Watch what we do as told by Chantalle one of our mums’ leadership team in a film to commemorate us winning the LHA homelessness awards 2019.

Shelter

Shelter remains a pivotal partner for us at the project. A founding partner they have sent a case worker to us once week since our project began. These case workers fight alongside mums to gain the housing support to which they are entitled. They have made a difference to so many women’s and children’s lives. At least 100 families have worked with our Shelter advisers since we started our project 3 years ago. Shelter helps with:

Homelessness applications
Representation in eviction issues
Applications for section 17 support
Complaints over conditions, or repairs

London Black Women’s Project

Another founding partner to whom we are eternally grateful is London Black Women’s Project. London Black Women’s Project since our pilot they have sent us legal and immigration and housing advisers every week. We have referred more than 70 mums to LBWP for advice in the period we have been operational and their results include:

Non-molestation orders
Leave to remain
Change of condition applications
Divorces

Newham Health visitors

We are working to a timetable of health visitor and nursery nurse attendance at the project every Monday. We have agreed to encourage mums to bring their red books with them so that we can help health visitors record their interactions with mums for their own records. Nursery nurses help with:

Health concerns and signposting
Advice on sleep, weaning, nutrition,
General parenting enquiries.

Our health visitor helps with:Making sure women have a local health visitor,

Safeguarding concerns
Making sure children are known to the health visiting team in their borough,
Onward referrals.

Newham Children’s Centres

We grew out of the wonderful Kay Rowe Nursery and Children’s Centre and still owe their family support team a massive debt. They are present weekly in our sessions making sure that every child, both inside and outside the borough is connected to the vital support that their local children’s centre can provide. Children’s centres help with:

Ensuring each child is registered with their local children’s centre
Ongoing family support
Parenting courses
Breastfeeding support
Nutritional support
Safeguarding expertise.

Newham Nurture

NCT, in partnership with Alternatives Trust East London, The Magpie Project and Compost London, will be designing and delivering a project to support women from BME background around childbirth and motherhood.

We are excited that our mums’ steering group is instrumental in co-designing this project to make sure it meets the needs of mothers like them who have not had the best service from existing maternity provision. Of this group of 11 mums only one had accessed any ante-natal classes, and many had been let down by statutory services.

We aim to co-create a project based around ante-natal classes, peer support, group drop ins, advocacy and counselling that will meet the needs of BME or marginalised mothers in Newham.

Discover Children’s Story Centre

We are lucky enough to have a world class children’s story centre within easy walking distance of our project. Discover Story is a wonderful land of imagination and learning. We are over the moon to have been able to partner with them to create the Story Sandwich programme which invites our mums to go to the centre, experience a story, share a lunch and after several visits be gifted a membership of this wonderful resource.

Discover Story have been continuing our collaboration through lockdown with special recorded stories and online events for our families. It offers unmitigated joy and we love everything about what we do together.

CPRE Forest Gate Community Garden Growing together project

Our partnership with CPRE London has been so rewarding. We have created 3 raised beds in association with Forest Gate Community Garden and despite lockdown managed to harvest a few vegetables and fruits last year.

This year we plan bigger and better things for our Growing Together project.

Advocacy and voice

Forum Theatre workshops

We are thrilled to be working alongside Greenwich University to train 4 of our leadership team in the skills and techniques they need to run forum theatre workshops. This form of creative advocacy is a magical, transformative way in which women and marginalised communities can express their experiences, in a visceral, physical and participatory way in order to advocate for themselves and bring about change.

Watch this space for so much more!

Rosa voices from the frontline

We have recently undertaken a leadership programme funded by Rosa Voices from the Frontline to enable mums to speak up for themselves to create change in the world.

Newham policy change partners

We have also worked with Project 17, London Black Women’s Project, Hackney Migrant Centre and Shelter to take 8 complaints to Newham Children’s Services over the gatekeeping of section 17 support. All eight complaints were upheld. An independent review was triggered, paperwork, guidance and policies were ammended. This work is not finished, we continue to advocate case by case for mothers who are approaching children’s services for support both in Newham and surrounding boroughs.

QNI call for homelessness health visitors

We are honoured to feed in to research and advocacy by the Queens’ Nursing Institute calling for better health provision for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. We informed an article written in the Journal of Health Visiting, and now will give evidence to a APPG being organised to highlight the health risks to children represented by homelessness.

Bethany Williams fashion collective

This is our third season of raising our mums and minis voices through the incredible collaboration with menswear designer Bethany Williams. She has handed over her spotlight to our mums to tell their stories around NRPF in the first collection and All Our Children in the second. This has garnered attention and press in many national and international papers and fashion magazines.

FCA CEO Challenge

For the second year running we are happy to be working with a team of FCA graduate trainees and apprentices to bring about a solution to a problem that our mums face.

This year we are looking in to creating a co-authored guide to financial services that mums who have just gained their status in the UK will need. A practical, fun, person centred map to financial issues such as bank accounts, bills and budgeting. All backed by the research and tips from the giant that is the Financial Conduct Authority.

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GET INVOLVED

Bank Examples	Forms of Identity Needed
Metro Bank	Asylum seekers can apply for a cash account and/or savings account. This requires an Application Registration Card (ARC), proof of address and confirmation of asylum seekers support allowance or other income.
Lloyds	You can apply for a Classic Current account with a BRP, ARC or a Home Office Immigration Status document. Refugees and asylum seekers can apply for a ‘Classic current account’. This includes an arranged overdraft. Fees are charged if you go into your overdraft.
Nationwide	You can get a ‘FlexBasic account’ (basic bank account) and an ‘Instant Access saver’ (basic savings account). They accept BRP, ARC and Home Office Immigration Status document.
HSBC	You cannot open a bank account if you are from outside the EU. They accept BRP but NOT ARC. They accept BRP but NOT ARC.
Monzo	Refugees can open a current account with a BRP and their UK address. However, Monzo do not accept ARC. You can get your benefits or salary (depending on your employer) paid into your Monzo account 1 day earlier.

Saves Time	Make sure there is enough money in your account when the direct debit or standing order will be taken. If there is not enough money, you could be charged extra by the bank.
You don’t need to remember to pay a bill	You must remember to cancel standing orders when you want to stop paying someone regularly.
You will get money back for any incorrect payments for direct debits only.	Sometimes you might think you are setting up a direct debit, but it is actually a recurring payment or continuous payment authority (CPA). Be careful if companies ask for the long number on your card instead of your sort code and account number. This will mean they can take money whenever they think they are owed.
You can cancel a direct debit or a standing order at any time through your online banking account or by contacting your bank.


Magpie Mums say: “Always use direct debits if you can, so you don’t forget to pay and are charged. If you can’t use direct debits, make sure you put the dates when you’re supposed to make payments in your phone calendar.” “I’m used to it. It’s easy on the phone. I try to avoid going to banks.”

Account number	A 10-12 digit number given to your bank account. You can find your account number on your online banking page or on bank statements.
Card Number	A 16-digit number with that is found on the front of your debit/credit card.
Credit Card	A credit card doesn’t spend your money. It spends the bank’s money and you must pay it back. This means you can spend more than is in your account, but you might be charged extra for doing this, especially if you are late paying the bank.
Credit Score	A number that records how likely you are to repay your debts. High credit scores are better as it means financial products such as overdrafts and credit cards cost less.
Debit Card	A debit card is a card that lets you take out money from ATMs and make payments in stores or online from your account.
Financial Service Compensation Scheme (FSCS)	An organisation set up to protect the money you put in bank accounts. If you have a current or basic account, the FSCS will pay you up to £85,000 if your bank goes bankrupt.
National Insurance Number (NI)	The number makes sure that the National Insurance contributions and tax you pay are properly recorded on your account. It also acts as a reference number for the whole social security system.
Overdraft	An amount of money you can spend even when you have no money in your account. It is like a small loan from your bank. Overdrafts are often not free, so you need to be very aware what the costs are before using one.
Personal Identification Number (PIN)	A PIN is a 4-digit number that is given to you with a debit card. This is used when taking out money from ATMs or when making in-store purchases with your card. Never share your PIN with anyone as it could be used to commit fraud.
Security Code	A 3-4 digit number found on the back of your debit/credit card in the signature section. This number will be required for nearly all online payments. The code provides an extra layer of security to safeguard you from fraud.
Sort Code	A 6-digit number that is used to identify your bank. You can find your sort code on your online banking platform, on bank statements or on your debit card.
Standing Order	When a fixed amount that you choose is paid from your account to another person or organisation. This is different from the direct debit as the amount that is paid is the same each time.

Saves time – you don’t need to remember to pay a bill.	You need to make sure there is enough money in your account when the direct debit or standing order will be taken. If there is not enough money, you could be charged extra by the bank.
You will get money back for any incorrect payments for direct debits only.	You must remember to cancel standing orders when you want to stop paying someone regularly.
You can cancel a direct debit or a standing order at any time through your online banking account or by contacting your bank.	Sometimes you might think you are setting up a direct debit, but it is actually a recurring payment or continuous payment authority (CPA). Be careful if companies ask for the long number on your card instead of your sort code and account number. This will mean they can take money whenever they think they are owed.

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