Call us now

Day: February 1, 2016

Greens celebrate work of Brighton learning disability charity

Posted on by Gary Hart

Green celebrate learning disability advocacy work in the city by Speak Out.

Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty
Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty

Green councillors joined service users, staff and volunteers of Brighton and Hove Speak Out to celebrate its work advocating for adults with learning disabilities in the city last week.

The AGM for the charity, held on Tuesday, January 26, showcased its work to ensure that people with learning disabilities can have their say on improving public services and get the support they need.

Since it was founded in 1994, Speak Out has grown significantly and now employs seven staff to help over 200 people each year.

Speak Out aims to ensure that people with learning disabilities can claim their rights and develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to make choices and take control of their lives.

Their advocacy work has led to greater awareness and improvements in services, generating better outcomes for adults with learning disabilities as well as better services for all.

Green Councillor and Convener of the Green Group, Phélim Mac Cafferty, said “I’m delighted to support the incredible work of Brighton and Hove Speak Out.  This is an excellent example of a small but incredibly important third sector organisation which adds immense value to the city and directly improves the lives of some of its most vulnerable adults.

“The AGM was a great opportunity to highlight the fantastic contributions of staff and volunteers and demonstrate the real difference Speak Out makes to people’s lives.  It is also an opportunity to take stock and look forward to the challenges and opportunities presented to organisations like Speak Out. 

“It is critical that we as a council ensure Speak Out is supported to continue its work, and endure well into the future. With massive cuts and privatisation of services for adults with learning disabilities being pushed forward by the Labour administration, there is a significant risk of services deteriorating to unacceptable levels. It is more important than ever that we ensure adults with learning disabilities have their views heard and receive the support they need to inform future service provision”.

Homeless hotels from hell – Daniel’s story!

Posted on by Besi

After three years, Brighton and Hove Council have overturned their earlier decision not to home Daniel Harris and accepted they have a care of duty to him and he is in priority need.

Daniel Harris
Daniel Harris

Last week the Council’s Housing Department put Daniel into emergency housing which he says is not fit for purpose and he has challenged local Councillors and the Head of Housing for Brighton and Hove City Council, Tracey John, to spend a night in the type of property they are putting vulnerable people, many with mental health issues into.

Here is Daniel Story:

“Having been homeless and sofa surfing for 3 years, Brighton and Hove City Council finally overturned a decision stating I was in fact in priority need and rightly so accepted a duty of care.

Today I was emergency housed at Percival Terrace in Brighton & Hove, there are over 60 rooms in this privately owned accommodation. In order for me to be housed and not street homeless I accepted the property.

I am suffering from a mental illness and in particular from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, following sexual abuse I suffered as a six-year-old boy. I didn’t have an advocate with me today at the meeting with the council and feel I have been pushed into a decision which is unlawful and took advantage of my vulnerable position right now. I am suffering from chronic anxiety and depression, however I am having counselling which I missed today in order to move.

The rent on this self-contained room is £28 a day, I have to pay a further £50 a month for utilities and Council Tax. I have worked out I am actually £600 worse of each month moving from my friend’s house where I was paying £300 a month. In total I have to pay £900 a month to live here.

I tried to commit suicide last year when everything got too much, I am in recovery and have a history of not eating well, this room only has a microwave. The bed is not fit to sleep in and the mattress is stained with what looks like urine. The ceiling is falling apart and I am now seriously doubting a way forward in my life, I simply cannot afford to pay those rates and am considering quitting my job.

I am not allowed visitors so I will be on my own a lot, I was told today that I should feel privileged as most people get moved 30 miles away, I should feel privileged that I am staying in the city my family have lived for over 300 years, I am privileged for needing support in terms of my medical condition.

Based on my calculations on £800 a month rent x 60 rooms in total that’s £540,000 vulnerable people are paying to this Private Landlord annually. 

Please support me by signing this petition and asking the council to give me a secure property that meets my needs.

By supporting this petition you will be supporting other homeless people as I will ask the council to review their policy for placing vulnerable people in privately owned accommodation which is a detriment to their health.” 

Daniel is calling for a review of his application to the council and his circumstances in particular with regards to the historic sexual abuse which Brighton and Hove Children Services refuse to investigate to help him get the answers and move on with his life.

To sign the petition, click here:

Gscene have asked the Leader of the Council, Cllr Warren Morgan, Cllr Anne Meadows Labour’s lead on housing, Cllr Caroline Penn, Labour’s lead on Mental Health issues and Tracey John the council’s Head of Housing if they will be taking up Daniel’s challenge and spending a night in his room or a similar one where they are placing vulnerable people. We await their reply.

In the meantime you can sign sign Daniel’s petition here:

 

Council pledges its ‘Time to Change’

Posted on by Gary Hart

Brighton and Hove City Council to support Time to Change, England’s biggest campaign to end stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems.

Cllr Caroline Penn
Cllr Caroline Penn

At Full Council on Thursday, January 28, Cllr Caroline Penn signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge to show their staff and the public that they will take action to tackle stigma and discrimination around mental health. The Council’s action plan had been approved by Time to Change.

Cllr Caroline Penn, lead member for mental health, said: “Despite 1 in 4 of us experiencing a mental problem in any one year, it’s shocking that 9 out of 10 people have experienced some form of stigma or discrimination. This stigma can be isolating and discourage people from seeking help.

“Stigma is not only bad for residents, but for the city’s employers too, due to increased staff sickness, lower productivity and increased staff turn-over.

“As a major employer in the city, it’s important that we take steps to improve the wellbeing of our staff. I hope that residents and other employers follow the council’s lead and sign the pledge to challenge mental health stigma”.

The Time to Change action plan includes awareness raising activities, a review of the council’s stress and wellbeing policies, information and advice, and counselling and training opportunities for all council staff.

On Time to Talk Day, Thursday, February 4, Albion in the Community’s wellbeing coaches are giving staff free and confidential advice on wellbeing.

The city’s strategy for mental health and wellbeing sets out the commitments of the Council and NHS Clinical Commissioning Group to improve the mental wellbeing for everyone in the city.

For information on Mental health advice and support available on the council’s website, click here:

PREVIEW: Walking the Line: Annual Schools Exhibition 2016

Posted on by Contributor

 

Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne launches its 2016 programme for Annual Schools Exhibition, the South East’s biggest and most popular annual exhibition of art work created by schoolchildren.

WEB.600
Hans Hartung, L12 1957, Lithograph, 1957. Copyright Fondation Hartung-Bergman. Towner Collection

Schools from across East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex are invited to sign up to take part in the project.

The deadline for registration is February 5 2016, with a maximum of 50 spaces on offer.

Now in its seventh year, the Annual Schools Exhibition offers schools and their students and teachers a chance to engage with art works in Towner’s permanent Collection and make their own art work to exhibit at the gallery.

The project emerged from dialogue with teachers five years ago and has grown to one of the largest professional exhibitions of school age students’ work held in the UK.

Over 7,000 school pupils have had an opportunity to respond to Towner’s Collection and participate in this exciting exhibition in the South East’s largest art gallery.

Each year, a theme is chosen which relates to Towner’s Collection and the participating schools have guided tours of the current exhibitions and are shown the works in the collection which relate to the chosen theme.  The children take inspiration from the artworks and work collaboratively to create their own responses.

This year’s theme Walking the Line, explores how drawing and mark-making is the starting point for expressing ourselves.

Seven works were chosen from the Towner collection which reflect this subject, including Sleeping Fawn by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1913), Eastbourne by Harold Mockford (1958) and L12 1957 by Hans Hartung (1957).

Walking the Line can be interpreted in many different ways – marking a boundary  and keeping a balance between two extremes.

Expect a wonderfully rich and varied exhibition of the many talents of children and young people from Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove and across the county.

Event: Walking the Line: Annual Schools Exhibition 2016

Where: Towner Gallery, Devonshire Park, College Rd, Eastbourne BN21 4JJ

When: March 24 to Sunday June 5

Time: Open Tuesday – Sunday, and Bank Holiday Mondays, 10am – 5pm

Entry: Free entry

Latest News

Community News Scene to publish your memories of Miss Jason in May issue
Television The very colourful life of Miriam Rivera to be explored in new Channel 4 documentary
Arts REVIEW: ‘F*cking Men’ at Waterloo East Theatre
LGBTQ+ News Grindr accused of sharing personal data, including people’s HIV status, with third parties
Books New book on UK Bear spaces to explore experiences and attitudes around the ‘Bear’ community
X