Gateway Family Services
Changing Lives, Changing Services.
We work to improve health, develop skills and opportunities and fight inequalities. We change the way public services work.
5 reasons why people in Birmingham use our free food services
The free food that Gateway’s pregnancy outreach workers provide to some women has attracted a lot of attention in the press recently. It’s always something we’ve done as a matter of course. Part of the practical way we do our work.
It’s not a food bank in the sense you might imagine – stacks of tins in a warehouse. It’s actually a basket where our staff pop the odd tin or packet.
We are starting to find that food poverty in Birmingham has patterns.
Typically on a Friday mums or mums-to-be are short on food – facing a weekend with no money or access to money. That’s the time we’re most likely to need to take them something to tide them over – see them through a tricky week.
So why is this happening in Birmingham in 2012? Why are people so poor or short of money that they can’t afford to feed themselves or their families.
Below are the five main reasons we have found – in no particular order:
- Women in between sources of income: This could be a change in the benefits someone is entitled to, leaving work or any other change which means a gap in the money they receive.
- Women new to the country or the city: When you have just arrived in the UK it takes time to get registered for support, some people might be avoiding the system altogether.
- Domestic violence: This can range from needing to leave home in a hurry without any money to being controlled by an abusive partner in how you spend money.
- A partner losing their job: This is another interruption in the reliable flow of money into a family. Their is often a gap into the time it takes to receive jobseekers allowance and as unemployment has risen more families find themselves stuck in this temporary hole.
- Delays in the system for registering births: This is relatively new. Because it now requires an appointment to register a birth that alone can take two or three weeks. Following that it takes time for any relevant benefits to become available. Both of those delays can mean a family finding themselves very short of money.
Do you know of any others? Which, if any, are easily fixed?
Key Worker Support Helps Diane to Find a Job
Diane*, a university graduate, registered with the key worker service in November 2011. She was interested in becoming a cardiac volunteer, and following interview she was accepted for the role.
Gateway Family Services offered all the volunteers a training package and Diane also attended training provided by University Hospital Birmingham.
Diane was still getting support from the key worker service while she was volunteering. During her one to one sessions Diane updated her CV and was given tips to help her with her job search. As it had been a while since she had a job interview she was also given support with her interview skills. Diane and her key worker did mock interviews and the key worker gave her some frequently asked interview questions. Diane was able to go away and think about how she would answer those questions.
Within weeks Diane had secured an interview within the Audiology Department of a hospital in Oxford. Diane was successful and is now working in her new job.
*Names have been changed.
Social Inclusion through health volunteering in Birmingham
We had a great time on Tuesday when the Bishop of Birmingham joined the swing dance class which is part of our cardio volunteer scheme. To our utter shamed we filmed him and posted it here!
There is though a serious point.
The Bishop is leading a new Social Inclusion Process for the city. The aim is to understand the impact of social exclusion, explore what works to tackle it, and make recommendations on how to achieve the overall vision for a high quality of life for all Birmingham citizens. Jackie Mould, Director of Birmingham Strategic Partnership, describes it as
“Our vision for this process is to develop a new approach that will help raise aspirations and bring listing change to the quality of life for our most disadvantaged communities and neighbourhoods. “
Gateway runs a unique volunteer programme in Birmingham that both supports people to find a way back in to work, and helps people stay healthy after having a heart attack.
We have strong links with the University Hospital Birmingham and together, through the use of volunteers, run a Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme. So far the project has helped 7 people who were unemployed get jobs, (one of them, who you can see in the video, is our key worker Paul Key) -with one more now in full time training.
Bishop David said:
The cardio volunteer programme is an excellent partnership between Gateway Family Services CIC and University Hospitals Birmingham. These regular dance sessions are a great way of heart patients getting exercise in a supportive and sociable setting, helping their recovery and having fun at the same time.
For more information about the social inclusion process visit www.fairbrum.wordpress.com
Adult Learner’s Week 14th – 18th May
Gateway To Your Future
Are you looking for work, a course or training?
Would you like advice on housing or benefits?
Do you just want to know what is available in your community?
We will be offering workshops in CV building, employment support, volunteering and benefits advice.
Come join us for FREE advice at the following venues:
Monday 14th May Northfield Library 11am – 1pm
Tuesday 15th May Ward End Library 3pm – 5pm
Thursday 17th May Small Heath Library 12pm – 2pm AND Weoley Castle Library 12pm – 2pm
Friday 18th May Shard End Library 12pm – 2pm
For further information please contact:
Chelsea Gaffey 0121 456 7820
chelsea.gaffey@gatewayfs.org
Healthy eating in Birmingham – some myths or facts about food, exercise and weight loss?
Usman Ahmed Health Trainer in South Birmingham
I’m Usman Ahmed – one of the Gateway Family services health trainers and I’m constantly finding myself helping people pick their way through the myths or facts of diet and excercise.
Ever heard of the sayings:
- “Eating late at night makes you put on weight”
- “Carbohydrates are fattening”
- “Low-fat foods always help you lose weight”
- ” You can eat whatever you want, as long as you exercise”
So Fact? Or Myth? Well lets see….. lets take one at a time: Read more
Being a Dad is not as difficult
Being a parent for the first time can be daunting….
Mohammed and his partner Leah are both under 19 years old and have just become proud first time parents to a baby girl.
Mohammed is a full time student studying sports, Mohammed said ” I was scared when I found out that I was going to be a dad, as I did not know what was expected of me to become a good dad”.
Pregnancy Outreach Worker Dee helped and supported Mohammed in making him understand what is entailed in becoming a father. Dee enrolled Mohammed onto Parent craft classes in order to help him understand how to bath and change a baby, how to hold a baby, the benefits of breastfeeding and much more.
Dee helped and supported Mohammed and his partner in various ways, such as; by practically taking them to their appointments in his car, enrolling Mohammed onto Parent craft classes in order to help him to educate himself in raising his baby to the best of his ability. Dee also helped Mohammed in finding a job by referring him to the Concorde centre which is a youth organisation, to help people with voluntary work.
Mohammed is a lot more confident in looking after his baby and is very proud to be a dad, Parent craft classes have increased his confidence and ability to become a dad. Mohammed said he can know tell his friends that being a dad is not so difficult.
Pregnant Mothers helped with food poverty crisis in Birmingham
We are really pleased with the press attention being given to the food poverty amongst pregnant women in Birmingham and how we are able to help with food parcels. Unfortunately this probably happens in most cities up and down the country. What we should acknowledge is Birmingham is doing a great thing – over the last 6 years it has investing in helping vulnerable pregnant women be safe, healthy and supported, so that their babies are born healthier.
In 2006 the NHS Public Health in Birmingham acknowledged that something had to be done about the severe inequalities being faced by some people in the city, there is real hardship and Birmingham was experiencing the worst infant mortality rate in Europe.
They knew something needed to be done and they put their trust in us to deliver life-changing services to those that need it most.
We have worked with over 5,000 pregnant women since then and the NHS continue to support the service – this service is not available anywhere else – it is Brummie born and bred and we should be proud.
Many many women we support find themselves in circumstances that we could never imagine, I am proud that our organisation can support them and that this makes Birmingham a better place to live in.
Gateway Family Services is a Community Interest Company based in Birmingham since 2006
Helping people change their behaviour
Sometimes, just having the motivation and desire to lose weight is the biggest barrier to overcome for most people who are considering getting in shape or getting healthier. The routine and desire to ‘stick with it’ can seem too much hassle, especially for people with busy lives and families.
Our Health Trainers know this all too well but are trying to get people to realise that with just a few minor tweeks to their lifestyle, their whole health and wellbeing can be transformed. With that added bit of motivation and support, people are able to work towards their goals at a pace that suits them and that they feel comfortable with.
Simon, who had been wanting to get back in shape was one of those people who needed the boost and confidence to change his lifestyle, not just for him but for his whole family. After meeting his Health Trainer Sean, Simon realised that he was able to work towards getting more healthy slowly and in a way that he wanted to wit, with massive results., for him and for his wife and kids.
Khan Thought He Had All The Experience and Qualifications Needed to get a Job in England
Khan came to the UK to live with his wife but he came on as a visitor visa so he had to go back to Pakistan. Eventually he got a spouse visa but it didn’t take him long to realise that job prospects were not what he thought they were. His wife was friends with my wife and she made a referral to me because she knew I was an employment advisor.
Khan has a lot of work experience and qualifications but they are not recognised here, a Masters in Pakistan is the same as an Honours degree in England. He has looked for work outside of his field because he knew that he wouldn’t get the type of work that he has done previously. In Pakistan he was a teacher and here he had been self employed selling sports goods but the competition was too big.
Khan’s wife was working and supporting the family inspite of her health problems. Khan now needed to take over and be the main breadwinner.
Khan did not have a CV or references. I told him that working culture is different in England and we need to start with a CV. Khan was confident that he had all the experience he needed and would not need help with interviews etc.
At the first Interview Skills Workshop Khan’s eyes were opened to the way things are done in this country and afterwards told me that he would never have passed an interview in a hundred years if he hadn’t done the workshop.
To get references he agreed to do some voluntary work at the QE through Gateway and he got all the training that went with the volunteering job. He now has something to put on his CV and he has now got a job in a factory. It is not what he wanted but he is bringing home a wage and supporting his family.
Saving Money for Local Government and the NHS
A quick and simple public sector reform to save money
The innovation I am proposing is – don’t do anything new - import things from other areas – exhaust all possibilities before starting from scratch – if it is needed it probably exists already.
We have a culture of showcasing our good work and covering up our mistakes – we feel our reputation may be damaged if we share the experiences of getting it wrong, and yet I think if we shared our experiences warts and all, millions of pounds could be saved across the country. Delivering new services in tried and tested ways is the most efficient thing to do. It is about exchanging and unselfishly bringing about social change.
We know that projects are most inefficient at the beginning, cost more and achieve less – it takes at least a year, to test, trial fail and learn how to deliver – then we get really good at it. In other parts of the country people are also testing, trialling failing and learning and getting good.
It’s widely acknowledged that there pockets of good practice – there are lots of them, all over the place. The clever trick is to take the learning and the efficiencies and transplant them into other areas, so that they could benefit.
The constant drive for innovation is tiring and unnecessary – we should prohibit it for a year and see how we get on. The tendency to overcomplicate matters to save money is normal but some solutions are so simple – such as this one from Podnosh - and this is another;
I listened to Sir Michael Marmot describe his findings in the review of Health Inequalities and he correctly identified that people were doing many good things in various places – yet no-one asked how do we replicate. People agree they should ‘share good practice’ – one of the most overused phrases in the Health and Social Care Sector and probably other sectors too – yet no-one really imports good-practice from other areas. I have yet to see anyone else benefit in practical terms from other peoples learning, development, successes and failures and be willing to share their own.
If we want to make cost savings, become efficient and deliver tested effective services then it’s time to stop innovating.