Travel cost funding boost for homecare providers
A new grant fund has been created by the council to support local homecare provider organisations cope with the spiralling cost of fuel.
The £0.444m pot will allow providers to increase mileage payments to staff, cover fuel costs, invest in lease cars or alternative transport methods, or any other initiative that will ease the burden on staff of high fuel prices.
Without urgent support it is feared that providers will be unable to continue to deliver care, with some staff already having left the sector due to fuel costs. The six month fund will be available to any homecare providers which deliver council-funded services and is part of the ongoing work to support the social care sector in the face of unprecedented pressures from increasing demand, recruitment challenges and rising costs.
The commissioning team will be contacting providers directly about the grant programme.
Jo Atkinson, Assistant Director for Strategic Commissioning, said:
“I’m pleased we’ve been able to create this fund. In a county like ours staff have to travel between homecare appointments and with fuel costs soaring it’s a big issue for their staff. This money will help ease that pressure, but we do need to cope that prices drop soon.”
Cumbria Care’s oldest resident celebrates 108th year!
Esther Dalton, resident at Burnrigg Court in Carlisle, celebrated a remarkable 108th birthday last week.
Esther celebrated with staff and other residents and wanted to pass on her thanks to the team for the fantastic care she receives.
Esther said:
“I enjoy living at Burnrigg Court very much, I am looked after so well by the whole team, and it’s a lovely community here – I have lots of friends and we do all sorts of activities together.
"I was delighted to receive my birthday card from the Queen – she has sent me one every year for the last eight years, and I hope to get another one next year!”
Pictured with Esther are Chelsea Wilson and Scott McKechnie from the Burnrigg team.
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Campaign launched to find foster carers for young asylum seekers to help support them to build a new life
Ahead of National Refugee Week (June 20 to 26) Cumbria County Council’s Fostering Service is looking for foster carers for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) as part of the National Transfer Scheme.
Across Cumbria there is a need for more people to come forward as foster carers for children of all ages and from all backgrounds but particularly for young people who have come to the UK from a range of countries and who are going through the asylum-seeking process. Some of the children and young people need short-term emergency placements, whilst others will be looking for longer term foster care.
The majority of young asylum seekers who need foster care in the county are male teenagers, aged 14 to 17 years old, and from a range of countries across the Middle East and Africa. Most speak little or no English, many have travelled for months before arriving here and will have experienced traumatic events.
The council is looking for foster carers who are highly resilient, patient and understanding. Part of the role is to prepare these young people for independent living and support their emotional, language and cultural needs. We’ll help support you with specialist training, and links to professionals with the skills to help the young people integrate and to assist them through the asylum process.
In order to provide a home for unaccompanied children and young people, you will first need to be approved as a foster carer. This process usually takes around eight months and we will support you every step of the way. To become a foster carer you must be at least 21 years old and you must have a spare bedroom and the time and availability to dedicate yourself to fostering.
If you are interested in finding out more about fostering, why not attend our upcoming event and speak to our friendly team and foster carers:
Alternatively speak to us today on 0303 333 1216 or register your interest online at cumbria.gov.uk/fostering
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 BBC Springwatch appearance for Kendal teen!
Settlebeck School student, Robert, has appeared on BBC's Springwatch to showcase his work on a hedgehog ‘estate'.
The hedgehog estate is a collection of 13-15 houses designed for the hedgehogs- which come with their own CCTV security and provide a safe place of refuge for the endangered animals!
The teen, who has autism and learning disabilities, has used the project to help him rebuild his confidence after being bullied for creating the hedgehog estate on his allotment.
+ Read the full story here
Following the success of the Summer 21', Winter 21' and Easter 22' iterations of Cumbria's Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF), the Council have recently appointed a Project Officer and Project Support Officer to support the programme.
Read more about our new recruits and their new roles below:
Guy Thompson, HAF Project Officer:
"Hi, my name is Guy Thompson and I have recently been appointed HAF Project Officer.
"I have been working within the sports industry for the last 15 years in a variety of different roles and I can’t wait to start working with all of our fantastic providers across the county.
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Ella Crook, Project Support Officer- HAF Programme:
“Hi, my name is Ella, and I am Cumbria County Council’s new Project Support Officer working on the HAF Programme. I have a background in hospitality, finance and administration across the private and public sectors, and have worked at the Council now for a year and a half.
"Being involved in this project offers a unique opportunity to enrich the lives of young people in Cumbria; having previously volunteered as a football youth coach for Carlisle United, I am excited to provide fun, engaging and educational sessions through our diverse range of providers.”
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Cumbria County Council commissions study into Cumbria based nature curriculum for schools
Cumbria County Council has appointed Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC), in partnership with Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) and The University of Cumbria (UoC), to produce a report to help establish an improved nature curriculum for young people in Cumbria.
The study will focus on the provision of place-based learning about the environment and sustainability for schools in Cumbria. It will include learning about the local environment and wider Cumbrian landscape, issues of sustainability, climate change and biodiversity as well as experiences that build appreciation for nature and the environment.
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Dan Barton, Cumbria County Council’s Assistant Director for Education and Skills, said:
“We’re delighted to have partnered with colleagues from key local organisations as part of this exciting work which, in the long term, we hope will support the establishment of an ambitious and innovative curriculum for our young people.
This will draw on the many possibilities in our county and will help to prepare our children to face the opportunities and challenges in our shared future.”
For more information, visit the Your Cumbria website.
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Celebrating Cumbria’s Level 3 Accredited Early Years SENCOs
48 of Cumbria’s Early Years SENCOs have recently received their Early Years SENCo Award (CACHE Level 3) which involved out of work study and attendance at a 12-day training course.
Assistant Director for Education and Skills, Dan Barton presented their award in the attendance of colleagues from nasen, JTM (assessors), School Improvement Liverpool and senior colleagues from SEND, Inclusion and the Learning Improvement Service.
Throughout the training, SENCOs demonstrated their high level of commitment to improving outcomes for our youngest children with SEND. They greatly benefitted from elements of the course that were specific to Cumbria which will enable them to bring the training to life in their workplace.
The SENCOs told us the training has increased their confidence in the partnerships available in Cumbria for professional support. It has helped to further their inclusive practice and strengthen their team’s capacity, knowledge and understanding to support children from the earliest point.
Networks of support have been established between the accredited SENCOs so they can continue their learning journey.
A huge congratulations to you all, very well deserved.
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Train to become an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
Cumbria County Council are inviting expressions of interest to practitioners who are keen to train as AMHPs.
For more information, please download the flyer below:
+ Mental Health Flyer final June 2022
National AMHP Day – Wednesday 29th June 2022
The Yorkshire AMHP Network is bringing you an event to celebrate National AMHP Day.
This event is a great opportunity for anyone interested in applying to do their AMHP training, or anyone interested in how their current role might link in with the work of AMHPs.
Register for the event using the link below:
YAMHP Virtual Conference to celebrate National AMHP Day Tickets, Wed 29 Jun 2022 at 12:00 | Eventbrite
A poetic achievement for Cumbrian schoolchildren
Studying poetry can spark inspiration and open doors to new experiences – as some successful Cumbrian school children are discovering. Pupils from five Cumbrian schools will heading to London next week, having reached the finals of ‘Poetry by Heart’.
Funded by the Department for Education, Poetry by Heart is a poetry recitation competition which aims to inspire pupils and teachers alike in exploring our rich literary heritage. An increasing body of evidence suggests that engaging with poetry can have benefits for mental health, cultural awareness and self-expression.
The Learning Improvement Service has worked closely with Poetry by Heart this year and are delighted that five Cumbrian schools have been selected to attend the final at The Globe Theatre in London on Monday 20 June.
The pupils will travel to London for an action-packed day which will include a tour of The Globe; an opportunity to perform their poem on the Globe’s main stage and a reading by Simon Armitage, the UK’s Poet Laureate.
This is an incredible achievement and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We wish them every success and a wonderful day.
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A Tree for the Jubilee!
Residents at Elmhurst Residential Care Home: Margaret B (104 years young), Bernice (91 years young) and Margaret C (88 years young) planted a tree to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!
Margaret B can even remember the Queens coronation- some 70 years ago!
The residents also planted a time capsule with jubilee tree- containing the message:
"Whoever finds this, we hope you enjoy the memories as much as we enjoyed making them!"
Chat with John later today!
Join John Metcalfe, Chief Executive today at 4pm for his next 'Chat with John' session.
This will be a 45 minute session held on Microsoft Teams that provides you with an opportunity to talk to John about the things that are important to you. You can ask questions, go along for a chat, or just listen in.
How to join:
Please keep the time free in your diary, email chatwithjohn@cumbria.gov.uk and you’ll be sent a Microsoft Teams link. We'll have to limit the number of attendees so if you ask to join but there isn't space you'll be invited to the next one
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Former Chairman presents over £2500 to his chosen charities
Last week, former Chairman, Cllr Tony Markley presented a fantastic total of £2526 to his chosen charities.
During his year as Chairman, Cllr Markley chose to support NWAS Charity, specifically their Community First Responders, and the RNLI because of the fantastic work they do in Cumbria to help keep residents and visitors safe.
The money raised during Cllr Markley’s civic year has been distributed to the Cumbrian branches of each charity.
Cllr Markley would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff that supported his charities during his time as Chairman including CAAN (Cumbria Apprentice Ambassador Network) for running the ‘Do Minutes to Win it’ fundraising event, those who made bids on his online charity auction and all those who were kind enough to make donations.
You can find out more about Cllr Markley’s fundraising in this press release.
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Clean Air Day 2022
This Thursday, 16 June, is Clean Air Day.
Air pollution affects you from your first breath to your last and causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK every year. Clean air is essential for our health, and the co-benefits of clean air measures are good for our wellbeing as well as the planet.
We can all help to reduce local pollution and improve the quality of the air we all breathe:
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Give the car a day off. Walking or cycling is good for your health and wellbeing, reduces your carbon footprint and improves air quality.
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Go electric. Electric vehicles are much quieter, cheaper to run and better for the environment. Find out more including where to find charging points.
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Don’t idle your engine. Idling is a significant contributor to local air pollution. Start switching your engine off when waiting at traffic lights.
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Work out your individual contribution. Use this Air Pollution Calculator to calculate your contribution to air pollution in the UK.
Find out more – https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day.
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Don't miss this fantastic opportunity!
Our latest opportunities include degree level apprenticeships in Civil Engineering, with positions available throughout the county!
Successful applicants will study towards a degree for FREE, with no student debt, whilst earning a wage.
Do you know someone who might be interested in starting an apprenticeship?
+ Apply for an apprenticeship now
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Please keep sending us your stories for People News!
To keep People News fresh we need your help!
What are we looking for?
- Good news
- Success stories
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- Nice pictures
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- New staff
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Please send us any stories which you think would be good to feature in People News to people.news@cumbria.gov.uk. To make the next edition please get in touch by Monday 27 June.
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