Perthyn Belonging · We are currently in year 1 of our 3 year plan (2018-2021) and at the end of this period we want: Perthyn – Strategic Plan 2018 - 2021 To be an organisation

In the know: www.perthyn.org.ukIssue 30 Autumn 2018

In the knowPerthyn Belonging

It is just over 8 months since I started in the job and its fair to say its been a busy period. That is true though for all of us, as day to day we face up to the challenges that come with working in a sector where funding is over stretched, needs are increasing, and regulation becomes more and more demanding.

Perthyn has now been supporting people for over 25 years and in that time it has never been more demanding than it is currently. Our vision and purpose are still to support people to enjoy a fulfilled life that challenges them and helps them to grow as individuals and to contribute to their community. To do this we need to enable staff to carry out their role and to support them to develop their knowledge and skills. We also need to engage with those we support, their families and with the people in the statutory sector who commission services from us. We have a new Strategic Plan which sets out our aspirations for services over the next three years, and you can read more about this inside this newsletter.

In the coming months, we will be changing how we communicate with you by utilising the increased availability and range of social media options. This means you too will be able to communicate with the organisation and those who manage it. I hope that you will view this positively and take the opportunity to contribute to shaping the future of Perthyn.

We will be shortly be asking you how you would like the next set of staff engagement days to be run and what you would like to discuss. So please respond with ideas and suggestions.

I hope you will take time to read this edition and find it informative.

Thanks for your hard work

Stephen CoxChief Executive

Hello everyone and welcome to our latest newsletter

Steve CoxChief Executive

Contents: Violence at Work Charter - Sickness absence - Thank you

Service User Guide - Perthyn – Strategic Plan 2018 - 2021

W Stands for Winners! The Wave Workplace Challenge

Health and Safety - Supervision - Ross moves into his own homeSupport for Jake in Nottinghamshire

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In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk

We are pleased to announce that Perthyn have signed up to UNISON’s Third Sector Violence at Work Charter and made the commitment to be vigilant about protecting their staff at work.

Steve Cox commented, Violence towards people working in the community and voluntary sector is a significant problem and is getting worse. We take our duty of care responsibilities for our staff seriously and will monitor data on any violent incidents on an ongoing basis.

Perthyn becomes the 32nd Third Sector employer to sign up for the UNISON End Violence at Work Charter showing their commitment to take the safety of their staff seriously.

Violence at Work Charter

Steve Cox, Chief Executive, pictured with Lynne Hackett &

Philip Warlow of UNISON.

“ “Recommend a friendDo you know someone who has the right attitude, skills and values to work at Perthyn? Recommend them today by e-mail [email protected]

Please include their contact details, the vacancy they are interested in, your name and telephone number.

If the person you recommend starts at Perthyn, you will receive one payment of £250!

For our current vacancies, please contact your local HR team or visit our website www.perthyn.org.uk/career-opportunities/current-vacancies/

Full terms and conditions can be found on the Perthyn intranet.

£250Reward


We’ve recently changed our sickness absence reporting and return to work procedures. Here’s a reminder of what you need to do if you are unable to attend work due to ill health.

Please call as soon as you know you are unfit for work. You’ll need to provide the following information:

• Your reason for absence.• The shift(s) you are unable to work.• Your anticipated duration of absence.• If there is anything that needs to be

covered or your manager needs to be informed of.

During the call you’ll be advised what to do next and when to make contact again. A return to work interview will be arranged (either by telephone or in person) with a member of the HR Team or a Manager before you can return to work and resume your duties.

For more information please contact your Regional HR Team or refer to the Sickness Absence Ill Health Policy available on the intranet.

Telephone the service or office where you were due to work

FoR coVeR To be ARRAngeDand

Telephone your Regional Office (Mon - Fri, 9-5pm)

or on - call (out of hours)

To RePoRT youR Absence

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Sickness absence - reporting and return to work interviews

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My name is Tash gilmore and I work as a citizen Advocacy Project co-ordinator for Taking Part. I am writing this letter on behalf of sarah Walton, one of our volunteers and from Taking Part as a whole. The letter is in relation to one of your local managers, Vicki clarke in recognition of the outstanding care and support that she provided to christine during her illness and her subsequent demise.

Sarah was a Citizen Advocate for Christine for many years and they had formed a close relationship which both enjoyed greatly. I know that Christine’s sudden illness came as a shock to Sarah, but it became apparent very quickly that Vicki, had taken on the role to support Christine through this process very seriously.

Sarah explains; “I first met Vicki at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and it was obvious that there was a good relationship between Christine and Vicki” although, Vicki was still quite new to the role and to Christine. “She personally accompanied Christine on all of her hospital visits, both in Shrewsbury and Birmingham. She stayed in hospital the night before Christine’s surgery... and made sure she was okay post-op before leaving”. Vicki visited Christine regularly and if no one else was visiting would go herself to make sure Christine didn’t have a day without a visitor.

After Christine passed away, Vicki “was determined to make the funeral the best it could be, ensuring all those close to Christine be involved in some way”. The funeral was a beautiful event, attended by a great many of Christine’s friends and support and was a fitting tribute to Christine, and this was all due to Vicki’s hard work and commitment.

Sarah says Vicki “was always very respectful of my role and kept in regular contact”. Sarah said she felt

herself and Vicki and she were mutually supportive of each other through a difficult time, fully recognising the importance of Sarah and Christine’s relationship. Sarah also says she felt Vicki was also very supportive to Sylvia, Christine’s house mate.

Sarah says she wants to say a “big thank you” to Vicki, for everything that she did; for continually going the extra mile, and for the way she supported Christine right the way through the process. Sarah feels that this consistency really helped Christine cope with the whole situation and gave her a sense of security through a difficult time. Sarah also wants to say thank you for the kindness and support Vicki showed her.

I would like to add another big thank you on behalf of myself, as the person who supports Sarah, and from Taking Part, for the extraordinary level of care and support she showed to everyone; Christine whilst she was alive and then to her memory, her family and friends after her passing.

Yours sincerely Tash Gilmore

Citizen Advocate Project Co-ordinator Taking PartLouise House, Roman Road, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 9JN

sarah and myself felt that it was important to send this letter to formally recognise and thank Vicki for all that she has done for christine and to honour memory.

Thank you

In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk

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Perthyn has been developing new, interactive versions of the service user guide that will be ready before christmas. We have consulted with four people who have a support service from Perthyn: Darren from northampton and ben from Powys who had never met before but had both agreed to give erika gostelow (Assistant Director) their honest feedback as well as fresh ideas for the content and the presentation of the guide. she found their input really useful as they told her quite frankly what would work and what wouldn’t. The group worked together and stripped back the content to make it easier to follow. nick and Rhian who share a house in Welshpool are featured in some of the photos themselves but they also offered ideas and feedback around which photos would work best.

There will be a Talking Album version. The guide has been printed and put into a photo album with a button to press for each page so that it reads the page aloud when you press it. This means people can read through the guide at their own speed, listening to each page as many times as they like and most important of all they can do this independently. This is supplemented by photographs taken and chosen by the group.

There’ll also be a Powerpoint version. This can be installed onto any computer or tablet with visual prompts and sound built in so that people can touch the sound icon on each page when they’re ready to listen.

both versions will be available in english, narrated by our Director of IT Andy Johnson, or in Welsh narrated by Kelly Turner, one of our csMs in carmarthenshire.

Service User Guide

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In order for organisations to be successful and to be able to measure what they do it is usual to develop a plan or list of actions setting out aims and objectives.

Perthyn’s Strategic Plan was initiated by our Trustees, but importantly it was produced by Perthyn’s Leadership Team, and therefore now provides the agreed strategic direction for the next three years. It further provides

the key building blocks that will determine the structure of the departmental action plans that shape Perthyn’s approach to ensuring the provision of high quality, person-centred, innovative and individualised services.

We are currently in year 1 of our 3 year plan (2018-2021) and at the end of this period we want:

Perthyn – Strategic Plan 2018 - 2021

To be an organisation that is fit for purpose, structurally, financially

and culturally.

That the people we support have

more influence and control in their lives

and over how we support them.

To improve how we evidence that people are developing

and growing.

To develop how we support staff and their

wellbeing.

To continue to be seen as an exemplar

organisation that demonstrates

and shares best practice.

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In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk

1. To regularly review and adapt our practices to give greater choice

and influence to those we support.

2. To annually review our financial strength and viability and where prudent

to increase our reserves and to look for opportunities for business growth that fit with our values and current service provision.

3. To monitor the impact we have on people’s lives specifically in relation to

wellbeing and independence using available technological advances.

4. To transform our Transition service to enable people to move on to more

independent living and to realise their potential.

5. To retain our reputation for high quality service provision and our

contribution to promoting best practice across the sector.

6. To ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of the people we

support and of the staff working for Perthyn are embedded in our culture and all that we do.

7. To ensure our systems and processes support internal decision

making and good governance.

8. To build workforce capability and engagement through

continuous learning.

We will report on progress regularly to the Trustees at their Scrutiny and Board meetings, and with staff at events such as our Engagement Days

We have developed a set of strategic aims for the three years that will shape what we do in order to get to where we want to be:


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W Stands for Winners! The Wave Workplace Challenge - Winners!not only do Perthyn employees excel at their day jobs, they are in fact radio quiz champions too!

During the week of 10th to 15th September 2018, a group of very enthusiastic and outrageously talented Perthyn team members in Swansea went head to head against ‘Mad Science’ in The Wave’s Workplace Challenge, live on radio each afternoon at 2.30pm. Both teams were competing for the ultimate prize - a DAB radio and the prestigious title of The Wave’s Workplace Challenge WInneRs!’

The first day of quizzing on Monday 10th September started off with a bang - Team Perthyn smashed it with a winning score of 5 out of 5 points in 30 seconds. Mad Science didn’t stand a chance…

By Friday Team Perthyn had won each day’s competition and started on 17 points, versus their 14 and won the Workplace Challenge with a total of 19 points.

Presenter Sian Martin said she’d really enjoyed the excellent banter she had with our team, taking delight in mocking Gareth Morgan with his delightfully funny ‘Hellooooo’ greeting, which she likened to the voice of British aristocracy from the 1920s! Anyone who would like to hear this sound clip can contact me and I’ll be happy to share it although royalties will have to be paid to Gareth Morgan!

Most importantly we used this opportunity to raise Perthyn’s profile, promoting Perthyn live on air, informing thousands of listeners that we’re recruiting in England and Wales.

Great fun was had by all and we encourage others to participate next time, as it’s a great team morale booster. You can hear the fun by visiting

www.perthyn.org.uk/latest-news/

Melanie Lush

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The winning team! Right to left:Andrew Thomas (Finance), Melanie Lush (HR), Josie Parker (Training), David Rees (HR), gareth Morgan (HR), charlotte Phipps (Finance), Hollie Delve (Finance), Lyndsey Thomas (Finance)

Perthyn’s prize radio!

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H

H

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Hayley Thomson was appointed as the new Health and Safety Manager in April 2018 and has made a good start on the required remedial action from our recent H&S systems audit.

coming soon – There will be a new Health and Safety Intranet page which will assist you with the most recent legislation updates, tips and advice and up to date committee meeting information and resources.

coming soon – We have also invested in a new centralised database system called SMARTLOG to record all health and safety activity. This system will facilitate in meeting the legislative requirements of having a fully robust Management System.

Perthyn Accident Data:

A Health and Safety Committee structure has been established for all regions and this will be the driving force to standardise best practice, communicating health and safety activity and to liaise with staff on any areas of consultation. Membership includes all levels from CEO to Support Worker.

For the period 1st April – 30th September. There were 265 incidents logged, 199 were people we support and 66 were employees. Note! Please don’t feel that an accident is a threat! It is about capturing the information and implementing changes to protect you.

We are currently looking at our Wellbeing Strategy and we would like to welcome you to pass on some ideas as to how we can provide and promote an improved culture for your wellbeing. Speak to your colleagues and get in touch.

‘you say’…… ‘I Listen’ – email [email protected]

Health and Safety

Incident Type Frequency

slip, trip or fall 76other 37Assault 64cut and burn 18Manual handling 6near miss 23self harm 41

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Ross moves into his own home

Ross moved into his own home for the first time last month. It was a very busy time for Ross and everyone helping him – deciding what to buy, organising deliveries and putting together furniture. As you can see he got very good at this!

Ross has been cooking and cleaning as well as getting out and about. Its been great for Ross to move back to Swansea where he is nearer to his mum too, who was a big help with the move.

Ross told us “I like living in my new house, I have a nice bedroom with a TV. I’ve got a new car and I like to go out to do my shopping”

Support for JJ in NottinghamshirePerthyn also started supporting Jake or (JJ as he is known). There was only a week to get ready for this and get to know JJ, but we soon learnt that JJ has a great sense of humour and loves the great outdoors which is brilliant as Nottinghamshire has so many country parks and attractions. JJ loves to eat out and has a passion for being active, it’s when JJ is the happiest. We have been working with the local authority, JJ and his mum to find a more suitable place for him to live based on his experience of living in his current home and excitingly an offer has been accepted on a property that requires little work. We all really believe this will add to JJ’s quality of life, being closer to amenities along with things JJ likes to do. This will give JJ and his mum the chance to personalise his home specific to JJs

character, sensory needs and personality.Claire (JJ’s mum) said “The staff I have met so far have been great at communicating with me and have shown an enthusiasm to improving JJ’s quality of life”

Gayle (JJ’s Social Worker) said “Thanks to the staff for all the hard work that’s gone into getting this up and running I certainly appreciate it” Perthyn is proud of the commitment and enthusiasm of the support workers, finance team, management team and specialist support team have shown in making these changes for Ross and JJ a success. Well done to you all!


If you have any comments, suggestions or articles please get in touch. If you are sending photos please send them as Jpegs.

[email protected] Or by mail to: Keli Walters, Perthyn, Vivian Court, Llys Felin Newydd, Phoenix Way Swansea SA7 9FG


Useful Contact DetailsPayroll Departmentemail: [email protected]: 01792 311980 - option 1

Accounts Departmentemail: [email protected]: 01792 311980 – option 2

Training Departmentemail – [email protected]: 01792 311980 – option 3

Regional Office Contact Numbers

Swansea office – Head Office 01792 311980Shrewsbury Office 01743 296574Cardiff Office 02921 673787Northampton Office 01604 866234Nottingham office 01159 893307Newtown Office 01686 807150Llanelli Office 01554 702140Pembroke Office 01646 686307

Supervision

over the last 6 months Assistant Directors neelam Johal and erika gostelow have been delivering a new programme of Management Development focussing on supervision and appraisal to AsMs and csMs across the regions.

Feedback tells us that the training offered a clearer perspective on how this would support and enhance workforce development.

Key improvements to the process include - • A much greater focus on reflective practice

following training and direct work with people supported,

• More use of direct observations to enable staff to develop interpersonal skills to enhance their relationships.

• All staff will now have a supervision agreement with their line manager that will set out the expectations for both supervisor and supervisee.

• There will be increased support for managers to access key information around training and development and absence along with codes of practice before any planned supervision takes place.

The training has helped managers focus on the how to maximise the opportunities for these quarterly 1-1 meetings process of induction, probation and supervision through to staff yearly appraisal, using key resources such as the competency framework.

If you have any feedback/suggestions for improving how we support you via these 1-1 meetings, please email either:

[email protected] or [email protected]

Documents

Perthyn Belonging · We are currently in year 1 of our 3 year plan (2018-2021) and at the end of this period we want: Perthyn – Strategic Plan 2018 - 2021 To be an organisation