Changes we are making to the satellite network

We are doing this though three streams of activity and thinking :

Changing Policy.   One of our values is justice.  We are committed to seeing a fair and just welfare benefit system where those unable to work for whatever reason are properly and fairly supported.  This involves campaigning, meeting local groups, speaking with our MP and local council and nationally meeting with MP’s across party in select committees and other forums.   We will be advertising very soon for a manager to lead this part of our work.

Changing Minds.  The vast majority of people in the town not doing similar work to ours have no real understanding of how poverty affects the lives of families and individuals.  Over the coming months there will be a greater emphasis on communicating with our town via social media, face to face meetings, written articles and group talks to raise awareness of the challenges many people face. Our work will be to change people’s minds about poverty.  We will be advertising very soon for a Communications Officer to lead this work.

Changing Communities.  This is the area that we are focussing on via the satellite network.  We have identified the three areas of our town which are experiencing a high level of poverty.  In these areas we will be developing hubs and working with the owners of the properties where we meet to ‘think community’.  While this is happening we will be offering more and more specialist services from our centres – some not every week, and absolutely focussing on creating local community.   As a wise person says, we will be ‘ offering a hand up, not a hand out’.
The changes we are making in the satellites are all focussed on client dignity – treating everyone who comes through the door as we would want to be treated.   There will be refreshment areas, places to talk, information available on local services and more indepth advice and support if required. Hopefully colouring books, children’s clothes etc will be added later.
Some clients who have received help need more ongoing hands on support to learn how to shop, budget, cook or attend an appointment.   We are hoping to secure funding to employ a ‘Client support Worker’ to do this work supporting a small number of clients.

The overriding and big question we will constantly be asking is ‘ What do we need to do to stop clients requiring the need for foodbank ?’

From September 1^st we will gradually be introducing and implementing change.

How the teams will operate.

Clients will be actively encouraged to obtain a voucher code from the agency/team they are working with.  Clients without a voucher will be asked to go directly to the local satellite and no longer ring Grove Road.

At the satellite Team Leaders will welcome clients & monitor where they can go straight to get their food or wait with a coffee until there is space. The Team Leaders role is to manage the session & create a pleasant & welcoming environment.

There will be members of the Advocate Lite team available to issue a voucher.   For the first three visits there will be no indepth intervention just light touch questions. If the client has had multiple vouchers they will be asked to have a coffee with an advocate to explore this further.

The client will be encouraged to visit the refreshment area where one of the Satellite support team will engage with them in a gentle friendly way over a coffee and make them feel welcome.  The satellite support team will, through careful and maybe longer term relationship, find out how the advocacy/debt team can assist.    If the client is ready to talk about the problem they are facing, a member of the advocacy team will be called over to join the conversation. If the client wants to talk privately and in more detail they can do that in a private corner or private area.  Some clients will be best to go into Grove Road for a 45 minute appointment.   (We are working hard with Stagecoach to get free bus passes into town & home for client appointments).

The emphasis will be on dignity for the client and a softer way of operating.   We want to create an environment where the advocacy team don’t sit behind a laptop with their heads down working. This isn’t conducive to the atmosphere we are trying to create. Tablets will be available to be used at the refreshment tables.

How the food will be given out  

We are really pleased with how the supermarket model has been working across the whole network.  We now want to take this on a stage to give the client a greater degree of dignity.

Clients will all be asked to gel/sanitise their hands on arrival – we must insist on this for hygiene reasons.

1. We will be asking satellites to take the food out of the crates and display it neatly on the tables. This will reduce the number of tables needed and create more space. The signage with the number of items to be taken will be placed in front of each row of food.  This will require the whole team to be involved in this set up.
2. Clients will be given a bag and a red pull trolley and given freedom to take the items they want & pack it themselves. Some help can be offered if required.
3. As clients have gelled their hands we will not ask clients to wear gloves or stop touching items.

We want to treat clients in the way we are treated in any supermarket.  Just because someone is a foodbank client doesn’t mean they should be treated differently to us.

We’ll be monitoring the changes and I’m sure they will be tweaked in a few weeks time.

 

Grove Road – Advocacy & Debt Centre.

There will still be a presence at Grove Road between 9:30pm & 12:00 to answer calls from clients requiring a home delivery or not knowing that the system has changed.

The 45 minute appointments will in most cases be held at Grove Road during the day as staff numbers allow.
There isn’t a need for Team leaders to call Grove Road as support will be in the satellite.

Community Hubs

As previously mentioned we are creating support in the local communities with high levels of poverty in the following ways :

South Langney – Monday & Thursday

In the South Langney area we now have St Richards Centre open on a Monday & Langney Community Centre open on a Thursday.  Clients can get three days food from either venue & use both in a week if they need to.  The two centres must work together.

Town Centre Tuesday & Friday

In the town centre we now have All Souls Church open on a Tuesday & St Saviours on a Friday.  These two centres support the town centre clients & must work together.

The Hydneye & Willingdon Trees – both on Wednesday

Open at Gateway Church in the Hydneye on Wednesday and Willingdon Trees on a Wednesday.   Both of these satellites do a wonderful job in supporting clients but are both open on the same day and are a distance apart separated by a railway line.
We are currently investigating how many clients are using both satellites and also if there is a need for more availability in each area.

 

The satellites at Stone Cross – St Lukes Church on Friday, St Elisabeths Church in Old Town on a Tuesday & Salvation Army in Old Town on a Tuesday are currently not operating as community hubs due to very low numbers and not being the communities who are experiencing the high levels of poverty.

 

Howard Wardle
Chief Executive

 

Thursday, 26 August 2021

 

Our values :    Dignity   .   Justice   .   Community   .   Compassion