Umbrella Summer 2011

Issue 4 | Summer 2011

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Input & InspireClients share their

stories, picturesand poetry

FootstepsProject

Jess Snowden gives usan update on CAN’s mentoring scheme

Meet the UP2U Chair

Clive Sanger talks about his role as Chair of

the UP2U forum

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Who we are

Supporting People is a government grant programme that funds housing related support. The services who receive funding help vulnerable people improve or maintain their ability to lead independent lives.

This might include supporting someone coming out of homelessness obtain their own tenancy, enabling an older or disabled person to stay in their own home or helping someone to flee domestic abuse.

Supporting People strive to deliver high quality, needs-led services that are strategically planned and complement existing care services.

As the key focus is on getting the right support and outcomes for service users, each service is monitored to ensure certain standards are met. This is achieved by working in partnership with local government, probation and health services, voluntary sector organisations, housing associations, support agencies and the service users themselves.

Over 1.2 million of society’s most vulnerable people are leading independent lives thanks to Supporting People

Office: Mobile: Email:

01604 250 678 07958 617 516 [email protected]

UP2U gives clients opportunities to get involved in planning and shaping the services they receive.

Current members include people who have been affected by:

homelessnessdrug and alcohol problems teenage parenthooddomestic abusemental health issuesphysical disability

Group members meet every couple of months to share their experiences and offer valuable feedback to the service providers.

Supported housing - have your say

Interested? Why not contact Richard Lukehurst for more information

Welcome

The Recovery IssueHere we are in August and I can’t believe how quick time flies! This is our second issue of the Umbrella magazine this year and I believe it is improving with each edition. A big thank you to all who have contributed to Umbrella this time around, we could not produce it without your help, so really, a big thank you to all!

This issue is largely focused on recovery, a term which is often banded around the different consultation events we have been attending over the spring and summer months. I believe it is a personal matter how one defines the word recovery dependent on one’s best hopes or preferred future, although I have taken it upon myself to give you few dictionary definitions. Recover: become healthy again, find again, or gain a former condition.

Part of the role of UP2U is to empower and promote independence amongst our client group. Our mission statement is “empowerment through involvement” and over the last few months members

Inside this issuewho have actively got involved with the project have certainly started the process of recovery as a result of taking part within the many realms of UP2U

The coming months are about looking forward as a group and offering your views to the commissioners with a view to help shape future service provision. There have been and will be many opportunities for you to take part in different consultation events that have been organised across the county throughout the summer months.

The findings will be collated and a report sent to cabinet in November. The primary purpose of this is to shape and mould services to better serve those who access them in need, thus hopefully starting the process of recovery.

We look forward to continuing the work through the summer/autumn months and hope some of our readers will be inspired to get involved within your own organisations.

Richard Lukehurst

UmbrellaI

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Jess Snowden gives us an update on the Footsteps Project 4

Recovery: Clive Sanger shares his journey with us 8

Coffee mornings at St Giles Street 5

News

Features

Clients submit their stories, poems and pictures 10-11

A word from the Chair.A Q&A session with Clive Sanger 9

81 St Giles StreetNorthampton NN1 1JF01604 250 [email protected]

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The Goodwill Project 5

Input & Inspire

Eden Park celebrate its 6th birthday 6

OMG it’s Accommodation Concern’s new service for young people 12

Dropping in on Bromford Support 7

My name is Jess Snowden,

and I work for CAN. Established

in 1972, CAN delivers a range of drug, alcohol and homelessness services across Northamptonshire, Bedford-shire and Luton. I am a Project Worker for The Footsteps Project, a Support-ing People funded service that offers our clients the support of a volunteer mentor or befriender.

I’ve been in my role for about a year and a half now, and have been lucky enough to work with a really diverse, interesting and committed group of clients and volunteers. Before working at CAN, I worked for a youth home-lessness charity in London, where I offered advice and guidance to clients, and co-ordinated a similar, but small-er, mentoring project.

It has been great to use my experi-ence there when setting up and shap-ing Footsteps. Working in this field has always been so rewarding for me; every day is different and I get to work alongside people with a real wealth of skills and experience. Witnessing progress and change in our clients is also really inspiring- and it feels good to be working towards helping this to happen.

The Footsteps Project has been around for many years, in various dif-ferent forms- so I was lucky enough to have some wonderful advice when I started, from the woman who ran the project before me!

The name Footsteps was inspired

by the famous poem ‘Footsteps in the Sand’, which is a story of being given care and support in times of need. It also suggests taking steps to move forward on a journey which is just what the project aims to achieve.

By having the support of a mentor or befriender clients have someone independent to meet up with weekly, who will take the time to show an interest in them, to offer some advice and encouragement as they move for-wards in their own journey. A listening ear, a friendly face, and someone to talk things through with can be really helpful.

The mentors and befrienders them-selves come from a huge range of backgrounds, and have been fully trained. Some are professionals, some are retired, some have been in similar services in the past, but they all have a lot in common- the desire to volunteer and help someone to move forward in their life.

Our volunteers also gain skills and experience of working in a one-to-one capacity with a client, and it can be wonderfully rewarding to watch someone move forward and progress.

There are also regular coffee morn-ings for all involved, which are a nice social get-together. The project works closely with the UP2U project and there are some clients who are involved in both. I believe that client involvement is key to the success of any project and I have learned a lot from working with Richard Lukehurst and the UP2U group.

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News

4

The Footsteps ProjectFootsteps values and needs the input

and feedback of Clients at all stages if it is to be a success!

If anyone thinks that it would be use-ful to have the support of a mentor or befriender, or is interested in vol-unteering for the project, they should give me a call and we can have a chat about the best way forward. Clients can refer themselves, or ask a sup-port worker to make the call on their behalf. The office number is 01604 250678.

My Mentor is great, he’s easy-going and really reliable. We have a laugh, and my confidence is so much greater than when we first met. Steve

My mentor is like my rock. I know that she is there, and that moti-vates me. I can report back to her all the good stuff that is going on.Client M

What can I say about Footsteps? It’s been at times a revelation. I was introduced to my mentor, and from the very first meeting we gelled. After all my years of alcohol abuse, there was some-body encouraging me to move on from the past and to concentrate on the present and the future. I am thankful for his perseverance and faith in me.Ricky

By Jess Snowden

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Footsteps and UP2U coffee mornings are proving to be a great success. Why not come along to one of our forthcoming sessions at 81 St Giles Street and join in the fun?

Tuesday 13th September 10.30amTuesday 27th September 10.30amTuesday 11th October 10.30amTuesday 25th October 10.30am

News

Goodwill SolutionsGoodwill Solutions supply affordable furniture and offer better value to charities, but this company’s commitment to community doesn’t end there.

Managing Director Mike Britton is embarking on a project that is improving job prospects for people who are facing more barriers to employment than most.

The company is partnering with local support agencies and is offering work experience placements to clients from vulnerable backgrounds.

The 6-week placement teaches participants the fundamentals of working in a warehouse and includes forklift training. Those who successfully complete the training qualify as fully licensed forklift drivers.

Mike, and fellow director Graham Tomkins, who founded the Brackmills based company in 2008, are pleased with the way the project is progressing. He said: “So far we’ve seen 9 or 10 clients go through the process. The main benefit they are getting is that they are becoming more socially involved. If you look at their progress from week to week, they gain a pride in themselves and more self respect.”

Simon receives support from The

Mayday Trust and got involved with Goodwill via Richard Lukehurst and the UP2U forum. Previously unemployed for five years Simon has now been taken on as a permanent member of the Goodwill team. He is delighted to be working full-time where a typical day involves loading and unloading lorries, order picking and other general warehouse tasks.

He said: “I would recommend this to anyone in a similar situation to me. It’s hard to get back to work when you’ve been out of work for so long. The support has improved my circumstances and given me something to look forward to.” Mike said it can be really difficult for people with troubled pasts to gain employment so he has been liaising with HRGO Recruitment, an agency that is supporting the project by considering applicants based upon Mike’s recommendations.

There are also plans to create a new Social Enterprise that could generate up to 20 jobs. Mike said “We are working towards setting up a minisupermarket on the estate. The sitecould also include a cafe, pallet repairyard, carwash and training centre.”

He added, “Over 12,000 people work here and they have to drive into town on their breaks if they run out of

Footsteps coffee mornings

Mike Britton

inspiring people through enterprise

biscuits, teabags or whatever. There is definitely a community need.”

Northamptonshire is at the heart of the logistics and distribution industry and boasts numerous industrial estates. Mike sees great potential in what is essentially a simple model and hopes that it could be repeated countywide. “If it pans out” he said “it could generate many jobs.”

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Eden Park celebrates its 6th yearNews

Eden Park successfully held an open day for its clients, previous clients and co-workers to celebrate the excellent work and progress of the project since it opened in 2005.

The day was supported by local services who joined in with fundrais-ing events such as face painting, craft stalls, cake sales, a barbecue, drama sessions, bouncy castle, DJ experi-ences and much more.

The Police had a stand to raise awareness of community safety and the children had fun trying on Police uniforms.

Eden Park has also secured £5,500 for a peer mentoring scheme which

invites ex clients to return and train as mentors who then support cur-rent clients to move on and achieve success and independence as they have done themselves.

Mentors are undergoing training in child protection, adult protection, data protection, health and safety, food hygiene, treasure baskets, baby massage and life skills like budget-ing.

Eden Park is a support service for young parents and families in Corby that provides support and accom-modation to young mothers and fathers aged 16 - 19. Support needs vary from benefit entitlement advice,

educational needs, emotional support and parenting and life skills.

Acting as a stepping stone to independence Eden Park has 13 fully furnished self- contained flats that provide accommodation for clients before moving on to their own inde-pendent tenancy.

The project is a hub of local services providing work shops and drop in sessions on a range of topics and skills. Clients can be referred to Eden Park when they are in their 24th week of pregnancy or are the primary carer of a child aged 0 - 5 years.

For more information on Eden Park contact the office 01536 204315.

News

Is floating support for me?

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Wellingborough: Jo 07739 446206Daventry: Andy 07912 275268

South Northants: Karen 07785 510901Northampton: Dee 07912 275269

Explaining your

rights and

responsibilities

as a tenant Support with contacting and making appointments with other agencies

Advice and support with claiming welfare benefits and housing benefits

Support with budgeting and managing your bills

Advice on any aids and

adaptations that you may need

Support with reporting repairs to your home and managing your tenancy

Take Time to Make Time is a new Time Banking scheme in Northamptonshire, it is a partnership between Changing Minds and Northamptonshire County Council and is part funded by the East Midlands Innovation Fund.

A Time Bank is a way for people to share skills with others in their commu-nity and be rewarded for it - in time.

For every hour of time you give pro-viding a service for another participant, you receive one time credit. You give a few hours of your spare time when you want to, doing the things you enjoy....You receive the opportunity to get some help for yourself when you need it, or you can give your time credits to a member of your family.

Would you like help with your mental health, tenancy issues, bills, budgeting and benefits or accessing education/work/community and social resources?

You can now access Bromford Support’s Mental Health Support Service in a new way.

They are setting up a number of new drop in sessions for people with any kind of mental health need who aren’t already receiving support from Brom-ford can come along and see a support worker to get some help and support immediately.

Bromford Support Drop-insThis means you don’t have to get re-ferred to Bromford Support, you can go straight to them in person. They can then help you with some things there and then – such as form filling, or advice on where to go to get the kind of help you need, including a referral to the full support service if the drop in support is not enough.

There are lots of different times and places all over Northampton:

For more details, please call Bromford Support on 01604 755704 or call in and see us!

Monday - Central Library - 1pm - 2pm

Tuesday - Weston Favell Library 1pm - 2pm

Wednesday - Emmanuel Church Coffee Shop, Weston Favell, 1pm -2pm

Thursday - The One Stop Shop, Guildhall, 1pm-2pm

Friday - Kingsthorpe Methodist Church, 10am-12pm

The scheme is open to anyone over 16 years old in the Northampton area. We currently have 48 individual mem-bers and 5 organisations signed up – including CAN.

The services currently on offer range from housework and ironing to furni-ture restoration and upholstery to per-sonal shopping and Spanish lessons!

For more information or to regis-ter on the scheme, contact Nicola Jones on 07833 479096 or email [email protected]

Northampton Time Bank Scheme - Time to Make Time

Recovery: a story of hope

A word from the Chair

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I know I don’t talk for all, although I can speak for many. This is a personal view of my own recovery and what can be achieved by taking positive steps and action. It may just inspire one person to take ac-tion to recover from what might seem a hopeless place.

Two and half years ago I was engaging with tier 4 alcohol/drugs services and tier 4 mental health services, meaning re-habilitation and mental health institutions. I had found myself in a place where I could not stop drinking/using and was physi-cally as well as mentally dying and suicide seemed the only way out of a living hell.

I can’t praise the services enough, after all they kept me alive, although I didn’t see it at the time, how could I. At the time I did not know night from day. I know now they did everything they could.

One thing that used to really irritate me was that some people would say, “Well you choose to be an alcoholic”. All I could say

to this is would you choose to live like me, would you choose to lose everything in life that has meaning i.e. family, friends, self worth, in fact everything good that life has to offer?

I have already touched on the professional services and yes I owe them a great deal of grati-tude and they had a massive im-pact on my life, this is why I now spend a lot of my time giving something back to the services that helped me, they were instru-mental in my recovery. I have to say though, that for me, it was not enough for me to change. I was looking for answers, seeking why I could not stop drinking/us-ing. I was lucky enough to have a home computer that ended up saving my life. I don’t know how I made first contact with the peo-ple that turned my life around, call it fate or destiny.

Over a period of about six weeks I started talking to a rehab in the USA on a regular basis, things got so bad for me I was at breaking point, at that moment my life started to change.

This was for me the start of a journey that has transformed my life. Not going into too much detail as I am writing a book and if not too careful this could turn into a life story.

The most incredible thing hap-pened; I was in the UK talking to someone in the USA about my dilemma and as a result of reach-ing out the response was within an hour. A man who I had never met called round the very same night to see me and share with

me his experience with alcohol-ism and from that moment I have never looked back. This was the start of a journey that introduced me to the 12 step program of recovery.

The last two years have been the most amazing years of my life; I came through the program to understand myself. Many things have happened in this time.

For those willing to seek recov-ery and work at it, the rewards are that I am now able to live a life that’s full, allow me to share some of the highlights. Out of the blue eight months into my recovery I had an email from the rehab in Texas inviting me over to to the USA to talk on recovery to their clients. I was thinking this sort of thing does not happen; I’m just a “normal” guy. I was invited over for four days and asked to speak once, remember eight months earlier I was practically house-bound. I ended up speaking everyday while there and have made many friends, also at some time been invited back to speak in New York.

From a place of hopelessness to a happy and productive life. The impact of recovery on family can’t even be measured; I have been able to build bridges that I thought had completely gone. My relationship with them has never been stronger, instead of being a burden and a worry; I am now a father, brother, son, that my family are proud of. To have my family come to me for love and support just about says it all.

By Clive Sanger

Illus

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by R

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Bar

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A word from the Chair

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Meet the ChairCommissioners and directors are taking notice, how could they not. In this time of uncertainty for all even they do not know the way forward, it’s only by input from the service users that the the right choices can be made.

Take the substance misuse field. I know that things like the time it takes for a person to access detox has come down and consultation with DAAT will have an impact on the way the service is delivered in the future.

Clive Sanger, UP2U chair,talks to Umbrella about his experiences of being part of the forum

What influence has UP2U had on commissioners to date?

When and how did you get involved with UP2U?I became involved with UP2U quite early in to its being, almost 17 months now. Starting off with sitting on decision making forums giving my view of the past services I had received good and bad, and how for people like me that have accessed services these previous decisions impacted on my life and recovery.

Good question! I would think it’s because of the commitment I have shown in something I really believe in, you would have to ask the person that asked me to get a correct answer on this. That would be Richard Lukehurst client involvement worker who asked me if I was willing to step up and commit, something I now ask of other people.

A lot of work! Something I also do in my own time is taking time to talk with vulnerable clients to get them involved. How else can positive changes be made? If it does not come from the clients that receive the services then how do the professionals know they are doing the best for clients?

How did it come about that you became Chair?

What does being the forum’s Chair involve?

The UP2U forum is made up of clients and professionals who are involved with supported housing projects across Northamptonshire.

Clients have recently been involved in consultations with Northamptonshire County Council where they have offered valuable feedback about the services they receive.

Supporting documents and information relating to the consultation can be found at the link below. This page will be updated regularly as the consultation progresses, so please keep checking for updates.

http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/councilservices/asc/services/prevent/Pages/Prevention-Consultation-2011-Downloads.aspx

My experience of chairing

UP2U has been one of most rewarding experiences of my life.

All I can say is that it’s open to all that get involved, I have only committed to this post

for 12 months so step up and get involved.

There is so much I get, remember it’s not about about me, to see clients move forward as I have is the main thing.

Talking now from from my experience it’s not only this, the professionals know their job but it is important for them to know how, where, and why they make a difference.

What do you get out of your involvement with UP2U?

UP2U was approached by JDChoices to offer feedback on the education boards they already produced. It was pointed out that although they are a great education tool some of the boards did not go far enough. They asked UP2U to produce a board that they felt was important, dual diagnosis.

Dual diagnosis, a combination of two problems, can be many things, in this instance this came to be a substance misuse and mental health. JDChoices now produce these boards and it’s a direct result from UP2U input.

What else has the UP2U forum been involved with?

How important do you think Client involvement is?Client involvement is the only way forward, without this the impact on statutory services would be overwhelming.

Government talk a good talk about saving money but they need to listen as well as govern.

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Input & Inspire

Behind lies a track of fear, regret and hopelessness,ahead is set a path of hope, dreams and happiness.What is behind is history and in the past,it can’t be changed it’s time to move on fast.

What is buried behind us has been and gone from our lives,but what is still to come is for our hearts dreams and strives.A journey that leads to opportunity and change,with lots of risks and chances that may seem scary and strange,but will leave you feeling so happy and proud,that you have freed yourself and things you have allowed.

Don’t anticipate what the outcome of your actions will be,don’t hold back with fear and doubt and for what you can’t see.Take the first step out of the darkness and into the light,listen to your heart not your head and just lose sight,of any hopelessness of weakness that has kept you locked inside,and break through the barriers and shine from where you hide.

Leap into the unknown and take courage by the hand,let go of the control and let worries wash away in the sand,let all your blessings be carved onto stone,let words of wisdom never leave you on your own.

Success doesn’t come from words that have been said,to achieve we must take action with a positive mind in our head.

To live a life of compassion, love and understanding,with no regrets just purity, peace and a free spirit set gambling,to give up all the rules and fears that you have served,for a life worth living that you are so well deserved.

Continue to believe in yourself and never forget,you are unique and special to everyone you have ever met.You are a one and only, no one can replace you or who you are,so accept yourself for you and respect the qualities of what makes you that wonderful shining star.

Shining Star By Rosie Barratt

Input & Inspire

I found a solution in Cocaine Anonymous

If you are suffering from the ravages of addiction as I did I hope you read this story and put into action the same plan as I did; then you need not suffer any more.

That was something a man at Cocaine Anonymous promised me, and I have to tell you he was as good as his word. My actions based on his experience and those that have gone before mean I have recovered from a hopeless condition.

I am a product of the sixties and seventies, pretty pills and buckets of wine, amazing parties and easy come easy go relationships. Sure I was self centred but through the 70s life seemed simpler, selfish and indulgent. I loved that sense of relaxation that being stoned gave me, being high or out of it was a state I just loved.

To begin with it was mostly fun shared with friends and it gave me a sense of ease and comfort; somewhere along the journey it changed. I don’t know exactly when but I crossed some sort of line from simply enjoying drugs and wanting to get high, to needing to get high and then on

to having to get high just to feel normal.

I had my first detox aged 21, I didn’t really know

how I ended up there and my denial protected me from seeing the awkward reality of it at the time. I could not see that my life was running on fear and selfishness, my reactions were based on what people thought of me and I was so sensitive; drugs anaesthetised that sensitivity. I was confused, how something I so enjoyed could began to cost me more than I wanted to pay; I was losing friends, jobs and my principles began to slide into an ever-deeper trough.

Along the way I had certain high spots, I married an amazing woman and had three incredible children with her. I had so many opportunities, great jobs and brilliant experiences but somehow could never build on them – they paled and faded as my commitment to my necessary drug grew. My life was becoming unmanageable and at times- spiralled out of control, there were periods when I thought I was managing to claw my way back. I really believed at times I was regaining control, a new job or a move to somewhere exotic, small victories were always eventually replaced by an even greater calamity.

I arrived at a point five years ago where I was beaten and so very desperate. I was homeless, physically ill, had no friends and no prospect of a way out. I knew that I would repeat my mistakes again and again and would always give into to the lie that this time it would be different. All I

saw in front of me was more despair and a cold death.

I had heard the message of Cocaine Anonymous and now I wanted what those guys had, I craved it. For so long I had sat around thinking about

recovery, wishing and hoping to feel better. Nothing happened until I was desperate enough to act on what Cocaine Anonymous was saying.

I asked the man who reached out to me to guide me into the program and sponsor me through the work contained in the Basic Text of Alcoholics Anonymous. Even though I was too fresh about to gain any freedom initially he did give me a daily plan of action and he encouraged me into good habits early.

He suggested I pray to be kept clean, worked on becoming grateful for what I had and read from fellowship literature daily. He took me through the work at a reasonable pace and I was amazed at what I discovered. Through the steps I began to see clearly that my sickness had little to do with drugs, rather they were just the symptom of an underlying problem. He called it a spiritual malady and described how he had suffered from it too.

No matter what, my natural state is one of high anxiety and isolation and I was programmed to finding a chemical release from that. He assured me that this 12-step programme was the spiritual remedy that I needed to recover. With help I could change my behaviour and so eventually change my thinking. I could clear up the mess I had made of my life and make restitution with my family and friends. I could take responsibility for my life and grow in usefulness. I could live life Happy, Joyous and Free without even thinking about using drugs.

I guess you don’t need to worry about the steps at this point rather accept that through them I have discovered an amazing way to live, I have a deep and resounding faith that all will be well and have a host of true and dear friends.

Call the CA helpline 0800 612 0225 or check out www.cauk.org.uk for meeting information.

Karl’s Story

To begin with it was mostly fun shared with friends and it gave me a sense of ease and comfort – somewhere along the journey it changed.

I could not see that my life was running on fear and selfishness.

The Umbrella Team | 81 St Giles Street | Northampton | NN1 1JF | 01604 250 678 | [email protected] I

Get in touch Clients and Service ProvidersContact us with your ideas and feedbackUmbrella is keen to get articles, news and stories from a diverse mix of services and clients and would love to receive any recipes, poems, pictures or ideas for future editions from right across the county

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