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Disabled Persons Housing Service (Fife) Receives National Accreditation.
DPHS(Fife) has achieved accreditation from
the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers. The accreditation standards were developed by
the Scottish Government to ensure that advice services throughout Scotland are being delivered to an acceptable and consistent
level.
The assessment process was extremely thorough and examined
every aspect of the Advice Service's activities which included management, planning, accessibility, customer care and
service provision. The Co-ordinator and Sub Groups at DPHS(F) had worked extremely hard in the 12 months
prior to audit to collate evidence of its compliance with the standards. The Auditor interviewed staff and looked in
detail at the case management system which records all advice given. In the years prior to assessment staff had participated in HomePoint Level 2 training and now have additional staff
and Board training to HomePoint Level 1. John Sandie, Chairperson
added: "This is a wonderful achievement for a person centred
organisation like ours. We always knew we delivered a high standard service for our customers and we are delighted to
have this recognised by this Level 2 Award in Housing Options." Co-ordinator, Jackie Morrison said: "This was a
huge undertaking for a voluntary organisation like DPHS(F) as we are a small staff team. However, with support
from our dedicated Board of Directors who split into Sub Groups to tackle areas like policies and procedures and customer
care, we were supported to systematically record and improve our practices as we went along. We are all so very pleased
that the auditor was able to recognise a particular area of good practice - the level of communication between Board, staff
and customers and back again. It is crucial to our person centred service." DPHS(F) provides an independent housing information and advice service for disabled people in Fife.
Last year the service worked on 128 new cases and dealt with around 400 telephone enquiries. Out of 123 concluded cases
in the year, 42 of them had been disabled people who were homeless. After receiving independent housing information
and advice with support in completing forms or a home visit where necessary, customers found housing solutions which varied
between local authority housing, housing associations, adapting and private lets.
Disabled
Persons Housing Service (Fife) Receives National Accreditation.
DPHS(Fife) has achieved accreditation from the Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers.
The accreditation standards were developed by the Scottish Government to ensure that advice services throughout Scotland are
being delivered to an acceptable and consistent level.
The assessment process was
extremely thorough and examined every aspect of the Advice Service's activities which included management, planning, accessibility,
customer care and service provision. The Co-ordinator and Sub Groups at DPHS(F) had worked extremely hard
in the 12 months prior to audit to collate evidence of its compliance with the standards. The Auditor interviewed staff
and looked in detail at the case management system which records all advice given. In
the years prior to assessment staff had participated in HomePoint Level 2 training and now have additional staff and Board
training to HomePoint Level 1. John Sandie, Chairperson added: "This
is a wonderful achievement for a person centred organisation like ours. We always knew we delivered a high standard
service for our customers and we are delighted to have this recognised by this Level 2 Award in Housing Options." Co-ordinator, Jackie Morrison said: "This was a huge undertaking
for a voluntary organisation like DPHS(F) as we are a small staff team. However, with support from our dedicated
Board of Directors who split into Sub Groups to tackle areas like policies and procedures and customer care, we were supported
to systematically record and improve our practices as we went along. We are all so very pleased that the auditor was
able to recognise a particular area of good practice - the level of communication between Board, staff and customers and back
again. It is crucial to our person centred service." DPHS(F) provides an
independent housing information and advice service for disabled people in Fife. Last year the service worked on 128
new cases and dealt with around 400 telephone enquiries. Out of 123 concluded cases in the year, 42 of them had been
disabled people who were homeless. After receiving independent housing information and advice with support in completing
forms or a home visit where necessary, customers found housing solutions which varied between local authority housing, housing
associations, adapting and private lets.
| DPHS Logo |
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QUALITY STANDARDS ACHIEVED! On Friday 19th
September DPHS(F) was awarded the Fife Rights Forum Quality Standards Level 3 - the highest that can be achieved. Many
thanks to all who worked hard to achieve this - in particular the staff, volunteers and Board members. Why did we do
it? We did it to improve our service whilst proving to others that we do a good job! It meant some work on improving
our policies and procedures - meaning that the way we work with people is now documented and understood by all who work with
us.
In the photo you can see Wendy (middle left) and Jackie (middle right), receiving the Award from Norma
Philpott, Fife Rights Forum Vice Chairperson (far left) and Martin Wardop, Team Leader for Fife Council Money Advice(far
right).
NEW BILL TO PROTECT DISABLED
PEOPLE AGAINST OFFENCES:
An update from Fife Community Safety Partnership:
The Offences Aggravated by Prejudice (Scotland) Bill was approved on 3rd June to extend current legislation
to include crimes against gay people and disabled people. If you think this applies to you please
contact Fife Independent Disability Network on 203993 who will discuss the matter with you.
MORE SUPPORT FOR HOME OWNERS
An extra £10 million will be invested in a Scottish Government scheme
to help homeowners struggling with mortgage repayments. In Parliament, Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell
said that the new money will mean the Home Owners' Support Fund is being backed by £35 million over this year and
next. The fund will build on and improve the existing Mortgage to Rent scheme, and include a new Mortgage
to Shared Equity scheme. Those eligible for Mortgage to Shared Equity will retain ownership of their home
and enter into a shared equity agreement with the Scottish Government, having had their secured debt reduced to a manageable
level. The Scottish Government today also published a summary of the housing actions it has been taking
since last year to respond to the changing economic climate, including additional support for first time buyers, incentives
for a new generation of council housing and increased protection for home owners. Speaking in the Scottish
Parliament today, Mr Maxwell said: "The Scottish Government is determined to help Scotland's businesses
and households deal with the impact of the economic downturn. "That's why we have acted swiftly
and decisively to bolster the Home Owners' Support Fund and respond to the changed economic circumstances and increased
risk of repossessions. "Today, I'm announcing an additional £5 million for the Home Owners'
Support Fund, on top of the £5 million I previously announced on 8 December. In total, through the fund, we will invest
£35 million over this year and next. "We have instigated a series of measures that will help
the housing market, the house-building sector and help ease the impact of the downturn on individual households. "The
Scottish Government has been ahead of the game compared to the position elsewhere in the UK, and I believe the package of
actions announced today will provide vital support to families across Scotland struggling with mortgage repayments." In
her statement to Parliament on June 25, 2008, the Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced a package of major reforms to
deliver lasting improvements to Scotland's housing system. This included the establishment of the new Home Owners'
Support Fund. The improved Mortgage to Rent Scheme and new Mortgage to Shared Equity Scheme will start
on March 16, 2009.
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| Jackie Morrison DPHS(F} Development Officer |
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| Wendy Riviero DPHS(F) Caseworker |
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| Wendy Riviero pictured witth FIDN Members in the background |
DPHS(Fife) Gets Out and About….. DPHS(Fife) recently presented information about our work at the Independent
Living Roadshow in Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline and many thanks to customers old
and new who were there to get the questions rolling! It is the intention of DPHS(Fife) that we
spread the word about our service but also that we start looking at ways of gathering opinions
from disabled people about housing….so watch out! DPHS(Fife) have also attended other events
in 2008 which included the Council For Voluntary Service Birthday Celebrations at Rothes Halls
which saw a whole hall full of voluntary groups highlighting how much work is carried out in Fife
by groups like our own. Once again DPHS(Fife) attended the Older Peoples Stakeholder Event in
Glenrothes which is always a busy event and several new customers came our way from that. In addition
our presence at the Multi Cultural Event held in late summer (although you couldn’t tell
from the weather) also led to our service being highlighted to many who did notknow about us. If you are a member of a group or association who would like DPHS(Fife) to come along to do a talk or have a discussion about housing please let us know. Many thanks once again to volunteers who assist us at such events.www.dphsfife.org.uk
NOT
HAPPY ABOUT THE HOUSING SITUATION? WHAT CAN YOU DO? DPHS(Fife)
wants to ensure that you have received appropriate housing information and advice so that your housing application can
best reflect your needs and be in the best position to come up with a match. However, what if you have specific needs
that are currently not being met? What if you are just fed up that there is not enough accessible housing???? Unfortunately
DPHS(Fife) is not funded to campaign however we do try to ensure that unmet housing need is reflected by responding
to the Scottish Government and to the Local Authority when requested. But what can you do? There are several campaigns
you may wish to back and some information you may wish to look at: Scottish Federation of Housing Assocations has
a campaign for 1% for 100% to increase the amount of rented housing built in Scotland. <www.sfha.co.uk> register your support online. Lifetime
Homes – raise the issue with your local Councillor and MSPs. <www.lifetimehomes.org.uk>
Inclusion Scotland – join and back their campaign for more varied
and flexible housing across all tenures www.inclusionscotland.org
Shelter Scotland – works to raise awareness of homelessness but
also to campaign for more rented housing and so signing up to their campaigns can also help. www.shelter.org.uk
With thanks
to Fife Independent Disability Network for the opportunity to address the conference
and thank you to Robert Hunter for the photos. www.fidn.org.uk
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.
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