 The annual staff survey is here! This is your opportunity to share your honest views on how you feel about working at Redbridge Council, and yes, your responses are 100% confidential.
Your feedback from last year’s survey supported us in improving areas such as staff wellbeing and recognition, collaborating with you on key decisions, and keeping you informed of important organisational changes and news. Now, we want to know what else we can do to improve and to support you further.
On Monday, you would have received an email with the survey link from Picker, the independent research organisation who we have commissioned to run the survey.
By participating in the survey, you can:
- tell us what we’re doing well as an employer
- tell us what we can improve on
- give us ideas on how to drive improvements and innovation across the council
- help us develop our services for residents
- help us shape the Council to become an even better place to work.
Responses will be sent directly to Picker for analysis, and the results will be presented in a summary format in which no individual, or their responses, can be identified. For reassurance, please read Picker’s confidentiality document.
Visit the intranet for more information and FAQs.
The Redbridge Educational Wellbeing Team (REWT) is celebrating after receiving the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) Network Kitemark, recognising its status as a National Educational Psychology Service. Well done, team!
The achievement comes after four years of hard work in ELSA training and supervision, during which REWT provided bespoke services to each school to support the wellbeing and mental health of children and young people, school staff, and the local community. It means that every school in Redbridge now has in-house trained staff who can provide effective interventions for those with social, emotional, and mental health needs.
REWT is part of the London ELSA network, which is part of a national programme involving over 100 local authorities across the UK.
The REWT team is co-led by Claudia Noël-Michael and Janet Rowley, both Senior Specialist Educational Psychologists. The team has gained approval from the Department for Education (DfE) as a Senior Mental Health Lead (SMHL) training provider, meaning that anyone outside of Redbridge can access their training. The Redbridge SMHL’s work with the ELSAs to ensure they have an effective whole-school approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health.
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We’re pleased to promote our new Apprenticeships Policy as part of our commitment to attract new talent to our Council.
This policy enables us to fully support the recruitment of new apprentices, recognising them as a key part of the Council’s workforce.
The scheme is also open to our existing staff for ongoing development, to upskill and gain professional or vocational qualifications. If you missed the testimonies from some of our brilliant apprentices during National Apprenticeship Week, you can catch up now by reading our recent news story.
By investing in our apprenticeships, we will be adding value to how we build our workforce for the future.
The policy is available on the HR intranet page and includes guidance and FAQs about apprenticeships. Please take the time to read the policy and familiarise yourself with it.
Look out for videos from some of our talented apprentices.
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If you live locally and want to celebrate The King’s coronation with a street party, read on.
The Coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom will take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023.
If you would like to host a street party to mark this this momentous occasion, make sure you apply online by Wednesday 1 March 2023. Don’t miss out.
Street parties are a great way to get to know your neighbours, generate community spirit and have some neighbourhood fun. You can apply to host a street party on any day of the special bank holiday weekend.
We will not be charging residents for road closures to celebrate this special occasion. Further details coming soon.
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The energy market is in crisis – even after the Government's intervention to lower unit rates on gas and electricity. Using less is one of the only ways to save right now, and there are obvious ways to do this, such as wearing jumpers and turning lights off. But with a lot of different information available about reducing energy costs, it can often be difficult to cut through the noise and figure out what really works.
This week, we have collected some useful guides that test various pieces of energy saving advice to help you make informed decisions about their effectiveness and which might be right for your home. The guides addresses a variety of common energy-saving tips, including the less obvious energy conundrums like whether it's cheaper to keep your heating on low all day, and whether painting your radiators black can help.
Head to the cost of living support for staff intranet page for information that can help you make informed decisions.
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It's the the 100th edition of Staff eNews since we started using Granicus, the Council's latest e-newsletter software. The internal comms team provide the latest news straight to your inbox every week. We work with teams across the Council to make sure you know about national campaigns, staff network events, training opportunities, ways to have your say and get involved, important changes taking place, good news stories, and much more.
Of course, we can’t do this without you – keep sending in your stories to the Internal Comms inbox by 9am on Mondays. In case you missed (or avoided!) our team rap – you can watch it here.
You can catch up on previous editions through a direct link on the intranet homepage.
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It was Shrove Tuesday earlier this week, which may be better known as Pancake Day.
For some light-hearted fun, we asked which type of pancake you prefer – a light, thin crepe or a thick fluffy American style pancake. We also wanted to know what your favourite toppings were – yes, we’re nosey, but at least we didn’t ask for your PIN.
It was a tie between crepes and pancakes, but with 44% of the vote, the winning topping was lemon and sugar. A very predictably English response!
For Christians, Shrove Tuesday marks the last day before Lent, traditionally a period of abstinence, associated with clearing your cupboards of goods such as sugar, fats, and eggs. As a result, pancakes were eaten on this day to use up these foods before the 40-day fasting season of Lent began.
Lent represents the period when Jesus Christ was in the desert and fasted for 40 days before dying on the cross. Whilst in the desert, the Devil tried to tempt Jesus to turn away from God, but Jesus refused, showing his self-discipline. Millions of people therefore practice sacrifice and self-discipline by giving up something for Lent.
Fun fact - there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, with six Sundays in total, therefore some people believe Sundays do not count in Lent.
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Ofsted would like to hear your views about Redbridge Council’s fostering service.
They want to ensure that the right people look after and provide social care services for children. Your feedback will influence what Ofsted should check in future inspections.
The survey is anonymous and should take you just a few minutes to complete. It closes on Sunday 26 March 2023.
If you have any questions about the survey, you can email Ofsted or call them on 0300 123 1231.
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Have you ever been told to “be more confident” but not known how to you boost your confidence? Educator Amy Adkins reveals where confidence comes from and gives three tips on how to build your confidence in this TED-Ed animation.
TED-Ed Original lessons feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators.
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We make time to maintain our physical fitness, but what about our social fitness? Studies show supportive relationships are vital for our happiness and wellbeing. There are lots of simple things we can do to develop our social fitness and give our relationships a boost. Setting aside some time to reach out to a friend you’ve not spoken to for a while or showing someone that you appreciate them can make all the difference.
Watch the short video from Action for Happiness for tips.
Action for Happiness is a movement which aims to create a happier and kinder world.
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