Community Liaison

The Council have a long established Community Liaison team, whose role it is to support the community & voluntary sector in Hammersmith & Fulham, including administering the £4.2m Investment Fund and Fast Track Small Grants, assistance with premises and providing support to infrastructure organisations to ensure that all local 3rd sector organisations have the support and assistance they need to flourish.

The Council recognises that the 3rd sector plays a significant role in achieving the Council's borough of opportunity vision and aspirations; adding value to the cultural, social and economic quality of life for our residents; helping to shape social and economic regeneration and contributing to civic renewal.

The Council values the passion and independence of the sector and celebrates the success of a diverse and vibrant local voluntary sector.  Most importantly we recognise that the sector plays a critical role in:

• Promoting enterprising solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges
• Providing self help, advocacy and a voice for residents and under-represented communities
• Campaigning for change
• Creating strong, active and connected communities, and
• Transforming the delivery and design of public services.

It is the role of Community Liaison to champion the role of the sector, as well as promote the benefits that a vibrant 3rd sector deliver for local residents. We will do this by working closely with the Community & Voluntary Sector Association and other infrastructure organisations to identify what support and training is needed locally, and to ensure that views and concerns from local organisations are fed into Council processes, policies and service development activities.

Volunteering in the event of a major incident

The council has a duty to respond to emergencies and deliver public services, it is law that we have arrangements in place to keep our most important services running. The local authority and health trust are developing a joint plan for how the borough might respond to the impact of a major incident in the borough i.e. an incident that lasts more than 48 hours).

One of the elements of this plan is that the Council would seek to ask local volunteers to step in and help to deliver essential services, in the event that a major incident incapacitates local services.

If you are already a volunteer in the borough, we would like to ask if you would be willing to help in the event of a major incident. Please see below for more information and application form.

Information about volunteering in the event of a major incident (pdf)

Download the word version of volunteering in the event of a major incident form (word doc)

If you don't have Microsoft Word you can download a pdf of the form and post it back to us

Download the pdf version of volunteering in the event of a major incident form (pdf)

 

Coach Voucher 

The council has, for many years, run a coach voucher scheme that enables local pensioners and other community groups to receive subsidised travel costs so they may enjoy a trip, usually to the seaside, over the summer months.

How do I apply for a Couch Voucher?

All groups wishing to be considered are required to complete a short application form giving details about their group, and return it by the deadline specified (usually by the end of March).  Please contact Denyse Richards, in Community Liaison. Tel: 020 8753 2487 or Email: denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk

Successful applicants will be based in the borough, have a local management committee and have a constitution.

Groups are asked to specify their preference between a 50-seater coach, a 16-seater fully accessible mini bus, or a cash contribution. Destinations for the coach and minibus must be within 75 miles of Hammersmith & Fulham (this safely includes Brighton, Bournemouth, Southend, and many popular coastal resorts).

Priority is given to local pensioners groups.

Groups which receive more than £5,000 funding per year (from any source, including the Council), or that are run by statutory organisations, are unlikely to receive vouchers.

Is my group on the Coach Voucher mailing list?
We can check this for you please ring Denyse Richards 020 8753 2487 at Community Liaison and she can check the mailing list for you or email your details to denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk

LBHF support for external fundraising

Community Liaison is often asked to support or endorse funding applications from local groups to other funders.  For the most part, as long as we consider the bid to be well considered, that the proposed project will meet an identified need, is well costed and achievable, we will be happy to do so.

However, it is often the case that a number of groups are applying for the same funding, and each seek support from the Council. In these instances, the Council will endeavour to facilitate discussion between these different organisations to establish whether a partnership or consortium application could be considered - or at least ensure organisations have the opportunity to discuss the applications to avoid duplication.

Organisations who are intending to seek external funding for which they may seek endorsement from the Council are asked to register this intent with Community Liaison as soon as possible.

Training and development for 3rd sector organisations

The Council fund the Community and Voluntary Sector Association to provide a range of training for local 3rd sector organisations on a range of areas that help groups to develop and thrive.  Training subjects include:

• Management Committee training
• Writing successful funding applications
• Financial management
• Managing Change
• Recruitment and retention of staff
• Managing partnerships
• Establishing a new voluntary or community group

Additional support and advice is available from other organisations, for example: Hammersmith & Fulham Volunteer Centre can provide advice and guidance on how to recruit, train and support volunteers (contact www.hfvc.org.uk for further information). Additional training and development opportunities are circulated by Community Liaison throughout the year.

How do I get on the Council's 3rd Sector mailing list?

Community Liaison keeps a list of all known borough-based 3rd sector organisations and groups. You can give your details to Denyse Richards denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk or 020 8753 2487

Once registered with the council you will receive a bi-monthly mailing from the council, which includes the following:

• A copy of Funding News (pdf 172KB) - a newsletter on sources of funding
• Details of training available
• Information on community events advertised by the voluntary sector

You can also register with the local voluntary sector umbrella group, the Community & Voluntary Sector Association(CaVSA) and the Community and Voluntary Sector Network (CVSN) as follows:
164/166 King Street Hammersmith W6 OQU
CaVSA - 020 8748 6345 or info@cavsa.org.uk
CVSN - 020 8748 6345 or cvsninfo@cavsa.org.uk

How do I find premises for my organisation?

CaVSA (details above) can provide support to organisations seeking premises, including negotiating leases, fundraising for premises costs, repairs and maintenance etc.

The council have a very limited portfolio of premises that are leased to local 3rd sector organisations.  Details of how those premises are allocated can be found in the 3rd Sector Strategy.

How can I volunteer for a local group?

Please contact the Hammersmith & Fulham Volunteer Centre for information on local volunteering opportunities.  www.hfvc.org.uk

How do I find out what local groups are in the area?

You can download a pdf list of voluntary services and activities in your area. 

List of voluntary oganisations pdf.

Alternatively, you can contact Community Liaison for details of organisations registered with us by ward and sometimes by service areas also. 

How do I complain about a group?

There are an estimated 800 plus voluntary and community groups in the borough, providing a wide range of services to a population of over 160,000. 

If you have a complaint about a local group or organisation you should raise this with them directly. All groups should have a complaints procedure that you can obtain. This will detail how you can raise your concerns: typically it might involve you writing to the organisation and detailing where you believe they could improve. The group is then likely to respond, and to state how it will deal with the issues you have raised, and give to a timescale for this. It may contact you for further information, or request a meeting. 

It is likely that there will be several "stages" to the complaints procedure which you can go through, from the staff or volunteers directly providing the service, through to progressively senior representatives from the organisation, up to the management committee of the organisation.

If you are still not satisfied with the group's response to your complaint, and IF they are a group funded by the Council, you can raiser your complaint with Community Liaison. In order to ensure that we have a full understanding of your complaint we would ask that you give us the following information:

• Your name
• Contact details
• Name of the group that you wish to complain about
• The nature of your complaint
• The organisations response to your complaint

Once we have this information we will look into your complaint and consider whether the issue you have raised constitutes a breach of our funding conditions. If they do not, there is no further action that the Council can take other than referring the complaint back to the organisation to deal with directly.

If we consider your complaint does constitute a breach of our funding conditions, the complaint will be investigated by Community Liaison. We will consider the complexity and seriousness of the allegation, the number of funding conditions that have been broken and any financial or equality considerations. If the complaint is such that it involves allegations of fraud or other criminal acts we will rigorously investigate to satisfy ourselves that public funds are appropriately accounted for.

You will be informed of the approach taken and where possible the outcome of the investigation, subject to data protection and the rights to confidentitlity of the organisation and its staff.

If the Council does not fund the group, we may still be able to intervene in cases of a serious complaint that would be considered as putting vulnerable people at risk, or which may be unlawful.

The Council has signed up to a local Compact with the voluntary sector. The H&F local Compact with the voluntary and community sector (see link to Compact below) is a document that lays down agreed principles/standards and promises which guide the working relationship between the voluntary and community sector, the public and the business sector. The Compact includes a Dispute Resolution mechanism, for further details contact:

Network Co-ordinator, Community and Voluntary Sector Network (CVSN), 
164/166 King Street Hammersmith W6 OQU
Tel: 020 8748 6345
Fax: 020 8748 8077
Email: peter.okali@cavsa.org.uk

Or

Head of Community Liaison,  Community Liaison, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, 77 Glenthorne Road, London, W6 0JL
Tel: 020 8753 2483
Email: sue.spiller@lbhf.gov.uk