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essential reading
May 2022
Inside this issue
Stock Conditions Survey... Arty Fun @ The Waverley... Apprenticeships available to you... FREE Plumm Mental Healthcare App... Call Out for Pet’s Gallery... Wellbeing What’s on June
www.ebht.org.uk PA R T O F
East Boro Housing Trust is a Charitable Registered Society under the Co operative and Community Benefits Societies Act 2014 No. 16946R
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Important Information regarding the Stock Conditions Survey We have appointed a firm of surveyors; Savills, to undertake Stock Condition Surveys of all our housing stock. The purpose of the survey is to assist with assessing repairs and maintenance requirements and will be used to set future programmes such as replacements of kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors etc. The surveys will commence in May 2022 with the intention of completing by September 2022. An access protocol has been agreed with Savills which includes specific safety steps to ensure our customers are not put at risk during the survey. The surveyor will discuss social distancing measures and any concerns the customer may have prior to entry into their home. All surveyors will have hand sanitiser, wear face masks and appropriate PPE. Surveyors will also be wearing a Savills identification badge and will carry a letter of authority on EBHT headed paper. Over the coming weeks a surveyor will call at our properties between Monday and Friday any time from 8am until 6pm to undertake the survey. If tenants are not at home when they visit, a calling card will be left asking them to contact Savills and make a mutually convenient appointment time for them to undertake the survey. The future improvement work to our properties may not be undertaken without this survey being carried out and tenant/staff co-operation in allowing the surveyor access will be greatly appreciated. If you have any queries about the stock condition survey, please contact me. Karen Allan Director of Housing Services
Welcome & Farewell Starters Emma Allen Care & Support Worker ESL Jane Waldron Customer Services Officer
Leavers No Leavers this month
If you would like to contribute to YOUR staff newsletter, email Sue: Sue.Hole@aster.co.uk and attach a photo
Bridget is
Bowling for England Good Luck from all at East Boro! Bridget Hodder qualified to play for England in the British Isles Outdoor Bowls Tournament in 2019, before the pandemic unfortunately cancelled the tournament for two years. The matches will now be played in North Wales at the end of June and Bridget will be joined by two other ladies to play in the National Ladies Triples. The British Isles Outdoor Bowls Tournament is usually played annually between, England, Scotland, Combined Ireland, Wales, Guernsey and Jersey. We will let you know how Bridget and her team mates get on...
Arty Fun @ Waverley Art Group OPEN DAY The Waverley Art Group are inviting everyone to an Open Day showcasing their creative work. They have been working hard to produce a creative, inspiring and colourful exhibition to promote the group in the community and invite like minded artists to join. There will be a tombola and raffle to raise money for the Community Hub Activities. Visitors can join in and express their own artistic talent! Join us and see what we do at 121, Abbostbury Road, Weymouth DT4 0JX
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Plumm’s app has now gone live. It’s never been easier for all East Boro staff to access the very best in FREE mental health care. It is available on I0S and Android mobile devices and can be easily downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You can accessible from anywhere, anytime - even on the go! Unlock therapy, coaching and self-help resources in a single swipe. With the Plumm mobile app being more accessible and portable than ever, download it and start using it for FREE today.
Pet’s Gallery We want to see photos of your pets. They cheer us up on a rainy Monday, they make us smile when we need it most and they never judge us! So let’s see your photos and we will feature them in ER News. If you want to tell us a bit about them and why they are so special to you, please feel free.
sue.hole@aster.co.uk
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w/c 6th June
Celebrate your colleagues Celebrate a colleagues recent achievements, thank them for their help on a project or just let them know how much you appreciate them via the Celebration Hub on Perkbox. All colleagues have access to the Celebration Hub and can recognise any colleague from within the business, in just a few minutes you can make someone’s day by showing them some appreciation. Why not make it a monthly habit to recognise colleagues inside and outside of your team? Visit the Perkbox site or app to access the Celebration Hub w/c 13th June
Get the most out of your Simplyhealth cash plan As part of The Aster Offer, your company paid cash plan provided by Simplyhealth means you can claim cash back on the rising cost of everyday healthcare and some healthy extra’s as part of your plan. Key benefits of the cash plan include: £60 towards optical costs £60 towards dental costs £150 towards chiropractor, osteopath, physiotherapist and acupuncturist costs £75 towards inoculation/vaccination costs £15 towards prescription costs Access to a virtual GP and physiotherapist A single payment of £200 if you have a baby or adopt a child All colleagues are auto-enrolled at Level 1 cover which is paid for by Aster, you can add up to four children to your plan for free and add your partner or upgrade your level of cover for a small cost which is deducted via payroll, making it super easy for you. To find out more about upgrading or adding your partner, please contact reward@aster.co.uk
w/c 20th June
FREE perks for you As part of the Aster Offer, we introduced Perkbox a few years ago as our discounts provider. But Perkbox is much more than that... As well as access to hundreds of discounts from high street shopping, supermarket savings and holidays for less you can enjoy a number of free perks such as: a free drink at Cafe Nero or a sausage roll (or vegan sausage roll) at Greggs each week a free monthly entertainment code from Rakuten or LIVENow a free cinema ticket each month at ODEON, Vue or Cineworld a free birthday box on your birthday! free twelve month subscription to BOXX workout and wellness classes Visit the Perkbox site or app to start taking advantage of your free perks!
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Training Opportunities @ East Boro Do not hesitate to speak to your Line Manager/Director about training opportunities related to your role/within East Boro. Examples of how we can use the apprenticeship levy to open up opportunities are detailed below:
What is the apprenticeship levy? The apprenticeship levy is a government organised plan that was introduced to increase the number of apprenticeships on offer in the UK, served in the form of a tax. With this new tax, businesses will be able to better fund the recruitment, training, and development of apprentices. As the money goes into the digital account, it gains a 10% top up from the government
What does it mean to East Boro? There is a pot of money specifically for upskilling, this can be used when bringing in a new apprentice which will pay for their qualification or upskilling a current employee to complete a qualification. For example, helping a care assistant to gain their Adult Care Level 2 certification & Level 3 Lead Adult Care worker or a Level 3 Housing/Property Management qualification which specifically relates to housing and their role. The funds within the pot are reset annually, over the coming years we hope to continue to grow our spend and see a great balance of colleagues taking up new learning opportunities and apprentices joining the business.
What is an apprenticeship? An apprenticeship lasts for a minimum of 12 months, it combines hands-on work with the opportunity to train and obtain qualifications. It’s also a paid position, so you earn while you learn. At least 20% of the time is set aside for learning, usually at a college, university or training provider. The rest of the time is spent applying knowledge and skills in the workplace, within the role. At the end of it, you’ll gain official certification, which will
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be equivalent to traditional qualifications. If you are already within East Boro Housing Trust and decide to do an apprenticeship as part of upskilling there is no change to your job title or salary. Apprenticeship levels are set and equivalent to: •
2 (Intermediate): GCSEs
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3 (Advanced): A-levels
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4 (Higher): foundation degree
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5 (Higher): foundation degree/first year of bachelor’s degree
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6 (Degree): bachelor’s degree
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7 (Degree): master’s degree
Can you name a few qualifications? The range in apprenticeships are vast, below are some examples, there’s so many more we could explore; •
Customer Service
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Adult care worker including lead practitioner
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Housing/Property Management
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Business & Administration
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Chartered Surveyor
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Trades ie; plumbing, electrical, gas & carpentry
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Paralegal Associate Project Manager
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Driving Goods Vehicles
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Management & Leadership – CMI accredited
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AAT – accountancy
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Project manager
How do I find out more? If you have any questions, contact jessica.scull@ aster.co.uk or give Jess a call on 01380 735566
what’s on
June Date
Time
9th June
10.00 - 12.00
Introduction to Mental Health
10th June
13.00 - 14.30
Wellbeing Art Class
14th June
10.00 - 12.00
Increasing Emotional Resilience
15th June
10.00 - 11.00
Physical Intelligence
21st June
13.30 - 14.30
Lunch & Learn - Trans Awareness
28th June
9.00 - 10.00
Physical Intelligence
28th June
11.00 - 12.00
Sofa Sessions - Talking Menopause
If you have any questions, please email EEandOL@aster.co.uk
2022 Wellbeing Calendar For JUNE you can access expert tools to
1:1 video therapy
Chat therapy
Wellbeing courses
Guided meditations
FOCUS ON NEURODIVERSITY Neurodiversity refers to variations in the brain, for instance, in sociability, learning, attention and mood Book via emailing eeandol@aster.co.uk and a Teams invite will be sent to you.