Links BME

Through their extensive 15-year history working with Derbyshire County Council's Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum, Links CVS determined that there was a severe lack of a service that catered to vulnerable members of the diverse communities within the BME Forum. The people who benefit from this service are vulnerable adults living with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities and their carers from the diverse BME communities. The difference our project aims to make will be far-reaching in relation to the social and health inequalities faced by this community. They tend to experience poor quality of physical health and mental well-being due to being not knowing how the "system" works (often due to language and cultural barriers), not knowing how to apply for welfare support, being socially isolated, as well as being victims of racial injustice and discrimination including race and religion hate crime. With regards to the COVID-19, we know statistically that BME communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

AIMS:
To support carers by sitting with the cared for person in their own home, making sure they are comfortable and safe.
To provide the carer with an opportunity for respite within or outside the home.
To give a listening ear to carers

DGLG undertakes support in other areas of social care.

ACCREDITATIONS, QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION PROCESS
In partnership with the Derbyshire County Council, Job Centre Plus and Joined Up Careers (Step Into Work Project), the sitters went through extensive training in 12 areas of vocational skills and education. These include: Coronavirus - Dignity in Personal Care, Falls Prevention Awareness - Direct Care Workers e-learning (FC), Infection Prevention and Control - Nov 2020 (FC), Mental Health Awareness – Adult Care (FC), Moving & Handling Core Skills (FC), Safe Movement Principles (FC), Tissue Viability E-Learning (FC), An Introduction to Safeguarding unborn babies, children and/or young people.

Our sitters were chosen specifically to suit the role which they would take up. By nature, they are caring, empathetic individuals who have a history of caring roles in some capacity, either in their own homes or in the community. This was and is the only requirement at a basic level before they attain their qualifications and undergo enhanced DBS checks and more.

The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum supports the development of an infrastructure that enables BME community groups to be actively engaged with us and provide feedback on policy and service developments.

Website

Download Report here

Life on and Off the Hard Shoulder research report undertaken in conjunction with Anglia Ruskin University ………. download report here

Following on from our Health for life project DGLG continues to undertake outreach across Derbyshire where needed. We were very pleased to receive three years of funding to carry on with this work through the Community Fund.

Making Connections:
This funding allows us to address key gaps in service provision and builds on a pilot project originally kindly funded through South Derbyshire CVS.

Through our health work and the phone line we have been made aware of individuals who have become lonely or isolated and enjoy either a phone call or visit.

If you know of someone and would like to refer them to our service please ring 07799443830 or pass the number on.

E mail or send to DGLG office.