Dear Colleagues 

Welcome to the Health and wellbeing bulletin for April. There are a lot of things happening this month that we would like to let you know about. 

The next THCVS Health and Wellbeing Forum will be held on Thursday 16 May from  2.00 to 4:30pm in person at The Green House, 244-254 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9DA and online. Please click here to register.

There will be presentations from:

• North East London Cancer alliance on their prevention programmes for bowel, breast and cervical cancer with communities.
• Tower Hamlets Together (THT) has identified prevention as one of its priority objectives, and has identified the need to focus on reducing the vital 5 modifiable risk factors: smoking, alcohol, weight, high blood pressure and mental health. THT would like to co-develop the Be Well programme, which will be a system-wide approach to achieving measurable reductions in poor health among residents of Tower Hamlets.

At the forum you will be invited to:

• Comment on the scope and outline structure of the proposed Be Well programme, as set out above
• Suggest Outcomes, and success metrics, that could be used to successfully define the programme.
• Suggest specific commitments that they/ their organisation can make as part of this programme – and bringing those commitments to the workshop. This may require discussion within organisations in advance of the workshop
• Consider additional suggestions for specific actions that could be taken in partnership to help achieving the aims of the programme.
• Suggest what the sector will need to be involved in the programme.
• Suggest specific commitments that they/ their organisation can make as part of this programme – and bringing those commitments to the workshop. This may require discussion within organisations in advance of the workshop
• Consider additional suggestions for specific actions that could be taken in partnership to help achieving the aims of the programme.
• Suggest what the sector will need to be involved in the programme.

Should you have any questions please contact liam.Crosby@towerhamlets.gov.uk or zakia.Variava@towerhamlets.gov.uk

1/ Tower Hamlets CVS Updates

2/ News, Local Events and Opportunities

3/ Health Promotion Campaigns

4/ Opportunities to get involved

5/ Training and Learning Opportunities

6/ Funding

7/ Jobs

Tower Hamlets CVS AGM

Tuesday 30 April / 4.00 to 6.00pm / Bernie Cameron Centre, 32 Merchant St. Bow, E3 4LX

Tower Hamlets CVS will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 30th April at 4pm at The Bernie Cameron Community Centre in Bow. All members are invited to join us for this event.

This will be an opportunity for members to vote upon our board of trustees and approve our accounts. It will also be an opportunity for members to hear about our new strategy and discuss issues facing the voluntary and community sector in Tower Hamlets.

Please join us to support VCS infrastructure development in Tower Hamlets. Food and refreshments will be provided. For more information, please email info@thcvs.org.uk. Click here to book your place.

Tower Hamlets CVS is hiring a Development Officer

Application Deadline 12.00pm on Monday 29 April

Could you support voluntary and community groups in Tower Hamlets to develop their skills and resources? Do you have an understanding of the challenges facing charities, CICs and community groups in Tower Hamlets?

Tower Hamlets CVS are looking for a Development Officer role to engage and work with community organisations and individuals who are creating positive change in their communities. The role will provide capacity building support to local voluntary and community groups and social enterprises in Tower Hamlets. Click here to find out more

The Neighbourhood Forum pilot project

The Neighbourhood Forum pilot project aims to develop a model of Neighbourhood Forums which will support the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and residents’ involvement within Primary Care Networks/neighbourhoods. This will begin in 2 Primary Care Network areas in North and West Tower Hamlets. Networks 1 and 2 in the North-West of the borough.

The pilot programme will build partnerships between residents, the VCS, and statutory partners. THCVS will be delivering this project in collaboration with our partners, Women's Inclusive Team (WIT), Somali Senior Citizen’s Club, St. Margaret's House, Social Action for Health and Civil Society Consulting with the intention of building a local approach to addressing the health needs of communities. 

The pilot project intends to:

• Build structures that support resident voice to influence decision making and resource allocation at a PCN/locality level
• Enable community organisations and health and care partners to work collaboratively in order to ensure accessibility for unheard groups
• Help populations have a better understanding of where to find the help they need and when they do connect, services are both accessible and culturally appropriate
  

Upcoming Forums:

• PCN 1 - For residents in: Weavers, Bethnal Green North and Globe Town: Thursday 2 May 10am-12pm / Mayfield House 202a Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9LJ. Click here to register.
• PCN 2 - For residents in: Spitalfields, Bangla Town and Bethnal Green south: Monday 29 April 10am-1pm / Brady Arts & Community Centre 192-196, Hanbury St, E1 5HU. Click here to register.

Food will be provided. We are looking to engage organisations and communities working in these areas. If you are interested in learning more please click here or contact info@thcvs.org.uk and info@safh.org.uk. 

The Care Show is coming to London

Wednesday 24 & Thursday 25 April / Excel London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, E16 1XL

A two-day conference and exhibition boasting the most invaluable learning, networking, and thought-provoking opportunities for those working in the adult social care sector. Click here to find out more.

Improving physical health for people with SMI (serious mental illness)

Wednesday 24 & Thursday 25 April / Excel London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, E16 1XL

A two-day conference and exhibition boasting the most invaluable learning, networking, and thought-provoking opportunities for those working in the adult social care sector. Click here to find out more.

GIANTS x Tower Hamlets Community Psychology Recipes of Life Breakfast Event!

Friday 3 May / 9.15am to 12.00pm / Praxis, Pott Street, E2 0EF

Join Tower Hamlets Community Psychology Team to hear about our collaboration with the GIANTS group at Praxis on the Recipes of Life project, and the successful Cookbook that has been produced out of this - Recipes of Life: Stories of migration and brotherhood. GIANTS is a peer-led group for men who have migrated to the UK and who are advocating for better mental health support.

The event will explore the importance of collaborative mental health support, provide a taste of the Recipes of Life collective narrative methodology*, and the opportunity to reflect on our own roles and services when providing support to people living within Tower Hamlets. Click here to find out more and register.

Tower Hamlets Trauma informed Community of Practice: Evaluating trauma-informed approaches

Tuesday 7 May / 11.30am to 12.30pm 

At this event, will be hearing from Dr Myrto Tsakopoulou from East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) about how her team has evaluated their ways of working through a trauma-informed lens. Please feel free to forward the invite to partners and colleagues in Tower Hamlets who might be interested. For more information about trauma-informed approaches and view materials from previous events we’ve had please click here. Please click here to complete this mailing list sign up form if you would like to continue receiving information about this. London Borough of Tower Hamlets will be hosting monthly learning events and exploring other ways to scale up learning throughout 2024-2025 – get in touch if you have an idea for a topic or issue to discuss! Angela.Burns@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Death Café

Wednesday 8 May / 2.00 to 3.30pm / St. Joseph's Hospice, Mare St, London E8 4SA                    

The Death Café provides a safe and friendly space to talk with others about death in a way that can connect us to an appreciation of our finite lives. It is not for bereavement/grief support or for sharing information about death and dying. Please come and join in for life-affirming conversations, cuppas and cake!

Please click here for the Death Café website for further information. Please do just turn up on the day, or if you would like further information, you can contact Rowena Durant (Social Work Manager) on 0208 525 6093, r.durant@stjh.org.uk

HEAR Digital Inclusion Network

Thursday 9 May / 11.00am to 1.00pm / Online

HEAR is pleased to invite all its members that are working on, or interested in, tackling digital exclusion for Londoners and promoting inclusion, to an online meeting. HEAR members have been working hard on this topic, both through HEAR’s own projects and in other ways, and in advance of the London Digital Inclusion Annual Conference in June, to come together and share our progress and challenges and assess what joint priorities may be for the future. To book your place, please email Christine@hearequality.org.uk.

If you would value a specific spot on the agenda to talk about your work or a specific issue of concern or have any access needs, please email Christine@hearequality.org.uk.

As a reminder of some work HEAR members have done, please see the Digital Inclusion page on HEAR's new website, especially the recently added videos made by HEAR members with the support of their partners Superhighways, and kindly funded by Trust for London.

Research Matters: Sharing Knowledge, Building Trust

Thursday 23 May / 5.30pm / Perrin Lecture Theatre, Whitechapel, E12AT

You are invited to ‘Research Matters: Sharing Knowledge, Building Trust’, hosted by Barts Health NHS Trust, in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London. There will be an interactive series of talks, to learn more about the different and innovative ways research is being shared, in celebration of International Clinical Trials Day 2024. This is a public event designed to engage with the local community on the topic of healthcare research.

Please share this invitation with your colleagues, public networks and family and friends. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email patientsinresearch.bartshealth@nhs.net. Click here to find out more and register.

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

April is #BowelCancerAwarenessMonth! Take charge of your health and get screened for bowel cancer. Early detection saves lives! For more information, contact our Tower Hamlets Bowel Health Promotion Team Lead Leena on leena.khagram@nhs.net or click here. #BowelCancer #HealthAwareness #NHSBowelScreening

Measles Outbreak

There is an ongoing national measles incident at the moment. Whilst there is no outbreak in Tower Hamlets at this time, London Borough of Tower Hamlets are sending out information and comms assets for you to share with residents and parents and on your social media channels to raise awareness of increase in measles cases, the reasons why vaccination is needed and what people should do if they think they or their child has measles.

Please click here for a FAQ document for parents which includes guidance around when to keep your child off of school, nursery or away from other activities. Click here for the Google Drive link to UK Health Security Agency comms assets Measles social assets. Some assets produced by LBTH comms – the PDF can be printed to promote catch up clinics, the other assets can be used on social media channels or webpages.

London Legacy and Health Equity Partnership (LHEP) NHS England campaign has commissioned a podcast with Dope Black Dads, featuring Dr Julie and Dr Datapwa which is now live on YouTube. Dive into this discussion with experts shedding light on London's measles threat, especially within the black community. Click here to watch the podcast.

Survey to better understand how to support vaccine take up

The Royal Society for Public Health is doing research in Tower Hamlets to understand the perceptions of vaccines that people who work or live with children have. This includes parents and carers, GPs, school nurses, nurses, teachers, community leaders or any volunteers who support them. We would like to know where you look for information, the difficulties you may face and solutions you might have to improve the way vaccines are delivered.

To share your thoughts, please fill out the survey that is relevant to you. It takes 5 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.

• Survey for people working in the educational and voluntary sectors: Click here
• Survey for parents, carers and families: Click here
• Survey for health and care professionals: Click here

Dr Fe Aguilar Perez is leading on this research; if you would be interested in talking to Fe or have any queries, please contact Fe on FAguilarPerez@rsph.org.uk or call 0207 265 7327.

Just say Hello - New social isolation and loneliness directory

Having a chat with an old friend or checking in on your elderly neighbour can make a big difference to their wellbeing. Even the smallest gesture can create a meaningful connection for someone, especially if they’re feeling lonely or isolated.

Just Say Hello is a new local campaign about encouraging conversations and connecting with one other, by taking time out to say ‘hello.’ Partners, organisations or members of the community across Tower Hamlets are being invited to use the Just Say Hello resources in their own way – whether it’s attending an event at a local community centre, hosting a ‘pop up’ coffee shop with your neighbours or dropping into a new class, there are many ways to make new connections. Click here for more information and resources.

If you are feeling isolated and in need of mental health support, there are local services that can support you:

• Tower Hamlets Talking Therapies provides a range of psychological therapies and counselling services - 020 8475 8080
• Mind in Tower Hamlets provide advice and support, as well as free counselling for residents - 020 7510 4247/4248
• If you are feeling overwhelmed or struggling with your mental health, you can call the Tower Hamlets Mental Health Crisis Support number for free 24/7 on 0800 073 0003 
  

Click here for the new social isolation and loneliness directory. This guide summarises activities available for adult residents in Tower Hamlets, available through the VCS sector.

METs Programme

Interested in receiving training and support to become a charity trustee?
Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets is delighted to re-launch our METs Programme - a training and matching service for people interested in becoming trustees for local charities. Trustees are the unpaid volunteers who lead charities and decide how they are run. This fantastic leadership development opportunity is open to anyone aged 18 and over, who lives in Tower Hamlets, and is from a minoritised ethnic community.

Maybe you have considered volunteering as a charity trustee but have been unsure what is involved? Perhaps you’ve wondered if the skills, abilities and experience you have would be welcomed? Or have you been unsure how to find the right charity and cause to support? Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets' METs programme is perfect for anyone who is keen to take on a leadership role as a charity trustee, but who would prefer doing this with training and support. It’s a chance to get your voice heard, share your lived experience, and ensure that diverse communities in Tower Hamlets are better represented on charity boards.

Express your interest here no later than 30 April.

Black Health Inequalities Summit

Last month the London Inspire Programme hosted the first Black health inequalities summit which not only acknowledged the harsh reality of the historic, stark health inequities facing Black people, but in keeping with the day’s theme, shifted the focus to actionable solutions and cross-sector work being done to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of Black people across London. 

You can head over to YouTube to access the day’s live stream by clicking here.  

Finally, to keep informed of the ongoing work of the London inspire Programme, do follow them on social media and visit the programme on their website. Please use the hashtag #BlackHealthSummit24 to spread the word and highlights from the day. 

Paid opportunity to take part in an exciting new project in Tower Hamlets as a community researcher

Are you interested in: design, architecture, geography, psychology, the outdoors and walking, art, local street culture, or simply want to help improve Tower Hamlets?
Queen Mary University of London and Officers from London Borough of Tower Hamlets would like to collaborate with young women and non-binary people aged 18-30 who live and/or work/study in Tower Hamlets to learn more about how you use and experience green spaces in the borough.

Apply to work with researchers to make green space welcoming to everyone.
Your time and expertise on the project will be recognised with a payment of £200. No prior research experience is necessary. Click here to find out more.

Application deadline: 5pm on Friday 26 April.

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy consultation

Over the last year, the council has completed a review of homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough and is using these findings to inform the development of a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-2029. The council launched a public consultation with residents and stakeholders on Monday 4 March about the strategy. People are being asked what they think about six key priorities that will lead the council’s efforts to tackle this growing social issue. These are:

• Working with people earlier to prevent them from becoming homeless and to reduce the use of temporary accommodation
• Provide good quality accommodation for people who are at risk of, or where they become, homeless
• Improve customer service and the individual’s experience
• Making sure that people have access to the right support services
• To try to prevent rough sleeping but where it does occur, it’s rare, brief and doesn’t happen again
• Boost staff resilience and well-being
  

The council would like to hear your views, especially if you work in a service that is connected to homelessness. You can do this by completing the survey online by clicking here before the closing date of Friday 26 April 2024. Translations of the survey and review summary in Bengali and Somali are available on the online consultation page. Printed copies are available at Idea Stores on request.

Join the London Health Inequalities & Community Development Network

The London Health Inequalities & Community Development Network is a community of practice network of practitioners and organisations working across public health, local authority, voluntary and community sectors throughout London with the shared goal of improving health inequalities in the city, collaborating across sectors to address the needs of communities in context, impacting, and influencing systems.

The network serves as a means of amplifying the power of community development and collaborative approaches with the aim of ensuring that London community views are fed into decision-making at local, sub-regional, and pan-London levels.

Coming together at their network events, incites the sharing of ideas, experiences and best practice to support each other and strengthen the Greater London Authorities Recovery Missions and the Mayor of London’s, London Health Inequalities Strategy.

Join the network here to connect, share insights, best practice and support each other in community development work. For more information click here. For more information, email copn@volunteeringmatters.org.uk.

Amplifying the Lived Experience of East London Communities

The ALIVE study aims to explore the lived experiences of Black African and Black Caribbean women living in East London. The ALIVE research team are extremely keen to engage as many women as they can, in all their diversity, and they would like your help to do this. Below is a brief overview of the study:

• ALIVE is a mixed-methods, observational study in which we are trying to understand the lived experiences and realities of being a woman of Black African heritage (WBA) or a woman of Black Caribbean heritage (WBC) living in East London.
  
• Participation is completely voluntary and participants are free to withdraw from the study at any time. The study is completely anonymous.
• The study involves initially completing a survey and taking part in a follow up interview if they choose to.
• Participants will be offered a £10 voucher as compensation for their time to do the survey. Paper versions of the survey can be made available if required. Participants will be offered a further £20 as compensation for their time to do the interview.
• The ALIVE research team would like to engage at least 800 women.
• Participation in the research will be of great importance to help better understand the things that influence WBA/WBC women's health outcomes. They can then use this understanding to work together with WBA and WBC, to design better services that meet their needs.

Click here to take the survey. For more information click here or email info@amplifyinglives.com

Working with adults with learning disability and autistic adults

The purpose of this survey is to hear from local professionals about local needs and issues and help inform future planning for services, programmes, and other projects that aim to improve the lives of autistic adults and adults with learning disabilities in Tower Hamlets. This includes health and care, housing, employment and volunteering, safety, inclusion in the community, and other areas of life.

Responses are collected anonymously and only aggregate or thematic analysis of the data will be shared. We will share the final report and summary with people by end of May 2024. Click here to take the survey.

For questions about this survey, or to share information that helps inform the current understanding of local needs, please email angela.burns@towerhamlets.gov.uk or mirza.begum@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

Mental Health First Aid

Monday 29 April and Tuesday 30 April / 9.00am to 5.00pm / Bernie Cameron Community Centre, 32 Merchant St. E3 4LX

This course qualifies you as a Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider®), giving you:

• An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
• Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
• Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
• Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
• Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support - whether that’s self-help resources, through their employer, the NHS, or a mix

Takeaways - Everyone who completes the course gets:

• A certificate of attendance to say you are a Mental Health First Aider
  
• A manual to refer to whenever you need it
  
• A quick reference card for the Mental Health First Aid action plan
• A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support your own mental health

Click here to find out more and book. If you would like to find out about more training opportunities contact nelondonicb.cepn@nhs.net.

Please see the THCVS funding page for a full list of funds currently available.

Shared Endeavour Fund

Applications for the Shared Endeavour Fund Call 5 are now open.

The deadline to apply is midnight Sunday, 5 May 2024.

Groundwork London is delighted to continue to administer the Mayor of London’s Shared Endeavour Fund (SEF) on behalf of The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). Five grants of up to £100,000 will be available to support initiatives that challenge racism, intolerance, hate, extremism and terrorism, offline and online, in London. In January 2020, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched the Shared Endeavour Fund, a grants programme to support civil society projects that:

• Strengthen communities against extremism
• Encourage Londoners to stand up to hate and intolerance
• Safeguard Londoners vulnerable to radicalisation
• Stop the spread of extremist ideologies
   

Click here to find out more

North London Forensic Collaborative Small Grants Programme - Welcomes More Applications

North London Forensic Collaborative (NLFC) is offering grants to Voluntary Community Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations based in North London, as part of its VCFSE Small Grant Programme. 

The Grant Programme is open to VCFSE organisations who currently work with individuals accessing mental health forensic inpatient or community services, as well as organisations that are delivering health and wellbeing initiatives in local communities that with additional investment, could extend this offer to individuals accessing mental health forensic services.

Click here for further details on the VCFSE Small Grant Programme and the application process. 

Fundraising Officer – Positive East / Deadline 24 April @5pm

Project Manager – Magic Me / Deadline 7 May @9am

Consultant – Hackney CVS / Deadline 10 May @10am