Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 15th December 2017

Season’s Greetings from All at VAC

This is the last e-bulletin of 2017.  The next will be on Friday 5th January.  Our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year and reopen on Tuesday 2nd January 2018

CCG Announcement Concerning Adult Community Health Commissioning

‘The management of Camden adults’ community health service commissioning is transferring back from Camden Council to Camden Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The teams supporting Continuing Health Care and Delayed Transfer of Care moved to the CCG already, and the physical disability and Adults community health services commissioning teams will transfer in January 2018.
Our joint priority continues to be ensuring Camden health and care services are managed and delivered in a coordinated way for the benefit of residents, and we will continue to collaborate closely to ensure this. Integrated commissioning arrangements for mental health, learning disabilities and children’s services will not change. The two organisations remain fully committed to delivering the Camden Local Care Strategy, a shared vision for local service transformation.
The Council and CCG will ensure a seamless management handover, and people using local adults’ community health services will not experience any changes. Further detail on the transition of management responsibilities, and how Camden CCG would like to work with organisations, will follow.’

Camden Community Radio

Christmas Special
In our last session before Christmas we bring you festive suggestions from family run pop-up shops near King’s Cross, to new theatre and an evening of stories by local writers at the Holborn Library. Plus there’s a special report from Violet on freezing cold swimmers in Hampstead pond at Christmas and a repeat of one of our all time favourite Christmas recordings – Rob Ingliss’s reading of A Christmas Carol, done for CCRadio in 2015. Listen here.
Healthwatch Camden Reports on local Care Homes
Anna Wright tells how Healthwatch Camden was about to use its powers to visit and check on the quality of local care homes when it heard that ‘Independent Age’ was keen to develop indicators to help ordinary people to assess the quality of care homes they might think of using. The resulting collaboration was so successful that Independent Age is recommending that all MPs get their local Healthwatch to inspect and report on their local care homes using the eight quality indicators that they have developed. Listen here.

New Community Connector Service for Camden

Ageing Better in Camden are pleased to announce that Age UK Camden have won the contract to delivery Ageing Better in Camden’s Community Connector service. The service will connect socially isolated people to activities in their communities so reducing their isolation and loneliness. The contract starts in January 2018 and the team will work with 440 people in the first 2 years.

Somers Town History Club Christmas Party

At the beautiful St Pancras Old Church, 20th December 7pm – 10pm
Somers Town history Club cordially invites you to our Christmas Party.
Dance performance by Swing Patrol & taster lesson! Live Music and a retro DJ set
Somers Town Blues Band with Steve Denholm Rock n roll/ blues & more. Wear your best retro outfit – prizes for the best, & raffle!
Mulled wine and mince pies. Carols and singalong with Mimi Romily.
Warden Rachael will be on hand to explain the history of the church.
Bring your stories to our memory tree.
All ages welcome! Local members free but donations welcome to support us.
RSVP – we recommend you book your ticket here

Health and Wellbeing in West Euston

The last 2017 Saturday Ability Bikes session will be this coming weekend, 16th December, restarting on 6th January 2018.
If you are a regular or would like to cycle regularly, please contact Diana –  diana@westeuston.org so that we can book you in for January – March 2018 without you needing to call for each booking.
Look out for the new Silver Cycling programme coming up in 2018, to encourage older people to cycle in the beautiful surroundings of Regent’s Park.

Camden 2025

One of the ways you can get involved is to come along to one of the local events in January held across the borough where you can share your ideas for what Camden should be like in 2025.  Meet local councillors and staff from the council, and find out what other local residents and community groups are saying. Each event will start with some short talks, but feel free to drop in at any time.
If you would like further details about the events or if you require access needs to attend one of the events please contact Camden2025@camden.gov.uk.

Crossroads Women’s Centre Kids Party

Saturday 16th December 2-4pm
With Captain Fantastic at 3pm and lucky dip, face painting, games and refreshments. Free
25 Wolsey Mews, NW5. Tel: 7482 2496 email: contact@crossroadswomen.net

Annual Returns

You should have received you Annual Return reminders from the Charity Commission and Companies House.  For most small organisations the deadline for Companies House is 31st December and the deadline for the Charity Commission is 31st January (assuming a 31st March end of year). CIOs need only submit a return to the Charity Commission.  More at Companies House and the Charity Commission

Local Reporters Project Funded by the BBC

The BBC has today announced the winners of the contracts to employ up to 150 local reporters to cover councils and public meetings across the UK. Camden’s reporter will be based at Hackney Citizen. Full details at the Hold the Front Page website.

Public Servant’s Eye Witness Accounts

The Guardian have been running a series of accounts by public and voluntary sector workers called Public Servant.  Not easy reading but an important record of vital front line work taking place across the country.

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

The Third Round of Rosa’s Woman to Woman Fund is Open

With grants of up to £25,000, local grassroots women’s organisations across the UK will be supported using funds from the ‘Tampon Tax.’ In celebration of the centenary of the women’s vote, this round of the Woman to Woman fund will have a renewed focus on leadership and representation and we are particularly interested in funding work that increases women’s representation, skills building and civic engagement.
Grants are available for groups with an income of under £100,000 per year, to support a wide range of charitable work that benefits women: from building confidence and leadership skills, tackling harassment and violence, to training in financial literacy and increasing engagement in decision-making – and much more besides.
Rosa is also interested in increasing the impact and sustainability of women’s groups. Therefore, grants can pay for core costs such as financial management, business planning, staff salaries, office rent, leadership development and staff training; as well as project costs such as drop-in support services, mobilising volunteers and outreach. We especially want to support groups that work with disadvantaged communities or in disadvantaged areas.
As well as grants, Rosa will provide additional support that women’s groups tell us they need, including mentoring, training and networking opportunities. Find out more at the Rosa website.

The Community Shares Booster programme reopens today

£3 million funding is available for local people wanting to put business into community hands.
If you’re a local group needing an extra boost to set up or grow a community business, you can access up to £10,000 to help launch your community share offer and up to £100,000 match funding when the share offer goes live. Find out more at locality.org.uk

Ageing Better in Camden Current Funding Opportunities

Community Activities Programme
Ageing Better in Camden are pleased to announce a Community Activities Programme which will award 2 year funding contracts for organisations working to reduce social isolation and loneliness for those aged over 60 through the delivery of supportive accessible activities. Up to 5 contracts will be awarded and each will be worth £20,000 over 2 years. The deadline is 18th December 2017.
Click here for further information and documents

Camden Giving

Camden Giving have published the timetable for the various grants programmes they will be offering over the coming 12 months. There are 6 programmes in total. You can view the full timetable here.

Healthy Minds Programme with Mind in Camden

There is a full programme of activities taking place at the Living Centre as part of the Healthy Minds programme. Full details on the VAC training calendar.

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

 Fundraising gig at Centre 404

Wednesday 20th December. There will be a line up of three fantastic acts: Singer songwriter, Lydia Richards, our Centre 404 resident band The 404 Stormers and headlining we have the world’s number one Johnny Cash tribute band, Cash!
Tickets are only £5 if you book in advance, and £7 on the door so make sure to get in touch with either myself or Bryn to buy your tickets!
There will be a fully licenced bar and music taking place from 7pm-10pm.
All the money raised will be going towards our music group, equipment and the production of their new album.
For more information please contact either myself fbevans@centre404.org.uk or Bryn on Brynt@centre404.org.uk.

The Recovery College is open for enrolment for Spring Term 2018

There are free courses running January to March for everyone 18+ in Camden and Islington including several new courses running next term, including:
· Anger management
· LGBT and mental health
· Eating for wellbeing
· Singing for health
· Understanding BME cultures and mental health
You can find our new course guide and calendar attached and online at our webpage: www.candi.nhs.uk/recoverycollege    Hard copies are available at the College.

Headway North London Christmas Party

Wednesday 20 December, 7 – 9pm at Crossfield Centre, 8 Fairhazel Gardens, NW6 3SG
We really hope as many of you as possible can make it and as always the event is open to friends and family too.
There is a small of just £6 per person to help us cover the costs of this event.

Black Women, Womanist learning and Higher Education: the Politics of Representation and Community Activism

13th February 2018 free
This conference led by Dr Jan Etienne through Birkbeck’s Institute for Social Research will examine the role of the black woman in promoting learning development and community activism. It brings together the work of researchers, academics and activists in the fields of gender, ‘race’, education and community development to explore womanism and the influence of education for building stronger, local communities.
For more details and to sign up, follow the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-women-womanist-learning-and-higher-education-the-politics-of-representation-and-community-tickets-40151089991

Wild Bunch Club ‘A club night run by people with learning difficulties for everyone’

Wednesday 20th December will be anything but a silent night as Wild Bunch Club returns to its spiritual home, Electrowerkz. Doors open at 7pm!
For further info contact berni.simons@elfrida.com  or ring the Elfrida Society on 020 7359 7443.

Community Activists Network

Events from NatCan of interest to community activists in Camden. Full details on the NatCan website.

West Euston Partnership seeks Volunteer Co-Ordinator

Do you like to help in your free time?
Do you have good communication skills over the phone and in person?
Are you able to work in a diverse environment?
Are you organised?
Do you have a positive and “can do” attitude?
Some basic IT skills?
If you do, or you don’t, we are currently recruiting for the role of volunteer co-ordinator.
You will be the first point of contact for managing the volunteers working on our reception desk.  We have 8-12 receptionists at any one time, all of whom need ongoing support.  This will be a large part of your role alongside being responsible for interviewing and recruiting new receptionists as needed.  As well, you will be showing new receptionists the ropes and making sure they have a full induction.
We ask for a commitment of 2 days a week for 6 months, although we do understand you may be seeking paid employment and cannot make a guaranteed undertaking for that length of time.
Get in touch with Diana Young, 020 7388 7932, diana@westeuston.org
or pop into our One Stop Shop to find out more.
If not, check out our other volunteer opportunities on the WEP website.

Nafsiyat is seeking an Administration Assistant to cover the administration duties of the centre during Monday and Thursday evenings.

The successful candidate will also help manage our online presence and assist with fundraising.
Experience working in administration and strong computer, literacy and numeracy skills are required.
Email adam@nafsiyat.org.uk for the full job description.
Please send a current CV and tailored covering letter (no more than 2 pages) explaining how your skills and experience match the requirements for this to recruitment@nafsiyat.org.uk by 5pm on Wednesday January 3rd 2018.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview on Friday January 12th.

Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre is recruiting for Homecare Workers.

Homecare Worker
Flexible Hours £9.75 – £10.21 per hour
Closing date: on going
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact, Ruksana Begum, HR Administrator.
Tel: 020 7388 8198 E-mail: recruitment.homecare@hopscotchawc.org.uk
Web: www.hopscotchawc.org.uk  Please do not send CVs as they will not be considered.

Age UK Camden seeks Outreach Worker (18 hours per week)

Sc5 £24,134 to £26,131 pro rata for an 18 hour week
Ageing Better Camden is looking for an Outreach Worker to contribute to a new Outreach Service trialling innovative approaches to reaching and engaging with older people across Camden.
The Outreach Worker will proactively search for isolated people out in their communities by knocking on doors, visiting pubs, launderettes and community centres. They will help older people to make social connections and access local activities, working alongside volunteers to make this happen. They will have excellent communication skills, a genuine interest in people and a commitment to reduce social isolation for older people.
AUC offers a contributory pension, and a season ticket or bicycle loan facility.  The post is based at Tavis House, Tavistock Square with easy access via Euston and Kings Cross main lines or Russell Square tube.
For more details, all documents can be downloaded from the website www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk.
Closing date  – Friday 5th January 2018 – 9 am Interviews –  Friday 12th January 2018

North Camden Zone Seeks New Steering Group Chair

We are looking for a Chair of the North Camden Zone Steering Group who is passionate about improving the life outcomes for children and young people living in Camden. You may be a community leader or senior professional with an in depth knowledge and /or experience of the issues that affect children and young people. You are interested in a collaborative approach involving the community and professionals, and implementing place based systems change.
If you would like to find out more please follow this link. The closing date is 5th January 2018, so you have plenty of time to get in an application over the Christmas break.

The Winch seeks Facilities and Operations Manager

£25,000-30,000 pro rata Full-time or part-time, (24-40 hours per week) Permanent
Location: 21 Winchester Road, London, NW3 3NR and the local area
The Winch has been at the heart of the community in Swiss Cottage since 1973. We are looking for a dedicated, enthusiastic and experienced person who can manage our facilities and operations. Whether part-time or full-time, we want someone who loves solving practical problems, as well as constantly improving the way things work for our staff, children and young people.
Go to http://thewinch.org/work-for-us/ for more information  – deadline 5th January 2018.

Volunteering Opportunities in St James’s Gardens

Working with the Museum of London Archaeology, MOLA Headland Infrastructure (MHI), who are engaged in a very interesting excavation project in St James’s Gardens in Euston, and we are putting together a volunteer programme  for people who would like to get involved in recording and digitising Euston’s rich heritage.
1 Burial record digitisation programme
Based in the City of Westminster Archives, this project involves taking a trial sample from the burial records covering St James’s Gardens.
2 Euston History Engine
The Euston History Engine Project is a wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary survey based around the history and archaeology of the Euston area. Using written descriptions, audio and visual recordings and digital recording techniques including photogrammetry and a high frequency scanning laser, the volunteers on this project will:
~ create a unique record of the sights and sounds of Euston;
~ investigate how the area has changed and what factors have influenced that development;
~ and develop a multi-media virtual tour of the historic hot spots of Euston.
Contact: Aigul Kalioldina, Community Relations Officer email: Aigul.Kalioldina@csjv.co.uk

Community Connectors Project Manager

Age UK Camden has been funded to run the Community Connectors project by Ageing Better in Camden (ABC) for 2 years from January 2018.
SO2 scp 32-34 £31,958 to £33,626 pa for a 35 hour week plus 6% contributory pension
Closing date: 4th January 2018
Interview date: 15th January 2018
Eligible for job share
ABC is itself a multi-agency programme with older people as its focus, aimed at reducing social isolation and collecting better evidence of what works. ABC’s other commissioned services include local community development projects, men’s action, inter-generational activity, inter-generational work, a service focussed on Bangladeshi elders, LGBT Connects.
In Age UK Camden Community Connectors sits alongside other services such as care navigation, befriending, advice and dementia wellbeing.
About the role
~ Set up and implement the Community Connectors Project
~ Proactively develop creative ways to positively engage with older people focusing on the wellbeing benefits of the services on offer.
~ Ensure the effective and efficient use of volunteers in a range of roles.
See Job Description and Person Specification for full details of requirements)
Age UK Camden has been funded to run the Community Connectors project by Ageing Better in Camden (ABC) for 2 years from January 2018.
To apply, please download the documents on the work for us page. Complete the application form and send it to jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk or to our office address, marked for the attention of Angela Ward. If you have any questions please email or phone us on 020 7239 0400.  No CVs, no agencies please.

Camden Clinical Commissioning Group consultation on mental health acute day units
We would like your views on how to best organise acute mental health day care services in Camden, to make cost savings while continuing to provide good patient care.
The NHS and local Government are facing increasing financial pressures nationally, with a gap in funding for both health and social care. In Camden, the money we receive from the government is reducing, while demand for local services is increasing. This means we need make sure every pound we spend has the maximum benefit for the health of, and the quality of care for, Camden patients. It has been essential to review our care provision, to check what is working well, but also to see if there are new ways of delivering high quality, cost-effective care within very tight budgets.
As a result, we have identified our local Mental Health Acute Day Units as an area where cost savings are possible, whilst still providing Camden residents with appropriate, timely and quality care. The reason these services have been identified is because they are being underused.
You can also participate by taking part in our survey on Citizens Space open to 10 January 2018 which can be done via our website https://feedback.camdenccg.nhs.uk/community-ownership/adu

Our mailing address is:
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