H&F Community Compass

In several H&F Cost Of Living Alliance workshops, local voluntary and community sector organisations have requested a single point of information for local VCS services and organisations. Such a centralised system would enable residents and referrers to find local community groups more easily, and raise the profile and accessibility of local community organisations.

To achieve this, Hammersmith & Fulham Council has been working with Sobus and other VCS Alliance Partners to develop an online signposting service: H&F Community Compass

What will H&F Community Compass do?

H&F Community Compass will connect people with the right services, support and advice that they need. It will also offer small and large VCS organisations opportunities to connect by providing:

  • A searchable directory of services
  • A digital platform to share accurate and reliable information in one place
  • Information that is accessible and visually engaging
  • Warm signposting and early intervention
  • Community “what’s on” space

Who is providing the service?

Sobus is working with Ayup Digital to deliver the platform, in partnership with the Cost of Living Alliance partners and H&F Council. The data will be legally held by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

To see examples of what H&F Community Compass might look like please have a look at these examples:
https://connectedkingston.uk/                                https://hounslowconnect.com/

What will this mean for your organisation?

With more and more information and activities being online, having a digital presence promoting your organisation has become increasingly important. Accessing funding opportunities and a chance to showcase your service and what you do to support residents is vital but hard to do if you do not have an online profile.

Sharing your information

Sobus holds a directory of local VCS organisations. We would like to share some of this information with Hammersmith & Fulham council to load onto H&F Community Compass – but we need your consent to do so. From our database, we would like to share with the council ONLY the following information:

  • Your organisations name
  • Your organisations contact details and website
  • A contact name at your organisation
  • A short summary (2 or 3 sentences) of the services you provide.

Can we share your information?

Please click on the survey link – which will take less than one minute to complete! You will be asked if you agree to Sobus sharing your organisation’s name, contact info and service summary. You’ll have the options of Yes, No, or that you would like to review the information before deciding.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RLQ3XBT

Time is of the essence!

We want to get H&F Community Compass up and running by the beginning of September – so would ask you to respond to the survey as quickly as possible!
If you would like further information, please contact Sobus at info@sobus.org.uk or telephone 020 7952 1230.

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Patient & Carer Representative x3 – Culture of Care National Advisers

Location : Homebased

Status : Two-year fixed-term contract

Salary : £300 per day, £150 per half a day

Closing date : 27/08/2024

Interview date : 12/09/2024

Full details

 

 

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Disposing of Property – What Trustees Need to Know Regarding the Charities Act 2022

Does your charity plan to sell property or dispose of a lease which has been running for over six years? The new Charities Act offers more flexibility, but navigating its requirements demands strong governance and know-how. Join us to learn more!

For this discussion, the panel of speakers will share their knowledge, stories, ideas, tips and mistakes to avoid when disposing of property.

Join us on Wednesday 18 September 2024 for some expert insights, plenty of opportunity to ask questions and network with your peers.

The speakers will cover:

  • what trustees need to know about the 2022 Charities Act and why
  • how trustees can plan effectively for a sustainable future
  • when charities should hire a surveyor
  • how charities can save money on legal bills
  • how charities can read between the lines of a survey
  • don’t live your own horror story: how to avoid the big mistakes

Register via the event webpage or by contacting the Ethical Property Foundation.

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Dormant Assets Scheme Expands with Potential to Unlock Further £880m

“An expansion of the Dormant Assets Scheme may make millions more available for the charitable sector. In a second phase of expansion, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has amended its rules to enable dormant investment assets and client money to be part of the scheme…” Read more here.

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Recent Protests – Police Advice

We are really pleased that despite much publicity, some true and a great deal fake, there were no ugly scenes across our Boroughs on Tuesday evening. Your West London Chambers of Commerce has close communication with all Councils, Police, businesses and community groups in the boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, and we are well placed to be a reliable source of accurate information.

However, in light of recent protests please find advice from the Police, to businesses of all sizes and sectors: Crime_Prev_Business_Advice-General-Aug-24.pdf (ukhospitality.org.uk)

The advice remains – “check your risk assessments and if not recently updated, update them. If you have lockdown procedures review these and if needed rehearse”.

Any issues/incidents call the police via 999 as there are additional, dedicated resources assigned to addressing these issues at this time.

For non-emergency situations, dial 101 to receive guidance and support from your community safety team.

Any hate crime witnessed or experienced should be reported, either directly to the police or via Tell MAMA on 0800 456 1226

For anti-Muslim hate crime, contact Tell MAMA on 0800 456 1226 or via www.tellmamauk.org

For antisemitic hate crime, contact Community Safety Trust on 0800 032 3263 or here Report Antisemitic Behaviour – CST – Protecting Our Jewish Community

You can also report hate crime here How to report hate crime | Metropolitan Police

Safeguarding your business during public events

Keep safe!

The team at West London Chambers of Commerce 

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H&F Council Crisis Prevention Fund

About the fund

The fund is for anyone living in H&F who is struggling with a financial emergency or crisis and is to help residents meet vital day-to-day living expenses. Eligible residents can receive up to £300 to pay for essentials including food, gas, and electricity.

To be eligible, residents must:

  • be in severe financial hardship and without H&F’s support could be at risk of being in crisis
  • need immediate help and have no other source of financial support available to them
  • have not received a crisis prevention payment from H&F in the last rolling 6 months.

When applying, residents will need to provide details of their emergency or crisis.

Who can apply

This scheme is open to anyone aged 18 years or older.

This scheme is also open to those 16 or older who are responsible for younger children or who have energy/water arrears.

Residents do not need to receive government benefits to apply but will need to show they don’t have other funds available. Residents can also apply if they have temporary immigration status.

To find out more about the payment scheme, including what the money can be used for, please visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/crisis-fund

Further support

If you or a resident is unsure whether they’re eligible, you can both speak to our Cost-of-Living team who will be able to assist and help them complete the form. The team can be contacted on costoflivingteam@lbhf.gov.uk or by free calling 0800 917 6994.

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LBH&F Third Sector Investment Fund Programme is Now Live

Online applications are open to 9am on 1 October 2024.

The funding period will run from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028.

Applicants will need to sign up for an account before they are able to save and submit an application.

Online information sessions are available on 4th September and 19th September at 2pm.

For more information and signing up process please go to webpage here

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Grants to Support Disadvantaged Young People through Educational & Sporting Activities (UK)

UK charities, Schools and Further Education Colleges as well as NHS Trusts seeking funding to support those under the age of 18 who are living with a mental health condition, disability or growing up in poverty can apply for funding through the Hargreaves Foundation. The Foundation aims to help children and young people to fulfill their potential and improve their wellbeing, self-esteem, and independence through educational and sporting activities. This could include initiatives that improve academic engagement and attainment, develop skills to aid future employment, improve life skills, and ensure sport is accessible. There is no minimum or maximum grant amount. Applications can be made at any time. Grants to Support Disadvantaged Young People through Educational & Sporting Activities (UK)

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Screwfix Foundation (UK)

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to local charities and not-for-profit organisations for projects that will fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities for those in need in the UK. The funding is being made available through the Screwfix Foundations, and the grants are available for all kinds of projects, from repairing buildings and improving facilities in deprived areas to decorating the homes of people living with sickness and disabilities. Applications are reviewed every quarter. The next closing date for applications is the 10th November 2024. Screwfix Foundation (UK)

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Funding for Projects that Address Severe Learning Disabilities (UK)

UK charities, voluntary organisations, and schools can apply for grants to help children and adults suffering from severe learning difficulties and autism. The funding is being made available through the Baily Thomas General grants programme and can be used to purchase equipment, support capital works as well and cover project and core costs. Previous grants have been used to support capital works for residential, nursing and respite care, and schools; employment schemes including woodwork, crafts, printing and horticulture; play schemes and play therapy schemes; day and social activities centres; support for families, including respite schemes; independent living schemes; support in the community schemes; and Snoezelen rooms. The next deadline for applications seeking funding over £9,000 is the 1st December 2024. Applications for £9,000 and below can be submitted at any time. Funding for Projects that Address Severe Learning Disabilities (UK)

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