East London NHS Foundation Trust is providing £1.5m funding in its role as the lead provider of the North Central and East London Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Provider Collaborative.
The programme aims to fund voluntary sector-led projects that help tackle inequalities in access, experience and outcomes for mental health support for children and young people.
The grants are available to voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) organisations of any size from Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Islington, Camden, Waltham Forest, Havering, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Tower Hamlets, Newham, City and Hackney.
The £1.5m is available from two funds.
The first is an inequalities fund, with applications encouraged for projects which focus on themes from support for specific demographic groups and ethnic communities through to co-production initiatives that shape service delivery.
The second is the hospital admission avoidance fund, which is open for applications including from mental health support groups at risk of closing or losing capacity, groups experiencing increased demand as a result of the COVID pandemic and providers of activities to support those on waiting lists for access to mental health services.
The provider collaborative is a partnership of five of the leading NHS community and mental trusts across the North Central East London region who work together and with other partners to develop safe and quality care for children and young people.
Dr Mohit Venkataram, ELFT Director of Commercial Development, said the grants programme and inclusion of VCSE organisations are a fundamental part of NCEL’S collaborative approach.
“The NHS provides incredible support for children and young people – but VCSE partners provide hope and help from the heart of the communities where we provide care,” he added.
“This fund is in place so we can continue to work together with these amazing people.”
The funds are managed by Compass Wellbeing, is a not-for-profit community interest company.
Full details are available on the Compass Website and the deadline for applications is January 8, 2023.
Anyone interested can also email funding@compasswellbeing.co.uk with any queries.