The Cabinet Office Centre for Social Action and Hospice UK are launching a fund of up to £1 million to support existing projects that engage volunteers in social action to enable continued social interaction and to improve the experience for people at end of life and their families.
Support from this fund will enable existing projects to extend their reach, and to provide a robust evaluation of their impact.
The fund will be administered by Hospice UK, formerly known as Help the Hospices, on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
This programme aims to focus on the social aspect of end of life support, in recognition that compassionate support cannot be the responsibility of health and social care professionals alone and requires a response from the wider community. In particular, it aims to build on some of the existing ways in which volunteers are improving the experience of people at the end of life and their families: by reducing isolation; meeting emotional needs; and maintaining a sense of connectedness to the community.
Examples of social action models include those that provide befriending, emotional support, peer support, practical support (eg: providing transport, dog walking, gardening etc), enhancing naturally occurring support networks, or signposting those in need towards other services and support in the area.
Funding will be provided until December 2015. There is no maximum or minimum grant size but we expect grants to be £50,000 or more.
This grant programme is open to applications from charitable and NHS hospices, hospitals, care homes, charities registered in the UK, public bodies, social enterprises and community enterprises. Privately owned care homes will only be eligible where they are working in partnership with a voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) provider and the VCSE is the lead provider.
For further information and to apply, visit: www.helpthehospices.org.uk/our-services/grants/uk-grants/social-action-end-of-life-support-programme/, or contact 020 7520 8277, or email: [email protected]
Deadline: Friday 7 November 2014, 5pm