Carers Wellbeing Fund

19th March 2021Elaine Quinn

What is the Carers Wellbeing Fund?

If you care for someone who lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, the Carers Wellbeing Fund may be able to provide a small grant to help you as a carer. The fund is intended to support carers and to improve their own health and wellbeing.  The money is provided by Newcastle City Council and the  Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group (NHS) and is administered by Newcastle Carers, an independent charity who provide information, advice and support to carers.

The fund is discretionary. This means that there is limited money available so not all applications will be successful.

 

Who can apply to the Carers Wellbeing Fund?

You can apply to the Carers Wellbeing Fund if you are over 18 and look after someone who is ill, disabled, has mental health problems or is misusing drugs or alcohol and who could not manage without your help, and you are not employed to do this.

 

What can I spend a Carers Wellbeing Grant on?

A grant from the Carers Wellbeing Fund can be used for something that clearly gives you a break, supports you in your caring role, and/or maintains or improves your own health and wellbeing. For example:

  • A holiday or weekend break in the UK, including travel
  • Therapies/relaxation or wellbeing sessions, including spa days
  • Personal grooming – hairdressing, manicure, pedicure, facials (excluding waxing).
  • College course fees, books or equipment
  • Gym membership, exercise classes, swimming sessions etc
  • An adult education class or training course
  • Day trips including travel
  • Social events e.g. to attend a concert, the theatre or the cinema
  • Driving lessons
  • Purchase of items for an activity or hobby e.g. a tent or a bicycle
  • A laptop/tablet/mobile phone
  • Household items e.g. a washing machine, a cooker or a fridge
  • Decorating costs
  • Gardening or gardening equipment costs

I have added the link below to to download more information or apply:

Carers Wellbeing Fund Application Pack. 

Skills for Life Support Team

19th March 2021Elaine Quinn

Family Advice & Support

Family Advice and Support team

Family Advice & support at Skills for People logo

Our  Family Advice and Support team works with disabled children, young people and their families. The team includes  Pass it on Parents, Family Advice Workers and project workers working together to provide co-ordinated support for families.

We are currently funded to work with families who live in Newcastle upon Tyne.

What the Family Advice and Support Team can do for you:

  • Do you live in Newcastle?
  • Do you have a child or young person with a disability or special needs?

Our Family Advice and Support team (FAS) work with parents and carers of disabled children and young people up to the age of 25 years to provide co-ordinated support.

What the Family Advice and Support Team can do for you:

Information Advice and Support

The team provides information and advice on a range of issues, from helping you to navigate your way around the Local Offer, connecting you with other services, to offering advice on a range of specific issues such as transport, holidays, activities and planning for adulthood.

We can offer you practical information and advice, appropriate to your circumstances and we work across all agencies such as education, social care, health, benefits, leisure and voluntary services.

We can support you in meetings in school and help with Parental Views in the Education Health & Care Plan Assessment process. Our Information Advice and Guidance service will work with you to see if you need more in depth support such as supporting you at Early Help meetings.

In Depth Casework

We can offer in depth advice and support for parents/carers tailored to your individual family’s needs, working with other agencies towards positive outcomes for your family. This support is usually more longer term, and is not time limited, but considers your family’s situation.

For example we can help families prepare for meetings so that the views of parents, children and young people are heard.

Grant Funding Applications

We can provide help and guidance on completing grant funding application forms for items or activities which will help your family or child/young person. (This is often dependent on family income).

Coffee Morning / Drop ins

Come and meet other parent/carers and find out what works for them. Speak to our team face to face to help you get information relevant to your family.

Due to the current restrictions we are not holding in person coffee mornings. Join our Pass it on Parents facebook group to find out about our online coffee mornings.

Workshops / Training

We run workshops and events based on feedback from parents on a variety of topics including “How to use Newcastle Local Offer website” and “Preparing for Adulthood” – preparing parents for when their young person moves from children’s to adult services.

Social Media

Our social media allows you to keep up to date with news and local activities for you and your family.  You can connect with other parents/carers to help each other.

Facebook: Family Advice and Support at Skills for People

This open page provides information on leisure activities, news stories, research projects, details of training events and advice for parents.

Pass it on Parents at Skills for People logoFacebook: Pass it on Parents Newcastle

This closed group is for local parents of disabled children and young people.  Once you join you can ask other parents about problems you are having and where to get help and share your experiences with one another. This page also provides information on activities happening locally including coffee mornings and drop in events.

Twitter: @Passitonparents

This twitter feed has information for parents on local activities, campaigns, news stories, support groups etc.

Online Resources

Our team also provide information booklets and factsheets on a range of topics.

 

Weekly News

19th March 2021Scott Marshall

Dear Parents/Carers

This week we have had great fun celebrating St Patrick’s Day. Thank you for wearing green and for all your donations sent in for red nose day.  We have also been making great progress with our very own books as well as using tools outdoors. We have made a start on updating art work on the retaining wall outside our classroom. The children very much enjoyed using saws and making a art piece using tile grout and natural materials. We hope you have a lovely weekend.

Thank You

Scott, Abbie, Andy, Ann, Jen

Weekly news!

19th March 2021Elaine Quinn

 

We celebrated St Patrick’s Day in the yurt this year.  We made special celebration hats in the  morning and then we enjoyed a ceilidh and some games in the afternoon.

We’ve made a little video of our Irish dancing skills, hope your impressed!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KFcuH8sJhmtKacOHq08cAz2EHuYwoCy6/view?usp=sharing

It will be a year since we were all together as a school, St Patrick’s day last year was our last whole school assembly. We miss assemblies, events, all of the fabulous facilities we have such as hydro pool, thrive room, sensory integration room but mostly being able to mix with our friends throughout school.

Being in bubbles has allowed us to keep as safe as possible for the staff and the children, but we so look forward to the day we can get together again, use all of our facilities and celebrate the achievements of our wonderful children.

 

Have a great weekend, stay safe.

One year on from lockdown madness……..

18th March 2021Loveday Fisk

Just think….. this time last year we were just ending the last week at school before Covid 19 lockdown hit the UK.  A year on, we are still in our bubbles, wearing face masks, keeping up strict cleaning and good hygiene practice daily.  We still keep each other safe around  school by not mixing bubbles, both staff and children.  Nobody could have predicted the enormity of the pandemic nor its impact on Hadrian.  We feel proud of how well school have been able to support parents and children throughout.

Here we are, March 2021 and …….This week spring feels like it sprung!  How beautiful has the weather been?  We have taken advantage of such warm climate and ventured outside without coats!!! Sunshine makes everyone feel happier.  Here are some photos of some of our outdoor play this week.

 

We also  celebrated St Patrick’s Day in style this week.  We celebrated in 3 special ways:

  1. We held a hat making competition. Each class had to make a hat and present it on a table outside of classrooms to allow them to be judged by our panel safely.  The only rule for the competition was that each hat MUST be made by children’s hands.  Minimal adult input.  We were very proud of our creation.  Lacey modelled the hat beautifully.  The winner will be announced in Friday’s assembly.
  2. Our St Patrick ’s Day virtual assembly was inspired by X Factor. We watched 3 special judges press their buzzer for some AWFUL acts!! We all laughed at the terrible dancing and abysmal talent……..until a young lad and his Mum caught our attention with their terrible sob story.  The wonderful boy was an Irish dancer.  He made Riverdance look like an amateur show.  His dancing was complimented by the moves of 3 friends.  I can only describe the performance as Stavros Flatley inspired moves.  Tracey’s class did a marvelous job creating such an entertaining show.Welldoneguys.
  3. Finally, we all celebrated in our bubbles with a Ceilidh. We played Irish music and danced around our classes.  Our class was covered in St Patrick ’s Day themed decoration.  We all had a ball. Here are some photos of our day for you all to enjoy.

Weekly news!

12th March 2021Elaine Quinn

We have been making the most of the Spring weather and enjoying the outdoor areas around school. Our class love the mud kitchen, it is a chance to explore the mud using lots of different tools and utensils whilst getting messy and having fun. It provides a whole variety of different learning opportunities including sensory, imaginative, creative and exploratory play. The water wall is also a big hit whilst encouraging children to problem solve, increase their fine and gross motor skills also hand-eye coordination through actions like pouring, squirting, scrubbing, stirring and squeezing.

We will be working outdoors lots during the nice weather so if you have wellies or waterproofs could you send them in please.

 

Have a wonderful weekend, stay safe.

Brian Harrison

12th March 2021Dave Robinson

Pen Portrait of Brian Harrison
Vice Chair of Governors
Term ends 15.4.21

My first connection with Hadrian School began when our two daughters both attended school. Initially I became a Parent Governor and was recently delighted to be appointed as Vice Chair in November 2020. I am confident that working alongside the Chair, Chris, Marian, the Leadership Team, Staff and the rest of the Governing Body that my experience and expertise will help develop and maintain the schools very high standards.

In my current working role I am the Designated Safeguarding and Prevent Lead for Learning and Skills in Northumberland. I look after the well-being of our staff and learners and I am also responsible for the health and safety and risk assessments for our provision. I am a counter signatory for our DBS service for Northumberland and manage our online safeguarding portal ‘Tootoot’, which is similar to CPOMs.

I have held positions at Northumberland County Council for 41 years in both residential care, day centres, mental health units and for the last 24 years I have worked in education. I am a qualified Social Worker and Teacher, with specialist knowledge in counter terrorism and Prevent. I deliver Prevent Training for the Home Office and have worked on numerous government funded projects.

As Safeguarding Lead for ‘Education in Learning and Skills’ and as an e-safety champion I have developed an expertise in children and young people’s health improvement and child protection.

My wife and I also foster children from Newcastle Fostering Services and as I mentioned, two of my long term foster children were educated in this very school. We also host placements for new born babies who require care and are waiting to start the adoption process.

My hobbies and interests are photography, table tennis and I run the Bruce Lee Fan club in the UK, I am also Safeguarding Lead for a youth and family support group called Tanga Club in Hexham that my wife set up and runs with 5 other mums.

I am looking forward to taking an active role as Vice Chair. I am always available at the end of the phone if you have any concerns and hopefully will be popping in to school on a regular basis for a coffee and a chat on my days off from work. If ever you see me around school, please say Hello.

Thanks
Brian

Weekly news!

5th March 2021Elaine Quinn

World Book Day was Thursday 4th March and we celebrated reading books all day in school!

All of the children liked our costumes, we were ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ .

The whole school made a fabulous effort with getting dressed up. We read our story when the children came in then we had a whole class parade down the catwalk in our costumes.

The fun carried on into the afternoon we told the story of the Gruffalo, we did story yoga and then went on a Gruffalo hunt around school looking for some of the animals from the book then got a quick play with with our favorite animal in school Alfie!

Then it was our wonderful World Book Day Assembly – it was lovely to see all our friends. Our favorite part of assembly was a hilarious story reading session with a twist ‘The Masked Storyteller’ this caused a great deal of laughter, a lot of guesswork.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, stay safe.