IW Council Press Release - Help to support children and families through Volunteering

Help support children and families on the Isle of Wight through volunteering

A recruitment drive to get more people involved in supporting children and families on the Island has been launched by the Isle of Wight Council.

Volunteers already play a crucial role in supporting young offenders and children in care and now the local authority wants to build on that success.

It is highlighting how Islanders can add extra value to the great work being carried out by staff in Children’s Services by getting involved in new volunteering opportunities.

Chris Martin, volunteer coordinator, said younger people and their families often responded positively to a more informal approach from volunteers, who have lived experiences and were giving their time for free.

He said: “It has been a fascinating and inspiring process for me as a relatively new Island resident to develop this scheme.

“We are trying to be innovative in the ways we reach out to volunteers of all ages and will be co-working with our partner agencies.

“This could be a great opportunity for someone coming out of further education or equally for retired residents who wish to share their wisdom and lived experiences.

“There is no ‘typical volunteer’ — we are looking for people aged 18 or over who have a passion for supporting people through and/or out of a rough patch in their lives.”

Volunteers will be supported through a comprehensive recruitment process, will receive a DBS (police) check free of charge, and will undergo accredited training and supervision to support them in their roles.

New volunteering opportunities include mentoring schemes for care experienced young people and young offenders, family support roles and supporting delivery of fun activities and participation events.

Another scheme will involve volunteers leading on "Walk and Talk" groups where members can connect with nature and chat informally about what is going on in their lives.

Robert, a current volunteer, said: “Volunteering for the Youth Offending Team helps keep me in touch with the younger generation and understand some of the issues they face.

“By guiding, supporting and generally encouraging the young people we meet, it gives us a degree of satisfaction that we are helping them reflect on their lives and avoid re-offending.

“The best feedback was when a young person, on whose panels I had participated, noticed me in a supermarket queue; rather than ignore me he called out that he had got a job as a kitchen porter, and was clearly pleased with himself for doing so.”

For more information about the scheme, or to apply, email volunteers@iow.gov.uk

Contact Information

Martin NevilleIsle of Wight
martin.neville@iow.gov.uk

IW Council Press Release - Blue Badge Changes

BLUE BADGE CHANGES

Islanders are being reminded that new Blue Badge parking qualifications for people with non-visible disabilities are being brought in from 30 August.

The Department for Transport is introducing the changes to help people whose non-visible disabilities are assessed as enduring and substantial.

These may be people who during a journey have very considerable difficulty while walking, and which may include considerable psychological distress.

Details on who may qualify and how to apply will be available on the iwight.com and gov.ukwebsites from the end of this month.

Applications should be made via the gov.uk website – and these will then be processed locally by the Isle of Wight Council.

“We hope this will help those deserving Islanders who have missed out on parking assistance under the existing criteria,” said Councillor Stuart Hutchinson, deputy council leader.

“This is a national change and we are advising those who think they may now qualify to look closely at the new criteria.”

Applications will need to include acceptable evidence of a qualifying condition, and the processing will include input from accredited healthcare professionals. Because of the strict criteria, not all who apply will be successful.

In advance of the change the council is contacting key groups including Age UK and Citizen’s Advice.

To assist potential applicants the council’s website will also include some frequently asked questions from 30 August.

Currently around 8,000-plus Island residents have Blue Badges.

IW Council Press Release - Have your say on Carers Survey

Unpaid carer? Have your say on carers survey

Unpaid carers on the Isle of Wight are being asked their views on the support available for themselves and those they care for.

Supporting unpaid carers within community is a vital part of improving and sustaining people’s lives within our community. Currently on the Isle of Wight, the council commissions Carers Isle of Wight to provide the support needed to improve the lives of people who are undertaking the role of an unpaid carer.

An unpaid paid carer is someone of any age who supports, unwaged, a relative, partner or friend who due to physical or mental illness, disability, frailty or addiction could not manage without that support.

Cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Clare Mosdell, said: “We recognise the value that carers provide in supporting vulnerable people to live independently, fulfilling lives. It is important to the council that carers are respected and given the opportunity to have their support needs looked at and met where possible.

“The survey has been designed to help carers let us know their needs and how they are currently supported so they can be supported better in the long term, so I would urge carers to give their views.”

Currently the provision is funded by the Isle of Wight Council through the Improved Better Care Fund grant. This funding ends in Spring 2020 and to sustain the community support offer the Isle of Wight Council is re-commissioning the service to ensure that carers needs are met.

The survey can be viewed at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CarersSupportSurvey2019

It opens today (Monday 12 August 2019) and closes on Midday Friday 20 September 2019.

Hard copies are available from council libraries; County Hall reception, Newport; The Independent Living Centre, Bernard Way, Newport; The Carers lounge at St Marys Hospital; The Riverside Centre, Newport and Carers IW office, which is also based at The Riverside.

Paper copies must be returned to the following address by 5pm on Monday 23 September 2019:
Support for Carers Survey
People Matter IW
1 – 2 Bernard Way
Newport
Isle of Wight
PO30 5YL

All responses received are confidential and the feedback gathered will be used to help design a community offer that best meets the needs of the carers and those who they care for after May 2020.

Further general information for carers can be found at: https://www.iow.gov.uk/Residents/Care-Support-and-Housing/Adults-Services/Carers-Adult/Who-is-a-Carer 

IW Council Press Release - Beauty of the Beach

BEAUTY OF THE BEACH

Isle of Wight Council has joined forces with the Environment Agency and Southern Water to launch a campaign that celebrates our coastline – and helps people play a part in keeping beaches beautiful.

Bathing waters along the 57 miles of the Isle of Wight coastline have never been cleaner in recent times but there are some simple things we can all do to keep it that way.

Councillor John Hobart, Cabinet member for environment and heritage, said: "Many people are unaware of the fact that bathing water is affected by a range of things, including contaminated rainwater running off roads and agricultural land, wastewater from privately-owned treatment works, boats and animals on the beach such as dogs and seabirds.

"We live and work in the region and are proud of our local area – that's why we want to work with people to help make our beaches the very best that they can be – a key aim of the ‘Beauty of the Beach’ campaign the council is launching.”

The way bathing water quality is measured changed in 2015 and standards are now twice as strict before – which is why the council is working even more closely with water companies, community groups and the Environment Agency to address issues which affect bathing water quality.

You can check local water quality for over 400 beaches here: http://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/  

As well as celebrating the beautiful bathing waters in the Isle of Wight, the ‘Beauty of the beach’ social media campaign aims to help people understand more about what impacts bathing water quality and give them the power to protect their beaches by taking some simple steps.

Think BEAUTY when it comes to the beach

B is for bag it and bin it -  just like humans, dogs love the beach. If you bring your dog with you, please pick up its poo in a bag and bin it.

E is for environment - leaving litter can be lethal, not just for wildlife but also for the health of our beaches. Take recyclables home to put in your green bin and put non-recyclable in your waste bin.

A is for avoid feeding – don’t give the birds your ice cream or BBQ leftovers when you’re at the beach. When they flock for tasty morsels, they tend to pooh, which in turn pollutes bathing water.

U is for u-bend - the pipes in your home can get blocked with wet wipes, cotton buds and grease. Please don’t flush anything other than pee, pooh and toilet paper.

T is for tidy up litter - we all have a part to lay in improving our beautiful coastline. Take your litter home or get involved in a beach clean or litter pick. Check online for local groups.

Y is for yellow! It’s important that we don’t waste water, so think about water use and find ways to be water smart and also save on your water bill. If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down!

Find out more about the ‘Beauty of the beach’ campaign here: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/beautyofthebeach 

IW Council Press Release - What's in our Waste?

WHAT IS IN OUR WASTE?

A physical survey to find out what our waste is made up of will be carried out on the Island starting this week. Week one starts 19 August and week two will start from 9 September 2019 for the Summer Season.

The waste composition survey involves collecting samples of general waste, recycling and food waste and sorting them into the various types and quantities of materials, in order to gain a better understanding of how much of the household waste could have been recycled; how much of it could be used to generate energy when the new energy from waste plant is operating at Forest Park, Newport and how much needs to be sent to landfill.

This will help the council to improve waste and recycling education campaigns for residents in the future and to help the Island to better manage waste generated on the Island.

The Island recycled 53.4 percent of household waste in 2017/18.

Councillor Steve Hastings, Cabinet member for waste services, said: “I’m thanking residents of the roads which have been selected, for their help with this survey. During this week, they may see a different van collecting the waste or recycling from their property for this study. “This study isn’t targeting specific people, and we assure residents taking part that all information collected will remain anonymous and any waste surveyed will not be linked to any properties.”

Natasha Dix, head of waste services, said: “The survey will give us a ‘snap shot’ of how people sort their waste and, on average, what is generated. This means that if there are certain items that appear in waste that could be recycled, it’ll flag up the areas we need to concentrate our education campaigns on.

“For example, many people believe that food leftovers decompose naturally once sent to landfill so place this out as waste. The reality is food waste sent to landfill rots and releases methane, a damaging greenhouse gas. Recycling it in your food waste containers every week, however, means that we can send this to be composted instead.”  

The survey will be carried out in several areas across the Island, in two seasons, to make up a representative sample. The first stage that is soon to start will be carried out during August 2019 when waste quantities are expected to be higher, due to the tourist season. The second stage carried out in February 2020 when waste quantities are expected to be low.

The waste will be collected as normal on the scheduled day of the week and will be sent in a collection vehicle for sampling at a location on the Island. Residents do not need to do anything different to the normal arrangement for putting out waste and recycling for collection.

Residents of the roads selected to take part will be receiving their letters regarding the survey from this week. If they do not wish to be involved, they can let the waste service team know by emailingwaste.contract@iow.gov.uk or call (01893) 823777.

This survey will be carried out by Waste Research on behalf of the council working in partnership with Amey. Waste Research are a company specialising in waste services and studies and have has conducted many similar surveys for other local authorities. 

No personal data or information will be identified neither will the sampled bins be identified with individual properties.  Collected waste will be kept secured throughout the analysis and once completed, Amey  will dispose of the collected waste in the normal way.

Storeroom 2010 - Julynewsletter

IW Council Press Release - Multi Million Pound Investment in the NHS

05 August 2019, 13:32 ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL WELCOMES MULTI-MILLION POUND INVESTMENT IN ISLAND HEALTHCARE A multi-million pound investment in Island health services has been welcomed by the Isle of Wight Council. The government has pledged £48 million to the Isle of Wight NHS Trust which will be used to help improve patient care for Islanders and ultimately save more lives. Councillor Stuart Hutchinson, the council’s deputy leader, said: “We welcome this much-needed investment in our Island health service. “It rightly recognises the extra demands we face as an Island and shows the government is committed to creating the right conditions to allow the trust to improve and deliver the best possible care for us and our loved ones. “While we thank government for this extra funding in health, we would also remind ministers of the need for a secure and sustainable funding base for adult social care. “Here on the Island, a far greater proportion of residents is elderly than is the case nationally — equally, we have increasing numbers of disabled adults, including people with mental health needs, who need support. “The new Prime Minister has already indicated his support for a fairer funding settlement and we will continue to lobby the government to get additional funding to help meet the pressures of being an Island.” Councillor Clare Mosdell, Cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said the investment was significant and would provide a catalyst for better health and care integration on the Island. She added: “This is fantastic news not only for our local NHS trust but for the Isle of Wight as a whole. “This funding will ensure our hard-working nurses, doctors and other NHS staff have access to modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment to help drive forward improvements in patient care we are all working as a system to achieve. "Equally, I would like to see some of this additional funding used to support those Islanders who need to travel to the mainland for their health appointments and operations, including their carers when appropriate. “We will continue to work with the trust as part of the Local Care Board and One Public Service programme to explore where this new money would have the greatest impact for the local community."

Island Roads' updated website - Environmental Services

TREE MANAGEMENT WORK

I would like to draw your attention to a new webpage on Island Roads website which explains some of the background to the tree management work that Island Roads undertakes.   This can be accessed via the page on environmental services here http://www.islandroads.com/26-environmental-services.html or directly here http://www.islandroads.com/index.php?p=181

We thought this might be useful given the volume of enquiries of late, and could be somewhere you could direct residents/constituents when they contact you regarding some of these matters. 

Kind regards,

Samantha O’Rourke

Councillor Enquiry, Communication & Development Officer

Ringway Island Roads Ltd

St Christopher House  42, Daish Way, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 5XJ

T:   01983 828533

M: 07922 584270

E:   samantha.orourke@IslandRoads.com

W:  www.IslandRoads.com