Inviting entries for the 2016 Pat Chown Capturing Creativity award

Are you making a real positive difference to people’s lives in Wales? Are you doing that in a way you think is different?

If so, we would be delighted to hear from you with an application for CHC’s Capturing Creativity Award in memory of Pat Chown.

In the last 16 years, we have heard about so many marvellous things that have been done to help and support people in so many different ways.

Giving a flavour from the hundreds of entries we have received, there have been:

• Homeless people being trained (accredited) and then going into schools to explain, starkly and powerfully from personal experiences, how drugs can mess up your life. 
• A service which was set up to apparently help people with serious ‘de-cluttering’ issues but which actually addressed the multiple problems some people faced and helped them to change and improve their lives in so many positive ways.
• A bus visiting towns and villages in north Wales to provide confidential and sympathetic advice and signposting on sexual health matters.
• Training, work experience and follow on jobs for young people which also helped build their self esteem and confidence.

Not all the above won the award but they did make a mark. Also, there were loads more covering helping with financial inclusion, involving older people in their communities and on and on and on.

As you can see, these activities are wide ranging and that is at the core of the award. Alongside that is seeing that the worthwhile activity is taking some form of different approach. I know this can sometimes be difficult to decide, but it would be your opinion on it which the judges would then consider.

There are lots of great things going on in Wales, and we want to celebrate those activities.

Go on, put in an entry for the Pat Chown Award this year. It will be valued and, who knows, you may win! You can enter on CHC's website.

Also, just to add as an extra, the winners also nominate a charity for a £1,000 donation.

We look forward to receiving your entries!

John Chown, a member of the judging panel

YMCA Steps Project wins CHC's Pat Chown Capturing Creativity award

The YMCA Steps Project was honoured to receive the Pat Chown Capturing Creativity Award in November 2015 for our work with mental health service users in partnership with Cardiff and Vale UHB. It is a privilege to support our service users and help them move forward on their journey towards independent living so to be recognised for this work by Community Housing Cymru was very special.

As part of the award, we were given the opportunity to nominate another charity to receive a donation of £1000. After consulting with staff and residents at the YMCA, we chose the FAN Charity. They support 16 FAN groups in Cardiff which give people a chance to come together, develop their speaking and listening skills and build friendships. The groups are attended by people of a whole variety of different nationalities and are a great place for people to improve their English and find a sense of community in a new country and city. The YMCA also benefits from the support of the FAN charity in the running of a FAN group at the hostel for our residents.

YMCA staff and residents were privileged to attend another local FAN group on Tuesday along with John Chown in order to present the donation. We were able to take part in the actual meeting and witness first-hand how important and beneficial the group is for those who attend. The donation given in memory of Pat Chown will be spent on advertising and promoting the FAN groups so that more people can benefit from the incredible service that FAN offers.

 

Andrea Reynolds, Cardiff YMCA Housing Association

Dwy Iaith dan Un To / Two Languages under One Roof #DIUT

(Scroll down for English)

Yr wythnos yma mae Grŵp Cartrefi Cymunedol Cymru yn dathlu'r Gymraeg ac yn ail-ategu ein hymrwymiadau i fod yn sefydliadau cynhwysol a dwyieithog drwy gyfres o sesiynau gyda ffocws ar y Gymraeg yn ein swyddfeydd. Mae'r Gymraeg yn rhan hanfodol o fywyd a chymdeithas yng Nghymru ac mae hynny'n wir am waith CHC a'r aelodau a gynrychiolwn ym mhob rhan o Gymru, a gyda safonau'r Gymraeg yn cael eu hymestyn, rydym hefyd yn sicrhau fod gan y Gymraeg rôl gyfannol i ni yma.

Mae tair prif thema yn ganolog i'r wythnos: Ymwybyddiaeth Iaith, Dysgu Iaith a'n Cynllun Iaith; mae'r holl sesiynau sydd ar y gweill ar gyfer yr wythnos Gymraeg yn cyd-fynd gyda'r themâu pwysig yma ac yn sicrhau ein bod yn dysgu mwy am y Gymraeg yn ogystal â'n hymrwymiadau i ddwyieithrwydd a galluogi dysgu'r iaith ei hun.

Cafodd ein hwythnos Dwy Iaith dan Un To ddechrau gwych gyda seminar ar ymwybyddiaeth iaith gan Meirion Prys Jones, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol y Rhwydwaith Hyrwyddo Amrywiaeth Ieithyddol a Phrif Swyddog Gweithredol olaf Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg (y person delfrydol i godi ymwybyddiaeth!). Addysgir y wers i ni llawer am hanes Cymru ac o'r iaith Gymraeg ac addysgon ni wersi pwysig am hunaniaeth Gymreig a'r angen i sicrhau bod yr iaith Gymraeg nid yn unig yn goroesi, ond yn ffynnu.

Yn ystod yr wythnos bydd Lowri, ein tiwtor Cymraeg poblogaidd, wedi cyflwyno dwy sesiwn blas ar y Gymraeg gydag un yn canolbwyntio ar y Gymraeg yn y gwaith a'r llall ar y Gymraeg tu allan i'r gwaith ar gyfer dechreuwyr llwyr i gymryd cam cadarn ar y llwybr i roi cynnig ar y Gymraeg ac ennyn brwdfrydedd pawb ohonom am ddysgu'r Gymraeg. Byddwn hefyd yn edrych ar yr amrywiaeth o dechnoleg iaith a all gefnogi dysgu a galluogi pawb yn CHC i weithio'n effeithiol yn ddwyieithog.

I ategu ein hymrwymiadau i ymwreiddio'r Gymraeg yn ein gwaith byddwn yn edrych ar ein Cynllun Iaith Gymraeg cyfredol ac edrych ymlaen at y safonau - bydd Swyddog Cydymffurfiaeth o swyddfa'r Comisiynydd Iaith yma i drafod gwaith y Comisiynydd a safonau'r Gymraeg er mwyn hyrwyddo manteision y Gymraeg a dwyieithrwydd.

Bu trefnu'r wythnos Gymraeg yn llafur cariad i mi. Ar ôl astudio'r Gymraeg fel ail iaith, rwy'n awyddus i rannu fy angerdd at yr iaith gyda fy nghydweithwyr a fu'n eiddgar iawn helpu i drefnu'r wythnos yma a chymryd rhan. Mae amseriad yr wythnos hefyd yn ddelfrydol oherwydd nid yn unig mae'r safonau ar y gorwel ond mae hefyd ddigwyddiadau Cymraeg gwych i ddod eleni megis Tafwyl a'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol sy'n wirioneddol ddangos yr etifeddiaeth barhaus a lle canolog y Gymraeg ym mhob agwedd o fywyd yng Nghymru ac yn sicr ni fydd CHC yn colli'r cyfle!

This week at the Community Housing Cymru Group we are celebrating the Welsh language and reaffirming our commitments to being inclusive and bilingual organisations through a series of Welsh-focussed sessions at our offices. Welsh is an integral part of life and society in Wales and that is true of the work that CHC conducts and the members that we represent right across Wales and, with forthcoming language standards being rolled out, we are ensuring that Welsh also plays an integral role for us here.

Central to this week are its three major themes: Language Awareness, Language Learning and our Language Scheme; all of the sessions planned for this Welsh week fit in to these major themes and ensure that we learn more about the Welsh language as well our commitments to bilingualism and enabling learning of the language itself.

Our Dwy Iaith dan Un To week got off to a brilliant start with a seminar on language awareness delivered by Meirion Prys Jones, CEO of the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) and the last CEO of the Welsh Language Board (the ideal person to raise awareness!). The session taught us a lot about the history of Wales and of the Welsh language and we learned important lessons about Welsh identity and the need to ensure that the Welsh language not only survives but thrives.

Our popular Welsh language tutor, Lowri, delivered two Welsh taster sessions this week with one focussing on Welsh at work and the other on Welsh outside of work for complete beginners to get people who don’t speak Welsh a strong footing on the ladder to really giving Welsh a go and getting us enthusiastic about learning Welsh. We’ll also be looking at the array of Welsh language technology that can support learning and can enable everyone at CHC to work bilingually efficiently.

To reaffirm our commitments to wedding Welsh to our work we will look at our current Welsh Language Scheme and look ahead to the standards – a Compliance Officer from the Welsh Language Commissioner’s office will be here to talk through the work of the Commissioner and to discuss Welsh language standards with us to really promote the advantages of the Welsh language and of bilingualism.

Organising a week of Welsh has been a labour of love for me. Having studied Welsh as a second language I am keen to share my passion for the language with my co-workers who have really jumped on board in helping organise this week and in taking part. The timing of this week is also ideal because not only do we have standards on the horizon but there are great Welsh language events to come this year, such as Tafwyl and the National Eisteddfod, which really showcase the lasting legacy and the undeniably solid and rightful place the Welsh language has in all aspects of life in Wales and CHC certainly won’t be missing out!

Liam Townsend

Research Assistant / Cynorthwy-ydd Ymchwil 

Can off-site construction of new homes solve public sector housing pressures?

Social landlords are often under pressure to build high quality, best value housing quickly. Traditional house builders are finding skill shortages in many areas that puts pressure on house building costs.

There is a solution that provides an ideal alternative to social landlords wishing to build new housing quickly and efficiently – off-site construction. With many UK manufacturers now using state of the art manufacturing techniques in modern, highly automated factories, off-site construction has come a long way in recent years, offering landlords high quality and cost effective solutions for house building.

This is where LHC can help. Our free to use framework agreement for Off-site Construction of New Homes (design, manufacture, supply and erection) is available for public sector organisations in England, Wales and Scotland. For Wales, this framework offers a selection of 5 companies, that can service all regions whilst adhering to our strict quality standards.

Fully OJEU compliant, the framework provides local authorities and housing associations with easy access to off-site manufactured volumetric and panelised building systems for the use in new home build projects. The framework includes the option of a turnkey solution including design, manufacture, supply, installation and construction services. Alternatively, a supply option excluding construction services is also available.

Offering a supply only, as well as a full turnkey solution, the framework offers our clients flexibility of choice. The companies appointed to service this new framework meet the strict LHC requirement of offering superior quality while offering competitive pricing.

I would recommend that anyone interested in finding out more should attend our Factory Fortnight event in February 2016. This event will offer clients the opportunity to visit off site factories and find out about the benefits of modern off-site building techniques.

For further information or to register for Factory Fortnight please visit : www.lhc.gov.uk. Alternatively contact Noel Shapton directly on 07867 428777 or email noel.shapton@lhc.gov.uk.


Noel Shapton
LHC (London Housing Consortium)

No Cold Homes campaign

“Being on a meter has made me very aware of how much money is spent on energy. We make a conscious effort to use the bare minimum and check the meter every morning and night so we are constantly aware of what we are using. I dread the winter.”

“I feel guilty every time it is cold and the children have to sit with blankets around them because I am too worried to put the heating on.”

These are just a couple of the stories we’ve heard as part of our No Cold Homes campaign. As a charity fighting UK poverty, we know that millions of people are struggling to pay their energy bills and keep their homes warm - often going without food and other essentials.

As part of our campaign, we found that almost two-thirds (64%) of low income households in Wales are struggling with their energy costs, despite being in work. A huge 85% feel they will have to cut back on, or not use their heating this winter, whilst over two-fifths (42%) said they would resort to cutting back on food. Two-fifths (40%) anticipate that their energy bills will cause further stress and worry over the coming months.

It’s clear that more needs to be urgently done to tackle these serious problems and one way to help is by raising awareness. More than half (56%) of those households struggling in Wales have done so for more than a year, yet only 16% have told their energy supplier about their situation, and only 4% have turned to an advice organisation for help.

Through our campaign, we want to make sure that the help available gets to where it’s needed. We’ve been working in partnership with other charities and organisations to spread the word amongst their networks. Alongside working households, we know many other groups will suffer this winter too, and we want to reach as many people as we can.

Anyone who is worried about their energy costs this winter can use our free Benefits Calculator to check if they are entitled to any welfare benefits and tax credits, our Grants Search to see if they could be eligible for support from over 3,000 charitable funds, and find information on further sources of help including charitable trusts from energy companies, the Warm Home Discount and the Winter Fuel Payment.

We hope that our campaign will help to create more noise around fuel poverty issues and the help available, so that more people can find support that could make all the difference this winter and beyond.

For more information, please visit www.turn2us.org.uk/NoColdHomes.


Simon Hopkins
Chief Executive of Turn2us

Welsh Apprentice Challenge - hear from the winning mentor!

The first ever Welsh Apprentice Challenge was launched at Community Housing Cymru's Annual Conference on 19th November. 15 apprentices were nominated from all over Wales and were split into three teams. Each team faced the following challenge: 

How can we promote housing as a career of choice for young people?

I mentored the imaginatively named 'Team 3' which was made up of Emily (Cartrefi Conwy), Mathew (Coastal Housing Group), Karolina (Monmouthshire Housing), Oliver (Newport City Homes) and Daniel (Taff Housing Association). My team focused their presentation around a slogan of 'Find a Home For your Talents', recognising that the diversity of roles available in the housing sector should be promoted more widely. 

During their research, the team failed to find any delegates who had consciously made the decision at school to go in to housing, nor any member of the public on the streets in Cardiff that had considered housing as a career. The team highlighted that other sectors, such as the Army, had very effectively developed marketing and advertising demonstrating that there is a far wider variety of roles in the Army than fighting at the front line. 

As the other teams also referred to on the final day, an obvious approach to engaging younger people is through social media. Emily pointed out that, according to research, young people look at their phones over 160 times a day. This means that using Twitter, Snapchat and LinkedIn would be far more productive than leaflets and advertisements. 

The team members themselves demonstrated the wide variety of job opportunities available as they were from such varied roles such as a gas engineer, business administrators, a carpenter and a plumber. 

After two days of discussing, researching, preparing and practising, it was finally time to present the team's ideas to the Annual Conference delegates. All three team members did a fantastic job of presenting their ideas, then it was over to the delegates to choose the winner... it was a win for Team 3!

Lots of conference attendees have commented that the Apprentice Challenge was the highlight of the conference, and I certainly got a lot out of it along with my fellow mentors. Most importantly, the apprentices themselves thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt that their confidence grew throughout the two days.
 

Come to housing and find a home for your talents!

Jason Wroe
Newydd Housing Association

Helping people to live independently

The Supporting People Programme Grant means people get help in their own communities without adding extra costs and pressure to public services.

I recently stopped a Torfaen man from being illegally evicted from his flat and becoming homeless. This would have worsened his mental health issues and put him in unsuitable accommodation.

His privately rented flat was flooded and his landlord moved him to another home. During one of my support visits, I was checking his letters and he showed me a three-month eviction notice. I could see it had been illegally post-dated.

This had been making him anxious. He is bi-polar, schizophrenic and has anger management issues.

I spoke to his landlord who wasn’t very happy that I had spotted what he had been trying to do. The extra time meant that we could get his application into Homeseeker ready to start bidding for a new place to live.

I supported him through this and, in a lovely coincidence, a flat that he lived in many years ago became available and his application was successful.

He couldn’t manage the contact with the different agencies such as removals, housing benefit, the health charities and the Department for Work and Pensions. My work with him made sure it was smooth and he knew what was happening at every step.

He is meeting all of his support outcomes which we agreed when I began working with him. It won’t be long before I stop seeing him and take on another person to help live independently.


Amanda James
Support Officer, Bron Afon Community Housing

Little by Little - Small Changes lead to Better Living

Welsh Government's Warm Homes Wales project has funded 5 Local Authorities (RCT, Torfaen, Cardiff, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr) to take a joined up approach in order to support its households to take action to save energy alongside the installation of energy efficiency measures. The South Wales based energy behaviour change project, Little by Little, has been supporting households across the local authority areas, targeting over 1400 households who have previously received energy saving measures under the Welsh Government's Warm Homes Wales.

The project's key aims are to educate and empower householders to use their energy more efficiently through looking at the whole household's approach towards energy, whilst providing support to improve the quality of life of all those they engage with.

Advisors carry out a home health check with each household, along with energy saving advice that provides information on how to switch providers and the savings that could be made.

Using its partners, the project signposts those who require onto training, education and employment opportunities, digital inclusion advice, along with debt support and other house management opportunities.

As well as providing adults with an OCN level one in Understanding Home Energy via its training sessions, the project is also working with schools encouraging children to become Junior Green Energy Champions via its fun workshops. The project will also be carrying out local energy fairs where energy providers, partners and other community groups can engage with the community to help reduce those affected by fuel poverty.

The project is being run on behalf of the five local authorities by Melin Homes. Allison Cawley, Project Manager said: “This really is a fantastic programme that is helping those in the community who are on the verge of or already in fuel poverty to make some big savings as well as supporting them with their employment, training, digital and financial requirements.”

For more information or to discuss the project, please contact: Allison on 01495 745947, 07791 657386 or allison.cawley@melinhomes.co.uk.

Allison Cawley
Project Manager, Little by Little

Tech makes life easier, but what if you can’t see?

If you couldn’t see or hear like most of the population, you might think that smartphones, tablets and e-readers would be of little or no use to you. Fortunately, you would be wrong.

Online Today is a Big Lottery funded project run by RNIB Cymru and its partners - North Wales Society for the Blind, Vision Support and Action on Hearing Loss.

In the next couple of years, we’re aiming to work with 6,000 people across Wales with sight and hearing loss in order to show, teach and demonstrate how inbuilt functionality and specialist software can open up the world of digital technology.

Lots of people just don’t know where to start when it comes to digital technology. That’s where Online Today comes in. We have a team of eight Digital Skills Officers scattered liberally across the country who are running events, small group sessions and delivering home sessions to those that have difficulty getting about or who live in remote areas. We take along a whole load of the latest technology, and a “mi-fi” to use where there is no broadband connection, so people can get hands on with an iPad, smartphone or laptop. People are given time and support to explore and play with the equipment. They are shown how to access accessibility features, set up e-mail, use Facetime or Skype, do their shopping or banking and even set up Facebook or Twitter accounts. And it's not just a one off - Online Today encourages people to attend as many sessions as possible or we’ll go to their home for as long as is needed to build up their confidence.

Who qualifies for this project? Anyone who has sight or hearing loss. They don’t need to be registered as visually impaired, hearing impaired or blind but their senses do need to be adversely affected due to age or health condition. If you’re not sure about referring someone, then give us a ring and we’ll see what we can do to help.

You can also check http://www.rnib.org.uk/online-today-event-search for up and coming events.

We’re on 029 2082 8518 for further details, or e-mail us at Onlinetodaycymru@rnib.org.uk


Chris Hoyle
Digital Inclusion Manager, RNIB Cymru

A view from housing: What would the draft Wales Bill mean in practice?

The draft Wales Bill, published last week, caused all the usual political rumblings. Amid all the talk of insults to Wales, Whitehall being a bad loser, and the looming threat of a constitutional crisis, there doesn’t seem to have been too much discussion about the practical implications of the proposals within the Bill.

A devolved legislature with extensive powers is now clearly the settled will of the people of Wales.

And while technical debates about constitutional mechanisms and legislation probably won’t be a topic of conversation as the people of Wales eat their tea tonight; job security, health, and housing probably will.

What will the draft Wales Bill mean to, for example, a social housing tenant in Bangor? Or a homeless woman in a hostel in Cardiff?

Housing is probably the area of devolved policy where we have seen Wales and England diverge most over the last 16 years.

Not only is devolved government the settled will of the people of Wales, but a vastly different approach to housing (amongst other things) is too.

In Wales, we have had successive governments committed to investment in social housing, through Social Housing Grant, which has allowed the housing association sector to provide an average of 2,000 additional homes each year. At the same time, Welsh Government supports a ‘Help to Buy’ product which allows better access to home ownership. Across the border, UK Government pursues home ownership as the be all and end all of housing policy, with funding for social housing sacrificed for a loosely defined ‘affordable’ home ownership offer.

Devolution has meant that the housing association sector in Wales has had an opportunity to define itself very differently from our friends across the border.

The Right to Buy for housing associations and the 1% cut to social rents will have a profound impact on affordable housing as we know it in England. In Wales, there are proposals afoot to abolish Right to Buy completely, and we hope that Welsh Government won’t follow the same path on rents – a path now roundly rejected by housing providers and tenants groups.

The draft Wales Bill threatens the ability to legislate for these policy differences – voted for by the people of Wales.

Welsh Government suggests that the Housing Act, which took action on the scourge of empty homes, created new models of co-operative housing and takes action to improve the private sector, would not have been within the competence of the Assembly. This is inexplicable.

It is not a leap to suggest that the proposals in their current form take us back to the dark days of the Legislative Competence Order (LCO). Those of us schooled in the history of LCOs, or indeed housing policy, will know that this didn’t work.

The Reserved Powers model this Bill seeks to enshrine should be about simplicity and clarity. For legislators and voters.

In its present form, the Bill adds to the confusion - not only threatening to slam the brakes on the devolution journey, but threatening to halt the significant progress Wales has made as a nation in a number of areas. For housing, devolution hasn’t just allowed us to do things differently; it has allowed us to better meet the needs, and the will, of the people of Wales.



Aaron Hill
Public Affairs Manager, Community Housing Cymru Group

This blog post was originally published on IWA's Click on Wales site. You can read it here. 

Gareth's story

Read about how the Supporting People Programme changed Gareth's life for the better...

What were the circumstances which led to you needing your support provider?
I was homeless and living in a tent. I was trying to overcome drug addiction but this is difficult when you don’t have secure accommodation.

Which organisation/support provider helped you?
Solas' Dyfrig House scheme in Cardiff

How did your support provider help you? Dyfrig House is a place where I feel safe. I have been in other hostels where I feel like I have to watch my back, but not here. Support to go swimming has helped improve my self confidence. I wouldn’t have liked using the changing room with lots of other people when I was homeless, but I now feel confident, even when it’s busy. I’ve also had support to enrol on the Footsteps to Recovery programme to address my substance misuse issues and now that I have completed this I have enrolled on the MILE programme to help me fulfil my life goal of becoming a substance misuse worker.

What did you find most valuable about your support provider?
The fact that it is a dry hostel means I feel safe.

Where would you be now if it wasn’t for your support provider?
I really couldn’t say, but a lot closer to my death for sure.

What are your hopes and aspirations for the future?
To become a substance misuse worker. For now I need to stay clean, complete the MILE programme and start my volunteering.

Christopher's story

Christopher explains how the Supporting People Programme has changed his life...


What were the circumstances which led to you needing your support provider?
I was homeless following the breakdown of a relationship and I was abusing alcohol and drugs. I didn’t take my medication and my mental health deteriorated which resulted in me being admitted to hospital following a suicide attempt


Which organisation/support provider helped you? 
Solas' Dyfrig House scheme in Cardiff.


How did your support provider help you?
They help me massively. With my mental health problems, I always feel like people have looked down on me, but here there are people who listen, who I am able to talk to.

I have a roof over my head and people to show me the steps and give me the tools to get through my illness.


What did you find most valuable about your support provider?
Having people who listen and who are always there if I need to talk.


Where would you be now if it wasn’t for your support provider?
Probably 6 feet under or in hospital due to the drink or my mental health.


What are your hopes and aspirations for the future?
To get better, and to one day move on and hopefully help people in my position and to be able to tell them there’s light at the end of the tunnel because there IS hope.

Digital Co-operative Housing in Wales

Further to the One Big Housing Conference 2015 in Llandrindod Wells where the Wales Co-operative Centre exhibited and Dave Brown, our Director of Communities and Inclusion, ran a session on ‘Meeting the Skills Gap’, I’m ‘Identifying the Opportunity within a Challenge’ by demonstrating the use of digital inclusion within co-operative housing across Wales.

The Centre has been supporting the development of co-operative housing across Wales for three years which has grown from eight ‘pioneers’ to nearly thirty schemes. Forty-one of these social rented homes are now occupied in Cardiff, where the Home Farm Village housing co-operative members communicate through a closed Facebook site and photos are tweeted by Cadwyn HA, who helped develop the scheme. Some of the residents hadn’t used social media before so being part of the group, and with the support of other co-operative members, their participation and skills have increased which demonstrates the power of formal and informal volunteering. They now resolve issues and keep each other informed about suppliers, service providers, refuse collection and anti-social behaviour, through Facebook.

The Wales Co-operative Centre also has a strong track record in the area of digital inclusion. It is currently delivering the Digital Communities Wales project for Welsh Government. The Centre has been helping communities get online since 2005 and was the lead delivery partner of the Welsh Government’s Communities@One and Communities 2.0 projects, both funded by the European Union. The Centre has extensive experience of developing and implementing co-operative solutions to strengthen communities and promote inclusion.

Recent statistics show that 56% of social housing tenants have broadband access compared to 78% of the total population. The aim is for 100% of co-operative residents to be digitally included. One way in which this is being achieved is by tenants using social media, as a platform that brings people together.

In Merthyr Tydfil, ‘Taf Fechan’ Housing co-op has recently set up a Facebook page and website. They have free wi-fi in all flats and hope to carry out most of their training and business electronically. They also tweet - @Taffechancoop.

There are other good examples of this all over Wales. In Newport, where nineteen leasehold shared-ownership homes are currently being built, members communicate through a closed Facebook site and also have a public page. There will be opportunities in future to market available properties through social media.

In Carmarthenshire, founder members of a site that has twenty-seven ‘Intermediate Rent’ homes also have a closed and public Facebook page. Members have chosen the co-op’s logo, street names and internal finishes for the homes through the Facebook page. Training presentations are uploaded to the Facebook site for members that can’t make any of the regular meetings. An emerging group in Powys uses Facebook as they start to engender interest.

Further North, in Wrexham, a small self-build housing co-op has both a website and Facebook site. They have gone public online with the website and have already accumulated over 300 likes on Facebook. They are getting some great messages of support from local community and from those already working on sustainable projects.

There is a large Community Land Trust in Pembrokeshire, which is establishing a website that links into the local community council’s website. In Swansea there is a small established housing co-op that also has a Facebook presence.

All of this not only shows the power of social media, but it provides a great opportunity to help people do more online as they develop housing co-operatives – a win-win as far as we’re concerned. The development and interconnection of all these co-ops across would not be possible without social media and the support of the Wales Co-operative Centre and the Confederation of Co-operative Housing.


Dave Palmer, Wales Co-operative Centre

A case study - PORTH Supporting People Service

PORTH is a Supporting People service provided by Tai Ceredigion for elderly and vulnerable people through the county.

The service is provided in our Sheltered Schemes and any individual from the community can access the service by arranging an appointment and visiting a scheme which is most convenient to them. Referrals for support can be made by statutory or voluntary services, or by self referral. The advisors can talk through each concern and then work with each person to achieve the desired goals.

The scheme can help with benefit enquiries, financial matters, mobility issues, housing issues and general help with accessing social support and services.

Our client, 'Mrs Neighbour' was referred to the PORTH service from a partner agency with concerns for escalating rent arrears.

The initial assessment identified many areas of need including mounting debts, high rent arrears and potential homelessness, inappropriate and damp private rented accommodation, failing physical health, mental health issues and the inability to manage life on a day to day basis.

PORTH worked with Mrs Neighbour to understand what the personal goals and priorities were and then liaised with specialist agencies where necessary. Negotiations were made with her current landlord to buy time to try and reduce the rent arrears, medical information was supplied and the Environmental agency accessed to maximise the award of points for the housing register to try to move client Mrs Neighbour into more affordable and sustainable social housing.

This was successful, and 'Mrs Neighbour' was able to move into sheltered accommodation some months later and so avoiding certain homelessness.


PORTH supported Mrs Neighbour to successfully:

• Apply for ESA & SDP, PIP and DHP. 
• Also to declare bankruptcy (via a CAB financial specialist)
• To obtain a grant of £700 towards rent arrears
• To manage medication through liaison with the GP and chemist
• To attend relevant medical appointments
• To set up utility accounts
• To open a suitable bank account for direct debits.

Buddug Lewis

Tai Ceredigion Housing Manager

By offering support and guidance, the service assisted with many aspects of Mrs Neighbour's life. It was noted that there was a marked improvement in their mental health, general wellbeing and the ability to sustain an independent life in suitable accommodation.

One Big Housing Conference #chchousing15

Brett Sadler, Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods at North Wales Housing, blogged about our recent One Big Housing Conference... 

I hadn’t been to a Community Housing Cymru (CHC) event for at least a few years, so when I saw the agenda for the One Big Housing Conference, I thought it looked worthwhile attending.

First a bit of background. CHC are the representative body for housing associations and community mutuals in Wales, which are all not-for profit organisations. The venue for the event is the famous Metropole Hotel (trust me – if you have been there, you’d understand why its famous). It’s a sprawling hotel in Llandrindod Wells, often jokingly described in Wales as ‘equally inconvenient for the North and South’. For me personally it was a 2½ hour drive from North Wales to get there – fact. It’s also the only hotel I know where there is no mobile signal within the hotel…..anywhere.

And so to the conference itself. If you have never been to a CHC event before, they are very professionally run. Everything electronic (rather than the usual half a ream of papers given at the start of a conference), screens with the latest tweets up on the wall and clearly signposted rooms for each session.

The first conference session was from Andy Crowe titled ‘I’m a Housing Exec, GET ME OUT OF HERE!’, talking about his experience of working on the island of St Helena and the uphill struggles this entailed, although as I tweeted below, its not all work...

To read more, please visit Brett's blog to read his original post. 

Spotlight on Caring & Repairing

Break-in Britain Series 2 - The Crackdown

So in the middle of January 2015, Tony and I (Lyndon) were invited into Kelly Jones’s office. We were informed that we had volunteered for a special assignment involving the normal day to day work we carry out, but this time with the cameras of the BBC recording our every move!

We of course were naturally overjoyed to be the focal point of such attention, whilst showcasing the burgeoning talents of Swansea Care & Repair and Care & Repair services to the full. So after a discussion on materials and likely job types, and the possibility of one or two other members of staff joining in the fun, and the likelihood of “short notice” warnings of filming, we vacated Kelly’s office and returned to our duties.

A week or so later, the call came from upstairs that Tony and I were to report to a property in the Baglan area to install some security equipment as yet undecided. The BBC film crew would meet us there later. We duly arrived at the property of Dennis and Ann, and discovered the need to install new lockable window handles, patio door locks and the like for Tony, and a couple of security lights and a burglar alarm for me. We immediately set about our respective tasks and the BBC film crew along with the presenter Dan Donnelly soon arrived. They then proceeded to enquire about our work by asking us (individually) to explain to the camera what we were doing, and how the expected completion of our tasks would benefit the householders concerned. This we had to deliver several times as the “mike” was not working, or the wind was too “noisy”, or someone fudged his lines (Dan). They then proceeded to film us actually installing various items, and Dan the presenter even lent a hand (honest). Everything proceeded as planned; all electrical items were tested and certificated as required. Although fitting the burglar alarm sounder box on the outside wall of the property did prove problematic for me on the ladder and the BBC cameraman filming, while the snow was falling! Burglar alarm programmed and tested (with Tony’s assistance), we vacated the property, leaving the householders Dennis and Ann feeling safe in their home once more.

Two weeks later, the second week of February 2015, Tony and I were despatched to the Mumbles area to help Jackie, a single mother who works for the Prison service, after she had been burgled. To this end we installed a wireless alarm system, a security light at the rear and Tony fitted a new lock and some “sash jammers” etc. We were then joined by several more members of Care & Repair when David and Steve and even Raymond turned up to help fit a fence and gate at the rear of the property (this can be seen in the title sequence of the broadcast programmes where I am passing a fence panel to Dan, while Steve holds a drill, and Dave looks busy). In the first episode of programmes in series 2, all members of the Care & Repair team in attendance at the property ended up being shown on TV! Also at this address, we were pleased to encounter an ex-Care & Repair member Lloyd Thomas installing a new UPVC door and window assembly to the rear porch as part of the upgraded security measures for the property. As can be seen on the programme, Jackie says she will now be able to sleep at night knowing that her safety rating is much higher than before.

All in all it was really satisfying to help out in the above situations and, perhaps as it's being televised, it might raise the profile of Care & Repair and show the general public we really are there to help with their comfort, safety, and security.

Kelly Jones, Chief Officer
Swansea Care & Repair

Older people deserve better

The word 'deserve' disturbs me and implies that whoever ‘deserves’ has had to have done something to earn whatever is on offer. This actually implies an inequality for some people. Those people might be you, me, your sister, brother, mother or father. I have always been interested in how the use of language to describe people and practices does tend to influence attitude.

So I want to concentrate on the fact that we need to remove that word 'Deserve' and focus on rights for all people, recognising the humanity in us all.

It is amazing and indeed shameful that older people felt the urgent need in Wales to actually produce an explanation of what Human Rights meant to them.

But we must understand why we still have to use the word ‘Deserve’ when we consider older people's care and support. I think this is because there is still evidence out there of failed care, omissions of services and public inquiries into abuse.

My contention is that we are continually being pushed into lobbying for better services for older people, and using terms such as ‘Deserve’ indicates that society and public services still do not understand ageing or adequately recognise the real cost and benefit to supporting older people to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Similarly prejudicial remarks have long been recognised as inappropriate when applied to, for example, gender or ethnicity. So it seems that older people are still the last frontier and we are still having to use this term to get what older people actually need to enable them to experience a higher quality later life.

The attitudes that fester the lobbying for better services I have just mentioned affect assessments of need and packages of support. The customary diagnostic rigour which, for instance, healthcare professionals have been trained to apply as standard, can sometimes be mysteriously replaced for older people as patients by ageist therapeutic emptiness. In other words, nothing substantial to help them maintain their health. Professional values and training still overly prioritise the acute, the rare, the high-tech and the cure, and need to change to reflect the reality of modern health and social care practice which now is beginning to embrace, in partnership, the work undertaken within housing services for older people.

If we are providing a public service based on need and preventing ill health, and also implementing action on health and wellbeing as equally important, then we must give adequate and full assessments to all the people who actually turn up in the system, rather than for those whom we would find more personally engaging, or those ‘consumers’ who shout loudest.

It's great that the housing sector is championing a change in the approach to support for the older person and I am proud to be a part of that. However, there needs to be much more commitment all through the health system and action undertaken now which recognises the work that we, the housing champions for older people, have done to promote the rights of older people to continue to live independently and to experience a good later life.

Lets get to a situation in Wales where we never have to use the term ‘Deserve’ any more.

Lorraine Morgan
Board Member, Care & Repair Cymru

Safeguarding those who are the most vulnerable

Edmund Burke is quoted as saying "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."  As professionals, as carers, as individuals and as a community we all have a responsibility for safeguarding those who are the most vulnerable and at risk in our communities whether they be at home or in other health and care settings.  

Abuse comes in many forms including physical, psychological and emotional, financial, sexual and neglect.  Almost 40,000 older people are abused in their own homes by people they know and trust.

Institutional abuse has recently gained a higher profile due to press coverage, large police investigations and public enquiries.  Recent examples include North Staffs, the Tawel Fan ward in North Wales, Winterbourne View, and Operation Jasmine just to name a few.  All of these were situations where very vulnerable people relied on the care, treatment and support of others.  They and their families placed their trust in people who were supposed to 'care' and this trust was betrayed.  These cases should never have happened and I would like to think they would never happen again.  We must all learn from what has happened and ensure that history does not repeat itself in another setting.  

I can't believe, because it would be too difficult to make sense of, that those entrusted with the care of others in these cases would have set out to cause serious harm. More likely is that fractured systems, poor leadership, understaffing, lack of training, no one listening to concerns, all contributed to people receiving unacceptable levels of care and in some cases suffering abuse.   As a caring society we cannot allow this to happen again.  We all have a responsibility for safeguarding others, for treating people with dignity and respect, for upholding people's human rights, for believing someone when they tell us what has happened to them or for reporting concerns.  

In April 2016 the Social Services and Well-being Act will be implemented and section seven is about safeguarding.  There will be duties on local authorities and other statutory agencies to make enquiries and undertake appropriate action, to co-operate and provide assistance with safeguarding cases, to share appropriate information and there will also be a duty on individuals to report concerns of abuse.  This is landmark legislation as safeguarding adults will be put on a statutory footing for the first time.  Although it will not resolve all the abuse happening in our society it will provide agencies with improved tools.  We must all support the implementation of this legislation and ensure that we do everything we can to safeguard those in our care.  We must listen, reassure, believe, and act.  We must not assume that others will do something as the consequences could be unthinkable.  

We must all act to ensure that Edmund Burke's quote does not become a reality.

Louise Hughes

Safeguarding Manager

Age Cymru

Resilience during Times of Change

We are often asked in Academi Wales…‘why is change so difficult to lead and manage in our organisations?’ When we consider how we drive whole scale change, we need to focus on the behaviors, the system and the symbols. We may start by considering the system (the way we do things) and focus on changing our tasks, actions and outputs to make the change happen. We may focus on the symbols (the non-verbal message) the brand, the meaning and the image our organisation conveys. We should always link this to behaviour (what I do and say) and this can often be the hardest part of any change.

Last year I contributed to the ‘Developing Resilient Organisations’ book by Strycharczyk & Elvin, in building the case studies I was struck again by how important it is to understand our own behaviour and those of others as a base for our leadership development.  

It is our behaviour that that can be the enabler or disabler for ourselves and others as we experience any change. In understanding our own behaviours we can understand how we have impacted our own experience and the experience of others. Our ability to remain resilient can impact our commitment to any change so it’s important to understand, what does being resilient mean to me? I am fascinated by the why, what and the how of resilience, why do some of us bounce back so quickly, what are the qualities that enable some to thrive whilst others may struggle to cope and how can we understand the behaviours that build or erode our resilience.  

It’s great to be part of #CandRconf15 this week, to offer a taster of development in understanding our resilience, a topic I remain continuously curious about.

Zoe Sweet

keysafe.co.uk
@zvsweet
@AcademiWales

Security and older people

Thankfully, crimes against older and vulnerable people are relatively uncommon. However, when they do occur they can be very upsetting.

As providers of the only security rated key safe in the UK, we are often invited to provide guidance on general household security for elderly and vulnerable people. Key safes provide an easy and secure way of allowing authorised visitors to access your home. They significantly improve security compared to alternatives such as hiding a spare key under the mat, plant pot or in the garden shed and are commonly used by carers, GPs, family members and the emergency services.

There are very simple measures you can take to improve security. Whether you are 25 or 85, the advice for protecting yourself and your home is very similar.

Your first concern should always be your own personal safety. No matter if you are inside or outside your home, you should always make sure you have a means of contacting someone in the event of an emergency.

Today there are various ways to stay connected. Mobile phones are a great way to ensure that you can call for help in an emergency. With such a wide variety available, they can be as complex or as simple as you like. When you are inside your home, personal alarms or telecare devices allow you to alert family members, loved ones or a monitoring centre at the press of a button.

Protecting your home and valuables can be really simple and cost effective. Every once in a while, you should take a look at the various access points of your house and determine if they’re secure enough. It may be necessary to purchase additional locks for windows and doors or install door viewers and chains for extra security and peace of mind.

If you are unable to inspect or install additional security, don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends, relatives or neighbours. Most people out there are more than willing to help, especially when it comes to your security. Alternately, there are charities and organisations, like Care & Repair, who actively work to ensure that older people stay safe and secure in their own homes. It may also be possible to get help to pay for locks and chains.

Valuables should always be kept safe and not put on display. Keep your money in the bank, building society or post office and avoid keeping large sums of cash in the house. Today, most shops and retailers are equipped to deal with debit or credit cards. There is little need to carry large sums of cash to purchase goods or services. However, these changes in payment methods carry their own cautions. Remember to guard your card information and never keep your PIN number with your card. If you need any assistance or advice, your bank should be able to talk you through their own card security advice.

Remember, even the best security equipment is useless unless it is used. Be sure to always lock up properly, even if you are just popping out for a few minutes. You should always ensure that the access to your home is protected. When possible, avoid opening the door without a door chain and always check credentials of unscheduled visitors.

If you do have regularly scheduled visitors, ensure that you are familiar with their schedule and manage their access. You should always ensure that you remain in control of your home. You can do this by remembering to always lock your doors and windows and limiting the number of spare keys available. Preferably, you should always avoid handing out spare keys or leaving them exposed and unsecure. Burglars know that people tend to leave a spare key in a handful of places near their door and will often search these before attempting a break-in. Don’t make their job easier for them by leaving keys where they can easily be accessed. If you must leave a key outside, use a Police approved key safe and only give the code to people you trust.

Following this simple advice, combined with that of your local community Police, you should maintain a secure lifestyle.


Richard Conyers
Digital Executive
The Key Safe Company

www.keysafe.co.uk
@KeySafeUK
facebook.com/keysafeuk