Wednesday – Royal British Legion in PCH

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RBL will be in Portcullis House Atrium between 8am and 6pm, we invite you to come over and find us for a chat about our new Caseworker guide and how we can work together. The Poppyride challenge for MPs and Peers is happening at the same time, so why not pop along and while you MP is taking part in the ride, you can chat with us.

The Royal British Legion have recently published and re-launched their Caseworker Guide, specifically designed for MPs and their caseworker staff. RBL has always had great engagement and collaboration on a cross-party basis with MPs and their support staff. This caseworker guide is a practical tool to help MPs to better support and understand their constituents from the Armed Forces community. It is packed with key information, helpful points of contact and advice on how they can better help and support their constituents, including veterans, currently serving personnel, regulars, reservists and all their families.

RBL has an extensive amount of welfare support available to those who fall into that broad category of ‘the Armed Forces community’ and we support thousands of people every year. We cannot do that on our own and collaborate closely with other service charities, local government and national government agencies. It’s important that MPs are aware of the wide range of support that is available to their constituents and where they can refer constituents for help.

RBL does not shy away from the many challenges that the Armed Forces community face, many of which are unique to those who serve and the incredible support provided by their families. We also seek to dispel myths and share the most recent information and data about what it means to be a member of the Armed Forces community in 2024. Please encourage your MPs and colleagues who work for them to download the RBL MP Caseworker guide and join the partnership of support. 

You will find the link to the Royal British Legion MP Caseworker guide on the w4mp resources for caseworkers page on Parlinet.

The Benefits of Group Supervision for MP’s Staff

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Virtual meeting from the Wellness Working Group

Speaker: Sue Hampson
Time: 11:00 – 12:00
Date: Thursday 7th November 2024

Sue has been a practising counsellor, supervisor and trainer for over 20 years. She was the Beyond Trauma National Training Officer at Health in Mind from 2004 – 2006.

Group Supervision will enable staff to safely and confidently respond to and work with disclosures of traumatic experiences by constituents. It helps to build staff capacity and the quality of response that we as MPs staff are able to offer, as well as providing us with a safe space in which to talk about the impact of those disclosures on ourselves.

The cost of Group Supervision is claimable through the Wellbeing Budget (part of the Staffing Budget) that IPSA provides to MP’s Offices.

To receive a link to this session, please email [email protected]

The Civil Service Football Club is recruiting

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The Civil Service Football Club (CSFC) is recruiting players for the 2024/25 season from across Government.

CSFC run eleven teams competing in games across London, with the home ground being in Chiswick.

This includes eight eleven-a-side men’s teams, two women’s teams and one veteran’s team (40+).

If you fancy finding out more, please see this page: https://w4mp.org/w4mp-guides/groups-which-staff-can-join/sports-and-social-groups/civil-service-football-club/

Caseworker Discussion Forum – Finding data about your constituency

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Time: 14:30 – 15:30
Date: Thursday 7 November 2024
Location: Virtual via Microsoft Teams

The November 2024 forum will focus on finding data about your constituency.

Get an introduction to the constituency statistics provided by the Library, and how we can help you find data about postcodes and locations of services in your constituency.

We will be joined by Carl Baker and Cassie Barton from the Library’s Social & General Statistics team.

To book, please go here: https://parliament.learningpool.com/mod/facetoface/signup.php?s=17907

Calling all runners – Three Bridges Race

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Are you a runner? How do you fancy having a go at the Three Bridges Race in your lunchtime?

The monthly Three Bridges Race from Westminster Bridge to Vauxhall Bridge, via Lambeth Bridge (the Three Bridges) has been going for nearly fifty years. It’s 2.3 miles, starting at 12.30pm on a Wednesday (ok, not great for PMQs).

For more information please see https://www.threebridgesrace.uk/

Money and Pension Service  – Talk Money Week Event

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What: Talk Money Week parliamentary-drop in for MPs and staff
When: Tuesday, 5 November, any time between 11am and 1pm
Where: Room R, Portcullis House
Who: Meet representatives from the Money and Pensions Services’ debt advice, pensions, and national partnerships teams

Why attend?

  • Support constituents: Learn how you can encourage them to ‘Do One Thing’ to boost their financial wellbeing.
  • Unlock new resources: Discover how MoneyHelper, the consumer service from MaPS, can help with better conversations about money.
  • Stay informed: Explore how MaPS is transforming the guidance landscape, from developing pensions dashboards to evolving debt advice.
  • Show your support: MPs can have their photo taken at the Talk Money Week stand to highlight their commitment to improving financial wellbeing.

MaPS is an arms length body, sponsored by the DWP, responsible for the delivery of free and impartial financial guidance across the UK. This year’s Talk Money Week theme is Do One Thing, encouraging everyone to take one simple step to improve their financial wellbeing.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Please RSVP to [email protected]. 

‘How to be a Select Committee Member’ – Training Events

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There are two “How to be a Select Committee Member” events taking place this week. If your Member has recently been elected to a Select Committee, they are strongly encouraged to attend. 

Wednesday 23 October 2024, 10am – 10.50am (Macmillan Room, Portcullis House). 

Tuesday 29 October 2024, 10 – 10.50am (Macmillan Room, Portcullis House).

The sessions will cover:

  • practical aspects of committee work, such as the inquiry process and how committees make decisions;
  • meeting procedure and etiquette;
  • and information about the support from specialist teams available.

Members can register to attend these events, by completing this short online form. 

There are also two events for staff coming up: “How to support your Member with select committee work”. These will be really useful if your Member has recently been appointed to a Select Committee. 

  • Wednesday 30 October 2pm to 2.45pm 
  • Tuesday 5 November 11.30am-12.15pm 

These 40-minute sessions will cover:

  • What are select committees and how do they work?
  • How to support a Member who is serving on a select committee?
  • Q&A – ask us anything! 

    To sign up, book via Act.  

Ordering wreaths for Armistice Day or Remembrance Sunday

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If you would like to order a wreath for Armistice Day or Remembrance Sunday, you can do so by contacting the Royal British Legion directly: https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/shop/wreaths

They are able to provide a portcullis badge for the centre of the wreath, but you will need to request this at the time you order the wreath, and only ‘Type C’ and ‘Type G’ wreaths can accommodate a central badge. You have to order by telephone if you want the House of Commons badge because it’s not on the website:  0345 845 1945, and make sure you tell them that you want the green House of Commons badge.

You can order wreaths at any time of year but, obviously, they are busiest in October and November, so do try to order in good time. They suggest that orders for Armistice Day should be placed before 24 October.