Voluntary Action Camden

29th November 2022 Voluntary Action Forum: Cost of Living

About

The meeting brought together voices from Camden Council and the local VCS sector to discuss the challenges and potential solutions of the current crisis.

The forum included eye-opening accounts of the intense strain felt by voluntary and community groups, and highlighted the importance of cross-sector unity and collaboration during these difficult times. VAC also presented the findings from our Members Cost of Living Survey, which revealed the increased demand in services that VCS organisations are facing as a result of the crisis.

Guest Speakers include:

  • John Muir from Camden Council – Head of Community Partnerships
  • Sarah Sedley from Camden Council – Tackling Poverty Programme Manager
  • Farrah Rainfly from Life after hummus
  • Hannah Norgate from London Plus

Presentations

Background

VAC is deeply concerned for the continued resilience of our sector and is calling for cross-sector unity and resistance to the much-anticipated reduction in public spending. The government has announced immediate, short-term action to support households, businesses, and the charity sector cope with soaring energy bills. For many households this will not abate the financial strain they are facing, nor will it alleviate continued pressure on already stretched frontline services.
Before we have even begun to recover from the impact of the pandemic, the sector is faced with another crisis that may last even longer.

The voluntary Community Sector (VCS) needs additional targeted financial support to deliver essential services, but we also want to work systematically with the council to tackle the crisis.

VAC has joined Camden Infrastructure Alliance to publish a joint statement on the cost of living crisis to highlight the impact on the sector and the community it serves.

In October, VAC launched a member survey to better understand how the crisis is impacting the VCS, how community organisations are responding, and what further support the sector needs to tackle this new challenge.

21st September 2022 Voluntary Action Forum: Delivering the North Central London VCSE Strat

Apologies this forum did not get recorded, but please find all the information in regards to the session below including a Padlet which you can continue to contribute to.

This forum was fairly quick, but we gathered some really useful insights from local groups. This is just the beginning of how we design the way we want to work within the new health system in Camden and in North central London.

Summary

1. How can we design and deliver innovative community-focused and strength- based models of care in Camden? 

• Think about your work – e.g. do you support residents to improve their health? Are you delivering support and activities that contribute to preventing ill health? Are you coproducing interventions with residents?
• It might be useful to consider the barriers and challenges you encounter to meet the full potential of what you can achieve for and with local residents? Think about what would possible without those barriers.
• Who else do you need to achieve your vision? What are the boundaries you need to cross / bridge? What are the barriers you need to remove?
• Think about different strengths, many leaders, and interdependencies in collaborations – how can we work in more fluid collaborations that can get the best across organisational, sector and thematic boundaries.
• How can relationships with statutory sector (NHS, Council) enable this way of working? Where will it create barriers? Think of examples that worked well or built barriers.
• What key things need to change or be built on within the health & social care system to enable the VCSE sector to be an effective partner.

2. What do procurement and contracting processes that support a strong and thriving VCSE sector look like in this new environment?

• How can your vision above be resourced?
• Think about what might enable more developmental coproduction and data / research / local knowledge driven delivery.
• How could commissioning intentions, briefs or contracts be more accessible to everyone? Language? Comms and advertising? Development through working together?
• What needs to change to resource VCSEs, including very small groups, residents / beneficiaries, to work collaboratively and interdependently with public sector providers? E.g. Grant programmes? Ringfencing funds or grants within larger contracts? Allocation of responsibilities that present burdens and capacity challenges? bureaucracy? Taking more risks? Core versus project funds?
• How could the above support us to develop from a commissioning model to an investment approach – and what might that mean for you (potential / barriers)?

15th June 2022 Voluntary Action Forum: New Integrated Care System (ICS) and more!

 

This forum provided an opportunity for attendees to improve their understanding of the ICS (Integrated Care System), get questions answered, hear about the North Central London priorities for working with the voluntary sector, and to connect and network with other organisations interested in this area of work.

 

Presentations for this event:

 

16th March 2022 Voluntary Action Forum: Community Vaccine Champions Project and Benchmarking Community Building Services

At this Forum we discussed a new local project sponsored by Department of Levelling Up Housing & Communities (DLUHC) to reduce inequalities in the uptake of COVID vaccination in Camden. Hear about the various different activities planned as part of this project, including a new grant programme for organisations, unregistered groups, and local residents.

Presentations for this event:

More Information:

  • sam.rowe2@camden.gov.uk. (Senior Community Partner). Working on Community Buildings. TWO EVENSTS for Building Managers 1. Procurement Exchange (Hosted by Camden Council) 30th March 12:30-1:30 AND 2. Training Event ‘Community Buildings: Charities, Properties and the Law’ (Trainers Supplied by Ethical Property Foundation)
  • rachel.woolf@streetstorage.org if anyone knows people on the street or in vulnerable housing who haven’t had vaccine 1,2 or 3 or who want to talk about it with a nurse, vaccinator or doctor. We are coordinating dates for vaccination drop ins March and April today so I will let people know this week.

At the request of some community buildings managers Camden Council is inviting people who are purchasing services to meet together for a Procurement Exchange. If there is sufficient interest we will be hosting an lunchtime meeting Wed 30th March 12:30-13:30 on Zoom.

This is a participatory meeting to enable anyone responsible for building management (such as Facilities Managers, Centre Managers, Super Caretakers etc) to meet up and discuss costs associated with running a community building.

In the first instance we will be asking you about your costs of statutory compliance otherwise known as health and safety checks – what should you pay for a fire safety report, who does yours, is what should you expect from a legionella contractor, who is Pat Testing??? etc.

To express an interest, or find out more please complete the online survey to prioritise our efforts in the link here https://forms.office.com/r/1m4FG12ins. For any other questions or queries please do get in touch with me. Please complete the survey with your details to get the Zoom link. Please can you complete the survey by Monday 28th March

Green Social Prescribing Networking Event 22/02/22

This was an event for VCS organisations and social prescribers who want to learn more about Green Social Prescribing in Camden.
We also made a soft launch of our directory which can be found here: https://directory.vac.org.uk/gsp
What is Green Social Prescribing?
How to use VAC’s new Green Social Prescribing Directory, and how to list your activities.
Parks for Health and developing new activities
Hear about Green Social Prescribing in action from local organisations
You can add your activities to the Green Social Prescribing Directory here

Other information from the chat:

  • Heath’s page (in development) on access and heath connections: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath/hampstead-heath-accessibility
  • There is a Show on social prescribing in March at the South bank starting I believe on the 4th March
  • Camden SPLW Peer Support Group and we currently meet every other Tuesday 9.30-10.30 at Castlehaven. If any other SPs would like to join please contact Alison.David1@nhs.net or Jo Lynch jo.lynch@nhs.net
  • Castlehaven Community Association Green Prescription contact Cathy Graham cathrine@castlehaven.org.uk or call 07443274572. We are hosting a Camden SPLW Peer Support Meeting on Tues 8th March 9.30am-10.30am. You are more than welcome to attend. Please check our website for more information: www.castlehaven.org,uk
  • https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/thriving-communities/network/
  • For community info, info on the various routes in to the Heath’s social offer, health connections etc: https://www.heath-hands.org.uk/community
  • London Plus – London Social Prescribing Network for charities and community groups across the region for all things social prescribing. To find out more about us, what we do and to receive our newsletter click here to sign up https://londonplus.org/london-plus-social-prescribing-network or you can contact at social.prescribing@londonplus.org

20th January 2022 VAC Social Prescribing Learning Network

Apologies this session did not get recorded, again apologies for the inconvenience.

VAC Social Prescribing Learning Network hosted a networking event for arts and cultural organisations and local social prescribers (Social Prescribing Link Workers, Care Navigators etc).

This was an opportunity to meet Elijah Kellman, a new link worker working on an arts and culture pilot at University College London Hospital, other social prescribers in Camden, and hear from some arts organisations who are receiving social prescribing referrals and / or offer activities and opportunities that support good health.

Find below the presentation from the event & participants list:

Camden’s Social Prescribing Landscape

Participants list

Useful information and links from the chat:

19th January 2022 Voluntary Action Forum: Happy New Year!

This was the first Voluntary Action Forum for the new year which was an opportunity to share your upcoming work and news for 2022, and hear about some new developments, events, and important consultations in the borough! 

Camden Care Navigation and Social Prescribing Service Presentation

More useful information sent via the chat:

15th December Voluntary Action Forum: Manifesto Update and Meet our new CEO

At this Forum we will follow up our May forum where we first looked at creating a Manifesto for the VCS. We gathered ideas and put them on an online wall (which you can view here). This is a chance to add any ideas we missed and also to prioritise the manifesto demands.

Ongoing padlet that was used from May 2021s Forum and on this forum: https://padlet.com/info15870/iup02p5lpx1bkcbg

Camden resilience fund information session

CAMDEN COUNCIL RESILIENCE FUND

The council has launched a new grant programme called The Resilience Fund. there are two strands of funding available in the Community Impacts Resilience Fund:

  • Recovery Fund: Grants of up to £15,000 to support organisations to return to business as usual. Funding can be used to cover day-to-day costs such as staffing, rent and utility bills. A total of £600,000 is available through this fund.
  • Partnership and Networks Fund: Grants of up to £10,000 to support organisations to develop existing or to establish new partnerships and collaborations within the community.

RESOURCES

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