Real Food Courses

Have you got clients who'd like to learn how to make low-cost, easy, healthy meals? If so, Real Food Wythenshawe are running two 5 week courses for people to do just that! They start in a couple of weeks at:

Royal Oak Community Centre
Monday 7th September, 1-3pm

Benchill Community Centre
Wednesday 9th September, 1-3pm

Anyone wanting to book a space should contact Pam on pamela.moran@wchg.org.uk / 0161 946 9167

Digital Access and Support

At the Forum, it became apparent that some people weren't aware of the support we offer around the city....so here it is! Manchester Advice Alliance has Digital Access Points in 3 areas of Manchester; these are sessions where people can go to get online with the support of trained volunteers for things such as online benefit claims, Welfare Provision claims, Manchester Move, setting up email addresses, job searching, and any other online function you can think of. While our volunteers are not trained to give advice, they can offer support and guidance which can be extremely useful for people who haven't used computers before. The sessions run at:

Wythenshawe
YPSF Signpost  - Tues / Thurs - 1.30-4.30
Wythenshawe Forum Library - Tues 1.30-4.30 / Thurs 10am-1pm

Gorton
The Oasis Centre - Mon / Tues / Wed - 10am-2pm
Rainbow Haven - Tues / Thurs - 10am-3pm

Cheetham Hill
Wai Yin Welcome Centre - Tues / Thurs / Fri - 10am-12noon


If you'd like to be able to offer sessions like these to your clients, we are now offering our training for free to Alliance member organisations; for more details, email Rosi

Dealing with the System Training

If you weren't at the Forum (And why weren't you? It was fab! Notes to follow...) you need to know that the Dealing with the System training that we advertised a few months back is being run again.

The training is aimed at clients who are dealing with benefits or housing issues for the first time and need some support to increase their confidence in managing these situations. There are two sessions being run; one on benefits on the 13th April, and one on housing on the 16th April. Both are afternoon sessions running from 1-4pm.

For more information, and for details of who to contact, see below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPc3hCdFdTejdZQTQ/view?usp=sharing

FREE training from Turn2Us!

Turn2Us helps people in financial difficulty to access benefits, grants and other types of financial help through their website www.turn2us.org.uk and their phone line 0808 802 2000.

They're now running workshops to help people like you, who support and advise people in financial difficulty, to understand how the website and helpline can help people to access this support. There are 2 sessions on the 25th March - 9.30-12.30 or 1.30-4.30, both held at GMCVO, St Thomas Centre and FREE OF CHARGE!!

For more information, and to book spaces, click here: http://www.turn2us.org.uk/about_us/intermediaries/workshops.aspx

FREE Training for Clients

Ok, so we've done a few bits of free training for you guys recently (and there's more to come....watch this space!) But for a moment, let's pay attention to your clients... Have you got clients who are new to the benefits system and are struggling to get their heads around it? 'Dealing With the System' training gives these clients a basic guide to the benefits and housing systems, how to navigate them and how they work. There are sessions being run in February at YPSF, free of charge, o the following dates:

Benefits:

9th Feb / 16th Feb - 1-4:30pm

Housing:

19th Feb / 23rd Feb - 1-4:30pm

If you have anyone who might be interested, please contact James Walklate (0161 228 7654) or James Allen (0161 868 0777). More information can be found on the poster below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPVjBvS1c3NnEzWVE/view?usp=sharing

FREE Training Opportunity

As you know, we have Digital Access Points up and running in Gorton & Wythenshawe....places where people can go to get online for free, and access support from trained volunteers to make and manage benefit claims, find their way around the basics of computers, online job searches, finding information and support online...and really any online function!

We've heard a lot that the training our Digital Support Volunteers undergo would be really useful for a number of organisations and their staff and/or volunteers, so we're now offering it out, free of charge, to any of our Forum network members.

There are 5 sections of the training:

1. Supporting clients with IT Basics
2. Common applications made online
3. When does support become advice (and how to avoid crossing the line)
4. Signposting – where to send people when you’re not able to help / finding support online
5. Dealing with difficult situations

However, we recognise that many organisations may already cover some of this material in their own training, so the session can be made bespoke for you. The length of the session is dependent on the group size and the number of sections included, but is never longer than a 10am - 4pm day.

If you're interested in receiving this training, please email Rosi to organise.

MORE Free Training!

Good news! It seems (unsurprisingly) that the session Stephenson's Solicitors on 'Discrimination in the Welfare System' has been incredibly popular and it's now full....so they're putting on another! Hooray! The new session will run at 10am on Wednesday, 26th November, at Partington Library & Wellbeing Centre, Central Road, Partington, M31 4FY.

If you'd like to attend, email Michelle Tilley, or give her a call on 01942 774 598.

FREE Training!

Do you work with young people aged 16-25? If so, you may be interested to learn that YPSF have a couple of FREE spaces on their Money Skills Training course on Thursday 6th November, 1-5pm. The training will take you through how to use the financial capability toolkit recently developed and released by Barclays, and help you develop the skills to deliver financial education to the young people you support.

The training objectives are as follows:

• Understand more about why it is important to teach young  people about money
• Understand the meaning of the term financial capability
• Have explored and experienced activities from the toolkit
• Have explored personal attitudes, values and behaviours towards money management and identified and looked at barriers
• Have planned and delivered an activity from the toolkit.

If you're interested in attending, please contact James Walklate

Discrimination in the Welfare System - free training!

GMWRAG have very helpfully drawn our attention to the fact that Stephensons Solicitors are running a FREE training session on 26th November, 1.30pm at Partington Library & Wellbeing Centre. The session will examine how claimants can challenge and dispute decisions made on benefit claims which may discriminate against them due to their health conditions.

The session is free, but spaces are limited; further sessions may be run if demand is sufficient.

To book a space, or to get more details, contact Michelle Tilley by email or phone 01942 774 598.

Fantastic Opportunity through GMIAU

GMIAU are pleased to announce that they have been offered the opportunity to provide a two-year funded training contract by the Legal Education Foundation to encourage committed social welfare lawyers of the future. In GMIAU’s case this will be to someone with an interest and commitment to immigration, asylum and human rights. There are other opportunities in other areas of social welfare law.

Applications are invited from Monday 8^th September until Tuesday 30^th September 2014. For full details please see the front page of their website www.gmiau.org This may not be an opportunity for you, but if you know of someone who could benefit from this, please pass it on.

Eligibility for Fellowship

·         The applicant must have completed and passed the Legal Practice Course or for Govan Law Centre the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice by 30th September 2014
·         The applicant must be willing and able to commit to serving a two-year term as a Fellow commencing in January 2015
·         The applicant must have a demonstrated commitment to social welfare law. We are particularly interested in students who wish to effect change in the legal community, such as members of public interest and/or pro bono organisations on campus and those who have dedicated time to serving low-income or less privileged communities either during or prior to law school
·         The applicant must be in good academic standing at their law school

September Forum - Dealing With Destitution training

At your request, we moved the August forum into September, and put on training covering Dealing with Destitution. The session was delivered by CPAG, and was a highly informative, in-depth and valuable look at how to support people through sanctions, appeals, and other complex decisions which make them highly vulnerable.

We'd love to be able to post full information from the day, but you'd be here til next week trying to read it all, plus we don't want to rip off someone else's training! Still, we've captured a lot of the salient points for you, as well as the Forum discussion results, so we hope you'll find these useful. If you have anything to add regarding future forum topics, please comment below, or use the message board to keep us informed!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPMlN4bVM3Z1l0WUk/edit?usp=sharing

MAA July Forum - and TRAINING CHOICE!

July's Forum was a great session, with an informative talk from the Booth Centre on the new regulations for EEA migrants, as well as an opportunity for people to discuss the services their organisations offer in the hope of making better signposting connections. We also covered the usual forum 'rolling topics', as well as giving an update on what the Alliance have been up to. The notes, plus the slides from the presentation can be found below:

Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPZ1NEejhBQkFVUGs/edit?usp=sharing
Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPaFBUTTY3QjhLTWc/edit?usp=sharing

Most importantly, we talked about the next forum, and we really need your feedback on this as a matter of urgency. Firstly, the topic - we're hoping to provide a full training session for either a full or half day (topic dependent) and we want to make sure it's the right choice of topic for you, so we need your input. Secondly, the date - it was due to be held on August 21st, but we recognise that services may be even more pushed than usual over the summer holidays, meaning that taking time out for training is impossible, so we're asking if it would be better to move it to the first week in September.

What you need to do:
Comment below, or email rosi.hunter@manchestercab.org to let us know your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices of training topic from the following options:

PIP - what you need to know
Universal Credit
Welfare Reform & Sanctions
Welfare Benefits Refresher / Update
ESA Appeals
Housing Benefit Problem Areas
Bedroom Tax - 1 Year On
Dealing with Destitution
Challenging PIP decisions

Also, let us know if you'd prefer to keep the date as the 21st August, or if it would be better in September.

Please get back to us by 5pm, Monday 28th July.

July Training Calendar

Sorry, it's a little late....and a little sparse - July is clearly a quiet time for courses! But the training calendar for July is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPSFpCVnpqNnd2eFU/edit?usp=sharing

Bite-Size Guide to British Red Cross

British Red Cross have very kindly sent us across a round-up of all their services on one handy leaflet, which may be of use to you and/or your clients:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPekRzQ3A3eFkxbE0/edit?usp=sharing

Also, they offer free first aid workshops to people working with particularly vulnerable groups who are more likely to require first aid. If that's you, or some of the people you work with, you can get more info here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPMWxGazhBSjJoT2M/edit?usp=sharing

Don't forget, if you've got an opportunity or a service you'd like to promote here, just email it across to rosi.hunter@manchestercab.org and we'll load it up here for you!

Fancy Financial Inclusion?

Remember last month when we posted about the Financial Inclusion training opportunity?.... No? Ok, well follow this link to refresh your memory: http://manchesteradvicealliance.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/fantastic-financial-inclusion-training.html

There are still spaces available for this great opportunity, so if you're interested, get in touch with Laura Scully at City South laura.scully@citysouthmanchester.co.uk / 0161 227 1125 or just go directly to apply for the course yourself to http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/pgapplication/

 

Fantastic Financial Inclusion Training Opportunity

City South Housing Trust have partnered with Liverpool John Moores University to provide a fantastic training opportunity -  you could receive a Master's Level Certificate in Professional Development on their course, 'Promoting Financial Inclusion in Low Income Communities'.

The course is run over 5 full days (9.30-4) at fortnightly intervals:

Sept 26th
Oct 10th
Oct 24th
Nov 7th
Nov 21st

with a 6th day optional for essay support on the 12th December. Days will be supported by e-learning, private study and optional tutorials.

The course costs £350, which includes membership of the university with all facilities for one semester.

A flier with more detailed information is attached here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPMTc3Ql92T0F1Q2c/edit?usp=sharing which also includes contact details.

Want to know more about migration in Manchester?

Manchester City Council, as part of their 'Integration Up North' programme, are running a half day session on the morning of 20th May - 'An Introduction to Migration in Manchester'. The event's being held at Bolton's Quaker Meeting House from 9:30 - 12:45, and will enable participants to gain an improved understanding of the different migrant groups, routes of entry into the UK, the basic rights and entitlements of migrants and the barriers many migrants face when accessing services. If that's not enough, it's free and (crucially) includes free lunch!

You can find more info and the booking form below, and the form needs to be returned by 5pm, Tuesday 13th May. If you have any questions, you should contact Helen Welch (0161 234 5599) or Kathy Clayton (07949 729 476)

Flier: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPOFM5WUlGeWN3Uzg/edit?usp=sharing
Booking Form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPRkZ3YXo1ZDlUdFE/edit?usp=sharing

Computer Skills for Clients

So, if you didn't already know, the Alliance is working on setting up Online Access Points where your clients can fill in benefit claims online and get online information with the support of trained volunteers (updates on that soon); but what can you do for clients who need help with basic computer skills before this is an option for them?

CitySouth Housing are offering free computer skills classes at either beginner or intermediate level. The Basics course is 3 days a week for 5 weeks and is based at the Powerhouse Library in Moss Side. The Improvers course starts on May 19th and runs for 7 weeks, 2 days per week. Attending will not affect benefit payments, and will result in an Open Awards certificate - either Entry Level or Level 1 ICT. The courses are open to all residents in the area, whether they are City South residents or not.

Anyone wishing to find out more can attend an induction day on May 14th, between 10am and 2pm. To book a place, call Lorraine or Amy on 0161 227 1346/1350.

A Date for your Diary....

On 4th September, CPAG are holing their Welfare Rights Conference at the University of Manchester Innovation Centre. The day's agenda looks like this:

09.15 - 10.00 Arrival, registration, coffee and exhibition stand viewing
10:00 – 11.15 Host welcome and keynote speakers (tbc)
11.15 – 11.30 Refreshment break and viewing of exhibition stands
11.30 – 12.45 Workshops – morning session
12.45 – 13.30 Lunch and viewing of exhibition stands
13.30 – 14.45 Workshops – afternoon session
14.45 – 15.00 Refreshment break and viewing of exhibition stands
15.00-16.00 Panel discussion and Q&A

and with workshops available on 'Disputing benefit decisions: ‘mandatory reconsideration’', 'Localised Welfare, Personal Independence Payment', 'The past presence, the future: changes to residence and presence tests', and 'Sanction Busting!', it looks to be a really interesting day.

It's not a cheap one, but they do have an early bird rate of £110 for voluntary organisations if you book before 1st July.

You can find more information and the booking form here: http://www.cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights-conference?dm_i=5MH,2DA3L,EJNYIK,8LJZ5,1

Train away....(with updated June calendar!)

We said we'd include training calendars for each month, and we like to keep our promises, so below you'll find links to training calendars for May and June. Let us know if these are set out the way you'd like, if you'd like to see other providers listed on there, and just general feedback on how useful or otherwise these calendars are would be great. Either comment on here, on the message board, or email rosi.hunter@manchestercab.org

May: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPS29uQkdhSVlSLVE/edit?usp=sharing
June: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPWlJudUhqdTJBR0U/edit?usp=sharing