Category Archives: Newsletters

Southern Area FYI Newsletter – Issue 80

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Welcome to the 80th edition of our information bulletin, ‘FYI’ (For Your Information).

Download Issue 80 – 7 April 2022

(Note: FYI will download directly to your device.  Look out for the pop up box and click on open file when it appears)

Thank you to those who took the time out to complete our survey to evaluate ‘FYI’ – We will share the evaluation report once all the feedback is collated.

We always encourage you to share ‘FYI’ with your colleagues and families with whom you work.  Amongst the many ways you can do this is to share across your contacts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, through your organisation’s page. We have added a step-by-step guide on how to do this on Page 3.

Our next edition will be in 3 weeks (Thursday 28th April), due to the Easter break, so please submit all information by 26th April.

In the meantime, have a well-earned break if you can. (Chocolate optional!)

Joanne Patterson, Darren Curtis – Locality Development Team, Southern Area

Ards, North Down & Down LPGs Fortnightly News – Issue 45

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Welcome back to the 45th edition of the fortnightly newsletter for Locality Planning Groups in Ards, North Down & Down.

Download Issue 45

(Note: The fortnightly newsletter will download directly to your device.  Look out for the pop up box and click on open file when it appears)

In this edition we would like to share information on services promoting emotional, social and financial support for struggling families.

Please share with your contacts.

If you wish to advertise any upcoming programmes or activities please see the guidance on the back page.

Noelle Hollywood, Community Health Development Practitioner

SureStart – Learnings from Lockdown: A Parent & Practitioner Perspective

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SureStart – Learnings from Lockdown: A Parent & Practitioner Perspective

 

Please view this 10 minute video the Childcare Partnership have pulled together across a number of Sure Start projects that highlights the fantastic work of Sure Start during the Covid Pandemic. It’s a very inspiring watch as it showcases the positive impact the service has had from a parent’s perspective but also the voice of practitioners in how they adapted to an ever changing environment.  In terms of showing “outcomes” it is a wonderful example of everyone’s efforts to make a real difference to families during such a difficult time. Special thanks goes to the parents from Dungannon, East Belfast and Down Sure Start for taking part and telling their stories.

 

https://youtu.be/1XFBCcRa8lA

 

Please do share with colleagues across your areas of work.

Introducing AUTISM CONNECT!

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Introducing AUTISM CONNECT!

 

Bolster are excited to launch our brand new service…

AUTISM CONNECT is a person-centred social hub, a safe, creative space for adults with a diagnosis of autism only or awaiting a diagnosis.

Why are we launching this service?

 

In March 2020, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust commissioned  Bolster Community to co-ordinate a consultation to gain a depth of understanding of the wider social issues relating to autism in adulthood. A series of consultation events ran over twelve months and culminated in the Being Awesome (Autism and Adulthood 2021) conference in March 2021.

Here is a link to this Report: https://bolstercommunity.org/…/being-awesome-report….

 

Over 700 people with Autism along with parents, carers and professionals participated in the consultation and three clear overarching recommendations emerged:

  1. Community based autism support services focused on adults are urgently needed
  2. A distinct service grounded in the social model of health is needed for adults with autism but without a learning disability or mental health diagnosis and
  3. Support pathways -where navigators can co-ordinate and proactively share information, and provide highly responsive, individualised intervention to strengthen social connections within a community context in the Southern Trust area.

 

In response to the consultation recommendations, we’ve launched Autism Connect- a community-based support service that will provide a signposting, navigation and social opportunities for adults with an autism only diagnosis.  Would you like more information about this service? Contact Jena at jena@bolstercommunity.org