MEMBERS HANDBOOK

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Contents Who We Are .................................... 3

What our aim is ............................... 4

What’s in it for You? .......................... 5

How We Work .................................. 6

TimeBank ........................................ 8

Where Do We Meet ........................... 10

Safety and Security .......................... 11

What if Something goes Wrong ........... 12

Some Useful Advice .......................... 13

Consideration: ................................. 13

Personal Boundaries: ........................ 13

Time Keeping ................................... 14

Health & Safety ................................ 15

Problem Solving ............................... 15

Confidentiality.................................. 15

Money ........................................... 16

Equal Opportunities ......................... 16

Running a Group ......................... 17

Procedure When YOU NEED Some Help 18

Procedure When YOU are ASKED to

Help another Member ........................ 20

Sign-up Sheet .................................. 22

Sign-in Sheet ................................... 23

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Bringing people together through the

exchange of their time, skills and knowledge

Who We Are Community TIME Camden (CTC) is a community

time and skills exchange for people living in or oth-

erwise connected to, London Borough of Camden.

It is loosely based on the Timebank model, which is

a market place with time as the principal currency.

CTC provides an opportunity for people to use their

Time, their Skills and their Knowledge to help each

other, to meet new friends and neighbours, to give

and receive practical help & support, and to teach

and learn something new.

We were set up

in 2012 at the

Abbey

Community

Centre, with

funding from

the Big Lottery

Silver Dreams

Fund, to pilot

this new way of

working together in the Kilburn area and with a

view to providing a borough-wide network.

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What Our Aim is Not so long ago we knew our neighbours, our

friends and family lived nearby, and we helped

each other out as a matter of course. When we

needed a favour we knew who we could ask, and

we would willingly do them a favour in exchange.

Over the years society has changed, and families

and communities have become more isolated.

People still need each other but now often feel

they have no one local to turn to if they need as-

sistance, companionship, or a chance to keep up

their skills and interests.

CTC provides the engine to bring our community

closer together, and reward people for the help

they provide to others in their neighbourhood.

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What’s in it for You?

There is no money involved at any stage. The

only cost is your time, and for this you will get the

opportunity, among other things, to:

Meet new people and make new friends

Try something new

Use and develop your knowledge, skills and

experiences

Get help when you need it

Contribute when it is convenient – it’s

flexible participation to fit in with your

lifestyle, however busy you are

Feel that you are part of your local

community.

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How We Work

When you join as a Member of Community TIME

Camden, you provide us with details of the skills,

hobbies, and experiences that you would be

prepared to share with others, and we keep a

record of them. You also tell us what skills and expe-

riences you could benefit from that others can pro-

vide. From time to time, we may call you to ask if

you have the time to help someone else or a group in

need of your skills and experience.

Equally, if you need some help, just contact us with

your request; it’s our job to find someone to help

you. The CTC Coordinator at the Abbey

Community Centre is the central point of contact for

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everyone. We keep track of who does what and

make sure that everyone’s account in the TimeBank is

kept up to date.

This method of sharing skills is flexible; you can help

when you have the time. You decide when you are

available; no specific dates or times are arranged

without your agreement. You can do as much or as

little as you wish. Finally, if you find that you are not

able to use up all your time

credits, you may donate them to another Member or

to a partner organisation.

The more Members we have, the larger our pool of

skills and experience, and the more that people will

be able to share. We believe that everyone has

something to offer, and it

is one of our CTC Coordi-

nator’s most important

jobs to spend time talk-

ing with interested par-

ties, and to find out what

skills, experience and

knowledge they have.

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TimeBank

The currency for the system is an hour of time,

either contributed by doing something or by

receiving it. We record it in the TimeBank for each

Member, as a credit if you help someone, or as a

debit if someone helps you. Each exchange of help is

called an “assignment”.

To illustrate, if you teach someone how to use their

computer you get credited for each hour of work.

The person receiving your help gets debited for the

same amount of time. There is a special arrange-

ment for all social events, where the person running

the event gets credited for the time, but the at-

tendees are

debited for the same time, but they get credited as

well for the time, as their attendance is regarded as

contributing to the event, so there is no “cost” to

them.

Example:

Bill is retired and lives in a flat, but enjoys

gardening. Bill helps Susan in her garden for two

hours, since Susan cannot manage her garden by

herself now due to poor health. Bill earns two CTC

Time Credits, which he spends on asking Ian to teach

him how to send e-mails and photos to his family in

Australia.

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If you are a new Member, you do not have to earn

time credits (by doing something for another Mem-

ber) before you can spend time credits. You can ask

for help from day 1, even if you don’t yet have any

credits. If you have needs but feel that you’ve got

nothing to offer back, have a chat with the CTC Co-

ordinator – we guarantee we’ll find

something that you can offer!

Examples of groups we currently run:

cooking, crochet, card-making, creative writing,

Saturday club.

Examples of 1-1 exchanges currently taking place:

window cleaning, es-

corting to doctor’s ap-

pointments, IT sup-

port, language ex-

change, piano lessons.

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Where Do We Meet?

Many of our exchanges and groups take place at the

Abbey Community Centre. Equally, many of our ex-

changes take place in peoples’ homes and in other

venues around Kilburn and beyond.

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Safety and Security Our project is aimed to help anyone

living, volunteering or working in

the Borough of Camden. This

means that we have a wide range

of Members. Some of these are

very active and independent, but

others are much more isolated and may be

vulnerable. Members’ safety and security is of the

utmost importance to us, and we do all we can to en-

sure this, by the following actions:

· All would-be Members will fill in the Quick sign

up form and have a chat with CTC Coordinator

before 1-1 exchanges are arranged

· DBS checks will be carried out when applicable

· All participants will be issued with an ID card

which they must take to every assignment

· The CTC Coordinator will personally arrange

new exchanges, both from their knowledge and

the needs of the Members concerned

However, we also have to emphasise that these are

not fail-safe security measures, and there is a

certain amount of trust involved in the process. If

you feel unhappy about any aspects of your security

or safety within an assignment or in the project,

please speak to the CTC Coordinator who can discuss

your concerns with you and hopefully put your mind

at rest.

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What if Something goes Wrong?

This rarely happens!

If you are not happy with the exchange that is being

done for you, please contact the CTC Coordinator as

soon as possible. They will see what can be done to

sort it out. However, it is important to remember

that our Member contributors are just good

neighbours and may not be professionally trained.

For bigger and more complex jobs, it may be

appropriate to sign a Mutual Agreement Form before

commencing the assignment.

So long as the work to be carried out has been

agreed in advance with the CTC Coordinator, it will

be covered by our insurance policy. If you have not

contacted us we may not be able to help.

If anything happens that you are not comfortable

with, do contact the CTC Coordinator immediately.

It could just be that the you are not comfortable

working with the other person in the assignment or

have problems within a group, – that’s OK, we will

help as much as we can. But please bear in mind

your personal safety at all times.

Copies of our policies and procedures are available at

the office or can be sent out to you if requested.

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Some Useful Advice

Consideration:

Please accept other

Members’ viewpoints, and

do not pressure another

Member to accept your

religious beliefs or political views.

Please do not smoke, drink alcohol, or use

recreational drugs at a Member’s home or

at a meeting venue.

Personal Boundaries:

Please respect all Mem-

bers’ personal space

DO:

Be aware of your own personal boundaries

Avoid getting into situations that could be

misinterpreted

Think before you say, “Yes”.

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DON’T

Get emotionally over-involved with other CTC

Members

Give, borrow from or lend money to other

CTC Members.

If you are ever in doubt about a boundary

issue, please speak to the CTC Coordinator

about it.

Time Keeping

CTC is a time exchange and

every one’s time is valuable.

Please give us as much notice

as possible if you need to can-

cel your arranged assignment.

T h i s i s e s p e c i a l l y

important if you are leading a

group or taking part in 1:1 ex-

changes.

If you should need to cancel, always call the

Centre office on 020 7624 8378. Please leave

your name and the nature and date/time of

the activity that you are not able to attend.

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Health & Safety

P l e a s e t a k e a l l

reasonable practicable steps

to ensure the health, safety,

and welfare of all Members in

the group. Bear in mind your

responsibility for your own health & safety, & do not

carry out tasks that might present a risk to you.

Problem Solving

CTC and Abbey Community

Centre have a policy to deal

w i t h g r i e v a n c e s t h a t

volunteers may have. The poli-

cy states that volunteers have

the right at any time to discuss,

with their named contact, any

concerns that they may have.

Confidentiality

Respect other Members’ privacy and

confidentiality by not sharing any

information obtained about other

Members. Please do not give out any

telephone numbers or addresses of

CTC Members without the ir

permission.

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Money

Please do not ask for or

accept any money, gifts or

tips from other CTC Members.

All CTC classes and 1:1

exchanges are run on a time

credit basis and there are no

monetary charges.

Equal Opportunities

CTC is run in accordance with the Abbey

Community Centre’s Equal Opportunities policy, a

copy of which can be found in the centre office.

For any question on the rules above, please contact

the CTC team.

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Running a Group When running a group, please ensure the following:

· All attendees are Members of CTC. If they

have not yet joined, please ensure that they

complete a quick Sign-up sheet - this can be

found in the office.

· All attendees complete the Sign-in sheet –

this can be found in the office.

· If you have been using one of the Centre’s

rooms, please let the office know when you

have finished.

· Please leave the room as you found it, and

ready for the next class.

· Please lock the room after you have finished

with it- where applicable.

· Please do not leave the room unattended and

open if there are laptops or other pieces of

equipment in there.

· If any issues or concerns arise during your

session, please contact the office.

· If you have any questions on the rules above

please contact the CTC team.

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Procedure When YOU NEED Some Help

Please use the following simple procedure when you

need someone to HELP YOU:

Contact the CTC Coordinator by phone, e-mail or in

person.

1. Give details of what kind of help you need

2. Estimate the number of hours’ help you require

(where you can)

3. Give the dates and times when you will be

available (please try to be flexible as this will

provide more opportunities for other Members

to help you)

4. If any costs are likely (for example, material),

you need to reimburse the person

helping you.

5. The CTC Coordinator will get back to you

when they have contacted someone who can

help you.

6. The CTC Coordinator will arrange and attend a

first meeting with you and the Member, if pos-

sible.

7. If this is not possible, you will be given the

name and contact details of your helper, and

told when and where to meet them.

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8. Similarly, the helper will be given your contact details and any other relevant information.Should

you wish to amend the arrangements for the

assignment, please contact your helper direct, (but

also inform the CTC Coordinator of any changes).

9. Sometimes the CTC Coordinator will ask your

helper to contact you directly to arrange the

date and time of the assignment, where it is

quicker and easier to do so. You will be in

formed when this is appropriate.

10. HOME VISITS. On joining CTC each Member

receives an identity card. You should always ask

to see this before you invite someone into your

home for an assignment. If you have any doubts,

please ask the person to wait outside while you

call the office.

CTC Coordinator might contact you after the exchange

for your feedback.

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Procedure When YOU are ASKED

to Help another Member

1. Make sure that you are confident in being able

to do what you have been asked carry out.

2. COSTS. Will there be any costs for travel of

materials? The CTC Coordinator will help you

find out how you will be reimbursed,

before you start the assignment.

3. Please do not ask for, or accept, any payment

for the work (other than your expenses).

4. You are responsible for your own health and

safety, so do not take on any task where you

might be at risk.

5. Take your identity card with you on all

assignments.

6. Please keep confidential any information about

or from another Member.

7. It is best not to carry our any additional tasks

that have not been previously agreed.

8. The CTC Coordinator might contact you after

the exchange for your feedback.

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Thank you for becoming an active Member of

Community TIME Camden. We believe that

this project will make a real difference to our

local community and will bring lots of bene-

fits to all involved!

GOOD LUCK

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QUICK SIGN UP FORM

Today’s Date

Title (e.g. Mr/Mrs)

First Name

Family Name

Post Code

Date of Birth

Do you consider yourself to have a disability or long term illness?

Phone number

What is your ethnic group (please tick one box):

It would be useful if you could complete the following information in order that we can occasionally contact you regarding other activities that may be of interest to you.

Home address

Email address

Skills you would like to OFFER

Skills you would like to RECEIVE

How did you hear about CTC?

White Mixed

British White and Black Caribbean

Irish White and Black African

Other White: White and Asian

Asian or Asian British White and Chinese

Indian Other Dual Heritage

Pakistani Black or Black British

Bangladeshi Caribbean

Other Asian Background African

Chinese Other Black

Any other (please write in)

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Socialise ● Energise ● Get Wise

Abbey Community Centre,

222c Belsize Road, Kilburn, London NW6 4DJ

Phone: 020 3397 4583 or 07447 932 564

Email: ctc@abbeycc-kilburn.org.uk