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 The theme of this year’s national Foster Care Fortnight campaign is #FosteringCommunities. You can get involved from Monday 9 to Sunday 22 May by joining an event or hearing from our foster carers.
Read a blog by our Fostering and Children with Disabilities Service Manager, Gloria Samuel, who has fostered 67 children over 20 years. Gloria talks about how she went from a foster carer to service manager and has shared some lovely photos of her children, including her foster son.
If you’re thinking about fostering, come along to the virtual coffee morning on Friday 27 May from 10am to 11am. You will hear from a social worker and foster carer and find out about the various types of fostering, the process details, and have any questions answered.
Please let any friends and family in Redbridge who may be interested in fostering know about the event too. We’re looking for foster carers aged 21 and over who can offer a loving home, care, and stability to our children and young people.
The coffee morning can be joined through Eventbrite or the Redbridge Council website.
Redbridge Council offers generous allowances and benefits to foster carers. If certain occupancy criteria are met, you could save 80 per cent on council tax. Anyone considering fostering for Redbridge can get in touch with the team by calling 020 8708 6068 or by sending an email.
To find out more about the campaign, visit The Fostering Network charity.
The Faith Network would like to invite you all to our Eid Potluck celebration event which marks the end of Ramadan 2022. The event is from 12pm to 2pm today on the first floor at Lynton House where staff will be able to network, engage in activities, learn how colleagues celebrated Eid, and enjoy lots of food brought in by our very own staff.
There will be a short presentation at 1pm with short speeches from the network’s sponsor Nicky, followed by Shiyara and Mohammed, who will be sharing their Eid experiences. Our Chief Executive, Lesley, will also be dropping in to say a few words.
You are welcome to voluntarily contribute food however big or small or by contributing £2 on the day. However, if you cannot do either, please do attend regardless, and share this event with your wider team and colleagues.
Find out more on our events calendar. We hope you enjoy the event. See you on the first floor!
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The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is Loneliness. The DAWN Network has been holding informative and interactive sessions to bring staff together to raise awareness of the impact loneliness can have on our mental well-being and how we can tackle loneliness.
There’s still time to join our final events. Take a break and enjoy some virtual games tomorrow afternoon from 1.15pm to 2pm. Join the meeting or add to your calendar.
Next Wednesday, The Book Club will be discussing The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Find out more on the intranet and add to your calendar.
For further support, The Mental Health Foundation have released a video on the practical steps we can take to address loneliness.
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Help us support your current role and future careers by completing the Data Skills Maturity Survey before it closes at 5pm tomorrow.
We’re keen to hear from all staff, even if only 10 per cent of your role involves the use of data. When we talk about data we mean any type of information that is obtained and processed for a purpose.
Understanding how you use data, how much time you spend working with data and what skills you already have, will help us work out what training and support we need to offer you.
For more information, please visit the intranet.
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To ensure that IT systems continue to operate effectively, essential maintenance is scheduled on Sunday 15 May as detailed below:
- VMWare Remote Desktop Solution – 8am to 5pm
- Netloan – 8am to 9am
- Always on VPN and DirectAccess for remote working – 12pm to 2pm
- Revenues & Benefits System – 8.30am to 10am
- Housing System – 9am to 10.30am
- Planning – 9am to 11am
- Agresso – 10am to 12pm
- Profile and Redirect File Servers – 8am to 5pm
There may also be some general disruption to other IT systems during 8am to 5pm. To minimise impact, we recommend that you avoid using these systems for those hours, but if you have no alternative then please ensure you save your work regularly.
Please contact the IT Service Desk if you have any further queries.
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The Policy, Equalities, and Communities Team are hiring! We are looking for a dynamic and motivated person to join the team as a Policy Project Lead for a six-month secondment. This role will be essential in supporting the roll out of the new Corporate Plan, building our external Equalities, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy, and working with the wider Strategy Directorate to support the organisation in achieving its goals.
If you would like to know more, please visit the intranet or contact Edith Galliers. Please get in touch by Tuesday 17 May. Interviews will be held on Monday 23 May.
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Are you ready to boost your skills, learn something new and get inspired? Check out our exciting week of events taking place from Monday 23 to Friday 27 May.
Digital transformation is more present than ever as digital technology and skills influence our everyday life. We want everyone to recognise the need for digital technology, build skills, and get an insight into our journey to becoming a digital council.
We will be launching an incredible training programme in partnership with Huawei that will give you access to free accredited training, as well workshops, digital skills training, and face to face pop-ups at various sites. There is something for everybody.
Get the events in your calendar so you don’t miss out. Don’t forget to share these events with colleagues too.
Find out more by visiting the Digital Voice website.
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Life is plastic, it’s not fantastic! Did you know the UK is the second highest producer of plastic worldwide?
Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic have organised The Big Plastic Count week from Monday 16 to Sunday 22 May. They are asking households across the country to track the amount of plastic they are recycling and disposing of for one week only. They want to use this data to convince the government and businesses to take action to tackle the root of the plastic crisis.
To sign up, visit The Big Plastic Count website. You will be sent a free pack to tally the plastic you throw away which you can then upload to the website and see your personal plastic footprint.
Join the largest nationwide investigation into what happens with our plastic today.
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We know you can’t wait to get your tax return completed. Do not fear, your P60 will be available online via employee self-service tomorrow.
Paper ones will be distributed to staff members who do not have access to iTrent by the end of May.
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Have you thought about cycling to work? We’re making it easier and safer to get around the borough by bicycle with the introduction of new mandatory cycle lanes and free cycle skills training to support local people and school children adopt greener, healthier travel choices.
Find out more on the Redbridge website.
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Showcase your talents in our live entertainment competition to be in the chance of winning a cash prize. Instead of dancing in the mirror, fill out an application form before the deadline on 5pm, Monday 23 May.
Auditions will be held on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 May.
The competition will be held on Saturday 4 June from 12pm to 5pm on a staged platform on Ilford High Road.
The below cash prizes will be available to spend in Ilford.
- First place – £700
- Second place – £300
- Third place – £200
- Fourth to tenth place – £50
The event is to commemorate 70 years of service by Her Majesty the Queen, through the recognition of the amazing talent we have in Redbridge and to encourage families to visit Ilford and celebrate the best of our diverse community during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration.
The council has teamed up with Ilford Business Improvement District (BID) which works on behalf of 400 businesses in Ilford to create a welcoming, vibrant, and economically successful trading area.
For further information, please visit the inIlford website.
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Would you like the opportunity to be coached by a professional performer and perform at gigs? Then The Redbridge Talent Academy Day is your chance.
The council is working alongside Busk London to find local musicians who will play at established events throughout the year.
It’s specifically for solo, duo and trio acts (music and entertainment). Performers who are chosen must be free on Saturday 18 of June to attend Kenneth Moore Theatre. Further details to follow.
The application closes at 5pm on Monday 23 May, so what are you waiting for? Get applying.
For further information, please visit the inIlford website.
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Our employee assistance programme is available 24hrs a day and seven days a week.
If you're struggling at the moment due to things like your workload or uncertainty about the future, our employee assistance programme can offer you support, counselling, and guidance through this emotionally difficult time.
Don’t wait for a crisis to happen before you access this support. Staff who have used the programme have given positive feedback with comments such as, “It really helped me”, “I wish I called them earlier” and “I feel so much better now”.
This service is open to staff and their families by self referring. Call 0800 328 1437 or go to the employee assistance website (password Redbridge).
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