How The Spending Review Will Affect Charities

Following the government’s Spending Review that took place on 25.11.20, DSC spotted five main takeaways for charities. Check out our analysis from Jay Kennedy here.

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Government Publishes New Rules for Volunteering During Lockdown

Civil Society has reported that charity volunteers in England are exempt from rules about mixing households during the pandemic but should volunteer from home if possible, according to the latest government guidance. Find out more.

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Thrive LDN Communications Toolkit and Resilience Messaging

The Thrive LDN communications toolkit remains updated and the messages and assets will support partners during the remaining planned period of the current national lockdown for signposting to resources to support resilience, mental health and wellbeing. It is available to download via: https://thriveldn.co.uk/toolkits/.

There is suggested standard copy for your own external facing websites within this. Please do explore this and see how it may be used, for example as a news article, if not already the case. We have updated some key messages for digital channels. Download here.

You’ll note some specific resilience messaging has been added to this.  We’re developing this further, in partnership with Good Thinking, and will update with more assets as an ongoing campaign over the winter period. Please feel free to use and post organically or reshare posts through the Thrive LDN accounts, all via @ThriveLDN.

FURTHER UPDATES…

  • Guidance for people supporting individuals and communities affected by the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19)

Thank you to colleagues who are sharing and download a Look, Listen, Link A4 poster for your community or faith centre, public and patient area, and/or workplace.

This poster links to our guidance for people who are supporting communities and individuals who have been adversely affected by COVID-19 to help them to know the most supportive things to say and do for people who are distressed.

  • Good Thinking’s toolkit for employers

Good Thinking has published an online toolkit on how best to support your employees’ mental health – designed for organisations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. It is available to support your internal communications activity and will be updated regularly by the Good Thinking team.

  • Support after sudden bereavement during the pandemic

We are finalising with partners a toolkit to help provide suddenly bereaved people with reassurance that help is available if they need it. We anticipate being able to publish this by the end of this week.

It provides important London wide information about how existing services have changed how they are supporting people. We have included dedicated support options for groups of people who may be particularly vulnerable, to help ensure they are aware of who can best understand their circumstances. We think it will be an important resource for both internal and external use.

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Help from Parkinson’s UK

Parkinson’s UK  run a free confidential Parkinson’s UK information advice service both in Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea for people with Parkinson’s, their families, friends and carers.

They provide tailored information and support about all things Parkinson’s, whether it be benefits, housing, driving, navigating the health and social care system and much more.  They also have specialist advisers who can support them with care and employment issues. They are great listeners and offer emotional support and in depth case work where needed.

In line with Government guidelines they have been unable to offer home visits but have successfully adapted their approach and have been  providing much needed support by telephone, by video calls and by e-mail – ensuring  those who need them most are still able to get the support they need.

For further information please contact 0808 800 0303 or email hello@parkinsons.org.uk

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Holistic Service to Survivors of Domestic Abuse

Hammersmith and Fulham Law Centre have an exciting new project to assist women experiencing domestic abuse. Our dedicated Women’s Crisis Navigator will provide a holistic service to women experiencing domestic abuse, enabling them to get early advice to prevent them from experiencing any further harm.

The Law Centre has expertise in housing, homelessness, welfare benefits and immigration but we will also assist women to access advice on family matters, including injunctions and related support services.

We are working on creating partnerships with local organisations based around a referral system. We hope that by working together, more women in crisis will receive the support and legal advice that they require. The referrals made by our partners will act as a key component of accessing justice for the client.

I enclose details of the service that you can display in your organisation and share with other staff members.

Please do get in touch if you would want more details or if you would like to speak about the project.

Email: kate.evans@hflaw.org.uk

Phone: 020 8148 5276

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Debt Advice for Hammersmith & Fulham Residents

Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham’s debt advice services, delivered in partnership with Debt Free London, are still open and our advisers can be contacted in a number of ways. For further information, click here.

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Free School Meals for School Children

Boris Johnson, after weeks of campaigning led by Marcus Rashford, has taken a U-turn on providing free school meals for school children in the school holidays. A £170 million winter grant scheme, to be run by councils, will provide support for food and bills. The extension of the holiday activities and food programme will also include a £220 million scheme to cover the Easter, summer and next Christmas holidays too and see a cash boost of £16 million for the nation’s food banks. Manchester food banks have written to Manchester United, where Rashford pays, urging the football club to pay the National Living Wage highlighting that many of the people who access their foodbanks work, but are not payed enough. Cleaners and caters who work at the club have been struggling to put food on the table and the food banks hope that this simple step could help reduce child poverty within the city.

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Limit Lonliness

The Limit Lonliness project aims to help tackle the challenge of lonliness during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Find out More

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Guidance on Business Support During Lockdown from Cllr Andrew Jones

We know this is a tough time for local business owners due to another COVID-19 lockdown. We’re here to continue to support local businesses like yours through this pandemic. Our Business Desk is still your first port of call for business support.

Certain businesses are now required to close during the new lockdown which began on Thursday 5 November. Find out if your business needs to close here. Staying closed and accessing the available business support will help save lives and keep H&F safe.

If you need support, please contact our Business Support Desk by emailing business-support@lbhf.gov.uk or calling 020 8753 5585. Together, we can help protect businesses and save lives in H&F. Stay safe.

Get the latest information on the financial support available for businesses during the pandemic here:

Applications for the COVID-19 Recovery Grant will reopen next week. Apply here

Get legal, finance and digital marketing guidance from local mentors. Click here

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National Lockdown Rules in Force from 5th November

With another national lockdown coming into force across England on 5th November, businesses and self-employed people will be impacted by additional restrictions and closures. These include:

  • All non-essential retail venues must close. However, businesses can offer delivery or click-and-collect of goods so you may want to look into this to retain some revenue.
  • Hospitality, leisure and entertainment venues must close. This includes gyms, cinemas, and museums.
  • Hospitality businesses such as pubs or restaurants can offer delivery or takeaway services only.
  • Hotels and hostels can only open to those who have to travel for essential work.
  • If you are a business owner, you should encourage your employees to work from home where possible. Those who can’t work from home, such as in construction or manufacturing, can continue to do so in a Covid-secure way.

Read the full Government Guidance

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