden Patient Participation Group Newsletter
You can read the latest Camden Patient Participation Group Newsletter here.

Camden Giving, Refugee Therapy Centre, Culpeper Community Garden, Sante Refugee Mental Health Project, Elfrida Rathbone , VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre, 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

Big Society become Shared Society
Prime Minister Theresa May has said that a key part of her “shared society” vision for the UK involves “creating an environment in which our charities and social enterprises can thrive”. She pledged to support initiatives such as National Citizen Service, the Points of Light awards to recognise volunteers and supporting the #iwill campaign which was a central part of David Cameron’s big society agenda.
She has also asked Mind CEO to work with “employers and mental health groups to create a new partnership with industry.” She pledged £14M to support mental health (about 20p per person). Full story in Civil Society. The third sector press north of the border was more skeptical of the initiative, with Third Force News calling it a “sham” and warning politicians to “keep off our territory.”

Commissioning (Again)
The Guardian has an excellent article “Fairer UK charity contracts will demand long-term government support” which pinpoints the current commissioning culture as part of the problem. The article says that small charities are losing out and therefore depriving the public sector (and their clients) of local expertise and reach. The article sets out the governments plan to tackle the problems but warns that the plans may take some time and still depend on local commissioners seeing the value of the sector.

The Holocaust and the Antiques Roadshow
This Sunday, BBC One will broadcast a special edition of Antiques Roadshow, focusing on a group of Holocaust survivors and showing objects that help tell their stories. Among the objects featured in this episode are a pair of striped trousers worn in Auschwitz and a gold coin used by a family as vital currency when fleeing over the Pyrenees and a children’s board game from 1938 called Juden Raus. Full details at the Weiner Library website.

How getting to know the community you work in helps strength based social care
An interesting blog post from the Deputy Director, Integrated Commissioning, Adult Social Care, Leeds City Council and Leeds North Clinical Commissioning Group on the value of really getting to know your community and the challenge for staff who live elsewhere in very different places.

Charities and Campaigning still under attack
Attacks by politicians on charities for campaigning continue, the latest being the Prime Minister, Theresa May, attacking the Red Cross as “irresponsible“. NCVO have produced an excellent guide to “How to talk about charities and campaigning” which sets out the positive argument for why charities should campaign and what is allowed within the law. Paul Perkins, a former Charity Commissioner has also written an excellent piece telling the story of how RNIB campaigning lead to a revolution in NHS services to deaf people (the story can be repeated for disability, mental health etc etc).

 

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

Home Office’s Building a Stronger Britain Together Opens for 2017 Funding
The four-year Building a Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) programme was established last September by the Home Office to help deliver a key strand of the Government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy.
The Building a Stronger Britain Together Programme offers both grant funding and in-kind support to civil society and community organisations that are working to create more resilient communities, to stand up to extremism in all its forms and to offer vulnerable individuals a positive alternative, regardless of race, faith, sexuality, age, and gender.
There is a fixed amount of funding available. Applications will be considered on a first-come-first-served basis.
The Fund offers the following:
In-kind support up to a value of £75,000.
Grants of between either £1,000 and £14,999 or £15,000 and £50,000.
See the website for full details and how to apply.

Team London small grants programme now open for applications
This year we will support organisations who are either aiming to recruit more volunteers in the 59+-69+ age-group, or for organisations that work with older people to be able to recruit more volunteers so that more services can be provided. The grants will be for between £5k and £10k for a 12 month project.
Find out more and apply here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/volunteering/effective-community-engagement/team-london-small-grants

Community Action Project for older people in the West Euston/Regents Park
Ageing Better in Camden is planning to commission a Community Action Project for older people in the West Euston/Regents Park area from October 2017- October 2019. We are looking for an organisation that will run activities for older people led by and chosen by older people, it will give older people a voice and stronger role in influencing the communities they live in. The funding available for this is £90k.
If you want to talk about this further, please contact Corinna.hyman@ageukcamden.org.uk. We are also planning an information meeting regarding the project on Thursday 2nd February. Please register your intention to attend by 31 January 2017.

Bid for Better scheme 2017
The Bid for Better scheme awards grants of up to £400 towards activities or equipment to:
~ improve patient experience
~ promote mental wellbeing
~ or make our services more accessible.
As well as Trust service users, we would like to encourage bids from external organisations whose service users would be benefitted in any of the above ways and benefit two or more patients or users.
In the past, Bid for Better has awarded funding for projects such as:
~ new toys and games for the children’s waiting room at the Tavistock Centre.
~ a recipe of life cooking session for Congolese parents and their teenage children.
~ cameras for the City and Hackney Community Photography Project to support a project which uses creative approaches to engage with patients who struggle with traditional therapies.
~ an outdoor gazebo ‘chill zone’ for young people at Camden Kaleidoscope.
If you would like to apply for up to £400 for your project or idea then we will ask you to complete an application form giving us as much detail as possible. You can apply online.
or you can request a form by post or email by contacting the PPI team: ppi@tavi-port.nhs.uk
The closing date for applications is Thursday 2nd March 2017.
To be considered for funding you must be a Member of the Trust. If you are not a member already it is really easy to join via the Trust website. web: www.tavistockandportman.nhs.uk
If you have questions or need help contact by telephone on 020 8938 2068 or email or you can pop into the PPI office on the ground floor of the Tavistock Centre, 120 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BA

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

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.

ILM Certificate in Team Leadership
New Year’s Resolution for 2017?
Want to improve leadership skills?
Want to get your first job as a leader?
Then the ILM Certificate in Team Leadership is for you.
Help is available from the Mary Ward Centre’s bursary fund to meet the costs of fees and travel. This course is FREE for those in receipt of JSA/ESA or unemployed and in receipt of UC or another income related benefit.
This is a first step in the Institute of Leadership and Management’s qualifications programme. The course helps to boost your performance as a team member and enable you to gain recognition of your abilities to lead a team. You will learn core leadership and management skills, how to put them into practice and be more effective and confident as a team leader.
To find out more visit the Mary Ward web site www.marywardcentre.ac.uk or contact Rahul.miah@marywardcentre.ac.uk.

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

Book Now: Volunteer Managers’ Training, Forum + Lunch
Join us at our next volunteer management training which will be followed by a networking lunch and volunteer managers’ forum.
The day will kick off with volunteer management training session, ‘How To Support Volunteers With Mental Health Issues’, delivered by Iuliana Dinu from Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea.
The networking lunch and forum will follow the training. Topics will be varied, and can be anything you want to discuss that relates to managing volunteers.
All of this will take place
Wednesday 18th January, 10am-3pm
Kelly Street Congregational Church Hall, Kelly Street, Kentish Town, NW1 8PH
Check out the full details and book your free tickets on Eventbrite.

HR Support in Camden
Caroline Jepson, VAC’s HR Advisor, provides 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 Thursdays but is available on other days by arrangement. Call 020 7284 6551 or email cjepson@vac.org.uk.
Also, 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.

Rethink Mental Illness Mental Health First Aid courses
FREE to anyone who either lives, works, studies or volunteers in Camden or Islington
Mental Health First Aid (Adult)
This course equips participants in the same way as a physical first aid course, teaching participants how to give initial support to someone experiencing a mental health problem until professional treatment can be accessed.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
This course delivers the same principals as the adult course, but is for anyone who lives or works with young people (11-18). It will also cover other topics specific to young people that include child, adolescent and family psychosis, bullying and promoting protective factors and good parenting.
Participants will receive a certificate and manual upon successful completion of the course.
If you have any further questions you can contact the Rethink Mental Illness Mental Health Promotion Team on training@rethink.org
You can book online at www.rethink.org/camdenislingtontraining. Courses run from 9.30am to 5pm

Development of Child House
There will be a voluntary sector meeting about the development of Child House (an important new initiative to respond to Child Sexual Abuse) in North-Central London. This is led by MOPAC and NHS England (London region) and funded by the Home Office.
MOPAC and NHS England (London region) have secured funding from the Home Office Police Innovation Fund to introduce two ‘Child Houses’ to London. These will be the first of their kind.
The two Child Houses will be operational from late Summer 2017. It is expected that at each Child House 400 children and young people will be supported each year, with this number likely to grow.
2pm-4pm 18th January 2017 at Resource for London 356 Holloway Road London N7 6PA
Mary Crawford & Leanda Richardson Commissioning workstream leads
Mcrawford481@btinternet.com; leanda.richardson@ntlworld.com

Camden Safeguarding Children Board Annual Conference: Child Sexual Abuse
This conference is aimed at multiagency professionals who work with children and young people.
The day aims to raise awareness and equip frontline professionals with the tools and confidence to deal with Child Sexual Abuse.
The Conference will cover:
Children’s Commissioners Report on Child Sexual Abuse
Strategies for preventing CSA in Camden
Links between Child Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation
NHS England’s proposal for ‘Child’s House Model’
Best Practice models for helping abused children get back on track NSPCC film a survivor’s account
Speakers will include:
The Children’s Commissioner
Metropolitan Police Service
Camden’s Designated Doctor for Safeguarding
NSPCC
Thursday 9th February 2017 09:30 – 16:00
The London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB
Contact Jerrie Andrews, Jerrie.Andrews@camden.gov.uk

Camden Intergenerational Network (CIN) meeting
The next Camden Intergenerational Network (CIN) meeting will be held on Thursday 19th January 2017 at Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square WC1H 9NA from 10am-12pm. Anyone with an interest in intergenerational activities is more than welcome to attend and meet others from Camden. Queries to Corinna Gray at ageingbetterincamden@ageukcamden.org.uk You can find out more about CIN at http://www.ageingbetterincamden.org.uk/camden-intergenerational-network/
See ‘other events’ below for details of the next course on intergenerational working on 18th January.

An Evening with Will: his sonnets in old and new versions
Presented by award-winning actress, Eve Pearce (Royal Shakespeare Company, West End productions of ‘Wild Oats’ and ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’, Mike Leigh’s ‘Topsy-Turvey’); and award-winning rhyming translator of Victor Hugo Timothy Adès who in his updating of Shakespeare has eschewed the letter E. And all to benefit Torriano Meeting House, the user-funded, grass-roots, volunteer-run arts and community organisation in Kentish Town.
Thursday 26 January, 7 for 7.30pm. £5/£4. Full details here.

Mapping for Change event Tuesday 24th January 1.30pm Kingsgate Resource
KOVE / Mapping for Change event at Kingsgate Resource Centre 1.30pm on Tuesday 24th January
In 2015 Mapping for Change conducted a research study on Finchley Road and local area to ascertain peoples experience of pedestrian access and how the design of the area effects peoples lives and wellbeing. KOVE and other groups of older people including at Abbey Community Centre were involved in the project. Mapping for Change will be presenting their preliminary findings for discussion.
RSVP – Mel Wright KOVE Coordinator melwillwright@gmail.com tel: 07539390786

Free film making course for women starts January 2017
If you are a local woman aged 18 plus who is interested in the arts, media or creative industries and wants to broaden your skills, you can apply now to join our FREE four to five week film-making course, starting January 2017.
http://news.camden.gov.uk/lights-camera-action—film-making-opportunity-for-local-women/

Highlight Cancer – free training for hairdressers, barbers & others
Talk Cancer workshops will run each month for ten months, the first of which is taking place on 25th January 13:00-16:30. Workshops are for anyone in roles such as the above (or similar) based in Camden, and neighbouring boroughs.
Spaces can be booked for free at Eventbrite. For queries contact priya.yoganathan@nhs.net

Recovery College
Recovery College Spring term starts 4 January 2017. If you would like to find out more about the courses take a look at the Recovery College Spring 2017 course guide.

National Theatre Community Programme – Introduction to Performance
Wed 18-Jan – Wed 15-March, 7pm-9pm, £180
A chance to explore different approaches to performance in a safe and supportive environment.
Led by theatre director Michael Bryher, this nine-week course is most suitable for those who have not had any prior training. (£144 Concessions, Bursaries Available)
Apply Now before Sun 18-December https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

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

An introduction to intergenerational working Wed 18 January 2-17 9.45am – 4.30pm
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. 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.

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.
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

Refugee Therapy Centre seeks Sessional Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist/Clinical Psychologist
Sessional, depending on clients need and Centre’s requirements
Deadline: 6pm on Friday 10th February, 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 a copy of your recent CV and a covering letter detailing your suitability for the role to: Refugee Therapy Centre, 1A Leeds Place, Tollington Park, London N4 3RF
We will consider bi-lingual therapists with Arabic, Farsi and Turkish language background.
Suitable candidates are interviewed soon after their application and shortlisting.
For info: http://www.refugeetherapy.org.uk/get-involved/vacancies/child-and-adolescent-psychoanalytic-psychotherapist-clinical-psychologist.aspx or write to: info@refugeetherapy.org.uk

Culpeper Community Garden
This award-winning community garden in the heart of Islington is looking for a part-time support worker to enable vulnerable adults to access the skills and enjoyment of gardening.
One-year contract, £150 p.w. for ten hours shared between Mondays and Thursdays, starting March 2nd.
To apply: please send an email to culpeperrecruit@gmail.com or telephone 0207 833 3951 and we will send an application form and job description. Please return completed applications by email, or post to Culpeper Community Garden, 2 Dignum Street, London N1 0FJ. Deadline for returns is Monday 30 January 2017. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 15 February

Sante Refugee Mental Health Access Project seeks Administrator
Central London Euston location
14 hours – Tuesdays and Wednesdays
(shorter hours may be considered to suit right candidate)
£9.75 an hour (London Living Wage)
If you love organising your own office, are computer and finance literate and are committed to supporting refugees, then we would welcome hearing from you.
Sante provides refugees with volunteer befrienders who advocate for them and help them access essential services such as legal advice, accommodation and friendship.
We need an efficient administrator who can organise us and our information systems to ensure the effective delivery of SANTE’s services and activities.
Click to read the full job description and person specification. To apply send CV plus a covering letter stating in no more than 500 words how you meet the requirements set out on the person specification, to santeproject@msn.com by 5.00 pm on Monday 30th January.

Exciting Opportunity to lead Camden Giving
Director of Camden Giving Salary £40,000 (pro rata – 3 days per week)
Camden Giving is an exciting, new local fund with the aspiration to make Camden a fairer and more inclusive place to live and work. It will raise and pool donations to support grassroots community initiatives. It will also establish a shared vision that includes community activism, volunteering, new opportunities to collaborate, goodwill and connections.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced person who excels at working with individuals and organisations. You will also have excellent relationship building skills, experience of project management, identifying and securing income streams from various sources and the setting up a new organisation.
You will be supported by and work closely with the Steering Group. a committed group of people from the public, private and voluntary sectors. The group includes Argent, Business in the Community, Camden Town Unlimited, Camden Council, Hampstead Wells and Campden Trust, East London Business Association, Voluntary Action Camden and local residents.
Visit www.camdengiving.org.uk/jobs to apply. Closing date 23rd January.

Leighton Education Cookery Tutor, Kentish Town
7 hours per week, term time only £26,342 pro rata (including inner London weighting)
Closing date: 5pm on Friday 13th January 2017
The Cookery Tutor will be responsible for delivering weekly cookery sessions to 16-25 year olds with mild to moderate learning difficulties and autism at The Leighton Education Project. The lessons will support students to develop a range of independent living skills to help them bridge the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
For more information or to apply for this post, please go to http://www2.elfridacamden.org.uk/work-with-us/
You will need to e-mail a completed application form and equal opportunities monitoring form to Rosanna@elfridacamden.org.uk by Friday 13th January 2017.

Age UK Camden Vacancies
Primary Care Navigator
Local Government Scale SO1 £29,133 – £30,830 pa fixed term contract to March 2018 plus weekend allowance plus 6% contributory pension. (This post may be extended subject to funding)
The Navigator will support those aged 60+ with long term conditions and their carers to access timely care and community support services. Close work with GPs and other practice staff is required as is accurate record keeping using IT systems. Through timely intervention and care co-ordination, unnecessary hospital admissions, GP appointments and residential placements will be reduced.
Closing date: Wednesday 18th January 2017 – 5pm
Interview date: Wednesday 25th January 2017
Direct Payments Support Worker (part-time)
Salary S01 £29,133 to £30,830 including LW pro rata for 21 hours/week (actual £17,479.80 to 18,498 pa), initial until September 2017 with possibility of extension
You will promote the direct payments service, and assist in providing support to older people including from BME communities who wish to receive or are receiving direct payments from the London Borough of Camden.
Essential requirements: knowledge and understanding of the main principles of direct payments; understanding of and commitment to the social model of disability; understanding of the issues/needs relating to older people; experience of giving information and advice to individuals and groups; excellent numeracy, case management and communication skills; good initiative; ability to use Microsoft Word and Excel.
Closing date for receipt of completed application forms is 5pm on Monday 16th January 2017. Interviews will be held on Monday 23rd January 2017.
Personal Health Budgets Direct Payments Support Worker
(17.5 hours per week) Fixed Term Contract to 31st March 17 – ideally to start asap
Local Government Scale SO1 £29,133 – £30,830 pro rata for 17.5 hours plus 6% contributory pension.
Personalisation Support In Camden (PSIC) is a subsidiary of Age UK Camden. It is a new venture, which has been set up to provide Direct Payments support to under 65’s in Camden until a new disability user led organisation is established.
You will promote the direct payments service, with particular emphasis on Personal Health Budgets for Mental Health service users and also assist in providing support to disabled people, including those with learning difficulties, under 65 years of age, mental health service users, and parents of Disabled Children who wish to receive or are receiving direct payments from the London Borough of Camden.
Please note that as this post requires someone as soon as possible we will be considering applications as they are received and interviewing on a rolling basis.
For further details and an application form visit our website www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk or telephone 020 7239 0400. A secondment may be considered

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.

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/

Community Asset Map for Bangladeshi Elders
Consultants for Ageing Better in Camden are busy creating an asset map for Bangladeshi older people. You can view the presentation about the mapping exercise here. If you have feedback please contact Jaber Khan email Jaberk@safh.org.uk. A summary of the report will be published soon.

Office Space Wanted in Camden
Space needed for social enterprise providing enterprise skills training and employability skills, supporting startups and running education programmes for children.
If your organisation has space and would like to raise funds by hosting us, please get in touch. Please note leases and complex licence agreements can be avoided, so don’t worry if you can’t provide these.
We are looking for space for 5 to 30 people and could combine more than one smaller location. Perhaps you have an unused social space, bar, hall, office or basement that we could use? It does not need to be pristine! We will redecorate and fit the space, and provide broadband (which we will happily share with you if that’s useful) and everything else that’s needed.
Please contact Jack Wratten on jackwratten@gmail.com or 07711502041

Bus Consultation
TfL are consulting on changes to a number of bus routes and services which will affect Camden residents. Especially routes routes 3, 6, 8, 15, 22, 23, 25, 46, 73, 137, 172, 242, 332, 390, 425, 452, C2, N2, N3, N8, N15, N22 and N73. Details at TfL website.

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”.
You can read Healthwatch Camden’s statement to today’s consultation meeting STP here.

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.