Frequently Asked Questions
General
- What is The Fed?
- When was The Fed formed?
- Where is The Fed based?
- What is The Fed’s mission?
- What is The Fed’s vision?
- How do I contact The Fed by phone/fax/email?
How we help and who we help
- How many people does The Fed help each year?
- How does The Fed help people?
- Who can ask for help from The Fed?
- Who should I contact if I need help and how?
- What are The Fed’s opening hours?
- If I ask The Fed for help how do I know they won’t tell anyone else?
- Does The Fed charge for its services?
Staff and Volunteers
- How many people work at The Fed?
- How much are The Fed staff paid?
- What training do The Fed’s staff have?
- Do I have to be Jewish to work at The Fed?
- Who are The Fed’s volunteers?
- How can I become a Fed volunteer?
- What tasks do volunteers do?
Helping The Fed
- How can I donate money to The Fed?
- Is there any other way I can donate to The Fed?
- Does The Fed want help with fund-raising?
Managing The Fed's money
- Where does The Fed get its money from?
- How does The Fed make sure its finances are well-managed?
- How does The Fed choose and appraise its Trustees?
Any other questions?
- Are The Fed and Manchester Jewish Community Care the same organisation?
- Does The Fed offer placements for Social Work Students?
- Who are The Fed’s partner organisations?
- What are The Fed's health and safety policies and procedures?
- What quality assurance does The Fed provide?
- How do I make a complaint?
What is The Fed?
The Fed is the Greater Manchester Jewish Community’s largest social care charity. It exists to create a better quality of life for Jewish people in need, of all ages and backgrounds. It offers a wide range of caring yet professional services to: carers, children with special needs or in need people with mental health difficulties or physical disabilities, older people, people who are isolated or abused or living in poverty or crisis.
When was The Fed formed?
The Board of Guardians for the Relief of the Jewish Poor came into existence in 1867. This eventually became Manchester Jewish Social Services (MJSS). The Fed was formed in 1996 when MJSS merged with the Manchester Jews’ Benevolent Society
Where is The Fed based?
Its Head Office is at 12 Holland Road Crumpsall Manchester M8 4NP and it has a South Branch at Suite 1, 34 Ashley Road, Altrincham WA14 2DW
What is The Fed’s mission?
The Fed’s mission is to improve the lives of Jewish people living in Greater Manchester by providing, or enabling access to, the best available social welfare services, according to their individual cultural and religious needs.
What is The Fed’s vision?
The Fed’s vision is:
- that Jewish people living in Greater Manchester have access to excellent and comprehensive social care services which respect their individual religious and cultural needs and give them maximum choice and control to improve their lives
- that all people living in Greater Manchester have access to excellent and comprehensive social care services which respect their individual needs, promoted through partnerships and the sharing of good practice and services between agencies in the wider community
- that partnerships and the sharing of good practices and services, between agencies in the wider community, increases understanding among people of diverse backgrounds, lifestyles and faiths
How do I contact The Fed by phone/fax/email?
Head office : Tel:- 0161 795 0024, Fax:- 0161 795 3688, E-mail:- info@thefed.org.uk South Branch Tel:- 0161 941 4442, Fax:- 0161941 5039, E-mail:- southside@thefed.org.uk
How many people does The Fed help each year?
In the region of 3000 which is 10% of the population of the Greater Manchester Jewish Community.
How does The Fed help people?
The Fed’s staff carry out comprehensive assessments of people’s circumstances to determine how best to help them. Some people will receive one-to-one ongoing support from our Social Workers, Support Workers and/or volunteers. The Fed can commission packages of care eg homecare, respite in a care home or support in looking after a child with a disability. Some people may receive support by attending one of our groups; these include groups for carers and a drop-in for mental health service-users. Others may simply be referred to outside agencies for assistance or sent information about services that may be helpful to them.
Who can ask for help from The Fed?
Any Jewish person in need living in Manchester, regardless of age, sex, marital status, colour of skin, sexual orientation, level of observance or socio-economic class and any person who is the partner, parent, child or carer of such person including people who do not identify themselves as Jewish.
Who should I contact if I need help and how?
Please contact our Referrals and Advice Officers on the phone numbers shown above or by attending our offices during duty hours (between 9.30am and 12.30pm Monday to Friday), or by email. In case of emergency and outside of these times, a Duty Manager is available during office hours. Outside of office hours contact your local social services department.
What are The Fed’s opening hours?
Monday to Thursday: 9am - 5pm, Friday: 9am - 2.30pm. Outside of these hours a message can be left on The Fed’s answer-phone. NB The Fed is closed on Bank Holidays and Jewish Festivals when work is not permitted.
If I ask The Fed for help how do I know they won’t tell anyone else?
All members of The Fed’s staff including its volunteers are strictly bound by our privacy policy. Breach of confidentiality would be considered an act of gross misconduct and would be subject to disciplinary action. Confidentiality can only be breached where there is reason to suspect that an individual has caused or might cause serious harm to themselves or another person. In such an instance the matter would be reported only to the appropriate agency.
Does The Fed charge for its services?
Generally no, however clients receiving a service from Project Smile are charged at a small hourly rate, on a sliding scale according to their financial circumstances. These charges are heavily subsidised. Other than this The Fed charges for trips, outings, some parties and transport. These are kept to a very low rate and exceptionally, in case of great financial need, waived entirely.
How many people work at The Fed?
Over 90 paid staff and 400+ volunteers.
How much are The Fed staff paid?
This varies according to position, years of service and qualification but is in line with NJC (National Joint Council for Local Government Services) pay-scales ie equivalent to that paid by Local Authority Social Services Departments
What training do The Fed’s staff have?
All staff whether voluntary, temporary, permanent, part-time or full-time undergo a period of induction training and follow-up training covering issues including, confidentiality, first aid, communication, moving and handling, health and safety. Where appropriate they undergo training on risk management. Social Work staff are given ample opportunity to meet their Post Qualifying learning requirements. Project Smile staff also receive training in dealing with challenging behavior, recognizing child abuse, administration of medication and first aid. We are committed to supporting staff to develop their professional skills and work to identify and meet their developmental needs.
Do I have to be Jewish to work at The Fed?
No you don’t. The Fed employs many members of staff who are not Jewish, at all levels of the organisation. Where necessary Jewish Cultural Awareness Training is available.
Who are The Fed’s volunteers?
These are local people who tend mostly to be Jewish, though this is certainly not a requirement. Our volunteers are people of all ages and backgrounds.
How can I become a Fed volunteer?
Contact Joanne Woolfson on 0161 795 0024 for an informal discussion, even if you are “just thinking about it” but not ready yet .
What tasks do volunteers do?
Fed volunteers are offered a wide-range volunteering opportunities. For more information go to: How we help/Volunteers/Could you be a volunteer?
How can I donate money to The Fed?
We accept cash, cheques, credit card payments and charity vouchers. You can donate by:
· Phoning our Head Office on 0161 795 0024 to make a credit card payment.
· Calling in to our Head Office or South Branch in person to make your donation.
· Sending your donation by post.
· Popping your loose change into one of our charity boxes in local shops.
· Ordering a charity box to keep at home. We’ll collect it when it’s full.
· Purchasing our Charity Greetings Cards for a minimum of £5 each. These can be ordered from this website, by phone or purchased from our Head Office or community agents. For more information go to our homepage and click on the “Send Greetings Cards” button on the right-hand panel
· Making donation online: go to our homepage and click on the “Donate now” button on the right-hand panel
· Donating a percentage of your sale proceeds to The Fed, when selling goods on eBay
Is there any other way I can donate to The Fed?
Yes, by donating your unwanted goods to our Charity Shops which are situated at 3 St. Margaret’s Buildings, Bury Old Road, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 5EJ (0161 492 0422) or 4 Station Bridge, Urmston, Trafford, M41 9JN (0161 749 8288).
NB The “All Aboard” Charity Shop situated in the Longfield Centre , Prestwich does not belong to The FedDoes The Fed want help with fund-raising?
Yes. The Fed is always very keen to recruit new people of all ages onto its fund-raising committees to help with the planning and holding of events and sale of ticket. This is a great way to be involved and put your business and creative skills to use. For further information please call Gill Cooper on 0161 795 0024.
Where does The Fed get its money from?
The Fed has contracts with Local Authorities to carry out Social Work assessments and receives funding for this, as well as from other Statutory Sources. However Statutory Income accounts for approximately 26% of The Fed’s income (2008/9). Remaining income is sourced from private, business and charitable trust donations, legacies, trust fund applications and fund-raising events including sponsorship and advertising in publicity material.
How does The Fed make sure its finances are well-managed?
The Fed employs a Finance Officer to take care of its day-to-day financial management. It has an accountant on its board who is intimately involved in the management of its finances and who consults with other board members and senior management on a regular basis.
How does The Fed choose and appraise its Trustees?
The Fed is led by a Board of Management who are its Trustees. The Board of Management consists of the President, the Chairman, other Honorary Officers, co-opted eligible subscribers and chairmen of sub-committees. The Trustees meet regularly at Board Meetings to discuss the activities of the charity.New Trustees are identified by recommendation and discussed at Board meetings. If agreed as suitable, they are then proposed and undertake a three-month probationary period. If acceptable they are formally elected at the following Annual General Meeting under the Trust Deed. The Chairman undertakes an annual skills audit and appraisal of the Trustees. The Trustees are recruited and retained to balance the long-term objectives of the organisation against its short-term requirements, mindful of a gender balance and reflecting communal diversity. In addition, Trustees are selected because of their appropriate professional and business background and skills. The Chairman is appointed on a three to four year cycle and is selected on the basis of his commitment to The Fed and appropriate leadership skills. Succession is planned carefully.
Are The Fed and Manchester Jewish Community Care the same organisation?
No although The Fed works very closely with Manchester Jewish Community Care and the former organisation’s Head Office is located in close proximity to MJCC’s premises, they are two entirely distinct organisations.
Does The Fed offer placements for Social Work Students?
Yes, we offer a range of placements across the organisation. For further information call Pauline Black at our Head Office on 0161 795 0024.
Who are The Fed’s partner organisations?
The Fed works in close partnership with a number of statutory organisations, local primary care trusts and Local Authorities namely, Bury, Manchester, Salford and Trafford.
We enjoy positive relationships with numerous providers both voluntary and private, including other Jewish organisations.
What are The Fed's health and safety policies and procedures?
It is the policy of The Fed to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of it’s employees and volunteers, whilst at work or undertaking activities on it’s behalf, and to have due regard for visiting and neighbouring members of the public. This is a statutory duty under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and supporting regulations. The Fed is concerned not only with preventing injury and ill health but also in developing a positive health and safety culture through active and continued commitment from its Chief Executive, Board of Management, Managers, Staff and Volunteers. The aim is for the whole organisation to co-operate in setting and maintaining the highest possible standards in order to promote a common awareness and belief about the importance of health and safety in the workplace.
What quality assurance does The Fed provide?
The Fed is committed to providing a quality service and to the concept of improvement. We currently hold the Community Legal Services quality mark for advice and casework and the IIV (Investing in Volunteers) Award from Volunteering England. We are in the process of obtaining recognition for achieving the IIP (Investors in People) Standard.
How do I make a complaint?
The Fed has a full complaints and grievance procedure in place and is committed to ensuring that all complaints are dealt with as quickly, fairly, confidentially and impartially as possible. In the first instance contact should be made with the member of staff known to the service-user, to give him/her an opportunity to solve the problem. If this is not satisfactory a complaint should be made in writing , addressed to Karen Phillips, Chief Executive, The Fed, 12 Holland Road, Crumpsall Manchester, M8 4NP. The Fed views complaints as an important source of feedback from service-users and other interested parties, which can help it to improve its services. To request a copy of our full complaints procedure please contact our head office on 0161 795 0024.