New grant funding for local charities
The Guernsey Community Foundation’s new Quarterly Grants Programme is now open for applications. The Foundation’s existing Funders have pledged £40,000 per year for the programme, £10,000 per quarter.
Applications for grants from £1,000 up to £10,000 are welcome from voluntary, charitable and community organisations that meet the stated grant theme of ‘social inclusion’ (overcoming barriers and inequalities that prevent people participating on equal terms in society). Please read the Criteria and Guidelines on the GCF website before completing an application form.
Download the application form from www.foundation.gg or alternatively call Sadie on 748056, or email sadie@foundation.gg to request a hard copy. If you have any questions about the application process, or require support to submit your application, Sadie will be pleased to help.
Closing date for applications for this quarter’s grants: Friday 30 March 2012
Grants from this quarter’s applications will be distributed in early May.
Introduction to Positive Behaviour – free training
Introduction to Positive Behaviour Support Approaches and Challenging Behaviour
March 8th or 15th
St John’s Training Centre, Les Gigands (opposite Oatlands)
10am – 2.30pm
This module is aimed at those informal carers who are caring for someone with a learning disability (complex needs), Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Developmental Disabilities (and can often be useful to those caring for someone with acquired brain injury).
The main focus of the module is however to those who support someone with a learning disability or special educational needs. Siblings are welcome however the programme itself is not appropriate for young children.
The basis of the module is to:
• Supporting parents and informal carers in strategies to help them deal with challenging behaviour.
• Ensure that people’s individual communication needs are positively addressed.
• Eliminate the use of unnecessary restrictive and aversive practice.
• Demonstrate how PBS interventions can support people to change their challenging behaviours, improve their quality of life,
If you are unsure if this will meet your needs then please contact Elizabeth Morris on 247979. Elizabeth will take your number and get one of the trainers to call you.
Modernising the Supplementary Benefit system
Social Security have announced the first phase of their plans to modernise the Supplementary Benefit system. There are over 700 injured, ill or disabled islanders relying on the Supp Ben safety net so this is an issue very much of relevance.
You can find out more by attending the public meeting on Monday 13th February at 7.30pm at Hautes Capelles School or reading the Billet.
Potential funding for charities from Social Security
Organisations within the voluntary and charitable sector could be given grants for projects Social Security thinks would aid the departments work under proposals to go before the States early next year. The suggestion will be included within Social Security’s review of the supplementary benefit system.
Deputy Chief Officer Ed Ashton said Guernsey had a very strong third sector and such a system would be mutually beneficial.
“There are charities in the UK doing this kind of work all the time. It’s dipping our toe in the water.”
He said such schemes could see, for example, a charity with an understanding of a certain health condition working with employers to help individuals back to work.
“It would be for organisations to come forward with ideas and a business case. If the department thinks it fits with what we’re trying to do we would want to encourage that.”
If approved the initiative would be funded from the insurance fund. The Guernsey Community Foundation published research by Bristol University that looked at the island’s voluntary and charitable sectors and relationship with the States.
Text by Jess Stevenson and photo by Steve Sarre. Reproduced courtesy of Guernsey Press and Co Ltd.
Amendment is lost, but delays are in doubt
HSSD’s bid to have £1.35m of its lost budget reinstated was lost by 18 votes to 29 in the Assembly yesterday. At the time, we assumed that meant that delays to the adult learning disability respite care project would now be implemented. But it seems that is in doubt.
Quoting from today’s Guernsey Press, page 4:
“HSSD Minister Hunter Adam said after the debate that he could not be sure whether [delays to new services] would happen. “I said what we were going to do, but now I don’t know if we are going to do it. I need more clarification”.”
The GDA’s reaction to the States debate featured on Channel News yesterday evening (go to 5.40 in Weds 14th’s broadcast). And in his Comment column on Wednesday, the Editor of the Guernsey Press mentioned the GDA and said:
”Denying people in need of identified services is misguided – and leaves those HSSD should be helping feeling like political playthings or, worse, worthless”.
Improvements to respite care under threat
It seems that getting something through the States just isn’t enough anymore.
As reported in Saturday’s Press, HSSD is threatening to postpone the introduction of the Adult Learning Disability Respite Care project until 2013, if not beyond.
This project was intended to create a new two-bedded adult unit, allowing The Croft to focus on children and was the project that disabled islanders were celebrating finally getting through the States Strategic Planning process just a couple of months ago.
Note there is no threat to current provision at The Croft, this is just about the proposed new unit.
This has all come about because T&R have asked Chief Officers to take an extra £6m out of their budgets for next year at short notice. The HSSD slice of that is £2.35m. HSSD reckon they can achieve £1m more of savings, but not the extra £1.35m. To do that they will have to move from “efficiencies” to “cuts”.
In the Board’s view “it is better not to do something new than it is to cut existing services, which is what will otherwise be required”.
The Budget is being debated on Weds 14th Dec.
If you are caring for someone with a learning disability and would like to do something to influence the debate, like calling your deputy, please get in touch with the GDA via our “Contact Us” page and we will send you the background information you’ll need.
Two-thirds avoid disabled people
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people have admitted they avoid disabled people because they don’t know how to act around them, according to new research sponsored by BT.
To hear Aindre Reece-Sheerin’s reaction to the BT research into attitudes towards disabled people on BBC Guernsey this morning, click here to “Listen Again” and go to 1:53:30.
What do you think? Have you had experience of people avoiding you? How can we change that in Guernsey? Click on ‘Comments’ below or join in the debate on our Facebook page.
Welcome Emilie, new Disability Officer
Emilie Yerby has just been appointed as the second Disability and Equalities Officer. She is taking over from Emma Jones, who has moved on to another post within the Civil Service, and will be responsible for writing the Disability Strategy.
Emilie is fairly new to the States. She spent a year working as a Graduate Officer at Social Security, where she was closely involved with the Review of Attendance and Invalid Care Allowances and was part of the project team for the Minimum Income Standards study.
Before that, she studied modern languages at Cambridge, where she was a member of the Disabled Students’ Liberation Campaign – a group which called for greater understanding of the social model of disability and the barriers people face to full inclusion in higher education – as well as various other groups and societies focusing on social justice and inclusion.
Emilie is based at the Health & Social Services Department, as the post has been transferred across from the Social Policy Group. However, the Policy Council is still responsible for ensuring that the Strategy is produced, so Emilie will be working closely with the Social Policy Coordinator, Carol Le Page, as well as staff at HSSD. A report on the progress of the Strategy is expected in late 2012.
Over the next couple of months, Emilie will be aiming to meet with individuals and organisations who have a key role to play in shaping the Disability Strategy – including those represented by the Guernsey Disability Alliance. She will be in touch directly, but anyone who wants to find out more about the Strategy or share their experiences is invited to contact her at any time – email eyerby@hssd.gov.gg or telephone 01481 725241.
Guernsey businesses support GDA
A big thank you to members of the Chamber of Commerce who raised £3,177 for the Guernsey Disability Alliance at their Annual Dinner last week.
The event at the St Pierre Park Hotel was a sell out, with more than 330 people attending.
Press coverage of Dave’s Memorial
From the Guernsey Press, Saturday 12th November:
Dave’s work for disabled people is recognised.
Lee Vaudin and the Bailiff beside Dave's stone. Photo courtesy of The Guernsey Press Co Ltd
A memorial stone plaque celebrating the work of disability campaigner Dave Purdy was unveiled yesterday. Crowds gathered at the access ramp to Market Square where the memorial stone was placed.
Mr Purdy was 61 when he died last year after spending nearly 40 years campaigning for the rights of disabled islanders. The ramp linking the Commercial Arcade with Market Square was just one of his achievements.
Bailiff Sir Geoffrey Rowland who was at school at Elizabeth College with Mr Purdy, was pleased islanders were coming together to remember his friend. “Dave has been an inspiration to so many,” he said. He also remembered his last conversation with Dave. ‘I said “Dave, you have achieved so much,” Sir Geoffrey said. ‘He said “Yes, but there is always more to do”.’
Mr Purdy suffered a spinal injury in a swimming accident off Herm when he was a teenager and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He became a founder of the Guernsey Association of Disabled People and a treasurer of the committee that raised funds to set up the Guernsey Cheshire Home and Grow Ltd.
In 2008 he became the vice-chairman of the Guernsey Disability Alliance. GDA non-executive chairman Rob Platts was pleased so many people had come to the event, especially considering the weather. “It’s not often we get to do this and celebrate the life of someone who has made such a difference,” he said. He added that My Purdy’s drive and enthusiasm had been pivotal in improving Guernsey’s disabled access.
Among the many of My Purdy’s friends yesterday, there were also some of the wheelchair users who have benefitted from his work. Roger Vaudin attended the memorial with his son, 33-yer old Lee, who is a full-time wheelchair user. ‘Dave’s work has been a big help and has made access easier,’ he said. But he agreed there was till more work to do.