COVID-19 vaccinations for Personal Assistants and vaccination scam messages
The Scottish Government identifies Personal Assistants as key workers who will, therefore, be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination along with other frontline health and social care workers.
LCiL has been in communication with the four Lothian local authorities and the Scottish Government regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and the availability of regular testing for Personal Assistants.
As soon as we have further information on vaccination and/or regular testing we will share this with our service users.
In the meantime, please be advised that we have been advised by one local authority of a scam text message which has been received by some health and social care workers.
This message, supposedly originating from NHS read: “We have identified that you are eligible to apply for your vaccine. For more information and to apply, follow here” there is then a link to a webpage which has the NHS logo as a heading and also the request to give bank details as a way to “prove ownership of address”.
Thankfully in this instance the social care worker realised it was a scam and notified their employer and the local authority have asked us to share this information with our service users.
Please be aware that you may receive similar messages which are designed to prey on the anxieties and concerns we all have at this time in relation to the pandemic. Think carefully before giving out any personal information online, by text or by phone.
If you have concerns about scam calls, emails, texts or callers you can report this to Police Scotland using the 101 number. For more information visit; https://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/personal-safety/identity-theft-fraud-and-scams/
Again, as soon as LCiL has information from local or national government on testing and vaccination we will share this with our service users as a matter of priority.
Grapevine still open to support you remotely
Grapevine’s telephone information and advice service is still open for your calls.
We can help you go through a benefits check and apply for benefits such as
- Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
- Attendance Allowance (AA)
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit (UC)
For free, confidential and independent information and advice on benefits, community care, transport, access issues, rights, equipment, holidays and much more contact us via 0131 475 2370 or Grapevine@lothiancil.org.uk
Relief Personal Assistants Required
Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) is a user controlled organisation which supports disabled people, people with long-term conditions and older people, to live independently in their communities.
We are looking for locally based, self-employed Personal Assistants (PA) to join our team of PA’s across Edinburgh and the three Lothians. Our PA’s are available on an ad-hoc basis, who support people at our workshops and peer support groups.
The role can include:
- meeting and welcoming people as they arrive
- serving refreshments
- assisting them with lunch
- assistance with note taking or written tasks as required
We welcome applications from people who are reliable and attentive, non-judgemental and can work discreetly. Good communication skills are essential. Experience is not essential as training can be provided.
Hours required are generally during the daytime eg. 10am until 2.30pm and PA’s are paid an hourly rate of £9.75.
For further information please contact: Lyn Pornaro, SDS Programme co-ordinator email: lyn.pornaro@lothiancil.org.uk
Alternatively, you can download a job description and an application form.
LCiL survey 2018-19
The objective of the survey was to gather information on service users’ satisfaction with LCIL. To give depth to the survey, an overall service satisfaction section is complemented by a section on specific services.
Questionnaires were sent to 973 registered service users from Edinburgh and the Lothians, who had accessed one or more of the following LCiL services in the last year:
- Grapevine Disability Information Service
- Payroll Service
- Financial Management Support
- Independent Living Service
Download the survey here: LCIL Survey 2018-19 All LAs
LCiL Audited Accounts to March 2018
Full Audited Accounts from LCiL to March 2018 are available to read here: LCIL Accounts to March 2018
Launch of our Impact Report
Today will see us officially unveil our Impact Report during a special event with disabled people, people with long term conditions and older people, as well as key partners and other stakeholders.
The Impact Report and accompanying short film features service users, staff and board members talk about how we make a difference and what that means to them in their everyday lives.
What makes LCiL different can be summarised in 6 factors:
- It is a disabled people’s organisation run by and for disabled people.
- Its breadth of expertise: disability-specific, not condition-specific.
- It is a ‘one stop shop’.
- Its consistency and integrity over time.
- Its knowledge and understanding of what matters.
- Help is always there on the end of a phone.
Aimed at anyone who wants to get a better understanding and insight into LCiL, the Impact Report can be downloaded in various formats below and short film can be viewed here (Link)
Executive Summary (4 page document) in PDF format (Download here)
Full digital report (40 page document in PDF format) with interactive links to short clips of service users and staff in film format (will link to YouTube). (Download here)
If you require a printed version please get in touch with us directly on 0131 475 2350/email: admin@lothiancil.org.uk or you can Contact Us via our online form here.
LCiL Capacity Building Programme
Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living is delighted to announce that our Self Directed Support (SDS) Programme will continue to be funded by Support in the Right Direction from October 2018 to March 2021. We were joined by Scottish Government officials last week who were able to announce this exciting news with a range of LCiL service users present.
Support in the Right Direction is to ensure that more people across Scotland who require social care are engaged, informed, included and empowered to make choices about their support.
This will include continuing to deliver a range of workshops, peer support groups and our champions programme for people with lived experience. The funding will mean we can support many more disabled people, people with long term conditions, older people and parent carers of disabled children to make informed decisions and plans for their future.
You can find out more about the Capacity Building Programme in our Peer Support section of our website here.
If you are interested in getting involved in a peer support group, capacity-building workshops or the cham
pions programme then please let us know by contacting Lisa Milburn, SDS Administrator, on 0131-475-2350 or e-mail lisa.milburn@lothiancil.org.uk
Our website will have the latest updates on news and events as they are announced.
You can also receive LCiL news by signing up here
Check us out on Facebook and Twitter also for updates and more news.
You can also get in touch via our online contact form.
Information Sessions
Are you thinking about employing, or have recently started employing, Personal Assistants (PAs)?
- Are you a disabled person, older person, person with a long term condition, or a carer?
- Would you like to attend bite sized information session while meeting new people with similar experiences?
- And you would like help to increase your confidence and skills and get to grips with what you need to do as a PA employer?
If the answer is yes, this is for you!
The Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL) is offering a series of workshops as part of its Pick and Mix project.
The information sessions will look at:
– Identifying the steps in the recruitment process to ensure safe recruitment.
– Begin to establish what you as an individual require from PAs.
– What are the legal responsibilities of being an employer
This half-day course runs on the following dates (you only need to attend one of them):
– Tuesday 19th June
– Thursday 23rd August
– Wednesday 26th September
Time: 10.30 – 1.00 followed by lunch until 1.30pm
Venue: Norton Park 57 Albion Road EH7 5QY
We provide lunch and can organise and arrange transport for people, where needed.
To book a place, or find out more: Please contact LCiL on 0131 475 2510 or email lisa.milburn@lothiancil.org.uk
Peer Support Changes Lives Event
On 27th March 2018 LCiL brought together a number of key figures in peer support to increase understanding in peer support, share learning and techniques, and make links to lead to more joint working.
People’s passion for the process, value and impact of peer support came across in the conversations. Important outcomes about having a voice, being listened to and being understood were discussed. Participants revealed how peer support leads to all kinds of outcomes for people as they are more confident and skilled, less isolated, and have more capacity to achieve their personal goals.
You can download a copy of the report by clicking here.
GDPR (new data protection regulations) for LCiL service users and PA employers
On 25th May 2018, new data protection regulations, or GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) comes in to effect and in order to comply with these new regulations we need your consent to continue to hold information on you as an LCiL service user.
If you’ve used or use any of our services – the Independent Living Team, Payroll, SDS Development or Grapevine Disability Information Service – you will have received, by post or email, information from us on the type of information we store, how we store it and how it is used.
It is vital that, if you have received this email or letter, and wish to continue to receive a service from us, that you update your preferences with us as quickly as possible. If we do not have your permission we cannot contact you after 25th May 2018.
For PA employers
If you are a Personal Assistant (PA) employer, the GDPR rules also apply to you. We have prepared a factsheet (download here) outlining what GDPR is, how it affects you and what you need to do to be compliant. There is a template GDPR policy (download here) for you to use with your employees and amended terms and conditions (contract) template which are GDPR compliant (see example here). You can download the factsheet or contact your Independent Living Officer (ILO) for more information. Alternatively you can call the LCiL mainline on 0131 475 2350 or email lcil@lothiancil.org.uk
You can also find out more about GDPR via the website of the Information Commissioner’s Office; https://ico.org.uk/
LCiL’s privacy policy can be downloaded from our E-library here.