ERoSH Director of Policy: update on activities
ERoSH promotes a number of agendas in order to further its charitable aims. Here, Imogen Parry, ERoSH's Director of Policy, reviews her work from the last few months and illustrates the variety of projects and initiatives that make up her role.
Like everyone involved with ERoSH nationally, I've had a very busy and productive few months. Members have been told about lots of the things that I've done via this website and monthly eZines, so I will just summarise the key things, and you can follow the links for fuller information.
In 2007, two meetings of ERoSH's Collaboration & Development group and a trustees' away day, were the basis of the new position statement which we launched early this year. You might have seen the coverage of this in Inside Housing, and subsequent letters about some of the issues raised. I am very interested in knowing your organisation's reaction to the position statement, and the views of Supporting People teams to the document.
'Sheltered Housing's Contribution to Health and Social Care' DVD is a great achievement and fulfilment of a dream ten years ago, when we were just the Emerging Role of the Warden project, to create a video of sheltered housing. I urge all member organisations to motivate their staff to contact their counterparts in health and adult social care asking if they will show the DVD in team meetings. Please let me know the outcome.
CSHS and ERoSH commissioned me to write a good practice guide on partnership working The finished guide is peppered with good practice examples from members of both organisations - thanks to everyone who contacted me. (These three outputs have recently been highlighted to members. We encourage you to let us know your progress in turning them to outcomes.)
We recently responded publicly to the new National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society and the members section of our website contains a useful guide on the hooks between the strategy and ERoSH's key messages. The best bit in my view is on page 140! Quote it!
In early March (10-03-08), I took part in a BBC Radio 4 ‘You and Yours' feature on the demise of resident wardens. You can listen to the interview here ...
GNASH (group on nutrition and sheltered housing) has recently trained a sample of scheme managers. Their data will determine the prevalence of malnutrition in sheltered housing and help to refine the screening tool. Watch this space!
AEA/ISA/ERoSH/CSHS/PAVAUK combined forces and enabled an adult protection colleague and me to run three subsidised seminars on overcoming the barriers to effective joint working between sheltered/supported housing staff and adult protection staff. I will summarise the key findings of these events in April's eZine.
You can contact Imogen Parry by emailing imogen.parry@btopenworld.com
