Welcome to our spring newsletter! 

The new year started with a national lockdown and it was bleak, to say the least. We ploughed through together with staff wellbeing events such as Blue Monday and Keep in touch (KIT) Tuesday. Now things are looking much more positive, the seasons seem to align with the government's road map and we welcome the arrival of spring alongside hospitality venues and shops opening!

January was a welcome month for some as we introduced 3 new members to the team. We hosted a general knowledge and picture quiz, to bring our remote staff together and have some fun.

I'm pleased to say that all our staff had the opportunity to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The vaccination process was rolled out seamlessly in military-precision. 

With all things considered the team have got off to a flying start now with spring in touching distance and the lighter night’s drawing in I’m sure we have lots more to look forward to this season.

Please take a moment to catch up with the teams at Rehabilitation and Support for Independence.

If you have any comments please do get in touch.

I wish you a restful, healthy and happy Easter.

Berni Lomax has been promoted to Assistant Care Coordinator!

Berni joined the company in 2019 and has been actively working alongside Jane supporting her in her dual role as Registered Manager and Care Coordinator.

The Care Coordinator role is a varied role with regular mentoring and supervision, bringing together different specialists, monitoring and evaluating the care the client receives all whilst ensuring that both the support workers and client are safe, compliant and achieving their goals.

Ready to make a referral? 

Rehabilitation and Support for Independence is delighted to welcome Jessica O’Malley to the team as HR and Recruitment Administrator.

Jessica has recently completed her CIPD Level 3 Diploma in Human Resources; she has previously worked as a planner in a variety of sectors including housing and utilities. This has allowed for Jessica to develop her skills and confidence.

With a proven track record of working under pressure and delivering excellent customer service, Jessica is now keen to further her career in HR. Jessica is looking forward to applying her knowledge and experience working in a hybrid role that encompasses both HR and recruitment.

This Supreme Court ruling means Carers in England on sleep-in shifts are not entitled to the minimum wage for their whole shift. The ruling made on Friday 19^th March states that “workers who stay overnight at a client’s house to assist them during the night are not entitled to the minimum wage”.

You may have seen the above ruling over the weekend on the news which some of you may have been concerned about and so we wanted to clarify the position for you.

Support for Independence can re-assure all our team that this ruling will not change the amount SFI pays its employees for sleep in shifts.  Wages for sleep-in shifts will continue to be paid at minimum wage plus accrued holiday for the full 8 hours of each sleep shift.

We are proud to announce this continued rate of pay recognises the hard work, flexibility, and commitment you are providing to your clients and ensuring their safety.

Children’s Mental Health Week took place on 1-7 February 2021. We wanted to support this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week by raising important awareness to help more children and young people get the emotional support they need.

The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week was Express Yourself. For children being able to “express yourself” is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity. It is about finding a way to show who they are, and how they see the world, it can also enable a child to feel better about themselves.

As care providers, we recognise the importance of a child’s mental health and have identified some important resources we wanted to share with you.

Earlier this month we saw millions of people around the world are celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD).

IWD is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. The day is a focal point in the movement for women’s rights and celebrated all over the world.

To celebrate we highlighted some of the amazing achievements of the in women our industry, who really are making a difference to the lives of others.  

See them here.