Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 12th May 2017

Voting and Disabilities; How Do You Write a Successful Grant Application? VAC Survey: Training Needs Analysis Survey; Camden Family Members Reference Group – Financial Assessments; Religious Symbols at Work and EU Law; Register to Vote; Office Space Wanted;How to get the best Education Health and Care Plan for your child; Visually Impaired in Camden (VIC) Members’ events; Free South Asian dance and movement workshops; The Phoenix Garden + funding, jobs, volunteers, events, training, offers and resources.

The Electoral Commission produced some useful guidance on voting rights for people with disabilities. Councils must ensure that polling stations do not disadvantage disabled people. The key points are:
Any voter with a disability has the right to:
• Request assistance to mark the ballot paper. This could be asking the Presiding Officer at the polling station to mark the ballot for you, or bringing a close family member (father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, civil partner, son or daughter – if they are aged 18 or over), or a person who would be entitled to vote at the election. This can be a support worker, as long as they’re entitled to vote themselves.
• A tactile voting device. This is fixed onto the ballot paper so visually impaired people can mark their ballot paper in secret.
• See a large print version of the ballot paper for reference. This should be clearly displayed in the polling station and you can take a copy into the polling booth with you.
• Assistance to gain access to the polling station. Polling stations should be chosen with accessibility in mind, but if you find that it’s not accessible the Presiding Officer can bring the ballot paper out to you.
For full details on the guidance see the Electoral Commission Fact Sheet
Mencap have produced more detailed guidelines for people with learning disabilities. Read more here.

How Do You Write a Successful Grant Application?
Wednesday 31st May 2 – 8pm or Wednesday 12th July 2 – 8pm
Mary Ward Centre (Camden), 42 Queen Square. WC1N
Find out the secrets 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. Booking and details at VAC website.

VAC Survey: Training Needs Analysis Survey
VAC and the Mary Ward Centre are putting together a comprehensive training programme for the next 18 months. This is specifically focused on the employment and skill needs of voluntary and community organisations.
The questions in this survey are designed to help identify how the voluntary and community sector can help address some of the big challenges facing Camden, and to determine what knowledge and skills their team will need to achieve this.
All completed surveys will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win five hours of free organisational development support from VAC, for example 121 assistance on writing a funding application.
Thank you for participating in our survey. Your feedback is important.

Camden Family Members Reference Group – Financial Assessments
A group for all carers of an adult with a learning disability in Camden
Wednesday 17 May 2017 10:30am – 12:30pm followed by a light lunch
Have you got an adult family member with learning disabilities?
~ How can financial assessments be better and clearer for the person with learning disabilities and their carer?
~ Come and raise your questions, share your experiences and get information
With: David Kinloch – Senior Advice & Assessment Officer, Camden Council
At: Camden Carers Service, Charlie Ratchford Resource Centre, Belmont Street, NW1 8HF
For more information Contact / RSVP: Philippa – philippar@centre404.org.uk 020 7697 1336

Religious Symbols at Work and EU Law: The Recent Ruling on Hijabs in the Workplace
Wednesday 17 May 2017, 14:30-18:30
UCL Cruciform Lecture Theatre 2 (Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT)
The Court of Justice of the European Union has made its first major ruling on the compatibility with EU law of rulings banning the wearing of religious symbols at work.
This ruling has been highly controversial and is of significant importance for the law in a wide range of areas.
The UCL Faculty of Laws, together with the Inner Temple and the UCL European Institute will bring together a range of experts in the areas of EU constitutional law, law and religion, discrimination law and labour law to discuss this judgment from a wide range of perspectives.
Ticket: £15 – Free. Book on line.

Register to Vote
The 99% Campaign as a youth-led movement that aims to make society more inclusive, fair and responsive to young people’s views and realities urges young people to register to vote in the forthcoming elections.
You can register to vote at Gov.uk/register-to-vote and click ‘Start Now’.
There are only 11 questions, and registering should only take about five minutes.
The deadline to apply for postal voting is 5pm on Tuesday 23 May.

Office Space Wanted
Grandparents Plus is looking for office space for 10-12 people with access to meeting rooms preferable. We would love the opportunity to sublet some space near to transport links. If you have any office space available please contact Louise Baker at louise.baker@grandparentsplus.org.uk.

How to get the best Education Health and Care Plan for your child
Wednesday 24th May, 10.30am – 12.30pm at Pirate Castle, Oval Road, NW1
Is your child’s educational statement about to transfer into an ECHP?
Have you started writing section A?
Do you wonder if there is anyone out there who can help or support you?
Have you got a date for the EHCP transfer meeting?
Do you know what an Independent Supporter is?
This is a great information session for anyone applying for or transferring to an Education, Health and Care Plan. It will guide you through the process, showing how you can be involved at each stage and how and when to get support.
To book onto this workshop please email Rachel.Dixon@kids.org.uk, call or text 07711 767258, or call the KIDS office on 0207 359 3635 and ask for Rachel or Maria.
https://www.facebook.com/CamdenSpecialParentsForum

Visually Impaired in Camden (VIC) Members’ events
16 May – Anju Bhatt, Development Worker, Camden Disability Action (CDA), will be speaking about CDA and seeking input into CDA’s Business Plan for the next 3-5 years.
And as usual, time for tea and a chat.
This event will be held at Swiss Cottage Community Centre, 19 Winchester Road, NW3 3NR, 2pm-4pm.
Tel: 07980 328 959 Email: Rosemary@somerstown.org.uk

Free South Asian dance and movement workshops
Join us for our FREE workshops! Together with Odissi dancer Maryam Shakiba, you will explore South Asian dance and creative movement in a fun, friendly environment. No previous experience needed. All abilities and mobilities are welcome! Where: Kentish Town Community Centre, 17 Busby Place NW5 2SP When: 19 May, 26 May, 2 June, 9 June, 16 June, 23 June, 30 June, 7 July (Fridays) Time: 11am-12pm Nearest Tube: Kentish Town Overground: Kentish Town West Buses: C2, 134, 214, 393, 390, 253, 29
For more info contact Akademi: Claire or Giulia – 020 76913210

The Phoenix Garden
The Phoenix Garden in Stacey Street is celebrating the opening of a new building on Tuesday 23 May 6-9pm at 21 Stacey Street, WC2. reception@thephoenixgarden.org

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.

Solace Women’s Aid, 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

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.

How Do You Write a Successful Grant Application?
Wednesday 31st May 2 – 8pm or Wednesday 12th July 2 – 8pm
see News section above for full details.

Healthy Minds Programme – “Let’s Talk About Mental Health”
Monday, 15 May @ 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.

HR Support in Camden
VAC provides free HR advice and support to Camden voluntary organisations employing staff. Get in touch to discuss your HR consultancy needs, from recruitment to redundancy and everything in-between. VAC’s HR support aims to help trustees and managers understand employment law and to have robust HR procedures that reflect good practice so fewer workplace issues arise, and HR crises are averted or managed effectively. Call Kevin on 020 7284 6557 or email knunan@vac.org.uk

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

Moneytalk Camden North – final subsidised Financial Education Facilitator Training Courses
Moneytalk Camden North is a project based on the award winning financial literacy resource Made of Money, developed by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action. It aims to help groups talk about money and its impact on their lives, as well as learn vital money management skills.
Our last 2-day comprehensive training courses are on 11th & 12th July and 4th & 11th October click here to find out more and download a booking form. Contact: mtcn@qsa.org.uk tel: 020 8983 5047

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.

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
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

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

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

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.

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

Solace Women’s Aid is recruiting Advice Line volunteers
Our Advice service is currently recruiting for 10 Advice Line volunteers. Working as part of the Advice team you will be taking calls and providing immediate advice and support to women on all issues relating to domestic and sexual violence, ensuring their safety and providing them with options. You will receive training that will you help develop the skills needed to deliver an excellent level of service to clients. This role requires strong communication skills and an excellent telephone manner.
Please note the recruitment and selection process will be over 2-3 days through different activities including role-plays, case studies, group work and questionnaires.
Availability Minimum 2 day per week, At least 6 months. Must be 18 or over.
Deadline: 8th June 2017 (Please note some individual roles may state a different closing date)
Please apply by completing the application and monitoring form on our website and email this to us along with your CV. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
http://solacewomensaid.org/get-involved/volunteer-your-time/current-volunteer-opportunities/
Please note that our volunteer opportunities are open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1), and that these volunteer roles are exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 and subject to enhanced DBS checks.
Read more about our Advice service in our current volunteers newsletter.
http://solacewomensaid.org/volunteer-newsletter-may/

Community Association for West Hampstead – seeks Trustees
CAWH is a diverse, lively and expanding Community Association. We run the West Hampstead Community Centre. We are looking for individuals with a strong interest in improving services in the local community to join our Board of Management.
This is a great opportunity to contribute to a local organisation that is making a difference to people in the local area, particularly children and older people. You have the opportunity to gain new skills and experience and to meet new people.
We are particularly seeking a new Treasurer to lead the financial management of the organisation as well as individuals who have skills in finance, human resources and marketing to develop the breadth of our Board. You may have many years’ experience in running organisations or want to broaden your skillset by supporting a charity – we want to hear from you. You will be able to commit to ten meetings a year and would ideally live in or near West Hampstead or be familiar with the area.
If you are interested, please contact the Manager, Carlos Tapia, on 020 7794 3729 (Mon, Wed and Thurs) or e-mail manager@cawh.org.uk

Citizens Advice Camden is seeking Chair of the Board of Trustees
Do you feel passionately about advice delivery? Could you shape future strategy and help us to achieve our mission?
We are recruiting a Chair for our trustee board. We are seeking someone with governance skills who can provide leadership and enthusiasm to lead Citizens Advice Camden into the future. You will ultimately be responsible for the overall direction, vision and strategy of Citizens Advice Camden. We are looking for candidates who can bring innovative ideas, enthusiasm for our values, and excellent judgment to help determine our objectives. You will be prepared to assist our organisation in taking on any future challenges and play a key role in our success.
If you would like any further information please email lisa.yates@camdencabservice.org.uk or look at our website www.camdencabservice.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-us/trustees/
Closing date for applications is 12 noon 15th May.

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

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/

Menu of Preventative Interventions Published by Government
Public Health England has released their menu of preventative interventions that help to improve people’s health and reduce demand on health and care services. The interventions listed can all demonstrate a reduction in costs to health and care services, and can be used to inform local planning and commissioning. Costs of interventions, savings and ROI are all listed making this a very useful information when planning and costing preventive work. For more information please click here.

Healthwatch Camden survey
The survey looks at what people in Camden do when they need to see a doctor quickly. It is aimed at improving how people use urgent care services such as A&E, walk in centres, NHS 111 etc.
www.tinyurl.com/healthwatchurgentcare

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.