Wandsworth Care Alliance

Money Counts training for Wandsworth

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Money Counts training for Wandsworth: Promoting a cash first approach to food insecurity

The Wandsworth ‘Worrying About Money?’ leaflet is a straightforward resource for people facing financial crisis and support workers to quickly see available cash first support options and which local agencies are best placed to help.

Now more than ever, it is vital that people facing money worries are linked to cash first advice and support at the earliest opportunity. This one-hour online training session is designed for frontline staff and volunteers in Kingston who may have brief conversations with people about their money worries or financial struggles as part of their work.

After the one-hour session you will:

  • be fully aware of the local financial advice and cash first support options currently available in Kingston
  • feel confident about using the Kingston ‘Worrying about money?’ leaflet to ask people about wider money worries and guide them to appropriate support
  • understand more about the importance of a ‘cash first’ approach to growing food insecurity and poverty

We will be running the session on Tue 2nd May 10-11am. Link to the session will be shared on the day.

Please book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wandsworth-money-counts-training-online-tickets-594615540087

This training session will be led by Abby Preston and Emma Österberg, IFAN, and includes input from Wandsworth Citizens Advice.

You can find out more about ‘Worrying About Money?’ cash first referral leaflets at www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/cash-first-leaflets

If you have any questions about these sessions or if you face any difficulties signing up to attend, then please contact Emma Österberg at emma@foodaidnetwork.org.uk.

Round two of the Civil Society Roots 3 Funding Programme

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The Greater London Authority in partnership with City Bridge Trust and the National Lottery Community Fund is launching Round 2 of the Mayor’s Civil Society Roots Fund on 24th April 2023.   Ahead of the launch, we are inviting interested groups to book for information sessions happening on Tuesday 2nd May 2023. 

Round 2 of the Mayor’s Civil Society Roots Fund will continue to support equity led organisations in the 10 London boroughs – Bromley, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Newham, Redbridge, Sutton, Wandsworth to strengthen their networks, capacity, and voice.  

We are looking for organisations that want to develop new sectoral and/or cross sectoral partnerships, invest in organisational capacity building, research, training or enable space and time to think about what our communities need most. The fund is specifically aimed at supporting groups to be in a stronger place to respond to and serve the increasing and ever-changing needs of our communities.  It is not for delivery of front-line activity.     

Grants of up to £30,000 over 12 months (plus up to £2500 for additional access costs) will be awarded for projects starting September 2023. 

In the first instance, interested groups will be requested to submit an Expression of Interest form by 19th May 2023, and successful applicants will be subsequently invited to submit a full application by 30th June 2023. The grants prospectus and EOI form will be available on our website from 24th April 2023. 

To support applicants through the two-stage application process, Community Regen, the programme support partner, are running in person and online information sessions on May 2nd, at Resource For London, 356 Holloway Rd, London N7 6PA (fully accessible venue) which can be booked via here for in person sessions and here for online sessions.  
  
Interested attendees with access needs, are requested to register by Wednesday 26th April, so we can make arrangements to support their participation.  

Please share information about the information sessions with other equity-led organisations in your borough/ network.   

If you have questions about this fund, please email us at civilsociety@london.gov.uk  

Virtual Meeting in May with Policy in Practice – Demo on new Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) Dashboard – Tuesday 2 May

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You are invited to attend a demonstration of the new Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) dashboard developed by Policy in Practice. The dashboard provides with up to date information on our most vulnerable households providing a geographical picture of vulnerabilities across our Borough and allows us to drill down to ward and household level.  

LIFT has been successfully used by a number of other local authorities to help direct resources to provide support to those households that need it most. This includes directing funding through the Household Support Fund, informing proactive engagement with households to help improve their financial resilience and undertaking proactive campaigns to target households who are eligible for benefits that they are not currently receiving.

More information on the LIFT can be found here: https://policyinpractice.co.uk/low-income-family-tracker/

Whilst the LIFT dashboard currently includes  only Council data, we acknowledge that our voluntary sector partners hold a wealth of data about our vulnerable households. We are hoping that as many of you as possible will attend the session to see what the LIFT dashboard does, how it might help inform what the Council does and how it works in partnership with you. The data might also help inform the work that you do and we are keen to hear your thoughts.

This meeting will be on Tuesday 2nd May at 2pm and on  Microsoft Teams

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 387 215 314 168
Passcode: SBkCtf

Invitation to help shape the service specification for a new Age Well service in central Wandsworth – Tuesday 25 April

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Wandsworth Councils Adult Social Services Commissioners are inviting organisations that deliver or support preventative services for older people to help shape the service specification for a new Age Well service in central Wandsworth.

In 2019, Wandsworth Councils Adult Social Services introduced Age Well Battersea and Age Well Roehampton to their suite of prevention services for older residents in the borough. Their success in keeping local older residents physically, socially and mentally active has led them to now explore a further Age Well service.  Wandsworth Council are seeking help from local partners to help shape what the specification should look like.  While the activities will ultimately be shaped by local residents, they are keen to see substantial opportunities for older residents to share food and meals.

The service will not be based in one building but will be expected to make use of suitable venues, primarily in the central part of the borough.  Partnership bids will be welcome when it goes out to tender.

A Wandsworth Needs Assessment of Day Opportunities for Vulnerable and Older Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Adults is currently underway. This  needs assessment is due at the end of April 2023 and will help inform the specification for this new Age Well service.

Interested partners and organisations wishing to participate in the specification shaping workshop on Tuesday 25 April 2023, 10.30am to 11.30am via MS Teams (virtual meeting) can contact Paul Banks for an invitation and receive the draft service specification.

Thank you for your support and consideration. 
If you have any questions and to request the invitation, please contact;

Paul Banks
Commissioning Officer- (Prevention and Wellbeing)
Adult Social Care and Public Health
Serving Richmond and Wandsworth Councils

Email Paul Banks: Paul.banks@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Wandsworth Cost of Living Commission community evidence gathering session 2-5pm on 27th April 

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Tooting Leisure Centre, Greaves Place SW17 0NE

The Wandsworth Cost of Living Commission is  a body of about fifteen people in leadership positions who have been tasked with exploring what’s driving the cost of living crisis in Wandsworth, listening to the community and making recommendations for long term action to support residents. It’s an initiative from Wandsworth Council to help tackle the cost of living crisis. 

The Commission is holding a number of consultation events throughout the borough. The next one is at Tooting Leisure Centre from 2-5pm on 27th April. There is more information at
https://wandsworth.gov.uk/cost-of-living-hub/cost-of-living-commission/ 

#The Commission Secretariat explains how they work: 

The independent Wandsworth Cost of Living Commission is calling for evidence from any interested organisation and stakeholder on its key areas of focus. The commission is looking at the impact of changes in the cost of food, housing, fuel, and transport on Wandsworth residents. Further information on the Commission can be found on the dedicated website 
https://wandsworth.gov.uk/cost-of-living-hub/cost-of-living-commission/ 

The Call for Evidence is one element of the insights and experiences we are using to inform our work and recommendations, along with community based evidence gathering sessions (the next one will be on 27th April (2 pm to 5 pm) at Tooting Leisure Centre looking at the cost of living impacts on transport. We are also setting up focus groups and looking to engage directly with local organisations and their networks. 

The commission is particularly interested in the following points: 

  • How is the current cost of living crisis impacting Wandsworth residents, organisations, and businesses? 
  • What people are doing differently because of the impact of the cost of living crisis? 
  • Ideas and insights as to what long term change and action is required to support residents with this and any future crisis.

 Please send your response by email to 
wandsworthcommission@wandsworth.gov.uk. 

The Commission has also set up a short survey for local residents to complete, looking at these issues around the cost of living crisis. Please share the link to the survey with your networks  https://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthced/col23/consultation/subpage.2019-08-02.1979113913/

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