SupportActionNet Awards 2009
The SupportActionNet Awards 2009 offers £9,000 prize money, sponsored by The Ashden Trust, and are for services, projects or examples of support work that have delivered outstanding outcomes for vulnerable people in the following life categories:
Love - sustaining or creating opportunities for loving and lasting relationships
Money - freedom from debt, financial planning and money management to fulfil goals and aspirations
Family & Friends - enabling connections with family members or creating new opportunities for friendship
Work - voluntary or paid employment that service users consider dignified and honourable
Well-being - physical, psychological or spiritual health
Kirstie Norman, User Involvement Worker for Adullam Homes Housing Association Limited - The Bethany Project, Leicester, entered the awards to share good practice and great ideas that have enhanced the lives of the vulnerable women and children the Bethany Project team work with and to make Adullam Homes Housing Association Limited stand out from the crowd.
The entry has been short-listed for the SupportActionNet Awards from over 100 high-quality entries from a range of organisations, Short-listed entries can be viewed and voted for at www.lemosandcrane.co.uklhome/index.php?id=202284. Winners will be announced at the SupportActionNet Conference: Outstanding Outcomes for Vulnerable People Achieving and Demonstrating Freedom and Fulfilment in Supported Housing and Related Care on Thursday 26th November 2009.
Kirstie shared the award entry with Bethany residents who wished to get involved. By way of participation residents included their comments for the entry based on the required life categories.
This is what they had to say:
Love - "Bethany staff are practitioners a/The Freedom Programme for victims of domestic violence. I have regular one-la-one sessions which are helping me 10 become a survivor. 1 can believe that one day I will find a loving and lasting relationship because 1 am learning to spot the warning signs of unhealthy relationships ".
Money - "My key worker understands my attitude and behaviour to money. She has helped me to identify my needs and make positive choices by planning and thinking ahead".
Family and Friends - "My key worker has worked tirelessly to reunite me with my husband and children after I had to flee my country leaving them behind. Staff work above and beyond to find ways to learn about and celebrate resident's different cultures"
Work - (. We meet people from other agencies and organisations at our resident meetings. Staff have formed partnerships and created opportunities for voluntary placements and work experience. some can lead to employment. I am volunteering at The Art Organisation in Leicester and I love if. I have a purpose and a reason to get up in the morning and I am making new Friends. "
Well-being - "I really enjoyed the cook and eat sessions. With me it isn't a case of can't cook rather won't cook!"
"I am proud to have been part of the resident group who designed our Live Well Be Healthy sessions. We have the latest workout DVDs and are looking forward to the Wii Console Launch evening ".
"I have learnt to express myself by writing poetry. It's easy and now I can't stop. My worker brought me a special note pad and I keep them all in there ".
Kirstie understands that we face an increasingly competitive commissioning environment and that there is a need for service providers to demonstrate quality and added value is more important than ever. Her entry shows the difference Adullam Homes Housing Association Limited - The Bethany Project is making to aspects of the life that service users really care about.
Kirstie Norman,
User Involvement Worker,
Bethany Project, Leicester
