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London Councils launches social enterprise for capital’s deaf and disabled people
A new body to support organisations working with deaf and disabled people has been launched by London Councils.
The London Community Interest Company (CIC) of Deaf and Disability Organisations has been set up to provide policy, campaigning and capacity building support for deaf and disabled people's organisations in the capital.
The London CIC will be chaired by Andrew Little, a qualified social worker with over twenty years' experience working in the voluntary sector as a provider, programme director of services and activist.
Speaking at the launch event, Andrew said:
""It is my hope that together we can create an organisation which promotes and facilitates the human and civil rights of London's Deaf and Disabled communities and which supports local organisations to better achieve their objectives.
"I feel privileged to be given this opportunity to work as Chair of this exciting and timely new organisation."
Work began on setting up the CIC after London Councils became concerned that deaf and disabled organisations in the capital would lack support following the demise of Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD) in 2006.
Along with City Bridge Trust and City Parochial Trust, London Councils recruited consultants to find out exactly what types of strategic support services are needed and how they should be provided, with final recommendations produced this year.
An independent steering group of representatives from deaf and disability organisations was then tasked with setting up the CIC, with London Councils facilitating.
The organisation has been set up as a Community Interest Company (CIC) - a form of social enterprise that will invest any profit made back into activities that directly benefit deaf and disabled people's organisations in London.
The CIC structure enables it to be flexible about the way it generates its income so that it will not be in direct competition with the organisations it has been set up to support.
London Councils has agreed to provide funding of £285,000 per year for four years to support the development of the London CIC.
Additional funding of £121,740 over 2 years has been provided by Capacity Builders Improving Reach Fund for a specific project working to address the barriers faced by Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee disability organisations in accessing voluntary and statutory support services.
Andrew Little qualified as a Social Worker in 1984 in Sydney Australia and worked in the Department of Social Security for eight years. Diagnosed with HIV in 1985, he has had extensive involvement and experience of HIV service provision as a provider, programme director of services, as a service user and activist over the last twenty three years both in Australia and in UK.
Most recently he worked as the Programme Director for the Ensuring Positive Futures Programme. He has contributed to and led the Positive Futures Partnership (PFP) since its inception in 1998/9 both at Terrence Higgins Trust for 18 months and later at the UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS.
A new body to support organisations working with deaf and disabled people has been launched by London Councils.
The London Community Interest Company (CIC) of Deaf and Disability Organisations has been set up to provide policy, campaigning and capacity building support for deaf and disabled people's organisations in the capital.
The London CIC will be chaired by Andrew Little, a qualified social worker with over twenty years' experience working in the voluntary sector as a provider, programme director of services and activist.
Speaking at the launch event, Andrew said:
""It is my hope that together we can create an organisation which promotes and facilitates the human and civil rights of London's Deaf and Disabled communities and which supports local organisations to better achieve their objectives.
"I feel privileged to be given this opportunity to work as Chair of this exciting and timely new organisation."
Work began on setting up the CIC after London Councils became concerned that deaf and disabled organisations in the capital would lack support following the demise of Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD) in 2006.
Along with City Bridge Trust and City Parochial Trust, London Councils recruited consultants to find out exactly what types of strategic support services are needed and how they should be provided, with final recommendations produced this year.
An independent steering group of representatives from deaf and disability organisations was then tasked with setting up the CIC, with London Councils facilitating.
The organisation has been set up as a Community Interest Company (CIC) - a form of social enterprise that will invest any profit made back into activities that directly benefit deaf and disabled people's organisations in London.
The CIC structure enables it to be flexible about the way it generates its income so that it will not be in direct competition with the organisations it has been set up to support.
London Councils has agreed to provide funding of £285,000 per year for four years to support the development of the London CIC.
Additional funding of £121,740 over 2 years has been provided by Capacity Builders Improving Reach Fund for a specific project working to address the barriers faced by Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee disability organisations in accessing voluntary and statutory support services.
Andrew Little qualified as a Social Worker in 1984 in Sydney Australia and worked in the Department of Social Security for eight years. Diagnosed with HIV in 1985, he has had extensive involvement and experience of HIV service provision as a provider, programme director of services, as a service user and activist over the last twenty three years both in Australia and in UK.
Most recently he worked as the Programme Director for the Ensuring Positive Futures Programme. He has contributed to and led the Positive Futures Partnership (PFP) since its inception in 1998/9 both at Terrence Higgins Trust for 18 months and later at the UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS.