Certitude Annual Review 2014

everyone has the right to a good life

www.certitude.org.uk www.certitude.org.uk ANNUAL REVIEW 2014

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We all need to feel connected to others, and to have people in our lives who care about us and value us.

People we support have told us of the importance of feeling connected to others, being understood, being able to make friends and contribute to others and their wider community.

At Certitude, we are committed to working in partnership with people to make this happen. With our support, people build their self-esteem and confidence, become active members of their community and so feel increasingly connected and valued.

As people highlighted in this Annual Review show, good support can help transform lives. As an organisation, we believe good support is based on an understanding that individuals and their families are the real experts.

By listening and working together, people are able to build strong connections, widen their networks of support and in turn support others.

Our golden threads of communication, co-production and relationships continue to underpin our work, enabling people to become more in control of their support, more fulfilled and increasingly independent. This is ultimately the reason why Certitude exists.

Certitude is a social care organisation providing personalised support to over 1,300 people who have mental health needs and learning disabilities living throughout London.

We believe everyone has the right to a good life. Our aim is to ensure the highest standard of quality and value for money for each and every person we support, to enable them to achieve their own individual good life.

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Introduction We are very proud of the many achievements of people involved with Certitude over the past year. We hope you enjoy reading a selection of these presented in this Annual Review and join us in celebrating people’s accomplishments – both big and small.

What the personal stories in this Annual Review have in common are people with learning disabilities and mental health needs increasingly making choices and taking more control of their lives. People building friendships, making connections, and leading their lives as valued members of their local communities.

Certitude’s approach such as our community connecting and family support service, individual service funds and peer support provision mean people we support are developing strong and often new relationships leading to more fulfilled, happier and healthier lives. Great communication can open new worlds to people and our continuing investment in digital technology – such as free Wi-Fi as standard in every Certitude service – and approaches such as intensive interaction help to ensure everyone’s voice can be heard.

The people and families we support rely on great staff, and our bespoke ‘Leading at Certitude’ programme launched this year is centred on ensuring excellent leadership and management at every level in Certitude. The success of Certitude as always relies on many people: the individuals we support and their families, our staff and volunteers, board members and the many people and organisations who support us in a whole variety of ways.

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Although the financial challenges of the past couple of years haven’t gone away, we’ve been able to continue to provide high quality support in partnership with individuals and their families. We’ve become increasingly innovative, and have developed partnerships with like-minded organisations, placing us in a good position for the future.

We are extremely privileged to lead Certitude and to work with such dedicated people who go out of their way every day to help create a society where people with learning disabilities and mental health needs flourish, positively contribute to their community and ultimately lead the life they want to lead.

Eleri Ebenezer Chair

Aisling Duffy Chief Executive

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Learning new skills: Chief Executive Aisling and Chair Eleri help members of the Garden Angels grow fruit and vegetables in their new polytunnel

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Conor is supported through respite in a place he feels happy and safe Cian believes respite is so important for them all 8

‘‘Conor feels right at home when he goes to stay. He waves me goodbye, which is a sure sign he is happy there! I am confident that the team are able to look after him and I can leave fully assured he is in capable hands’’ Alison Annabelle helps ensure Alison’s support is beneficial for all the family

Alison Alison lives with her two sons, Conor and Cian, both of whom have learning disabilities. Conor, who is 18, has severe learning disabilities and looking after him is a full-time job for Alison. When Conor visits Certitude’s respite accommodation, Alison is able to have time for herself, meet her friends, garden and paint, none of which she would have much time for otherwise.

Cian says: ‘‘The respite service is so good for all of us. Conor stays in a place he enjoys, and mum and I have space to get on with stuff we need to. My mum is on the go all the time, so it’s really important to have this opportunity’’.

As an organisation, we want people’s time with us to be something they have control over in terms of what they do and what happens to them. Annabelle, Certitude’s Respite Manager says: ‘‘We work very closely with Alison, Cian and Conor to ensure that the support and service works positively for them all’’.

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Giving families a break: Respite helps families find time for themselves, and re-connect with their local community

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Izabela is helping Dan find paid work in his community

Christina works with Dan at the Gunnersbury Park Museum 12

Carl from Ealing Park Rangers considers Dan one of the gang

“I love playing in the band, especially the gigs. I enjoy working and would like to do more if possible. This house is in a great location and I’m looking forward to getting a new housemate soon” Dan

Dan Dan is enthusiastic about the opportunities life holds for him. He is a drummer with the successful band “I Love Thunder” and rehearses with them every week.

Since Certitude began supporting Dan earlier this year, we have worked with him to develop a wider circle of friends through his love of music and sport, and his willingness to contribute to the local community.

Izabela Nowak is Dan’s key worker at Certitude and believes this is just the beginning: “Dan has a lot to give and loads of energy so we are constantly exploring new things for him to do. He is naturally sociable and loves to be busy. Together, we are currently researching local cycling groups and Dan is particularly keen to find more paid employment opportunities’’.

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Working in harmony: We help people explore new interests and find opportunities to make friends

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Carmen, like Rina, helps people connect to their local community

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Lara supports Rina in her role and her road to recovery

‘‘Being a Community Connector has made a significant difference to my life. I can see there is light at the end of the tunnel and can use this insight to help others’’ Rina

Rina Rina moved to England to study for her PhD, where she also met her husband and had three children. After each child she suffered from post-natal depression, which made her relationship with her husband very hard. Things became really difficult for Rina and she ended up in prison.

After prison, she successfully applied for a role in Certitude’s Community Connecting team which has transformed not just her life but also those of people she supports. She understands the emotional distress people can suffer from being isolated, lonely or depressed, as she has been there herself. Through her role, she finds it has also helped with her own recovery, giving her more confidence and self-esteem to make new friends and connect with her community.

Carmen, who works with Rina, says: “Rina is always willing to go the extra mile to help people. She is such a positive force within the team, I admire her passion and care for people’’.

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Connecting with the community: We help people get more involved in the area where they live, trying new things and meeting new people

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Maya sees Lester as part of the family

Mark helps Lester fulfil his interests and hobbies

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Lewis supports the relationship between Lester and his Shared Lives family

“Maya and her family are really nice.

They’ve encouraged me to get involved where we live and I now have a very busy life. I feel like part of the family” Lester

Lester Living with a Shared Lives family means that Lester is part of a very natural network of family, extended family, friends, work colleagues and fellow volunteers. He’s lived with Maya, Patrick and their two children, Dillan and Serena for eleven years and considers them some of the most important people in his life. He says Maya does “everything” for him but in reality he is extremely independent and is making a valuable contribution to his local community.

Twice a week he helps out at The Bridge – a local centre for people with learning disabilities – and is also a community fundraiser for Cancer Research. On his one free day a week, Lester meets Mark, another Shared Lives carer, and they go on outings and activities, guided by what Lester fancies doing.

Maya says: “Lester comes to the pub with me and my husband every week and we’ve had some wonderful holidays together. This year we are planning to go to Spain although I know Lester really wants to go to Universal Studios in LA!”.

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Giving something back: We help people find opportunities to contribute to their local community

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Highlights from the year

We launched Leading at Certitude,

our Management and Leadership Development Programme. We have started 360 feedback for staff

We have over 20 health trainers with lived experience supporting nursing and social work students to understand how to improve the quality of healthcare for people with learning disabilities and people with mental health needs

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We have expanded our Work Pathways project supporting people with forensic histories to get into work. The success of the project was evidenced with one person winning a London Heritage Volunteers Award

Free wifi is now available for every person we support at every Certitude location

Our Community Connecting work is now operating in 5 London boroughs - Lambeth, Hounslow, Harrow, Southwark and Camden

Winner of Best Support Worker at the National Learning Disability Awards for our Shared Lives Co-ordinator Lewis Wallis

Our accommodation based support in Lambeth increased as we started to support 30 new people

Solidarity in a Crisis, our peer led service supporting people in crisis out of hours expanded to 7 days a week

Our use of Working Together for Change this year saw over 400 people including people who use our services, staff and families and carers build our business plan for 2014 / 2015

Our third year of working in partnership with the Brit School saw a theatre production about “Dreams�

37 people were supported through our Individual Service Fund pilot, personalising their support through the use of personalised rotas and people matching.

Its success has meant the roll out of these tools across the organisation We are part of Fulfilling Lives, a programme funded by the National Lottery, operating in three London boroughs which will transform the lives of people with multiple needs over the next 8 years We created an Intensive Support Team specifically to support people with complex needs, their families and other support teams. They are specialists in person centred planning, family support, behavioural support, and creative communication Certitude Annual Review 2014

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Adrian has become a good friend of Cecelia’s Joan is Cecelia’s sister

Fiona sings with Cecelia in Certitude’s choir 26

“I love singing on my own for the choir - I’m not nervous at all.

I like being on stage and talking about my feelings in front of people” Cecelia

Cecelia Cecelia moved into a Certitude-supported house having previously been living with her sister, Joan. She has settled happily into the house, establishing good relationships with her housemates and a particularly close friendship with Adrian.

Cecelia has a passion for performing and is an excellent singer. She regularly performs solos for the Certitude Community Choir and attends the Impact Theatre Company four days a week.

Joan, Cecelia’s sister, says: “It’s great that Cecelia is so happy. It’s wonderful to see her enjoying her time here, particularly hearing her sing as part of the choir’’.

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Making new friends: We help people living in our supported accommodation build strong and lasting friendships

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Danny supports Jason in moving forward with his life

Max enjoys playing table tennis with Jason 30

“I feel I am living my own life now. I love being able to reconnect with my friends. There are so many opportunities for me to explore” Jason

Jason Until a year ago, Jason’s mental health issues meant that he rarely left his registered care home in Lambeth. Through his involvement in our Individual Service Fund (ISF) pilot, Jason has been able to make more choice and take more control over how he spends his time and who he spends it with. With support, Jason has been able to make a significant change in how he engages with his local community, which is illustrated by the increase in the number of places he visits and the number of people in his life.

Jason plays table tennis at a nearby club where he’s made some good friends and participates in competitive matches. Twice a month he plays football with a group of staff and other people supported by Certitude, and he’s also signed up as a member at the Mosaic Clubhouse where he is hoping to expand his work-related skills.

Danny Ebrahim, who manages the support where Jason lives says: “Since Jason took part in our ISF pilot, the changes in his life have been dramatic.

He is really making an effort to move forward with his life. I am delighted to see him reconnecting with some of his old friends as well as building new friendships through sport”.

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Opening new doors: Individual Service Funds enable people to identify and get the support they want and need

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Valerie has helped Sandra develop new skills and identify opportunities

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Hirila has worked closely with Sandra in helping her share her story

‘‘I wanted to give something back.

Sharing my story and being able to open a window to my life has really helped my recovery’’ Sandra

Sandra Sandra had struggled with her mental health and staying well since she was a teenager. More recently, this had affected her confidence, which was extremely low. She felt isolated and unable to find a way to improve her situation.

Over the past few years, Certitude has supported Sandra to find ways to build her self-esteem. By identifying new skills she wanted to learn and interests she wanted to pursue, Sandra decided to go back to college, and from initially feeling unable to leave her home, she is now travelling all over London.

Sandra has recently made a short film about her life and, together with Certitude, is leading workshops where she shares her experiences, helping raise awareness of mental health issues and the benefits of culturally relevant and recovery orientated support to a wide range of audiences.

Hirila, who works with Sandra, says: ‘‘I’ve been so impressed to see the growth that Sandra is experiencing. She has been kind enough to share her daily struggles with dignity and determination, which have had a profound impact on anyone who has listened to her talk. She is truly inspirational”.

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Getting it right: Working together with people with lived experience enables us to design and deliver better support

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Karla is Damian’s colleague

Teresa helps Damian make positive steps for the future 38

‘‘I feel I have a real purpose now.

The job keeps me going and I’m definitely more confident. The sky’s the limit really” Damian

Damian Damian supports people who have mental health issues find meaningful employment, training and education opportunities. Since starting the role, Damian says it has given him a real purpose to get out and about in the community, and he regularly meets with his fellow-trainee Cassandra to reassure and support one another.

Certitude’s Work Pathways team has a range of education, training and employment (ETE) projects for people with learning disabilities, people with mental health needs, and people with forensic histories. The core principle of the team is the contribution and value people with lived experience have within the work place. The ETE trainee course, which Damian is on, lasts a year, includes an NVQ qualification and is a great route to permanent employment.

Teresa, who supports Damian, says “Damian’s personal development is clear – he’s shown a remarkable change in the year we’ve been working together.

From someone who was uncertain about his path forward, he’s now really taken a can-do attitude and made positive steps for his future”.

Karla, who works with Damian, says: ’’Damian really wants to get out there and get on with his life. It’s been good helping him achieve this’’.

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Getting back on your feet: Our Work Pathways team provide dedicated, personalised support so people can find the role truly right for them

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Looking forward We are continuing our focus on developing innovative, inclusive community - based support across London.

Our work over the past 12 months has seen us expand our Community Connecting service into Hounslow, start to provide Mental Health Travel Buddies support in Camden and increase our Shared Lives support offer to people with mental health needs in Lewisham.

Ensuring people are able to find the support they want and need within their own communities, local to where they live is vitally important. We will continue to develop the work of our Intensive Support team enabling people with complex and challenging support needs to continue living locally to – or indeed with – friends and family. Our Connect and Do website will be re-launched enabling more people to build connections and friendships based on shared interests.

One particular aspect we are focusing on in the coming year is the growth of our community fundraising. This is a new area for Certitude, and it’s about connecting with people outside of our usual networks, whether that’s local companies, community groups, members of the public or large businesses.

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We are looking at a range of ways to do this – through events, sponsored activities and corporate partnerships. It’s a great way to engage people in supporting exciting local projects within Certitude, donating not only their money but also their time, goods or other professional services like advice or insurance.

Most importantly it will help us to engage with our local communities, which we see as key. We want everyone within Certitude to increasingly be out meeting people and connecting in the community wherever possible, and developing positive and strong relationships. It’s through these relationships that Certitude really flourishes.

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Our income and expenditure for 2013/14 In 2013/14 we made an operating surplus of £840k which is 3.5% of our total income. This positive result reflects a commitment to sound financial management during a period of continued development and external funding pressures.

We have made various changes to the way our accounts are presented in preparation for some big accounting changes which will take effect in the next two years. Overall we are very pleased that the finances of the organisation have been managed so effectively. This provides a strong base from which we can develop and grow, and ensures that the people we support continue to receive high quality care.

We remain positive about the future prospects of Certitude – organisationally and financially we are in good shape for the future.

Income £000s Rental Income 1,469 Contractual Income 18,356 Fee Income 3,407 Other Income 179 Grants and Donations 185 Total Income 23,596

Expenditure Care and Support Governance and Other Costs Total Expenditure

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£ 22,697 59 22,756

0.43% Other Income Free Income 13.54%

0.88% Grants and Donations 5.17% Rental Income 79.98% Contractual Income

Income

23,596 Expenditure

22,756

99.74% Care and Support 0.26% Governance and Other Costs

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Board Certitude is governed by a Board of voluntary non-executive directors which meets on a regular basis, defining the strategic direction of the organisation and offering support and guidance to the Leadership Team. In addition to the full Board, Committees are held which focus on HR, Finance and IT, Quality and Performance, and Audit and Risk Management.

The day-to-day operations of the Certitude group are managed by the Leadership Team who are accountable to the Board of Trustees.

Current Committees Audit and Risk Management Yasmin Miller, Chair Eleri Ebenezer Kate James Philippa Laughton Steve Maingot Sue Wickerson

Human Resources Philippa Laughton, Chair Bernard Campbell, Co-optee Eleri Ebenezer Mark Garratt Kate James Bob Sutcliffe

Finance and IT Yasmin Miller, Chair Eleri Ebenezer Connie Neish George Venus Sue Wickerson Kate Wolfsohn

Quality and Performance Steve Maingot, Chair Patricia Connell-Julien Eleri Ebenezer Kate James Michael Jones, Co-optee Philippa Laughton Yasmin Miller Steve Plant

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Eleri Ebenezer, Chair Also Chair of the Support for Living Board

Steve Maingot, Vice Chair Also Chair of Southside Partnership’s Board and Chair of the Quality and Performance Committee

Yasmin Miller, Treasurer Also Chair of the Finance and IT Committee, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

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Certitude Board Members

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Dr Patricia Connell-Julien

Mark Garratt

Kate James

Philippa Laughton

Connie Neish

Steve Plant

Dr Bob Sutcliffe

George Venus

Sue Wickerson

Kate Wolfsohn

Bernard Campbell

Michael Jones

Co-Optee

Co-Optee

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Leadership Team

Aisling Duffy Chief Executive Janette Gaffney Director of Learning Disabilities

Nicholas Campbell-Watts Director of Mental Health

Mark Ospedale Director of Human Resources

Mary Schumm Director of Learning Disabilities

Marianne Selby-Boothroyd Director of Development Sanjay Shah Director of Finance and IT

Thanks Certitude would like to thank the following for the support they have provided this year: The London boroughs of Brent, Bromley, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Sutton, Richmond, Wandsworth and Westminster. Brent CCG, Ealing CCG, Harrow CCG, Lambeth CCG, Southwark CCG, and Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and CNWL NHS Foundation Trust.

We would also like to particularly acknowledge the support from our charitable trusts, corporations, commissioners, individual donors and supporters.

A special thank you to the South West Corporate Team at Barclays for appointing Certitude as their Charity of the Year, and their dedicated fundraising in support of the organisation.

And as always, a massive thank you to our volunteers, peer mentors and travel buddies, without whom we could not provide the service we do to people we support.

Production Team Editorial team Victoria Rugg Heather Cannon Paula Scott Marianne Selby-Boothroyd

Design and print Gosia Wabol Lim Khaw www.nimdesign.com Photography Paul Meyler www.paulmeyler.com

The Certitude Group have the following accreditations:

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