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Ealing Community Network Annual Conference Report
St Andrews Church Centre, Ealing
9:30 – 14:00, Saturday 17th May 2014
Attendance (56+)
Name
Organisation
Lesley Beck 3Cs
John Blackmore Action Acton
Barbara Tilley Age UK (Ealing)
William Davidson Acton Alliance
Hussain Dima Barwaqa Relief Organisation
Misak Ohanian Centre for Armenian Information & Advice
Asha Yadav Contact a Family (Ealing and Southall)
Roger Beckett Dementia Concern Ealing
Anna Whitty Ealing Community Transport
Amelia Clarke Ealing Older Peoples Forum
Lesley Dodd Ealing Mencap
Dr Mohini Parmar Ealing CCG
Kathryn Magson Ealing CCG
Andy Roper ECN
Angela Dodwell Ealing CVS
Ian Elliott Ealing CVS
Hendri Cawood Ealing CVS
Carol Kilbey Ealing CVS
Albie Stadtmiller ECN
Natasha Mayger ECN
Nisha Pattni ECN
Laureen Ryan ECN
Jennifer Patrick ECN
Ricky Singh Ealing Equalities Council
Robin Fleming Ealing Centre for Independent Living
Karen Pereira Ealing Pre-School Learning Alliance
Gillian Spragg Ealing Arts + Leisure
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Debbie Davey Ealing Mediation
Steve Belsey EBS COOP Ltd
John Morrell Friends of the Litten Reserve
Zeina Mehio GNP Community Federation
Mark Wiltshire Head of Community Safety at Ealing Council
Carmel Cahill Health Watch
Kilele Allam KWAfrica
Paul Murphy LBE Community Safety
Jane Cocking Log Cabin/EFRA
John Gallagher LMG
Alex Tambourides Mind in Ealing and Hounslow
Rozeena Vander Waal Mind in Ealing and Hounslow
James Guest Northfields Residents Association
Thomas McCarthy People of The Road
Brigitte Bistrick-Bryan Parents of Ealing Self-Help Training Scheme
Yuusuf Guuled Phoenix Support Information Programme
B K Chahal Southall Women’s Welfare Association
Shelly Chahal Southall Show Society
Mr D Bhasin St Joseph's Drive Residents Association
Abdirahman Abdirahman Somali Advice and Development Centre (SADC)
Jawahir A. Farah Story Teller/ teacher in the London Borough of Ealing.
Mohammad Khurshid The Asian Health Agency (TAHA)
Bridget Aberdeen The Sunshine Foundation for Children with Special Needs
John Swan United Anglo Caribbean Society
Michael McCombe West London Academy Adult Education
Joseph Vidal Organisation Not Recorded
Azizat Adefesobi Organisation Not Recorded
Martin Chare-Byrne Organisation Not Recorded
Conti Diva Holzhewer Organisation Not Recorded
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Apologies
Jennifer Pitt, Bereft Bereavement, Parminder Walia, Janet Bettaccini Rotary Club of Hanwell and
Northfields, Geoff Langston Ealing Business Forum, Sandra Hawke Crossroads Care.
1. Welcome/housekeeping
Natasha Mayger, ECN Network Development Officer, welcomed everyone and explained the housekeeping
procedures.
2. ECN Annual Report 2013/14
Albie Stadtmiller presented the ECN Annual Report and covered some key achievements in 20013/14 and
future goals for ECN.
Achievements 2013 - 2014
Staff: ECN recruited a new Development Worker in the spring of this year. Natasha Mayger previously
worked for Froglife and the Zoological Society of London.
Promotion: ECN held a successful VCS Masterclass with Ealing Council on Engaging the Voluntary Sector.
This was targeted at LBE staff in order to facilitate more links with the VCS.
Ealing Anti-Poverty Programme: ECN and Ealing Council launched a new £110,000 VCS anti-poverty
programme. This will support new food banks, new work clubs for unemployed people, community outreach
events around welfare reform, financial inclusion skills for adults and information and support for older
people around debt management and payday loans.
Events: ECN held eight special events last year including a local VCS mini-bus tour for Councillors, visit by
the Disability Minister Esther McVey MP, a meeting with Tate Modern and local arts groups and an
Apprenticeship Briefing for VCS groups.
Future Work for 2014 – 201
VCS Funding: A top priority for ECN will be to negotiate with LBE and Ealing CCG a timetable and process
for the next four year grants programme from 2015 and any proposed grant cuts.
VCS Lean Review: ECN is working with LBE Policy to undertake efficiency reviews of specific sectors
within the local VCS. There is a current review of VCS older people’s groups and a review of VCS
children’s groups will start later in 2014.
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Procurement and Commissioning Review: ECN has a working group with LBE and the CCG. This is looking
at giving VCS groups access to LBE supply contracts and discounts, applying the Social Value Act,
allowing VCS groups to bid for LBE consultancy contracts and developing an Ealing Third Sector
Procurement Toolkit.
Health Partnerships: Key activities will be VCS involvement in the Ealing Integrated Care Programme and
Better Care Fund, review of VCS reps on local health partnership boards, VCS consultation on future
services at Ealing Hospital, negotiating future VCS commissioning under public health grant from 2015 and
information workshops around the roll out of personal health budgets for people with long term conditions.
ECN will also hold a second Health Summit with VCS groups, the CCG, LBE Public Health and GPs in
November.
Forums: ECN will continue to support the Ealing Arts & Culture Forum (in partnership with LBE Arts &
Libraries), the Planning Working Group (with LBE Planning), the Ealing Equalities Group (with the CCG and
LBE Policy) and the Ealing Women’s Forum. We will also hold an Ex-Offenders Event with LBE Community
Safety.
For a full copy of the ECN Annual Report please email: [email protected]
3. Keynote Speakers
Dr Mohini Parmar, Chair of Ealing CCG, and Kathryn Magson, Chief Executive of Ealing CCG, outlined the
CCG’s key priorities:
To commission and deliver the services that local people say they need
To support the Out Of Hospital Strategy
To develop an Integrated Care Programme for the over 75s
To provide better health transport services
To improve support for carers
To improve support around dementia
To capture public feedback on what is working well and not so well.
To provide early warning of quality and safety issues.
They highlighted their commitment to active partnership work with ECN and involvement of local VCS
groups
Their full PowerPoint presentation can be found on the ECN website www.ealingnetwork.org.uk, click here
to download, or email [email protected] for a copy.
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5. Workshops
Members chose to attend from the following workshops
Arts & Culture
Alistair Young, the Ealing Club
Community Safety
Mark Wiltshire, Head of Regulatory Services and Paul Murphy, Safer Communities Team Leader
Environmental Issues
Nick Ferriday, Friends of the Earth & Ealing Transport Initiative
Equalities
Ricky Singh, Ealing Equality Council
Health & Social Care
Alex Tambourides, Mind and Carmel Cahill, Healthwatch
Training & Employment
John Blackmore, Action Acton
6. Workshop Feedback
Key points from each workshop were as follows:
Arts & Culture Workshop
Lack of appreciation of Ealing’s rich diverse arts/culture heritage
Need to promote this heritage more
Need for more inclusion of BMER groups.
How does Ealing compare to other towns in London and Britain.
Ealing is not applying for enough grants; groups need more help with this.
Other areas such as Gilford, Surrey have a magazine focused on arts and culture.
Ealing is the home of great rock music culture
Focus on social media, publications, campaigns possibly even a website. However, there is a lack
of capacity to do this.
Community Safety Workshop
How can LBE Safer Communities Team work better with the voluntary sector to engage with the
community, particularly hard to reach areas.
Debbie Davey (Ealing Mediation Service) finds the MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment
Conference, chaired by a Police Chief Inspector) very useful.
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It was suggested that an ‘Organisation Chart’ showing who does what in LBE on community safety
would be useful.
In terms of identifying hard to reach groups, it was suggested statistics could be provided to identify,
for example, areas where higher numbers of older people live. It was agreed this would be explored
with the Safer Communities Data Analyst.
Another issue was around Ward Forums. One issue was for local people to have access to a
detailed PDF map in their area, which could be used at Ward Forums when considering allocation of
funding, for example, for alleyways. Paul Murphy to take this back for the Maps Team.
Also discussed was multiple commissioning bodies within the council and the ones outside of the
council (e.g. in health). The possibility of more ‘smart’ joint commissioning was explored.
Effective and efficient sharing of the right information for the right reasons was discussed. One
particular example was around Mental Health. Mark Wiltshire explained some of the work being
done around this, specifically in terms of contact reports, so that agencies understand the real
picture rather than what one agency’s version may be.
Victim Support for ASB forms a key part of Ealing Council’s efforts to ensure vulnerable people are
engaged with before there is a criminal element.
Challenges were discussed, including short term renting residents and the impact this may have on
the concept of ‘community’, offender management and challenges around housing management –
issues with people being ‘dropped in’ to an estate and the ASB that can result from this approach.
Members said that, in their experience, Housing Associations’ work is quite often ‘being done for
them’ by teams within the council (e.g. noise nuisance and Safer Communities). Workshop
members also raised experiences they had encountered with some housing associations relating to
a lack of continuity - housing officers changing, victims report feeling ‘emotionally drained’ from
having to start over with a new housing officer several times. Paul Murphy explained some of the
work being done to improve consistency among various social landlords.
Paul Murphy to take back actions relating to organisational chart, maps for Ward Forum members
and data analysis for identifying hard to reach groups.
Mark Wiltshire thanked all members for their helpful and thought-provoking input to discussions.
Environmental Issues Workshop
Environment is way down people’s and politicians’ list of priorities
It has gone backwards in the last few years
Important socio/economic/community differences in concerns about environment
Why is environment so low in list of priorities?
Losses of connection – people are insulated in their homes and cars so don’t realize environment is
important.
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Lack of joined up thinking, e.g. despite the floods no interest in addressing climate change, despite
concerns about health no interests in addressing air pollution.
No leadership from politicians, Ealing or national.
Main concern for many people and virtually all politicians is money (economy).
Ideas on how to improve awareness and state of environment
More encouragement for children to cycle and walk to school
Encourage gardening and going to allotments, in particular children.
Have a formal target for all school children to be exposed to the natural (or semi-natural)
environment, e.g. visit a wood.
There is huge potential resource of volunteers. But bureaucratic obstacles such as Health & Safety,
child protection and insurance need to be tackled.
Health & Social Care Workshop
Problems and gaps
Clinical language and jargon
Accessibility, times, places, transport
Not knowing what services are available
Large timescale for some diagnosis e.g. 1 year for autism. This may be due to team cuts.
Duplication of work by NHS and Council
Lots of different assessments by health professionals and Council staff
Lack of Housing and Homelessness.
Unregistered outhouses.
Universal Credit, lack of planning.
Lack of awareness around mental health
Benefit cuts and debts
VCS groups already fill in many gaps by the NHS and Council
Solutions
Community groups advocating on behalf of patients. This would need to be coordinated.
CCG to do more to support patient involvement groups. How are GPs publicising their forums?
Mapping of current VCS health and social care support services
Refresh of the Ealing Health Self Help Directory
VCS led Care Navigators Scheme
Active VCS involvement in the Ealing Integrated Care Programme and Better Care Fund
New ECN VCS Health and Social Care Forum, smaller groups as well as larger ones
Voluntary sector ‘Health Check Scheme’ for staff and volunteers
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Health volunteering to keep people active, fit and well
Training & Employment Workshop
Key points of discussion:
There are lots of providers delivering support in Ealing—but not very much co-ordination of
provision. This is confusing for jobseekers.
There needs to be a Map drawn up of provision and this should be updated regularly (but who is
going to do this?).
There needs to be a meeting of projects working with individuals with learning
difficulties/disabilities, mental health etc. around employment and see what support can be co-
ordinated.
Some projects would be interested in taking on young people for work
experience/traineeship/apprenticeship.
One project pointed out that we should promote ‘carer work’ as a career option---carers can
progress to managers etc.
Care Coordinators—it was agreed that these new posts being developed by health offered
scope for development.
A key issue is how can we get employers engaged—this is a problem generally in Ealing - this
needs to be coordinated and publicised more.
Another issue raised was the possibility of getting funding for training from non-Ealing colleges
e. g: Westminster/Richmond etc.
New work clubs have recently been funded by Ealing Poverty grants programmes -these should
be publicised and promoted as soon as they start this year.
Equalities Workshop:
This did not attract a quorum of attendees so feedback notes were not required.
7. Entertainment
Thomas McCarthy, an Irish Traveller who comes from a long line of old traditional singers and musicians,
sang a few of his favourite folk songs.
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8. Election Results
The result of elections was as follows:
Chair of ECN Organisation
Andy Roper Ealing CVS
ECN Vice Chairs Organisation
Ricky Singh Ealing Racial Equality Council
Anna Whitty Ealing Community Transport
These three delegates will also sit on the LSP Executive Board
9. ECN Have Your Say Questionnaire
This table is a summary of the comments received:
Topic Amount of
times
mentioned
ECN Outreach: Keep members informed with what is happening, Publish more
achievements of groups within the ECN. Carry on representing the VCS as a
voice. Ensure that there is an active ECN voice being heard by policy makers
and to challenge regularly when it is not listened to. Keep letting groups know
about relevant events where they can promote their services. A good calendar
that documents all of these. Continual capacity support and advice for smaller
groups.
X7
Role of ECN in the health issues raised by Dr Mohini Parmar and Kathryn
Magson.
X6
Funding: Link up with national funder’s i.e. large major trusts to access
alternative sources of funding. Fight cuts in grants.
X5
Health: Getting involved in health partnership work, health checks, sexual
health services, more public health.
X5
Working with GPs: GP have to have more time with parents. Getting GP to
attend ECN meetings to hear from service users themselves. Linking health
services together. Manner of service delivery for GPs, quality check.
X4
Networking with other charities outside Ealing. More events focused on
networking of groups within ECN.
X3
Feedback: Service delivery and quality checks. Feedback needs to be checked
and recommendations monitored. To champion the voluntary sector to ensure
X3
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statutory services do listen.
Vulnerable people: Lack of services for families of disabled children, Support
for fragile elders. More interaction between the elderly and youth.
X3
Increased activity on Environmental Issues, Gardening project Scheme,
education of children on nature and environmental topics.
X3
Signposting: A map showing location of all groups ECN. New voluntary sector
directory, volunteering opportunities.
X3
Commissioning: Assess smaller groups in LA commission process. Try and
reach smaller groups to join purchasing scheme. Determine social value
criteria for LBE procurement.
X3
Cycling: Talk to council about cycle lanes. X2
Housing, lack of stock might not be dealt with now, but people need to know
the right information and protocol.
X2
Addressing benefit cuts and poverty.
Youth and young people training.
Promoting the work of neighbourhood watch and ensuring best possible
participation from local residents.
Art and culture in Ealing draw together groups in Ealing and promote the
many Ealing arts and cultural connections.
Opportunities for the unemployed.
Ensure that the ECN health and social care forum addresses the issues
experienced by BMER communities. The PCT used to have a BMER health
care forum which used to meet at Ealing town all 4 times a year.
Organise governance training for smaller BMER groups.
More advice services in general and in particular for females.
Inequalities in ethnic minorities.
Encourage groups to work together in partnership and to join up services.
The names of those who completed the questionnaire were put into a prize draw and the winners were:
• D.S Bhasin: St Joseph’s Drive Residents (Southall) Association
• Kilele Allam: KWA Africa
• Clara St Paul: Dominica Oversea Nationals Association
• Jane Cocking: Convent- Windmill Neighbourhood Watch
• Michael McCombe: Alec Reed Academy
• Rozeena Vander Waal: Mind in Ealing and Hounslow
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• John Morrell: Friends of Litten Reserve
• Ash Yadav: Contact a Family Ealing and Southall
• Hussein Dima: Barwaqa Relief Organisation
• Brigitte Bistrick-Bryan: Parents of Ealing Self-Help Training Scheme
10. Thanks
Thanks to the following people for their support for the conference
Volunteers: Nisha Pattni, Laureen Ryan, Jennifer Patrick and Carol Kilbey
Workshop Facilitators: Carmel Cahill, Mark Wiltshire, Ricky Singh, John Blackmore
Paul Murphy, Alex Tambourides and Alistair Young.
11. Close
The Conference came to a closed at 14:00. Natasha and Albie thanked everyone for their attendance.
ECN, Lido Centre, 63 Mattock Lane, London, W13 9LA. Registered Charity Number: 800684 Limited Company Number: 2223863