www.mcch.org.uk
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learning disability | autism | mental health
Find out how to take part in the doitforcharity Superhero run. Page 6
Spring 2014
Sam Woollard Editor
Welcome The mcch life newsletter has changed. It is now written in an easy to understand way, without difficult words. The new layout also makes it clearer for people to read. Ask mcch Do you have a question that you want mcch to answer? Is there something you want to know? This is your chance to ask us and we will write the answers in the next newsletter. To get started we will answer the question that we get asked the most.
Q. What does mcch stand for? A. mcch doesn’t stand for anything! We used to be known as Maidstone Community Care Housing. In the 1980s, we helped to move people from hospitals into homes in the community. Our first services were in Maidstone, but we now have many more services across the South East.
mcch is a charity Do you know what an ‘industrial and provident society with charitable status’ is? Many people do not! We have changed to a registered charity and our number is 1156486. This is great news for us. We can now ask more funding organisations to give money to our projects.
If you have a question you would like to ask us then please get in touch Email: marketing@mcch.org.uk Address: Sam Woollard mcch, One Hermitage Court, Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, Kent ME16 9NT
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Safety at work Chris is a delivery assistant at Tuck by Truck and wanted to help more. He has always liked health and safety after attending health and safety and fire training at mcch’s head office and regularly did the walking route at Tuck by Truck. He even made his own health and safety training on the computer using pictures. Chris is now supporting others to perform the walking route and makes sure that they are done every week.
The old training was really out of date with pictures that no one could understand.
This is not all Chris does. He completed the My Guide online computer training course, and now supports people to use the computer and get online.
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Crime research finishes We did some research to find out if people told the police when bad things happened to them. This research project lasted for three years and is now finished.
Half of the people we spoke to told us that bad things had happened to them when they were out. And only a quarter of these people reported the crime to the police. We are working with Kent Police and Medway Council on a new project. We are getting doctors to ask people with learning disabilities or autism if they have experienced hate crimes. We are pleased that the new Kent Police crime plan includes what we found out in the research. The Police Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes has said she will be setting up victims of crime centres across Kent. She wants mcch to help make sure the centres support people with learning disabilities and autism. Her new Youth Commissioner will work with mcch to tell school students to stop bullying people.
What can I do to stay safe? 1. It is safer to go out with a friend or someone you know. 2. Tell someone what time you will be home and where you are going. 3. Always tell the police if bad things happen to you. Call 101 to report a crime or call 999 in an emergency.
For more tips and to read the full report, go to our website: www.mcch.org.uk/livinginfear 4
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Staff get an award We had an event in November for staff and volunteers. We gave them awards to thank them for their great work with mcch. The Volunteer of the Year award went to the Wellbeing Centre in Hart and Rushmoor. Well done to all the winners.
We were finalists Well done to Kerry Turner, who is a senior manager at mcch. Kerry was a finalist in the Laing & Buisson Independent Specialist Care Awards. Well done to the Holly Lodge team who were also finalists. This challenging behaviour* service has mcch and Avenues staff. * A person’s behaviour can be defined as challenging if it puts them or those around them at risk or leads to poorer quality of life.
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Get involved
Love superheroes?
Love running? Take part in the doitforcharity Superhero run. You can walk, jog or run 5km or 10km. It’s your choice! You get a free superhero costume to wear, or wear your own costume. When: Sunday 18 May 2014 (arrive at 9.45am) Where: Regent’s Park, London How much do I have to pay to enter? £22 How much money do I need to raise? £100 How do I take part? Call Emma on 01622 722536 or email fundraising@mcch.org.uk
This is how we will spend the money The money raised will buy sensory equipment for the people we support. This uses special lighting, music and objects to help develop people’s senses and improve their concentration, memory and communication skills.
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Get on your
Emma Cassley Fundraising Manager
bike!
Take part in the doitforcharity London to Brighton bike ride. You will cycle 54 miles with many cyclists. When: Sunday 7th September 2014 (arrive between 6.30am and 9.30am) Where: From Clapham Common in London to Madeira Drive in Brighton How much do I have to pay to enter? ÂŁ35 How much money do I need to raise? ÂŁ100 How do I take part? Call Emma on 01622 722536 or email fundraising@mcch.org.uk
Get a fundraising website page Make it easy for people to give you money! You can give people your sponsorship form or you can ask people to give you money on your fundraising website page.
Go to www.doitforcharity.com/give and set up your fundraising website page.
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Supported living helps people have choice and control and their own tenancy.
Supported living: the facts Julianne Garner Senior Operations Manager What is the difference between supported living and registered care? Supported living provides people with their own tenancy and is 100% focused around them. A tenancy agreement means housing laws protect you. Some people think that registered care is 24 hour support and supported living is just a few hours a week. Supported living can also be up to 24 hour support, depending on needs. The quality and content of support people receive is the same. Tenancies and support are separate. Someone could live in a service managed by mcch and get support from another provider.
Can anyone have their own tenancy? Yes, the Mental Capacity Act of 2005 has made this possible. If you do not understand your tenancy agreement, that’s ok. It does not mean that you cannot have a tenancy. Advocacy services and Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCAs) can support people to understand their tenancy.
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Valarie helps to prepare and cook all her meals. She also goes to a dance group three times a week and loves going to the theatre.
Technology review
Dan Johnson Senior Operations Manager
We take a look ® at a BIGmack There are lots of different assistive technologies* that can help people communicate and in this issue we look at the BIGmack®. How good are they? Dan finds out. I asked someone if they wanted the TV on. He couldn’t talk and he couldn’t nod his head. I got a green BIGmack® and recorded my voice saying “yes”. I then got a red BIGmack® and recorded my voice saying “no”. I pressed the green and red switches so that he understood. Then I asked him if he wanted the TV on. He pressed the green BIGmack® switch, it said “yes”. They are really easy to use and help people to communicate with you. Smaller LITTLEmack® buttons are also available.
Cost: £70 - £100 + VAT
* Assistive technologies. They help people to do things that they find hard to do.
Where can you get one? We bought our BIGmack® from www.inclusive.co.uk but there are lots of other websites that sell them.
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20 years since the hospital closure
Lesley & Bob mcch staff “I worked for mcch at Leytonstone House Hospital in 1994. The hospital’s residents (or patients, as they were called) were going to move out and into homes in the community. “I really didn’t like it there. People did not have very many choices. They did choose their food, but only what was on the trolley that night. They had ‘bath night’ on Tuesdays and Thursdays and they shared a room with another resident.” Lesley Bob helped people to move to Hilltop (a service in Walthamstow). “I remember the first night they moved in. It was late, so we got some fish and chips. The residents just looked at their plates and said it’s not fish and chips night. Our aim was to give people more choice and independence, which is still true today.”
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My pathway to employment Paula Volunteer We have employment services in Folkestone, Maidstone, Dartford and Gravesend. They support people with mental health needs to gain and maintain employment. Paula tells us how they helped her to find a job. I met with Caroline at mcch Employment Service Maidstone. She listened to where I was and encouraged me to consider what interested me and what skills I had to offer. I have always been interested in supporting people in the community and mentioned this to Caroline. We used this as a basis for job searching. In October I had an interview with Switch CafĂŠ where I worked as a volunteer.
In 2013 our Maidstone employment service supported 36 people into paid employment and 10 into voluntary positions. They also helped 48 people to stay in their job.
I am now a volunteer peer mentor at a charity that helps people who are recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. I organise support groups and mentor new people who do not have the confidence to talk to a key worker. I look forward to this next step in my life and am finding that everyday my confidence is growing and I plan to find a paid job soon.
It feels good helping people.
For more information about our employment services visit: www.mcch.org.uk/employment
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Are you looking for support? Call us free on 0800 028 28 15
mcch One Hermitage Court Hermitage Lane Maidstone Kent ME16 9NT t. 01622 722400 f. 01622 722450 www.mcch.org.uk
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mcch is a registered charity number 1156486 and a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales number 8971493).