Mind has worked with the Black Mental Health Workers Alliance (BMHWA) to produce a new manifesto that seeks to address structural change which must be actioned to close the inequality gap for Black people within mental health services in England.Take a look here.
Discover how to bring volunteers into your organisation with these top tips from Rob Jackson. Take a look here.
Benn Keaveney sadly passed away in early April.
Benn was the HFEH Mind CEO from 2018 to 2023. He was receiving treatment for most of last year then came back in October to serve as the HFEH Mind Emeritus CEO. He was hoping to medically retire at the end of March but unfortunately his treatment was unsuccessful.
Many of you had the privilege of knowing Benn personally, and you may already be aware of this sad news. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Benn’s unwavering professionalism, hard work, and energy in supporting Mind and the work they do to support local residents with mental health needs. His presence will be sorely missed.
Our sincere condolences to Benn’s friends and family and to all at H&F Mind.
“The Fundraising Regulator has announced that it will change the way it publicly reports charities that have failed to act on requests to opt-out of marketing communications…” Read more here.
During the cost of living crisis, many more individuals will reach out to charities for vital support. We understand the pressure on services and staff alike, so we’ve put some of our key resources in one place.
Our Cost of living hub contains resources designed to help you to help others, especially those seeking welfare support, including The Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need. Take a look here.
The Hilden Charitable Fund, based at 34 North End Road, is selling it’s office building and relocating to the Sobus Dawes Road Hub.
We have a wide range of office furniture and equipment that we would like to donate to any Hammersmith & Fulham charities that would be interested. Viewing of the furniture is possible (contact our office on 0207 603 1525) and if you wish to have anything, you must arrange to collect by no later than Friday 3rd May.
Ciaran Rafferty, Director
Do you have a solid volunteer programme in place? Here’s some advice from DSC Trainer Cathy Shimmin on how to keep your volunteers inspired and engaged. Take a look here.
A new power that makes it easier for unincorporated charities to change their governing document, as well as new rules for gifts left to merged charities are the latest changes introduced by the Charities Act 2022. Learn more here.
Latest survey from the Charity Commission reveals widespread scale and impact of ongoing banking issues facing the sector. Take a look here.
The Spring Budget was announced at the beginning of March. Below are some of the main highlights:
The Chancellor made further changes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) following the cuts made in the Autumn Statement 2023. The rates for NICs will be cut by two percentage points for both employees and the self-employed from 6 April 2024.
This will see Class 1 employee NICs reduced from 10% to 8% from 6 April 2024, down from 12% at the end of last year. Meanwhile, Class 4 self-employed NICs are cut from 9% to 6% from 6 April 2024.
A few of the measures will benefit households that are struggling financially.
- The Household Support Fund will be extended until September.
- People receiving Universal Credit will now have twice as long to repay loans. The £90 fee for debt relief orders will also be scrapped.
- The threshold for child benefit will be increased. This will provide more resource and security for an estimated 170,000 families.
Announcements that are likely to benefit voluntary organisations include the following.
- The VAT registration threshold will increase from £85,000 to £90,000.
- £5m new investment in the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund.
- Funding for community cultural projects and the National Theatre.
- Investment in early career researchers in medical charities.
However, disappointingly, the government has missed a critical opportunity to recognise the role the voluntary sector plays in our society, and back this up with spending and policy commitments.
The government has also refused to commit to an ‘essentials guarantee’ to support people receiving benefits. This guarantee would ensure universal credit covers essentials like food, household bills, and travel costs.
We’re relieved to hear planned funding for central government departments won’t be cut. However, this funding is still not enough to fund public services that meet communities’ needs. Local government finances are also under unprecedented pressure. Today’s announcements do nothing to address this.
Source: NCVO.org.uk
sobus
20 Dawes Road, London, SW6 7EN
Telephone 020 7952 1230
Email info@sobus.org.uk
Registered Charity No.1071089
and Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No.03471416
Sobus is a new Community Development Agency for Hammersmith & Fulham. It has been created through the merger of the Community and Voluntary Sector Association Hammersmith & Fulham (CaVSA) and the Fulham Community Partnership Trust (FCPT). Building on the strengths of both organisations, sobus aims to provide a wider range of support services for local charities, community groups, social enterprises and start up businesses.