Update
There have been a number of changes this month: sadly we have lost Lydia, who has had to leave Supported Lives for personal reasons. We wish her all the best in her future and thank her for all the effort she has put in to get the company started. Hopefully it is not a case of 'goodbye', but rather, 'see you later' as Lydia will be supporting Jackie Beard to Supported Lives events and will also be available for the odd bit of work in the new year.
In the meantime, I am your 'temporary editor' until we can find someone brave (or foolish!) enough to take it on. Any volunteers?
A couple of other staff, Sam and Ganni, also had to move on. Our best wishes go with them.
But it isn't all doom and gloom, as we have taken on a number of new sessional staff, so welcome to: Lynne, Mandy, Yasmeen, Amhraz (Imi), Emi, Jonny (yet another 'John'!), Vicky, Debrah, Fabio and John Kirkham. If in any doubt when ringing the office, just ask to speak to 'John' and it's more than likely someone will answer.
We are now providing support to at least 12 clients, over approximately 140 hours per week. We have also been approached to set up some support to a person in the Kirklees area, so our fame is spreading!
It would by nice to feature in here some items either about the people we are supporting, or by those people. Anything would help, photos, comments, quotes, good or bad, we are willing to consider them. If you would be willing to be featured in future editions to 'tell your story', then let your support staff know.
Have a great Christmas and New Year.
Jon Wright
"Who am I?"
This month.... Jackie Beard
I have been asked by the 2 Johns to be a consultant in their new venture, Supported Lives , and will therefore be running into some of you from time to time (such as at the interviews).
I was born with severe cerebal palsy (uncontrollable movement) and I progressed to being able to say my first word at the age of 9 to being able to live independently at the age of 25. From that day forward I have never looked back (nor have I stopped talking!)
I now live independently in Keighley and now have people do things with me and not simply for me. I now an able to have choices in my life. Everybody said I could never manage to live on my own, but I chose to do it and proved them wrong! I have had to face many challenges and the biggest worry has been getting staff to support me who I can trust and who respect my individuality. It really does make the difference. I really want to be part of Supported Lives because I feel I can offer first hand experience and advise on some of the problems that people with disabilities face. Please feel free to get in touch if you feel I can be of assistance in any way. Merry Christmas everybody.
JB
If anyone wants to contact Jackie please email us for details: office@supportedlives.co.uk
What does not for profit mean?
This is a confusing term, as most people assume that we are expecting to make a loss on our services! this is not the case! What not for profit means is that no one is allowed to take any profits out of the company. If there are any profits (and we prefer to call them a surplus) in order to avoid being liable for tax, we are committed to using the money to improve our services and staff conditions. This is how we are able to offer regular supervision of all our staff, because we pay them and their line managers to attend.
We hold regular team meetings, where everyone is paid to attend. We aim to continue to offer good rates of pay (approximately £2 above the minimum hourly rate), and it is our intention to eventually offer permanent contracts to all staff, including sessional staff, with paid holidays and sick pay.
It says in our values that we will work in a respectful way with people, treating people as individuals. It follows that we also want to treat our staff in a respectful way, to ensure that we can recruit the best available, and make them want to stay with us. By doing this we guarantee consistency of care for our clients as well. And everyone wins! (Apart from the tax man!)
Staff induction
We had another very successful staff induction day on 26 November, covering policies and procedures, values and disability awareness.
All new staff are expected to undertake this day as a general introduction to the aims of Supported Lives .
Supported Lives staffing structure, December 2004
Directors
John Drury
Jon Wright
Team Leader
Sally Benn
Senior Support Worker
Owen Jones
Senior Support Worker (Training)
John Kirkham
Community Support Workers
John Moroney
Brett Scaife
Sessional Support Workers
Fabio Amato
Vicky Bird
Mandy Lund
Lynne McManus
Emi Okazaki
Debrah Robinson
Jonny Shirley
