Welcome to the July eBulletin.

Recently the prime minister announced new changes to the Coronavirus guidance to follow from Saturday 4th of July. In the new guidance the social distancing reduces from 2 metres to 1metre. Also venues such as hotels, b&b, restaurants, hairdressers, campsites, museums, galleries and places of worship will be able to reopen. Meaning a partial reactivation of the economy and the return to work of a portion of the population.

These changes get us closer to a new normality and paves the road to our recovery. We are all wondering how we can make our offices and venues Covid 19 safe. We are working with the borough to ensure that you are kept updated on practical support.

In this bulletin we have pulled together resources and updates from the Council, NCVO and other trusted sources to help you plan your recovery.

Enjoy the reading!

Last week the Government set out its 'roadmap' for the future of those who are shielding.

From 6 July, people who were shielding:

-Can meet in a group of up to 6 people outdoors, including people from different households, while maintaining strict social distancing;
-Are no longer required to observe social distancing with other members of their household; and
-Can form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household.
 
From 1 August, people who were shielding:

-Are no longer required to shield and instead are advised to adopt social distancing and to minimise contact with anyone outside their household;
-Are able to return to work - if working from home is not an option - on the proviso that the workplace is COVID-19 safe; and
-Are able to go and buy food, visit places of worship and exercise whilst maintaining social distancing.
-Children who are clinically extremely vulnerable are able to return to school.
 
Additionally, food and medicine boxes facilitated by the National Shielding Service will stop as of 1 August.

At this quarters health and wellbeing forum we discussed Personalisation. Personalisation is an approach described by the Department of Health as meaning that “every person who receives support, whether provided by statutory services or funded by themselves, will have choice and control over the shape of that support in all care settings”. While it is often associated with direct payments and personal budgets, under which service users can choose the services that they receive, personalisation also entails that services are tailored to the needs of every individual, rather than delivered in a one-size-fits-all fashion. It also encompasses the provision of improved information and advice on care and support for families, investment in preventive services to reduce or delay people’s need for care and the promotion of independence and self-reliance among individuals and communities.

We had presentations from LBTH on the current approach. People Plus on accessing the health budget, MacMillan Local Authority Partnership on the impact on people living with and beyond cancer and Real on the approach. Please see the slides.

We had a very interesting discussion on how the voluntary sector can get involved in contributing to a coproduced coordinated approach. We agreed that we would to organise a conversation with organisations further explore the issues that were raised, sharing good practice and exploring how we can move forward with tackling the obstacles in the system that impact on people with lived experience.

We will keep you updated as to when this meeting will be organised. Please let us know if you or your service users would be interested in attending by emailing us at info@thcvs.org.uk

Ubele, an African Diaspora led intergenerational social enterprise ran a survey between the 19th March and 4th April. The report is based on two surveys and received 182 responses, of which 137 were Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) led organisations.

The the report suggest that 9 out of 10 BAME micro and small organisations is set to close if the crisis continues beyond 3 months following the lockdown due decrease in income and in having to seek opportunities to plug those gaps.

The report also includes recommendations organisations should be focused on short term and medium-term actions such as developing new or creative ways of working to deliver the objectives of the organisation, to consider greater collaborative working within and across sectors and to stablish a transformational sector wide "national BAME infrastructure" to provide the coordination, support and development of the sector.

Thursday 23rd July
10:30 - 12:00
Online event

Join us for a workshop where we will be discussing your organisation next steps to recover now the lockdown is easing and keep resilient for the time ahead Covid-19.

In this workshop we will be looking at risk assessment, service delivery, premises, staff and volunteers, return to work/venues, PPE, funding.

If there are any items you would like to discuss please email your questions to info@thcvs.org.uk

Thursday 9th July 2020 
Online event

There is no doubt that covid-19 is having a major impact on the voluntary and community sector. Despite having some data available on the immediate impact of the pandemic, there is little long-term evidence on what this will mean for charities. Making use of time series data from the UK Civil Society Almanac (sponsored by Sarasin and Partners), this free webinar will give you an overview of the state of the charity sector and what those trends mean in the current context.

Charity Micro-Internships is Queen Mary’s award-winning work experience programme, adapted to virtual delivery for summer 2020. Queen Mary students take on a project for your organisation, working between 35-70 hours on the piece of work over a period of weeks 2-8 weeks. Working hours are flexible to suit the host and student. Taking on a charity micro-internship transforms the future employment prospects of a Queen Mary student by giving them the meaningful work experience they need to develop their skills, confidence and networks.

If you think a Project Intern could bring value to your charity please email emma.taylor@qmul.ac.uk or call: Emma Taylor on 0207 882 8543. 

From Tuesday 7th July, THCVS will be offering our member organisations free half hour funding searches to help you identify suitable funders to apply to for grant funding.

Groups providing services and support to Tower Hamlets residents can book a half hour slot with a THCVS staff member on Tuesday’s between 10.30am and 12pm, or on Thursdays between 2pm and 3.30pm by emailing info@thcvs.org.uk

What a funding search involves:

-Discussing with you the projects you are looking to fund
-Clarifying with you your organisations work, your beneficiaries, and the needs you are addressing
-Reviewing your organisations approach to project funding; including any grants you currently receive
-Carrying out a search of our funder database to provide you with a list of potential grant funders for your project
-Supporting you to decide your next steps, with a possible follow up appointment if needed

Wave 3 of the London Community response is now open!!

Deadline: end of July
Small Grants: up to £10,000
Large grants: up to £50,000

The newest wave of funding from the London Community Response will consist on three strands: Crisis, Enable and Adapt. It expects to cover six months of the work you seeking to fund.

This wave will give particular priority to organisation working with: 

• Equity and inclusion: organisations led by and for marginalised communities and those most affected by the covid-19 crisis (particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME); Deaf and Disabled; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+); and/or women’s-led groups);
• Strong connections: groups who reach and connect with people at high risk of negative impacts from Covid-19 (in terms of health outcomes, as well as social and economic issues);
• Smaller organisations: typically those with a turnover of up to £1m a year ( applications from grassroots and much smaller groups are welcome).

London Community Response wave 3 - Online Q&A
Wednesday 8th July
11:00am

THCVS will be hosting an online event where we will explore your questions about the London Community Response wave 3. They may be questions about specific areas of the funders guidance or questions about how to develop your bid. 

Email your questions or topics for discussion by 12 noon on 7th July to info@thcvs.org.uk and we will include these in our agenda. Questions will be put on the agenda anonymously so please feel free to explore what you need to.

In advance of the session please read the London Community Response wave 3 guidance: Small Grants guidance, Large Grants guidance

Book your place 

Congratulations to the groups supporting our communities!!

On wave 2 of the London Community Response a total of 996 organisations have been awarded across London. Over one hundred Tower Hamlets voluntary and community sector groups have been successful awarded COVID 19 funding through the London Community Response Fund with a total of £2,103,760 . Among them are Ability Bow, Age UK east London, City Steps guided tours, DeafPlus, East End Citizens advice Bureaux, Four Corners, Island Advice Centre, Limehouse Project, Mind in Tower Hamlets and Newham, Osmani Trust, Ocean Somali Community Association, Stepney City Farm, St. Margaret's House, Streets of Growth, The Bangladeshi Youth Movement, The Rooted Forum, Tower Hamlets Friends and Neighbours, Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets and Wapping Bangladeshi Association.

Congratulations!

Deadline 12th September
Two streams:
Projects under £30,000
Projects over £30,000

The London Legacy Development Corporation is launching its 2020 bidding round for the local community to apply for funding from the Neighbourhood Priorities Fund.

The Neighbourhood Priorities Fund was set up to administer the Neighbourhood Portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The LLDC aims to hold a bidding round every year, where funds have been collected through CIL.

This new funding stream makes available £200m in Government funding that will be aimed primarily at small to medium organisations in England. The Fund has two key objectives:

-To increase community support to vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 crisis, through the work of civil society organisations.

-To reduce temporary closures of essential charities and social enterprises, ensuring services for vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19 have the financial resources to operate, and so reduce the burden on public services.

Grants will allow organisations to meet service costs, where they are experiencing increased demand and/or short-term income disruption. Grants will also allow organisations to refocus services to address more immediate beneficiary needs in light of COVID-19.

Social Prescribing Link Worker Role @ Bromley by Bow Centre
Deadline: Thursday 9th July at 12pm

Fundraising and Organisational Development Advisor @Inclusion Barnet
Deadline: Wednesday 15th July 2020

Senior Communications Manager @ Inclusion Barnet
Deadline: Wednesday 15th July 2020

Marketing & Communications Officer @ Making Music
Deadline: 9am on Monday 13th July 2020