Annual Conference Report 2014 - Ealing CVS Conference Report 2014 ... Future Work for 2014 – 201 VCS Funding: A top priority for ECN will be to negotiate with LBE and Ealing CCG

Annual Conference Report

2014

A selection of images from the 2014 Conference

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Ealing Community Network Annual Conference Report

St Andrews Church Centre, Ealing

9:30 – 14:00, Saturday 17th May 2014

Attendance (56+)

Name

Organisation

Lesley Beck 3Cs

John Blackmore Action Acton

Barbara Tilley Age UK (Ealing)

William Davidson Acton Alliance

Hussain Dima Barwaqa Relief Organisation

Misak Ohanian Centre for Armenian Information & Advice

Asha Yadav Contact a Family (Ealing and Southall)

Roger Beckett Dementia Concern Ealing

Anna Whitty Ealing Community Transport

Amelia Clarke Ealing Older Peoples Forum

Lesley Dodd Ealing Mencap

Dr Mohini Parmar Ealing CCG

Kathryn Magson Ealing CCG

Andy Roper ECN

Angela Dodwell Ealing CVS

Ian Elliott Ealing CVS

Hendri Cawood Ealing CVS

Carol Kilbey Ealing CVS

Albie Stadtmiller ECN

Natasha Mayger ECN

Nisha Pattni ECN

Laureen Ryan ECN

Jennifer Patrick ECN

Ricky Singh Ealing Equalities Council

Robin Fleming Ealing Centre for Independent Living

Karen Pereira Ealing Pre-School Learning Alliance

Gillian Spragg Ealing Arts + Leisure

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Debbie Davey Ealing Mediation

Steve Belsey EBS COOP Ltd

John Morrell Friends of the Litten Reserve

Zeina Mehio GNP Community Federation

Mark Wiltshire Head of Community Safety at Ealing Council

Carmel Cahill Health Watch

Kilele Allam KWAfrica

Paul Murphy LBE Community Safety

Jane Cocking Log Cabin/EFRA

John Gallagher LMG

Alex Tambourides Mind in Ealing and Hounslow

Rozeena Vander Waal Mind in Ealing and Hounslow

James Guest Northfields Residents Association

Thomas McCarthy People of The Road

Brigitte Bistrick-Bryan Parents of Ealing Self-Help Training Scheme

Yuusuf Guuled Phoenix Support Information Programme

B K Chahal Southall Women’s Welfare Association

Shelly Chahal Southall Show Society

Mr D Bhasin St Joseph's Drive Residents Association

Abdirahman Abdirahman Somali Advice and Development Centre (SADC)

Jawahir A. Farah Story Teller/ teacher in the London Borough of Ealing.

Mohammad Khurshid The Asian Health Agency (TAHA)

Bridget Aberdeen The Sunshine Foundation for Children with Special Needs

John Swan United Anglo Caribbean Society

Michael McCombe West London Academy Adult Education

Joseph Vidal Organisation Not Recorded

Azizat Adefesobi Organisation Not Recorded

Martin Chare-Byrne Organisation Not Recorded

Conti Diva Holzhewer Organisation Not Recorded

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Apologies

Jennifer Pitt, Bereft Bereavement, Parminder Walia, Janet Bettaccini Rotary Club of Hanwell and

Northfields, Geoff Langston Ealing Business Forum, Sandra Hawke Crossroads Care.

1. Welcome/housekeeping

Natasha Mayger, ECN Network Development Officer, welcomed everyone and explained the housekeeping

procedures.

2. ECN Annual Report 2013/14

Albie Stadtmiller presented the ECN Annual Report and covered some key achievements in 20013/14 and

future goals for ECN.

Achievements 2013 - 2014

Staff: ECN recruited a new Development Worker in the spring of this year. Natasha Mayger previously

worked for Froglife and the Zoological Society of London.

Promotion: ECN held a successful VCS Masterclass with Ealing Council on Engaging the Voluntary Sector.

This was targeted at LBE staff in order to facilitate more links with the VCS.

Ealing Anti-Poverty Programme: ECN and Ealing Council launched a new £110,000 VCS anti-poverty

programme. This will support new food banks, new work clubs for unemployed people, community outreach

events around welfare reform, financial inclusion skills for adults and information and support for older

people around debt management and payday loans.

Events: ECN held eight special events last year including a local VCS mini-bus tour for Councillors, visit by

the Disability Minister Esther McVey MP, a meeting with Tate Modern and local arts groups and an

Apprenticeship Briefing for VCS groups.

Future Work for 2014 – 201

VCS Funding: A top priority for ECN will be to negotiate with LBE and Ealing CCG a timetable and process

for the next four year grants programme from 2015 and any proposed grant cuts.

VCS Lean Review: ECN is working with LBE Policy to undertake efficiency reviews of specific sectors

within the local VCS. There is a current review of VCS older people’s groups and a review of VCS

children’s groups will start later in 2014.

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Procurement and Commissioning Review: ECN has a working group with LBE and the CCG. This is looking

at giving VCS groups access to LBE supply contracts and discounts, applying the Social Value Act,

allowing VCS groups to bid for LBE consultancy contracts and developing an Ealing Third Sector

Procurement Toolkit.

Health Partnerships: Key activities will be VCS involvement in the Ealing Integrated Care Programme and

Better Care Fund, review of VCS reps on local health partnership boards, VCS consultation on future

services at Ealing Hospital, negotiating future VCS commissioning under public health grant from 2015 and

information workshops around the roll out of personal health budgets for people with long term conditions.

ECN will also hold a second Health Summit with VCS groups, the CCG, LBE Public Health and GPs in

November.

Forums: ECN will continue to support the Ealing Arts & Culture Forum (in partnership with LBE Arts &

Libraries), the Planning Working Group (with LBE Planning), the Ealing Equalities Group (with the CCG and

LBE Policy) and the Ealing Women’s Forum. We will also hold an Ex-Offenders Event with LBE Community

Safety.

For a full copy of the ECN Annual Report please email: [email protected]

3. Keynote Speakers

Dr Mohini Parmar, Chair of Ealing CCG, and Kathryn Magson, Chief Executive of Ealing CCG, outlined the

CCG’s key priorities:

To commission and deliver the services that local people say they need

To support the Out Of Hospital Strategy

To develop an Integrated Care Programme for the over 75s

To provide better health transport services

To improve support for carers

To improve support around dementia

To capture public feedback on what is working well and not so well.

To provide early warning of quality and safety issues.

They highlighted their commitment to active partnership work with ECN and involvement of local VCS

groups

Their full PowerPoint presentation can be found on the ECN website www.ealingnetwork.org.uk, click here

to download, or email [email protected] for a copy.

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5. Workshops

Members chose to attend from the following workshops

Arts & Culture

Alistair Young, the Ealing Club

Community Safety

Mark Wiltshire, Head of Regulatory Services and Paul Murphy, Safer Communities Team Leader

Environmental Issues

Nick Ferriday, Friends of the Earth & Ealing Transport Initiative

Equalities

Ricky Singh, Ealing Equality Council

Health & Social Care

Alex Tambourides, Mind and Carmel Cahill, Healthwatch

Training & Employment

John Blackmore, Action Acton

6. Workshop Feedback

Key points from each workshop were as follows:

Arts & Culture Workshop

Lack of appreciation of Ealing’s rich diverse arts/culture heritage

Need to promote this heritage more

Need for more inclusion of BMER groups.

How does Ealing compare to other towns in London and Britain.

Ealing is not applying for enough grants; groups need more help with this.

Other areas such as Gilford, Surrey have a magazine focused on arts and culture.

Ealing is the home of great rock music culture

Focus on social media, publications, campaigns possibly even a website. However, there is a lack

of capacity to do this.

Community Safety Workshop

How can LBE Safer Communities Team work better with the voluntary sector to engage with the

community, particularly hard to reach areas.

Debbie Davey (Ealing Mediation Service) finds the MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment

Conference, chaired by a Police Chief Inspector) very useful.

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It was suggested that an ‘Organisation Chart’ showing who does what in LBE on community safety

would be useful.

In terms of identifying hard to reach groups, it was suggested statistics could be provided to identify,

for example, areas where higher numbers of older people live. It was agreed this would be explored

with the Safer Communities Data Analyst.

Another issue was around Ward Forums. One issue was for local people to have access to a

detailed PDF map in their area, which could be used at Ward Forums when considering allocation of

funding, for example, for alleyways. Paul Murphy to take this back for the Maps Team.

Also discussed was multiple commissioning bodies within the council and the ones outside of the

council (e.g. in health). The possibility of more ‘smart’ joint commissioning was explored.

Effective and efficient sharing of the right information for the right reasons was discussed. One

particular example was around Mental Health. Mark Wiltshire explained some of the work being

done around this, specifically in terms of contact reports, so that agencies understand the real

picture rather than what one agency’s version may be.

Victim Support for ASB forms a key part of Ealing Council’s efforts to ensure vulnerable people are

engaged with before there is a criminal element.

Challenges were discussed, including short term renting residents and the impact this may have on

the concept of ‘community’, offender management and challenges around housing management –

issues with people being ‘dropped in’ to an estate and the ASB that can result from this approach.

Members said that, in their experience, Housing Associations’ work is quite often ‘being done for

them’ by teams within the council (e.g. noise nuisance and Safer Communities). Workshop

members also raised experiences they had encountered with some housing associations relating to

a lack of continuity - housing officers changing, victims report feeling ‘emotionally drained’ from

having to start over with a new housing officer several times. Paul Murphy explained some of the

work being done to improve consistency among various social landlords.

Paul Murphy to take back actions relating to organisational chart, maps for Ward Forum members

and data analysis for identifying hard to reach groups.

Mark Wiltshire thanked all members for their helpful and thought-provoking input to discussions.

Environmental Issues Workshop

Environment is way down people’s and politicians’ list of priorities

It has gone backwards in the last few years

Important socio/economic/community differences in concerns about environment

Why is environment so low in list of priorities?

Losses of connection – people are insulated in their homes and cars so don’t realize environment is

important.

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Lack of joined up thinking, e.g. despite the floods no interest in addressing climate change, despite

concerns about health no interests in addressing air pollution.

No leadership from politicians, Ealing or national.

Main concern for many people and virtually all politicians is money (economy).

Ideas on how to improve awareness and state of environment

More encouragement for children to cycle and walk to school

Encourage gardening and going to allotments, in particular children.

Have a formal target for all school children to be exposed to the natural (or semi-natural)

environment, e.g. visit a wood.

There is huge potential resource of volunteers. But bureaucratic obstacles such as Health & Safety,

child protection and insurance need to be tackled.

Health & Social Care Workshop

Problems and gaps

Clinical language and jargon

Accessibility, times, places, transport

Not knowing what services are available

Large timescale for some diagnosis e.g. 1 year for autism. This may be due to team cuts.

Duplication of work by NHS and Council

Lots of different assessments by health professionals and Council staff

Lack of Housing and Homelessness.

Unregistered outhouses.

Universal Credit, lack of planning.

Lack of awareness around mental health

Benefit cuts and debts

VCS groups already fill in many gaps by the NHS and Council

Solutions

Community groups advocating on behalf of patients. This would need to be coordinated.

CCG to do more to support patient involvement groups. How are GPs publicising their forums?

Mapping of current VCS health and social care support services

Refresh of the Ealing Health Self Help Directory

VCS led Care Navigators Scheme

Active VCS involvement in the Ealing Integrated Care Programme and Better Care Fund

New ECN VCS Health and Social Care Forum, smaller groups as well as larger ones

Voluntary sector ‘Health Check Scheme’ for staff and volunteers

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Health volunteering to keep people active, fit and well

Training & Employment Workshop

Key points of discussion:

There are lots of providers delivering support in Ealing—but not very much co-ordination of

provision. This is confusing for jobseekers.

There needs to be a Map drawn up of provision and this should be updated regularly (but who is

going to do this?).

There needs to be a meeting of projects working with individuals with learning

difficulties/disabilities, mental health etc. around employment and see what support can be co-

ordinated.

Some projects would be interested in taking on young people for work

experience/traineeship/apprenticeship.

One project pointed out that we should promote ‘carer work’ as a career option---carers can

progress to managers etc.

Care Coordinators—it was agreed that these new posts being developed by health offered

scope for development.

A key issue is how can we get employers engaged—this is a problem generally in Ealing - this

needs to be coordinated and publicised more.

Another issue raised was the possibility of getting funding for training from non-Ealing colleges

e. g: Westminster/Richmond etc.

New work clubs have recently been funded by Ealing Poverty grants programmes -these should

be publicised and promoted as soon as they start this year.

Equalities Workshop:

This did not attract a quorum of attendees so feedback notes were not required.

7. Entertainment

Thomas McCarthy, an Irish Traveller who comes from a long line of old traditional singers and musicians,

sang a few of his favourite folk songs.

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8. Election Results

The result of elections was as follows:

Chair of ECN Organisation

Andy Roper Ealing CVS

ECN Vice Chairs Organisation

Ricky Singh Ealing Racial Equality Council

Anna Whitty Ealing Community Transport

These three delegates will also sit on the LSP Executive Board

9. ECN Have Your Say Questionnaire

This table is a summary of the comments received:

Topic Amount of

times

mentioned

ECN Outreach: Keep members informed with what is happening, Publish more

achievements of groups within the ECN. Carry on representing the VCS as a

voice. Ensure that there is an active ECN voice being heard by policy makers

and to challenge regularly when it is not listened to. Keep letting groups know

about relevant events where they can promote their services. A good calendar

that documents all of these. Continual capacity support and advice for smaller

groups.

X7

Role of ECN in the health issues raised by Dr Mohini Parmar and Kathryn

Magson.

X6

Funding: Link up with national funder’s i.e. large major trusts to access

alternative sources of funding. Fight cuts in grants.

X5

Health: Getting involved in health partnership work, health checks, sexual

health services, more public health.

X5

Working with GPs: GP have to have more time with parents. Getting GP to

attend ECN meetings to hear from service users themselves. Linking health

services together. Manner of service delivery for GPs, quality check.

X4

Networking with other charities outside Ealing. More events focused on

networking of groups within ECN.

X3

Feedback: Service delivery and quality checks. Feedback needs to be checked

and recommendations monitored. To champion the voluntary sector to ensure

X3

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statutory services do listen.

Vulnerable people: Lack of services for families of disabled children, Support

for fragile elders. More interaction between the elderly and youth.

X3

Increased activity on Environmental Issues, Gardening project Scheme,

education of children on nature and environmental topics.

X3

Signposting: A map showing location of all groups ECN. New voluntary sector

directory, volunteering opportunities.

X3

Commissioning: Assess smaller groups in LA commission process. Try and

reach smaller groups to join purchasing scheme. Determine social value

criteria for LBE procurement.

X3

Cycling: Talk to council about cycle lanes. X2

Housing, lack of stock might not be dealt with now, but people need to know

the right information and protocol.

X2

Addressing benefit cuts and poverty.

Youth and young people training.

Promoting the work of neighbourhood watch and ensuring best possible

participation from local residents.

Art and culture in Ealing draw together groups in Ealing and promote the

many Ealing arts and cultural connections.

Opportunities for the unemployed.

Ensure that the ECN health and social care forum addresses the issues

experienced by BMER communities. The PCT used to have a BMER health

care forum which used to meet at Ealing town all 4 times a year.

Organise governance training for smaller BMER groups.

More advice services in general and in particular for females.

Inequalities in ethnic minorities.

Encourage groups to work together in partnership and to join up services.

The names of those who completed the questionnaire were put into a prize draw and the winners were:

• D.S Bhasin: St Joseph’s Drive Residents (Southall) Association

• Kilele Allam: KWA Africa

• Clara St Paul: Dominica Oversea Nationals Association

• Jane Cocking: Convent- Windmill Neighbourhood Watch

• Michael McCombe: Alec Reed Academy

• Rozeena Vander Waal: Mind in Ealing and Hounslow

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• John Morrell: Friends of Litten Reserve

• Ash Yadav: Contact a Family Ealing and Southall

• Hussein Dima: Barwaqa Relief Organisation

• Brigitte Bistrick-Bryan: Parents of Ealing Self-Help Training Scheme

10. Thanks

Thanks to the following people for their support for the conference

Volunteers: Nisha Pattni, Laureen Ryan, Jennifer Patrick and Carol Kilbey

Workshop Facilitators: Carmel Cahill, Mark Wiltshire, Ricky Singh, John Blackmore

Paul Murphy, Alex Tambourides and Alistair Young.

11. Close

The Conference came to a closed at 14:00. Natasha and Albie thanked everyone for their attendance.

ECN, Lido Centre, 63 Mattock Lane, London, W13 9LA. Registered Charity Number: 800684 Limited Company Number: 2223863