The BHT Intern Programme is up and running, and doing great things

BHT has, after many months planning, launched our Intern Programme.  It is funded by the Esmee Fairburn Foundation and BHT itself, and provides opportunities for up to 40 people per year to take up an internship in BHT.  The programme has been designed to enable participants to gain the skills and experience needed to increase their employability.

Internship opportunities are on offer in BHT projects in Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne and Hastings. Interns will complete a six month work placement and are supported by a trained mentor.  Each participant has a tailored training programme that focuses on the skills employers look for.

The programme is open to BHT clients and those who have experienced long term unemployment or those who lack the skills and experience to break into the job market.

We are lucky to have appointed an experienced manager from within BHT, Rob Robinson, as the Intern Programme Co-ordinator.  He has said: “The programme will give participants the edge when entering what is an incredibly competitive job market. Our interns will graduate with CV boosting skills and experience and will have evidenced their commitment. The structured training programme incorporates key employment skills such as team working, communication and problem solving”.

The idea was mine, and I originally proposed the initiative following successful internships undertaken by my own daughter, locally and in London, in her year out before going to university.  Having seen the benefits and confidence that Clare gained from her experience as an intern, I questioned who was creating such opportunities for BHT clients. I concluded that unless we did something, our clients would continue to be excluded and marginalised.

We are immensely grateful to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for their confidence and generosity in part funding this programme.  The challenge for BHT now is to ensure that, having gained experience as interns, our clients can progress to paid employment.

For more information please contact Rob Robinson on 07827 803102.

Human Trafficking Training Seminars

The South East Strategic Partnership for Migration (SESPM) is working with the charity STOP THE TRAFFIK to deliver four regional training seminars in March 2012 covering:

• Hampshire and Isle of Wight
• Kent and Medway
• Surrey and Sussex
• Thames Valley

This training is free.

Men, women, and children are being tricked and forced into exploitation in the South East. They are trafficked from one community into another. Local professionals and residents need to know:

• What human trafficking is
• How it affects them and their communities
• What it looks like and who to tell
• How they can work with their communities to tackle it

Each training seminar will address:

• Human trafficking: the definition and distinctions, scale and stories, types and signs, and the regional situation
• Tackling trafficking: international obligations and national responses, prosecution, protection, and prevention, national and local referrals
• Community action: existing regional initiatives, examples from activists, and developing local action plans

The government has identified key audiences that need to receive this kind of training. If you are one of the following:

• Local authority or social worker
• Community police officer
• Health practitioner
• Education provider
• Housing provider
• Probation officer
• Immigration officer
• Migrant organisation
• Community group
• Homelessness charity

Email act@stopthetraffik.org to register for one of the four regional training seminars in March 2012. For more information click here.

We must do health and safety properly, but with some common sense

I heard a terrible joke the other day. I’m sorry I don’t know who to credit (or blame) for it. The joke goes: “Suggs is doing a charity run to combat sexism, racism and homophobia. It’s Madness gone politically correct!”

I know you are not supposed to explain the punch line for jokes but for those of you who don’t know Suggs, he was the vocalist in a Two Tone group in the 1980′s called Madness. Enough said.

I can’t stand the phrase “politically correct” as it is a sloppy way of dismissing what might be very valid points of view. Similarly, there can be a sloppy dismissal of ‘health and safety’.

Health and safety regulations are there for very good reasons. I think immediately of Simon Jones, the Sussex University student who was killed on his first shift working at Shoreham Harbour back in 1998. He had received no training and there were breaches of health and safety regulations which had tragic consequences.

At BHT we have the necessary health and safety arrangements in place, and as the chief operating officer I have specific responsibilities for health and safety issues, which I take very seriously.

But health and safety gets a bad name when it goes against basic common sense. Take changing a light bulb. The gents loo on my floor at work has no natural light and has had no working light bulb for over a week. A case of damnation without relief, one might say!

The proper procedures were followed, the missing illumination reported, and a date was set with a contractor to change the light bulb ….. for 7th November! Being six foot six must have some advantages so I removed a working bulb in the corridor and now us boys have no excuse for missing the target.

I have popped out to the local Co-op and bought a supply of bulbs which were used up within minutes, including in the ladies loo, of which I have no personal experience or knowledge.

I imagine I have breached some of BHT’s policies and procedures. I hold my hands up to that. I didn’t do a full written risk assessment. I used some common sense. I didn’t stand on wobbly ladders or chairs, I just ensured that there is proper lighting, including on a stairwell where a light had blown.

As I said above, health and safety is important, but let’s get it into perspective. Ludicrous ‘health and safety’ restrictions get proper health and safety measures a bad name. We must do health and safety properly, but with some common sense.

We should all rally together to save the Whitehawk Inn

I recently visited the Whitehawk Inn and spent a couple of hours with its inspirational director, Frances Duncan. To say I was impressed by its range of facilities and achievements would be an understatement. I think it was the best example of what I have seen either locally, nationally or internationally.  I came back to the office saying that the Whitehawk Inn had set the bar impressively high, and that BHT had much to do to catch up!

So it was with huge concern that I read in today’s Argus that its future is in doubt.  Frances says that this “training centre is at serious risk unless we can persuade individuals and businesses across Sussex to support a campaign that could fund many more years of helping people to find confidence and success through learning and work, and make a significant contribution to lowering the county’s unemployment figures.”

The appeal has already had the backing of Des Pritchard (chief fire officer of East Sussex Fire and Rescue) and Chief Inspector Graham Bartlett (Sussex Police’s commander for Brighton and Hove).

Yesterday I was at the City Forum, organised by DemSoc Brighton, where charitable giving to local charities was discussed and some great ideas were put forward.  However, it sounds as though we need to act fast in the case of the Whitehawk Inn.

I fear that the situation facing the Whitehawk Inn is not unique, but I feel very strongly that this resource is particularly important, not least for women in Whitehawk, whose life choices are greatly enhanced by this amazing facility.

For more information please look at http://www.whinn.org.uk/.

The hopes and fears for the Comprehensive Spending Review

This week sees the announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review, and I must admit that I await the detail with some trepidation.  BHT has long been aware that we, as a country, would be facing difficult times.  Indeed, at BHT we began preparing for this moment two years ago.  We examined our cost base, and made some very painful decisions regarding the salaries we pay.  We have made strenuous efforts to increase our income, and have made some bold steps in the direction of creating profitable social enterprises.

During this time, and in the months and years ahead, it is the ongoing support we receive from individuals, church and community groups that make the difference for many of our services.  As a result of your generosity and support, we are possibly better placed than many other charities to cope with even quite dramatic cuts.  We are determined to do what we can to safeguard the services we provide to vulnerable men and women. 

I take comfort from the pledge made by the Prime Minister in Downing Street shortly after the Coalition Government was formed.  David Cameron said: “I want to make sure that my government always looks after the elderly, the frail, the poorest in our country. We must take everyone through with us on some of the difficult decisions we have ahead.  Above all it will be a government that is built on some clear values. Values of freedom, values of fairness, and values of responsibility.”

BHT doesn’t provide any specific services to the elderly, but we do a lot with and for the frail and the poorest.  And the values of fairness and of responsibility run through our veins.

So, what do I hope and fear about Wednesday’s announcements?  I have three key issues I will be listening out for.

The first is housing benefit.  The changes in entitlement to housing benefit already announced remains a major cause for concern, but I hope that high rent areas like Brighton and Hove will receive some extra support to prevent the otherwise inevitable rise in homelessness.

Secondly, I hope that the value of fairness will ensure legal aid will still be there to prevent homelessness, tackle debt, and sort out welfare benefit problems.  This is specialist work and the social return on investment is enormous.  If these specialist services provided by the CAB, BHT and others are cut, we will see the consequences for many years to come.

Finally, I hope to see that the elderly, the frail and the poorest in our country will still be able to receive support through the very excellent services funded through the Supporting People programme.  This budget has already been significantly reduced in recent years.  There is little, if any more, to give.  I feel so strongly that the most vulnerable men and women in our society must continue to be supported to remain in their homes, to move to greater independence, and are supported into training, education and employment.

By Wednesday evening we will no longer have to speculate.

We mustn’t remove the ladder for the young unemployed

News that 1.4 million adults have never had a job is shocking.  Some 600,000 16 to 24 year olds (that’s 1 in 12) have never worked despite not being in education or training.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has told MPs that the existing system of benefits was “wasting the live of millions of people”.  The benefits system may well be keeping some people in welfare dependency, but I think the problem is more complex, and the solution equally so.

Welfare benefits are almost certainly going to be cut following the Comprehensive Spending Review.  Any cuts must ensure that the most vulnerable are not left destitute, and David Cameron has given a assurance that they will be protected.

I hope that the Chancellor will invest in job training, work experience and jobs otherwise those figures of 1.4 million will certainly increase, and those young people who yet to be employed may never be. 

If he, or any of his Ministers or Members of Parlament, would like to see a scheme for young people that prepares young people for employment and work, they should visit BHT’s Finding Futures project in Hastings. Often those joining the project are not yet on the ladder for personal development and enhancemnt; many don’t even know that the ladder exists.

Young people need hope that there hopes and drerams are achievable.  I hope that George Osborne will remember this.

How are we getting on about employing former clients of BHT services

We have recently undertaken a survey about the personal experience of homelessness amongst BHT’s staff.  We have a target that, by the end of 2012/13, 15% of our staff should be former users of our services.

So how have we done?  9% of our staff have used BHT services in the past, and 33% have received a homelessness service (although not necessarily from BHT).  We are not there yet, but it is a start.

Being a former client doesn’t necessarily make one a good worker, or a better one than those who are not.  We don’t employ someone because they were once a client.  No, we employ people because they are the best person for the job.  We employ them because they are professionals, that they understand the ethical framework within which we work – competence, confidentiality, non-judgemental attitudes, and integrity.

One reason we have this target is to ensure that we continue to facilitate learning and work experience opportunities for current and former clients.  We recognise that there can be prejudice against men and women who have a history of homelessness, unemployment, mental ill health, substance misuse problems, and so on.  Part of the role of BHT is to challenge prejudices.

Another reason for the target is to demonstrate that our Mission (tackling homelessness, creating opportunities, promoting change) is more than six words.  It shows that change is possible.

There is no tokenism at work here.  I want the best possible workers within BHT, and I want all our projects to be of the highest quality.  Who knows, the person who knocks on our door today needing help and support may one day be the person answering the door when you and I are in need.

It is poverty of ambition if we forget to ask “What next?” for service users

Today at BHT’s office in London Road, Brighton, we are holding a Work and Learning Fair for service users. BHT does a lot of work in combating homelessness and helping to facilitate change, but creating opportunities is an equally important part of our Mission.

At BHT we work with people who have enormous strengths and capabilities, as well as aspirations to move forward in their lives. Very often, in addition to housing and support, employment is a cornerstone for a successful living.

Some of the people we work with have a very inconsistent employment histories, and employers are, understandably, reluctant to take a chance with them. It is one reason why at BHT we offer volunteering and work placements for former service users, to give them work experience and to create a track record of being reliable in the work place.

We are often approached by people wishing to volunteer. It is unfortunate that we usually have to decline such offers given that we tend to prioritise former service users for volunteering opportunities. If we don’t take them on, few other organisations will. One exception to this is locally based charity Crime Reduction Initiatives who have an excellent peer mentoring and training programme that many former residents of our Addiction Services benefit from.

If we are to make a real difference in the communities within which we work, we must always ask “What next?” for our service users. Getting someone in doors and off the street is fantastic, but what next? Stabilising a chaotic life style is good, but what next? Becoming alcohol and drug free is a huge achievement, but what next? Training, education and work experience is a major milestone in a person’s life, but what next? Employment and housing, and what next?  A failure to ask “what next” may reflect a poverty of aspiration by workers on behalf of our service users.

Today’s Work and Learning Fair might provide that spring board for someone to realise what is next for them.