Category Archives: Western Outcomes Group

The Western Area Outcomes Group Strengthening Support for Families Returning to School and Learning

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In March 2021 the Western Area Outcomes Group ran a very timely training session to assist practitioners when supporting families return to education. The WAOG recognised that the COVID 19 pandemic has been a unique situation experienced by both the family and practitioner.  

Nearly seventy practitioners from a range of disciplines, including the Community and Voluntary Sector; EANI and WHSCT listened to Christine Davies, Trauma Informed Schools UK. Christine explained to the audience that lockdown and school closures must be considered as a traumatic experience. Christine eloquently described this as “The Same Storm……Different Boats” – everyone has experienced this, but maybe in different ways in relation to their situation, in different measures and at different times. These experiences may have included;

  • Sudden, unwanted change over which they have no control
  • Experience of loss
    • Friends
    • Significant relationships with adults
    • Routine, structure, order, safety
    • Freedom to act
    • The ability to mark milestones
    • Bereavement
  • Isolation
  • Fear
  • Uncertainty
  • Dysregulated adults
  • Poverty
  • Increased risk of domestic abuse

Christine offered participants both the underpinning theory and practical application to enable them to better understand the impact of the crisis and move forward to find a new normal. This included;

  • Re-experiencing the world as safe
  • Acknowledging losses
  • The science and practice of gratitude
  • Supporting transition back to school
  • Re-affirming connection and belonging
  • Understanding the impact of the pandemicon behaviour
  • Incorporating learning into practice –finding a new normal

Priscilla Magee Fermanagh and Omagh Locality Planning Officer

MACE Project in Northern Ireland: Children’s/Family Services Tender Opportunity Now Open!

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MACE Project in Northern Ireland: Children’s/Family Services Tender Opportunity Now Open!

Interested in being listed as a Provider on the Northern Ireland MACE Dynamic Framework Agreement for the provision of Trauma Informed and Trauma Specific Interventions?

For information on how to apply go to: www.etendersni.gov.uk  Tender closes 30th April 2021

Instructions to register to attend a Zoom Awareness Session scheduled for 12th April 2021.

Please note if you wish to attend you must request the Awareness Session joining instructions via the eTendersNI portal before 3pm on Friday 9th April 2021.

As part of this reopening the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) on behalf of CAWT (Co-operation and Working Together) MACE Project wish to hold an awareness session for interested tenderers. This awareness session will be held on Monday 12 April 2021 via Zoom. If you wish to attend this session please register your interest in this Call for Tender (CfT) on eTendersNI, under resource ID 3441681 and send a message through the messaging portal requesting joining instructions before 3pm on Friday 9th April 2021.

We hope to conclude this process by the end of may and be in a position to procure services as soon as the needs are identified for families thereafter.

So far within the SHSCT, we have identified an immediate need for:

  1. Youth/Family support on a one to one basis.
  1. Therapeutic support for young people directly affected by trauma & Covid related stress.
  1. Sleep deprivation programmes/counselling.
  1. Programmes to reduce anxiety related to school transition during Covid era.
  1. Internet Safety Programmes for young people and parents.

Keeping Safe Online

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Keeping Safe Online-  Western Digital Safeguarding Steering Group Page Tiger and Webpage

To celebrate Safer Internet Day 2021 the Western Digital Safeguarding Steering Group of which several members of the Western LPG’s belong to held a series of events. The first online event was well attended by professionals working directly with children and families including social work, education, probation, early years, police, youth services, voluntary and community services and a number of students. Dr Tarsem Singh Cooner, Senior Lecture in Social Work at the University of Birmingham spoke on the title ‘Should I Or Shouldn’t I Look?– Ethical debates about Facebook in safeguarding children’.

Dr Singh Cooner described how social media activities are now having an impact on both social work education and on practice. With the use of break-out rooms participants were able to get together in smaller groups to start to discuss from their own professional codes of practice the ethical questions which are beginning to emerge from online social activities.

 

The second online event was hosted by Paula Gibson, GamCare ‘The Fading Grey Line Between Gaming and Gambling – The Challenges Facing Parents and Carers and What We Can Do’. Paula addressed youth-facing and family support professionals equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify any possible problem gambling behaviour within young people. Importantly, Paula shared how to assist the young person and their family get the help they need. 

 

 

GamCare provide a range of fully-funded training sessions giving young people the information and advice they need to help them make an informed choice about any gaming and gambling they may do, now or in the future and where to access help if they need it.  For further details on the training we provide both to youth-facing professionals as well as to young people, please contact Paula Gibson, Quality & Performance Team Leader for GamCare’s Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme on paula.gibson@gamcare.org.uk or call 07931 549660.