Notes from the INVOLVE meeting: 25 January

Submitted by Stephen on 27 January, 2012 - 13:01
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See below for full notes and presentations from the INVOLVE meeting held on 25 February.

HR Advice

Clare Knights, Resources and Advice Officer for the PEACe service at London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) gave a presentation click here to download (PDF).

Clare explained the range of services on offer from PEACe. For more information click here. ACAS () and Business Link are also useful sources of information.

MVSC is also working with the PEACe service to offer advice to local groups via the PEACe shares scheme. For more information contact Beverley@mvsc.co.uk

Merton Community Cohesion Strategy
Evereth Willis, LBM Equality and Community Cohesion Officer, gave a presentation on the development of a new Community Cohesion Strategy. To download a copy of the presentation click here (PDF).

The strategy follows a report commissioned in 2011 from the Institute for Community Cohesion (Icoco). For a copy of the report click here. 

Evereth will take back views raised at the meeting and is keen to get further comments from voluntary and community groups on the draft strategy, a copy of which is included below. Responses should be sent to Evereth.Willis@merton.gov.uk by Wednesday 8th February.

Digital Television Switchover
Chris Burton, Digital Switchover Project Officer for the South London CVS Partnership gave a presentation on a voluntary sector project to help communities who may need greater support with the digital switchover, which takes place in April. For more on the digital switchover project click here.

The project is able to offer small grants for groups to hold engagement events on the switchover. For more information, contact chris@slcvspartnership.org.uk.

Chris is holding a briefing session for voluntary groups on 9th February, 2.30 to 4.30 pm. For more information and to book a place click here.

News round up

  • Community Engagement Network. MVSC is waiting to here on future funding for the CEN. Assuming funding is available, the aim will be to recruit new representatives to a range of partnership roles from April 2012.
  • LINk research into Self Directed Support. Jennie Chapman is holding a focus group for Self Directed Support customers and their carers on 9th February (more information is available here. Groups are asked to publicise amongst their users and members.
  • Adult services task group. A review of the achievements of the task group is available here.
  • Ageing Well. following the meeting on 8th December (see http://www.mertonconnected.com/Ageing-Well-report) , A number of workshops are being arranged to take the project forward. The next workshop, aimed specifically at older people, takes place at Wimbledon Guild on 10th February. 10.00 to 1.00, followed by lunch). Groups are asked to publicise amongst their users and members – for more information click here.
  • Performance Reward Grant. A full list of projects funded from the Performance Reward Grant is available here. A number of funded projects are either led by voluntary groups or have them as key delivery partners.
  • Advice sessions: Heating and Utilities, benefits and debts. Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhan McDonagh is organising an advice day on 4 February at the civic centre for residents to find out more about saving money on heating and utilities, plus advice and managing debts. For more information click here. A meeting on welfare benefit reforms is also being organised for March 3rd at the New Horizons Centre (more information will be posted on Merton Connected when available). Information on how to publicise events via Merton Connected is available from info@mvsc.co.uk
  • Transforming Local Infrastructure. A bid has been submitted to the Office for Civil Society to transform the delivery of voluntary sector support services. For more information click here.