Viewing Volume 7 Issue 1 Spring 2004
Chairperson's Annual Report
11th May 2004
Over the last year we have had to deal with the usual pressures of working within a voluntary organisation, a lot of stress, not enough resources, ever rising expectations and a constantly changing backdrop of government input.
It is often difficult to spend time reflecting on how we are doing in the midst of so many pressures. Yet the annual report is essentially about just that, reflecting on how we have managed for another year and striving to do the same or better next year.
From the audit and evaluation of the service we provided, almost 3,300 individuals and families have been supported and reassured by us all. There were 208,800 hits to the website resulting in 4,354 enquiries from many countries and areas.
We have delivered a high standard of service by analysing from four differing aspects. Effectiveness is about measuring how we are doing against the best possible standards of training, care and support. Risk management has concerned us with identifying problems within the way we deliver support to our clients, and learning from inevitable problems that may occur. Training is about making sure that delegates on our courses develop the best knowledge and skills to disseminate in their workplaces. Research is about exploring best possible ways to deliver our service.
For The Grief Centre, a measure of our effectiveness is by audit and evaluation of our current provision. Collaborative planning for training courses defines our clear goals for learning outcomes. Previous evaluation has led to encouraging and opening up courses to multi agency and multidisciplinary attendees. Delivering training at appropriate levels for the purchaser. The outcome of our care and support is assessed by responses of our referrals. Application of our current knowledge and research through the skills of critical reflection and analysis can only improve our care and support to clients.
Bereavement risk assessment tools enable us to identify clients who may be at risk, sooner rather than later. Clients report that the counselling support is helpful. Not only in resolving their present grief status, but empowering them to be more self aware and more effective at home and work. It is interesting to assess how clients enter the service and their experience of the counselling they received and how they perceived its outcome.
The training is designed to develop trainees’ counselling and communication expertise in bereavement skills, and has overall academic, practical and experiential components which provide a solid grounding in bereavement care standards. The evaluation of our training sessions and courses has been outstanding, thanks to our trainers committed input and updating. A simple means of user feedback from the training has been invaluable.
The line between evaluation and research appears to be becoming readily blurred. Yet, most people would say without hesitation, there is a distinct difference between evaluation and research. For our organisation, what is sought from evaluation, is user feedback, quantitative and qualitative information, perceptions of our services efficacy. It serves to confirm to us that our services are wanted and appreciated by the users. It is part of our internal process to inform development and change. It is not to satisfy the demands of funders or stakeholders. Basically because funding is non- existent. We are totally self funded, not enough for salaried staff sadly.
Tameside Community Chest Fund rejected our application because they advised we use moneys in the bank. That money is to pay our rent, heat, light and telephone for the next financial year, 2004-2005. They also suggested we find a thanatologist like Phyllis Rolfe Silverman in Tameside and then we would not have to find the costs for her air fare from the USA. Have not yet found such a renowned, reputable keynote speaker in Tameside. Maybe the Grants Director will find us one!.
Thankfully the committees’ financial cost-effective consideration rejected the panels suggestion which would in effect have closed the centre in a few months. For this year we will concentrate on supporting the clients and the volunteers and not waste man power time filling in such application forms for funding, which never arrives. This we have excellently manage to do for almost eleven years and hopefully will continue to do so with good housekeeping and financial acumen.
We need to keep trying to raise the profile of bereavement issues at government level and hopefully acquire core funding for bereavement work.
Many thanks to all the members and volunteers for your continued commitment, time and effort you provided to the organisation and myself over the last year.
Death is perhaps what pushes us not to be content with living on the surface of things and people, it pushes us to enter into the heart and depth of them.
Angela.
By:AT
NEW RESOURCES
Keeping in Touch
This booklet is a guide for parents, carers and professionals exploring how separation and divorce can affect children and how they can feel when their parents split up. Published by Young Minds, the children’s mental health charity, the guide emphasises the importance of contact with both parents and within the wider family. It suggests how to make contact arrangements that cause the least distress for the child, and it provides further sources of information.
Price £1.00
ISBN 0 9545123 4 0
Tel: 0800 018 2128
SpeakEasy
This interactive CD – Rom allows young people in care to fill in fields to help them say what they think and feel about being in care. Along with a range of other interactive activities, it is an exciting way of involving young people in the key decisions affecting their lives. SpeakEasy makes substantial use of voice clips to further improve accessibility and contains a wealth of information young people need to understand what is going on.
Price £39.95
ISBN 0 9544614 5 2
Tel: 01856-761334
By:SB
OBITUARIES
KEITH JENKINSON.
Members will be saddened to hear of the death of Keith, Senior Counsellor and Head of the Children’s Team at Edward’s Trust – Sunrise, Birmingham. A tribute to Keith will be included in the next CBN Bulletin. Those who attended last years conference will remember his down to earth approach to ‘Men & Grief’. Keith was very supportive of the work of The Grief Centre and will be missed by all of us. His byword of ‘My Word is my Bond’ will be remembered by all who met him.
By:AT
OBITUARIES
PROFESSOR RICHARD HARRINGTON.
We were saddened to hear of Professor Harrington’s death after short illness. His work at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital with young people gave rise to some lively debates both at the centre and at Kings College Ontario (1999) in the way we ‘support’ rather than ‘intervene’ with young people and bereavement.
By:AT
DIARY DATES
Committee Meetings.
Tuesday 10th August 2004
Tuesday 12th October 2004
Thursday 2nd December 2004
6.30 pm for 7 pm
At the Droylsden Office.
By:SB
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
‘Time to Care’
Thursday 9th September 2004
At
Greater Manchester Police,
Sedgley Park Centre,
Sedgley Park Road,
Prestwich,
Manchester
Speaker include:
Professor Phyllis Rolfe Silverman
Professor Stephen Wright,
Jude Boyle
Peter Cardew
Dr. Anne Grinyer
The Conference will be chaired by:
Brenda Mallon (Vice-chair MABF)
Conference Price:
MABF Members 2003 £120
Non members £190
New Members 2004 £170
All delegates after 31st July £225
For information and booking please contact The Grief Centre –MABF
Tel: 0161-371-8860
or
grief@ mabf.org.uk
By:SB