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Funding for Charities Supporting the Over 60’s and BAME Communities

July 6, 2020by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Funding tagged ,

Grants of up to £1,000 are available to UK charities that focus on the often complex issues that have arisen from the Covid 19 pandemic for people aged 60 and over.

The funding is being made available through the Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust. The Trust will also be prioritising charities that work in BAME communities, in light of Black Lives Matter and the growing awareness that these communities are being disproportionately affected by the Covid 19 crisis.

The funding is available to UK registered charities that have an operating income and expenditure of between £100,000 and £1 million.

The closing date for applications is the 31st July 2020.

Apply here

Free Online Training Multi-Agency Safeguarding Training

July 6, 2020by Leona in Blog, Training Support and Resources tagged

Free online multi-agency Safeguarding training available to officers in Sandwell

Please find attached details of multi-agency training that is available for organiastions to attend.

This includes training from the:-

 

Safer Sandwell Partnership
Sandwell Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership
Sandwell Safeguarding Adults Board
Sandwell Children’s Safeguarding Partnership

Please view for further information on the variety of training available and how to book your place – https://www.scvo.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Safeguarding-Training-Available-1.docx

 

Can you help ‘Home from Hospital?

July 2, 2020by Leona in Blog, Volunteering tagged

If you have a car and a clean licence you could be a great help to older people needing to get to and from hospital.

Age UK Sandwell urgently needs helpers please who can support with transport to appointments and help older people to settle in to their home after a stay in hospital.

Other requirements include:

• Willing to complete an enhanced DBS check

• Willing to undertake any training required

• Available for minimum 3 hours Monday – Friday

• Live within 30 mins drive from either City Hospital, Heartlands or the QE

• Not in at risk groups for COVID 19

Find out more by contacting volunteering@ageukbirmingham.org.uk or call 0121 437 0033

Big conversation about mental health ● learning disabilities ● autism in Sandwell

July 2, 2020by Leona in Blog, News and Events tagged

As a newly merged organisation we have an ambition to support the people of Sandwell to lead healthier and happier lives. We cannot do this alone, and we want to work with you in genuine partnership to develop our clinical strategy, to listen and learn, in order to achieve meaningful change.

As the system starts to prepare for future demand for services, we are holding a series of ‘big conversations’ about the services we deliver; one Black Country conversation for those specialist service areas where we come together to achieve greater quality and scale for all our populations, and one in each of our localities (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton) for those core services where we know that the needs of our local communities need to be locally driven.

We want to start the conversation with two simple questions:

1. What does the very best healthcare provision for those with mental health, learning disabilities and/or autism look like in 3 years’ time?
2. What are the most important steps we should take to achieve this?
We wanted to share these with you in advance so you can discuss them with others you may represent or advocate for.

Our ‘Big conversation’ will be virtual for now and will take place for via Zoom on 30th July, 10.30am – 12noon.

We hope you can join us. Let us know you’re attending by emailing bchft.communications@nhs.net and we will send you the link to the session. If you can’t make this date but would like to share your feedback please contact us bchft.communications@nhs.net

New Community Initiative Fund by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

July 1, 2020by Leona in Blog, Funding tagged

New £200,000 Community Initiatives Fund launched by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to community and voluntary organisations to help overcome social effects of Coronavirus isolation

The new Community Initiatives Fund which comes into effect on Wednesday 1st July 2020, will be funded from money which has been allocated from items seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Each year, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner invites local community groups to bid for a grant from the existing Active Citizens Fund which is money which must go into community projects and cannot be spent on recruiting Police officers. The Community Initiatives Fund temporarily replaces the Active Citizens Fund.

Following a surge in voluntary and community activity to help vulnerable people during the COVID 19 crisis, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, has made £200,000 available over the next six months, to support active citizenship within local communities.

Sandwell will have £15,000 to spend on projects which tackle vulnerability, fear of crime and work with the WMP response to COVID

Criteria

• Digital formats contacts with the public supporting vulnerable via media social media etc, IT equipment, youth online media , networking communities
• Social isolation and mental health
• Elderly vulnerable supporting them, food, tackling elder abuse , communication
• Families food poverty, support for children and families especially as the schools could be closed over summer, demand on Police, Mash, Foodbank etc
• Domestic Violence this is a key matter across force we should consider this for some bids, families isolating together with a DV perpetrator,
• Consideration for messaging support to BME/Eastern European groups around support on reporting Domestic Violence plus advice on Social Distancing
• Encouraging Communities to sign up to WM NowThere is a maximum bid of £5k

This is the link to the detail on the OPCC website which includes process map and also the documents for organisations to complete https://www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/community-initiatives-fund/.

Barnardo’s 175 Challenge

June 30, 2020by Leona in Blog, Children & Young People, News and Events tagged

Thomas Barnardo’s has a significant birthday (175) on Saturday July 4th.

We thought it would be a good time to come together and do something positive and show what a great organisation Barnardo’s is, especially given how challenging the last few months have been.

Local challenge
Between Barnardo’s colleagues in the Black Country/Central region we are going to complete a 175 kilometre run/walk on Saturday 4th July. Please feel free to join us for the run/walk by either completing 1.75K, 17.5K and anywhere between. Do as a team/individual (10k, 5k, 2.5=17.5k). Or why not do 175 minutes/seconds of exercise/s.

Your challenge
If Running/Walking isn’t for you how about doing something else with 175 in it? Examples 175 seconds of juggling or balancing something on your head, star jumps, dancing! It could be minutes, seconds, meters, miles, anything it doesn’t matter. The more creative the idea the better. You can join us on Saturday July 4th or the closest day to it that suits you.

Post it
Post a picture/video of you doing you activity. Wear something green and post on workplace if you can.

Solidarity and Reflection
We will be supporting the Black Life Matters campaign at the start of our run by ‘taking a knee’. It can also be a time to think about our colleagues that have lost loved ones during the pandemic and those that have lost their own lives.

Fundraising
If you want to raise much needed funds for Barnardo’s why not support our Crisis Appeal.

Safety
If you are able to join us whatever you are doing stay safe and well and follow government guidelines.

For more information please contact Jonathan Oldham – Children Services Manager, Barnardos –

T:  01384 411 722, M: 07739 256266 or e-mail – jonathan.oldham@barnardos.org.uk

Vouchers to provide Free Meals over the School Summer Holiday Period

June 30, 2020by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Children & Young People, Funding tagged ,

The UK Government has launched the Covid Summer Food Fund to support children over the summer holiday period who usually receive benefits-related free school meals.

Through the Fund, schools can support eligible pupils with a £90 voucher to cover the standard six-week holiday period, or £105 if the school’s summer holiday lasts seven full weeks.

Vouchers must be ordered by schools through the Edenred portal at least one week before the end of term. Parents will be issued with an eGift card within seven days which can be used to buy food at a range of supermarkets.

Further information

Longer-Term Project Funding for Charities

June 30, 2020by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Funding tagged ,

Charities registered in the UK and Republic of Ireland can now apply for funding from phase two of Ecclesiastical’s £1 million Movement for Good awards to help with longer-term project funding.

Ten charities will each receive a £50,000 grant for innovative, larger, longer-term projects which support the advancement of education and skills, citizenship or community development, and arts, culture or heritage. Funding can be used over one year or spread over three years for projects or innovative initiatives with clear outcomes and benefits, and can cover costs such as project-related salaries and capital costs.

Applications will be assessed on their impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

The deadline for applications is the 24th July 2020.

Further information

 

Youth Gaming and Gambling Awareness Free Online Training Sessions

June 30, 2020by Libby Mahoney in Blog, Training Support and Resources tagged ,

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) is a leading National charity collaboratively delivering the UK’s £10million national education programme to those that work with and support young people (aged 7-25), to raise awareness around the potential harms associated with gaming and gambling.  They work  in a variety of health and educational settings, safeguarding and youth organisations, and with local authorities.

The most recent report published by the Gambling Commission shows worrying trends in the way that young people are engaging in gambling and gaming risky behaviours.

Upcoming dates for the youth gaming and gambling awareness free online training sessions (running time is 90 minutes). Anyone who is interested can click on the link to see available dates and book a place on a session: www.ygam.org/book-a-workshop/

The training will cover:
• an overview of how young people are increasingly exposed to gaming and gambling
• the influence of advertising, particularly around sporting events
• the role of social media, in game purchases, loot boxes and Esports
• the signs to look out for when an individual is at risk and where to seek help
• our resources that have been developed for practitioners to deliver

You can learn more about them from their website: www.ygam.org.

For more information please email Lucy Gardner at lucygardner@ygam.org

New Scheme proving successful in recruiting BAME carers across the Black Country

June 30, 2020by Mazeline Hemmings in Blog, Did you know...?, News and Events tagged ,

National charity, Camphill Village Trust, is leading the way in recruiting BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) carers to its innovative Shared Lives scheme on behalf of Dudley Council, which offers adults who need support, the chance to live with an ordinary family.

Having only been operational since September 2018, the scheme has drawn on the strengths of the diverse communities throughout the region and recruited nineteen new households already, including seven from the BAME population. There are also many other households registering genuine interest in wanting to become Shared Lives carers given its recent raise in profile across the UK by all local authorities.

Although figures for the local scheme are relatively small in comparison, their upward trajectory is a reflection of wider national statistics according to Skills for Care (2019), where the BAME population represents 21% of the adult social care workforce in England.

Shared Lives is a unique model of personalised support and accommodation, with a very strong track record of transforming lives, going back many years. Shared Lives is extremely flexible, and the person is carefully matched to live or stay on either a live-in, short-break or day support basis.

Married couple, Caroline and Gary Reid from Sandwell, who were approved as Shared Lives carers by the Camphill Village Trust scheme just over a year ago, have after several introductory visits now been matched with Meg, who has a learning disability and was previously living in residential care after her mother passed away some time ago. ‘The scheme was very clear from the start that we wouldn’t necessarily receive BAME referrals, which was never a concern anyway.’

The assessment process can take between three to six months before being approved by an independent panel. By being part of a registered scheme, Shared Lives carers are paid according to the level of support they provide, up to £570 per week, and because of their self-employed status, also qualify for tax relief.

Candy and Derrick Foster from Tipton and who were previously foster carers before recently moving over to be approved with Shared Lives added, ‘Shared Lives provides a great opportunity for individuals with the right values and commitment, to develop a social care career, in what is such a rewarding role. It really does challenge the assumptions of what people who require extra support can achieve whilst living within the comfort of an ordinary home, but with extra-ordinary carers.’

To find out more information about becoming a Shared Lives carer with the Camphill Village Trust scheme, please call on 01384 441505 or go to www.camphillvillagetrust.org.uk

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