News Piece
Photo by Darren Robinson
W/C 16th April 2018
In this edition: Oldham Coliseum Theatre Women’s Group - Rent First - Away Day FAQs AIM4WORK - Community events - and much more!
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Away Day FAQs Do I have to attend one of the events? Yes, attendance is mandatory for all staff and will be monitored throughout the events. We hope that you will find the events beneficial as they are a great opportunity to meet new colleagues and find out more about our future as Jigsaw Homes Group. We appreciate that both events are scheduled to take place during Ramadan and that staff who are fasting may prefer not to attend (although they are more than welcome to do so). Alternative arrangements will be made to ensure that those who do not attend for this reason receive all relevant information. What if the event is on my non-working day? Hopefully with events taking place on a Thursday and Friday you will be able to attend one of these on one of your normal working days. If not, please discuss with your manager to arrange to change your non-working day so you can attend one of the events. What time do the events start and finish? The events will start at 12pm and finish by 16.15pm. How early should I arrive? Please ensure you arrive for 11.45am ready to take your seat when the doors open. The event will start at 12pm prompt. Your choice of pre-ordered drink (see below) plus water will be available on your table. How do I register for the events?
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Managers have been asked to allocate teams across the two dates and should advise you which date to attend (please check if you are unsure). You will shortly receive an on-line survey/registration form which you should complete ASAP to specify preferences for food, drink and travel, as well as any particular personal
requirements that you may have. If you do not have a work email address, arrangements will be made to gather this information and complete the registration process for you. Will food be provided? Yes, a sit down meal will be served from 12:30pm. Vegetarian options will be available but please make us aware of any specific dietary requirements or allergies whilst registering. If you require any assistance during lunch, please provide details on the special arrangements section of the registration form. Will my special dietary requirements be catered for? Absolutely. It is important that you tell us about any special dietary requirements you have on the registration form so that we can ensure that arrangements are made for you. Will drinks be provided? Yes, as part of the pre-registration process you will be asked to specify your preference of drink with your meal (wine, beer and soft drink options available). Your choice will be available on your table when you arrive – please only consume the drink that you have pre-ordered to ensure that everyone gets their preferred choice. Water will be available on the tables for everyone. Will the bar be open if I want to purchase additional drinks? Yes the bar will be open following completion of the formal part of the day from approx. 14:40 to 16:15pm. Please remember that this is a work event so please drink responsibly.
I work part time. Will I still be able to attend? Yes, all staff are expected to attend. Please liaise with your manager to discuss your personal circumstances. I am on maternity leave. Can I still attend? Of course, we would encourage you to attend if you are able. I have a member of staff off on long-term sick, should they attend? Where a member of staff has been signed unfit for work they are not required to attend, however if they wish to, this should be explored. Please discuss with the HR team prior to confirming arrangements. Are there parking facilities at the venue?
in excess of your normal journey to work can be claimed and please aim to share with colleagues where possible. Please note that taxi costs cannot be re-imbursed. When will my coach pick me up? Departure times for coaches from each location will be confirmed as part of the pre-registration process, however the Ashton and Leigh coaches will arrive at 10:45am for 11:00am departure. What is the dress code? Please dress as you feel comfortable on the day – we recommend smart casual (jeans are fine). Can I choose where to sit?
There is onsite free parking at the Point if you need to make your own way to the venue. To exit the car park you will need to obtain a ticket from the HR team on the day. Please note that we will not have the tickets until we arrive at the venue on the day. If you wish to leave your car overnight, please contact HR in advance to arrange this.
To help people get to know new team members and to ensure that everything runs smoothly HR will prepare a table plan so you will (where possible) be allocated a seat near your colleagues. The table plan will be published in advance via the intranet and also displayed at the venue on the day. It would be helpful if you could check for your table number in advance so you can be seated in plenty of time for the start.
Will there be an allowance for travel on the day?
Why are we spending money on an away day?
There will be a £7.00 limit for staff to claim back travel expenses for the event if unable to use the coach. Please retain tickets / proof of purchase. If there are exceptional personal circumstances that mean that you need to claim more than this these should be agreed by your manager in advance.
We feel the events represent a worthwhile investment for the Group. This is an ideal opportunity for us to meet our new colleagues and find out more about our future as Jigsaw Homes Group.
Why is the travel allowance only up to £7.00? As we are providing coaches to the venue from all main locations, we encourage staff to make use of these. If you live closer to the venue the cost of public transport should not exceed £7.00. If you do choose to travel by car only mileage
Will I be able to access the venues before the 12pm start time? Doors will open at 11:45am and we ask that you proceed promptly to your allocated table for registration. Please note that you will not be able to get access to the room before 11:45am and internal waiting space at the venue is very limited.
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‘Rent First ‘– the results are in Detailed below is a table representing the rent collection position at the year-end for the former New Charter Group and the former Adactus Housing Group prior to merger. Performance across the Group has been great given the economic climate tenants are currently facing in the light of welfare reforms. The table shows how much arrears are due at the end of the year . This is then reduced by the amount of Housing Benefit that is owed to all the landlords resulting in the ‘true’ arrears figure. It really shows how big the business is with an amount of £147m to collect. The amount actually collected is huge. Mar 18 NCH
Mar 17 AHG
NCH
Movements AHG
NCH
AHG
Current arrears Current technical arrears
£4,192,052
£1,299,331
£4,841,479
£1,253,862
-£649,427
£45,469
HB due but not received
-£1,557,371
-£354,387
-£1,830,440
-£343,718
£273,069
-£10,669
Current true arrears
£2,634,681
£944,944
£3,011,039
£910,144
-£376,358
£34,800
Annualised debit
£91,690,232
£55,744,570
£92,081,206
£54,426,138
-£390,974
£1,318,432
Collection rate
100.51%
99.94%
100.20%
100.23%
2.87%
1.70%
3.27%
1.67%
£2,406,085
£582,302
£2,157,722
£590,721
£248,363
-£8,419
Former arrears Net former arrears
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Universal Credit – Year end position As things stand at the moment, the position for Universal Credit is positive. Former New Charter Group: We now have full service in Tameside and the numbers are racking up. At the year-end, 118 households had claimed Universal Credit through the full service and it will soon begin to have an impact. As things stand at the moment, the collection rate is excellent. Former Adactus Housing Group: The number of full service claims in place is 291. The full service will roll out further soon with Wigan affected on 18th April and Chorley in July 2018. The table below shows just how well we are performing in the collection of money due from tenants who are in receipt of Universal Credit. Company
New Charter Group Adactus Housing Group
Collection rate
Claimants at year end
New arrears (since claiming Universal Credit)
APA (cases with direct payment to landlord)
ADP (arrears deductions from UC direct to the landlord)
100.41%
1,216
£121,212
417
331
103%
766
£39,291
97
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Well done everyone really great results. The challenge will grow and don’t forget... Rent First: It’s everybody’s business.
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Your year, your photo With our annual staff Away Day just a month away, we are pulling together content for the presentation. With this being our first ever Jigsaw Group Away Day, we want to highlight all the great work we do across the Group and the neighbourhoods where our tenants live. We would like to capture what your team and our services mean to YOU in a single photo. The choice is yours, it can be anything that you would like your colleagues to see on 18 and 24 May 2018. In addition to this, if you got married or had a baby between May 2017 and April 2018, we would love it if you could send us a photo of your special occasion so that we can also include. If you do, please remember to add your name, your partner’s name, your baby’s name (if a baby photo) and the date you were married or your baby was born. Please email your photos to comms@jigsawhomes.org.uk no later than Thursday 26 April 2018. If you have any questions please get in touch with the Marketing and Communications team.
STAR provide holiday activities for local children Smallshaw Tenants & Residents association (STAR) works closely with the Community Development Team and provides educational and fun holiday activities for local children and their families. On Thursday 12 April Jigsaw Group provided training for children to learn first aid. 21 children ranging from 5 to 11 years attended the course at Broadoak Community Centre, where they learned how to put people in the recovery position, deal with choking and CPR. All the children have enjoyed the course and received certificates for participation from first aid trainer John Gilmore.
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Women’s group discovers that home is where the art is. On Tuesday 10 April the Oldham Coliseum Theatre hosted a colourful evening of superb performances by five community and youth groups. The event was inspired by an earlier show they had been involved in, ‘The Kitchen Sink’ by Tom Wells , which dealt with the theme of ‘Home’ and what it means to each of them. Jigsaw’s budding stars, the AKSA & New Charter Women’s Group, invited the audience into their ‘virtual’ homes for Eid; an important celebration for Muslims marking the end of Ramadan. Through storytelling, movement and comedy the group created ‘The Moon, The Stars and Eid’ to share their favourite parts of the festival at home. ‘Wow! what a performance…amazing!’ exclaimed Minaz Aslam, Community Development Officer, who coordinates the group. ‘I’m so proud of what they have achieved as a group of individuals, developing new skills, growing in confidence and just enjoying life’. The group meets at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre every Thursday. Prior to joining, many of the women felt isolated in the community for various reasons, some not having English as a first language, so it was imperative that everyone is made welcome, encouraged to participate , voice their opinions and share their experiences.’ As a group the women support each other to feel empowered and become an integral part of our community.
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Buttermere Community event On 4th April 2018, Chorley Community Housing hosted a free information fun day at Buttermere Community Centre in partnership with Chorley Borough Council, Active Nation and ABL Health. 70 residents were given information, advice on healthy eating and living. Volunteer and training opportunities were also promoted. There were free activities including cooking, arts and crafts, a smoothie bike and rowing machine. Free gym passes were given out to residents courtesy of Active Nation to encourage residents to get active. It’s important that people have access to the right information and support to help them live a healthier lifestyle. This was a fantastic opportunity for people to access expert help.
GDPR: Simple security measures Preventing the loss of data via theft is a key objective of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into effect next month. Remember these simple security measures…. You have to log in to the IT network to access your computer, so don’t let anyone else use your PC, laptop or Winterm on your log in. Where you leave your desk for any length of time, you must lock the screen by pressing Ctrl | Alt | Delete to prevent other persons accessing your computer and potentially stealing data. Where you are interviewing a member of the public in a shared interview room, you must not leave your screen unattended and unlocked at any time. If you have a company mobile phone or storage device such as an iPad, tablet or laptop, it must be password protected. Don’t tell anyone your password or passcode, If you need to write it down in order to remember it, store the password or passcode in a locked desk drawer or the glove compartment of your vehicle where only you can access it. Under no circumstances must staff bring personal mobile storage devices into the workplace with the intention of transferring personal data from the Group’s IT systems. Where it is necessary for personal data to be transferred from the Group’s IT systems to a mobile device for the purposes of porting data to a data subject or data processor as defined by the GDPR, this may only be done by an employee with the express written consent of the Group’s Data Protection Officer. For the avoidance of doubt, a mobile storage device includes (this list is not exhaustive): • USB stick • External hard drive • Memory card
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The Group does not permit employees to transfer personal data from the Group’s IT systems to a personal computer, mobile phone or laptop for any purpose.
Parking at Turner House and Cavendish 249 Turner House, Leigh There is a small visitors car park available at Turner House. The car park is situated to your first left as you turn off Twist Lane (facing the Asset Management doors). If this area is full and you haven’t been allocated a specific permit holder space, please do not park within the permit holder areas because these spaces are allocated to specific individuals. Additional parking can be found within 5 minutes walk at Leigh Miners (Kirby Road, Leigh, WN7 4EF) or Tesco Superstore (The Loom, Derby Street, Leigh, WN7 4BA) - please note restrictions are in place for the number of hours available to park at Tesco. If you have any queries and are visiting Turner House for the first time please liaise with the team you are visiting for specific information. Cavendish249 At Cavendish 249 there are two staff car parks, which are for permit holders only, apart from the limited number of clearly marked visitors’ spaces. On Fridays parking in the carpark at the front of the building is free to non-permit holders on a ‘first come first served basis’. There is on-street parking nearby, although we ask that drivers respect the wishes of residents on Uxbridge Street and avoid parking on that street if possible. There is also parking available at Aldi (though time restrictions apply) and IKEA (unlimited) . If you have any queries, please contact Facilities Management.
Performance Reviews 2018/19 It’s now time for Performance Reviews (PRs) for 2018 which should take place between April and the end of June. We are pleased to launch a new simplified Jigsaw PR process to ensure consistency across all companies. The new review form along with updated guidelines for both managers and team members can be found on the intranet / INVU. Please note that if your PR for 2017-18 was under the New Charter process you do not need to have a seperate meeting to review 2017-18 as this can be included in the same discussion. If you have any queries about the new process please contact either the Organisational Development or Human Resources team to discuss.
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We are now an NCFE Approved Centre to deliver Accredited Vocational Qualifications to residents The Community Development (Employment and Skills) team has carried out research into the needs of our tenants in order to find new ways of improving their employability and skills. This creative and innovative approach adds value to our current Employment and Skills offer as a Housing Association, as we can now support our tenants by helping them to acquire nationally recognised and accredited Employability Skills Qualifications. Our training is delivered under the name of AIM4WORK. The benefits of the service include: • Improved feelings of self- worth and self-regard for the learners/tenants • Increased chances of learners getting better paid and more sustainable jobs • Positive impact in our neighbourhoods and wider communities According to NCFE, Jigsaw Goup is the first and only housing association to deliver the Employability Skills Qualifications programme. Bringing in quality training opportunities delivered by the Community Development team helps us achieve our vision of Empowerment, Collaboration, Social Impact, Efficiency and Innovation. Free AIM4WORK Employability Skills Training takes place at Cavendish 249 on the following days: • Wednesday 2 May – Achieving a positive mindset + improve your confidence • Wednesday 9 May – Understanding your skills • Tuesday 15 May – What motivates you? With The Healthy Minds NHS Pennine Care Team • Wednesday 23 May – Successful Job Applications • Wednesday 30 May – Interview Skills and reaching your goals For more information about AIM4WORK, to book a place or make a referral please contact John McGlynn by email at john.mcglynn@jigsawhomes.org.uk or by phone on 0161 331 2248.
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Social Prescribing and Self-Care Colleagues from the new Community Wellbeing service will be in the Street from 2pm – 3.30pm tomorrow (Tuesday 17 April) to provide information about the recently established Tameside wide Social Prescribing and Self-Care service to all Jigsaw colleagues working with people living in Tameside neighbourhoods. Community Wellbeing is provided by Action Together with Active Tameside and ourselves. It represents a significant change in tackling poor health and wellbeing, shifting the emphasis from a traditional medical model to a community based approach, utilising neighbourhood based resource/services, volunteers and mentors to support Tameside residents in making positive improvements to lifestyle and taking more control over the responsibility for their own health. The session is an informal drop-in so please take the opportunity to meet the team, learn more about how they can help our customers and how we can best support them in achieving sustained health and wellbeing improvements across the borough. Contact Steve Moss for more information.
Fundraising gets physical! Dave, our coach for Bootcamp sessions in Leigh, has offered one block booking from the next cycle to help raise funds for our charity of the year ‘The Christie’. Congratulations to Holly Leese for winning the Prize Draw. Here’s Elliot, Dave’s son, drawing the winner! Dave generously donated the block booking and a free session, which helped raise a grand total of £47 for the Christie. Thank you to everybody who took part! The Boxing Bootcamp was started as part of our Healthy Living Weeks in November 2017. Since then, colleagues have been attending every Tuesday lunchtime. If you’d like a place on the bootcamp, please contact HR at Turner House.
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Maytree Crescent rock workshop Janice Latreche & Penny Macpherson organised a workshop for the residents on Maytree crescent in the community garden on Monday 9 April. Adults and children enjoyed a lovely spring day painting rocks in their own glittery designs. 73 rocks in total were created and on Tuesday 10 April the group went to Dukinfield Park to hide them for others to enjoy finding them. Keep your eyes peeled for these colourful creations next time you’re in the park. The initiative was started in Tameside by Jayde Conway and shared on Tameside Rocks Facebook group, which has over 13K members. The idea behind Tameside Rocks is to get children out and enjoying parks and recreational spaces.
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West End community clean-up On 4 April New Charter Homes provided funding for two skips to support residents with a community clean-up in the West End area of Ashton-under-Lyne. 20 residents and their children came to litter pick the area, especially near the Holy Trinity Church. The women attend a number of community activities for themselves and their children. They enjoy being part of a thriving community and wanted to give something back. They approached Housing Coordinator Matt Whittaker for advice on how they could clean up the area so he contacted Tameside Council and the community clean-up was arranged in partnership with them. In just two hours the residents filled 30 black bin bags full of rubbush, filling both skips which were situated on Uxbridge Street and Burlington Road. Volunteers were treated to lunch and had the opportunity to plant sunflower seeds. Finally, the day was finished off with a discussion on recycling and fly tipping. The Community Engagement officers will continue to support residents with litter picking the area and work with them to enter into North West In Bloom. Thank you to Linda Whyatt for helping at the event.
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What’s on this week? Monday 16 April No key events
Tuesday 17 April
Social Prescribing and Self Care ‘drop in’ with Community Wellbeing The Street, Cavendish 249 2pm - 3:30pm FGM Training The Board Room, Cavendish 249 9:30am - 11:30am
Wednesday 18 April
Corporate Induction Hamilton Conference Room, Turner House 9.30am – 4.30pm
Thursday 19 April
Equality and Diversity Training The Boardroom, Cavendish 249 9:30am - 12pm
Friday 20 April
Dress Down Day* (where applicable)
*Charity Dress Down Day Going forward the last Friday of every month will be a Charity Dress Down Day with all proceeds going to our corporate charities. For all staff at Cav 249 buckets will be located in the Street for your donations.
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Starters
Linda Smith - Engagement Worker, Threshold Michael Sinnott – Assistant Director of Asset Management Asset Management Felicity Slater – Apprentice Customer Advisor Connect, Corporate Services Nikita Brooks - Apprentice Customer Advisor Connect, Corporate Services
Leavers
Debra Dodd - Pathway Worker - Nights, Threshold Julie Roberts – Arrears Recovery Officer, Finance, Adactus Homes
Return from Maternity Leave Knealey Hurst - Relet Technical Support Officer, New Charter Homes
If you want to promote a project through the press, social media, News Piece, newsletters, web, posters, screensavers, award submissions, events or advertising – Marketing and Communications can help. Please remember: If you’re contacted by the media, it is important that you refer this straight to Marketing and Communications on x2427 (Cav249), x7729 (Turner House) or press@jigsawhomes.org.uk
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