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Newsflash!
New National Telephone Counselling Service for Disabled People.
From January 2008, LCIL will be hosting a new telephone counselling service for disabled people.
The name of the service is `Your Call’, and it is open to disabled people from all over Scotland. The `Your
Call’ counsellors are all disabled people themselves, providing them with an understanding of what it means to live
as a disabled person in Scotland. The counsellors work as volunteers, and are trained to a professional standard
in counselling.
This will be the first service of its kind in the UK.
The service takes calls to its appointment line from 11am until 3 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 11am until 1pm
on Wednesdays. Calls are free from your home telephone, and from some, but not all, mobile networks.
The number is withheld so it will not appear on your phone bill.
Counselling can help people who are trying to come to terms with painful events from their past, or who need support through
a current crisis or change in lifestyle. It can also help people who are struggling to manage difficult feelings such
as depression or anxiety, or who are seeking direction and meaning in their lives.
A counsellor will not judge you, nor tell you how to live your life. Instead he or she is trained to help you explore
your own situation and to support you to find your own way forward.
The `Your Call’ number is 08088 01 03 62, and the service is open to all disabled people in Scotland who are over
the age of 18, and their immediate family members.
NOMINATED NEIGHBOUR SCHEME
This great community scheme was introduced to assist frail elderly people who might
be at risk in opening their door to strangers. It is now recognised that this
scheme may be helpful to some disabled people – in particular with sight or hearing impairment or who have a learning
disability. It needs agreement of a friendly neighbour who agrees to assist you! Basically anyone who approaches your door is shown a card at the window which asks,
for example: “please go to Number 3a”. This can really help with a person’s anxiety and confidence if they know that there is a neighbour
willing to field callers in this way. The neighbour will be ensuring that the
person has appropriate identification, etc before giving them the ok. If you
think this scheme might help you or someone you know, please get in touch! Also,
if you are a member of a group (e.g. a mother and toddler group; a lunch club) that might want to know more about these schemes
please just let us know and we will put you in touch so that Sam can arrange a visit.
FIFE COMMUNITY SAFETY
PARTNERSHIP
Sam Roberts visited our office this month to give full information about
a couple of initiatives that have so far helped a couple of our customers:
The Fife Community Safety Partnership was established in May 1998 to take forward Fife Partnership’s
work on community safety. The partnership is responsible for the safer communities theme within the Fife community plan. The
Partnership is overseen at a strategic level by Fife Council’s Community Safety Committee, which includes representation
from NHS Fife as well as Fife Council, Fife Constabulary and Fife Fire and Rescue Service. The Committee oversees the work
of the Community Safety Implementation Group, which is responsible for taking the Partnership’s work forward on a day
today basis. The Chief Constable chairs the group, which includes representatives from key partner agencies.
Fife Community Safety Partnership aims to work in partnership to ensure that people in Fife can live in confidence
and without fear for their own or other people’s safety Community safety impinges on the work of a wide range of public,
voluntary and private bodies in Fife. No one agency owns community safety. It is vital that all services and agencies in Fife
take community safety issues into account in their service plans and day-to-day activities. Partnership and genuine community
collaboration are essential when planning for safer communities. This will require partners to work collaboratively on key
issues facing the communities they serve. The strategic priorities of Fife Community Safety Partnership are as follows: To
reduce crime and the fear of crime. To protect women and children from violence and abuse. To protect children from abuse
and exploitation. To promote community safety through action on drug, alcohol and substance misuse. To promote road safety
and safer travel. To promote safer communities by reducing fires and accidents. To promote the safety of vulnerable groups.
FIFE CARES
We
were able to refer a family to Fife Cares when they moved to a different property with their toddler. The new flat did not have many of the features that they had previously installed in their old place –
like cupboard door locks, etc. With mum and dad both being disabled and a toddler
being very fast and inquisitive, Fife Cares recognised that there were some safety issues that they could help with. Fife Cares will typically look at safety issues like window locks, cupboard locks,
stair gates, etc in order to cut down on childhood accidents in the home. Here
at DPHS (Fife) we can act as a referral agency by asking Fife Cares to look at your situation, give advice, and where appropriate
, supply and fit safety items. Get in touch if this sounds like it can help you!
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