Working with VCFSEs

The North London Forensic Collaborative (NLFC) has launched a new small grant programme for Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) groups based in North London.

The NLFC is the largest specialist forensic mental health provider collaborative in England that commissions and delivers adult secure inpatient and community services for the population of North London.  The collaborative is formed of five NHS Trusts and one Independent Sector Provider. North London NHS Foundation Trust is the Lead Provider.

Forensic services are mental health services which specialise in providing assessment, treatment and risk management of people with complex mental health conditions which are linked to offending or seriously harmful behaviour.

A key priority for the NLFC is to address inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes for the people who use forensic services.  NLFC recognises the incredible contribution that small voluntary, community and faith groups already make in response to health inequalities across the three Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in North East London (NEL), North West London (NWL) and North Central London (NCL).  

The NLFC is seeking to invest in voluntary sector, community, and grassroot organisations, to build relationships and work together to tackle inequalities and improve quality outcomes for the people who use forensic services.

Grant Amount

The grant amount ranges between £500 - £4,999.

Who Can Apply

a) Any VCFSE organisation based in North London that currently operates within one of the ICS regions (NEL/NWL/NCL) in the following boroughs.

Barking & Dagenham	Hammersmith & Fulham	Kensington & Chelsea
Barnet	Harrow	Newham
Brent	Haringey	Redbridge
Camden	Havering	Tower Hamlets
City & Hackney	Hillingdon	Waltham Forest
Ealing	Hounslow	Westminster
Enfield	Islington
Hackney

b) Organisations currently working with people using NHS inpatient or community forensic mental health services and would benefit from additional investment to scale up the existing offer, or to further develop projects for this patient group. This can include organisations working in other neighbouring boroughs to those listed in the table above, who would like to extend service provision to North London boroughs.

c) Organisations currently delivering a project or a service in the local community, that with additional investment, could extend this offer to people using NHS inpatient or community forensic mental health services. This can include organisations working in other neighbouring boroughs to those listed in the table above who would like to extend service provision to North London boroughs. 

Organisations will be required to evidence that the have appropriate safeguarding and governance structures in place as part of the application process, and provide supporting documents on grant award.

What the Grant Can Be Used For

Grants can be used for any project that will improve health and wellbeing, promote recovery and inclusion, and enhance quality of life for people who use inpatient and community mental health forensic services. This could include updating equipment and enhancing or expanding the current offer. We actively encourage applications for projects that provide meaningful activities focused on:

• Improving health and wellbeing
• Activities that promote better physical health
• Learning and developing new skills
• Building social connections and reducing social isolation
• Supporting people to feel better integrated into the communities they live in

The service users who would be accessing these projects are under the care of a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals; therefore, we are not seeking to fund projects primarily aimed at improving mental health. 

We will only be able to fund projects, that are targeted towards the people who are currently using  inpatient and community forensic services.

Application Time Frame

Applications for the small grant programme opened on the 31 July 2023 and will be offered on a rolling basis until March 2025, or until all funds are spent. All funding grants must be spent within the 12 months of being awarded.

How To Apply

To apply for the grant please complete the small grant application form and a new suppliers form here. Return your completed forms to nlft.nlfc@nhs.net.

Once your application has been received, it will be reviewed by our panel, which includes people with lived experience. Our grant award panel meets once per month.  If your application is successful, you will be notified by email and invited to meet with us to agree the grant terms and conditions. 

Project Monitoring and Evaluation  

Project monitoring to share the progress, outcomes and impact of the project is required at two intervals - mid point and on completion of the project.

All funded organisations will be asked to monitor and report on their funded activities by completing the NLFC Small Grant Programme evaluation template here. This will need to be returned within two weeks of project end date.

NLFC Small Grants Monitoring and Evalaution Form Outputs and Impact Provider [xlsx] 75KB

Application Limitations

• Organisations can apply for a grant to the value of £4,999 per annum to deliver a project or a service in one of the ICS areas, which can be in the form of a single grant application or multiple grant applications.
• Applications will be considered from organisations who have successfully implemented a project or service in one of the ICS areas, to deliver a similar project or services in one of the other ICS areas.
• Maximum funding that can be received within a rolling year as part of the NLFC Grant Programmes, which includes the LDA Meaningful Activity Grant is £9,999.00. You will not be able to reapply for funding via the NLFC Grant Programme until 12 months have lapsed.
• If your application is unsuccessful, following feedback from the panel you will have one more opportunity to resubmit your application. 
   

We wish you every success in your application.

If you have any queries, or would like support to complete your application, please contact: 

Serena McCabe, email: Serena.mccabe@nhs.net 

North London Forensic Collaborative (NLFC) has launched a Meaningful Activity Grant for Forensic Learning Disability and Forensic Autism (LDA) services aimed at Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) groups based in North London.

NLFC is the largest specialist forensic mental health provider collaborative in England and commissions and delivers adult secure inpatient and community services for the population of North London. The Collaborative is formed of five NHS Trusts and one Independent Sector Provider. North London NHS Foundation Trust is the Lead Provider.

NLFC delivers specialist adult secure forensic mental health services for people with a learning disability and autistic people. There are approximately 100 people with a learning disability and/or autistic people using forensic services across inpatient and community settings. The current provision includes five specialist wards based within Chase Farm Hospital (BEH) and the John Howard Centre (ELFT), and three Community Forensic Learning Disability Teams (CFLDT’s) operating across the three Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in North East London (NEL), North West London (NWL) and North Central London (NCL). 

Addressing inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes for the people who use forensic services, reducing reliance on inpatient beds and ensuring services meets the needs of the people who use them are key priorities for NLFC. Good provision of meaningful activities that focus on the development of life skills and promote recovery and wellbeing are evidenced to support timely discharge, support people to live well in the community and reduce likelihood of readmission. 

NLFC recognises the expertise VCFSE organisations have in working with marginalised communities and the positive impact this has on improving wellbeing, reducing social isolation and promoting sustained recovery. 

The delivery of the NLFC Meaningful Activities Grant for Forensic Learning Disability and Autism services will provide an opportunity for NLFC to work in collaboration with VCFSE organisations to offer and deliver a range of meaningful activities to people using these services. 

Grant Amount
The grant amount ranges between £1,000 – £9,999

Who Can Apply
a)    Any VCFSE organisation based in North London that currently operates within one of the ICS regions (NEL/NWL/NCL) in the following boroughs:

 

Barking & Dagenham	Hammersmith & Fulham	Kensington & Chelsea
Barnet	Harrow	Newham
Brent	Haringey	Redbridge
Camden	Havering	Tower Hamlets
City & Hackney	Hillingdon	Waltham Forest
Ealing	Hounslow	Westminster
Enfield	Islington
Hackney

 

b)    Organisations currently working with people using NHS inpatient or community forensic mental health services and would benefit from additional investment to scale up the existing offer, or to further develop projects for people with learning disabilities or autistic people. This can include organisations working in other neighbouring boroughs to those listed in the table above, who would like to extend service provision to North London boroughs.

c)    Organisations currently delivering a project or a service in the local community, that with additional investment, could extend this offer to people with a learning disability or autistic people accessing NHS inpatient or community forensic mental health services. This can include organisations working in other neighbouring boroughs to those listed in the table above who would like to extend service provision to North London boroughs.

Organisations will be required to evidence that the have appropriate safeguarding and governance structures in place as part of the application process, and provide supporting documents on grant award. 

What Can the Grant be Used for
Grants can be used for projects that promote skill development or provide meaningful activities, aimed at supporting preparation for discharge or reducing boredom for people whilst in hospital, and improving integration, building social connections, and promoting sustained recovery for people in the community.

We actively encourage applications for projects that provide meaningful activities focused on:

• Learning and developing new skills, this includes skills that would support people to gain employment.
• Building social connections and reducing social isolation
• Improving health and wellbeing
• Activities that promote better physical health

We are only able to fund projects that are targeted towards people with a learning disability and/or autistic people who are under the care of inpatient and community forensic mental health services.

Providers should submit applications targeted at people using forensic mental health services in one of the ICS areas that we operate in. Due to the scale of the geographical areas covered, we would welcome applications that can provide support with travel, or arrange taxis, with the cost for this included in the application.

Application Timeframe

Applications for the programme opened on the 26 August and will be offered until the 31 March 2025, or until the allocated budget is spent. All funding grants must be spent within the 12 months of being awarded.

How to Apply

To apply for the grant please complete the Grant Application Form and a New Supplier Form Please return your completed forms to nlft.nlfc@nhs.net. 

Once your application has been received, it will be reviewed by the grant award panel, which meets once per month. If your application is successful, you will be notified by email and invited to meet with us to agree the terms and conditions of the grant.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation  

Project monitoring to share the progress, outcomes and impact of the project is required at two intervals - mid point and on completion of the project.

All funded organisations will be asked to monitor and report on their funded activities by completing the NLFC Meaningful Activity Grants for Forensic LDA Services Evaluation template. This will need to be returned within two weeks of project end date.

NLFC Meaningful Activities Grants Monitoring and Evaluation Form  [xlsx] 78KB

• Organisations can apply for a grant to the value of £9,999 per annum, which can be in the form of a single grant application or multiple grant applications.
• You will only be able to receive £9,999 in grant funding from the NLFC in a rolling year. You will not be able to reapply for funding via the NLFC Meaningful Activity Grants for Forensic LDA Services or the NLFC VCFSE Small Grant Programme until 12 months have lapsed.
• If your application is unsuccessful, following feedback from the panel you will have one more opportunity to resubmit your application. 

We wish you every success in your application.

If you have any queries, or would like support to complete your application, please contact: Serena McCabe, NLFC Partnerships Manager, email: Serena.mccabe@nhs.net

• Wellspace Hackney Community Interest Company are using their grant to purchase materials to assist in the running of 8 different social activities for 10 to 16 service users.
• Mind Brent, Wandsworth and Westminster are using their grant to purchase IT equipment and software to deliver a music project for 15 service users.
• Enfield Vineyard Gym are using their grant to purchase additional cardio equipment and deliver a weekly gym session for one year for 10 service users.
• Studio 306 Collective Community Interest Company are using their grant to deliver two courses of 8-week workshops in jewellery, sewing or ceramic making for 8 to 10 service users.
• Bread and Butter are using their grant to deliver an 8-week cookery workshop course for 10 service users.