Voluntary Action Camden e-bulletin 4th April 2020

Camden VCS Organisations Response to COVID-19

Please complete the Covid-19 Community Directory update survey asap or if you’ve done it look out for the update emails that let you auto-update your entry as the situation evolves on the ground.  Give your update here. Your response will appear in the Covid-19 Community Directory and will automatically update the Council’s new Get Help directory.

Coronavirus COVID-19 –  Update Page

VAC is publishing the latest information and advice as it becomes available on our COVID-19 Update page. Updates are dated so that you can see how recent the information is. We will shortly be creating a separate resources page divided into categories to make it easier to find resources.

London Strategic Coordinating Group (LSCG)

London Resilience Partnership has established a COVID-19 London Strategic Coordinating Group (LSCG) to coordinate an effective response to, and recovery from, the outbreak for London. Read the latest update here.
An early priority was assigning designated leads from Fare Share/Felix Project/City Harvest re: food distribution.  Camden’s lead is Anne Elkins anne@thefelixproject.org

Camden Social Prescribing and Care Navigation update

Social Prescribing and Care Navigation delivered by Age UK Camden, Voluntary Action Camden and Wish+ is operational, and adapted, as a point of access to services and support during the COVID 19 emergency.
We are aiming to connect residents with emerging support in their local areas where there is appropriate provision.
If local community organisations are contacted by residents with more complex needs than they can support please refer to Community Links and we will work with the Care Navigation and Wish+ teams to find the support needed. Referral form can be found here. Minimum requirements are contact details and permission to contact the person needing support.
All the usual routes in to the service apply via Community Links at VAC:
Freephone: 0800 193 6067 (please leave a message if no answer. Staff are using other phones to call back and keep this one free)
Secure NHS email (referrals only): camccg.socialprescribingreferral@nhs.net
Community Links email (enquiries and referrals): communitylinks@vac.org.uk

Don’t Miss our Webinar on Getting Online – See Events

Support for community organisations

A page of resources to help the community organisations in Camden

How to Volunteer and How to Recruit Volunteers in Camden

If you want to volunteer to help you can volunteer in Camden at Time to Spare.  You can volunteer for the NHS at GoodSAM.  Or join a neighbourhood Mutual Aid group. Gov.uk has a new page on volunteering opportunities.
The volunteers who have signed up to the Camden Time to Spare website are available to organisations now.  You must sign up to Time to Spare and request access and you will then be able to recruit volunteers directly.

In Financial Trouble?

Let the Council know.

Finance and Your Charity: Navigating the Government Schemes; Managing Solvency

Tuesday 7 April 20201.30 – 3.00
Bates Wells is partnering with NCVO on a webinar to discuss the financing options currently available, employment issues (including the government’s job retention scheme), and managing through the crisis. Book here.

The horror films got it wrong. This virus has turned us into caring neighbours

Across the world, Covid-19 has triggered community action on a vast scale. It’s a powerful riposte to both government and private money.  The Guardian.

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

The Childhood Trust

The Trust is launching a new match-funding campaign offering unrestricted funds to charities working with vulnerable children and young people who have been impacted by the Coronavirus.

The Clothworkers’ Foundation

The Foundation have awarded £1 million to initiatives to help organisations supporting vulnerable and at-risk groups, with a further £1 million to be disbursed in the coming weeks and months. Read more at the website.

Camden Giving Covid-19 Charity Fund

Charities, community groups and social enterprises in Camden are facing a huge surge in demand and cuts to their income. This fund is here to support them to do what they do best and to ensure they are here in the future.

Youth Futures Foundation

The Foundation is committed to transforming employment for young people.
Funding is for a 6-12 month period of planning and set up from September 2020 onwards, during which time no direct delivery to young people will be required. This will be followed by funding for a delivery phase from January 2021 onwards, by which time we hope face to face work will be possible again.

Arts Council Emergency Response Package for #Covid19 crisis.

Arts Council makes £160 million of investment for people and organisations in the cultural sector. Full details here: http://artscouncil.org.uk/covid19

Emergency support fund announced to help community and voluntary organisations

The Greater London Authority and Emergency support fund have raised over £5M from City Bridge Trust Bloomberg etc. The emergency fund will be available to organisations that are facing immediate financial pressures and uncertainty because of coronavirus. This includes increasing demands for services, higher staff absences, fewer volunteers and lower donations for organisations. Full details here.

£1m available to fund urgent small-charity coronavirus poverty relief

Martin Lewis is releasing £1M from his charity fund to provide grants of £5,000 to £20,000 to small registered charities, or local arms of bigger charities, across the UK – to help with specific UK coronavirus-related poverty relief projects.
Examples could include foodbanks, charities engaged in community aid, financial advice help and more. The hope is to get the money distributed within the next couple of weeks. Full details here.

A Helpful List of Emergency Funders

Charity Professional, Ian McLintock, is maintaining a web page of Emergency Coronvirus Funding resources.

The National Emergencies Trust lunches Coronavirus Appeal

The Trust will collaborate with charities and other bodies to raise and distribute money and support victims at the time of a domestic disaster.  Full details here.

Trustee Training, IT Training etc

All VAC fact-to-face training is suspended for now.  Training will online soon

Getting Your Office Systems on Line and Remote Working

Tuesday, April 7, 2020  2:00 – 3.30pm
In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis and trying to support service-users during lockdown, many organisations are also having to grapple with getting their office systems setup in such a way so that staff and volunteers can work from home remotely, where possible. There are many challenges:
~ What systems do you need?
~ How do you set them up?
~ What works and what doesn’t?
This session will provide an opportunity for us to come together to appraise systems like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, phone systems etc.
It will be a Q&A session facilitated by Gilbert Plant, who is suppporting VAC and the IT and Digital Capacity Programme via CITA and WCIT.
This is an online video conference call using Google Hangouts. Ideally you will need to have access to a webcam and microphone, but you can just join by phone if you don’t have access to these.
Once you have signed up via EventBrite you will receive an invite to the meeting the day before the session..

Safeguarding Courses:

VAC is working with funders to see what can be done online and on webinars so that safeguarding courses can continue where feasible.  Further details to come. There are some basic safeguarding videos on the home page and on the COVID19 Update page.
Tel: 020 7 284 6575 | Email: dogunyemi@vac.org.uk email (Mon – Wed)

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

Camden Events

All face-to-face events are cancelled for now.

Training Link: New Director required

Following the planned retirement of our present director, Training Link, a basic skills training centre in Somers Town, is looking for a new part-time Director to start in August 2020. Must have management experience in a small voluntary sector organisation; experience of policy development, financial management, fund raising in the voluntary sector and recruiting and retaining volunteers.
£35,000 pro-rata for 10 hours a week over at least two days. For an informal discussion about the post, or for an application pack, please email Peter Lush on director@traininglink.org.uk   Closing date: 14 April

Age UK Camden seeks Emergency Food Parcels Project Volunteer

You will be assisting our efforts to ensure that our services continue to support older people in Camden during this time of a Coronavirus Pandemic.
You will need to give us 2-4 hours of your time a week/fortnight and also
~ Complete our volunteer application form
~ Attend an induction meeting
Register: 020 7239 0400 or emailing   info@ageukcamden.org.uk

Paid work opportunities for people who have been laid off/ reduced income

Local Adult social care providers are still recruiting, and as they support the NHS to move vulnerable adults out of hospital to stay well at home, their need is growing. Contact Proud to Care.

Camden Giving seeks Office Support Administrator

Camden Giving are looking for someone to provide administration support across all operations and programmes including employment, volunteering and funding. Apply by 23.59pm Sunday 5th April. Details and how to apply here.

Want to Share a Skill, Space or Equipment?

Simply add your request to Comoodle Camden, the new local online sharing platform which facilitates sharing for community benefit.

Our mailing address is:
Charlie Ratchford Centre, Belmont Street, London, NW1 8HF

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