News

JUNE REPORT

 

Staff

 

  • Irene Ruto has returned from maternity leave to work in March.   
  • Elena Garcia, Irene Rutos maternity cover, has secured a full time post as a Delivering Race Equality (DRE) Community Development Worker (CDW) with Northumberland PCT.
  • Narinder Dhindsa has moved on to a full time post with Durham PCT also as a CDW.
  • Interviews for Narinder’s vacant post will be held on the 19th June. 

 

 

 

Projects

 

Religious book for in-patients

  • A gift to the Tranwell Unit; religious books from 5 major faiths
  • Books have been supplied to the resident Reverend
  • Staff training on how to care and “handle” the books will follow soon

 Talk Therapy for the BME community

 

  • To provide Talk Therapy in community languages to patients
  • After months of work a 10 week Listening Ear Service currently being rolled out to frontline community workers.
  • Next step; to monitor demand for the Listening Ear Service then secure funding to enrol some BME people on to a “Basic” one year Counselling course.

 

Women’s Support Group/Focus Group

 

  • To create a focus group and a vehicle to deliver many of the Action plan’s “Community objectives”, like raising community awareness of services.
  • Group over subscribed with 30+ members registered, with 20 or so women attending each session
  • the group runs each monday, 12-3pm, at Bensham Grove Community Centre

 

 A new support group

  • A mix gender mix abilities group, in partnership with the BME Carers Association
  • Failed to start for various reasons
  • Nevertheless, demand from the community remains, so an alternative path is being investigated

 

 Individual Budget pilot scheme for Gateshead

  • A working group is up and running involving statutory and voluntary organisations
  • The aTENSION project and Gateshead Advocacy Information Network (GAIN) are running the group
  • Objective of the group is to test the roll out of IB on 5 BME families as a pilot study
  • Three meetings have successfully happened since January

 

 Race Equality Cultural Competency Train the trainer course

  • Project Co-ordinator attending a 4 week train the trainer course
  • Will learn to run a 10 week course for frontline staff in Gateshead
  • Roll out to begin as soon as possible