Network Nov 2014

ISSUE 26

NETWORK NOV 2014

SHIPS A’HOY!

GETTING ACTIVE

VOYAGE OF RECOVERY 2015

RELAPSE PREVENTION

recovery month recap

LOOKING BACK ON PHOENIX’S RECOVERY MONTH CELEBRATIONS

CELEBRATE

HOLLOWAY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

HORSE THERAPY

TRAINING AND TRAVELLING

EDITOR’S LETTER This month, we’re looking back at the activities and events that took place during Phoenix’s biggest ever Recovery Month celebrations.

In the Recovery Month Recap issue: • • • •

A Big Thank You! Voyage of Recovery 2014 Art and Poetry at HMP Holme House Recovery Street Film Festival

Also in this issue: • • • •

Relapse Prevention at the Wirral Having the Time of Their Lives Birthday Celebrations at HMP Holloway and...

ECEtt Travels in Spain and the Czech Republic

Deborah Mackay - Editor

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Fancy yourself as a bit of Jamie Oliver in the kitchen, or as the next Mary Berry? Well now’s your chance.

Whether it’s a souffle or a fish finger sandwich, the Phoenix Cook Book team want to hear from you.

We’re looking for: • Soups and Starters • Main Meals • Deserts To have your dish or bake featured in our cook book simply email your recipe to alison.royal@phoenix-futures.org.uk by the 31st December 2014.

The chosen recipe’s will be go into the book. We will need to have a high quality photograph of the finished dish, if you are unable to provide one then we can arrange to get one taken.

Winners can be anonymous, so names and locations do not have to be shown if preferred.

Please note: we cannot accept recipe’s that have alcohol in them

THANK YOU

TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE THIS YEAR’S

RECOVERY MONTH OUR BIGGEST YET

VOYAGE OF RECOVERY 2014 During this year’s Recovery Month we took to the seas for our third Voyage of Recovery. Six crews from across Phoenix took part on the six leg journey off the southern coast. Administrator for NORCAS’s Ipswich service, Andrew Hovell gives us his account of his days at sea.

Sunday afternoon as we all met up on the quayside at Gosport, apprehension about what we’d committed to, a step into the unknown.

Luckily the weather was fair so no raging seas as we cast off. Just a short hop to Stokes Bay where we’d moor for the night, just long enough to get our sea legs before supper, after which we were allocated to either Watch A or B. Tomorrow we were to embark on a 24hr+ night sail, so it was 4hrs on, 4hrs off until we reached Dartmouth.

After breakfast it was time to weigh anchor, was it 30mtrs of chain or 300mtrs? As the anchor was hauled up it seemed the latter. Soon we were heading past Cowes as we rounded the Isle of Wight clockwise before heading west. It soon became apparent that the most important task on the journey was to keep the skipper and crew topped up on a regular basis with tea & coffee. The first day saw the watches battling with the sails, there were ropes everywhere, each connected to a vital piece of the “jigsaw”. Soon we had the full set of 6 sails billowing in the breeze and, occasionally with the engine helping, we wereskipping along at 6 knots.

It was a dream, one of those chances of a life time...

I was lucky to live that dream.

Well it’s all over now, what can I say about it. It was a dream, one of those chances of a life time, and yes I was lucky to live that dream. A big thanks to all who made it possible, lets hope future staff and clients have the opportunity which I had.

Day 4 and it was our first encounter with a bit of rough weather, force 6 and the Tectona was heaving over with the occasional water breaking over the deck. For most of us this was exciting sailing, for others the nightmare of seasickness just got worse.

Luckily it didn’t last long as we moored in Hope Cove. Here the natives were curious about our journey and wished us well, did they mean it? Or were they just being polite? We will never know.

Day 5 was our final leg to Plymouth just time for a swim on route at Jennycliff Bay before tying up at the Marina.

RELAPSE PREVENTION AT THE WIRRAL Our Wirral Residential Service have taken on a new approach to recovery by introducing a Relapse Prevention Programme (RPP). The 4 week programme focuses on exercise, health and nutrition as a way of encouraging recovery and preventing relapse. The programme is delivered by Cheshire based Relapse Prevention Programme. Here is an extract from their blog post on RPP at Phoenix.

Our first week of bringing Exercise and Nutrition interventions to the doorstep of Phoenix Futures Wirral recovery setting has been fantastic.

“Supportive community” The residents adopted this philosophy at ease and already a positive supportive community environment was created, this is a testament to work already done at Phoenix, so thank you for welcoming us into your recovery community.

The first class was functional movement based, where there is a strong focus on technique, correction and understanding. This allows participants to learn and progress at their pace. Movements are chosen to complement everyday life, sitting and standing, pulling and pushing, jumping and throwing!

“Recognising your limiting factors” Two days later and the Nutrition seminar was in full flow, our seminars are purposely inclusive making sure everyone is “heard”. As usual some myths needed to be expelled with some logic coupled with the main focus being on Exercise and Nutrition “limiting factors”, in other words the stuff that gets in the way from achieving an optimal health, mind and body.

The guys again were very honest with their own limiting factors- smoking, sugar intake, lack of knowledge, stress, sleep to name a few.

After covering the mental, emotional, nutritional and physical implications of these, the guys put forward some strategies to overcome by making changes that are sustainable. Each was given their own limiting factor log and strategies were individually written down to self monitor and to be reviewed at our next seminar in a week’s time.

“Making a change” Understanding how “change” actually works is key, and those in recovery already can identify how difficult that can be, in overcoming alcohol and substance abuse.

Change has to be coherent and the emphasis was on taking ownership, and what strategies one could put in place to make positive change habits sustainable.

Many people who make changes to the Exercise and Nutritional patterns fail as they jump in “too deep” and therefore can’t sustain it. Therefore knowing your own personal limits is massively important.

To read the rest of this blog post and for more information on the Relapse Prevention Programme, please visit their website: http://www.relapsepreventionprogramme.com/blog

ART AND POETRY AT HOLME HOUSE During September the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team (DART) ran competitions on the Drug Recovery Wing in HMP Holme House to celebrate this year’s Recovery Month.

We held a drawing competition where the lads were asked to create a poster which reflected recovery. The winner created a very colourful poster with all the things that can go wrong when using substances on one side of the road, and all the positive things which you can achieve on the other. The idea behind the painting being that the road in the middle was the road to recovery and you need to turn the right way for success.

For our writing competition the service users could either write a poem or story based on recovery.

The entries were all excellent in their own way and judging was difficult but the winning poem was punchy and to the point which the judges liked.

For those who were neither artistic or enjoyed writing we also held several quizzes Each of the event winners received a prize, generously funded by our partnership manager, and all the residents on the wing seemed to enjoy engaging in the event even if they had not submitted an entry themselves.

Road to Recovery

by Jamie Davies I could talk about weed, I could talk about smack, I could go on all day, But I’ll never go back.

What’s the point in wasting my life?

I have three kids and a wife, Now I’m clean I’mve buzzing like a bee, BecauSe I took the road to...

RECOVERY!

PUTTING ON A SHOW IN THE RESIDENTIALS Nobody puts Phoenix in the corner! During September and October the Scottish Residential put on special performances of their new production ‘Dirty Prancing’.

On 27th September The Together Project (Scottish Residential and Re-Entry’s Dance and Drama Group) performed an original and fantastic show to over 400 people from the local community. Volunteers Carol, Tracey and Carly supported service users to create and perform ‘Dirty Prancing’ an original drama and dance production. The cast spent hours upon hours developing storylines, creating dance routines and making costumes and props. They have had to continually push themselves in an attempt to break out of their comfort zones and increase their confidence. Their talents and progress have naturally shone through and have shown a great passion for drama, dance and most of all for promoting recovery within the local community!

The Together Project was established in April 2007. Their reason for setting up was to engage recovering addicts with the arts, encouraging personal development and promoting a positive vision for the future.

Following the fantastic show, The Together Project were invited to perform at Glasgow Drug Crisis Anniversary Celebration on Thursday 23rd October. This was televised on the local news and really showed the external community that people do recover and can do whatever they put their mind to.

promoting a positive vision for the future

The Together Project were also invited by Wirral Residential Service to perform the show to their residents and to perform some dance routines at their annual Family Day event. This was another fantastic achievement and hopefully will inspire another Together Project to be created South of the Border!

Well Done to All Involved!

Tracy McConnell, Scottish Residential Service

And then the show went on the road...

To celebrate ADFAM’s 30th birthday celebrations we held a family day on Saturday 25th October at the Wirral residential service.

We recently went to Glasgow to watch their residents perform their fantastic musical/comedy spoof of Dirty Dancing. We were so impressed we invited them down to the Wirral to entertain our residents and their families.

We used this day as an opportunity to promote the support on offer to families at the Wirral.

We had the father of an ex-resident come and do a talk about his positive experience of accessing our monthly FLAMES family group. The morning involved hard work to get everything ready for the guests arriving at 12pm.

The residents and staff of both Wirral and Glasgow Residentials all mucked in and, in true Phoenix style, the last decoration was hung seconds before the first family arrived.

We held an arts and crafts workshop for the children in the library, which was brilliantly decorated in a Halloween style by the Glasgow residents. We had a penalty shoot out, a FLAMES workshop, everyone was well fed by our kitchen department who laid on a buffet lunch, a Wirral resident along with one from Glasgow entertained the crowd with some acoustic songs….. and then the finale, the fantastic Glasgow mob performed song and dance numbers from their show! The day was a fantastic success and everyone left fed, watered, entertained and with a Greater insight into what is on offer for the families of Phoenix residents and those who access our community services.

James Middleton, Wirral Residential Service

USING TECHNOLOGY TO WORK SMARTER It’s something that effects each and every member of staff at Phoenix, but what is Agresso?

Central Office’s Tom Suich and Colm Farrell talk to Network about the changes that will help us all work smarter.

Tom Suich and Colm Farrell are the Systems Managers for Phoenix Futures. What do these roles involve?

Tom sits in the HR department and Colm in the Finance department. Our primary roles are to support our Agresso system, and to help to roll out any new Agresso modules that we can use in the future, which may help Phoenix.

What is agresso and what is it currently used for?

Agresso is a business management database. The function that affects most staff (in fact all) is that it’s the system that we use to process our payroll, and generate pay slips. It’s also used for processing and authorising purchase invoices, billing our funders, holding staff data for HR, and producing reports that give varied information e.g. was a supplier invoice paid, show each department’s monthly Colm Farrell management accounts.

What changes have been made to Agresso recently?

We have just finished combining the ‘Phoenix Futures’ and ‘Foundation 66’ databases in Agresso. This will make it a lot easier to incorporate any other companies that join the Phoenix Futures Group in the future.

What part of that project impressed you the most?

The way that Finance, HR and IT worked together was the most impressive.

Everybody worked really well together to bring the project to a successful conclusion.

What changes are taking place?

The next change is to upgrade Agresso to the latest version, Milestone 4. After that, we will be introducing the ability to request absences (annual leave, jury Tom Suich service etc) through Agresso, and then to submit expenses. It will be possible to submit both absences and expenses through Agresso web. We will also be running a project shortly, to make sure that the data held about staff is as up to date as possible.

Why are we making these changes?

Upgrading to the latest version of Agresso will give us access to improved features. For example, there will be an Agresso smart phone app for coding / approving invoices, and for requesting annual leave, expenses etc. There is also an improved interface for Agresso ‘self-service’ which is the ‘web’ part of Agresso.

How will the new process benefit staff?

Once we start processing absences and expenses through Agresso for example, we will reduce the need for paper records, and will make the process faster and more efficient. Staff will also be able to view useful information like ‘remaining annual leave’ balance or expense claim history, through Agresso. The smartphone apps will mean that staff don’t need to be at their desks, in order to process Agresso tasks. Also, the improved interface will lead to more intuitive screens which will make Agresso easier to navigate.

How will the new system be rolled out to staff?

Initially, we will roll out each module to a few departments. Once this has been operational for a period of time, we will roll it out to the rest of the company. Full training and training material will be provided to staff before they start to use any new modules. This training will be provided through the internet using TeamViewer. If there is a large group in any service(s) to be trained, it may be possible to travel to the service, and deliver it in person.

ECETT SPANISH TRAVELS Since 2012 Phoenix has been a partner of the European Companionship in Education, training by travel (ECEtt) programme. Through this partnership we are able to send staff to international locations to share expertise and learn from other organisations around Europe. This month we have two updates. The first comes from Scott Morrice, Janice Grounds and Rachael Porter who spent two weeks visiting drug and alcohol misuse services in Spain.

Communidad Theraputica Guadalajara Spain

“We have spent the first two days in a TC in Guadalajara, it has been an amazing experience.

The groups were fantastic we sat in self help group, parents groups and women’s group and the meeting which they have in an afternoon the same as we have in a morning.

The womens group were powerful and emotionally charged the topics were depression and anxiety, the female community members were fantastic after group they shared how they felt and their experiences why they were in treatment, there were definitely simillarites in group provision the parents group was intense but interactive.

Although my Spanish is very limited I was able to understand what was being discussed and residents discussed this with us after group.

I will write a full journal at the end of the trip.

Hasta luego” Horse Therapy

“I think the treatment program at Guadajara that incorporates horse therapy is fantastic.

To care for a horse develops discipline, self-esteem, confidence, promotes meaningful use of time, and builds employment skills as they learn everything in how to care for horses and how to ride them. It takes a lot of motivation and dedication to care for the horses, they have a stud also and have recently had two new foals born just over one week ago.”

Family unit in the TC

“The first thing I picked up on was, that family are very involved in all aspects of treatment.”

To find out more about Scott, Janice and Rachael’s time in Spain visit their blog: http:// ecettspain3.tumblr.com/

ECETT CZECH TRAVELS The second of this month’s ECEtt update comes from Rachael Williams, Lauren Benham and Stuart Croft who spent two weeks visiting drug and alcohol misuse services in the Czech Republic.

Day One: Therapeutic Community at Vcelnik

“Our first day has been spent at the Magdalena therapeutic community which as you can see is in a beautiful setting in the countryside of Bohemia, just outside Prague. Set in 14 hectares of forest, which prior to 1989 belonged to the Soviet military the grounds hold a farm with pigs, cows, chickens, goats and sheep, all cared for by the community members. They even keep bees and produce their own honey.

There is a carpentry shop producing furniture and probably most spectactular of all, a theatre built into the hillside and created from a reclaimed military bunker. Here they host cultural events involving partner therapeutic communities from Slovakia and Poland .

Tomorrow, we will be up at 6.30 to milk the cows...... yes, milk the cows...by hand!”

The Ostrava Therapeutic Community

“One of the key themes of Therapeutic communities in The Czech Republic is how they engage with the environment. Whereas the community we saw earlier in the trip was set on a farm, the Ostrava community is set in the mountains of Moravia. Alongside the other therapeutic activities community members get to spend time hiking and camping in the astoundingly beautiful mountain environment. Another common theme, much to Rachel’s delight, is cats!!”

Read more about Rachel, Stuart and Lauren’s time in the Czech Republic on their blog: http://phoenixprague.weebly.com/blog

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS AT HOLLOWAY On the 1st October the Building Futures Service at HMP/YOI Holloway celebrated their second birthday with an event in the prison chapel. They were joined by a number of individuals from Phoenix Futures and HMP/YOI Holloway to celebrate another successful year.

The event was presented by one of our volunteers, Mandy Ogunmokun, with the help of two of our Peer Supporters. The event showcased some of the incredible talent we have here at HMP/YOI Holloway from some amazing singing, brave sharing of life stories, the fantastically honest and well written poems, and an excellent dance routine.

The event aimed to recognise and celebrate all that has been achieved by both our service users and our staff over the last year. It was inspiring and moving to hear some of the women’s experiences through the sharing of their life stories and their poems.

It was great, for me as the Service Manager, to talk to some of the women who praised our staff for the support and guidance they’ve offered. We’re incredibly lucky to have a team full of very passionate and committed staff that go above and beyond to achieve all that they can for our service users. The service would never have been as successful as it has been without their ideas, hard work and commitment. A big thank you goes to Miles Davis and Casey Clay who work tirelessly to develop the Peer Support Scheme as well as the individual peer supporters. This is no easy job and they do this on top of their day to day roles so a big ‘thank you’ to you both!

We have lots of exciting plans for this coming year. Ndy, one of our Interventions Workers, has recently implemented SMART groups, which now run on two units, so we look forward to the expansion Karen Biggs, CEO

of this intervention. Charlie, another of our Interventions Workers, is working on some very exciting projects to help us to ensure we are offering the right support to women with a history of domestic violence.

Dani and Zuzi, two of our Case Managers, have also been involved in ensuring we have the correct procedures in place to support women with a history of domestic violence or who are at risk when they come up for release.

We look forward to our third year at Holloway and doing what we do best, supporting women on their recovery journeys!

Leah Goodrham, HMP Holloway

Mandy Ogunmokun

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READER IN RESIDENCE

‘The Power’ – by Paul Farley I have read this month’s poem with many Phoenix Futures staff and service users in the past several weeks, in Trafford, Preston and Sheffield. We have discussed childhood holidays, hometown memories, choice and imagination (and The Flaming Lips!). Different readers have found it resonant, empowering and sometimes a little unsettling.

If you would like to find out about attending our Read to Lead training and running a shared reading group for service users and staff in your service, please email me or speak to your locality manager. The first training course will take place in December and is open to staff who want to use literature to improve the wellbeing of others and can commit to a weekly group.

As ever, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the poem, so please let me know what ‘the power’ is to you.

Forget all of that end-of-the-pier palm-reading stuff. Picture a seaside town in your head. Start from its salt-wrack-rotten smells and raise the lid of the world to change the light, then go as far as you want: the ornament of a promenade, the brilliant greys of gulls, the weak grip of a crane in the arcades you’ve built, ballrooms to come alive at night, then a million-starling roost, an opulent crumbling like cake icing…

Now, bring it down in the kind of fire that flows along ceilings, that knows the spectral blues; that always starts in donut fryers or boardwalk kindling in the dead hour before dawn, that leaves pilings marooned by mindless tides, that sends a plume of black smoke high enough to stain the halls of clouds. Now look around your tiny room and tell me that you haven’t got the power.

Tom tomyoung@thereader.org.uk www.thereader.org.uk

RAISING AWARENESS AT HOLME HOUSE During October Carole Rutland and one of the service users from HMP Holme House held a charity event in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Approximately 30 prisoners from the Drug Recovery Wing took part in the event which included a quiz, bingo and a raffle. All together the prisoners raised £66 for a breast cancer charity.

The prisoner who helped organise the event is also a TC resident and held various activities on the TC wing raising a further £138.