News & Developments

This qualification aims to develop learner understanding of autism and the principles of supporting individuals (adults and children) with autism - covering the person-centred approach and influence of positive communication methods, how to support positive behaviour, and how individuals with autism can be supported to live healthy and fulfilled lives.

It’s useful for learners who provide direct support and those working in sectors such as:

• healthcare
• social care
• leisure
• entertainment
• education and training
• nursing

The course may also be of interest to parents and carers of young people with autism.

When: Mondays from 6:30 pm until 9 pm every fortnight. This course will be delivered via distance learning. Start date: 28 September 2020. Course length: 24 weeks. Cost: Contact the centre for more information.  This course may be FREE is you are employed and earn under £17,004.00 per year. Fee remissions are also available for people on certain benefits. Contact the centre to discuss your circumstances.

New Mills Adult Education Centre email - newmills.ace@derbyshire.gov.uk

Support the service can offer:

• Support people to seek and develop coping strategies to help them deal with additional pressures as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.
• Whilst they have temporarily suspended home visits and community-based groups, they continue to support people over the phone, via email and virtually.
• Help people living with dementia to cope with isolation, loneliness and to feel safe.
• Support carers to access respite, discuss dementia specific strategies to support them to  understand behaviours and explore alternative approaches which help them in their caring role.
• Provide welfare calls to active service users to determine the level of support people may need and to establish the level of risk in coping with the coronavirus.
• Provide companion calls for people who are in receipt of our service, these calls are provided by volunteers; they do not involve assessments, they are purely informal friendly conversations aimed at reducing isolation.
• Deliver virtual Singing for the Brain, Dementia cafés, and carers support across Derbyshire.

What do I need to know before I call Derbyshire Dementia Support Service?

• Anyone who is worried about their memory or have a diagnosis of any type of Dementia can refer into the service.
• Anyone who is seeking information and advice for themselves or others can contact the service
• Carers supporting people living with dementia can be referred for support in their own right.

How to refer:

Contact Telephone number: 01332 208845

Email:  derbyshire@alzheimers.org.uk

joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/public-info-covid-19/other-news/derbyshire-dementia-support-service-covid-19-update

The changes mainly reflect the Government guidance around the opening of performance and sport/exercise venues (see revised Appendix D: Management of Social Distancing – a risk based Approach) which are areas that many halls have recently been seeking clarification on. Three new Appendices specifically address these concerns as well as what actions to take if someone using the hall has suspected Covid-19 symptoms.

www.ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/news/new-acre-information-sheet-for-the-re-opening-of-village-community-halls-post-covid-19-closure

Up to 15 awards of £1,000 will be offered to successful groups in the East Midlands region.

This funding is aimed at health, social care, charities, voluntary and third sector organisations and groups, who want to involve patients and citizens in research and healthcare. 

Applications for the funding will be considered by a panel including representatives from the East Midlands Patient Public Involvement Senate, an independent group of patients and carers with varied health and service user experience.

Applications to the scheme are now open and the deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 20 September 2020.

For more information, for terms and conditions and to apply you can visit www.emahsn.org.uk/ppifund.

Or contact Emma Coates by email emma.coates@nottingham.ac.uk  or call 0777 361 0744.

Zink Advice is available to anyone who is having problems with welfare, finance or housing. It is primarily aimed at people who use High Peak Foodbank  at Zink and runs alongside Employability at Zink.

"Having an advice service and employability programmes in a foodbank makes good sense" said Paul Bohan, Zink’s Area Coordinator, "we are able to help resolve the issues that cause foodbank need, then help people get a job so the issues don’t happen again".

High Peak Foodbank usually issue around 30 parcels a week but during the pandemic, this has risen to over 150 with volunteers from Buxton Street by Street and Chapel en le Frith Mutual Aid drafted in to help. Whilst families in need receive food parcels, Zink’s advice worker will help to resolve the issues that are causing them to struggle.

To do this, Zink has teamed up with six other projects and Nottingham Catholic Diocese in a regional partnership to head off hardship, hunger and homelessness. The diocese’s Catholic Partnership for Covid Emergency Relief shares funding from the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation. This is being used to fund Advice @Zink. 

You can donate to help High Peak Foodbank at Zink to continue to support struggling local families at www.highpeakfoodbank.co.uk 

Carers in Derbyshire website  www.carersinderbyshire.org.uk

They periodically release an update e-bulletin:

www.carersinderbyshire.org.uk/carers-newsletters

Derbyshire Voluntary Action are working on an exciting project to publish a book 'Life in Lockdown', documenting the Covid-19 Pandemic as seen through the eyes of Chesterfield and surrounding areas residents, and they need your help in doing this.

As an organisation Derbyshire Voluntary Action proudly supports hundreds of voluntary sector organisations and community groups. They are passionate about championing the work of the community and its volunteers. They are incredibly proud of their strong working relationship with Public Health, NHS, local businesses, and our funders. With this in mind they feel truly able to make a powerful book that represents how the community has responded to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Submissions are welcome from amateur and professional artists, poets, photographers, creative writers, crafters and song writers. Allow your creativity to record your experience, the ups and the downs, the feelings of isolation and let’s not forget the heart-warming stories, the acts of kindness and elements of lockdown we may not want to lose! This book aims to celebrate how we rose to an unprecedented challenge and showed that community spirit is alive and kicking.

The  book will be for sale to the public with the proceeds going towards supporting local charities or the community.

dva.org.uk/covid-19-book-project/

A number of alternative options are available if you are unable to shop for yourself.

If you are on the official shielding list, you can get access to a priority supermarket delivery slots offered by seven supermarkets. If you have already signed up for these supermarket deliveries they will continue beyond the end of July. If you have not already signed up you can still register as a vulnerable person to get coronavirus support before Friday 17 July 2020.

The NHS Volunteer Responders can pick up your shopping that you have paid for and deliver it to you. Tel: 0808 196 3646 between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week to register. When you call, mention that you received information about NHS volunteer responders in your food box.

Many food retailers are also selling their own set food boxes or can deliver prepared meals for you. Other commercially available options include telephone ordering, food box delivery, prepared meal delivery and other non-supermarket food delivery providers. You can check online or try calling local stores to see what is available.

DCC Community Response Unit can also help if you have no friends and family to call on for support.

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/social-health/health-and-wellbeing/health-protection/disease-control/coronavirus/community-response-unit/emergency-food-supplies/emergency-food-supplies.aspx

Tell us about your experience of the last few extraordinary months, and what support you need – and win a £25 supermarket voucher!

Closing date 31 July 2020

>>> www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3D2020 

We want to hear community groups, voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises of all kinds and all sizes, from all parts of Derby City and Derbyshire. 

This includes established organisations (whether or not you have been able to provide services during the lockdown), as well as new informal mutual aid / neighbourhood groups; and faith organisations, parish councils and food banks responding to the crisis.

All completed surveys will be entered into a draw to win 1 of 3 x £25 supermarket vouchers!

We want to find out, capture and share:

• All the good work that you have been doing to make sure that people affected by COVID, especially the most vulnerable, have been supported.
• What you have learned and experienced.
• What the impact has been on your organisation.
• Crucially, we also want to know what support and resources you will need in future, so that we can make sure that you get this.

The survey should take about 20 minutes, and will ask questions about:

• Your organisation (what you do, where you work, who you support and your annual income).
• What you have been doing (if anything) to support people during COVID (including the kinds of support you have provided, the numbers of people you have helped and the number of volunteers who have been involved). 
• The impact of COVID on your organisation, including your income, staff (if any), volunteer numbers, levels of demand, needs and geographical differences.
• Your experience of COVID – what the challenges have been, what you have learned – and what support you will need going forward.

Click here to start the survey www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3D2020 

This survey is being carried out by the 3D (Third Sector Support for Derbyshire) network of local CVS, Volunteer Centres and other local voluntary sector support organisations working in partnership with public sector colleagues.

High Peak CVS are working in collaboration with our partners at The Bureau, New Mills and District Volunteer Centre and Connex Community Support to collate information locally and so we can support you and the local community together.

If you have any questions, or if would rather complete the survey on paper or as a Word document, or if you need someone to help you fill it in please email: 3derbyshire@gmail.com

If you have any particular queries related to the High Peak please contact us at: hello@highpeakcvs.org.uk  

Due to the current situation this Forum will be held online via Zoom.

The agenda includes:

Mental Health and Wellbeing during the pandemic, James Creaghan, Public Health Lead for Mental Health, Derbyshire County Council

State of the Sector (Voluntary and Community updates and feedback), Join us to reflect on the last 3 months impact on local groups and communities, plans to move forward and lessons learnt

Test and Trace, Jane Careless and Abid Mumtaz, Derbyshire County Council will update us on how test and trace is developing in Derbyshire

Question Time Panel, Q & A session with the morning’s speakers and some additional key panel members tbc. If you have a question you would like to ask about any of the agenda items please email these to info@dva.org.uk by Friday 17 July. The Question Time Panel will have sight of any questions submitted prior to the Forum, this is with the aim of making the Forum run efficiently.

If you would like to attend, please register through Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com/e/derbyshire-voluntary-action-health-social-care-voluntary-sector-forum-tickets-111798678858

Each person attending must be booked on separately via Eventbrite. The name/email used to book must be for the person attending. If you can no longer attend please cancel your place to allow others to book. The Zoom link to access the meeting will be sent to you before the Forum – when you receive this link please do not share it with anyone else.

If you need any further information contact info@dva.org.uk