Lothian Disability News – Summer 2017
The summer 2017 edition of Lothian Disability news has just been released!
Featured in this edition:
- Grapevine News Update
- Personal Independence Payments
- Independent Living Team
- Edinburgh Taxicard Service
- Personal Experiences of SDS
- LCiL Staff Changes
- Support our Work
- Upcoming Events at LCiL
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Callum Ogden
Information and Communications Coordinator
Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living
Blog – Grapevine Update!
Grapevine News Update
“We’re proud to announce that from June 2017 the Grapevine service will be open five days a week, now including Fridays from 10am to 4pm.”
The Grapevine advice and information service has been active with LCiL since the early 90s providing free, confidential, independent advice to disabled people, people with long term conditions and older people.
In that time the service has helped thousands of people with a broad range of issues: from disability benefit applications to help applying for blue badges. Last year alone the Grapevine service assisted with over 1,200 enquiries – our busiest year ever!
We’re proud to announce that from June 2017 the Grapevine service will be open five days a week, now including Fridays from 10am to 4pm. This extra day will allow us to support even more people in Edinburgh every year, and continue to ensure advice is available to those who need it, when they need it.
Due to the current government’s ongoing policy of social security reform, we find the kinds of enquiries we support people with is becoming more and more complicated, with an increased focus on benefits such as Personal Independent Payments and Attendance Allowance. Overall, there has never been a higher level of demand for the Grapevine advice service.
Callum Ogden
Information and Communications Coordinator
Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living
Are you a disabled person or carer thinking about employing personal assistants?
Training for Personal Assistants Course
Are you thinking about becoming a PA, or just want to brush up on your PA skills?
For more details about the course please click on the link below:
Training for Personal Assistant Course Details
2015-16 Annual Report
LCIL are please to present our 2015-16 annual report, with information about the organisation including direct quotes from our service users. A full publication of the audited accounts is available here:
Some highlights from the financial year 2015-16 include:
- Grapevine Disability Information Service received 5,511 enquiries for advice and information from 1,198 individuals and organisations in Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian. A further 234 people received information/advice via outreach presentations. Grapevine raised a total of £4,938 in weekly income across 78 benefit claimants in Edinburgh i.e. successful awards.
- During its third year of operation the SDS Development Programme continued to be an integral part of LCiL, but its focus changed in response to changes in levels of engagement with local authorities.
- During this period: Champions took part in 27 events, 16 of which involved two or more Champions. The parent and carer peer support group met 12 times, and 8 workshop sessions were held. We ran 12 workshop sessions with disabled people and went on to offer a monthly peer support group, which met 7 times. We worked with 33 disabled people/people with long-term conditions.
- In 2015-16 the Living and Work Choices programme offered: 5 ‘Living & Work Choices’ 4-day courses resulting in 68 participants completing the course, 3 ‘Essential Employers Skills’ 3-day courses including a young people’s day. 20 participants completed the course. There were 22 free places on the Training for PAs courses.
- The Independent Living Service supported a total of 551 people (64 more than last year) with exploring their self directed support options, arranging their support and/or recruiting personal assistants. We worked with 60 people in Midlothian, 125 in West Lothian, 76 in East Lothian and 290 in Edinburgh.
- The training service ran 4 PA courses with 27 people participating. Another 53 people had the opportunity to learn or be challenged on their perception of disability and disabled people through 7 sessions of Disability Equality Training. 20 PA employers attended a variety of courses relevant to Independent Living, through its Pick & Mix project.
- Demand for The Payroll Service grew by 17%. 609 disabled employers made use of it. The Financial Management Service (FMS), saw an increase in demand. During the period, a total of 126 (payroll service users accessed this support. A further 28 (non-payroll) service users also took up the FMS to engage with agency support and or make other payments from their SDS budgets.
LCiL Opening Hours over Christmas and New Year
LCiL’s mainline switchboard number: 0131 475 2350 will be closed from 12noon on Friday the 23rd of December 2016 and will re-open at 10am on Wednesday the 4th of January 2017.
Grapevine disability information and advice will be closed from 4pm on Thursday the 22nd of December 2016 and will re-open on Wednesday the 4th of January 2017 at 10am. Contact details: 0131 475 2370 (Mon-THu, 10am-4pm) or email: grapevine@lothiancil.org.uk
Payroll will be closed from 4pm on Thursday the 22nd of December 2016 and will reopen on Wednesday 4th of January 2017 at 10am. Contact details: 0131 475 2638
LCiL wish all of our service users, supporters and members a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Grapevine newsletter Winter 2016
Grapevine are pleased to bring to the Winter edition of Lothian Disability News. In this edition you will find the latest news and events from Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living as well as other articles of interest to disabled people, people with long term conditions and their supporters in Edinburgh and Lothian, including:
- A reminder that Grapevine disability information and advice is now serving East Lothian residents. Please get in touch with us our contact details: 0131 475 2370 (Mon-Thu, 10am-4pm) email: grapevine@lothaincil.org.uk
- LCiL one of one peer supporters now launched – a group of individuals with lived experience who are trained to support you become more confident, skilled, knowledgeable and resilient. (check out page 3).
- Page 4-6 – dates for 2017 with new capacity building workshops for disabled people, people with long term conditions including Assertive Communication and Know Your Rights.
- If you employ Personal Assistants (PAs) check out pages 7-10 regarding the latest essential updates you may need to act open including auto-enrolment for pensions as well as free training opportunities to enhance your knowledge and skills for 2017.
- Pages 10-12 Grapevine’s advice based on feedback – what to expect from Personal Independence Payment face to face assessments.
- And lots more news and updates!
LCiL would like to wish all our readers and supporters a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. Please note our official closing dates for the festive period are – 4pm on Thursday 22nd of December until 10am on Wednesday 4th of January 2017.
Please, click here to see the whole document: lothian-disability-newsletter-winter-2016
Your Support Your Choice with LCiL and VOCAL
If you are receiving support or may receive support in the future from Health & Social Care and would like to…
- Be better prepared for the assessment process and learn how to get the most out of it
- Learn how to get greater choice and control over the support you or the person you care for receives
- Learn about creative options that will allow you to live life the way you choose
This workshop is run by VOCAL (Voice of Carers across Lothian) Midlothian and LCiL (Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living) and is delivered for unpaid carers and their families.
Thursday 3rd November 2016
10.00am – 12.30pm
@ VOCAL Midlothian Carer Centre
30/1 Hardengreen Estate, Dalhousie Road, Dalkeith
Register online at www.carerstraining.co.uk or call us on
0131 663 6869 or email pquinn@vocal.org.uk
Download the workshop flyer 161103-your-support-your-choice
LCiL one to one Peer Supporters – NOW OPEN!
Are you a disabled person, someone with a long-term condition or a parent carer?
- Are you facing a change, want to explore different options for support or want to build your skills or confidence?
- Would you like to talk to someone who’s had similar experience to you?
Yes?
Then one-to-one peer support may be just what you’re looking for!
How does one-to-one peer support work?
You’ll be matched with a peer supporter – they’ll have experience that’s relevant for you.
Then:
- you’ll meet one-to-one with them, usually several times – you’ll agree how many times, how often, and what the purpose of your time together is when you first meet
- each meeting will last for a maximum of two hours and be an opportunity for you to talk, and very importantly, to be listened to
- you’ll agree how long you go on meeting for – usually a few weeks or months
Who are the peer supporters?
They’re people like you who’ve been trained to offer peer support. They work to guidelines and are supported to make sure they work safely and offer you good support. They use their own lived experience to support you to:
- explore or learn new things
- make decisions about things that are important to you
- deal with change
– always with the aim of helping you to become more confident, skilled, knowledgeable and resilient.
I’m interested! What should I do now?
If you already use an LCiL service, speak to your Independent Living Officer, Payroll Officer or Advice Worker (Grapevine) – they’ll pass your details on so that you can be matched.
If you want to find out more about referring someone to this service or think you may benefit yourself and are interested in finding out more contact Emma on 0131 475 2350/2554 or email emma.wynack@lothiancil.org.uk
Flyer to download in PDF here: one-to-one-peer-support-flyer
Grapevine Disability Information re-open to East Lothian residents
Grapevine disability information service is pleased to announce that it has re-opened to East Lothian residents thanks to East Lothian Council providing funding for this.
Please see: East Lothian flyer
This means that anyone living in East Lothian can access, free, confidential and accessible information and advice on any disability related matter and we can see a limited number of individuals for help with disability benefits claims (Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance forms). Please see our service leaflet for more details.
Service opening times are, Mon-Thu, 10am-4pm
Advice line normal opening hours are: Mon-Thu, 10am-4pm (answer service also available)
Email enquiries to: grapevine@lothaincil.org.uk
Pre-arranged face to face appointments for disability benefit claims (PIP and Attendance Allowance) will be held in an accessible meeting space in our office, based at: Norton Park, 57 Albion Road, Edinburgh, EH7 5QY
Some of the main topics we cover include:
Claiming Personal Independence Payment for the first time and people transferring from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP);
Attendance Allowance claims and other older people’s benefits.
Entitlement checks for other out of work benefits (over the phone).
Grants and trusts available to help towards the costs of essential household items, adaptations, aids and respite, etc.
Rights at work as a disabled person including Access to Work, reasonable adjustments.
Holidays and respite opportunities.
How to access community care services, self-directed support.
Outline rights when accessing services, for example making complaints, accessing advocacy services.
Additional support for learning and education.
Personal health issues and getting the right support for your needs.
We also produce a wide range of accessible factsheets and publication on accessing services and disability issues which are relevant to people living in Edinburgh and East Lothian. Check out: www.lothaincil.org.uk for more information.
Lothian Disability News is also produced by Grapevine – a quarterly newsletter produced in a range of formats with articles for disabled people, people with long term conditions, older people and their supports, indulging news, event and updates at Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL).
For more information on the Grapevine service re-opening in East Lothian please contact Kirstie Henderson, Information and Communications Coordinator on 0131 475 2350/2370 or email: kirstie.henderson@lothaincil.org.uk