Notts County Council is looking for providers who can offer quality short breaks for children and young people with disabilities to help them take part in positive activities away from their primary care givers. This also gives parents/carers  a break from their caring responsibilities. Provision could include one to one support to access activities in the local community, sitting in the home environment or group activities.

Current gaps in the market include:

• Provision in Bassetlaw, Newark and rural areas of Rushcliffe
• Providers who can support with complex medical/health care needs and personal care support
• Group provision for young people 12+

If you would like to discuss this opportunity further please contact Phil Smith in the Children’s Commissioning Team: 0115 8040944 / philip.smith@nottscc.gov.uk

Windows have announced that they have stopped supporting Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. This means that they will no longer send security updates to machines that run these operating systems.

There will be no more security patches meaning Windows 7 will become less secure over time. By using a system that is no longer supported could leave an organisation at risk of a GDPR breach.

Recommended options:

• Upgrade to ‘Windows 10’. Find out if your machine has the system requirements to run ‘Windows 10’ by clicking here
• If available purchase an Extended Security Update. Find out more in the Windows FAQ sheet

If you are an organisation that provides social care support to people who pay for their own care and support, it is important that you inform the individual that if they were not happy with the service being provided they have the right to raise a complaint with the Ombudsman.

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If you support individuals who employ their own personal assistants through a direct payment, personal health budget or with their own money, or if you're an individual employer, come along to this free event on Thursday 6 February, at the Link Hotel in Loughborough to keep you up to date with latest good practice and to help you network with other people in the sector.

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Recruiting Talent in Nottinghamshire is bringing together local businesses and experts at a series of events now being delivered across the county.

The events will:

• Help employers to understand the current landscape around employment and skills in each Nottinghamshire district
• Include a keynote address from a range of partners including the Chief Executive from each district
• Present an opportunity to contribute to the local priorities in each district and wider plans in the Nottinghamshire and D2N2 area
• Act as a catalyst to positive change around recruitment enabling employers to better prepare and adapt to meet their future recruitment needs
• Showcase the benefits of inclusive recruitment, with case studies and input from employers who are reaping the benefits of increased productivity and growth
• Show how you can change the way you recruit to encourage more local people to work for your business and the opportunity to tell us what support you need to make this happen
• Help to change the way you work to retain your best talent
• Highlight how your Local Enterprise Partnership (D2N2) and other partners can help your business to increase productivity

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Do you know anyone who is keen to help make a difference to the life of others? If so they may want to consider becoming a personal assistant (PA). The role has flexible working hours and can include tasks such as cleaning, shopping, leisure activities, support with personal care and other tasks to help them live independently in their own home.

If you know anyone who is interested, they can access more information or apply to join the Council’s Support with Confidence PA accreditation scheme by clicking here .