BHWN Notes of the Meeting held on 28 October 2016, Moat Community Centre
Present:Dee James, BHWN Co-ordinator, Home Start
Carol Jones, Adult Learning
Audrey Forrest, Acumen
Kaz Molloy Womb Cancer Support UK
Isobel Strong, Councillor Ward 8 Isle of Bute
Sarah Murray, Royal Voluntary Service
Greg Mercer-Brown, Bute Cricket Club
Julie Semple, Bute Advice
Fiona Duncan, Oral Health Improvement Practitioner
Reeni Kennedy-Boyle, Fyne Futures
Ann Kennovin, Youth Services
Neil Kelly, Help Ltd
Apologies: Angela Hogg Vital Spark, Tracy Thornton, Jessica McGilvery TSI, Evelyn Glass McMillian, Sharon Erskine Home Start, Samantha Stubbs TSI Cowal and Bute, Georgie Thomas Alienergy, Tara Livorrese Alienergy, Ryan McKellar Active schools, Robin Millar Cowal and Bute Befrienders, Sharon Macdonald Community Development officer, Alistair Johnston Isle of Bute Trust, Dick Walsh Councillor, Maggs Todd, Dot Gordon Alzheimer Scotland, Diane Oliver Woodland Elements
Minutes of last meeting, proposed Audrey, seconded by Sarah.
Matters Arising - Please would partners remember to send updates straight after the meetings or in advance to enable minutes to be completed promptly.
Dee is looking for someone to take over the Bute Health and Wellbeing Network hopefully from January 2017 and at the very latest from end of March as Dee will be standing down before this meeting. This is a three year contract, attracts £5k pa and you need to attend several off island meetings each year including one overnight. Dee will give anyone interested more information.
We completed a JHIP exercise about the priorities for the BHWN (available separately). The Health and Wellbeing Networks are run by the Joint Health Improvement Plan and this links into the Single Outcome Agreement for Argyll and Bute Council. There are eight local networks and each are being asked to complete the exercise of what priorities they feel are important. The allocation of funding relates directly to the priorities.
Partner Updates:
Acumen:
ACUMEN are sitting on the Bute Locality Planning Group.
We are represented on a lot of new groups that have been formed recently as the Mental Health Organisational Group has been discontinued.
I will be attending meetings about the Relocation of the acute admissions ward and IPCU to the ground floor of the Mid Argyll Hospital. There will be a public information day on Bute on Monday 12th November which I will be attending.
There are also Argyll wide Comms and Engagement meetings relating to MH services which I will attend. There will be work done on the Place of Safety issue in various localities and ACUMEN will be involved in that. We are also involved in the Clinical Quality group, the Policy Group, the Education and Training Group and the Escort and transfer group.
We continue to run our Service User Reference Group and our Carer Group.
We have moved our main office to the RAMH building in Paisley and ACUMEN Board will recommend that ACUMEN amalgamates with RAMH. This should not affect the work in Argyll at all. Our AGM will take place in the Three Villages Hall in Arrochar on 16th November. If you would like to attend and have not received an invitation, can you let me have your email.
We held a service on Bute in St Paul’s Episcopalian church to mark Suicide Awareness week in September and this was very well attended. We hope to make this a yearly event.
We hope to run a WRAP course in Bute in March so please start passing the word now. There are spaces in the course due to run on Saturday 5th and 12th November in Dunoon. This training is free.
Adult Learning:
Mainly working with the Syrian refugees to provide English for Speakers of Other Languages and a doing a small amount of work with the Job Centre.
Alienergy:
Warm home discounts will be ending soon from British Gas.
Bute Advice Centre:
The biggest number of their clients are over 40’s who do/did manual work and realise that they cannot do this until they retire. Clients have an our with an advisor and often this is spent talking as this may be the only opportunity they have to talk with someone. After the person goes, most of the work is done. Over the past year, Bute Advice have seen 700 clients with over 1000 issues. BAC are doing Syrian refugee work, collaborating with Fyne Futures on energy efficiency which will finish at Christmas (this is an energy audit for businesses and is offered free).
Bute Cricket Club:
No change
Community Dementia Team Bute:
Our team comprises of:
Psychiatrist – who visits the island once per week.
Community Mental Health Nurse - who visits the island two days per week.
Occupational Therapist – two days per week – this post is currently vacant but we are hoping to recruit by the beginning of next year.
Dementia Link Worker – full time based on the island.
Social Work – three days per week
The Team offers support to people pre and post diagnosis and support to carers and families. We also offer training including, ‘Informed about Dementia’/’Understanding Dementia’/’Dementia Friends’
Fyne Futures/Zero Waste Bute:
Zero Waste Bute is delivering against the project objectives. Current activities include Tenement Recycling Trial which is working with residents of 8 tenement blocks and a small 2 up / 2 down estate in Central Rothesay. The objective is to understand how best we can support people in flats to reduce their waste and recycle more. It’s going very well. We also have an active social media campaign linked to healthy eating and reducing food waste.
Bute Produce have a full programme of training & skills development activities including offering Royal Botanic Garden Accredited Certificate in Practical Horticulture. Brochure were handed out to those present.
At Fyne Futures we are becoming increasingly challenged to deliver against our employability aims. As a result of welfare reforms, agencies are increasingly referring people who have complex support needs. These needs are somewhat beyond the capability of our teams. We are actively seeking partners who can support work-based trainees and volunteers outside their committed working hours to address a range of needs from social isolation to negative behaviour patterns. We would like to develop and support person centred solutions which enable people to make the most of the work-based opportunity we offer and address other issues which may prevent them from fulfilling their potential.
Help:
Struggling with engagement – employability and parenting, and trying an alternative sports programme – golf and bowls.
Homestart:
Homestart works with families who have at least one child between the ages of one and eight. We are currently supporting nine families and all volunteers are matched and are running a preparation course for volunteers on mental health. We are also applying for funding to help people who live with someone with mental health issues.
Families – 9
Volunteers – 9
Our Families are thriving and we have a low number of Children on the child protection register. We have just completed our Prep training which we did over 10 weeks and we have also completed our first round of Safeguarding Training for existing volunteers. We are almost complete with our Annual Reviews which are designed to give both Coordinator and Volunteer to look at future plans for development and Training.
Bute Volunteers will meet on December 20th for a peer to peer session where we can all get together on a more relaxed footing.
McMillian:
I am Macmillan nurse for Bute which not only covers patients with cancer but those with a life limiting illness. Currently started a post grad in palliative care at UWS, which is why I am not able to come to your meetings at present. I can cover patients in Dunoon if needed but my job is primarily on Bute. At the moment we are waiting to hear re funding from Macmillan regarding the necessary improvements to the palliative care beds at the Victoria hospital, also I am working with Dr Stephen Harrow at the Beatson to see if we can try a virtual clinic at the Rothesay to save patients having to travel off island.
Oral Health:
Just going along as usual
RVS:
RVS has taken over from Red Cross to deliver Meals on Wheels on Bute though as the Red Cross have taken the vehicle off the road, volunteers are having to use their own cars. Interloch and Car Bute were mentioned as alternatives. Shona Edwards was given money to get a community bus (funded by BHWN) and this was also mentioned as an alternative. Well and Connected are operating in Oban at present.
Womb Cancer Awareness UK:
Kaz has been awareness raising at meetings and money has been donating to them recently. There has been more hits on the website and leaflets have been given to the Health Centre.
Youth Services:
Simon Kay, Youth Work Assistant has now left his post with Youth Services. I expect that the post will be filled however this may not happen until the new financial year.
Holiday Provision
The summer programme was rebranded across Youth Services to GIVE – Get Inspired through Volunteering and Engagement and was again successful on Bute. The programme model of whereby young people complete local community projects in return for off island excursions has been rolled out to all Youth Service localities. The Bute programme offered 13 activities over 3 weeks and a total of 108 young people took part. This year there was a 50/50 gender split for the first time.
In contrast, the October Programme was low in numbers with a total of 23 young people taking part over the 2 weeks. One activity was cancelled due to lack of numbers.
Youth Exchange
4 Members of Bute youth Forum took part in the Forum’s first ever International exchange to Bavaria, Germany. The forum members were joined on the Exchange by 5 members of North Argyll Youth Forum and 1 young person from Helensburgh in her capacity as Member of Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP). The 8 day trip to Amberg-Sulzbach, incorporated some teambuilding and leisure activities: canoeing, a high ropes course, a trip to the Allianz Arena in Munich and a visit to Lake Tergensee and well as a series of workshops on the Exchange Themes of Health & wellbeing, culture and creativity .The exchange was the first between the twinned regions in 20 years and Bute & Oban will host the return visit in April 2017 subject to funding.
Newbies
The annual Newbie residential will take place at Ardentinny Outdoor Centre on 12 & 13 November. This is for the new S1 pupils to familiarise themselves with the work of Youth Forums and learn about the skills and experiences they can gain from being involved in Youth Forums. Recruitment has already begun and all 10 spaces have now been filled with others on a waiting list.
Upcoming Projects
Youth Services with the help of Youth Forum Members will be supporting Dyslexia Awareness Week 2-8 November in Rothesay Academy. The Forum will have an information stand with Dyslexia literature and blue ribbons for sale for £1.
Youth services will be reintroducing the delivery of Positive Choices Programme after the October break. This will be open to all young people S3 and above and will cover relationships, sexual health, budgeting and finish with the weekend baby care experience.
As part of the themes for the return Exchange visit by the German partner, we will be developing work around Migrant issues and refugee resettlement. This will involve interviewing migrant workers and some of the Syrian refugee families as part of the research and then comparing the findings with the German youth work partner.
AOCB
It was raised by a few members present that they thought Ballachgoy Family Project had ceased, but we were still getting updates. Clarification would be useful.
Date of NEXT MEETINGS
27 January 2017 by VC,1200 for refreshments, meeting starts at 1230
26 May 2017, 1200 for refreshments, meeting starts at 1230
1 September 2017, 1200 for refreshments, meeting starts at 1230
8 December 2017, 1200 for refreshments, meeting starts at 1230