Tower Hamlets CVS

Quality Assurance – what is it and how do you get it? Quality assurance (QA) is a cornerstone for charities and community groups, ensuring they operate effectively and maintain the trust of funders and service users. By demonstrating a commitment to accountability, efficiency, and compliance with legal standards (like those set by the Charity Commission), these organizations can build a strong reputation and increase their impact. While formal QA accreditation might seem out of reach, especially for smaller groups, the benefits are significant. Improved service delivery, expanded funding opportunities, and enhanced credibility are just a few of the rewards. Check out our latest bulletin for some practical advice and and to learn about the benefits of QA ➜➜➜ https://bit.ly/3ZNIjcq At Tower Hamlets CVS we are currently working towards NAVCA’s Local Infrastructure Quality Accreditation, which is specifically for local infrastructure organisations. We have found it a useful way to think about what we do, and to make sure that we offer voluntary and community groups in Tower Hamlets the best support.

Out latest health and wellbeing bulletin is hot off the press! In this edition learn about: ➜ The upcoming health and wellbeing forum - Hidden voices in health. ➜ Update on the health inequalities codesign programme. ➜ Addressing structural inequalities workshop. ➜ Tower Hamlets Cornerstone Project - Learning Event. ➜ Local training, opportunities, news, jobs, funding and more. Read it here ➜ https://bit.ly/4esHuu0 Not on our mailing list? Sign up here to receive our monthly bulletins ➜ bit.ly/3AGYvz3 Tower Hamlets CVS plays a crucial role in supporting the voluntary sector in Tower Hamlets. Our monthly bulletins are a valuable resource for organisations and individuals involved in the community. These bulletins provide essential updates, opportunities, and information relevant to the voluntary sector. Key features of our bulletins include: News and Updates: The latest developments within the voluntary sector, including funding announcements, policy changes, and local events. Training and Development: Information about upcoming training courses, workshops, and conferences to enhance skills and knowledge. Funding Opportunities: Details on grants, funding schemes, and other financial support available to voluntary organsations. Jobs: Our jobs page features employments opportunities in the voluntary and health sectors. Community News: Updates on local community projects, initiatives, and achievements. By subscribing to the Tower Hamlets CVS monthly bulletins, you can stay informed, connected, and engaged with the vibrant voluntary sector in the borough. These bulletins are a valuable tool for organisations seeking to grow, develop, and make a positive impact on their community.

The deadline for the THCVS Operations Officer role is this Monday, 16 September @9:30am. You can find out more about the job and apply here ➜ https://bit.ly/3T0JIZf Join our team and play a vital role supporting finance, governance and operations!

We're looking for an Operations Officer to join our team! You’ll play a vital role supporting finance, governance, and operations, learning all about the ins and outs of charity management. Find out more and apply ➜ https://bit.ly/3T0JIZf Deadline: 9:30am on 16 September.

What does inclusive decision-making look like? How can we best deliver equity through policy & decision-making? Join us for the Cornerstone learning event on and be part of addressing structural inequalities & coproducing solutions. Find out more & book ➜ bit.ly/4dNBEmK

Help shape health inequalities funding! THCVS is working with the Tower Hamlets Together partnership (THT) and VCS organisations to codesign the approach to Health Inequalities funding. We have organised a series of sessions, which are open to any organisation wanting to be part of the codesign process. The sessions will gather the views of VCS organisations on how the programme should be structured. The next 2 sessions are on: Thursday 10 September & Monday 16 September. Click here to find out more and register ➜ https://bit.ly/47frWXT Your input is crucial. Join us to discuss how to make the funding programme fair, effective, and accessible to those who need it most. #WeAreTowerHamletsTogether

Two weeks ago today - prompted by our grantee partners - we opened an Emergency Action Fund for groups on the frontlines of the racist and Islamophobic violence. Since then, we have made 80 unrestricted grants of £1,000 to groups across the UK. Urgent needs range from: ❗ providing wellbeing support to traumatised staff and communities ❗ venue safety - e.g. installing CCTV; repairing broken glass ❗ personal safety - e.g. a pram for a family seeking asylum who were otherwise unable to leave their accommodation ❗ emergency training around community organising and protest rights ❗ convening young people to work together on joint solutions ❗ and keeping spaces open longer so people have somewhere safe to go. We are very grateful for the partnership of Funders for Race Equality Alliance, The Justice Together Initiative and Migration Exchange (MEX), who coordinated a joined up response and helped us reach as wide a range of groups as possible. We are also grateful to Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Legal Education Foundation and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for fast, trust-based giving that helped ensure these funds were available. But we are clear that the work cannot stop here. As we wrote with our partners last week: we do not want to address this urgency with short-term response and commitment. The groups accessing Emergency Action Fund grants have been raising the alarm about systemic racism, injustice and violence for many years. And the fear, anger and division they face has not gone away. So together, we need to keep agitating for: 💡 Continued structural change within the funding sector, centring racial justice and removing barriers to funding - e.g. supporting frontline groups; providing multi-year grants, unrestricted funding; and cash for emergencies. 💡Allocation of serious, long-term funding for racial justice organising, channeled through the organisations and collaborations already doing this work. 💡Investment in organising strategies to fight hate, nurture love and build the power of place. 💡Investment in community healing and wellbeing, centring the most affected people and supporting the organisations and collaborations already doing this work. 💡Collective action to hold ourselves to account - publicly tracking spending and setting ambitious targets for action. The riots are no longer in the news, but the moment of urgency has not passed. Please stand behind our amazing partners and make the case for lasting change.

Our September bulletin is out! In this edition learn about: - The Tower Hamlets Cornerstone Project Learning Event. - Co-design & allocation of the Health Inequalities Fund. - Free training, workshops & opportunities across the borough! Read it here ➜ https://bit.ly/4dNBEmK

Do you have an eye for detail and accuracy? If so we are looking for an Operations Officer who will support finance, governance and operations, meaning you get to learn all about running a charity! Find out more and apply ➜ https://bit.ly/3T0JIZf Deadline 9.30am, 16 Sept.

THCVS is working with the Tower Hamlets Together partnership (THT) Tower Hamlets Together / NHS to involve the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in codesigning the process for allocating the health inequalities funding allocated to THT from NHS England. Far too often, the voluntary and community sector is excluded from decision making around funding. THCVS is developing a model that we hope can be replicated by others to ensure that organisations supporting communities facing poverty, exclusion and discrimination influence decisions that impact their lives. The VCS health and THCVS wellbeing forum has discussed establishing a set of coproduction principles: - Co-produce the process. - The VCS to be integrated into the health system. - Increasing the VCS voice in decision making. - Involving meaningful collaboration. - Considering power balances. - Addressing protected characteristics. - Having an impact on health equalities. - Including provision for children and young people. - A focus on the most difficult thing to get funding for. - Equitable and including smaller organisations. If you want to be involved in making decisions around funding to develop projects to address health inequalities, we want to hear from you! We will be running 4 co-design sessions throughout September. Click here to Find out more & get involved ➜ https://bit.ly/471izuU If you have any questions, or would like to get involved please get in touch with: alison.robert@thcvs.org.uk or ayaann.yusef@thcvs.org.uk. @TH2GETHER @East London NHS Foundation Trust