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January 2023 newsletter
Your monthly update on all things Inclusion Barnet, as well as local and national goings-on which impact the lives of disabled people in Barnet, including people with mental health issues and long-term conditions.
The latest from our CEO, Caroline Collier
A Happy New Year to all our members and allies, and wishing you all health and happiness in 2023. I say this conscious that many will still be facing the challenges of the cost of living crisis, or perhaps still shielding due to Covid. So be reassured that whilst we wish you the very best, we are mindful that some of you are experiencing difficult situations. We never forget this, and we will continue to campaign for a better deal for disabled people throughout the year.
One of our current priorities is to grow our trading company, Inclusion Unlimited, to be able to support more activity in this area. Inclusion Unlimited delivers training and consultancy around peer support, co-production and lived experience, and any profit it makes is gifted to Inclusion Barnet It’s relatively hard to get funders to support campaigning, so generating the funding ourselves is a really important goal for this year.
Our Touchpoint and Welfare Benefits advice service are secured until mid-2024, so those services will continue throughout 2023, as will our community organisation support, library service, Healthwatch and User voice. As Inclusion Barnet enters it’s eighth year of delivery, I’m pleased that we are still able to provide a range of services to our users in Barnet, and we looking forward to working with you for, I hope, many years to come.
Caroline Collier
Chief Executive Officer
Inclusion Barnet news
AGM Update
Thanks to all our members who joined our AGM in December. It was a shame that we were not able to meet in person as we had planned. Due to the snow and icy pavements, we felt it was safer to hold it online.
We enjoyed a great presentation from our Healthy Heart team sharing the successes of the project so far and we heard from our Benefits Touchpoint Peer Worker, Becky, who amongst many other things, managed to complete nearly 400 Benefit Calculations and Eligibility Checks and over 200 applications for our Touchpoint customers last year.
We also welcomed our new trustees at the meeting so, please do take a look on our website to find out more about them and how they support the work of our organisation. Our annual accounts and money summary from 2021 can be viewed or downloaded from our website.
Our new trustees
At our December AGM we welcomed four new Trustees, Sara Nicole Gardner, John McCafferty, Latha Srinivasan and Aman Ahluwalia-Hinrichs. They bring collective expertise in Social Justice, Accountancy, Wellbeing, Accessible Arts, Psychology and Mental Health. You can find out more about them on our Trustee website page.
We also said farewell to Geraldine and Nalia who stood down by rotation. (This means that, for now, they have served their maximum term and need to step back.) Both have been much valued Trustees and we are grateful for their time and guidance over the years.
We are proud that all of our Board members have lived experience of disability and grateful for their invaluable insight and advice to help our organisation create better services and more inclusive communities in Barnet.
Welcome to new staff
We recently welcomed Nicole to our Touchpoint team as Service Administrator. Nicole plays a crucial role in helping to triage and coordinate referrals to our service. Nicole said: “I am really excited to have come into Inclusion Barnet at this time, where I am able to not only work alongside colleagues who live by the social model of disability but also gain a greater understanding of this. It also gives me a greater sense in the passion, that I have for equality and inclusion”
Patrick Anderson joined our Healthwatch team as a Researcher at the end of December. He says: “I am excited to work with an organisation that values the power of lived experience. I believe this enables us to empathise with service users and improves our understanding of accessibility to local services.”
Yosra Elhamamy, is our new Touchpoint Enquiries Worker who will be working with our customers requiring short term support. Yosra says that “one of the main drawing points to IB, was our commitment to hiring disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to be more representative, inclusive and diverse.”
Last but not least, Samihah (Sami) Read who joined our team only yesterday as our new Head of Consultancy Services, who, among other things will oversee our Touchpoint Peers Services.
Farewell to staff
We bid a fond farewell to staff Hannah Chamberlain from our Inclusion Unlimited Programme Manager, Sam Earle from our Research resource and Mariella Hill from the Grange Big Local project.
All brought valuable insight and expertise into different areas of our organisation.
We thank them for their fantastic contributions and wish them all well in the next stages of their respective careers.
Recruitment
We are in the process of interviewing a new Comms Officer for our Healthwatch Team and have a couple of other exciting roles coming up soon too.
So please look out on our website news page over the coming month if you’re looking for a fresh challenge this year. Our vacancies are also advertised on our social media pages and Charity Job website.
Meet our team
Edward Phoenix (he/him)
Ukrainian Support Officer
1. How long have you worked at Inclusion Barnet?
I have been working at Inclusion Barnet Since October 2022. I’ve had a brilliant welcome from the team and have really enjoyed my work so far.
2. What is the main thing you are working on right now?
With the recent escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, there have been many tens of thousands of families and individuals who have fled the war and come to the UK as refugees. Barnet Borough has the highest rates of Ukrainian guests in London, and a huge number of hosting families. I am supporting Barnet council and acting as a point of contact for our guests, hosts, the voluntary sector and the faith sector who are helping form part of the support for our Ukrainian guests. I also help gather information on issues people are facing, think about potential solutions, and then pass this onto the council to respond to.
3. How does having lived experience impact your role?
Having lived experience of disability is important to my current role, as it has cultivated my sense of empathy and understanding towards others who might face hardship.
Through personal experience, and my previous work supporting people with learning disabilities, I have strong understanding of Local Authority provisions, how to navigate systems such as the Department of Work and Pensions and the Universal Credit system. I also have a strong understanding of individuals rights when it comes to a local authorities and what good and meaningful support looks like.
4. The best thing about working at Inclusion Barnet?
Inclusion Barnet is a hugely welcoming and enjoyable environment to work in. We are all on the same page and believe passionately in the Social Model of Disability. Often there are social barriers that can make you feel awkward as a disabled person asking for adjustments. Inclusion Barnet has created a work environment where adjustments are built in, which has made me feel incredibly welcome and understood.
Inclusion Barnet sets an incredible example of what an inclusive workplace should look like. Simple measures like across the board flexible working, and an incredibly clued-up and understanding workforce make me feel like I can be at my best as an employee.
5. Favourite way to spend time when you’re not working?
I love wildlife focussed gardening! Outside of work I’m often topping up the bird feeders in the communal garden I look after and thinking up new ways of maximising the amount of wildlife I can pack into the space. Often that is through adding more trees, turning lawns into wildflower meadows and trying to plant up every free inch of bed space with bee and butterfly friendly species of plants. It’s been very successful so far, with lots of animals, birds and bugs calling the garden home. The next step will be to talk to the neighbours about creating a hedgehog highway through the garden fences to try and encourage the local population to spread further. Lots to plan!
Community events & activities
If you run, or know of any, local accessible activities or events in Barnet and the surrounding areas please tell us about them! We’d love to include things that have either been designed with disabled people mind or includes specific accessibility info and is free or heavily subsidised: info@inclusionbarnet.org.uk,
NHS Digital Skills Classes
Would you like to be more confident with your phone, tablet or computer?
NHS and Age UK are running some FREE courses on Mondays for six weeks, starting from 30th January between 2pm and 4pm at Finchley Memorial Hospital.
Call Age UK on 020 8203 5040 or email them at info@ageukbarnet.org.uk to book.
FREE Physical Health Check
People living with a diagnosed mental health condition can be more at risk from developing physical illnesses. If this is you and you would like a FREE physical health check with you GP just contact them in the usual way and mention this Free health check to book.
Contact Kolsum.Jahan@communitybarnet.org.uk for more information.
Barnet Warm Spaces
Lots of local community organisations are opening their doors this winter to provide free warm spaces where residents can go and take part in activities, learn new skills, reduce isolation and loneliness and improve health and wellbeing. To find a warm space near you, click the button below...
Campaigns, consultations and more
Highways tree root policy consultation
If you experience limited mobility or use any kind of mobility aid this consultation may be of particular interest to you. Exposed tree roots can make some pavements impossible to navigate for many of us. Take five minutes to have your say on the proposals to improve local paving areas.
Consultation ends 27th January 2023
Finchley Lido Leisure Centre
Barnet Council are exploring the potential of a future redevelopment of Finchley Lido Leisure Centre to create a modern and more sustainable facility. They are considering the possible refurbishment and/or redevelopment at Great North Leisure Park, along with a potential relocation to North Finchley Town Centre This has potential to deliver a range of new and improved facilities with better access and support the community infrastructure.
You can participate in person on Monday 9th January at the leisure centre or on Wednesday 11th January, outside Starbucks in North Finchley Town Centre. Alternatively, there is a survey you can complete online.
Consultation ends 23rd January 2023.
Consultation: Public participation at Council meetings
Barnet Council is currently consulting on ways to improve the routes members of the public can use to get involved in the councils decision-making meetings. Their new proposals include:
- Enabling more people to get involved with the council decision-making process
- Introducing deputations at committee and Full Council meetings from groups of people on issues,
- Introducing Public Questions to the Leader at Full Council meetings
- Lowering the threshold for petitions to be reported at council decision-making meetings
This could be a great opportunity for disabled people in Barnet to put forward our views and suggestions on making meetings more inclusive and accessible.
Survey ends 25th January 2023
Survey on hospital discharge
Barnet Council want to ensure that once you leave hospital, you are getting the right support that you need to live independently for longer. Please tell them about your experiences of being discharged from hospital to help them review the current service. Please note that refer to this service as “Reablement”.
If you are a Barnet resident or know of a resident who has recently been discharged from hospital, you can complete this short survey. Survey ends 18th January.
Alternatively, you can participate in an online discussion on Microsoft Teams in return for a £10 Love2Shop voucher.
If you need help with accessing Microsoft Teams, please email engage.adults@barnet.gov.uk
About us
Inclusion Barnet services
Have you heard about some of the other community services that we run? Click on the logos or buttons for more information.
Independent Living Centre, c/o Barnet & Southgate College,
7 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London NW9 4BR
Inclusion Barnet is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Registered Charity Number: 1158632
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