Fun and Feedback at the Big Event
Service users have been giving their views on Supporting People at the BIG Supporting People event at National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh Park today (Tuesday 3rd October).
The event, a fun day out for all, was organised to give everyone a chance to find out what Warwickshire Supporting People does - and how it funds services for vulnerable adults, across the county, with housing support needs. Amongst the attractions were:
· Children’s entertainment including a soft toy play area, face painting, ‘bounce and rhyme’ in the morning, and balloon modelling and juggling workshops in the afternoon.
· Mercia FM’s Black Thunder cars.
· An information ‘Market Place’ with stands representing various organizations.
“The idea of the BIG Event was for people to find out more about Supporting People, learn about other organisations in Warwickshire - and tell us how they would like to see Supporting People develop in the future,“ said Rachel Norwood, Warwickshire Supporting People Officer. “Supporting People has a budget of more than £10 million a year funding 240 different services which support around 8,000 people, at any one time, with their housing support needs. But we need that all-important feedback to help us make improvements and move forward. There will be many different ways for people to find out more about Supporting People and tell the team what they think.”
Supporting People was introduced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and launched in Warwickshire in April 2003. The programme is designed to meet the housing-related support needs of the vulnerable, including people with learning disabilities, mental health problems, substance mis-users, offenders, people fleeing domestic violence, young people, teenage parents, older people and the homeless.
Warwickshire County Council acts as the Supporting People administrating authority, working in partnership with other organisations in the area. These include all five district and borough councils, the county’s three Primary Care Trusts and the Probation Service.
For more information, contact the Supporting People team on 01926 736513 or spteam@warwickshire.gov.uk or check out our website http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/supportingpeople.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
Picture shows Pete Cadman service user from Bedworth giving his views on the Supporting People service in the Big Brother-style diary room.