LATEST NEWS
JUNE 2010
Information on the development of the Organisation and relevant topics
EXPANSION PLANS
Well the hard work is finally over and the expansion and renovation at number 30 and 32 Gawber Road is complete. Both properties have been approved by Ofsted and are fully operational. Interest in the provision is running at an all-time high and placements are now being regularly booked in advance.
The recruitment drive was huge success and we are pleased to welcome Colleen and Janice as Support Workers and Richard to the Social Work position.
We have just recruited to a full-time and part-time Support Worker posts at Gawber Road, and an additional part-time post at Shrewsbury House.
STUDENT LEARNING
Twenty Four-Seven is an accredited place of learning for social work students. Whilst the GSCC have argued that final placement students should only be placed in statutory settings, the Practice Learning Consortium has argued that the experience at the Residential Family Centre and through involvement in day and community assessments is invaluable. Students on their first practice placement also gain a wealth of experience, and three students have just successfully completed their placements. The three students were from Huddersfield, Sheffield Hallam and Lincoln Universities, where strong links are being forged and feedback is excellent in terms of the standard of learning.
Twenty Four-Seven adopt a team approach to student learning and it is a credit to the whole staff team that students give such positive feedback on their welcome into the Organisation and the ongoing support.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
On 15th June, owner directors Caroline and Jane gave a talk on the Organisation and the work we undertake to a local women’s group. The presentation involved some interactive exercises around safe-guarding children and was very warmly received.
RESIDENTS ACTIVITY DAY
Staff, parents and children have a day out to Sundown Adventure Park planned this month. Sundown is a theme-park for under 10’s and has been made possible in part by a donation from a local business person who wishes to remain anonymous.
‘FIT CLUB’ CHALLENGE
Staff wanting to shed a few pounds for the Summer, get fit and help a local charity in the bargain have been counting the calories and ‘sweating it out’ over the past few months. The grand ‘weigh-in’ was on Friday 23rd June with the winner Sharon receiving £110 for her great efforts. In total a well worked 77.2 Lbs were “burnt” off, leading to a donation from the organisation of £77.20 being made to Barnsley Riding for the Disabled.
RAP ABOUT SHREWSBURY HOUSE
This rap was composed by Steven who lived at Shrewsbury House for some time before moving to one of our independent living projects. Steven was with the Organisation for over two and a half years and is now living a successful independent life
.24-7 is the place to be,
Here you will learn to live independently,
Learn to budget, shop and clean,
Meet new people who are not mean.
24-7 is a big happy family,
Here you will have fun and some company. Laughing and joking while making tea,
Up to the lounge for a chat and a cuppa,
Watch our favourite soaps on TV.
Here we feel supported and safe,
Because all the staff are so great,
They welcome new people with a big friendly smile and the home is done out in style.
So 24-7 is the place to be, its fun, fantastic and just for me.
STAFF PROGRESSION:
The following contribution is from a staff member who has worked for the organisation for the past 3 years ......
When I started at 24-7 fours years ago, I had very little experience of family assessment work. It’s been a long and bumpy journey and a massive learning curve. I never felt as if I could progress through promotion and stayed at a ‘certain level’ because dyslexia took away my confidence to learn. I have recently gained my NVQ 3 (which was a bit of an up-hill struggle) and have been promoted to Senior Support Worker ~ I’m even asking about NVQ 4 already. I’ve never been particularly ambitious but love the depth to the work I do and feel passionate about my work; wanting the very best for every parent and child I work with. I have had a lot of support and guidance in my time here and now want to pass this on to new staff through mentoring and coaching. Sharon
LIFE AT 24-7
The following contribution is from a Young person who has been involved for the organisation for the past year ......
Hello, my name is Tamla and I live in my own new flat at 24-7 with support from staff. When I first came to live here it was hard because I’d been used to living with my mum. My social worker and mum thought it was time for me to live on my own as I was 21.
You can have good times with staff but they also help you when things go wrong. I have good days and bad days and sometimes I go off-track a bit but they’re all still there for when I do. I go to ‘Speak-up’, Dis-Sport, St George’s Church and Mencap. Staff keep me busy to keep me out of trouble. It’s nice and quiet up here where I live, I have an evening support worker as well and we do shopping, walks, cleaning, cooking and swimming. It’s hard sometimes but I’m glad I live at 24-7.
JANUARY 2010
Information on the development of the Organisation and relevant topics
EXPANSION PLANS
We are pleased to announce that plans to expand the Family Centre at Gawber Road are now underway. Planning permission for the house next door has been granted and the builders are hard at work at No 30. This work will hopefully be completed in mid March and subject to Ofsted registration, renovations at No 32 will then commence. The whole project should be completed by mid May at the latest. The recruitment process is currently taking place to ensure that new staff are in post by that date.
The aim of the expansion is to create space for three further families but that the houses will remain relatively separate and still operate as small family houses. This will retain our ethos and philosophy of close contact between staff and parents through communal rooms. In the meantime, an increasing number of Day or Community assessments are being undertaken by the team.
We are currently looking for an experienced qualified Social Worker to undertake parenting assessments – please ring Jane on 01226 786247 if you are interested.
STAFF MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Twenty Four-Seven operate a system of voting for the Staff Member of the Year Award throughout the year, culminating in the Award Ceremony at the staff Christmas Celebrations. Service users and colleagues are actively encouraged to vote for staff, giving their reasons for the vote. The award is given to the staff member receiving not the most amount of votes, but the most valid reasons for being nominated. This year was the first time we gave the award jointly to two members of staff and were pleased to present the awards to Denise, Senior Support Worker at Gawber Road and to Penny, Support Worker at Shrewsbury House, who were both very worthy winners.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
The staff team at Twenty Four-Seven recently enjoyed a Development Day which primarily focused on improving the effectiveness of the team through the process of coaching. Coaching is about having a vision and building on potential and the day was a great success in terms of consolidating the Organisation’s future aims and commitment to continuous personal and professional growth.
The event was held at Willow Lodge in Hoylandswaine, near Penistone. The venue offers excellent training, conference and catering facilities. Further details can be found at www.willowlodgeuk.com
CHARITY DONATIONS
Twenty Four-Seven is committed to its policy on Corporate Social Responsibility.
Christmas ‘eGreetings’ were sent to all staff and service-users; purchasing this through UNICEF’s ‘Real Inspiration’. UNICEF offers aid to children throughout the world.
The organisation has also made a donation to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal – donations can be made by visiting www.dec.org.uk
SERVICE USER PARTICIPATION
The Organisation strives to promote full service user participation at all levels. The young people at the flats in Hillsborough have been involved in several projects of late and received individual certificates for their participation in projects such as:
- Gardening, decorating and maintaining high standards in and around the property
- Contributing to Twenty Four-Seven’s quarterly newsletter
- Updating the young people’s handbook
- Taking an active role in writing the Children’s Rights Policy
Young people and staff from St Luke’s View and Wood Road enjoyed an evening at the O2 Academy in Sheffield where they watched various Yorkshire bands, including the excellent ‘Midnight Jive’. |
