Job Centre staff volunteer scheme - have you got a volunteering opportunity for individual or group

Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) - Community 5000 Scheme
This is a volunteering scheme for DWP staff who want to learn more about our customers, make a real difference on behalf of charities and voluntary groups or want to get involved in volunteering but are not sure how to do it.  It gives them the opportunity to volunteer for a day with a local voluntary, charitable or community organisation which is linked to DWP customers.
 
If you have a volunteering opportunity/project for either an individual or a team of DWP staff (whether it be a gardening project, painting, helping out at lunch club etc) please contact Cecily Wint at City Jobcentre Plus ( 0207 301 8307)."

latest feedback from the Market Development Board - what do you need to help you plan?

Please click here to download the latest  feedback from the Market Development Board. 

HSCF has done some analysis of the figures of people on care packages now in terms of ethnicity etc and we are awaiting permision to release that and have asked for following  additional information to help groups plan

 ·        data on current care packages (types of services received, average cost of care packages) and current          service users (based on service, ethnicity, age etc

·        data on what services direct payments/individual budget holders are currently purchasing

·        how many service users does 30% on IB by April mean

·        lessons learnt from the IB pilots held to date

·        projections of numbers of care packages for specific conditions/types of services

What else would help you plan if you are going to enter the market for providing services to individual budget holders?

NB Providers of services to older people are lucky in so far as a detailed analysis of the 'market' was done in 2007 by Eve Oldham Joint commissioner - see the article in this newsletter - are you planning  services for older people on individual budgets or for preventative services for the headline figures and link to the full document.

World Mental Health Day 2010 - an invitation to be involved

World Mental Health Day 2010

An invitation to be involved!

The WMHD Steering Group is pleased to invite groups/organisations to participate in 2010’s event.  This year will involve a range of exciting and creative activities which link mental and physical well-being and challenges stigma!

The event will be part of the ‘Time to Change’ national Get Moving Week event/programme.

Challenging discrimination     Advancing inclusion     Promoting participation

THIS YEAR’S WMHD event will be OUTDOORS

In

Gillett Square

Dalston, N16 8JN

Sunday 10^th October

12noon – 4.00pm

§  An afternoon of participatory theatre, art, sports and games for all to take part!

§  An afternoon of dance, music, exercise, drama and fun for all to share!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *    *    *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *    *    *

Groups may also choose to submit a proposal to run their own in-house activity, which should be linked to the overall theme.

How to get involved

Proposal:              submit a brief outline of the activities your group intend to do for WMHD

to the Steering Group

Deadline:  5.00pm, Monday 6^th August 2010, Email:  Evadney.Ennis@eastlondon.nhs.uk

Things to do right now!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *    *    *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *    *    *

Like everyone else we have a smaller budget to work with this year – consequently we will have to severely limit our support for individual events, with priority going to those organisations/groups who do not already receive public funding.

Once completed, please return to:      Evadney.Ennis@eastlondon.nhs.uk

Remember the deadline for submission of proposals is:  5.00pm on Friday 6^th August!

And finally… the next steering group meeting is on Thursday 12^th August at 2.00 pm (venue tbc): please try to attend and lend your support – there’s always a lot to do!

Are you planning services for older people on individual budgets

In 2007 Eve Oldham produced a commissioning strategy for older peoples services that should prove very useful now in terms of planning. In this brief article we give the headline figures from the Strategy :To download the full strategy click here

Infomation for people planning to market services to individual budget holders

 who are your clients

to get the IB your client will have been assessed at having critical & substantial needs this means:

How many People are you looking at & what is the average size of care package 

In 2006/7 there were 572 new care packages arranged for  older  people  in 06 / 07 this includes people who’s care packages were changed – ie those who went to the board   of which 377 are packages 1 hour or less per week.

An estimated 2,025 older people (around 1 in almost 11 older people) were  in receipt of one or more of Social Services.

Hackney Community College outstanding for partnership, says Ofsted

Ian Ashman (front centre) with staff celebrate the good news

Hackney Community College has been rated “good” by Ofsted after 14 years of being “satisfactory”, with its partnership work rated “outstanding”.

Principal, Ian Ashman, who co-Chairs the Economic Development Partnership, said, on receiving the results of the inspection:  “I am very grateful to all of our partners for their contribution to this terrific outcome. We all work hard together to make sure that our partnerships are effective, and that our work really does benefit local people.  It’s a great pleasure to have this recognised.”

Much praise went to the College’s partnership work on reducing worklessness and raising skill levels.  Partnerships with employers and other agencies are described as “outstanding”, and links with local organisations to reduce the number of workless are seen as “particularly effective.”  A positive impact has been made in reducing the number of NEET learners in the borough, through partnership with the Learning Trust and Team Hackney.  

The full report is available on the Ofsted website at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_providers/full/(urn)/130407

Source TEam Hackney

Thriving Healthy Communitie partnership board papers

Please click here to download the papers of the THCPB

Meeting is on tuesday - any comments  please email to me today for our representative Mary Cannon to put forward - please note this is not an invitation to  the meeting as it is a closed meeting & we have an elected CEN representative.

Total Place - the only game in town say Team Hackney Newsletter

"Total Place is the only game in town," Michael Burton, the editor of MJ, told delegates at last month's LG Comms conference Working together: better with less.  "There must be more cross sector working.  It's a question of who drives it. My advice on Total Place is just to get on with it; don’t wait to be told.  It’s not going away."

He was giving his informed response to the political direction likely to come from the new Coalition Government following the May General Election.  He argued that localism - where power is devolved to local government - will be an important theme.  The Minister Greg Clark, and the permanent secretary, Irene Lucas, are thought to be in favour of localism.

He told the audience of local authority communications professionals that sharing communications functions with other public sector agencies "will become an absolute must".  Council newspapers will come under increasing scrutiny as the Coalition is pledged to impose tougher rules to prevent unfair competition. 

Among the other keynote speakers at the conference were Bobby Duffy, from Ipsos Mori, George Eykyn, Communications Director at the DCLG, and Professor Stephen Coleman, from the University of Leeds.  As well as contributions from Councils all over the country, there were presentations from Google, the COI, the Press Association,  NHS Choices and the Met Police.  

Since the conference, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, has announced a planned "toughening up" of rules governing council newspapers by making changes which "ensure a tougher value for money test and prevent municipal literature passing itself off as independent journalism."   In a press release, the DCLG stated that the new Government  "is minded to revise and tighten the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity."  The code was originally introduced in 1988 and amended in 2001. 

For more information about LG Comms and the conference see www.lgcomms.com.  The DCLG press release about council newspapers is available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsstories/newsroom/1625406.

Government Confirms Community Sector Drop in Lottery Funding

20 July 2010 - Government Confirms Community Sector Drop in Lottery Funding

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirms lottery funding will fall from 50% to 40% for voluntary and community causes from September.

Arts, sports and heritage organisations are to receive 60% compared to the current level of 50% from the Big Lottery Fund under proposals announced in the DCMS’s structural reform plan.

A current consultation on the matter is open until 21 August but it is likely the plans will go ahead.

A DCMS spokesman said the move would create an extra £50 million annually for arts, sports and heritage organisations.

The structural reform plan also intends lottery distributors to reduce their administrative costs to 5% of their total income.

Chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund, Peter Wanless responded to this proposal cautiously:

“We are in discussions with the department about the issues and implications that follow from that. Obviously there’s a risk it could lead to us allocating fewer, bigger grants.”

Source: Third Sector, 20/07/2010

US firm advising NHS sees profits surge

Controversial US group UnitedHealth, which runs GPs' practices and advises PCTs in UK, reports 30% leap in profits to $1.1bn

• Phillip Inman
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 July 2010 17.54 BST
• 
  

A US health insurance company that recently won a multimillion-pound contract to advise primary care trusts (PCTs), has reported a surge in profits over the last three months.

UnitedHealth Group, which also operates five GP practices in Derbyshire and London, reported second-quarter profits climbed 30% on the same quarter a year ago to $1.1bn (£720m) on turnover of $23bn.

The stock market-listed firm said the bulk of its growth came in the United States after it signed up more members for the government-backed Medicare and Medicaid policies.

The company signed a contract with the Department of Health last month to advise PCTs on commissioning ahead of reforms that will give GPs the lion's share of the NHS budget.

PCTs directly run GP practices and offer contracts to self-employed GP doctors and private firms to operate independent practices. GPs will be in charge of £90bn of the health budget under plans put forward by the health secretary, Andrew Lansley.

UnitedHealth will use its experience of private healthcare to bring efficiencies to the bidding processes.

US unions have complained about the company, which has come under fire for malpractice. In 2008, its former boss William McGuire was banned as a director and forced to repay $468m following a scandal related to backdated stock options.

In January the company agreed to pay $350m to settle a case brought by the New York attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, who accused the firm of boosting profits by artificially depressing insurance repayments to customers.

The company based repayments on "independent" assessments by a company called Ingenix, which was a subsidiary of UnitedHealth.

The company is based in Minnesota, from where it has grown to be the largest health insurer by sales in the US. The company, which has more than 50,000 staff and 60 million health plan customers, is expected to have annual revenues in excess of $80bn this year.

Hear Andrew Lansley tell select committee NHS reforms wont cause upheaval to local services

Andrew Lansley told the Health Committee that his plans for reform of the NHS would "make patients at the heart of the way the NHS works".

In his first evidence session with the committee on 20 July, the Secretary of State defended proposals to give GPs more responsibility for spending their own budget.

Under Mr Lansley's proposals, Primary Care Trusts and regional Strategic Health Authorities will be phased out over the next few years with funding going straight to GPs.

Responding to a question by the committee chairman Stephen Dorrell over why the reforms were necessary, the Health Secretary said it would increase "professional empowerment" and improve accountability.

However Labour MP Fiona Mactaggart said the reforms could lead to "corruption" between pharmaceutical companies and GPs, a claim denied by Mr Lansley.

 Clck here for podcast

SEE ALSO

• NHS sets £1.7bn aside for reform
• Q&A: The NHS shake-up
• Are GPs up for the challenge?

Government launches adult care funding commission

Former social services directors Jo Williams and Lord Norman Warner will be charged with shaping the future system of adult care funding, as the government announced the establishment of its Commission on the Funding of Care and Support today.

The three-person commission will be chaired by economist Andrew Dilnot, formerly head of public spending experts the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and has been tasked by the Department of Health with reporting within a year on how best to reform the care funding system.

Williams is the current acting chair of the Care Quality Commission and also a former chief executive of Mencap, while Warner is a former Labour health minister, who now sits in the House of Lords.

The DH also announced the terms of reference for the commission today. It will provide recommendations on:

• The best way to meet care and support costs as a partnership between individuals and the state;

• How an individual's assets are protected against the cost of care;

• How public funding for the care and support system can be best used to meet needs;

• How to deliver the preferred option including implementation timescales and impact on local government.

Dilnot, Williams and Warner will be advised by two independent expert panels, one comprising academics and the other representatives from the financial services industry.

Dilnot (pictured, right) said: "How we best look after those who need care and support is one of the most pressing social policy challenges facing our society today. With more people living longer, we urgently need to find a fair and sustainable way to pay for the care which many of us will need. There are not going to be any easy answers, and I know difficult decisions will have to be made."

The commission's brief, as set out in the coalition government agreement, is to consider a range of ideas and to provide advice on how to implement the best option. These will include both a voluntary insurance scheme as favoured by the Conservative Party and the Lib Dem-backed scheme for the state to meet the bulk of personal care costs, with individuals funding the rest, as set out by Derek Wanless in his landmark 2006 report for the King's Fund.

Autumn White Paper

The government said it intends to publish a White Paper next October, bringing together the conclusions of the commission and those of the Law Commission on the reforming the law on adult social care. This will be followed by legislation in the 2011-12 parliamentary session.

Warner's presence on the commission suggests a rapprochement between Labour and the Tories following the acrimonious pre-election debate on long-term care, in which the Conservatives accused the Labour government of planning a "£20,000 death tax" to pay for care.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley, who was at the heart of the row, said today: "By 2026, the number of 85-year-olds is projected to double. In the next 20 years we estimate that 1.7 million more people will have a potential care need than today.

"We know that one in five 65-year-olds today will need care costing more than £50,000, which could force many to sell family homes.

"The answer is clear - we must develop a funding system for adult care and support that offers choice, is fair, provides value for money and is sustainable for the public finances in the long term."

Related stories

Who are the members of the adult care funding commission

King's Fund urges more state funding for reformed care system

MPs: Let public decide on fully tax-funded social care

Political leaders urged to stop bickering over social care reform

Political debate on care descends into acrimony

Source Community Care 

Putting People First website

The new 'Putting People First' website, hosted by SCIE, has gone live at www.puttingpeoplefirst.org.uk  

The website is aimed at social care practitioners, will assist you with the implemention of personalised care, promoting good practice and knowledge-sharing, and delivering improved care outcomes for people.

Sector leaders call to protect small charities from music charges

23rd July 2010

The Chief Executives of NCVO, NAVCA and Volunteering England have written to Government Ministers calling on them to protect the very smallest charities from new music charges.

The charges, expected to be brought into force early next week before Parliament rises for the summer recess, are being imposed by the Intellectual Property Office which is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Government’s own figures suggest that this will cost voluntary and community organisations up to £20 million a year.

The letter:

Baroness Wilcox
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0ET

22 July 2010 

Dear Baroness Wilcox

As you will no doubt be aware, this week the Prime Minister has set out his vision for building the Big Society and has reiterated his commitment to the very smallest voluntary and community organisations and the role they play in our society. We welcome his commitment to make it easier for voluntary and community groups to operate through the reduction of red tape and administration costs.

We understand there is a degree of urgency in addressing the music licensing issue and we are keen to find a suitable solution. We recognise there are legitimate grounds for musicians to be compensated – however small organisations would be adversely affected if asked to pay at the levels suggested.

We cannot support the current proposal being negotiated as it does not sufficiently address the issue of the very smallest organisations. The proposed fee structure will substantially increase the financial and administrative burden on charities and other voluntary and community organisations. At a time when many voluntary and community groups are struggling to pay core running costs, this will have a huge impact on them and, more importantly, on their beneficiaries.

Our position is that the very smallest should not have to pay, by definition these organisations are likely to be small volunteer-led grassroots organisations, and we have consistently negotiated on this basis. It is likely that these organisations will simply refrain from using music in their activities. This would have a negative impact on many of the activities undertaken by charities and their ability to fulfil their charitable objectives.

We are concerned that PPL are forcing the pace of this issue – given the diversity of the sector and the complexity of the licence arrangements – it’s important that there is sufficient time for any new system to be considered before implementation. If such a deal is reached in the early stages of next week we would be unable to support this publically and would feel duty bound to express our disapproval.

Yours sincerely
  
Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive NCVO
Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive Volunteering England
Kevin Curley, Chief Executive NAVCA

CC:  Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society
John Alty, Chief Executive and Comptroller-General, Intellectual Property Office

Source NCVO

Charities invited to run National Citizens Service

Charities, voluntary groups and businesses have been invited to apply to run the government's flagship youth volunteering scheme, the National Citizens Service.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has opened the application process to run the scheme.

At a reception at 10 Downing Street yesterday, Maude said there will be a competitive tendering process and the government would announce in October which organisations would be delivering the scheme.

Under the programme, young people will spend the six summer school holidays after taking their GCSEs volunteering for programmes including residential schemes, local community action projects and a physical challenge event.

It's expected that 10,000 young people to take part in the programmes next summer.

The Government will publish a detailed specification for the pilots, inviting potential providers to submit bids, at the beginning of August 2010 on the Cabinet Office website 

Successful candidates will be announced in late October, at the latest. 

As with all Government programmes, the scale of the pilots will be subject to the Spending Review.

Source NCVO

UNISON welcomes Kings fund report

UNISON, The UK’s largest health union, today (21 July) welcomed a new report* by the King’s Fund, which shines a spotlight on the potential savings the NHS could make by sharing best practice between staff.

The union is warning that government plans for all hospitals to become independently run foundation trusts will only reduce opportunities for health workers to learn from each other. Foundation trusts will be set up in direct competition with each other, making it much tougher to share best practice.

This will not only hit opportunities to make savings, but also to raise standards across the NHS as a whole.

Karen Jennings, UNISON Head of Health said:

“At the heart of the NHS is an ethos of working together in the interest of patients. This report highlights the huge potential savings that could be made by sharing best practice.

If savings have to be made it is only right that they should come from boosting productivity rather than cutting jobs or closing down wards.

“This huge potential will be squandered if the government presses ahead with plans it set out in the white paper last week. Turning all hospitals into independently run foundations trusts, pitting hospital against hospital, will stand in the way of helping staff to learn from each other.

As well as making it more difficult to deliver savings, it will also hit opportunities to raise standards across the NHS as a whole.”

* Improving NHS productivity: More with the same not more of the same, is available to download at www.kingsfund.org.uk

Source UNISON

NHS White paper – all change for health charities - NPC BLog (Core arts is mentioned)

NHS White paper – all change for health charities

The plans for the NHS in the White Paper from the UK’s new Secretary of State for  Health, Andrew Lansley, are courting some pretty unfavourable remarks from a range of commentators.

The White Paper is scary: scrapping top-down commissioners like Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and replacing them with Consortia of GPs. PCTs have become specialists in commissioning health services and currently hold the vast NHS budgets, while GPs are doctors who traditionally refer people to services but have not held big budgets to buy or commission them. So steep learning curves all round. I can understand the ideology, and the plans are nothing if not imaginative, but I’m instinctively twitchy about undertaking such a huge and risky revolution without first having amassed a decent evidence base around whether it works and how to implement the change. I don’t count the Tories 1990s foray into GP fundholding. I’d prefer some fully evaluated local pilots between now and 2012.

But, regardless of Lansley’s detractors, charities will have to adapt. Many of our charity friends have fostered close relationships with PCTs. They might have direct contractual relationships with them to deliver services such as Core Arts’ musical and artistic activities for people with mental health problems, or the Brandon Centre’s therapies for young people. Or, charities might have been working with PCTs to improve services. Macmillan Cancer Support’s work to improve care pathways for people with cancer (and reduce costs for the NHS) is a case in point. But with no Primary Care Trusts, charities will need new tactics.

Although interacting with GPs will be new territory for many charities, I think there are opportunities. The Gold Standards Framework (‘GSF’) story holds inspirational lessons. GSF helps GPs to plan and manage the last year (roughly) of a person’s life: by planning ahead symptoms are controlled better and unnecessary hospital admissions avoided. GSF was initiated by a GP, Dr Keri Thomas, and between 1998-2001 was incubated and evaluated by Macmillan. It was rapidly returned to the NHS—so not strictly-speaking a charity—but Dr Thomas is a classic social entrepreneur that a charity chief executive could emulate. Once evaluated, GSF was rolled out through a cascading GP training programme, and has become mainstream practice within the NHS. And through the GSF After Death Analysis Tool—NB funded by a private donor via NPC—it is collecting some super data about whether GSF works and how it can be improved.

So it is possible to win over the GP audience to your cause: but offering solutions, getting evidence-based endorsement for them, and coming up with a mechanism for roll out, eg, training, will all be needed. More practically, though, my hunch is that a lot of the PCT personnel will resurface as practice managers in the new GP consortia, so don’t abandon your personal relationships…..

source NPC

Homes and Later Life in London

join us to debate key questions for the Examination in Public on the new London Plan

 

■      Would you like to know more about what the new London Plan

says about homes and communities in London?

■      Can you help us debate some of the key questions for the Examination in Public (EiP) later this year?

Then please join us.

These workshops are being run by Care & Repair England* and supported by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Refreshments will be provided

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 When:    10.30am – 12.45pm, Friday 6th August 2010

Where:   The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation,

Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG

                Key topics: Quality of life, design, housing choice

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 When:    12.45pm – 3.15pm, Tuesday 10th August 2010

 Where:   The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation,

                 Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG

          Key topics: Existing homes, security and local communities

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These workshops focus on the housing and quality of life aspects of the Mayor’s new draft London Plan. The Examination in Public is run by an independent Panel and gives the opportunity to discuss, in a structured way, aspects of the draft Plan. These workshops are intended to enable a written submission to be made to the Panel in advance of the next stage of public hearings due to commence in September.

 

 There are strictly limited spaces for these workshops

Please book as soon as possible to reserve your place

and try to attend both sessions if you can

 

BOOKING FORM LONDON PLAN EiP WORKSHOPS August 2010

Please note:  these workshop are for older people, not for paid staff of related organisations.

 

Name (in full) ……………………………….…………………………………………………………..….

 

Name of Older People’s Forum or Action Group that you are involved with (if any):

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

Home Address (a location map and details about the workshops will be sent here)

 

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

Postcode:…………………………….... Phone  Number…………………………….......

 

Email: (if you have one)  …………………………………………………………………..

 

Any other requirements e.g. wheelchair user, large print materials required or other support needed to participate.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

          I would like to book a place on Friday 6th August         YES/NO

 

I would like to book a place on Tuesday 10th August   YES/NO

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A letter confirming a place at the workshop(s) will be sent. If you do not receive this, please phone Catriona (below).

 

Cancellations:  Please let us know straight away if you change your mind/ can no longer come so that we can offer the place to another person.  We are happy to accept a substitute from

the same group/ forum. Care & Repair England reserves the right to cancel or postpone any workshop should there be insufficient bookings or in the case of circumstances beyond our control.

 

PLEASE RETURN BOOKING FORM TO:

Catriona Saxton, Care & Repair England

The Renewal Trust Business Centre,

3 Hawksworth St,

Nottingham NG3 2EG

Telephone/Fax: 0115 950 6500

Email:  info@careandrepair-england.org.uk

 

*Care & Repair England was established in 1986 to improve housing & living conditions

for older and disabled people. It is a Registered Industrial and Provident Society with Charitable Status No.  25121R  website: www.careandrepair-england.org.uk

Unlimited Commissions- quality work by disabled & deaf artists & arts orgs

£20-40,000 available for innovative low carbon business ideas

Shell Springboard provides financial support to innovative, low carbon business ideas across the UK.

The programme is open to businesses set up as sole traders, partnerships, limited companies or community interest companies (including university or government spin-outs). Businesses must have been running for a minimum of three months and must have SME status (small and medium enterprise).

Amounts of around £20,000 - £40,000 are available

The deadline is 5 November 2010.

For more information see the Shell Springboard website here.

Source SYFAB

Understanding the links between poverty and ethnicity: expert distillation papers

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is developing a new programme focusing on poverty and ethnicity, to be launched in 2011. As part of an extensive scoping process for the programme, six expert distillation papers are being commissioned to discuss various aspects of the relationship between poverty and ethnicity. The papers will help to generate and shape ideas for the new programme.

The papers will summarise the conclusions that can be drawn from the current evidence base and suggest ideas and key questions that could push forward our understanding and lead to solutions.

They will focus on the following topics:

• Unpaid caring
• Social networks
• Employer attitudes and behaviour
• Returns to education
• The role of location
• Inequality within groups

» Download the full information (PDF, 310KB)
» Download the guildelines and application form (Word, 230KB)

Please note that the deadline for the receipt of proposals is 6 August 2010.

ASDA Foundation - small grants for local community groups need support from Asda employees

The ASDA Foundation supports a range of good causes around the UK. It exists primarily to give support to existing projects being run by ASDA colleagues, although applications are open to all registered charities, community groups and individuals in the UK, as long as they have the support and involvement of local ASDA colleagues.

Applications are accepted throughout the year and applications will be assessed at the quarterly trustee meeting. Eligible individuals/organisations must:
• operate in the UK;
• be providing a clear benefit to their local community;
• be non-profit making;
• have direct support and involvement from one of the ASDA colleagues.

To apply visit your local ASDA branch and speak with a member of staff. For further information visit http://your.asda.com/asda-foundation.

grant to help children with neurological conditions inc learning difficluties

Cerebra, a charity which aims to improve the lives of children with neurological conditions, is accepting applications to its grants scheme. The condition may be of a physical nature, a learning difficulty, or both.

Grants can be made for resources or equipment. These must improve the child’s quality of life and not be available from statutory agencies like social services or the NHS. The child also must be aged 16 or under. Some examples of grants made are touch screen computers, holidays, approved therapies, power wheelchairs, and sensory toys.

There is no set deadline. For more information, visit the Cerebra website here.

Source SYFAB

up to £30k per year for disabled , ill or homelessness young people 0-25 - Hilton Foundation

Hilton in the Community Foundation

The Hilton in the Community Foundation is offering organisations that work with young people the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £30,000 per year. The Foundation focuses on young people’s education and health (from birth to 25), with particular emphasis on:

• Disabled children
• Children in hospital
• Homelessness
• Life-limited children in hospices.

If successful, grant applications for up to £10,000 can be approved by the Committee, and applications for more than £10,000 are recommended to the Trustees for final approval. There is no limit on the amount of money that a charity can request, but the Foundation will generally not make awards of over £30,000 per year. Applicants can request funding for up to 2 years for any particular project.

Reapplications are welcome however unsuccessful applicants are asked not to reapply for at least 12 months from the date of their rejection letter.

The next deadline for applications is 3 August 2010, and the one after is 9 November 2010.  For more information visit the Foundation’s website here.

Source SYFAB

capital grants (one off) for projects re: young people, disabled people in MH & older people

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 07:06 AM PDT

The Percy Bilton Charity offers grants to UK registered charities whose primary objectives are to assist one or more of the following groups:

• Disadvantaged / underprivileged young people aged under 25
• People with disabilities, including physical or learning disabilities or mental health problems
• People over the age of 60.

The Charity has two programmes for organisations to apply to:

• Large grants – offering one off payments for capital expenditure of £2,000 and over

• Small grants - offering up to £500 towards furnishings and equipment for small projects. This programme is more suitable for smaller organisations.

There is no set deadline, but Board meetings are held quarterly in March, June, September and December to consider large grants. Applications may be submitted at any time and will be considered at the next appropriate Board meeting. Applications for small grants are considered monthly.

For more information, visit the Charity’s website here.

£500,000 - £1,000,000 for projects working with young carers, vulnerable young people, young offend

Youth in Focus

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 03:40 AM PDT

Youth in Focus is a new initiative for projects working with young carers and other vulnerable young people in England.

The programme will support projects helping young carers who look after family members affected by illness and are frequently responsible for their households, including shopping and cleaning. The scheme will also help vulnerable young people aged 15 to 25 gain access to education, housing, healthcare and employment. Young offenders leaving institutions will also be supported in developing life skills and accessing services.

Projects that focus on one or more of these themes are eligible to apply to Youth in Focus for grants of between £500,000 and £1,000,000. Three grants of £1,500,000 are also available for England-wide projects that raise national awareness of the themes covered. Grants can cover some or all of the project’s costs for between three and five years, and can serve as a contribution towards the organisation’s overheads. Building or refurbishment work will not be paid for.

Applications will not be available until September 2010, and the deadline for applicants is 30 November 2010. For more information, visit the Youth in Focus website here.

Source SYFAB

Funding for capital expenditure re: ICT & extedning personalisation

• Get Connected - cycle 3 opens in July 2010

SCIE's 'Get Connected' programme is supporting adult social care providers to access information and communication technology (ICT) more effectively.

Cycle 3 of the Get Connected investment fund opens in July for registered providers or social care organisations who are eligible for cycles 1 and 2. All investment bids need to show how people who use services, family carers and/or staff will benefit from improved access to ICT. The funding is for capital expenditure that will support adult social care providers and organisations to extend personalisation through enhanced access to ICT.

To find out more about the Get Connected investment programme please click here.

Part Time Carers Activities Organiser c/d 30th July

Supporting unpaid carers

 

Part Time Carers’ Activities Organiser (2 days per week although the nature of the work will require flexibility of time)

Temporary Position: 6 months duration starting July or early August

Salary:  £11.24 per hour

 

We require a lively and enthusiastic person to organize and take part in several trips and activities mainly for disabled children and their parents.  The successful candidate will have a good understanding of the role of carers and parent/carers in particular.  Experience of working with special needs children and their families will be an advantage.

 

The postholder will need to be able to work flexible hours as, over the course of the 6 months, 8 activities or trips need to be arranged and attended including a 4 day holiday. The job also includes attendance at a monthly parents’ group to provide admin support and minute taking at the group’s planning meeting. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate good organizational skills and have a good command of written and spoken English.  Training can be provided in minute taking.

 

For an application form and job description, please phone 020 7923 8750 or e-mail amina.begum@hackneycarers.org.uk.  The Carers Centre is based in newly refurbished accommodation in Dalston with good transport links around Hackney Borough and to Liverpool Street station.

 

Closing date: Friday 30th July 2010

Research Assistant to the Team Rector of the East Greenwich Team Ministry

To assist with a research project on the relationship between religious organisations and new housing and diverse developments, with particular reference to the Church of England and the Thames Gateway.


Full-time, £15,750 over nine months. Or a longer period part-time might be possible. Fixed term because grant-funded.

Enhanced CRB required.

For further details see

www.holy-trinity-greenwich-peninsula.org.uk/researchpost.doc

or contact: The Rev’d Dr. Malcolm Torry, 37 Becquerel Court, West Parkside, London SE10 0QQ, 020 8858 3006, malcolm@torry.org.uk

Closing date: Monday 6th September. Interviews Tuesday 21st September

 

Props Befriending Project-if you suffered from mental health issues in the past or are you an ex o

Have you suffered from mental health issues in the past or are you an ex offender?
Are you now in a stable position where you could help others?

If the answer is yes, why not become a Props befriender!

To request an application pack or for more information contact Nike Malomo, VCH Mentoring
Officer, on 020 7241 4443 ext 22 or email mentoring@vchackney.org

Befrienders will be supporting Props clients on their volunteering journey, initially acting as a buddy to help
them settle in and become comfortable, and also meeting up outside of placements in order to socialise and discuss how the voluntary placement is going

Who will you be befriending?

Befrienders will be paired up with Props clients who are about to begin a voluntary
placement or are in the early stages of a placement and would benefit from
additional support
What is Props?

The Props project is geared towards supporting people with mental health issues and
ex-offenders to help them rebuild their lives, helping them to find a voluntary placement and become settled.
What skills are required
You need to have:
• Great communication skills
• Reliable and dependable & able to give advice
• listening skills
• and most importantly a willingness to help others
progess and succeed.
To be a befriender you need to be:
• Aged 21+
• Have either suffered from mental health issues in the
past or be an ex offenders
• Be at a stage where you are able to effectively help
others and share your own experiences in a positive
light
• be mature, reliable and at a stable point in life.
Full training will be provided on areas such as confidentiality, health and safety/ personal
safety, stress management and keeping boundaries in befriending,
the primary role of the volunteer is to offer informal social support by forming a trusting and
supportive relationship with the service user, usually in order to reduce social isolation
and enhance inclusion

Could you be a mentor and help someone on their journey back/in to employment...

To request an applicaton form or for more informaton contact Nike Malomo, VCH Mentoring Officer, on 020 7241 4443 ext 22 or email mentoring@vchackney.org

Pathways Mentoring Project
What is the aim of the project?
The aim of the project is for mentors to support mentees on their journey
to employment, by providing both emotional support and career
guidance, helping to defne clear steps toward the mentee achieving the
desired end goal of becoming more employable, and in time eventually
becoming employed

Who will you be MENTORING?
Mentors will be mentoring pathways  clients. Pathways is an employability
project whereby clients use  volunteering as a basis of becoming
work ready whilst developing soft skills, gaining hands on experience
and sourcing suitable training.

Could YOU be a Mentor?

For this project to be a mentor you  need to be:
Aged 21+ •

• currently employed, retired or out of work for reasons such as health or family
  

• Mature, reliable and at a stable point in life
  

• Genuine desire to help others progress

What SKILLS are Required

• Great communicaton skills 

• Rich employment experience/ history

• Reliable and dependable

• Ability to give advice

• Great listening skills 

• and most importantly a willingness to help others progess and succeed.     
  

 
Full training will be provided on areas such as confdentality, health and safety/ personal safety,
stress management  and Keeping  boundaries

Mentoring is about one person helping another to achieve something. In this case it  means helping someone on their journey to employment, by helping to develop skills and map out a clearer career  path.

At VCH we believe that ‘Giving is  Receiving’

seeking refugee volunteers for free housing training, and work placements

I am delighted to inform you that HACT’s Reach In Housing Volunteer project is now recruiting for the third wave of volunteers. Please see the attached PDF flyer for more information about the scheme, we would be very grateful if you could circulate the flyer to your refugee networks.

Reach In is a project developed by HACT, which will run in partnership with Housing Associations across England to provide free housing training and volunteer work placements for refugees. The project work will be focused in the following areas: Birmingham, Blackburn, Bradford, Leeds, London, Manchester, Norfolk/East of England, and Stoke-on-Trent. Please forward this to any organisation or individual whom you think might benefit from this project.  

The application form is now available, all the relevant information that you need to know about Reach In is on the attached flyer.

Please contact Devan Kanthasamy on (020 7247 7800 or Devan.Kanthasamy@hact.org.uk) if you have any further questions about Reach In or want to discuss the scheme before requesting your application form.

Learn more about one of the volunteers from Wave 1 of the project at  http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=6506203

Applications close on the 17^th September 2010.

Those applicants who are shortlisted will be asked to attend an Information session at one of the locations listed on the flyer. Those who successful complete this stage will be invited for an interview.  The placements will start the week commencing the 8^th November 2010.

Assistant Psychologist

reference:

    363–NH–001
Job Title:
    Assistant Psychologist
Location:
    York House, Newham
Salary From:
    24,590
Salary To:
    31,664
Staff Group:
    Allied Health Professionals
Directorate:
    SS - Specialist Services
Grade/Band:
    Band 5
Job Type:
    Fixed Term Temporary
Closing Date:
    28 Jul 2010
Interview Date:
    2 Aug 2010

 
 

Band 5 Assistant Psychologist - 6 month fixed-term contract

We are seeking an assistant psychologist to join our Clinical Psychology and multidisciplinary team for children and young people with Learning Disabilities and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (LD and PDD).  The LD and PDD team is an integral part of the Child and Family Consultation Service (CFCS) to ensure that children with Learning Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) continue to access the full range of CAMHS assessment, liaison and treatment services.

Newham CFCS offers an assessment and treatment service for children and young people with complex, severe or persistent emotional, behavioural or developmental problems. The service is centrally located on one site in Newham in refurbished accommodation.

Your remit will be to build on the ongoing service evaluation of the LD and Clinical Psychology teams.  In addition, there will be ample opportunities to participate in clinical work alongside experienced clinicians.  Your colleagues will welcome your involvement in the rich variety of their work, which comprises a range of assessments as well as group, family and individual interventions with the diverse client base in Newham.

You will have good research and service evaluation skills, including knowledge and experience of Excel and SPSS.  Previous experience or training with children with learning disabilities or autism will be considered an advantage.

We will provide an interesting and supportive work environment, with good training and supervision.  Given the cultural diversity of the population of Newham we would particularly welcome applications from psychology graduates from diverse cultural backgrounds.

For further information, please contact Dr. Brigitte Wilkinson, Head of Clinical Psychology, Newham Child and Family Consultation Service (020 7055 8400)

Interview date - Monday 2nd August 2010
Documents

    * Assistant Psychology JD June 2010.pdf (25.50 KB)
    * Assistant Psychology PS June 2010.pdf (33.00 KB)

Further Links

Apply now

Administrative Assistant - homerton

 293-10569

Job Title:

 Administrative Assistant

Area of Work:

 Diabetes Retinal Screening

Employer:

 Homerton University Hospital NHS Trust

Department:

 293 Diabetes Centre

Location:

 London

Salary:

 Band 2 £17,689 - £20,789 pa.inc

Job Type:

Fixed Term Temporary  

Staff Group:

Administrative & Clerical  

Pay Scheme:

Agenda for change  

Pay Band:

2  

Working pattern:

37.5 Hours/Week 

Closing Date:

This job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Please apply for this job as soon as you can, if interested. 

Add this vacancy to my job basket

Description

The Homerton is an innovative Foundation Trust providing a wide range of services to the local community of Hackney and specialist services on a national level. Located in the multicultural east end of London we are situated close to the heart of the capital.

The Homerton is the closest hospital to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Park and is the designated hospital for the Park. The Hospital has easy access to the M11and Stratford International railway station, with major improvements to transport planned in the lead up to the Games.

Administration Assistant – Diabetes Centre
Band 2 £17,689 - £20,789 pa.inc

One year fixed term

ALL CANDIDATES MUST READ THE PERSON SPECIFICATION FOR THIS VACANCY AS THIS CONTAINS CRITERIA WHICH MUST BE COVERED AS PART OF THE SUPPORTING INFORMATION. CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AS DIRECTED WILL NOT BE PUT FORWARD FOR SHORTLISTING.

You will be responsible for providing reception and administrative support to the Diabetes Retinal Screening Team. This will include reception duties, data entry, making appointments, typing and sending appointments, as well as other clerical duties.

Experience of working with the public is essential.

For further information please contact: Louis Bolter, Failsafe Officer & Admin Team Supervisor
020 8510 5911 louis.bolter@nhs.net

We advise candidates to read all of the attached documentation prior to submitting an application.

Your supporting statement is used to determine your suitability for the post and should be used to demonstrate your relevant skills.

Once you have submitted an application it is essential that you check your email on a regular basis for updates and shortlisting information.

The Trust welcomes applications from candidates wishing to job share with or without job share partners.

Committed to Equal Opportunities.

Overseas candidates wishing to apply, who would require immigration sponsorship, can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the post on the UKBA website.

Applications from job seekers who require Tier 2 sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, non-EEA candidates may not be appointed to a post if a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled EU/EEA candidate is available to take up the post as the employing body is unlikely, in these circumstances, to satisfy the Resident Labour Market Test. The UK Border Agency requires employers to complete this test to show that no suitably qualified EEA or EU worker can fill the post. For further information please visit: UK Border Agency website.

Jump to Apply Now 

More information

You can view more information about this employer and this vacancy by clicking on any of the Job Pack Documents or Further Links below. Clicking a link will open a pop-up window containing the relevant details. You may view, print or download the details from there.

Documents

• Job Description (23 KB)
• Person Specification (26 KB)
• Recruitment_Pack_Why_Homerton (129 KB)
• Guidance Notes On Submitting An Application (119 KB)
• Equal Opps document (132 KB)
• Remploy Leaflet (50 KB)

Further Links

• Homerton Website
• Detailed travel information for finding the Homerton easily

CRB Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Criminal Records Bureau to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship (formerly a Work Permit)

This job is unlikely to attract a Tier 2 certificate of sponsorship (formerly a work permit). Applications from candidates who require Tier 2 immigration status to work in the UK may not be considered if there are a sufficient number of other suitable candidates. To apply for a Tier 2 certificate of sponsorship, employers need to demonstrate that they are unable to recruit a resident worker before recruiting an individual from overseas. For further information please visit Home Office UK Border Office.

Researcher & Assistant Researcher, Centre for Well-being

• Employer: NEW ECONOMICS FOUNDATION
• Posted: 23 Jul 2010
• Location: London
• 
  
• Contract: Contract
• Hours: Full Time
• Salary: £23k - £35k p.a.

 

nef is seeking two individuals to join our Centre for Well-being team. What lessons can we learn from the past about what it takes to create the good life? What does a high well-being, low carbon model of local development look like? If these are questions you care about, then we would like to hear from you.

Researcher

This is an exciting opportunity to develop and run your own projects, building on nef’s leadership position in this field, and working closely with colleagues in the Centre and across nef. You will need to have a policy or consultancy background, an economics degree, ideally an MSc, and experience of managing research projects. Central government experience would be ideal.

To succeed in this post you will be able to think creatively and analytically, be capable of engaging with H.M. Treasury economists on their own terms and have the agility to advance a developing field. You will also share a real commitment to our values.

Interviews: Wednesday, 1st September 2010

Assistant Researcher

This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the well-being field and its application to policy. You will very likely have an MSc. in a social science and will ideally have experience of conducting qualitative research projects as well as a grasp of quantitative techniques.

You will need to be flexible, capable of working with minimum supervision to tight deadlines, practical and willing to help out as needed. You will also share a real commitment to our values.

Interviews: Thursday, 2nd September 2010

Click here to go to website 

Opening up data - NPC Blog

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Eibhlín Ní Ógáin

A well known quote tells us that to “improve something, first measure it”. Having just joined NPC, I was unsure what charity research would look like. A month on and that is the least of my worries. Now I am more concerned with how to go about doing that research in the first place.

The issue is; how exactly can we understand charity effectiveness when the data we base it on is notoriously inaccessible?

Last week, my colleague Camilla Nevill wrote about her frustrations over the lack of access to data on youth offending. This is an often repeated story at NPC and my first project here was no different. This involved trying to track down government figures on the needs of children and public spending across each region and country of the UK.  Three weeks of constantly coming up against closed doors made me realise how hard it is to take a quantitative approach in this sector. With such a lack of data, it is extremely challenging to do charity research. But if we can’t measure in the first place then how can we begin to improve?

In business and science, the ever increasing availability of vast amounts of data is bringing about an information revolution. It is now possible to understand trends and relationships in ways that were inconceivable even five years ago. Credit card companies can pinpoint from millions of transactions those which are likely to be fraudulent and the use of data online has revolutionised the world of advertising.

If the same amount of data was available for those working in the field of human welfare, we could begin to understand exactly what issues need to be addressed, where they should be addressed and how best to address them. Pinpointing resources in this way will allow charities to rapidly and effectively deal with problems and reduce wasteful spending.

One of the first things president Obama did when he got into office was to make as much government data available to the public as possible.

Similar efforts have been made over here. Websites like data.gov.uk and tso.co.uk are making good headway but are still frustratingly lacking.

In fact, as I write this, The Stationary Office are in the middle of the OpenUp challenge; a nationwide competition looking for the best idea on how to improve the availability and presentation of government data.

This OpenUp challenge is a great idea, but we still need more data to be made available.

Given the cuts that are looming for charities across the UK, anything that gives us more insight into which organisations and approaches are the most effective must be a top priority. So like Camilla, I add my voice to the call for more data. As a favourite quote of mine goes: “The point of open information is not merely to expose the world but to change it”.

Source New Philanthropy Capital