Public Health and Adult Social Care Department

ASVO worked with the council to stop the spread of Covid-19 among community members through sharing and communicating information and increasing awareness among community members. ASVO held a workshop on facts about the Covid -19 in partnership with the council. The workshop was presented by Somali health professionals.

Census 2021

ASVO worked with Census Engagement Manager and her team in Hammersmith & Fulham (Sophia Rawlings Census Engagement Manager (Hammersmith & Fulham) increasing awareness among the Somali Community to participate in the 2021 Census. ASVO hosted online workshops, distributed leaflets and met with local mosques Imams in AL Muntada and Shepherds Bush to inform members of the community about taking part in the census by making announcements after prayers, particularly Friday prayers. The participation rate was 97% in LBHF and ASVO received a champion certificate for contribution to census success.

Children Services

We raised concerns about the impact of Covid-19 on our children’s education as they missed a great amount of learning particularly those who were below average attainment before the pandemic.

We agreed that the focus of working together should be:

• Raising the profile and needs of pupils from the Somali community with school leaders and alerting them of support available locally.
• Seeking opportunities to promote the work of local community groups whilst ASVO source for the possibility of funding.
• Working collaboratively to draw upon the experience and knowledge of the Somali community and find better ways to support pupils in school.
• Collecting data on the achievement of Somali pupils in LBHF schools
• Identifying sources of funding for local organisations supporting children and young people
• To meet on regular basis to follow up on agreed points.

Housing

ASVO is currently a member of the resident’s co-design advisory panel for the White City Central Project. ASVO helped to reach residents to participate in the project consultation. This is a new community project to be developed in White City by LBHF council and aims to provide new units for residents, community facilities, and green spaces. ASVO translated project information into Somali and organized workshops for community members to have their input.

Economic Department – Kickstart

ASVO is a member of H&F Employment and Training Providers Network Group which have been established recently, we are hoping this Network will allow network members to collaborate and promote employment and training opportunities in the borough and enable us all to achieve better outcomes for local people. ASVO is enrolled on Kickstart as an employer and the council is their getaway provider. Young people between 16 to 24 years receiving universal credit can apply for the scheme and will be paid minimum wage for 6 months. We have submitted 10 positions including admin, youth workers, communication and media officers and community workers. This program will help ASVO network members to recruit unemployed young people and help them acquire skills needed for future employment prospects. We will start this program in the new year 2022.

Economic Department – Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT)

The Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) role to make our neighbourhoods safer, ASVO became a member of the Worlmholt & White City Ward Panel to represent the Somali community as a large number of residents in the area are Somalis. The panel meet every 4 months and they get a report from the police about the level of crime, anti-social behaviour incidents and an insight/depth into what is going on in the neighbourhood. The panel providers an opportunity to share our concerns regarding safety for our community and follow up actions taken to address these concerns.

Economic Department – Gangs, Violence, Exploitation Unit (GVEU)

The GVEU was established in September last year under section 106 where developers have a responsibility to support the local community. The unit was established due to a rise in crime, increase in the number of people at high risk and vulnerability in the borough. ASVO has been working with the unit to promote GVEU services to help community members to access their services which includes prevention, support and enforcement. They target young people between the age of 10 to 25 years old. Further meeting is scheduled in order to explore more on how ASVO and GVEU could work together and identity best approaches to encourage those at risk and their families to come forward and use the service.

Role Models for Somali students – H&F and FouGen Campaign

FouGen and work Zone from Hammersmith and Fulham council working on a campaign seeking to support young people to improve employer encounters and inspire young people from diverse backgrounds into good quality employment pathways. FouGen also supports specific employment, apprenticeship and careers opportunities. ASVO worked with FouGen and helped to provide a Role Model Speaker from Somali heritage from the health sector from Sheffield Hallam University. Event went live via Zoom on the 11th of November 2020 at 5:00 pm

William Morris Six Form Community Links

William Morris approached ASVO to make links with the Somali community in Hammersmith and Fulham to support some of our Somali students better, particularly our girls, in terms of raising their aspirations whilst also maintaining ties with their culture.

William Morris hosted a Careers Event on Wednesday 23rd June 2021 and ASVO utilised a slot for an inspirational speaker (Miss Amran Mohamed a research manager from Royal Surrey Hospital form between 1:15pm and 2:00pm and it was really beneficial for Somali students to hear from a member of their own community acting as a role model in terms of their future progression. ASVO will encourage members to promote such work and set up a group of professionals to assist us to inspire and motivating our students.