From winter 2024/2025, households in England and Wales will no longer be entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment unless they receive Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits.
Cromer & District Foodbank has been up and running since 2012, so dealing with people’s individual crises is not new to the team, and they were well-experienced and equipped to deal with Covid-19 when it hit.
Even in less crisis-driven times the NHS deals with around 1 million patients every 36 hours, and we are all very much aware of the extra pressures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Very occasionally however, something goes wrong and needs resolving. And it’s dealing with those rare instances that helps maintain the high standards of service within the NHS, which is where NHS Complaints Advocacy can help.
With county and district council elections happening on 6th May 2021, now is a good time to take a close look at what VCSE sector organisations need to know about getting involved in political campaigning.
Carers, and those dependent upon them, face many additional difficulties and obstacles during the pandemic. Specialist support organisations across Norfolk have responded to the need as follows. Please help spread the word as appropriate.
Over the weekend of the 14th March 2020, we saw several hundred Norfolk communities create new Mutual Aid Groups in response to the pandemic's effect on their communities.
This was our community spirit at its best. A process of forming groups that would normally take several months was accelerated into days. People were coming forward to help, who had never volunteered before. Whatever the legacy of the practical support that was delivered, the simple truth is “you can’t un-meet your neighbour” and this is hugely positive for our communities.
Every VCSE organisation has a duty to safeguard volunteers, staff members, participants and donors, and to have appropriate and proportionate policies and procedures in place. Likewise, staff and volunteers themselves need to aware be aware of their individual responsibilities to themselves and to their clients, service users and hirers.
The Benjamin Foundation is well known across Norfolk and Suffolk for its sterling work in bringing hope, opportunity, stability and independence to children, young people and families experiencing life’s challenges. This includes working to prevent youth homelessness, offering emotional wellbeing support and providing positive activities for young people with limited opportunities.
There are definite benefits to registering as a charity, not least of which is credibility when applying to potential funders. Making your case to the Charity Commission needs to be done in an organised and planned way.