Inspired by many of our

providers, we will be

producing a quarterly

newsletter as a way to

share positive news and

information about what is

happening in Bath and

North East Somerset.

It’s for anyone who

provides a service and

anyone who uses a

service.

We would like to hear

about what you have

been up to, positive

experiences that you have

had, and forthcoming

events and dates for the

diaries.

Photos very welcome.

• To share

information

• To share positive

stories

• To share dates

for the diaries

WHATS IN THIS EDITION

• Commissioner’s News

• Introducing…

• Did you know???

• Good News stories.

• Dates for your diary.

JuneJuneJuneJune

2014201420142014

Commissioner’s News

Housing event - Preparing for the future

On 12th May we held a Housing Event at Fry’s Keynsham for families and young people who are preparing for adulthood and starting to think about their future housing and support options. The event was set up like a market place with organisations having a stall, we had 18 ‘stall holders’ representing a variety of organisations such as: the Council’s Housing Team, Welfare Benefits, housing providers, Sirona Care and Health, support providers and the information and advice service. The event was well attended and we had the opportunity to meet and talk with many families and young people. We received some very positive feedback from the event receiving comments such as: ‘it was useful talking to people who really know how to help in an informal yet informative way’, ‘ Many thanks for the event - most useful’, ‘Keep doing more!’ We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all organisations who attended the event and helped make it a success.

Introducing….

What is your job role within the council?

I am a Support Services Manager for Property

and Project delivery. This means I provide

business support to all our service areas,

finance, the receptions at Northgate House

and Riverside. I am responsible for Freedom of

Information responses, HR issues, complaints,

compliance, H&S etc… all the stuff that goes

with running a business.

How does this role link to Project Search?

It doesn’t! I am the Business Liaison for

Project Search which under the terms of the

Model has to be an unpaid position – a

volunteer, and there is good reason for that.

The Council is one of 2 Project Search sites in

Bath and North East Somerset. Every site UK

and worldwide has to have a Business Liaison

for the programme.

Ideally it should be someone who knows the

employer well, someone who has good

knowledge of the organisation, its structure,

the policies and custom and practice etc. I

have worked at the council for about 18 years.

I do this on top of my full time job as a Support

Service Manager. The involvement varies but

the role is there because you can’t have

Project Search coming in to your organisation

and operating within it unsupervised, as such.

I’m very lucky that I have a supportive team in

my full time job. It helps that I can work

flexibly, working from home as well as working

evenings and weekends to fit everything in

when I need to.

What made you decide to take on this extra

role?

I sit on the corporate equalities group within

the council. I have always been driven by equal

opportunities for people although I had no

experience of working with people who have a

learning difficulty or disability before taking on

this role. I seem to do it quite naturally.

My full time job is on the theme of buildings

and premises – bricks and mortar. I’m very

removed from the people at the end who use

the council’s properties. With Project Search it

is all about the person and it is motivated by

emotions. It’s about getting the best results for

people – a paid job outcome that’s life

changing. It’s something I am very passionate

about.

We meet Alison Thomas. A B&NES

Council Employee and Project Search

Business Liaison….

Can you tell me more about Project

Search? How does it work?

In short- Project Search is a 3 way

collaborative partnership:

1. The host employer, in this case Bath

and North East Somerset Council

2. The supported employment provider,

in this case Sirona Employment

Inclusion Service.

3. The education provider – Bath City

College.

Project Search is a one year internship

programme supporting young people with

additional needs to gain skills and

experience to go onto employment. During

this time the students get the opportunity

to take on 3 different placements lasting 10

weeks each. These placements are carried

out in different areas of the organisation to

allow the students lots of different

experiences and the opportunity to develop

lots of different skills. Students are

supported by job coaches, provided by the

Employment Inclusion Service and a tutor

from Bath City College that support their

learning on the job with parallel classroom

work.

What does your role as Business Liaison do

on a day to day basis? How are you

involved with the students?

I don’t have daily involvement. I’m very

much in the background working with the

different departments in the council to get

them on board and get them to offer a

placement. I then work with the

department managers to create the role

and identify suitable jobs for the student to

undertake. The job coaches come along and

take over in order to really analyse the job.

We try and get a diverse range of

placements to allow choice and we need to

be able to layer on skills in that placement.

The student needs to develop employability

skills as well as build confidence within

themselves.

The students are treated like any other

employee. Some tasks they undertake will

be boring, some jobs will be interesting.

But that is the same for all of us.

It is very important that we can offer as

much choice in placements as possible.

This means that the student can then

choose placements that interest them. We

try and match abilities and interests to a

placement. If the student is interested in

the placement it makes it more likely that

it will succeed.

At the moment we have 10 different

placement opportunities within the

council through Project Search, with

several new ones that I am developing.

These include Libraries, The Pump Rooms,

Midland Road Recycling Depot, Haycombe

Cemetery, Aquaterra Leisure, Family

Information Services, IT, Parks, Children

Sure Start centre and Catering.

I am also involved in the recruitment of

the students for each new academic year

What’s the hardest part of your job role

with in Project Search?

It can be difficult working with resistant

departments – having to convince them to

offer a placement is frustrating. A lot of

the resistance is around lack of

understanding of what it involves, the

perception that it will be burdensome and

the worry that they as managers will have

to become support workers, even though

this is not the case. However peoples

understanding is slowly getting better and

they are more willing to be involved. I just

wish managers had a more ‘let’s give it a

go’ attitude.

It can also be difficult to manage the

expectations of the student and the

families of what will happen at the end of

Project Search. There is no guaranteed job

at the end; however a lot of support is

given to the students in their last

placement around job development. Extra

job coaches join the team to help with

identifying vacancies, writing CV’s,

completing applications and providing

interview practice.

What is the best part of the Project Search

role?

Without a doubt, the best part is seeing

the change and the development in the

students. They often start the course very

shy, yes/no answers, little engagement and

very nervous. By the time they have

completed the course they are a

completely different person. They have

become mature, confident, employable

adults. The difference in a year is amazing.

The family feedback has been exceptional

and often the change in the individual has

had a positive impact on the family

dynamic. Quite often these young people

have no career aspirations because nobody

thought they were employable.

Project Search has had no less than a 70%

job outcome success rate so far. At the

Council we have employed a few students

that have graduated from Project Search -

across many different areas where there

has been a real vacancy and competition

for it. Not one created for them.

I employed 2 staff in my department that

have been through Project Search. There is

a definite advantage to taking on someone

who has spent time working in the

organisation as they know how things work

and what is expected of them.

Dean is a B&NES success story. After

finishing his education at Fosse Way

school he has secured a job at the RUH in

Bath. This is what he has to say about his

success…….

Can you tell me about your job?

I work on the respiratory ward as a Patient Support Assistant. I restock gloves, aprons hygiene trollies

and the blood trolley (so that the Phlebotomists can use it on the ward). I help with lunches, teas and

coffees. I restock the fridge with drinks for patients who can’t eat ordinary food and get jugs of water

for patients who are thirsty.

How did you get your job?

After Post 16 at Fosse Way school I went to Project Search for two years. This gave me lots of

experience on different wards. I enjoyed working on MALS (Medical Equipment Library) best; we

delivered air mattresses and feeding pumps to the wards. I liked going to different departments

instead of being in a classroom. It was completely different from school but in a good way.

When Project Search Finished I wanted to work there. I looked for jobs on the NHS jobs website .I

wanted to be a Patient Support Assistant. I only looked for those jobs but there weren’t any so I

volunteered to be a Tour Guide and worked in the Friends Shop doing cleaning, restocking and

computer scanning.

Eventually a job came up and I applied and got it.

Why did you think it was important to do the voluntary work?

If I hadn’t volunteered I wouldn’t have got the job. Everyone got to know me I kept the same routine and I liked to get up and go to work. I may not have known about the job if I hadn’t volunteered.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is the patient contact, talking to them. Also, I’m paid it’s good actually having

my own money.

Its good experience if I wasn’t working I’d just be at home on computer games

Do you get help with your job?

I have a tick list with pictures of what I have to do, it really helps, once I do a job I just tick ‘done’

I have a Mentor who helps me and oversees the jobs that I do and Job Coaches help me by popping

in and out. They help to explain new jobs to me.

What do you hope for the future?

I really want a permanent contract (fingers crossed!)

What would you say to other people who were considering Project Search?

It’s good!

Interview carried out by Julie Knight

Project Search is a one year college transition programme that provides training and

education to young adults with a learning difficulty, with the focus on getting and keeping a

job.

The scheme is open to all young adults aged 16-25 with a learning difficulty.

Project Search is a training scheme running within an employer’s site in partnership with

Bath City College and Sirona Employment Inclusion Service.

It runs from September – July with the academic year.

It consists of a mixture of classroom based learning and practical learning The students will

have the opportunity to do 3 different placements through the year, each lasting 10 weeks.

This gives students the opportunity to try new things and develop new skills.

These placements are supported by a tutor from Bath City College and a Job Coach from

Sirona.

Students are then supported to look for and apply for jobs. Support is given with finding

vacancies, applying and interview practice.

Currently we have 2 separate sites running for Project Search in B&NES. These are the RUH

and B&NES council.

For more information on Project Search please contact

Alison_thomas@bathnes.gov.uk

Or

Chris_east@sirona-cic.org.uk

You can also visit the Bath City College website

http://www.citybathcoll.ac.uk/full-time-courses/project-search.html

There are currently a number of schemes commissioned by Bath and North East

Somerset Council that support people with disabilities to find work opportunities.

These include -

The Employment Inclusion Service This service is run by Sirona. It consists of Project Search, Supported Employment service and a

Employers Network. For more information please contact Chris East at Chris_east@sirona-cic.org.uk

Clean Slate Clean Slate creates and supports paid work for homeless people, refugees, lone parents, people

with disabilities and all those facing barriers to employment. They offer training and

employment through their existing Work Clubs at three walks- in job centre locations across

Bath and North East Somerset.

31 Monmouth Street, Bath, BA1 2NA (Wednesday and Thursday 10am – 4pm)

Curo (formerly Somer Community Housing Trust),

11 High Street, Keynsham, BS31 1DP. (Tuesday 10am – 4pm)

The Cottage (off the High Street), Midsomer Norton BA3 2DT (Monday 10am - 4pm

CSV Training CSV Training provide foundation learning, apprenticeships and other vocational training, helping

to develop the skills, attitudes and confidence for work and well-being, at two locations in

Bath:

Parkside Children's Centre, Charlotte Street, Bath, BA1 2NE (Monday 9am – 4pm)

Moorlands Children's Centre, Moorfields Road, Bath, BA2 2DQ (Wednesday 9am – 4pm)

Developing Health and Independence (DHI) Offers support to people who are socially excluded for reasons such as homelessness, alcohol

or drug addiction, learning disabilities or emotional difficulties. The service helps people to

turn their lives around by tackling both the causes and consequences of social exclusion

through practical and emotional support services such as information and advice, supported

housing, counseling, activities, and employment and training opportunities. Drop-in available

Monday to Friday 9.30am – 4.30pm at The Beehive, Beehive Yard, Bath, BA1 5BD.

More information on work clubs and enterprise can be found on the B&NES

public website

SWALLOW, a local charity supporting people

with learning disabilities is one of the first

organisations in Bath and North East

Somerset to achieve a Workplace Wellbeing

Charter, a nationally developed award scheme

to recognise employers for their work to create

healthier workplaces.

The scheme, delivered by Sirona Care and Health with funding from

Bath & North East Somerset Council, aims to boost workplace health,

this is vitally important for a charity such as SWALLOW, which relies on

the quality of their staff to provide a high quality support to local

vulnerable people. SWALLOW’s Human Resources manager, Michelle

Cox said: “We were very pleased to work towards the new Workplace

Wellbeing Charter, we value our staff highly and welcome the support of

Sirona Care and Health to make sure we are doing all we can to

guarantee they are as healthy as possible.”

On 16TH May staff and residents at Rookery House held an Activity Day to celebrate success, have fun and raise some money for the National Autistic Society. Events included a cake sale and tombola, a penalty shoot-out, quiz, art workshop, treasure hunt, barbecue and music. Thanks to good team-work and plenty of sunshine the day was enjoyed by all and we are already planning a World Cup themed event in July! May 2014

The SWALLOW Community Cafe is an expansion of SWALLOW’s Work Skills Enterprise Scheme, enabling people with learning disabilities to gain the skills and experience that they require for work. The cafe runs from 11-3pm every Wednesday and Friday. Here is a photo of two new trainees:

The cafe will teach individuals about working in the catering industry and will support people to move on to paid or voluntary employment where possible. They will gain work experience in the cafe and kitchen by preparing food and serving customers. If you are interested in getting involved please contact Caroline or Bev on 01761 414034.

DATES FOR THE DIARY Give us your

feedback.

The deadline for all submissions for the next newsletter is

1st

September 2014

We want to know what you think of this

newsletter.

Is there anything you would like to see in

it?

What jargons would you like busted?

Let us know by emailing us at

LD&PSI_Comms@BATHNES.GOV.UK

• 24TH

September 2014

Provider Forum