Category: In Your Community

Open Arms

Laura/ / Good News Stories, In Your Community, Open Arms

By Janet Malsch and Lee Lazenby, Open Arms Team

James approached the Open Arms team seeking advice for a difficult family situation. His brother, who suffers from dementia, was at risk of losing his care home space due to the financial misconduct of his life partner. Evidence suggested that his partner was exploiting him financially, which left James deeply concerned about his brother’s future care and support as his condition worsened.

During his initial visit, our Citizen Adviser discussed the next steps with James, providing clear and actionable advice. They recommended that James report the situation to the police to address the financial abuse. Additionally, they guided him on how to apply for a court of protection to safeguard his brother’s interests and provided tips on collaborating with the social care team to review and update his brother’s care plan.

Two weeks later, James returned to the Open Arms session to express his gratitude for the support he received. He shared that being able to talk with our team and receiving clear direction gave him the confidence to take necessary actions. With our guidance, he had reported the situation to the police, initiated the court of protection process, and engaged with the social care team to ensure his brother would receive the proper care.

James’ dedication, care, and love for his brother were evident. The distress he initially showed had transformed into a renewed sense of confidence and positivity when we saw him again. He thanked our team for the support, emphasizing how crucial it was in helping him navigate this challenging situation. He also mentioned that he would keep us updated on his brother’s situation.

James is a testament to the power of support and the positive impact that timely advice can have. His determination to protect his brother’s well-being and his proactive approach in seeking help reflect the core values of community and compassion that we strive to uphold at Open Arms. We are proud to have been a part of his journey and remain committed to supporting individuals facing similar challenges.

Digital Support

Laura/ / Good News Stories, In Your Community, Tenant Involvement

Bt Debra Gill, Tenant Engagement Innovation Officer, Tenant Involvement Team

Individual Digital Support Session

We are receiving individual support session requests from council departments. The first sessions taking place in the libraries across the borough.

Our Digital volunteers have been helping Ann with her emails, as well as showing her some of the benefits of being on the internet for entertainment. As well as practicing sending and receiving emails, our volunteers have been showing Ann how to search YouTube for her favourite artists, and how to subscribe to channels.

Anns goal is to be able to join meetings online. Resources have been produced to support this, and our volunteers will continue to support her learning, to be able to achieve this goal.

Group Sessions

Our Digital Volunteer David will now be attending the Open Arm Session in Greasbrough Library every two weeks. The sessions will be advertised and hopefully we can start directing anyone looking for support in the area to him.

Deb visited a coffee morning at Rawmarsh Library for a wellbeing group. The group of 15 people were very welcoming and happy to talk about digital safety, which lead onto lots of other discussions such as receiving the internet speeds that you are paying for. Advice was given as to how you can check this, and a lady was given advice on how to complete an online form.

Deb and Rob visited Aston TARA for a digital support session on the 17th of July. The coffee morning was well attended with 17 people at the session. We spoke about safety online as most people said this was a concern for them. Individual support took place in the shape of showing a lady how to copy and paste, and how to complete an online form.

More Energy Know How

Laura/ / Energy Know How, Good News Stories, In Your Community

By Sharon Smith, Lynn Clarkson and Madiya Shokat, Energy Know How Team

Whilst completing paperwork following attendance at a lunch event, a client had asked a question to one of the staff regarding the gas connection at her property. The staff member was not able to answer the question and asked me to speak with client.

She lived with her elderly parents in their home, and which is owned by them. Her father was a miner before he retired. He still gets a fuel allowance which provides them with smokeless fuel on a regular basis free of charge as part of his retirement benefits. They have a fire and back boiler (parkray) which is heated by the smokeless coal and provides the heating and hot water for the property. They have an electric cooker and appliances.

As they were not using any gas the clients’ father requested the energy company to remove the gas supply at the property to prevent a daily standing charge for a service that they did not need and would not use. The service was disconnected at the property boundary many years ago.

The clients’ parents are now quite elderly, and she is thinking about how she would manage when they are no longer around. One of the issues that is worrying her is the gas connection as the fuel allowance would end.

I explained that all gas services are maintained by the gas grid network, and it would be relatively easy to reconnect the gas although it is unlikely to be instant and she may have to wait a little while for the process to be arranged. The process would be arranged by the supplier she chose to go with however there could be a charge for reconnection/testing of the supply. The process would involve digging up the area where it was disconnected to re-connect the pipe and after testing, reinstate the path/driveway that had been disturbed.

This information put her mind at rest, and she is aware that this can be sorted when the time arrives.

She is aware to contact an energy supplier (it does not have to be the one that supplies her electricity although it may be more straightforward if she does) for the process to be arranged.

I gave the client our contact details and explained that when she needs to arrange for her service to be re-connected Rotherfed may not have an energy project in place however, they would be able to signpost her to further support services should she need them.

She was very appreciative of the information and time taken to answer her concerns.

Tenant Involvement

Laura/ / Good News Stories, In Your Community, Tenant Involvement

By Rob Gooding and Rachel Cole, The Tenant Involvement Team

Back in June, text messages were sent out to several council tenants under the age of 40 asking if they would like to be part of the new tenants’ connectors pool. Tenants that expressed an interest, were then contact by telephone to enable us to obtain their details for the pool. One of the questions on the form was if they would be interested in getting involved in one of our main panels, Scrutiny, Housing Involvement Panel and Screen Team.

Following on from this, Rotherfed’s Tenant Involvement team, in collaboration with RMBC, held an event for engaged residents on Wednesday 24 July at Springwell Gardens. 

Fifteen enthusiastic tenants who had expressed their desire to actively participate in shaping the future of Rotherham’s housing services attended the event. The event provided them with the perfect platform to learn more about RMBC services, the main panels and explore various ways to get involved.

The event featured 14 existing panel members who shared their experiences, motivations and reasons for contributing to housing services and being part of the panels. The firsthand perspective from existing tenants will be invaluable for new potential tenants seeking to make a difference in their communities. We had three separate tables, one for each of the main panels, where existing panel members sat and spoke about their involvement and experiences. The new tenants spent time at each table listening and getting an understanding of what each panel involved, this gave them the opportunity to decide which panel, if any, was best suited to them and their situation. For tenants that wish to go further, it marks the start a very important process of peer mentoring and support for the new members of the panels.

The Rotherfed Tenant Involvement Team and RMBC are committed to empowering tenants and ensuring their voices are heard in matters concerning their housing environment. This was the first session held, additional sessions will be held for tenants who couldn’t attend this one. For the residents who could attend and are interesting in becoming future panel members, they will now be contacted to organise the next step. 

Multiply

Laura/ / Good News Stories, In Your Community, Multiply

By Sharon Smith and Madiya Shokat

Mrs W attended a Multiply engagement session run. At the session all the attendees were offered the opportunity to have an energy call from one of the team and Mrs W accepted this offer.

A call was made, and she explained her circumstances briefly. She lives with her grown up granddaughter in a privately rented property that has 2 bedrooms. Mrs W has issues with her heart and has breathing difficulties, she also suffers from asthma which is worse when it is cold and damp.

She uses smart prepayment meters provided by Utilita; she mainly tops up online but does have cards to enable her to top up at a local shop should her internet be unavailable. She has a small amount of arrears on her meters (@ £50) which has accumulated by using the ‘power up’ system offered by this company. This scheme allows you to request top up when running low and the cost is added to the meter and collected in weekly instalments from future top ups.

Mrs W said she does worry about her energy bills and struggles on occasion to keep up with her top ups.

We discussed ways to be more energy efficient including closing doors to rooms that are not used, drying washing whenever possible outside etc.

Mrs W was informed about the energy crisis grants currently being offered by Rotherham council and encouraged to apply as soon as possible as we are unsure how long the scheme will remain available.

We also offered to refer her to for some free top-up vouchers, she was made aware this requires her to provide photo or download of a recent bank statement showing her name and address, opening and closing balance which she confirmed she was happy to provide to me.

Mrs W was also offered a visit from the greendoctor scheme to look at minor draught proofing work in her property, installation of radiator foils and led lightbulbs where possible. She was very happy to accept this offer as it will help to make her home more efficient and help her top-ups to last a little longer.

Mrs W was very appreciative of the information and referrals that we had discussed.

Open Arms

Laura/ / Good News Stories, In Your Community, Open Arms

By Janet Malsch and Lee Lazenby, The Open Arms Team

At an Open Arms session we had a visitor, whose first language was not English, who had found herself in a precarious situation. With her husband hospitalised for long-term medical treatment, she became the sole breadwinner for her family. However, the burden proved overwhelming, leading the family into a spiral of debt that culminated in a court order. The imminent arrival of debt collectors added further stress to an already dire situation.

Navigating the complexities of paperwork and legal proceedings proved challenging for the client, compounded by language barriers. Recognizing the urgency of her situation, our dedicated Citizen Advice team sprang into action. They swiftly connected with their debt team and arranged for the client to be seen on the same day, providing her with the support and guidance she urgently needed.

Understanding the importance of effective communication, Citizens Advice offers free translation services to ensure that language barriers do not hinder access to crucial assistance. With the assistance of a translator, the client was able to fully comprehend her options and navigate the intricate legal processes with confidence.

The outcome was nothing short of remarkable. Through the collaborative efforts of Open Arms and the invaluable support of Citizen Advice, the client was empowered to address her family’s financial crisis head-on.

Heart of the Community In Summer

Laura/ / Good News Stories, Heart of the Community, In Your Community

By Dan Barron and Sam Dixon, The Heart of the Community Team

The summer events have officially started this year and the Heart of the Community team have spoken to over 1000 of Rotherham’s residents at community events. The team have been asking you how you support others throughout your day. Although most people don’t shout it from the rooftops that you’ve helped someone, we’re here to show that residents in Rotherham look after each other. Some of our work also looked at how residents feel about the community they live in. The team attended summer fayres and Pride 2024 throughout June. Lots of people took the time to speak with us about how they’re supporting someone on some way.

“(I) Support a friend in addiction”

“I helped a person get back onto their feet when they was down”

“I made someone happy when they were upset”

“I helped someone when they were lonely”

“Helped people to learn to horse ride in my spare time”

“Helped my mum when she was down”

Some residents are supporting their neighbour or family with small acts of being there for support when times aren’t so good, some support others to learn new skills and hobbies. You spoke to us about many different acts of kindness. Some acts of kindness came with personal journeys of supporting a friend or family member through addiction and a personal sacrifice on behalf of another person to support them when they need it the most.

Some of the children made their little act of kindness something really simple by helping a friend with their work, when they’re sad or they’re there for someone they don’t know in a moment, people supporting each other makes a positive impact to someone.

HotC put together a presentation to speak to students at one of the local comprehensive schools. The school want to help their young people recognise the impact they offer their communities already, and the impact of positive action whether small or large. The presentation created an opportunity for the young people to think about and share their ideas about how they personally impact their own communities as well as giving an opportunity for workers to talk about the voluntary sector and the advantages the experience will have for future prospects.

The young people we spoke returned 148 pledge cards, detailing their little acts of kindness.

“If I see anybody on the streets, go into the closest shop and buy them food, in hope that they won’t sleep hungry for that night and other may copy this kind act.”

“Help the elderly in care homes. Eg, making cups of or having a conversation with them”

“Start working at my local library and charity on weekends to engage with people”

It’s been amazing to speak to so many people who support other people they may know or just by chance was kind to a stranger in need. Its further proof that people of Rotherham look after each other when they see someone else in need. So, we would just like to say, well done residents of Rotherham, keep up the community spirit and taking care of each other.

Fitzwilliam Estate

Laura/ / Good News Stories, In Your Community, Tenant Involvement

By The Tenant Involvement Team

At a recent meeting with Rotherham Council (RMBC) staff to discuss the Fitzwilliam Estate, it was agreed to hold three community days on the estate. These will comprise of a community skip/litter pick, a RMBC services day, where residents can speak to council staff for advice etc and a family fun day, all to take place within the next few months.

The community skip was planned and booked for Friday 28 June at 9am until full, the Councillors wanted the skip day to go head as soon as possible, despite them not being able to attend due to it being the election period, as it has been a while since skips were available for residents on that estate. Rotherfed staff lent a helping hand at the event and worked with RMBC Housing officers to ensure the clean-up ran smoothly. 

The initiative, aimed at helping residents dispose of unwanted items and declutter their homes, saw enthusiastic participation from the local community fill two skips with a vast assortment of refuse, in a very short space of time. Mear’s caretakers also assisted by collecting waste from residents’ gardens and picking up bulky items which they couldn’t get to the skip themselves.

Community skip days are always a much-needed service, enabling households to get rid of bulky waste that is typically hard to manage, and it supports residents that have no way to take rubbish to the tip. The overall aim of this is an attempt to help reduce fly tipping in the area and make the estate cleaner and safer for residents.  Due to the demand, another community skip day will be investigated for later in the year.

A community litter pick is also in the process of being planned and this will hopefully be towards the end of July/beginning of August, during the school holidays so that the children can be involved too.  Councillors will also participate in the litter pick. 

Rotherham Deaf Futures

Laura/ / Good News Stories, In Your Community, Tenant Involvement

By Rob Gooding and Rachel Cole, the Tenant Involvement team

RotherFed have supported Rotherham Deaf Futures for over 10 years now.  They meet at Springwell Gardens Community Centre every Friday where they get together for social purposes as well as having an interpreter present who helps with day-to-day issues and their correspondence.  Being profoundly deaf, this community struggles with daily issues and they are very isolated, which is why this group and the support we offer is very important to them. RotherFed have secured funding for the group to enable this to happen.

We now hold regular engagement session with the group, once every 6 weeks and at the last session RotherFed staff identified a housing issue faced by one of their members. The member, a longstanding participant in the Rotherham Deaf Futures group, was experiencing significant challenges in obtaining repairs to their home which were required immediately. This situation was exacerbated by a range of health conditions, that necessitated a warm living environment.

Recognizing the urgency of the matter, RotherFed staff immediately liaised with the local ward councillors to get the resident the help and support they needed with the repair process. This approach ensured that the tenants housing needs were met promptly.

In addition to addressing the immediate repair requirements, RotherFed and Its partners explored opportunities to enhance the property’s energy efficiency. By collaborating with RotherFed’s Energy Project, we arranged for The Green Doctors, to conduct a thorough assessment of the property. The aims of this assessment were to identify potential upgrades and recommended cost-effective solutions to reduce energy consumption and lower utility bills, this could be simple things like installing LED light bulbs and radiator tinfoil’s, thereby improving the member’s overall quality of life.

We will continue to support the group as and when required/needed.

More Energy Know How

Laura/ / Energy Know How, Good News Stories, In Your Community

By Sharon Smith, Lynn Clarkson and Madiya Shokat, the Energy Know How Team

A Client got in touch with Madiya from the energy team. Madiya previously met the Ms J* at the Eastwood Village Primary School who wanted some energy advice and she chose to meet at Clifton Learning Partnership as it’s close by to where she lives. She recently moved here to the UK, and she is struggling to understand how her bills work. Ms J bought her bills with her and one of the letters that she was struggling to understand was the breakdown of her bill. Madiya explained to her how much is going towards her electric and how much is going towards her gas. Ms J didn’t realise it will be one bill for both gas and electric in total as a direct debit. Ms J also realised that so far, her gas has been higher than her electric and didn’t understand why. She was asked if she is using her gas more than electric and mentioned she is cooking every day and using her gas for that as well as using the gas to make tea. Ms J was advised to lower this and try to make her tea using the kettle and when making food, see if she can make food that can last a couple of days, to save her using her gas every day. Ms J was also advised of some energy saving tips around the household to help her save on her energy annually. She was offered a green doctor as well which Madiya filled out with them. So, she is aware of the minor draught proofing that will be set out in her property. Ms J was very pleased with the amount of help offered to her.

*name has been changed.