Kevin Nunan, Author at Voluntary Action Camden

Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 28th April 2017

by Kevin Nunan28 April 2017

Highlights

The Camden Commission; Improving Records Management in Charities; Low Cost Trustee/ Management Committee Training; The Soup is back; Mental Health Awareness Week Event; Healthy Minds Community Programme; Wild Bunch Club; Camden Town Shed; Maiden Lane Family Fun Day; Lloyds Bank and Google Digital Garage; .+ funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Feature

The Camden Commission would like to hear from you

Join the conversation to help make Camden even better
We’re looking ahead to the future and want local people to be involved in the discussion.
The Camden Commission was set up to explore some of the big challenges facing the borough and how they can be overcome. Their recommendations will help us to create a new plan for Camden for 2018 to 2023.
The Commission is keen that the recommendations they make are based on local experiences and insight, so are inviting anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough to submit their ideas, experiences and comments.
Along with speaking with local people, organisations and businesses, the Commission is speaking with national experts about four themes: Communities, Camden’s economy, Public services, and Place and culture. These themes will address such questions as: What’s great about Camden and how can we protect it? What could public services of the future look like? How can we make Camden’s economy work for all?
Help us to shape the future of Camden by sharing your thoughts, ideas and experiences around these four themes. The deadline for submitting comments is Friday 26 May.
~ Submit an idea or suggestion, and see what others have said using our online forum
~ Submit written evidence by emailing us at camdencommission@camden.gov.uk
~ Sign up for email alerts

NEWS & POLICY

Improving Records Management in Charities
15th June 2017, 15:30-18:30, The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, St. James’s, London SW1Y 5AH
What records do charities need to keep? How long should they be retained? What legislation and regulations on record keeping do charities need to comply with?
We invite you to learn more about these topics at the launch of a new toolkit to help charities and voluntary organisations improve records management.
Record keeping is an important but often overlooked part of running or working in a voluntary organisation. It is vital for good governance and necessary for complying with the wide range of regulations that apply to voluntary organisations in England and Wales. Good record keeping can help you tell people who you are, what you do and why donors and the public should trust you. However, many organisations find it hard to know quite what the state of their records is and what do to with them. There is a lack of advice, training and knowledge about record keeping and a bewildering array of different regulatory requirements. Free. Book online here.

Low Cost Trustee/ Management Committee Training from VAC and Mary Ward
Governance in the Voluntary and Community Sector
18 May 2017 – 22 June 2017 6 Thursday evenings 17:30-20:30 in Camden
A short evening course for trustees/management committee members 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. Ideal for new trustees as an induction, for experienced trustees who want a refresher and for those just starting out as trustees. The course is a partnership between VAC and Mary Ward. Full details at the Mary Ward website.

The Soup is back next Wednesday 3rd May
Hotter than ever before. After raising £640 for community projects last time out, Project Soup returns to the Hugh Cubitt Centre in King’s Cross. The format is simple; enjoy some delicious soup, hear from local community projects and vote for your favourite. Register online here.

Mental Health Awareness Week Event at Regent’s Place- 9th May
For Mental Health Awareness Week we will have a giant colouring wall on the plaza at Regent’s Place on 9th May: http://www.contrabandevents.com/entertainment/childrens/art-craft/scott-cartoon-artist-uk/
It will tie in with related content on our website around mindfulness, adult colouring in and how it relieves stress, can help with anxiety etc.
The times are between 11:00-12.30 and 14:00-16:00. Interested parties should email Afe.Komolafe@broadgateestates.co.uk

Healthy Minds Community Programme
Do you live in Camden? Would you like to take part in a community-based course, workshop or activity? Or perhaps you would like to be more active or meet new likeminded people?
Healthy Minds is a new Mind in Camden project offering local people a wide range of free and low-cost activities to support you in rediscovering your interests and uncovering different community resources. And, if you need a helping hand to find what’s right for you, a navigator or sports buddy will be there to help. You can view a brochure of activities online here.
tel: 020 7241 8996 email: healthymindscp@mindincamden.org.uk

Wild Bunch Club Tuesday May 9th
‘A club night run by people with learning difficulties for everyone’
At Electrowerkz, Angel. For further info contact siren@elfrida.com or ring the Elfrida Society on 020 7359 7443.

Camden Town Shed – new sessions
The Shed invites older people especially men to use our well-equipped workshop for all skills in wood Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10-4pm on a donations basis. Maiden Lane Community Centre St Paul’s Crescent (off Agar Grove) NW19XZ. www.camdentownshed.org
New sessions being added are
Mondays 1.30 – 4.00 Make or mend with wood. No experience required. These sessions welcome people needing supervision. Agencies should contact the supervisor Alan Alison on 07429 651676
Wednesdays 2.00 – 4.00 Hand-building with clay (not using the potters wheel) . Drop in and make whatever you like (boxes, plates, models, artworks, tiles etc) with an experienced maker present to advise. No experience required. Kiln firing on site.
Enquiries to Mike Jenn 07757 024749

Family Fun Day
Maiden Lane Community Centre Saturday 29 April, 1pm – 4pm
Arts, massage, face-painting, nails, pizza, soft play, bouncy castle, refreshments.
Contact Mark 020 7267 9586 or 07539 646490 or email info@maidenlanecommunitycentre.org
Nest Fun Day is on Saturday 20th May.

Lloyds Bank and Google Digital Garage
A free half-day workshop delivered by Lloyds Bank in collaboration with a number of partners, including Google, to understand how you can grow your business / charity online.
As well as giving you an opportunity to network with other local organisations, the aim of the day is to help you to learn how you can leverage the following key digital skills in particular:
• Make your website shine across all devices
• Improve your digital presence through social media, online video and Google My Business.
• Stay safe online
• How digital can help your organisation better manage its money
The workshop will take place from 9:30 – 13.45 on Wednesday 3rd May at Allen and Overy LLP, One Bishops Square, London, E1 6AD. Refreshments will be included.
Click here to register with Lloyds Bank for the event. Please note that the workshop can hold a maximum of 100 and we recommend that you register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
If you have any queries, please contact Carole.ingrey2@lloydsbanking.com.

Camden Carers Service
Camden Carers Service (CCS) offers advice, support and activities for family and other unpaid carers across the borough.
Help is just a phone call away on 020 7428 8950 or email info@camdencarers.org.uk – read more about our services at www.camdencs.org.uk or www.facebook.com

Healthwatch Camden
View the latest news and views from Healthwatch Camden here.

Camden Capacity Building Bulletin
The February Capacity Building Bulletin is available here.

Ageing Better in Camden
Read the Ageing Better in Camden Newsletter Spring Edition 2017 here

Age UK Camden, Kingsgate Community Centre, Camden Futures, Camden CCG, VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre 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

National

Public Sector Outsourcing, Social Value and the Human Touch
There has been a call for political parties to commit to an inquiry into public service outsourcing. John Tizard writes: “Given the history of public service outsourcing over the last several decades under Labour and Conservative Government and local authorities, this general election provides an opportunity for political manifestos to commit either a pause in outsourcing pending an evidence based review of what has gone before. Over the last few decades governments have never adopted a consistent narrative as to the reason to promote why they have favoured outsourcing – the arguments have ranged from a means of adding capacity to addressing underperformance to cost cutting to offering service users choice. This lack of consistency has been confusing and obfuscates accountability including the public’s ability to decide whether or not the outsourcing has been successful.”
He also calls for all parties to “commit to strengthening the Social Value Act and requiring all public procuring bodies to ensure wider considerations than price and service standards…”
At the same time there have been calls for the public sector to rethink it’s reliance on digital solutions and technology and reconsider the importance of face-to-face interatcion. Story in the Guardian.

FUNDING

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

Neighbourhood Planning Grants and Support Programme – Final Year
The Department for Communities and Local Development’s £22.5 million Neighbourhood Planning Grants and Support Programme (2015-2018) aims to support local communities that are drawing up a neighbourhood plan for their area.
This is the last year of the funding programme, and Locality, which is delivering the programme, has announced that applications can be made from now until 31 January 2018. It has also announced that expenditure through a grant must be completed within six months or before 31 March 2018,
Locality has announced the following two updates:
~ Modifying the plan after it has come into force: Groups can now apply for funding to modify their plan, irrespective of whether they have already claimed their full grant allocation of £9,000 (or £15,000 for a priority group).
~ Groups undertaking site assessments and housing site allocations: Groups who are undertaking a site assessment for a site allocation, OR groups who are allocating sites for housing or mixed development can now be considered complex – allowing them to apply for additional support for complex groups (technical support and grants of up to £15,000).
Full details at the My Community website.

Trust for London and City Bridge Trust launch £100,000 Crowdfunding initiative to tackle poverty and inequality in London
In collaboration with Crowdfunder and The Social Innovation Partnership, Trust for London and City Bridge Trust have launched a new £100,000 fund available to organisations using crowdfunding to raise funds and deliver projects which will address inequality and lift people out of poverty in the capital.
The Improving life for Londoners fund will provide up to 50% of the target (to a maximum of £10,000), with projects expected to raise at least the first 25% from the crowd.
The fund is keen to support charitable work that:
~ Provides practical solutions to support people on low incomes
~ Addresses local problems in creative ways
~ Is led by communities that will benefit from the work
If you think your organisation fits, check out our Crowdfunder page.
Do you want to know more about crowdfunding, and how to run a crowdfunding project? You can sign up to crowdfunding workshops online here.

UCL Grand Challenges Small Grants Scheme
Closing date: 9am, Monday, 22 May 2017
Up to £4,000 available for a wide range of research-informed, societally relevant, cross-disciplinary activities undertaken from 1 August 2017 to 31 July 2018
Up to £6,000 is available for proposals that address the GCSC Priority Theme of Urban Mobility, with additional funding from the UCL Transport Institute. Further details
Proposals must address a Priority Theme relating to one of the six UCL Grand Challenges – Global Health; Justice and Equality; Tranformative Tech; Human Wellbeing; Cultural Understanding; Sustainable Cities
Applications must be led by UCL academic staff members (honorary researchers included) at postdoctoral level (or equivalent) or above. Full details here.

VAC EVENTS

Project Management Starter
Wednesday, May 3 @ 10:30 am – 1:00 pm or Thursday 11 May 6.00 – 8.30pm
Mary Ward Centre, 42 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AQ
The aim of this short course is to enable students with limited practical experience of managing a project to become familiar with the theories and practice of project management. Details here

Healthy Minds Programme – “Let’s Talk About Mental Health”
Monday, May 15 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm or Monday May 22 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre, 2 Ossulston St, London, NW1. Details here.

Governance in the Voluntary and Community Sector
Thursdays, May 18 to June 22 @ 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Mary Ward Centre, 42 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AQ United Kingdom + Google Map
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. Details here

More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

OTHER EVENTS

CEB Pro Bono Impact Day
Tuesday 9th May 2017. Victoria House, 37-63 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1
CEB is a strategic consultancy which uses data to make companies efficient by focusing on employees, customers and operations. They have specific expertise in the following areas:
~ Communication & differentiation – effectively tailoring messaging to specific audiences
~ Strategic planning – defining and achieving key objectives, improving performance measurement systems, planning for the future.
~ People management – recruiting the right people, putting together an effective team, and managing people.
A team of experienced strategy consultants, HR, sales and marketing professionals from CEB* will:
~ help you work through a key strategic challenge you are facing as an organisation and develop a plan of action to address the challenge, or
~ deliver a workshop to meet an immediate development need, e.g. improving the pitching and presentation skills of corporate fundraising staff.
*The team you are assigned will depend on the nature of the challenge you have.
This is a free advisory session, provided through the pro bono commitments of CEB employees.
You will need to commit a minimum of 8 hours (up to 2 hours before the day to attend scoping calls and provide information, 5 hours on the day, and 1 hour on follow up calls). Apply online here.

Why Every Professional Needs to be Equipped to Safeguard Against Harmful Practices
Thursday 1st June 2017
Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London, EC2A 3EA
Hear real case studies from specialist organisations working with women and girls at risk of “Honour” Based Violence, Forced Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation across Europe. Learn about good and bad practice and hear from public sector leaders about the importance of continuing professional training and have opportunities to network.
https://ikwroeuroconference.eventbrite.com

Camden PPG Forum – Wednesday 17 May 5.00 – 8.30pm
Come to the Forum and listen, learn and participate in three great sessions:
~ PPG success stories – be inspired by the bright ideas of other PPGs in Camden
~ GP Neighbourhoods – hear the latest on how developing GP Neighbourhoods could work, and share your views on how PPGs and patients can be involved
~ Transforming mental health services in Camden – participate in this interactive session about the future of local services.
The Arlington Conference Centre, 220 Arlington Road, NW1 7HE.
The venue is wheelchair accessible and refreshments will be provided.
If you would like to attend, please email engagement@camdenccg.nhs.uk or phone 020 3688 2456 (Becky) or 020 3688 1755 (Martin). Please let us know which PPG you belong to, and if you have any dietary requirements or accessibility needs. If contact us if you have any questions.

Thyroid Friends in London, Patients Voices event
13th May 2017, Crown Court Church, Russell Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5EZ
The group has been established since 2010 as the British Thyroid Foundation (BTF) London Group. Recent changes at BTF have meant that we are no longer affiliated to the charity but we remain commited to providing reliable evidence based information and peer support for thyroid patients. If you or someone close to you has a thyroid condition, or you have a professional interest, you are welcome to attend this meeting.
The group is also currently seeking a suitably qualified volunteer treasurer.
website: http://thyroidfriends.weebly.com
email: londonthyroid@gmail.com

Parent & Carer Meet-up
A fun & informative group for parents & carers with children in primary school to connect, share & learn
Term times, starting April 25th 2017. Children not in school are welcome to attend.
For more information please contact Zenobia Talati: 07594373203 or 02075868371
The Winch, 21 Winchester Road, Swiss Cottage, NW3 3NR www.thewinch.org

Money Management, Financial Literacy and Gambling Related Harm
Betknowmore UK are currently delivering a free workshop that aims to raise awareness around money management, financial literacy and “Gambling Related Harm”. The workshops can last from 60 to 120 minutes for group sizes between 4 to 24.
Through this workshop we will be cultivating skills and knowledge on how to best manage your money (debts, budget, savings, bank accounts, loans, credit cards, legal risks related to debts… etc), together with ways to protect yourself and others from the devastating growing social issue that is gambling addiction.
Find out more at www.betknowmoreuk.org email: brigitte@betknowmoreuk.org or call 0800 066 4827

Books Beyond Words Book Club FREE Training
Elfrida Rathbone Camden, St Luke’s Church and Books Beyond Words are collaborating to offer a free half-day introduction to facilitating a Beyond Words book club. Across the country, people with learning disabilities are meeting in small groups to discuss their experiences using the stories they discover in Beyond Words books to help make sense of their lives.
Thursday 27th April, 1.00 – 4.00pm @ St Luke’s Church Meeting Room, 7 Dowdney Close, NW5 2BP
To book your place e-mail: training@booksbeyondwords.co.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 evening course for trustees/management committee members 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. Ideal for new trustees as an induction, for experienced trustees who want a refresher and for those just starting out as trustees. The course is a partnership between VAC and Mary Ward. Full details at the Mary Ward website.

RADA Elders Taster Workshop Tuesday 25 April 1.00pm – 3.00pm
A fun workshop led by tutors at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for people over the age of 60 with an interest in drama and acting.
This is an insightful and exploratory practical workshop that will offer insight into RADA’s weekly Elders Company, for people aged 60+.
Participants will explore drama exercises and games, voice work and movement. Joined by graduates of the RADA Elders Company, attendees will find out more about the Company, the work that is created throughout the course of the year and the tutors and ethos of RADA. The session will be exciting, informal and enjoyable.
The workshop is not for professional actors and no previous drama experience is required.
Free. Holborn Community Association, 50 Millman St, London, WC1N 3EW
To apply, please contact Andrew Rogers at andrew.rogers@holborncommunity.co.uk

Supersized Volunteering Fair
VCC fairs are a perfect way to meet people who want to volunteer in Camden. And they have a 46% recruitment rate. Brilliant!
VCC are co-hosting our Summer 2017 SUPERsized volunteering fair with our good friends at Volunteer Centre Islington. It will take place in King’s Cross on the penultimate day of Volunteers’ Week 2017.
Tuesday 6th June 12-3pm at Voluntary Action Islington. Book through Eventbrite.

Camden Dementia Action Alliance Conference and “Dementia Bazaar”
Monday 15 May at the Canal Museum, 12-13 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RT.
The morning session (1030-1300, with registration and refreshments from 1000) will focus on the work of the Alliance and will feature a range of guest speakers.
The afternoon “Bazaar” (1400-1600) will be an opportunity for people with dementia, carers and members of the wider community to participate in a range of entertaining activities, as well as obtaining valuable information and advice from Alliance member organisations.
The event will be free to attend. Full details to follow. Contact mark.goodwin@alzheimers.org.uk.

Bengali New Year
The British Library, in partnership with Age UK Camden
Saturday 29 April 12.00 – 15.00 at the British Library Knowledge Centre 96 Euston Rd NW1 2DB
As well as celebrating the New Year, the event will provide local people with a greater insight into what Bengali items there are at the British Library and BL will launch a ‘pop up’ Bengali exhibition that will tour the Somers Town Community throughout this summer.
There will also be live entertainment, celebratory food and a speech from Local Councillor Samata Khatoon.
Please note this event is free to all local residents and community groups but RSVP is essential and children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
To book your free place contact: Emma Morgan emma.morgan@bl.uk T+44 (0)7595 464 363
or Abul Choudhury abul.choudhury@ageukcamden.org.uk T+44 (0)20 7278 5090

Resilient Families and Early Help training opportunities with the Camden Training and Development Service (TDS)
~ Domestic violence and abuse, 05/05/17
~ Introduction to attachment theory, 08/05/17
~ IT training in eCAF, 11/05/17
For course information and to book please click on the course title. If you require TDSOnline support, please email TDSOnline@camden.gov.uk.

Improve English Reading Writing and Listening Skills
English ESOL Entry level class
Every Tuesday 10am-12pm
KCB Chadswell Healthy Living Centre, Harrison Street, London, WC1H 8JE
Tel no: 020 7713 5545

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

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

JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING

British Library seeks Community Engagement Manager and Creative Producer
See full details of the posts and how to apply at the British Library website
https://britishlibrary.recruitment.northgatearinso.com/birl/pages/vacancy.jsf?latest=01001089
https://britishlibrary.recruitment.northgatearinso.com/birl/pages/vacancy.jsf?latest=01001088

Treasurer wanted by Age UK Camden
Age UK Camden is recruiting to its trustee/volunteer position of Honorary Treasurer, more details of which are here: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/camden/get-involvednew/get-involvedvolunteer/vacancies/honorary-treasurer/

Volunteer Detainee Support Worker wanted by Hibiscus
Location: Islington and Heathrow Removal Centre
Commitment: 2 days per week for 3 months
The organisation: Hibiscus Initiatives, established in 1986, a voluntary sector organisation with a track record of delivering high quality services over nearly 30 years. We have developed a widely acknowledged specialist expertise in working with marginalised Black and Minority Ethnic, Foreign National and migrant offenders and detainees in custody, and the community. Our person-centred approach is a model that engages and works with clients to support and empower them in dealing with what are often multiple and complex needs and, importantly, addresses the additional disadvantage that language and cultural barriers present.
The role: To provide vital support to people who are resident within the immigration removal centre. Work collaboratively with Hibiscus colleagues and centre staff providing information, emotional support and making referrals.
To apply: Please send your CV and a short covering letter stating how you fit the skills, knowledge and experience to our Volunteer Coordinator: caitlin@hibiscus.org.uk

Kingsgate Community Centre seeks Customer Duty Officers, Cleaner, Crèche Pool Workers
Based in Kilburn we provide a wide range of services to those in need.
We are currently expanding our team we need enthusiastic individuals to join us would be great to hear from you!
Looking for: Customer Duty Officers, Cleaner, Crèche Pool Workers.
To find out more please visit www.kingsgatecommunitycentre.org.uk/job-vacancies/ or email info@kingsgatecc.org.uk

Camden Futures Seeking Parent Volunteers in the Community
Camden Futures is recruiting parent volunteers to become Community Connectors and support Camden parents accessing community resources. Apply via info@camdenfutures.org.uk or call Francesca on 020 7424 1622 by 25/04/17. Compulsory training will run on 28/04/17, 05/05/17 and 12/05/17.

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.

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

OFFERS, RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

News from The Community Partnership Unit
The new head of the unit, Rachel Kelly, issued this statement about the new unit, the Community Impact fund and the Advisory Group.
“After what feels like a long wait, the team launched last week. We will be developing our ways of working both as a new team, and also how we want to work with you. We would love to hear your ideas and thoughts, and will be informed by what you tell us.
The team will be focusing on improving partnership working and creating greater opportunities for the voluntary sector for the benefit of our residents. I am looking forward to exploring with you all how we can best achieve that.
I know some of you would like named contacts, which we will be able to tell you soon. In the meantime feel free to get in contact with me or any other member of the team.
Initially we will be a smaller team than you are used to: some of you will already know Jayne, Lisa, and Frances from the former CTS team. Jessica (Farrand) will be returning from maternity leave in June, Jessica (Ainsley) joined us this week, and some new faces will be joining us soon. I will soon be starting the next round of recruitment to fill our remaining vacancies, so keep an eye out.
Update on Community Impact
We have been busy developing the key themes and processes, and I am pleased to tell you we are moving to the next phase. Community Impact is a key part of the Council’s VCS strategy, approved by Cabinet in December 2015. The fund is established to:
· support partnership working with the voluntary sector to help address ingrained social issues
· support engagement with the community about how best to deliver local priorities
· invest in preventative activity
In order to ensure the activity adds value and is in line with local priorities, we have identified four broad areas that would benefit from a collective approach over the next two years, with further areas to be identified at a later date. The current priority areas are:
· Rough Sleeping
· Mental Health
· Youth Offending
· Supporting people in the community
We want to work with you and wider community to better understand the specific issues, and co-design the activity that can seek to tackle them.
In order to ensure shared ownership, we will be establishing an Advisory Group, made up of Council, partner and community representatives. The role of this advisory group will be to oversee all stages of the community impact programme: from understanding the issues, co-designing activity, through to implementation. Final decisions will be made by the Council, based on the recommendations made by this advisory group.
Subject to input and agreement with the Advisory Group, the broad approach is likely to be:
1. Co-design and engagement (e.g. workshops, 121 and online discussions etc), aiming to: develop a shared understanding of the issue and what we want to address.
2. Develop the funding framework (with the final sign off by the Council), and expressions of interest from community groups and partners.
3. Further co-design of the collective approach with identified partners and final funding decisions
4. Implementation, with ongoing evaluation and sharing best practice.
We will be in contact with details next month, including how you can get involved.”

Voluntary Sector Should Campaign with Confidence – Dos and Don’ts
NCVO has urged the sector to campaign with confidence. There has been much scare mongering over the Lobbying Act but most of the provisions only apply to organisations “where the expenditure can reasonably be regarded as intended to influence the electoral prospects of parties or candidates.” Few voluntary organisations in Camden will meet this criteria or be spending over £20,000 – the threshold for registering. Although charities have been under attack for campaigning, the tide may have turned. The recent Lords report, ‘Stronger Charities for a Stronger Society‘ praised the sector and declared that it was the “eyes, ears and conscience of society”.
NCVO has issued some clarification:
Five things that charities can do::
~ Continue campaigning on issues
~ Reach out to the candidates and ask their views on issues
~ Publish candidates’ views on issues
~ Host a debate between candidates or invite them to issue-focussed events
~ Publish a manifesto or briefing materials on issues
Four things charities can’t do:
~ Advocate for any individual party or candidate
~ Explicitly compare the organisation’s views to those of individual parties or candidates
~ Donate funds to any individual party or candidate
~ Allow their organisation to be cited in a candidate’s manifesto
Organisations with staff who are involved in high profile political activities in an individual capacity or as candidates may want to consider noting this at the next board meeting and minute how conflicts of interest will be dealt with to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. Details at Civil Society

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.

Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 21st April 2017

by Kevin Nunan21 April 2017

Highlights

VAC MH Project End Report; News from The Community Partnership Unit; Camden Giving Grants; Healthy Minds Community Programme; Events in Somers Town this Weekend; Camden Carers’ Voice; CEB Pro Bono Impact Day; Camden Intergenerational Network meeting; IKWRO Conference; Camden PPG Forum; Thyroid Friends in London, Patients Voices; Parent & Carer Meet-up; Here comes the sun!…+ funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Feature

Voluntary Action Camden Mental Health Community Development Project – Raising cultural awareness and tackling stigma 2007 – 2017

VAC’s Mental Health Community Development Project was first established in 2007. Over the years it has evolved in line with the requirements of our funders, the London Borough of Camden. Our aims are to work with Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BAMER) communities to:
• Support staff and volunteers from Camden BAMER voluntary and community groups to improve mental health awareness and promote mental wellbeing in their communities
• Challenge stigma and misunderstanding about mental illness
• Improve knowledge of local mental health and wellbeing services, both statutory and community-based
• Identify the needs of BAMER communities in relation to mental health services
• Increase involvement of BAMER community members and service users in the planning, commissioning and delivery of mental health services
• Raise participation levels of BAMER communities in relevant partnerships
From 2014 onwards our volunteer Mental Health Champions from BAMER communities have played a crucial role in helping us to spread the word about mental health. Our work has been informed by our Mental Health Advisory Groups, comprised of members of BAMER communities and voluntary and community organisations working with Camden’s Bangladeshi, Irish and Black communities. VAC would like to thank the project staff and all the volunteers who contributed so much to the project. We anticipate that the project’s legacy will be a lasting improvement in Mental Health and wellbeing among Camden’s diverse communities.

NEWS & POLICY

Camden Giving Grants – Deadline 28th April
Camden Giving is a new and exciting way for everyone in Camden to play a part in making Camden a fair and equal place for us to live, work and play. We are bringing together businesses, residents, community organisations and the public sector to support projects that make Camden a great place for everyone. One way we are doing this is by making grants to local organisations to help them do what they do best. Camden Giving’s KX Fund is open now until the 28th April for applications from organisations who do work in and around Kings Cross and Somers Town, the fund will help organisations to enhance to benefits of the Kings Cross Development and mitigate some of the negative effects.
“Camden Giving is working with partners from businesses, charities and the public sector, the collective impact of these groups will be really significant.” – Natasha Friend, Director Camden Giving
Full details about the fund and how to apply are on the Camden Giving website.

Events in Somers Town this Weekend
Somers Town Festival at the Somers Town Community Sports Centre, Chalton St, Saturday noon – 3pm. Free entry and free refreshments.
Walker House TRA Easter Bunny Party, Saturday 1-5pm in Walker House Courtyard. Bouncy Castle Food and refreshments. Tel 020 3609 9991 email: johnwood134@yahoo.com

Camden Carers’ Voice
Camden Carers’ Voice is the forum, for all carers and former carers living in Camden or caring for someone in Camden, to speak up on issues affecting carers
Thursday 27 April 2017 10.30am – 12.30pm
at Argenta House, 1 Aspern Grove, Haverstock Hill, London NW3 2AB
Refreshments from 10am. Light lunch from 12.30pm
The meeting will look at the links between hospitals, GPs and pharmacists and the changing role of pharmacies. How can carers get the right help? Please come along to meet and talk with other carers
For more information or if you cannot attend the meeting and would like to give your questions please contact Philippa on 020 7697 1336 or Email: philippar@centre404.org.uk

Camden Intergenerational Network meeting
Wednesday 26th April 2017 2.30pm-4.30pm
Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, WC1H 9NA
We will be discussing Camden Intergenerational Week 2017, confirmed for 16th-21st October 2017 as well as sharing news, events and opportunities. Please bring along anything you would like to share with the group.
Tea and coffee will be provided. For questions or queries about this meeting, please email Corinna Gray or call 020 7239 0400.

Camden PPG Forum – Wednesday 17 May
Come to the Forum and listen, learn and participate in three great sessions:
~ PPG success stories – be inspired by the bright ideas of other PPGs in Camden
~ GP Neighbourhoods – hear the latest on how developing GP Neighbourhoods could work, and share your views on how PPGs and patients can be involved
~ Transforming mental health services in Camden – participate in this interactive session about the future of local services.
This agenda is based on your feedback from our successful PPG Forum in November.
Time and date: 5pm – 8.30pm, Wednesday 17 May 2017
Location: The Arlington Conference Centre, 220 Arlington Road, NW1 7HE. A map of the venue is available here.
Closest tube station: Camden Town
The venue is wheelchair accessible and refreshments will be provided.
If you would like to attend, please email engagement@camdenccg.nhs.uk or phone 020 3688 2456 (Becky) or 020 3688 1755 (Martin). Please let us know which PPG you belong to, and if you have any dietary requirements or accessibility needs. If you have any questions about the event, please don’t hesitate to ask us.

Here comes the sun!…
Come and join our free Community Music Workshop Saturday 22nd April 3.15-5.45pm
No need to be able to play an instrument, read music or be a singer
Free refreshments! All welcome, children must be accompanied.
Cumberland Market, NW1 3RH
For more information contact Diana: diana@westeuston.org tel: 020 7388 7932

Healthwatch Camden
View the latest news and views from Healthwatch Camden here.

Camden Capacity Building Bulletin
The February Capacity Building Bulletin is available here.

Ageing Better in Camden
Read the Ageing Better in Camden Newsletter Spring Edition 2017 here

West Hampstead Women’s Centre, Kingsgate Community Centre, Camden Futures, Camden CCG, VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre 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

National

Small charities ‘shut out’ of bids by large charities
Smaller charities are being shut out of bids to provide public services by larger voluntary organisations’ “sharp commercial practices”, according to complaints received by NCVO.
NCVO has previously received complaints from smaller charities regarding their inability to compete with large private sector providers.But these concerns have expanded in scope to include larger charities. Full story in Civil Society
Kathy Evans, of Children England criticizes market thinking and transactional approaches and the damage this is doing to local voluntary organisations in an article worth reading..

FUNDING

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

Camden Giving
See full details in the ‘News’ section above.

Edge Fund – Social Justice Funding for Grassroots Groups
Now open for the first funding round of the year! We will be giving £40,000 to about 30 grass-roots groups, campaigning against the systems that cause injustice. We are accepting applications from the 7th of March until the 17th April.
We support work run by and for communities facing discrimination and injustice. We fund work carried out by individuals and grass-roots groups in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England that find it difficult to get funding elsewhere. We do not fund traditional charity work, instead we we support activity that challenges abuses of power and aims to change society by bringing an end to the systems that cause injustice. While applicants may be working on short term reforms, we are looking for applicants that ultimately aim to end or replace unjust systems with a just alternative.
We have not yet funded a group with an annual income over £25,000. The average income of groups we fund is around £2,500. Full details on the Edge Fund website.

VAC EVENTS

Crowdfunding Workshops with Hubbub
VAC and Hubbub are running a series of crowdfunding workshops for Camden organisations.
Session 3 – Writing your pitch and one-to-one support – will take place 27th April and is for those who have attended the previous two events and are ready to start their campaign.
More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

OTHER EVENTS

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

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

JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING

West Hampstead Women’s Centre seeks Female Volunteer Development Worker
21 hours per week £24,880 pro rata (Includes LW) One year fix term contract.
Subject to DBS checks
To coordinate our Volunteer Project and to support and train the volunteers.
For an application pack contact West Hampstead Women’s Centre email begona@whwc.org.uk or call 020 7328 7389.
Section 7 of the Sex Discrimination Act applies on
Closing date: 28th April 2017 at 5.00 pm

Community Navigator
These innovative posts involve supporting people to become less lonely and to develop more social contact. The successful applicant will join a team of community navigators employed by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and will support people with enduring depression or anxiety who use mental health services in Camden, Islington or Barnet. These posts are part of a nationally-funded research study. The post holder will feedback to the research team and contribute to developing and evaluating this programme.
The role will require flexibility to meet people at mutually convenient times and to support them in going to community activities. The total amount of work for each post will average out at one day per week: post holders will be paid at this rate on an annualized hours basis. The post is until the end of February 2018, to start in April 2017 or as soon as possible thereafter. Any experience of working in services which support people with mental health problems, or voluntary sector community experience, are both assets for this work.
You can find more information about this post on the NHS jobs website: https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/vacancy/9f27c8ce53a7d619995f3edb43ad7bb5/?vac_ref=914513220

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.

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

OFFERS, RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Camden Commission would like to hear from you
Camden council want you to have your say about Camden’s priorities and challenges for the next five years. As the current Camden Plan comes to the end of its five-year lifespan, the Camden Commission has been set up to help shape Camden’s vision for 2018-2023.
The Camden Commission is a group of councillors and expert advisors who will hear from local residents, organisations, and businesses over the next six months to better understand the challenges faced across the borough. The Commission wants to hear from local people, communities and our partners to ensure that our new vision will focus on what people really need and want from their local government.
Organisations or groups wishing to get involved or submit evidence to the Camden Commission can do so in these ways:
~ Submit an idea or suggestion, and see what others have said using our online forum
~ Submit written evidence by emailing us at camdencommission@camden.gov.uk
~ Sign up for email alerts

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

Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 7th April 2017

by Kevin Nunan7 April 2017

Highlights

Camden Giving’s KX Fund; Camden Patient and Public Engagement Group Meeting; Camden Council Adult Social Care Consultations – last chance to have a say ; Money Management, Financial Literacy and Gambling Related Harm; Books Beyond Words Book Club FREE Training; Trustee Training; RADA Elders Taster Workshop; IKWRO spring newsletter; Camden Federation of Private Tenants (CFPT) News + funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Feature

Camden Giving’s KX Fund is Open

Camden Giving is a new and exciting way for everyone in Camden to play a part in making Camden a fair and equal place for us to live, work and play. We are bringing together businesses, residents, community organisations and the public sector to support projects that make Camden a great place for everyone. One way we are doing this is by making grants to local organisations to help them do what they do best. Camden Giving’s KX Fund is open now until the 28th April for applications from organisations who do work in and around Kings Cross and Somers Town, the fund will help organisations to enhance to benefits of the Kings Cross Development and mitigate some of the negative effects.
“Camden Giving is working with partners from businesses, charities and the public sector, the collective impact of these groups will be really significant.” – Natasha Friend, Director Camden Giving
Full details about the fund and how to apply are on the Camden Giving website.

NEWS & POLICY

Camden

Camden Patient and Public Engagement Group (CPPEG) meeting
The next CPPEG open meeting is on Monday 10 April 2 – 4pm. Everyone in Camden is invited to attend – whether you are a PPG member, a Camden resident, or a healthcare professional, please do join us.
At Conference room, St Pancras Hospital, 4 St Pancras Way NW1 2PE
We will be discussing:
~ How we will support people with autism in Camden over the next five years
~ Patient experience at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
~ The results of the CPPEG elections
If you have any questions, please email engagement@camdenccg.nhs.uk, or phone 020 3688 2456 (Becky) or 020 3688 1755 (Martin).

Camden Council Adult Social Care Consultations – last chance to have a say
Camden are consulting on two specific proposals – day centres and financial contributions (paying for care) – until 9th April 2017 and need you to tell them what you think.
Both consultations end on 9th April. Easy read questionnaires can be found on the dedicated webpages along with an online survey. If you require hard copies or copies in additional formats, please email ascchanges@camden.gov.uk

RADA Elders Taster Workshop
A fun workshop led by tutors at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for people over the age of 60 with an interest in drama and acting.
This is an insightful and exploratory practical workshop that will offer insight into RADA’s weekly Elders Company, for people aged 60+.
Participants will explore drama exercises and games, voice work and movement. Joined by graduates of the RADA Elders Company, attendees will find out more about the Company, the work that is created throughout the course of the year and the tutors and ethos of RADA. The session will be exciting, informal and enjoyable.
The workshop is not for professional actors and no previous drama experience is required.
Tuesday 25 April 1.00pm – 3.00pm Free for participants to attend
Holborn Community Association, 50 Millman St, London, WC1N 3EW
To apply, please contact Andrew Rogers at andrew.rogers@holborncommunity.co.uk

Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation
You can read the IKWRO spring newsletter online.

Camden Federation of Private Tenants (CFPT)
Read the latest CFPT newsletter online here.

Healthwatch Camden
View the latest news and views from Healthwatch Camden here.

Camden Capacity Building Bulletin
The February Capacity Building Bulletin is available here.

Ageing Better in Camden
Read the Ageing Better in Camden Newsletter Spring Edition 2017 here

Kingsgate Community Centre, Camden Futures, Camden CCG, VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre 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

National

Inside the Easter Egg Row
On a visit to Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister found time to accuse the National Trust of being ‘absolutely ridiculous’ for omitting the word ‘Easter’ from one of it’s Easter events. The National Trust responded by pointing out that the word Easter is used over 13,000 times on their website as they are one the largest organisers of Easter events in the country. Civil Society points out that the Times appears to have a vendetta against the National Trust ever since their membership and subscription deal with the National Trust came to an end. In a final twist, Buzzfeed reports that a small Christian chocolate egg company may have played a part in creating the row.

A Shared Society? The independence of the voluntary sector in 2017
The sixth in a series of annual assessments of the sector’s independence, published on 5 April 2017. To read the Executive Summary, click here. The full report is available here.
The Government’s post-Brexit vision for a Britain that ‘works for everyone’ is doomed unless it recognises that disenfranchised communities need a strong, independent voluntary sector that speaks up on their behalf, has a seat at the policy table, and a license to challenge the government freely, regardless of any financial relationship, the think tank Civil Exchange warns today.

Why the NHS is getting patients boxing and drumming
An interesting article on the BBC website about social prescribing and the role of the voluntary sector in changing the way health is seen by patients and health professionals.

FUNDING

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

Young Camden Foundation Small Grants Scheme 2017
The first grants through the Young Camden Foundation are now available to anyone working around the theme of ‘One Camden’. Our aim is to bring together Camden’s diverse communities, especially those who might not otherwise meet and interact.
We are asking for submissions for projects that fit in with this theme through one of the following ideas:
~ Intergenerational Work: Projects that bring together people from all ages, for instance young people with pensioners
~ Volunteering: Projects that offer time and resources to groups or people you normally would not interact with
~ Working with cultures other than your own: This could be with different ethnic groups, cultural groups, or groups with a particular focus such as sports groups working with arts groups.
There will be a total pool of £60,000 available which will be split up into:
~ 1x grants of up to £10,000 in which consortium bids will be strongly encouraged. This project would also need to benefit communities across the borough of Camden (rather than specific areas).
~ 8x grants of up to £5,000
~ 5x grants of up to £2,000
If you have an exciting project that fits into the theme and connects Camden communities, please submit either via the form , or submit a video explaining how your project meets the requirements.
Applications must show involvement by the beneficiaries (those that will benefit from the project, i.e: Camden Young People). Any applications received that cannot show how young people were involved in the process will be rejected.
*Applicants also must be a registered member of the Young Camden Foundation to be eligible for any Grants. Join here: https://www.youngcamdenfoundation.org.uk/form
Full details of the grants and how to apply here: https://www.youngcamdenfoundation.org.uk/grants/

VAC EVENTS

Crowdfunding Workshops with Hubbub
VAC and Hubbub are running a series of crowdfunding workshops for Camden organisations.
We will be setting a date for session 3 – Writing your pitch and one-to-one support (Date TBC)
aimed at those ready to start their campaign.
More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

OTHER EVENTS

Leighton Education Project Open for Referrals and Coffee Morning
The Leighton Education Project is a person-centred specialist education provider for young people aged 16 – 25 with SEND. We are currently open for referrals for the 2017/18 academic year! The Project is running a drop-in coffee morning for voluntary and statutory sector colleagues on Friday 14th April 2017, 11am-1pm at Elfrida Rathbone Camden. The morning will be an opportunity to look round the classrooms, meet the team and find out more about what we have on offer.
To RSVP, book a school visit, or discuss a referral contact: rosanna@elfridacamden.org.uk / 020 7424 1615 or sousan@elfridacamden.org.uk / 020 7424 1617

Supersized Volunteering Fair
Our fairs are a perfect way to meet people who want to volunteer in Camden. And they have a 46% recruitment rate. Brilliant!
We are co-hosting our Summer 2017 SUPERsized volunteering fair with our good friends at Volunteer Centre Islington. It will take place in King’s Cross on the penultimate day of Volunteers’ Week 2017.
Tuesday 6th June 12-3pm at Voluntary Action Islington. Book through Eventbrite.

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

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

JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING

Healthwatch Camden seeks Chair
Healthwatch Camden is here to make sure that everyone – adults and children – who uses health and social care services in Camden can have their say on services and that what they say makes a difference. To help us do our job, we are looking for more people who live, work or study in Camden to join our board of trustees.
We are looking for one person to become Chair of the board, to replace our founding Chair, who is stepping down after four successful years.
To find out more please visit our website www.healthwatchcamden.co.uk or email info@healthwatchcamden.co.uk

Voluntary Acton camden – Trustee Vacancies
Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) is seeking two new trustees to join its existing board. VAC supports individuals and groups to get involved in civil society and develops ways of sharing good practice and resources. We are looking for individuals who have an enthusiastic appreciation and understanding of Camden’s community sector and who want to see the sector thrive in the coming years. We are particularly interested in individuals with fundraising and marketing experience. If you would like more information, then please go to our website where you’ll find details of the job role and how to apply, together with more information about VAC’s strategic objectives and the work we do. If you would like an informal discussion before applying, please contac Simone Hensby shensby@vac.org.uk

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.

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

OFFERS, RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 31st March 2017

by Kevin Nunan31 March 2017

Highlights

Prevention, Social Prescribing and Health Advocates; Camden Dementia Action Alliance Conference and “Dementia Bazaar”; Trustee Induction and Training; Camden Patient and Public Engagement Group Elections; Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organization; Supersized Volunteering Fair; Camden Carers Service + funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Feature

Prevention, Social Prescribing and Health Advocates

There is a great deal of interest currently in the role of the vcs and civil society in Health and Social Care, particularly as the population ages and the costs of health and social care increases.
The voluntary sector has a role in prevention and early intervention, which seeks to spend a small sum on prevention rather than a large sum on crisis intervention – “a stitch in time saves nine”. Social Prescribing is a way of putting healthy activities on a similar footing to pills and medications, promoting adoption of a healthier lifestyle and quite possibly saving money not just on that current visit but on into the future. Read the our blog here.

NEWS & POLICY

Camden

Camden Dementia Action Alliance
The Alliance held a meeting last week to plan for Dementia Awareness Week. You can read a blog about the Alliance published by the Knowledge Quarter here. Mark Goodwin is Coordinator of the Camden Dementia Action Alliance. For more information about membership and activities contact mark.goodwin@alzheimers.org.uk.

Camden Patient and Public Engagement Group Elections
Don’t miss your chance to take part in the elections – cast your vote by Monday 6pm. You can read the full newsletter online.

Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organsiation
You can read the IKWRO spring newsletter online.

Calling all Urban Twitchers
Camden Civic Society are appealing to anyone who sees nests in any of the green spaces around Euston, specially St James gardens and other areas affected by HS2, to record where and when and send to camdencivicsociety@gmail.com. Tree felling and other destruction can’t be done whilst birds are nesting.

Healthwatch Camden
View the latest news and views from Healthwatch Camden here.

Camden Capacity Building Bulletin
The February Capacity Building Bulletin is available here.

Ageing Better in Camden
Read the Ageing Better in Camden Newsletter Spring Edition 2017 here

Camden Futures, LAWRS, Refugee Therapy Centre, Camden CCG, Opening Doors London, VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre 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

National

Northern Powerhouse Wilts as Northern Flowerhouse Blooms
The Northern Powerhouse is progressing slowly, partly as its chairman must now divide his time between his six jobs. However, the voluntary arts have come to the rescue with a major new initiative; the Northern Flowerhouse. Large-scale, and highly visible and provocative, wildflower creations.

The House of Lords report on charities: what you need to know
The House of Lords select committee on charities has now published its report, entitled Stronger Charities for a Stronger Society (PDF, 1.7 MB). This is a substantial, wide-ranging and important piece of work. You can read an NCVO briefing and the reaction from Civil Society. The lords were particularly concerned that commissioning was not working for small voluntary organisations and Peers recommend that “contracting authorities embrace the recent changes to public procurement rules, which allow for smaller contracts” as a way of “potentially giving charities better access to funding opportunities”.

‘Small charities being eclipsed by big brand organisations’
Even the Charity Commission now seems concerned by the activities of large charities. Their fundraising practices have damaged the charity sector as a whole and their poaching and carpet-bagging activities are damaging the local voluntary sector. Read more here

Lords Report and Infrastructure (e.g. CVSs and Volunteer Centres)
Our umbrella body, NAVCA, had this to say: “The Lords report made several suggestions about ways infrastructure can support charities and recognised the lack of investment in infrastructure. NAVCA therefore feel it was a mistake that they did not address how the support charities need can be funded.
There were a number of submissions from organisations calling for support for local infrastructure, notably New Philanthropy Capital, Clinks, Pilotlight, Shared Lives Plus, Gloucestershire RCC and Young Barnet Foundation… Bolton CVS, Community Links Bromley and VONNE.
We were disappointed to see the Do-It Foundation’s response make the damaging claim that too many local infrastructure services are not ‘fit for purpose’ without providing any evidence to back this up. It was also interesting to see in the oral evidence the Big Lottery Fund skilfully avoiding the question about how much support they give to infrastructure.”

FUNDING

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

Three Crowdfunding Opportunities
VAC are running a series of workshops to celebrate our new working relationship with Crowdfunder Hubbub. Our old partners Space Hive have teamed up with the mayor and you can get involved here. And now Trust for London are launching a major crowdfunding initiative (see below for full details).

Crowdfunding initiative launched to tackle poverty and inequality in London
In collaboration with Crowdfunder and The Social Innovation Partnership, Trust for London and City Bridge Trust have launched a new £100,000 fund available to organisations using crowdfunding to raise funds and deliver projects which will address inequality and lift people out of poverty in the capital.
The Improving life for Londoners fund will provide up to 50% of the target (to a maximum of £10,000), with projects expected to raise at least the first 25% from the crowd.
The fund is keen to support charitable work that:
~ Provides practical solutions to support people on low incomes
~ Addresses local problems in creative ways
~ Is led by communities that will benefit from the work
If you think your organisation fits, check out our Crowdfunder page.
Do you want to know more about crowdfunding, and how to run a crowdfunding project? You can sign up to crowdfunding workshops online here.

Three Ageing Better in Camden Contracts
Ageing Better in Camden is advertising invitations to tender for 3 contracts:
~ Gospel Oak and Haverstock Community Action Project
~ Euston and Regents Park Community Action Project
~ Bangladeshi Community Action Project.
All of the projects will involve older people to improve their local communities and run activities in their neighbourhoods.
Please go to www.ageingbetterincamden.org.uk for more information

VAC EVENTS

OTHER EVENTS

Leighton Education Project Open for Referrals and Coffee Morning
The Leighton Education Project is a person-centred specialist education provider for young people aged 16 – 25 with SEND. We are currently open for referrals for the 2017/18 academic year! The Project is running a drop-in coffee morning for voluntary and statutory sector colleagues on Friday 7th April 2017, 11am-1pm at Elfrida Rathbone Camden. The morning will be an opportunity to look round the classrooms, meet the team and find out more about what we have on offer.
To RSVP, book a school visit, or discuss a referral contact: rosanna@elfridacamden.org.uk / 020 7424 1615 or sousan@elfridacamden.org.uk / 020 7424 1617

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

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

JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING

Elfrida Rathbone Camden seeks Community Connectors’ Project Worker
For the Camden Futures Family Service
7 hours per week, fixed term contract until 31st January 2018
£26,605 pro rata (including inner London weighting)
Closing date: 2pm on 6th April 2017
We are seeking an experienced project worker to co-ordinate and support our Community Connectors team who are parent volunteers supporting vulnerable families in Camden alongside the Camden Futures staff team. The role will involve supporting our current group of Connectors to develop a calendar of activities as well as supporting the Service Co-ordinator to recruit new Connector volunteers.
For more information or to apply for this post, please go to http://www.elfridacamden.org.uk/work-with-us/
You will need to e-mail a completed application form and equal opportunities monitoring form to francesca@elfridacamden.org.uk by 2pm on Thursday 6th April.

LAWRS is recruiting Two Posts
Latin American Women’s Rights Service is recruiting two posts;
~ Director
~ Housing, Money and Debt Coordinator
For more details and to apply please go to the LAWRS webiste:
http://www.lawrs.org.uk/en/get-involved/vacancies

Refugee Therapy Centre seeks Volunteer Mentoring Coordinator
Do you have the passion, experience, skills and enthusiasm needed to support and develop a Mentoring Project helping refugees and asylum seekers?
Deadline 5pm 7th April 2017.
The Refugee Therapy Centre recruits and engages medical students to establish meaningful relationship and provide practical support for disadvantaged refugees and asylum seekers encountering difficulties adjusting to their new life in the UK.
The Mentoring Coordinator will work in an innovative and creative way to coordinate and develop the Mentoring Project and support refugees and asylum seekers to achieve positive outcomes.
To apply, send two copies of your CV and a covering letter detailing what you can bring to the role to
Refugee Therapy Centre, 1A Leeds Place, Tollington Park, London, N4 3RF
You will find the Job Description and Person Spec at our website: http://www.refugeetherapy.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-mentoring-coordniator.aspx
For further information about this role or other volunteering opportunities, please send an email to info@refugeetherapy.org.uk

The Refugee Therapy Centre seeks Administrative Assistant.
3 days a week £17,276 pro rata
Deadline for application: 5pm 3rd April 2017 Interviews: 11th April 2017
With a keen eye for detail, strong organisational, IT and communication skills, the Administrative Assistant will provide excellent customer service and perform a range of administrative tasks to support the effective functioning of the Centre.
The candidate has to be intuitive, flexible, with excellent secretarial skills, and be able to use MS software package to a high standard. With ability to deal sensitively and professionally with disadvantaged and vulnerable people, you should also be committed to confidentiality and the ethos of the Refugee Therapy Centre.
To apply, please send 2 hard copies of completed application form, Equal Opportunities Questionnaire and a copy of your recent CV to the:
Refugee Therapy Centre, 1A Leeds Place, Tollington Park, London, N4 3RF,
A job description and application pack with further information can be found on our website: http://www.refugeetherapy.org.uk/get-involved/vacancies/administrative-assistant.aspx

Opening Doors London seeks Social Opportunities Facilitator
£15.49/hour This is a rolling vacancy and applications will be considered as they are received.
Opening Doors London is the largest provider of information and support services with and for older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans*people in the United Kingdom. We aim to ensure that older LGBT* people live happier, healthier and independent lives free from prejudice and discrimination. Everything we do is informed by the lived experience of LGBT* older people.
ODL currently provides over 40 social opportunities each month. This role will involve working alongside the team to provide support to existing groups and activities as well as developing new initiatives to meet the needs of our members.
You will be responsible for setting up and managing activities [such as arranging venues and speakers], recruiting and supporting volunteers and providing local marketing.
If you are interested in being one of our LGBT* sessional team, please see the application pack including the full job description and person specification at the following link in our website www.ageukcamden.org.uk / www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk or email HR@openingdoorslondon.org.uk

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.

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/

OFFERS, RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Camden Council Adult Social Care Consultations
Camden are consulting on two specific proposals – day centres and financial contributions (paying for care) – until 9th April 2017 and need you to tell them what you think.
Both consultations end on 9th April. Easy read questionnaires can be found on the dedicated webpages along with an online survey. If you require hard copies or copies in additional formats, please email ascchanges@camden.gov.uk
Centre 404 are holding a consultation event for Carers and families on 29th March in the morning at their centre on Camden Road and there will be speakers from the council to say more about the implications of the changes. (see below)

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

Early Intervention and Social Prescribing

by Kevin Nunan31 March 2017

There is a great deal of interest currently in the role of the vcs and civil society in Health and Social Care. There are a number of reasons, an ageing and unhealthy population costs more and is unhappier. And as the balance shifts from a young working population to an older, less healthy population public finances will be hard hit as tax revenues decline and spending on health and social care increases.

Early Intervention seeks to spend a small sum on prevention rather than a large sum on crisis intervention – “A stitch in time saves nine”. Social Prescribing is a way of putting healthy activities on a similar footing to pills and medications that one expects to be prescribed at the GPs. By prescribing for example a smoking cessation class, or mindfulness, or exercise, the GP promotes adoption of a healthier lifestyle in a sustainable way and quite possibly saves money not just on that current visit but on the visits in the future as the condition of unhealthy lifestyle takes its toll.

The good news for the sector is that these are all areas that are traditionally our strengths. Many of the groups that have a role are just the sort of groups that the voluntary sector produces in abundance. The less good news is that funding prevention work can be difficult. So on a national scale, reducing smoking leads to less lung disease, a healthier population and less call on acute services. But New Public Management focusses on per unit costs and measurable outcomes which puts prevention work at a disadvantage. At the local scale it is difficult to measure the benefit of a single smoking cessation class. Even if a group of residents give up smoking, the cost savings are still based on guesswork and occur at some time in the future. The residents may even move from local authority area A to B and therefore money has been spent in one area but has ultimately saved money in a different area (and in the future). On the other hand, acute funding and outcomes are much easier to measure. The smoker collapses with a heart attack and is rushed into hospital and after a stay in intensive care is discharged. Everything from the ambulance trip to the point of final discharge can be measured, costed and an outcome clearly measured. But all at much greater cost. So although the costs of prevention are much much lower, on an individual basis the savings and outcomes are much less certain. The answer must be to take a more sophisticated management approach that looks at risks and probabilities based on epidemiological data.

Our Health Advocates project is a type of Social Proscribing that attempts to get around some of the issues such a confidentiality. In our model the volunteer Health Advocate sits in the waiting room of a GP surgery in Camden armed with information about local groups and activities. They are then able to chat to those in the waiting room and suggest a range of activities and groups that they can try, ranging from activity classes to self help groups. This approach gets round some of the problems – GPs would otherwise face such as either having to learn all the options themselves – or have the Health Advocate in the consulting room. Either option presents large issues such as confidentiality. With our approach the patient opts in and and is free to take or leave the advice and signposting offered.

One further issue is that once successful the activities, classes etc that people are being signposted to will gradually have to deal with larger numbers and some small additional funding may be needed. Trickling some small sums of money for this into this part of the system will be the next piece of the puzzle to put into place.

Currently we run a Health Advocates Project, operating in nine GP surgeries in Camden, and we are just about to start an antenatal mentoring project to spread the word about early antenatal care to newly pregnant women from marginalised groups. We also ran a very successful Mental Health Champions project. Sadly our mental health champions project has just closed as the CCG is reviewing this area of work. As a small organisation we are not able to sustain this service while our public sector partners ponder the future – a practical example of why this way of working has much potential but also often falls at the first hurdle.

Other examples of this sort of work in the borough include the Ageing Better Community Connectors project – similar in that isolated individuals are connected to community activity – though in this model the connectors are out in the community rather than sitting in a GP surgery waiting room.

In the past we’ve been part of other projects that have run along social proscribing and early intervention lines, such the Early Cancer Detection Project and the Peer Sexual Health Education Project.

There is great potential for Social Prescribing (in various forms) to be a piece of the puzzle to solve the current health and social care crisis. You can read more about our Health Advocates Project here. There is also a health advocates blog and two case studies; Swiss Cottage GP Practice and another from the perspective of a Health Advocate volunteer.

As part of a borough wide process to look at the future of Health and Social care Camden Council recently convened a meeting of Health, Local Authority and some voluntary sector organisations to co-produce a strategy for Adult Social Care in Camden. The role of social prescribing (in it’s various forms) featured prominently. In a future blog we will look at the work of that group and look further at the role social prescribing could play in Camden in the future.

We have a page of relevant links, case studies and policy briefings on our website here
https://vac.org.uk/early-intervention-and-social-presecribing-resources-and-links/

Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 24th March 2017

by Kevin Nunan24 March 2017

Highlights

Adult Social Care Consultation; Governance in the Voluntary and Community Sector; Training opportunities with the Camden Training and Development Service; Camden Intergenerational Network meeting; Camden Scholarship Opportunity; Leighton Education Project; Bengali New Year; Holi Festival X Mothers Day + funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Feature

Camden Council Adult Social Care Consultations

Camden are consulting on two specific proposals – day centres and financial contributions (paying for care) – until 9th April 2017 and need you to tell them what you think.
Both consultations end on 9th April. Easy read questionnaires can be found on the dedicated webpages along with an online survey. If you require hard copies or copies in additional formats, please email ascchanges@camden.gov.uk
Centre 404 are holding a consultation event for Carers and families on 29th March in the morning at their centre on Camden Road and there will be speakers from the council to say more about the implications of the changes. (see below)

NEWS & POLICY

Camden

Adult Social Care Consultation on Changes to Day Centre and Financial Contributions
Adult Family Members Reference Group
A group for all carers of an adult with a learning disability in Camden
Wednesday 29th March 2017 10:30am – 12:30pm followed by a light lunch
At: Centre 404, 404 Camden Road, N7 0SJ
We want to encourage as many carers as possible to respond to proposed changes in Adult Social Care around:
~ Proposed closures of Day Centres
~ Increases in Financial contributions
~ Increases in transport costs to Day Centres
Speakers:
Amanda Jackson – Head of Day Service Provision,
Andrew Reece – Head of Community Integrated Learning Disabilities Service
Philip Darby – Strategic Commissioner Supporting People in the community
Information about the Centre for Independent Living
For more information Contact Philippa – philippar@centre404.org.uk tel: 020 7697 1336

Resilient Families and Early Help training opportunities with the Camden Training and Development Service (TDS)
~ Eliciting the child’s voice, 28/03/17
~ Domestic violence and abuse, 05/05/17
~ Introduction to attachment theory, 08/05/17
~ IT training in eCAF, 11/05/17
For course information and to book please click on the course title. If you require TDSOnline support, please email TDSOnline@camden.gov.uk.

Camden Scholarship Opportunity
Only 1 week to go! Camden Council is offering life-changing scholarships with Hult International Business School and Anglia Ruskin University, starting in September 2017. A wide range of undergraduate and post-graduate courses are offered, with opportunities available for either fully funded or part-funded tuition fees.
The scholarships are open to Camden residents and there is no upper age limit. The deadline for applications is March 31st, so get your applications in whilst you can. For further information and details of the application criteria, please visit camden.gov.uk/camdenscholarships.

Leighton Education Project Open for Referrals and Coffee Morning
The Leighton Education Project is a person-centred specialist education provider for young people aged 16 – 25 with SEND. We are currently open for referrals for the 2017/18 academic year! The Project is running a drop-in coffee morning for voluntary and statutory sector colleagues on Friday 7th April 2017, 11am-1pm at Elfrida Rathbone Camden. The morning will be an opportunity to look round the classrooms, meet the team and find out more about what we have on offer.
To RSVP, book a school visit, or discuss a referral contact: rosanna@elfridacamden.org.uk / 020 7424 1615 or sousan@elfridacamden.org.uk / 020 7424 1617

Leighton Education Project Celebrate World Autism Awareness Week
Come and join the Leighton Project students on 28th March from 10am for a Coffee Morning with creative activities, a drama performance and networking opportunities. In the afternoon you can sponsor their Walk in Cantelowes Garden’s! All proceeds will go to the National Autistic Society.
For info or to RSVP call 020 7424 1601 or e-mail info@elfridacamden.org.uk

Holi Festival X Mothers Day
Cookery Fundraiser, this Sunday 26th 1-5pm, at the Hackney Cypriot Society
Action Village India cookery fundraiser event this Sunday 26th March 1-5pm, organised by volunteers Mickey Malani and Adi Dilipkumar.
Mickey and Adi found their love for cooking not long after leaving India. In this action-packed fundraiser, learn the secrets of making the perfect thali, from daal to sambar,subjis to everything in between.
Infused with the spirit of Holi, the menu will be as colourful as it is flavoursome. Book here.

Centre 404 Events Diary
Find out what’s on at Centre 404 – Diary, Groups and Workshops – online here.

Camden Patient Participation Group – Elections and News
Don’t forget to nominate yourself to the CPPEG elections. Full details here. Find out more and read the latest Camden Patient Participation Group Newsletter here.

Healthwatch Camden
View the latest news and views from Healthwatch Camden here.

Camden Capacity Building Bulletin
The February Capacity Building Bulletin is available here.

Ageing Better in Camden
Read the Ageing Better in Camden Newsletter Spring Edition 2017 here

Camden Futures, LAWRS, Refugee Therapy Centre, Camden CCG, Opening Doors London, VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre 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

National

Charities And The VCS Should Get Back To Basics – Pressing Their Case Fearlessly Not Impersonating Outsourcers
John Tizard writes that “one of the attributes that separates charities and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations from other sectors is that they are driven primarily by their mission – by their cause…Most charities, especially those whose mission is to promote the interests of communities and especially the most economically and socially disadvantaged communities, have to resist the seductive influence of public sector commissioners and procurers, politicians, the media and some donors who want an apolitical charity sector. This is ridiculous….they have to challenge governments, local authorities, other public bodies, businesses and communities too. The fact is that this kind of challenge is both legitimate and a critical role for charities and the VCS.” Full story here.

FUNDING

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

VAC EVENTS

Crowdfunding Workshops with Hubbub
VAC and Hubbub are running a series of crowdfuning workshops for Camden organisations.
We will be setting a date for session 3 – Writing your pitch and one-to-one support (Date TBC)
aimed at those ready to start their campaign.
More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

OTHER EVENTS

A workshop for anyone who would like to apply for the Aging Better in Camden Bangladeshi Social Action project
Learn about the process and specifics of applying, as well as good practice in writing tender applications.
This workshop will be facilitated by Rachel Hughes and Jaber Khan from Social Action for Health and it will include:
~ Explanation of the key objectives and the tender specifications
~ The application process
~ General hints and tips on writing an application
~ Applying with other organisations
There will be an opportunity to meet other people who may be interested in applying, as well as a general question and answer session.
We recommend that organisations wishing to access the funding attend for information and learning purposes, (attendance by itself this will not affect the outcome of applications).
27th March, 2017 9:30 AM through to 12:30 PM
at St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre, 2 Ossulston street, NW1 1DF
Contact Zahir or Jaber zahirc@safh.org.uk or jaberk@safh.org.uk T: 0208 510 1970

Age Allies
From buses to banking, housing to health care, or leisure activities to local authorities, older people are increasingly shown to experience ageist attitudes and behaviors when accessing various services.
Age Allies is a brand new 3 years programme being developed by Age UK London that will help tackle age discrimination and issues around access to services in London.
Registering your interest today for one of our Focus Groups on either:
Tuesday 28 March (10:30 – 12:00)
Wednesday 29 March (10:30 – 12:00)
Help us challenge ageism in London. Register at Eventbrite

Camden Adult Community Learning Service Health & well-being event – Get Involved
At St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre Ossulston Street side, NW1 1DF
Tuesday 28 March from 10:00 – 1:00
The event is for our current adult community learners, many of whom experience disadvantage and a range of barriers to getting involved in activities to improve their and their family’s health and well-being.
We hope that the event will provide information and an opportunity to get involved in interactive activities to give a taste of what’s available in Camden for adults (our learners are typically in the 30 – 60+ age range) and families.
We want learners to leave with ideas and plans to get involved in activities over the Easter break and into the summer that are free or low cost.
If you would like your organisation to be involved, contact Bola at
adultlearning@camden.gov.uk by Monday 6 March at the latest.

Free Family Activities at the British Library January – March 2017
Play on Words Saturday 25 March 10.30 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 14.30
Play with words and performance in this creative workshop. Families will have the chance to print, collage, write and make. Details: www.bl.uk/events/family-events
learning@bl.uk T +44 (0)20 7412 7797. The British Library 96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB

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

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

JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING

Healthwatch Camden seeks Chair .
Healthwatch Camden is here to make sure that everyone – adults and children – who uses health and social care services in Camden can have their say on services and that what they say makes a difference. To help us do our job, we are looking for more people who live, work or study in Camden to join our board of trustees.
We are looking for one person to become Chair of the board, to replace our founding Chair, who is stepping down after four successful years.
To find out more please visit our website www.healthwatchcamden.co.uk or email info@healthwatchcamden.co.uk

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.

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

OFFERS, RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

CIP on One Map
Camden have helpfully published an interactive map with every Community Investment Programme (CIP) project marked with link to a summary and further links to the planning documents.

Camden Business Sustainability Awards
The awards aim to recognise, inspire and encourage businesses and organisations in the borough to achieve environmental sustainability.
The awards will be presented at a special event: ‘Celebrating Sustainable Business in Camden – leading the way‘ on Tuesday 25 April at the Francis Crick Institute in Kings Cross. The event will be an opportunity to network with other businesses and organisations going out of their way to protect the environment and, listening to keynote speakers from the London Assembly’s Environment Committee and the Committee on Climate Change
There are 8 categories for entrants including one for “Community project of the year”.
Further information here:
http://www.camdencca.org/camden-business-sustainability-awards-2017/
Please submit an expression of interest as soon as possible.

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

Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 17th March 2017

by Kevin Nunan16 March 2017

Highlights

Young Camden Foundation; Policy Seminar: Sortition; The Way Ahead; Governance in the Voluntary and Community Sector; Active Places, Active People, Active Journeys; A workshop for anyone who would like to apply for the Aging Better in Camden Bangladeshi Social Action project; Improve English Reading Writing and Listening Skills; Elfrida Rathbone AGM + funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Feature

Young Camden Foundation

The Young Camden Foundation has launched with news of the Foundation and a small grants scheme.
“The foundation is an exciting and innovative new cross-sector partnership, bringing the voluntary and community sector, Camden businesses, funders and the public sector together to support the lives of all young people in Camden.
The Foundation is a membership based organisation which aims to bring together and support local charities, voluntary organisations and groups that are committed to supporting and empowering our Camden Young People. We believe it is so vital, now more than ever that all of us need to take responsibility for ensuring the best possibly future for young people and we want to make it as easy as possible for everyone in Camden to be a part of this.”
To join go to https://www.youngcamdenfoundation.org.uk/join/
See the ‘Grants’ section below for more information about the small grants scheme.

NEWS & POLICY

Camden

Policy Seminar: Sortition
Wednesday March 22nd 2017. 10.30am (for 11am start) – 1pm.
Room 11. Mary Ward Centre. 42 Queens Square. NW1N 3AQ.
Definition: Sortition – the action of selecting or determining something by the casting or drawing of lots
Citizens are increasingly asked to participate in government and civil society beyond just voting in elections. How can we increase the numbers and diversity of people who get involved and avoid drawing on the familiar pool of active citizens? As policy driven ‘resident-led’ initiatives proliferate – like Big Local and Communities First, service user involvement and co-production of public services, restorative justice and citizens’ panels – how can we draw more people into the pool?
VAC and a Camden Big Local initiative have started to explore the pros and cons of random selection, or Sortition. We want to broaden the debate, include different aspects of citizen participation and democratic process, and look at the potential for using Sortition. Apply at Eventbrite or contact acharles@vac.org.uk.

The Way Ahead
For the past year London Funders have been holding an enquiry into the future of pan-London infrastructure. This was extended to include local infrastructure (ie VAC and Volunteer Centre Camden for example). And was further extended to include all of civil society. The final report was published in November 2016. It’s been an interesting 12 months and we have attempted to sum it up in a blog on the VAC website.

Active Places, Active People, Active Journeys
How do you keep active in St Pancras and Somers Town?
Featuring interactive games and local voices, Moving Stories explores how the community stays active.
Come along to The Living Centre and share your stories about what keeps you moving and feeling well in St Pancras and Somers Town.
Thursday 16 March to Friday 24 March 9am – 5pm Closed Sat. and Sun.
The St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre, 2 Ossulston Street, London NW1 1DF

Elfrida Rathbone AGM 30th March 2017 2 – 4.30pm
7 Dowdney Close, NW5. rsvp jasmine@elfridacamden.org.uk

Centre 404 Events Diary
Find out what’s on at Centre 404 – Diary, Groups and Workshops – online here.

Healthwatch Camden
View the latest news and views from Healthwatch Camden here.

Camden Capacity Building Bulletin
The February Capacity Building Bulletin is available here.

Ageing Better in Camden
Read the Ageing Better in Camden Newsletter Spring Edition 2017 here

LAWRS, Refugee Therapy Centre, Camden CCG, Opening Doors London, NHS Community Navigators, VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre 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

National

Alternative Models of Regeneration
A group of Haringey residents are proposing a resident-led model of development of a hospital site using a Community Land Trust. Read the full story here.

Volunteering and Public Services
NAVCA CEO, Neil Cleeveley, has been on the TV and radio this week talking about the value and plight of local volunteering and the government’s three day volunteering pledge.
He was on the Sunday Politics Show (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) on the BBC – which you can see here (around the 44 minute mark) and he was also on BBC Radio York – available here (around 1hr 13).
On both shows Neil discussed whether volunteers were being relied upon too much to run public services that had been subjected to funding cuts and how people can incorporate volunteering into their daily life.

Public health working with the voluntary sector
The Local Government Association (LGA) has published a report in conjunction with Volunteering Matters highlighting where public health is successfully working with the voluntary sector across the country.
The report champions the need for supporting local voluntary sector infrastructure, and includes good examples of how local CVSs have enabled the voice of the local communities and voluntary groups to be heard at a strategic level.

FUNDING

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

Crowdfunding initiative launched to tackle poverty and inequality in London
In collaboration with Crowdfunder and The Social Innovation Partnership, Trust for London and City Bridge Trust have launched a new £100,000 fund available to organisations using crowdfunding to raise funds and deliver projects which will address inequality and lift people out of poverty in the capital.
The Improving life for Londoners fund will provide up to 50% of the target (to a maximum of £10,000), with projects expected to raise at least the first 25% from the crowd.
The fund is keen to support charitable work that:
~ Provides practical solutions to support people on low incomes
~ Addresses local problems in creative ways
~ Is led by communities that will benefit from the work
If you think your organisation fits, check out our Crowdfunder page.
Do you want to know more about crowdfunding, and how to run a crowdfunding project?
Join us on Thursday 23 March 2017 at 1.00pm for a short Introduction to Crowdfunding webinar. For more details and to sign up here.

VAC EVENTS

Health and Safety Training 21st March 10.00 – 1.00. (Waiting list)
Learn about your rights and how to enforce them. You get a certificate at the end of the course.
The training is ideal for people new to health and safety or those wanting to refresh their knowledge. The course also covers all the requirements for running a community group safely. In particular, migrant workers or recent arrivals in the UK will gain important knowledge about their rights.
Working in a safe environment is a basic human right. Find out how to be safe and avoid ill health at work. Organised by VAC and London Hazards. To book please follow this link

Crowdfunding Workshops with Hubbub
VAC and Hubbub would like to invite you to our inaugural Camden charities crowdfunding workshop. We are putting 3 sessions on in order for you to learn what crowdfunding is and how your charity can take advantage of it
These sessions are aimed at Camden-based groups, ideally those with an income of under £100,000.
Workshop Details
Session 1 – has now taken place and the follow up Session 2 – Pre Campaign – 21st March, 3-5pm at Voluntary Action Camden. I filling fast and is for those who attended Session 1 or already have some knowledge of crowdfunding. In session 2 we will be getting down to the details of planning your campaign.
Session 3 – Writing your pitch and one-to-one support (Date TBC)
Write your pitch and present your campaign to the workshop. Get feedback from other attendees and get your project live.
More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

OTHER EVENTS

Ageing Better in Camden invites you to the launch of Concerns and Gaps Scheme (CAG)
Monday 20th March 2017 10.30am-1pm
At Age UK Camden, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square WC1H 9NA
At this free event we will be launching CAG – a method for collecting evidence of concerns and gaps in services from staff working with older people and older people themselves across Camden.
Speaker: Jamie Spencer, Prevention & Wellbeing Service Manager from London Borough of Camden’s Adult Social Care team,
This event is for anyone involved or working with older people in Camden, for those with an interest in joining up services and working in partnership to influence change.
Please RSVP to ageingbetterincamden@ageukcamden.org.uk or call 020 7239 0400..

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

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 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.

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

JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING

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.

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

OFFERS, RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

The Way Ahead Story

by Kevin Nunan16 March 2017

The Beginning

About a year ago an inquiry into infrastructure in London was started in response to a decision by London Funders to stop funding pan-london infrastructure in April 2017 – i.e. end funding to London-wide voluntary sector support bodies such as London Voluntary Service Council, London Advice Services Alliance etc. London Funders simultaneously took the decision to commission a report into the future of london infrastructure. This gave them a year to come up with a strategy for pan-London infrastructure support before the funding ended.

This all seemed logical and there was some logic to looking more widely at voluntary and community sector infrastructure across London at the same time. It was a decision that local CVSs and Volunteer Centres (the main local infrastructure bodies) weren’t consulted on but it seemed logical and despite being a top down initiative VCSs engaged with good will.

The original brief to the consultants contained both a wish to:

“to understand how civil society in the capital can best be supported in order to optimise its positive impact on Londoners”

and

“know how support should be provided in London for the future to meet the needs of front line organisations”

and

“A robust vision for infrastructure in London”

The Middle

There then followed a very lengthy process, involving large numbers of stakeholders. Arguably at this point a critical error was made as the remit of the enquiry was opened up too wide – to include all of civil society – without ever defining where civil society begins and ends (relevant to infrastructure if we are to have a role supporting it). This was a critical juncture in the process and worth unpicking in more detail elsewhere. So rather than dwell on this stage of the process it can be summed up as confusing, often with too many disparate groups in the room all talking at cross purposes to feel that anything useful was being achieved.

After six months an interim report was produced that most agreed left a lot to be desired.

If the reports provocative nature was aimed at galvanizing interest, then it succeeded as a huge effort by key stakeholders was launched to try to bring the project back on track (or at least back down to earth).

The End

Finally in November 2016 the final report was unveiled. It was 69 pages long and it’s central conclusion was to propose a new vision and system for civil society, containing 12 core themes achieved through a system of 10 stakeholder groups (see diagram below).

The 12 themes and key proposals are:

Proposed vision and system

The twelve core aspects of the proposed vision and system are:

A shared understanding of need should be co-produced, with communities driving this process,and with the involvement of a range of other players.
Communities should be enabled to find and deliver their own solutions where possible.
Frontline volunteers, groups and organisations’ role would be to fill gaps in provision which communities can’t or don’t want to provide for themselves.
Civil society support would provide a “triage and connect” function to diagnose the issues faced by frontline volunteers, groups and organisations and match them to the right support. Support could be from a range of sources within and beyond civil society.
Communities, civil society support and funders should act as catalysts for action and also identify emerging needs.
Civil society support, independent funders and the local public sector should share data gleaned through co-producing a shared understanding of need, and information on policy developments and best practice.

A London Hub, working with specialist support, should develop standardized resources where possible, which can be customized and delivered locally. The London Hub could be made up of a network of organisations or be a formally constituted body.
Frontline volunteers, groups and organisations, civil society support and independent funders should campaign and influence locally and regionally.
Civil society support and independent funders should act as catalysts to drive improvements in quality, based on peer support and challenge.
The GLA should collate, analyse and provide data on civil society and communities’ needs.
The GLA, elected representatives, London Councils and independent funders should bring civil society into strategic planning and decision making about the future of London.
London Councils, the GLA, elected representatives, independent funders and the local public sector should work together to ensure consistent commissioning and funding of civil society support.

The core stakeholders identified in the report are:

Frontline volunteers, groups and organisations
Local support
Specialist support
London Hub
GLA
London Councils
Local Public Sector
Business
Elected representatives
Independent Funders

The report was launched at Guildhall in the City to much fanfare. The report was embargoed to the last minute – delegates received their copies on their way to their seats at the launch event. Even after studying it carefully it was unclear what was being proposed.

The Next Phase after the End – Implementation

The consultants signed off on their report, got it launched and handed back to London Funders. London Funders then appointed another consultant (Geraldine Blake) – who was on the Way Ahead reference group. Geraldine was given the tricky task of trying to implement the report (or at least achieve something realistic).

Together with Geraldine Blake a group of pragmatic and clear thinking voluntary sector people have stepped forward (mainly a mixture CVS directors and experienced local infrastructure workers) who have formed a ‘systems change’ group and unpicked half a dozen or so key themes from the report and formed working groups to reach some practical conclusions. The working groups are

1 – Co-production

2 – Data

3 – Triage and connect

4 – Voice & Campaigning

5 – Consistent commissioning

These groups are working hard, trying to be inclusive and base their work on evidence and case studies and come up with pragmatic workable solutions.

The Future – A Variety of Risks

Time is running out. Pan London organisations have issued redundancy notices. Voluntary infrastructure across the capital is in a critical condition.

Money is running out. City Bridge announced a financial commitment at the November 2016 meeting to take the work forward and provide an emergency lifeline to some of the pan London infrastructure, but it appears that some of this may be contingent on match funding and other funders have not come forward yet.

Local Authorities in general haven’t been especially engaged (Camden more so than most). Health authorities not at all.
Trust between the sector and funders and key stakeholders has been damaged as a result of the poorly handled process and there is an urgent need to rebuild trust all round.

There are many conflicts of interest that do not seem to be managed or even acknowledged. There are particular ways of working that are being promoted such as sub-regionalisation (the super CVS model); Diverting budgets into mass civic participation models of working; The presence of consultants who are both involved in the process, evaluating the sector and bidding against the sector for work.

Final Thoughts

Where this will all lead is still too unclear to predict but it looks clear that in many ways that local infrastructure bodies (CVSs and Volunteer Centres etc) are back where we started – any funding for local infrastructure organisations will be heavily dependent on local public authorities. The picture for pan-London bodies is less clear but rather bleak.

CVSs and local infrastructure organisations in general have been rather taken aback by the gaps in understanding of civil society and our work and so one key task is to build a better consensus of understanding between us and funders and policy makers of how civil society, community groups and the voluntary sector interlink and how they can best be supported.

There were too many lazy assumptions among policy makers and funders that the sector was amateurish, poor quality, and old fashioned. The simplistic arguments around ‘digital’ being a classic example – where there was little understanding of the sector’s difficult but more sophisticated approach to digital – embracing digital yet retaining face-to- face and telephone and in-person support as key to inclusion and equality – and rejecting the public sector’s blanket ‘digital by default’ approach which is heralded as innovative and saves the public sector costs but often excludes the very people we are there to support.

We are determined to demonstrate to London Funders our willingness to try different things and help move the report forward, rebuilding trust with stakeholders, but above all stay firmly rooted in a world that is both realistic and achievable.

Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 10th March 2017

by Kevin Nunan10 March 2017

Highlights

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives; The Camden Commission; Disabled Access Day; Leighton Education Project Coffee Morning; Crowdfunding Workshops with Hubbub; Camden Business Sustainability Awards; How Do You Write a Successful Grant Application? Elfrida Rathbone AGM; Health and Safety Training; Torriano Meeting House Exhibition; The Budget; Edge Fund; Ageing Better in Camden Contracts + funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

Feature

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives

Camden ’s Health and Wellbeing Board convened an interesting meeting recently to look at tackling obesity and low levels of physical activity among residents in the borough. We started with presentations (pp 10, 11) on the situation in the borough (a surprising number of the over 65s and primary school age children are overweight). We then worked in groups looking at what we could do. For more background there are some national guidelines on developing local strategies here. We looked at what the various sectors could contribute and in particular what the voluntary and community sector could contribute around activity, healty eating and wellbeing in general, discussing some examples of what has been done in the sector already and what more could be done. You can read more here.

NEWS & POLICY

Camden

Disabled Access Day 2017 – Drop in at Wellcome Foundation
Saturday 11 March 2017 11:00-17:00
Wellcome Collection is taking part in Disabled Access Day.
Drop in to take part in a range of activities with additional support. There will be something for everyone on a day that encompasses tours and discussion, movement and vibration, smells and spices, curious objects to handle and memorable dreams to reflect on.
This event includes British Sign Language provision. Elements of this event will be audio described. This event will be speech to text transcribed. Full detials on the Wellcome website.

Leighton Education Project Coffee Morning
The Leighton Education Project is running a drop-in coffee morning for voluntary and statutory sector colleagues on Friday 17th March 2017, 11am-1pm at Elfrida Rathbone Camden. The Leighton Education Project is a specialist education provider for young people aged 16 – 25 with special educational needs and disabilities.
The morning will be an opportunity to look round the classrooms, meet the team and find out more about what we have on offer. We are currently recruiting learners for the 2017/18 academic year.
RSVP rosanna@elfridacamden.org.uk / 020 7424 1615

Crowdfunding Workshops with Hubbub
VAC and Hubbub would like to invite you to our inaugural Camden charities crowdfunding workshop. We are putting 3 sessions on in order for you to learn what crowdfunding is and how your charity can take advantage of it
These sessions are aimed at Camden-based groups, ideally those with an income of under £100,000.
Workshop Details
Session 1 – What is crowdfunding Q&A – 14th March, 3-5pm at Voluntary Action Camden
Outline of crowdfunding in the charity space, then open to the floor for questions driven by research attendees have done
Session 2 – Pre Campaign – 21st March, 3-5pm at Voluntary Action Camden
This is the pre campaign session. Who are the ambassadors, which channels will they use, who is the administrator, how will they collect marketing materials, what time frame will the campaign be run.
Session 3 – Writing your pitch (TBC)
Write your pitch and present your campaign to the workshop. Get feedback from other attendees and get your project live.
For more information please contact Alex Charles or Ricky Singh Tokhi | alexcharles@vac.org.uk or acharles@vac.org.uk . More details on the VAC website: https://vac.org.uk/events/

Workshop: How Do You Write a Successful Grant Application?
Wednesday, March 15 @ 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Mary Ward Centre, 42 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AQ United Kingdom
Find out the secrets of writing funding applications by coming along to a practical workshop and learn about all of the dos and don’ts! Organised by VAC. See full details under VAC Events section.

Elfrida Rathbone AGM 30th March 2017 2 – 4.30pm
7 Dowdney Close, NW5. rsvp jasmine@elfridacamden.org.uk

Health and Safety Training 21st March 10.00 – 1.00.
Learn about your rights and how to enforce them. You get a certificate at the end of the course.
See full details under VAC Events section.

Torriano Meeting House
Exhibition of works by Saad Mushatat 17-28 March 2017
The artist thinks of himself as a product of the 1970’s, an era in Iraq that “was blessed with culture, art and creativity, (and) was very fundamental in shaping our lives,” he said. Torriano Meeting House.

Centre 404 Events Diary
Find out what’s on at Centre 404 – Diary, Groups and Workshops – online here.

Healthwatch Camden
View the latest news and views from Healthwatch Camden here.

Camden Capacity Building Bulletin
The February Capacity Building Bulletin is available here.

Ageing Better in Camden
Read the Ageing Better in Camden Newsletter Spring Edition 2017 here

Refugee Therapy Centre, SHAK, Kentish Town Community Centre, Colindale Community Trust, Camden CCG, Opening Doors London, NHS Community Navigators, VAC, Kings Cross Construction Centre 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

National

Spring Budget 2017
According to NCVO this was billed as a ‘quiet budget’ the chancellor benefited from an unexpected £12bn underspend in the government finances. But Mr Hammond chose to bank the vast majority of the windfall in anticipation of leaving the EU. The overall context for charities remains one of austerity well into the next parliament, with a further £3.5bn of departmental cuts due to be announced later in the year.
There remain serious long term challenges around health and social care, local authority funding, pensions and wage growth that may begin to be addressed through the many consultations announced today.
£4.6bn has been taken out of the social care budget recently. So after intense pressure in recent months, the chancellor announced a further £2bn for social care over three years. While significant, it’s less than the £1.5bn the cross-party Communities and Local Government Committee recently found was needed this year alone, with the annual funding gap expected to reach £2.6bn by 2020 according to the LGA.
The chancellor also announced a much called-for review of social care funding in the form of a green paper later this year – it will be important that charities make their voices heard in the consultation process. He also announced additional capital funding would be made available in the autumn budget for the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans currently in development.
Sadly the chancellor did not head NAVCA’s plea for full mandatory rate relief for charities. However, a further £300m of transitional business rates relief was announced, which will be allocated to local authorities according to a DCLG formula, and distributed by them according to their priorities. Charities that expect to see large rate rises may wish to approach the local authority to discuss their circumstances.
Charities and other organisations who work to combat domestic abuse have been awarded an additional £20m by the Chancellor in today’s Budget.
With only three mentions of the word charity the sector has been left divided by this budget.
Full details of the rest of the budget can be found at the BBC.

FUNDING

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

Crowdfunding initiative launched to tackle poverty and inequality in London
In collaboration with Crowdfunder and The Social Innovation Partnership, Trust for London and City Bridge Trust have launched a new £100,000 fund available to organisations using crowdfunding to raise funds and deliver projects which will address inequality and lift people out of poverty in the capital.
The Improving life for Londoners fund will provide up to 50% of the target (to a maximum of £10,000), with projects expected to raise at least the first 25% from the crowd.
The fund is keen to support charitable work that:
~ Provides practical solutions to support people on low incomes
~ Addresses local problems in creative ways
~ Is led by communities that will benefit from the work
If you think your organisation fits, check out our Crowdfunder page.
Do you want to know more about crowdfunding, and how to run a crowdfunding project?
Join us on Thursday 23 March 2017 at 1.00pm for a short Introduction to Crowdfunding webinar. For more details and to sign up here.

Team London small grants programme now open for applications – deadline 8th February
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.

VAC EVENTS

Health and Safety Training 21st March 10.00 – 1.00.
Learn about your rights and how to enforce them. You get a certificate at the end of the course.
You will learn about:
~ The main UK health and safety laws
~ Who is responsible for health and safety at work
~ Basic risk assessment
~ Sources of information and support
The training is ideal for people new to health and safety or those wanting to refresh their knowledge. The course also covers all the requirements for running a community group safely. In particular, migrant workers or recent arrivals in the UK will gain important knowledge about their rights.
Working in a safe environment is a basic human right. Find out how to be safe and avoid ill health at work. Organised by VAC and London Hazards. To book please follow this link

How Do You Write a Successful Grant Application?
Wednesday, March 15 @ 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Mary Ward Centre, 42 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AQ United Kingdom
Find out the secrets of writing funding applications by coming along to a practical workshop and learn about all of the dos and don’ts!
The sessions are for Camden based groups only and will focus on providing support for voluntary and community organisations with income of less than £100,000 a year. You can bring along a grant application that you are working on, or would like to work on. Following the workshop, you will also be offered one to one support to complete the application.
“We were successful to the tune of twenty thee thousand pound over two years from the Active Communities Fund. VACs involvement was a real benefit, particularly the one to one support. It was excellent”.Community Organisation NW5.
For further details contact Simone Hensby shensy@vac.org.uk. 020 7284 6555
Full details at the VAC 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.

Crowdfunding
14th March find out about crowdfunding and what it can do for you with VAC and our new Crowdfuning partners Hubbub.
21st March work on your own crowdfunding proposal and get support and help from a crowdfunding expert. Mainly for Camden based groups with an income of under £100k. Full details in News section.
https://vac.org.uk/events/ Contact Alex or Ricky to book.

OTHER EVENTS

Sustainability and Transformation Plans
Friday 17th March 2017 10.30 am – 2.00 pm Lunch at 1.00 pm
At Age UK London, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA
Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) are five year plans for the future of health and care services in local areas. NHS organisations have come together with local authorities and other partners to develop the plans in 44 areas of the country. STPs represent a very significant change to the planning of health and care services in England.
Please book your place early Email: zghods@ageuklondon.org.uk or call on 0207 820 6781

Spare Tyre presents Safe – Take risk away, and what’s left?
At New Diorama Theatre. Wednesday 15 – Saturday 18 March 2017
With a diverse cast of mainly local older people and people with learning disabilities, Safe is part of Spare Tyre’s 40th birthday celebrations. The show follows a theatre company as they attempt to stage a play. An interruption by a Health & Safety Officer sets off a spiral into absurdity. Details here.

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

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

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 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.

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

JOBS AND VOLUNTEERING

Kentish Town Community Centre seeks Youth Projects Coordinator
£19,819 (Pro rata, 14hrs per week) Closing Date: 17th March 2017
We are looking for someone with a passion for working with young people and who has the right enthusiasm and experience to provide coordination support in our core youth projects .They should have excellent communication skills, be highly organised and able to work as part of a team and under their own motivation. The successful applicant will have experience of working in an administrative role and this role will include working across various youth projects, supporting the Youth Services Manager and youth staff team in the planning, delivery and monitoring of the service. The successful applicant will have good experience of internal and external communications including publicity, supporting staff members with the administration of youth activities, multi agency working; a belief in the potential of young people and the ability to build a rapport with young people and external organisations. The successful applicant will also have a sound understanding of safeguarding practices.
All posts are subject to an enhanced DBS check. Please apply by visiting www.ktcc.org.uk or contact the Youth Services Manager Halima@ktcc.org.uk

SHAK seeks Wellbeing and Employment development worker
South Hampstead and Kilburn Community Partnership £26-27000 p.a
Lead an innovative Wellbeing project enabling residents to lead new health initiatives and expand their employment and progression horizons.
Full details at https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/wellbeing-and-employment-development-worker/490402?tsId=8

SHAK seeks Community Engagement Manager
South Hampstead and Kilburn Community Partnership Salary Circa £30,000
Community Engagement Manager required to launch and lead an innovative Lottery funded project and manage other social engagement projects.
Full detials at https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/view/490253?tsId=8

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.

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

OFFERS, RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Abbey Community Centre has rooms for Hire
We have various sized rooms to rent which would suit community groups looking to run meetings, classes, workshops & supervised recreational activities. Sorry, but we don’t cater for birthday parties, social functions or wedding receptions.
Office space for hire
We have fully furnished desk & office space available too, for short or long term rent from just £77 per week, ideal for a community project to share the fantastic atmosphere.
For more information on availability, rates and to arrange a visit to view the rooms please give us a call on 020 7624 8378 or email reception: reception@abbeycc-kilburn.org.uk & see our website:
http://abbeycc-kilburn.org.uk/index.php/room-hire/main-hall/

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

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives

by Kevin Nunan10 March 2017

It was good to see the acknowledgement of a deeper role in health at a policy and a planning level. We don’t hear much about the social determinants of health, spanning everything from social and economic factors, the physical environment and policy decisions that are the foundation of good health. We’re used to seeing healthy messages targeted at individual behaviour, but often it’s policy levers influencing social and economic factors and the physical environment that have much bigger effects. In Victorian England, the vast leap in the health of the nation (such as elimination of Cholera, Diphtheria, TB and so on) were all achieved at the policy level by tackling overcrowding, poor sanitation and poverty through a combination of legislation and public infrastructure building.

There’s lot’s that can be still be done at the policy level. Camden has powers over planning, speed limits, catering in schools and institutions, even little things like benches and loos can have a big impact on people’s lives. Ofsted will be looking at measures aimed at physical health and wellbeing in primary schools from 2017. The Mayor is tackling air pollution across London. Transport infrastructure and cycling strategies will impact health and wellbeing too.

The meeting was an opportunity to bring a number of different sectors together. But what were the voluntary sector there for? Hopefully we could contribute knowledge and ideas from the sector – our group spent some time looking at getting people more active and Sofina from KCBNA was able to bring her insights into working with BAME older people and encouraging activity. Our group liked walking and I talked about Kove’s Ageing Better funded bench-to-bench walks in. Kove discovered that a key barrier for older people was a lack of benches. They campaigned for more benches (but not ‘Camden’ benches) and then mapped out routes so that older walkers could have a regular rest. Lack of public loos can also be a barrier to older and disabled people getting out more and the community toilet scheme helps there. For the young the issues seemed to be about risk and safety (for example traffic) and public authorities had a role in creating play streets, lowering speed limits and encouraging walking to school. We thought a bit about how people could be encouraged to be more active and the sort of messages they might respond to. Walking can be made goal oriented with apps and challenges, or a social pastime with social and cultural interest walking groups – different approaches favour different age groups.

We also talked a bit about opportunities to make the most of school kitchens as a resource and involve out-of-hours groups supported by celebrity chef led charities to make the most of these resources to improve healthy eating in the borough. We talked about Rhyll and Mayfield that are working on this and the help that Foundations like Greggs can bring – and we’ve been involved too, helping with fundraising advice to the PTA. By the way, now is a good time to approach the Greggs Foundation as their Manager Jackie Crombie is on secondment to Business in the Community as a Business connector in Camden. With all these connections, there is the potential for lots of good things to happen when public, private and voluntary sector work together on common ends.

Choosing where we think we can have the best impact and then getting the messaging right will be challenging – simple messages work best – think of the 1980s Aids campaign (safe sex!) or smoking (quit!). But food and lifestyle are more complex and less amenable to simple messages ‘Eat a varied diet in moderation’ may be sound advice but it’s hardly likely to capture the public imagination. Fortunately we have onboard media and marketing specialists – The Campaign Company – to help us.

Hopefully the voluntary and community sector will be able to contribute all sorts of knowledge and ideas. For example, we are involved in a social prescribing project where Health Advocates talk to patients in GP waiting rooms and C4 have a related Community Connectors project, both of which are great opportunities to talk to residents about health messages. Of course the others in the room all came up with a huge range of interesting ideas as well, and there is plenty of work still to be done so it’s impossible to predict what the final action plan will look like at this early stage.

However, it’s worth mentioning that there is an unfortunate history of confused nutrition education messaging that has clouded this whole area, and might explain why a maker of sugary drinks can market it as a sports drink for the fit – though only a few years ago the same drink was marketed as a convalescents drink for the sick.

We really have had a bad half century of nutrition advice and public messages. Starting in the 1960 when the humble egg went from hero (go to work on an egg) to villain just ten years later. All because of unscientific links between the presence of cholesterol in the yolk and cholesterol in the brain (good!) and blocking arteries (bad!). Somehow along the way someone forget that there is a both a blood-brain barrier and a gut barrier, so ingredients in food don’t just travel straight into your body. Oh well.

Things got even worse with the fat vs sugar war. Yudkin, the head of department at my alma mater, QEC, wrote ‘Pure White and Deadly’ in 1972 convinced that processed sugar was to blame for the rise in heart disease and obesity. Unfortunately an American, Ancel Keys, thought that saturated fat was to blame and his views were taken up by the powerful American Heart Association. The fat vs sugar war raged briefly but fat soon won out and Yudkin found his career had come to a sudden end. Actually, they were both brilliant scientists working in a tricky field and the blame lies as much with public health needing simple messages as it does with powerful vested interests in the food industry.

Sadly the result of trying to correct these historical errors may well be more anger and confusion. First the myths about fats will have to be tackled both here and in the US. Then the public will have to get used to new facts. This will essentially mean eating a lot less sugar. The US has taken tentative steps and the public in the UK are being softened up for the message that sugar is bad with actions like a soft drinks sugar tax in the 2016 budget. However, a rather alarming backtracking has just occurred in the final draft of the Childhood Obesity Plan, where Theresa May’s government has overseen a dramatic watering down of the original proposals. Perhaps sugar will continue its miraculous charmed life for a bit longer (if any of us are left alive to buy it).

To finish I want to share the new Brazilian dietary guidelines which have taken the revolutionary step of using social messages rather than biomedical messages. What I mean by that is that rather than health messages that talk purely about the components of diet (ie eat more fiber, eat less carbohydrate etc) they have come up with messages that tackle the social aspects of eating, such as where and how you buy, prepare and eat your food. This shift from a biomedical approach to health to a social model could have profound implications in health more widely. I think this is a revolutionary and powerful approach and I’m sure other countries will follow – though interesting to note that these guidelines were very unpopular with industry, who presumably know an effective media campaign when they see one.

The Brazilian guidelines are:

Prepare meals from staple and fresh foods.
Use oils, fats, sugar, and salt in moderation.
Limit consumption of ready-to-consume food and drink products.
Eat regular meals, paying attention, and in appropriate environments.
Eat in company whenever possible.
Buy food at places that offer varieties of fresh foods. Avoid those that mainly sell products ready for consumption.
Develop, practice, share, and enjoy your skills in food preparation and cooking.
Plan your time to give meals and eating proper time and space.
When you eat out, choose restaurants that serve freshly made dishes and meals. Avoid fast food chains.
Be critical of the commercial advertisement of food products.