Prayer Diary: January - March 23

Prayer diary Building together

Welcome to our prayer diary

Dear friends

Welcome to a new year and the first of 2023’s Prayer Diaries. We have some exciting ventures coming up, such as developing our enterprise learning at Livability Millie College – and no doubt there will be challenges to face too. Thank you as ever for supporting us in prayer.

We want to start 2023 by reflecting on Livability’s foundations. Some years ago now, we chose four core values for the organisation, which we felt reflected Livability’s deep Christian roots, and against which we could measure the integrity of our work. These values are: being open, enabling, courageous and inclusive.

We’d love you to pray through these values with us in the coming months. I hope what you read in this edition will broaden your understanding of the way we approach care and support for children, young people and adults with disabilities.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support for Livability, Sally

Chivers CEO

P.S. We’re encouraging our readers to receive the Prayer Diary online, making valuable savings for the charity. This will also give you access to our video prayers feature. Please sign up today at livability.org.uk/prayerdiary

together

Dear God,

We thank you for the strong Christian foundations laid for our work by Lord Shaftesbury and John Grooms, almost 200 years ago. We pray that you would strengthen the foundations of every part of Livability’s work in such challenging times. Amen

January

Let’s pray

Dear Lord, thank you for the ministry of enabling, which you have entrusted to Livability for all the people with disabilities whom we support. Please encourage and inspire all who together are working on enabling. Amen

Join in our video prayer for our Changes for the Future Forum, from two of its members.

Week 1

We thank you for the many ways we see confidence and self-worth growing when people with disabilities join a Livability service. We pray that there will be many opportunities this year for people we support to use that new confidence to share their gifts with others. Amen

Week

2

Lord, we’re grateful for all the benefits that technology brings to assist and broaden the horizons of people we support. We pray for more resources so we can offer life-changing equipment and devices more widely across our services. Amen

Week 3

We’re encouraged that current thinking on social care has moved away from ‘doing to’ to ‘doing with’. We pray that co-production would increasingly become a hallmark of the way care is provided to people with disabilities. Amen

Week 4

We pray for each person we support who lives with complex needs. We thank you for each of our dedicated, specialist nursing staff and ask that you would enable the people they care for to thrive, through the support they receive. Amen

Why our work matters

People with disabilities report mixed experiences of online services; for those experiencing digital exclusion, access and engagement is limited.* Wherever we can, we enable the people we support to have good access to the digital world. *bit.ly/3VyumcY

Real life story

Research shows Livability’s approach benefits people who use our services; Care Sector magazine Community Care assents: ‘Co-production is a collaborative relationship between the people who use services and the practitioner [such as Livability staff]. By emphasising the importance of communication and negotiation between staff and the people who use services, it offers an alternative to the gatekeeping and ‘gift’ models of care based on resource eligibility, or care and support delivery based on tasks. The emphasis is on power-sharing, relationships and mutual respect for knowledge and expertise.’ bit.ly/3Y831AD

February

Let’s pray

Dear Lord, our aim as a charity is to be open and transparent. We ask for your help as we seek to communicate well with each other and be open to new ideas that improve life for the people we support. Amen

Week 1

Lord, we pray for the first cohort of students at our new further education centre, Livability Millie College, asking that they will be open to new approaches and new challenges, as they learn and prepare for adult life. Amen

Week 2

Catherine is one of 23 champion members of Livability’s Changes for the Future Forum, and lives at one of our care homes. She explains: ‘The aim of the Forum is to share our views and talk about things that are important. We support those who are less fortunate and can’t speak up for themselves. We are here to lend a hand if needed, for all who need help in Livability.’ Please pray for the work of the Forum and its members.

Week 3

We pray for all our staff as they liaise with the people who care for, personally and professionally, those we support. Please make these relationships open, constructive and of the most benefit to people in our services. Amen

February –Building together

February –Building together

Week 4

We pray for Carol Jamieson, Head of Livability Learning & Development, as she plans training, courses and support for our staff to learn and drive quality and practice across Livability. We ask that more and more staff participate and enable Carol to continue her inspiring work. Amen

Why our work matters

There are 1,130,000 individuals with a learning disability in the UK. Nearly 200,000 school children in the UK have a learning disability. Livability’s services mean people with a learning disability can learn, participate and enjoy meaningful inclusion. bit.ly/3uak6vR

Support

Real life story

David is very sociable and loves to get people together. He’s supported by Livability to live independently in a block of flats, where seven other people with disabilities live, who also use Livability’s services. The staff who work with David take a co-productive approach and have helped him to develop his natural gifts for hospitality and friendship by having themed dinner nights for friends in his flat. David works with staff to budget, plan, shop and cook for the events, which have proved a big hit.

Read more at www.livability. org.uk/blog/disability-care/ popuprestaurantboostswellbeing/

In focus: Real life story

March

Let’s pray

Dear God, you see every person as equally valued and loved. We pray that we as individuals and as a society would do all we can to make inclusion a reality for people with disabilities. Amen Join in our online prayer here

Week 1

We pray for all teaching staff and therapy teams at Victoria School, Millie College and Nash College. Please help them to find optimum methods, equipment and approach so that each student can experience a truly inclusive education. Amen

Week 2

Dear Lord, we grieve when we see people with disabilities being excluded and treated disrespectfully. We ask that you would bring a change in attitude that means that everyone is meaningfully included, whatever their ability. Amen

Week 3

Lord, we thank you for the amazing facilities we have for inclusive activities in nature, at Livability Holton Lee. We pray that each person who takes part in horticulture, nature trails and other learning will thrive as a result of their contact with others and with nature. Amen

Building together

Dear God, we pray for all the churches that are in contact with people with disabilities in the Livability community, and beyond. We pray that they would develop a strong desire to make their churches even more meaningfully inclusive, and for commitment to overcome any challenges. Amen

Why our work matters

At the invitation of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and Livability’s president, Livability has contributed to the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care. This initiative examines issues raised by disability and inclusion, within the Church and more widely. We want our expertise in social care to lead to more meaningful inclusion for people with disabilities.

Real life story

Because of her disability, Debbie, who is supported by Livability, has known the pain of exclusion, especially when she was at school. ‘I was bullied due to being different to others as I have Down’s. This made me feel that I was left out due to being different and it was very upsetting.’

Debbie has turned that negative experience into a positive by making an effort to include others, whether at home, at her volunteer work with St John’s Ambulance or her work at McDonald’s restaurant.

‘Being included is so important, as no matter what colour or sex you are, or disability you have, you should be included as we are one big family,’ Debbie says.

Read more at www.livability.org.uk/blog/ campaigning/downs-awareness-week/

In focus: Real life story

Support

Let’s pray

At this Easter time, we remember and celebrate all that God did to restore us and make salvation possible. We pray that courage will be in ever-increasing evidence in the way Livability approaches social care and makes decisions about the charity’s work. Amen

Week 1

Dear God, we see a reflection of your courage and self-sacrifice in the way our staff put first the needs of the people we support, every day. Please encourage each person as they seek to bring ‘abundant life’ to the people with disabilities they care for. Amen

Week 2

Please prosper any new services Livability is launching, or has recently launched. May they enable people with disabilities to live well and may they be financially viable for the longterm, in challenging times. Amen

Week 3

Dear God, as we introduce our new Dignity in Care programme, please encourage staff as they introduce some new ways of doing things. We ask that this initiative will provide enhanced care for the people we support. Amen

together

Week 4

We pray for anyone who is receiving end of life care at one of our services, and for staff who are caring for them. May they have courage and know your peace at this time. Amen

Why our work matters

Around half (49%) of all deaths in 2021 were classed as ‘avoidable’ for people with a learning disability, compared to 22% of the general population.* Livability is planning to take part in the consultation for the forthcoming Down’s Syndrome Act, which will legislate for better health outcomes in England for those with Down’s Syndrome and other learning disabilities.

*Learning Disability Today

Real life story – Dignity in Care

We have recently launched a Dignity in Care Charter across the organisation, which aims to ensure we provide care in the way that the people we support would wish. In consultation with our Change for the Future Forum, our representative group for people who use our services, the Charter includes training for staff at induction and at regular intervals, and ongoing liaison with the Forum and people’s felt needs.

Support

Your

In focus: Real life story

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is the disability charity that’s committed to enabling children, young people and adults to live a life that adds up for them. What makes life livable is never down to just one thing – it’s the sum of many things. From friendship to fun; from companionship to community; from a great chat to a challenge overcome – it all adds up to Livability.