NAWRA donation in memory of Terry Patterson.

GMWRAG will never be quite the same without our colleague Terry Patterson.

Some months back, NAWRA, for whom Terry was of course a long-standing and active North West representative and regular participant, asked GMWRAG if we could make a suggestion for an appropriate donation in memory of Terry as well as an offer of NAWRA membership. After some discussion it was agreed that we would propose Safety4Sisters and this was agreed as appropriate with members of Terry’s family.

We thought members would like to know that NAWRA has now made a donation of £250 in memory of Terry and, in return, the following lovely words were received back from Vicky Marsh, the interim director at Safety4Sisters.

“I am quite shocked and so sad to hear this news, as I knew Terry for a long time.

He was, as you said, a very dedicated welfare rights worker, always very kind, approachable and willing to support others and share his knowledge, a real fighter for people’s rights. He will really be missed by us and so many people who knew him through work as well as obviously his family & friends. I hope you can pass on to his family, friends, and colleagues our sympathies and our real appreciation of everything Terry did to make this world a better and more equal place.

We are delighted to have been nominated to receive this donation for our work at Safety4Sisters which I know Terry supported and we send a big thank you for the donation but also, as importantly, your support and solidarity.

Safety4Sisters would definitely like to take up your kind offer of the membership to NAWRA.
With all best wishes and thanks”

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Details of the next NAWRA Conference and AGM.

NAWRA members will meet on Zoom on the 3rd of March 2022 (between 1.00pm-4.30pm) and the 4th of March 2022 (between 9.30am-1.00pm)

Members will be hearing from a wide variety of welfare rights practitioners and academics. Dr Michael Orton (Warwick University) will lead a participatory session on the work of the Commission for Social Security and Fran Bennett (Oxford University) will present her recent paper on the policy challenges posed by the design of universal credit.

There will be informative and useful sessions on strategic litigation, ideas for building and maintaining networks as well as updates on recent changes to the benefits system.

This meeting will serve as NAWRA’s AGM and there will be an opportunity to hear more about our equality and diversity working group.

Join NAWRA on the evening of the 3rd of March for an online social event and quiz.

NAWRA conferences are free to attend but open to members only.

1. Read the agenda for information on speakers and timings.

2. Register for a place at the sessions you would like to attend.

Day 1: Thursday 3 March (1.00pm to 4.30pm)
Social evening: Thursday 3 March (from 7pm)
Day 2: Friday 4 March (9.30am to 1.00pm)

3. As soon as you’ve registered you will receive an email from Eventbrite (check your spam folder!) containing a Zoom link for each session. There’s no need to set up an Eventbrite account; to join a conference session just click on the Zoom link in the body of the email and enter the meeting ID and passcode if prompted.

Read our guide to using Zoom and test your set-up in advance if you’re new to it.

Do you have any accessibility requirements?  Please contact kelly@nawra.org.uk so that NAWRA can make arrangements.

NAWRA look forward to seeing you at the conference.

GMWRAG members on the other hand may well recall that we have a meeting also planned for the 4th of March 2022. This conflict has yet to be resolved. Mediation will be led by some bloke called Macaroon. Given the choice we know you’d rather come to GMWRAG. We don’t have those AGM things that no-one actually wants to come to and we’re much nicer (generally). There’s also no compulsion to take part in yoga or the forced jollity of social events. GMWRAG is far more unfit, anti-social and generally just “better” (ish). Come to GMWRAG. You know it makes sense.

Alternatively, you can just put them on your phone and us on your tablet, laptop or large screen plasma (cos we’re just more important) and be in two meetings at once. We promise we won’t tell.

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Your tentative GMWRAG meeting dates for 2022.

Yeah we remember those happy simple days when everyone looked at John Ball in that strange thing called “a meeting room” and he opened his little black book and told us when and where the next GMWRAG meeting was even though we had supposedly agreed it and ought to have remembered it.

In a rare case of “in-sourcing” GMWRAG has long since posted future meeting venues and dates as both new posts on this site and in the Our Meetings section. Obviously this has gotten a little complex in the last 22 months but in an outbreak of common sense and organisation GMWRAG has plotted 2022 as best we can. Please note the following tentative meeting dates for your diaries (or little black books).

4th of March 2022
3rd of June 2022
2nd of September 2022
2nd of December 2022

At this time assume these meetings will remain virtual but obviously that may change as the weeks progress and we’ll keep you informed on that as obviously non-virtual meetings will have to be hosted by an actual venue in an actual place.

Please also note that the 4th of March currently clashes with a NAWRA meeting. We are aware how problematic this will be for GMWRAG members but we may have to stick with that regardless subject to speaker availability. We’ll just remind you nearer the time how much more important GMWRAG is and do a post with a fake NAWRA date to put you off the trail :).

Alternatively we’ll change the date so you can still do NAWRA yoga and claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

There is a separate discussion to be had about working GMWRAG GM UC Forums into the above timetable but we’ll come back on that as soon as that discussion has taken place.

An update to the meetings page will follow this in due course i.e. when we get another 3.5 minutes to do “stuff”.

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Black Friday

So, whilst GMWRAG is fiddling around waiting for services to step forward and host an online GMWRAG meeting or indeed the several we are now owed, NAWRA steals another one of our Fridays once again.

The next NAWRA online conference will take place on Thursday the 10th of September 2020 (1-4pm) and Friday the 11th of September 2020 (9.30am-1pm) on Zoom.

Agenda and booking information coming soon.

NAWRA conferences are free to attend but open to members only.

Find out about joining.

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GMWRAG has whispered. Who will heed the whisper?

So, the poll results are in and GMWRAG members have responded with a resounding whisper in low numbers but, nevertheless, “some numbers”. Indeed, more people voted than have attended some GMWRAG meetings on occasion (!) so we’ll go with it and declare ourselves quarantined or quorate or quixotic or quite easily pleased or whatever the term is.

And the verdict is:

• you want virtual meetings but you’d also entertain a virtual social.
• Zoom is very much the tool of choice.
• most of you would prefer to stick with the traditional “GMWRAG Friday” despite the efforts of others to screw that up. NAWRA, we’re looking at you (sternly).

So, by our reckoning we have missed meetings in Bolton, Manchester and Trafford with Oldham to come in September 2020.

We fully appreciate that circumstances may reduce the number of services capable of running a virtual meeting but GMWRAG hosts should know where they are on the meetings list – here’s a reminder – and the process has long been that hosts organise their own meeting and provide a chair and minute taker.

So, the big question now is who will step up and set us going once again? GMWRAG members, we’re looking at you.

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GMWRAG social

Aside from this week’s GMWRAG GM UC Forum there have been no GMWRAG meetings during lockdown. In part this has been driven by necessity. The priority for all of us has been our own day jobs and the welfare of those around us. It’s also been driven by the sense that many of the issues GMWRAG members might want to discuss in our new pandemic driven advice environment have been more than adequately addressed by NAWRA.

However, as things move along we think it’s time to put the feelers out as regards stepping things up once more. In the first instance those feelers are tentatively edging their way towards a GMWRAG social event. This will likely include virtual rooms for people who want to be part of a raucous drunken session; people who would just like a quiet chat and catch up and maybe even people who would like a quiz? With that in mind we’d appreciate it if members could complete the following poll asap and we’ll go from there.

Once we have co-produced our social event we will look to setting up regular GMWRAG meetings online if we’re clear that the demand and a distinct agenda exists.

Anyways, answers within the week please…

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NAWRA online presents…’What does the future of advice service delivery look like?’

We’re sure NAWRA isn’t short of takers for any of their events but nevertheless here’s one which could be unmissable. NAWRA online presents…’What does the future of advice service delivery look like?’ Book your place via Eventbrite. This will take place on Thursday the 30th July 2020 from 10am to 12 noon (via Zoom). • What have you learnt from the ‘lockdown’ about different ways of working? What has been positive, what has been less successful, and what have you done to help overcome problems and barriers? • Has your workload changed? Has it increased or reduced? Have the types of enquiries changed? • Has your funding been affected or is likely to be affected in the future? Have you taken on more staff, or lost colleagues? • What do you need to happen so that you feel safe returning to work? What about venues you don’t directly control (e.g. outreach services)? • Are there new ways of working that you will take forward, even when it is ‘safe’ to return to office working? • How will you hold team meetings, training and similar events in future? On 30th July, you can join colleagues from across the UK to discuss these, and other issues, as part of our latest NAWRA online event. The session will open with a brief outline of the key issues from our Chair, Alan Markey, and from NAWRA committee member Corin Hammersley. Alan will look at these issues from the perspective of his own charity, Coventry Independent Advice Service, and Corin will look at things from a local authority welfare rights perspective. We will then break into small groups to discuss these topics and share experiences, coming back together at the end for a feedback session. We are sure that everyone present will take away something from the event that will be useful in their own workplace. We are keen for members to volunteer to lead the group discussions and feedback to the main session from their group. If you would like to volunteer for this in advance, please let us know by emailing kelly@nawra.org.uk Book your place via Eventbrite. As always, NAWRA events are open to members only. As always GMWRAG is suspicious about what Coventry Advice knew before us. Their web url is https://covadvice.org.uk/, Hmm. GMWRAG is also of the view that Zoom is best used for getting drunk online and whilst we won’t of course be encouraging you to do this during the NAWRA meeting please watch this space for a proposed GMWRAG social. Follow @GMWRAGtweets

GMWRAG out of lockdown. Online GMWRAG GM UC Forum meeting announcement.

GMWRAG hopes all our members; their family; friends and co-workers remain safe and well. 

GMWRAG has quietly watched as NAWRA and PLP and all these new kids on the block steal our thunder (well, our Friday meeting times) and run online meetings via Zoom. Well, it’s over now kiddies!

GMWRAG is back and bigger and badder than ever. Or something like that! That roughly translates as “please come to our meeting too”.

Attendees at the last GMWRAG meeting will be aware we had a tentative proposal that the sole agenda item for the next GMWRAG GM UC Forum should be “Deductions From UC”. This has taken some time to pull together but we’re pleased to say this session is now a reality and we have agreed it will take place on

Wednesday the 22nd of July 2020 between 2:30pm and 4pm.  The meeting will be hosted by Microsoft Teams as a video meeting and admission is of course free.

We know those of you already used to getting drunk with family and friends on Zoom may be disappointed by this but both DWP and several local authorities do not currently allow access to Zoom so Teams (which is replacing Skype for Business) is the solution which securely allows the largest number of attendees from both sides.

We can confirm that in addition to our usual array (is that the word?) of JCP Partnership Managers, DWP have secured the attendance of reps. from both Debt Management and Strategy (Universal Credit and Employment Policy) which should facilitate an in depth discussions of current and past issues with UC deductions. This leaves a number of outstanding issues:

How do I join the GMWRAG GM UC Forum online meeting? In order to attend the meeting you will need to be a GMWRAG member. You know who you are!

You will then need to email us to indicate your intention to attend. We can be contacted at GMWRAG at Hotmail Dot Co Dot UK

NB: Please email us with the email address you intend to use to attend the meeting as we will be emailing out an Outlook meeting request.

Do I need Microsoft Teams or a Microsoft Teams account? You do not. You will need an internet browser compatible with Teams (Edge, Chrome; Safari; that sort of thing) and a Gmail or Hotmail address or similar.

When you accept our meeting request (and you will won’t you!) it will hopefully put the meeting in your calendar. On the day, open the calendar item and click the “Join Teams Meeting” link. That will take you into Teams where the chair will leave you in a “virtual lobby” until we spot you and admit you to the actual meeting asap.

If the meeting request doesn’t go into your calendar then, after you’ve finished berating your IT support, just retain the email in your inbox and you should be able to join on the day from there. 

This is however all a little smoother if you have the Teams app and your own login. It’s available for desktop or mobile from https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/download-app

Is there a limit on the number of places? Places are limited by overall bandwidth and speed of response. We would not expect to host substantially more attendees than a usual GM UC Forum but equally we need attendees to indicate their attendance really quickly as we don’t want to spam inboxes sending out updated meeting requests every few days. Bearing this in mind, we’d ask all who wish to attend to indicate this by email no later than Wednesday the 15th of July 2020. If all goes smoothly you should receive no more than one initial invite and maybe one update after that.

Can I ask questions about deductions in advance? We think it will help give the session a sharper focus if questions are submitted in advance. We appreciate we’re on a short time scale here but we will give DWP every opportunity to come to the session knowing the areas in which we have an ongoing interest or concern. 

When you email us re: attendance please include any questions you have in the email. Where issues or questions overlap we reserve the right to butcher your question and give it a completely different meaning amalgamate questions as best we can to reflect the general area at issue. 

This of course won’t prevent questions on the day. We shall attempt to balance the two as best we can. 

Is there anything else I need to know? Yes, online meetings can be plagued with all manner of technical and practical issues. You can help the meeting go smoothly if you could kindly:

• use appropriate real or virtual backgrounds if using video.
• recognise not all users may wish or be able to use video for cultural or other reasons.
• mute your microphone when not speaking. 
• raise your “virtual hand” when you wish to speak. This will be acknowledged by the chair and you’ll be invited to speak as the moment arises. 

Owt else? Yes, please familiarise yourself with Teams as best you can if you’re not already familiar. Whilst the meeting will be on video there will also be a chat channel available for all attendees and there is a facility to share screens; presentations etc. if needed. 

We look forward to seeing and hearing you all on the day. 

We will post again in advance of the meeting to remind people to register and sort out any issues which arise in the meantime. 

Finally, if anyone would like to chat post meeting we’re sure a number of members will be around for you to do so. In the absence of a GMWRAG meeting at present we are intending that there will be a short AOB session at the end and we’ll be looking to facilitate a GMWRAG social event in lieu of a meeting as soon as possible after this meeting. 

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NAWRA and Stoke-on-line.

Pandemics do strange things to people. Never did GMWRAG think we’d mention Stoke and yoga in any post let alone together but there you go. The NAWRA conference in Stoke on Trent will no longer take place at Staffordshire University due to the COVID-19 situation. However, they are pleased to announce a special online event. On Thursday the 11th of June 2020 and Friday the 12th of June 2020 NAWRA will present ‘Stoke-on-Line’ – a virtual version of their planned conference with guest speakers, workshops, information exchange, pub quiz and yoga. GMWRAG does agree online is probably the best place to put Stoke but, if you’re still interested… read the agenda for both days and book a place on each session. The events will take place on Zoom. Email Kelly at NAWRA if you need help to use Zoom and she can send some instructions. This event is open to NAWRA members only. Kelly Smith Secretary and Treasurer www.nawra.org.uk

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