The Network - Issue 19

Issue 19

Network Monthly news, views and updates from across Phoenix Phoenix Forest

On the 25th November we returned to Phoenix Forest to plant 2,394 trees. We planted a tree for every Phoenix Futures service user who completed a rehabilitation programme and treatment in the last year.

Training Journal Awards for Learning and Development

“We are pleased to announce that your Learning and Development team won 2 awards on Wednesday 27th November. These were at the Training Journal Annual UK Awards ceremony in London.

outstanding achievement.

The TJ Awards are now recognised as the premier Training and L&D event for the UK. The range of Award categories is designed to recognise the most important The Phoenix Forest, based in St Albans, activities within Training and is in partnership with the Woodland Best Not For Profit Organisation – Trust. This year more than 100 staff Gold – Phoenix Futures Service User Learning & Development. Every category is open to entries from and service users braved the wind to programme companies across the whole help plant the trees. spectrum of industry, commerce Silver – Phoenix Futures ECEtt and the public sector, and from Staff also cooked food to fuel the hard programme organisations of all sizes. work throughout, before the day’s planting was conluded by speeches Established in 2006, the purpose from Jon Hall - Commissioning & of the Training Journal Awards is to More details are on their website.

Development Manager, John Crane promote excellence, best Originator of the idea behing Phoenix practice and innovation in Training Forest and Karen Biggs - Chief and Learning & Development, and to The Gold award, and Silver Executive of Phoenix Futures. highlight the importance of this area award certificate will be on display in Reception at our in today’s business climate.

Central Office.

This demanding area of business is We congratulate our team and arguably the critical success factor look forward to continued for future growth and excellence throughout the competitiveness for many coming year!” organisations. For this reason it is absolutely right for the Learning & Frances Gray Development profession to have a Head of Learning and cross industry national event to Development recognise, promote and honour excellence, professionalism and

www.phoenix-futures.org.uk

Progress update on the new intranet

Progress with the new intranet has been coming along steadily over the past few months with the IT department developing the new functions and testing them to breaking point.

Phoenix’s Learning & Development team sharing knowledge at the Skills Consortium Conference

Two members of our Learning and Development team; Stuart Plant and Fran Gray attended the Skills Consortium Conference in Leicester on Friday 6th December, organised in partnership with Adfam, Drugscope and Skills for Justice.

The event was a great opportunity for Phoenix to network with commissioners, other treatment providers, PHE and partners in Leicester. The team were also able to spread the word about Phoenix’s current and upcoming Learning and Development initiatives.

Many new of the new systems functions have been built with the At the event, they were both invited Since they attended, Fran has also next stage of testing due to begin to do individual presentations; Fran been asked to join a focus group in January and to go on to be part of on Workforce Development, and within the next few weeks. developing a quality framework for Stuart on Virtual Rehab days, TC services. training and SU qualifications.

A few of the features that will help bring our internal RIDDOR is Changing - Health and Safety Corner communications up to date include, User Profiles - to share the skills and interests of our staff and encourage information sharing to help people learn different ways of doing their jobs, a new approach to The Network which will see staff able to share their stories on a more regular basis and Team Pages - to enable teams to work remotely on projects in a secure environment smaller list of ‘specified injuries.’

There have been some recent where they can communicate with changes to the reporting of team members and collaboratively injuries, diseases and 47 types of defined industrial create and edit documents. disease have been replaced with dangerous occurrences eight categories of reportable regulations (RIDDOR) The new intranet is planned to legislation. RIDDOR places upon work-related illness. begin rolling in March when the us, as an employer, a legal duty current Connect will be removed. to report certain serious Fewer types of ‘dangerous occurrence’ need reporting. accidents, diseases and Look out for more updates in dangerous occurrences that take future issues of The Network.

You can find more information place within our workplace(s). on the changes here. You can also ask John Deeney in Scotland Some recent changes to RIDDOR have taken place that you should be (07800681622) or Ruby Newton in England (0207 234 9779) for more aware of for reporting information. purposes: Instead of all ‘major injuries’ being reportable, there is now a much

www.phoenix-futures.org.uk

Ruby Newton Quality Officer

Black History Month at HMP Pentonville

In HMP Pentonville, In November Black History Month was celebrated with a full schedule of events with music planned for prisoners to get involved with, quizzes for prisoners and staff, wing based competitions, a themed menu choice for prisoners & staff throughout the month.

individual award for his work on equalities issues and promoting diversity within the prison (for both his work as Phoenix’s E&D representative and also the lead for the LGBT support network GALIPS in HMP Pentonville) Building Futures Interventions Manager Bea Wheeler was recognised as part of the prison At the launch event, this year continued wide team who helped design, a Pentonville tradition of having a mini develop and organise the events concert with a band comprised of staff for Black History Month in HMP and prisoners showing us their musical Pentonville in 2013. talents to recognise the many different And a number of Building Futures types of music of black origin. staff (Jo Bovell-Strachan, Yvonne Alongside the band playing, staff Campbell, Bea Wheeler, Chris members came out dressed in their national dress and told us all about their Scard, Shante Dublin) demonstrated their key attention national dress. to details, knowledge and memory At the closing ceremony of Black History skills being part of the quiz team that won the Black History Month month, the deputy Governor Carlene Dixon gave special recognition awards quiz for staff! to staff members who have shown a commitment to working to increase the Overall, Black History Month 2013 has been an amazing event this general knowledge and awareness of year with opportunities for diversity and equalities issues within learning, reflection and Pentonville over the last 12 months. appreciation of Black History and how it makes up a significant and Recognition of Building Futures staff valuable part of the culture and and their effortsBuilding Futures Data history of Pentonville itself.

Co-ordinator Chris Scard was given an Foundation66 and Phoenix Futures announce formal merger talks Foundation66 and Phoenix Futures have announced they are in formal talks regarding a merger. A formal due diligence process is taking place that will involve a robust consultation with Foundation66’s service users.

Approval for a merger will also be required by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which is likely to be sought in February 2014.

The intention is that Foundation66 will

become a subsidiary of Phoenix Futures.

Foundation66 works creatively with individuals, communities and policy makers to reduce the harm caused by problem drug and alcohol use. Integrated care, support and housing services help people achieve positive change.

Foundation66 support people through a range of services – from outreach, peer mentoring through to rehabilitation – across a number of London boroughs and Essex.

www.phoenix-futures.org.uk

Supporting Phoenix

Instead of splashing out on Christmas cards and postage this year, Business Intelligence company; The BPM Performance Matrix, decided to donate £1000 to the children and families at the National Specialist Family Residential Service. The BPM Performance Matrix provide specialist consultancy services to the public sector, specifically social care and housing services, offering support at every stage of the information management process.

Their donation will go towards spreading some festive cheer; giving children affected by substance misuse the chance to do something really special and enjoy the festive season this year.

To thank The BPM Performance Matrix, the children at the National Specialist Family Residential Service created a thank you card:

Alcohol Awareness in the Wirral

During Alcohol Awareness Week this year (18th – 24th November), the team at the Wirral Community Service attended ‘mock’tail events, putting up stalls in a number of local supermarkets, giving advice and guidance to shoppers around alcohol consumption whilst also displaying and carrying around a 5ft glass shaped sign-up board letting members of the public know how they can sign up to ‘Dry January’.

Phoenix Futures at HMP Pentonville and the White Ribbon Campaign

The White Ribbon campaign is the largest global effort of men working to end male violence against women.

Wearing a White Ribbon is a personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

Phoenix Futures staff, from the Building Futures service, at HMP Pentonville organised a week long event for prisoners and staff to raise awareness of the White Ribbon Campaign and its pledge to stand against violence against women.

The Building Futures service work in Pentonville delivering psychosocial substance misuse treatment to prisoners.

with some local Islington organisations who all work with people affected by domestic abuse; including the Islington Council Domestic Violence Strategy and Services department Islington Children’s Service, the Latin American Women’s Rights Service and the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO).

The Building Futures staff also had an awareness raising session facilitated by Standing Together Against Domestic Violence.

Throughout the week we have been distributing leaflets in numerous languages to The week began with a 5-a-side prisoners about the effects of football tournament co-organised by domestic abuse and the services Phoenix. There were 12 teams that available to both victims and The events aim was to raise entered this year but unfortunately perpetrators of domestic awareness with the men at the Phoenix Team did not get further violence. Alongside this, the Pentonville of the White Ribbon than the group stage. The winners of campaign and to ask them to sign prisoners have been signing the the tournament were the Wirral Europa a pledge saying that they will never pledge all week and we now Probation service user team beating commit, condone or remain silent to have 357 signatures with more The Social Partnership in the final to still to come! violence against women. lift the Alcohol Awareness Shield.

The events have been built around The White Ribbon week has As well as this, on 20th provided a great opportunity a central theme of “These Hands November two Phoenix staff members are not for Hurting” where prisoners for many prisoners to explore who are both second degree Reiki have been making posters of their their thoughts about domestic healers will be conducting sessions at handprints, signifying that their violence and the feedback we the ‘Tomorrow’s Women Wirral’ Ladies hands will never commit, condone or have received so far has been Event (flyer above). remain silent about violence against overwhelmingly positive in that women. The events have been held this is an issue that needs to be on the wings where the prisoners live raised and the men here at HMP giving them opportunity to take part Pentonville want to support. in making these posters and to talk FIT Team Update You may have heard about the FIT project that is being made by service Innovation Award. team, it’s a group made up of staff users in Leicester, a football based If you have an idea that you health project on the Wirral and from around Phoenix focused on think could aid recovery you can a harm reduction initiative aimed encouraging and helping fund find more information on at people using Nitrous Oxide in innovations.

Connect or email fundraising.

Birmingham. innovation@phoenix-futures.

So far the group have funded a film The team has also selected the short org.uk for a submission form. list for the 2014 New Year Honours

www.phoenix-futures.org.uk