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

Spotlight On... Hope for Justice

Hope for Justice is an anti-human trafficking charity with their Head Office here in Manchester. Their specialist investigators identify victims of trafficking for forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. They've removed 62 survivors from trafficking situations in the UK in the first five months of this year; they work with the police where appropriate but act as an independent third party for victims who may be too afraid (for a variety of reasons) to approach the authorities.

Hope for Justice also provide advocacy for survivors, once they have been taken out of their situation of exploitation by our team or by the police, and help them to secure housing, welfare entitlements, job training, civil claims and criminal injuries compensation.

Have you come across individuals who’ve had their passports taken, who haven't been paid for the work they’re doing or who were recruited on the promise of a job but found that no such work existed? Do they show signs of being controlled by someone else, are they picked up and dropped off for work or are they working extremely long hours? Have they been taken to open bank accounts but have had the card taken away from them, do they have no private area to sleep or are they offered alcohol and tobacco in place of wages? These are a few of the indicators of human trafficking.

Hope for Justice offers free training to NGOs to help frontline staff like you to identify potential victims who may be engaging with your service. You can then refer their trafficking case to our team. To enquire about free training for your team contact Sue Swidrak - sue.swidrak@hopeforjustice.org

 

If you'd like to see your organistion featured in 'Spotlight On...', send us an overview of the services you offer today!

Can you help Stroke Association?

For the past 7 years, Stroke Association have been successfully running an 8 week health and education programme for stroke survivors and their carers. Unfortunately, due to funding cuts the fantastic adviser they had from Age UK is no longer available to deliver these sessions, meaning that they're now looking for someone else to help them out and deliver them.

 

 

 

The talk should last for an hour, will be held 4 times a year and they like it to be informal but informative, as well as being able to adapt to people's needs / disability when answering questions. Is this something you could offer? If so, please contact Chantelle Brady on:

0161 621 3708 / 07860 186 849 / chantelle.brady@stroke.org.uk

 

 

 

Health & Wellbeing in Manchester

There are a number of health and wellbeing events, courses and services on offer in Manchester which may be of interest to your clients; details of a few can be found below.

Boost courses to improve wellbeing: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPMGUycTcyQWUxSlU/view?usp=sharing

Boost course in Wythenshawe: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPT3daak05Q0NSczg/view?usp=sharing

Macmillan services:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPNU9sd0tZTnMzckU/view?usp=sharing

Upcoming Real Food events in Wythenshawe:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPWm1YTm1fcHpmbVU/view?usp=sharing

NEW Free Immigration Advice Clinic

Manchester University have just started running an FREE advice drop-in to help people with immigration advice issues. Advice is provided by a qualified Immigration Solicitor.

The sessions will run on the first Monday of every month from 2-4pm on a first come, first served basis. They are held at:

Room L02.12 (Level 2) Manchester Civil Justice Centre, 1 Bridge Street West, Manchester M60 9DJ

The service offers advice in Tiers 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the Points Based system, working and student visas in Tier 2, 4 and 5 of the Points Based System, Visit Visas, Family Settlement, EEA, Nationality, Judicial Review and Human Rights.

For more information, you can contact the Free Legal Help team on 0161 240 5034 or email freelegalhelp@manchester.ac.uk

Age UK Services

Age UK are running a couple of services they'd like you to know about....and promote to your clients, of course!

The first is their Make & Mend sessions, held on Fridays from 9:30-12 at the Crossacres Community Centre in Wythenshawe. These sessions offer people the chance to socialise and meet new people at the same time as working on practical projects of their choice, all supported by experienced staff. For more details, click here

The second is their East Manchester dementia friendly swimming sessions for people suffering with dementia and those who care for them. These will be starting on the 7th May and will then run every Thursday at 10am-12noon at East Manchester Leisure Centre. They understand that people attending may not want to swim the first time that they attend due to nerves, unfamiliarity etc. Therefore, there will be a few extra staff on hand to show potential participants around the facility to help familiarise them and their carer and go through any procedures or answer any questions they might have. There is no pressure to get into the pool in week 1 if they don’t feel ready. For more details of the sessions, click here

Spotlight On..... Northwards Housing

The fabulous Tracy Panesh over at Northwards came up with a great idea for us - that a really useful feature on the blog site would be for organisations to be able to display a summary of what it is that they do and who you can call on, to raise awareness of the various types of help and support on offer. She's started us off with information on the Northwards Advice Team:

Northwards Housing is the Arms Length Management Organisation responsible for all aspects of managing Council owned tenancies within North Manchester- That’s currently about 13,500 properties.

Our Money Matters team will support any Northwards tenant with any money related matter.  This includes income maximisation, benefit claims, revisions and appeal, accessing Local Welfare Provision.  We will support them in opening bank accounts, advise on borrowing in a safe and affordable way locally, understanding priority debt and offering a bespoke debt service, offering advice, assistance and advocacy in all aspects of debt management.  Unlike many services, if our clients require it, we can offer help with form filling and personal representation at Appeals Tribunals.

This is not a comprehensive list because essentially if it’s about money we can help or, failing that, we’ll know someone who has any answers we don’t.

We are a team of 3 Money Advisers, 3 New Tenancy Advisers, a Project Lead Officer and a Trainee Money Adviser.  We pride ourselves on offering a service that is obviously free and confidential but above all else is friendly, accessible and tailored to the holistic needs of each client.

As a first point of contact, ring us on 0161 720 5884 and we’ll let you know where we are and when.

We want to make this a regular feature, but we'll need your help to do it. Please email us information on your advice/information/support services, any specialisms that make you stand out, what your team looks like and how people can contact you.

Welfare Provision Information

Manchester City Council have now sent out information on the Welfare Provision Scheme going forward, which looks like this:

The information below outlines the 2015 /16 Welfare Provision scheme; please note that the website and online form will be updated by 01 April 2015.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to e-mail welfare.enquiries@manchester.gov.uk

Link to website
For help with essential items of furniture:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200008/benefits_and_support/6301/get_essential_items_of_furniture

For support to borrrow money safely:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/10050/helping_hands_debt_bills_and_borrowing/6393/borrow_money_safely

For fuel grants:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500017/energy_efficiency/6388/help_with_energy_bills

Internet access points across Manchester:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory/35/ict_access_centres

Please also note; that cookies need to be accepted on the website. If the cookies message disappears please refresh the page (F5).

Applicant Gateway Eligibility
(i) Lives within the Manchester area
(ii) Resident has claimed and likely to be entitled to, or is in receipt of:
        • Income Support,
        • Jobseeker’s Allowance,
        • Employment Support        Allowance; or
        • Guaranteed Pension Credit
(iii) Is aged 16 or over at the time of application.

Supporting Principles
(a)        Residents being re-housed/resettled into new accommodation due to fear of violence, significant health/care needs, following a disaster or emergency, or as part of a supported resettlement programme; or
(b)        Residents requiring support to stay within their home and maintain independent living, with significant and enduring medical/care/support needs; or
(c)        Residents requiring immediate financial assistance following a crisis or an emergency.
(d)        Residents that are in a specific vulnerable group and are in extreme fuel poverty in that they are unable to afford immediate heating costs during the winter months or have been disconnected.
(e)        Residents moving into work (following a period of unemployment) but who remain on a low income with the provision of a grant or loan to assist with public transport costs for the first month of employment. The intention is to sustain employment by ensuring that travel costs are met during the transition period from welfare benefits to salary.

Service Offer
Here are a list of goods applicants could be eligible for:

• Beds and mattresses (single, double, bunk, cot, orthopaedic, waterproof)
• Bedding including pillows and towels (single, double, cot, waterproof)
• Electric cooker or microwave (for single persons)
• Fridge (for single persons)
• Fridge freezer
• Kitchen starter pack
• Washing machine
• Gas/Electric voucher
• Cash Grant
• Travel Grant

Saving Progress
We encourage all applicants to save their application during the process of completing it. This document outlines how to do this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPRWczMFR2Qi0wajQ/view?usp=sharing

Common errors
Please ensure you accept cookies from the website.

Some fields on the application form need to be submitted in a particular format, please find a brief note on the required formats here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPeHZCMUlZXzhxZzg/view?usp=sharing

If you have any issues whilst inputting information into the application form, please email welfare.enquiries@manchester.gov.uk and an assessor will contact you as soon as possible.

Supported Applications
We encourage all support workers to complete the 3rd party declaration at the end of the form and supply a telephone number. This will help us validate applicant circumstances and coordinate support.

Submission errors
If any errors occur during submission of the form, please email welfare.enquiries@manchester.gov.uk (this email box is constantly monitored) with details of the claim e.g. LWA ref, NINO, DOB or name. We can then run an integrity report and recover the application form and either submit ourselves or phone the customer to complete any missing details.

Process
Cash Grant:

• Application received in back office, checks undertaken and decision made on Welfare Provision application.
• Applicant informed of decision by phone and letter.
• A voucher is either sent:

1. to the applicants email address for then to print off
2. to a support worker's email e.g. registered provider, CAB
3. Selects a council pickup point e.g. Customer Service Centre

• If applicant is picking up from a Council pickup point, they will need to bring ID with them e.g. letter with a name and address
• The applicant will need to take the printed voucher to a paypoint access point (most newsagents or post offices) and must bring proof of name and address e.g. a bill that matches the details on the voucher
• The voucher will be redeemed for cash.

Gas/Electric Voucher:

• Application received in back office, checks undertaken and decision made on Welfare Provision application.
• Applicant informed of decision by phone and letter.
• A voucher is either sent:

1. to the applicants email address for then to print off
2. to a support worker's email e.g. registered provider, CAB
3. Selects a council pickup point e.g. Customer Service Centre

• If applicant is picking up from a Council pickup point, they will need to bring ID with them e.g. letter with a name and address
• The applicant will need to take the printed voucher to a paypoint access point (most newsagents or post offices) and must bring proof of name and address e.g. a bill that matches the details on the voucher, along with their energy prepayment card/key
• The voucher will be charged to the energy prepayment card/key

Furniture Grant:

• Application received in back office, checks undertaken and decision made on Welfare Provision application.
• Applicant informed of decision by phone and letter.
• Each weekday morning a file containing the previous working day's approved applications are created and raised on our purchasing system.
• Raised purchases are received by our supplier The Furnishing Service (any delivery issues need to be raised with The Furnishing Service 0161 4427563).
• The Furnishing Service text the successful applicant with the delivery date of the furniture, the text contains The Furnishing Service's number in case of any delivery problems.

Travel Voucher:

• Application received in back office, checks undertaken and decision made on Welfare Provision application.
• Applicant informed of decision by phone and letter.
• A voucher is either sent:

1. to the applicants email address for then to print off
2. to a support worker's email e.g. registered provider, CAB
3. Selects a council pickup point e.g. Customer Service Centre

• If applicant is picking up from a Council pickup point, they will need to bring ID with them e.g. letter with a name and address
• The applicant will need to take the printed voucher to a paypoint access point (most newsagents or post offices) and must bring proof of name and address e.g. a bill that matches the details on the voucher
• They will receive a cash grant award

SLA Agreements
Below are the Service Level Agreements for furniture/white good grants and loans. Please note that currently 75% of decisions are being communicated to applicants on the day of application:

• Cash grants following a crisis or emergency - We will contact you within five working days of receiving all the information we need.
• All furniture/white good grants - We will contact you within ten days of receiving all the information we need.
• Fuel Vouchers - We will contact you within two working days of receiving all the information we need
• Travel grants - We will contact you within five working days of receiving all the information we need.

If any application decision time exceeds the SLA above please email welfare.enquiries@manchester.gov.uk and we will contact you as soon as possible.

Requests for information/Decision reconsideration
Any requests for further information or a reconsideration of an application decision need to be emailed to welfare.enquiries@manchester.gov.uk.
Reconsiderations need  to be submitted within 28 days of the application decision, and responses will be received within ten working days.

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

Spotlight on Stroke Association

The Stroke Association have sent us through a booklet of the various support services they offer around Manchester, including support groups and Stroke Cafes. You can find the directory here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1aWoCJw0ptPR01UbmV4bld1blk/view?usp=sharing and may prove to be a useful resource for some of your clients.

If you're regular attendees of the forum meetings, you'll probably have met the team, but if you want to learn more about the organisation, click here for contact details, as well as an opportunity to look at the Stroke Association's services at a national level.

And, coming up, it's Action on Stroke Month in May - to learn more, click here

And don't forget, if you'd like an opportunity to have your organisation featured on the blog site, either a service overview or a specific event, just send us some info through!

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 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.

Could your clients use AbilityNet?

AbilityNet are an organisation who offer free computer help to disabled people (including those with an age-related disability) in their own homes / residential homes. There are no formal referral systems, clients just need to call the free helpline number and request an appointment. If this is a service which could be useful to your clients, take a look at the leaflet below and encourage people to call!

Do your clients know about the Fit For Work service?

Pathways CIC are focused on helping people who are off work sick to improve their health and wellbeing to ensure they feel well prepared to re-enter the workplace when they are ready.

The Fit 4 Work scheme is available to residents in all areas of Manchester, and clients can either self-refer, or request to be referred by their GP. There is also a Fit 4 Work scheme for the unemployed available to residents of North Manchester, which supports those who are out of work due to a health condition to manage their condition more effectively, tackle any issues they are currently faced with, whilst improving their quality of life.

If you'd like more information on either service, or would like some hard copy leaflets to provide to your clients, contact Pathways CIC on 08717 813 548, or email ffw.enquiries@pathwayscic.co.uk

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

Do you know about the British Gas Energy Trust?

Listed below is the help available through the British Gas Energy Trust Team at Manchester Citizens Advice Bureau.

The aim of the Trust is primarily to reduce fuel poverty by awarding grants to clear arrears on gas/electricity accounts (for all providers excluding Npower and EDF). The Trust does however also have a limited budget for further assistance payments and can apply for ONE of the following:

• White goods- washing machines, cookers and fridge freezers
• Funeral payments (refused application/ shortfall from DWP or clients are ineligible for help through DWP)
• DRO and bankruptcy fees (from Money Advice Caseworkers ONLY)
• Boilers (for home owners who are ineligible for government schemes and have severe health issues)

NB. Clients DO NOT need to be a British Gas customer to apply for Further Assistance Payments  

Experience shows that clients who are most likely to receive an award from the Trust would need to have some degree of vulnerability either in terms of their health or personal situation and have no disposable income. Examples of applications that have been successful have come from clients who have:

• Health issues
• Had a drastic reduction in income leading to financial hardship
• Have been in a domestic violence situation
• Troubled family situation
• Supported by drug and alcohol services
• Have been homeless

The above list is not exhaustive and each application is looked at on a case by case basis.

There are regular appointment slots at Wythenshawe, Moss Side and The Ben Brierley in Moston - if you have any questions please contact Jo, Vicky or Kamil on 0161 493 2753 or email:  energy@manchestercab.org

MC-UK Feedathon

MC-UK are getting ready for their annual feedathon which will take place over a two week period from the 9^th -26^th October 2014.  If you know of any individuals or organisations  who deal with vulnerable elderly,women,young people or the homeless please do put them in touch with the scheme – they are hoping to distribute 1kg bags of raw lamb meat (to be collected from the MC-UK office on Burnage Lane on Monday 6^th October) or a small box of pilau rice - one per person – which will be dropped off by staff/volunteers between 9^th-26^th October.  Once final numbers have been confirmed, organisations will be contacted by Tuesday 30th September to confirm how many bags or containers they have been allocated. 

All organisations who are interested in this project must let MC-UK know by Friday 26^th September so that they can plan and confirm allocations per organisation.  There is no cost for this project however, they will need to take photos or video/written testimonials from either service users or staff/volunteers to show to donors how their donations have benefitted people on the ground.

Please email tazeem.shah@mc-uk.org for further information or call on 0161 7131892.

Mind Your Money Expands Remit

Mind Your Money, the service run by City South Manchester which aims to raise awareness of good financial decisions and help people on low incomes to maximise their money, has expanded its remit. They are now able to work with all council housing and housing association tenants, so this could be a good service to signpost some of your clients to.

Clients should call 0161 227 1125 or 07908 640 161 to find out more about how to get involved. you can also check out their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/mindyourmoneymanchester

Helping Hands in Harpurhey

On Tuesday 19th August, 10am - 3pm, Harpurhey Market will be open for people to come along and access information, support and advice. Northwards Housing and Help with Rent will have specialist sites outside Asda and in the main car park, and there will also be stalls in the market itself. Why not encourage your clients to pop in and get some advice?