Gordon Owen

Advice Service Manager

Advice Service @ Rough Sleepers Residential Centre 2 – [Morning |

Afternoon | Night Shifts]

Crisis at Christmas 2012

•  For those of us who have done this before, where has the year gone - little scary!!! As I always say, the adrenalin kicks in and we will be off for another year at Crisis at Christmas 2012! It may sound repetitious but none the less sincere, your forthcoming contribution will be extremely valued by Crisis and especially by the guests, so whether this is your ?? or first time on their behalf, a BIG THANK YOU!

Thank You………..…….

You have kindly offered to be with the Advice Service team at the Rough Sleepers Residential Centre 2 and whilst you will have liaised with the Advice Service Co-Ordinator it would be appreciated if you would please e-mail me to confirm the days and times you expect to be there with contact details. This is important so that I can start to plan a rosta. Equally, if you have to change or circumstances do not allow you to be at the Centre for any given day or time, please do let me know at the earliest opportunity so that I can again make provision for this. My mobile number is: 07971 705 856. This number should be used between ourselves, (and as also with your own mobile numbers), should not be disclosed to Guests.

ROSTAS

C@C VOLUNTEERING REGISTRATION.

Hopefully you will have by now have your Username and Password for the Crisis Community website so please do try and login as much as you can between now and the 23rd December (& beyond) to be updated with any information that has already begun to be posted on the website generally and specially for C@C '12 - Login at: http://christmas.crisis.org.uk/login/?_loginSuccessUrl=%2F

C@C Dates Open…….

Just a general guide for everyone to know, Advice Service will be open at RSRC2 daily, on the 23rd., 24th., 27th., 28th., & 29th. There will be a provision for Advice Service for Xmas Day (25th) & Boxing Day (26th) per say when guests are focusing on enjoying the festivities. However, I will be on call as usual via the Centre Shift Office should any emergency arise – sadly that has occurred for the past two years! For a second year Xmas falls at an awkward time with agencies and services closed which will make dealing with certain issues challenging. If, from your own experience, you have contact details, especially e-mail addresses for potential sources please make a note and bring this with you so that we can at least send communications, e.g. help for a guest or referral by e-mail. We will again have a useful Handbook as a point of reference with a host of information and contacts – the rest we can post.

Check-in on Arrival Daily at the Centre……

On your day(s) of arrival at the Centre you will be directed to the volunteers entrance area who will ask your name and check you in so that the Shift knows who is in the building and what services are available. You will be issued with an Orange Circle badge. - Please bring along a copy of the original e-mail you received from Crisis confirming your volunteering although we now have an electronic system so by given your personal details they will type into a tablet and your name should appear and then ticked off daily. Please write your name on this and wear it at all time you are in the Centre. If you put this badge on outer garments and then remove when you are in the Centre, (which is quite warm), please ensure that you put take the badge off and pin onto your inner clothing so that you can be clearly identified at all times. It also will allow you access to the central overall volunteers area on the first floor, (where we are again locate as well). Please then make contact with the Services Co-Ordinator who is a senior volunteer and co-ordinate all the services provided so that they know who and what is available and can then liaise between all the different services and the Shift Office to enable the Shift Leaders to mange the overall Centre effectively.

Badge Wearing (Orange Circle)….

Wearing and retaining your badge is

important as after Crisis @ Christmas closes

as we have an annual volunteers party in

London Bridge in January for all volunteers

and wearing this badge will get you entry –

lose or forget your badge and regrettably you will

not be able to get in and this would be

unfortunate – so please look after this and

remember to bring it with you each and ever shift

morning/afternoon you are at the Centre as well.

•  We will strive to break for lunch at about 1 pm, (and if possible we will rotate people so as to try have at least a presence around the Advice Room(s) throughout the day). The Advice Service will close daily at 6 pm so as to allow for a 20/30 minutes debrief. Depending on when people want, or need to leave we will decide amongst ourselves each day whether we actual close at 5.50 or pm 6/6.30 pm to guests so as to allow for this. This way we can be consistent and be able to let guests know when they arrive at the last minute and ask them to return the next day. I will trying to attend SL’s/GB’s & Centre's debriefings daily and possibly afternoon briefings provided not caught up with assisting a guest or short of Advice Workers for a given shift.

Breaks……..

•  We will also again have an Advice Service Poster which will be on display showing the services provided, (and not), so that this expectations are clear to both guess a vols generally. The times are not an exact science and every effort will be made to see any guest who wishes to discuss issues. This will be complimented by the Befrienders Service Team, which exists to be a sympathetic listener to those guests who just want to talk about issues, rather than need specific advice help. We will continue to be pro-active in engaging with guests and provide as a higher level of service as practically possible. We have again the valued support service of the Samaritans should this be needed.

Briefings/1…….

Get Advice for Guests…………..

Briefings/2…….

It will start with the Advice Workers Briefing at 10 am but actually open to guests from about 10.30/11 am. It is therefore important that we arrive in good time in readiness for the briefing at 10 am so that we allow sufficient time to get through this and be able to make ourselves available for guests at soon as possible. Late arrival will mean that we may miss something raised and not be up to speed with developments as they occur on a day-to-day basis. Your input will be important and valued as part of delivering an effective service, whether it be about someone you have seen or you own personal involvement experiences – things that worked and things that you feel we should look at to help us all work together as a team. This has in the past gone adrift with Advice staff arriving late at different times, which did not help continuity so please ensure that you arrive on time.

Owing to down times of IT systems in the past we have reintroduced the pro-form forms used to obtain information from guests and then transferring this onto a the C@C database, C-Log (Christmas Log) by our Administrator. It has been created so that rather than having to repeat asking for information from guests already obtained when they arrive and start interview with such a formal process we can takes notes and then afterwards enter this into the database. I will give a run down on the use but do not feel perturbed by this it is not complicated and is easy to use – it will just be about familierisation and routine practice.

C-Log (Christmas Log): …….

Entry Screen of C-Log…………..

Advice

Appointment

Case status

Open needs report. Note: Case details are fictional

Each day we will also have an Outreach Team worker who work for agencies and who all-year-round engage with homeless/rough sleepers. They will base decisions on information they have on CHAIN, ("Central Homeless Access Information Network"), and in liaison with the Green Badge Shift Leaders & Advice Service Manager who collectively will be making decisions in terms guests needs or other action needed after Crisis @ Christmas closes. Leaving something out of the database can make the difference between the Outreach Team being able to positively help and not being able to help as much because certain relevant information was not recorded.

Support Workers/Referrals……

CHAIN/1……………..

• CHAIN – “Central Homeless Access Information Network” is a database containing details of individuals, assessments of their needs, contacts and interventions. It is compiled by agencies in London that work with those rough sleeping or engaging in other street activities that cause concern in communities and need a welfare response The information is gathered to enable agencies to liaise effectively to deliver services to individuals whose lifestyles make it complex to organise effective and sustainable interventions in multi-agency settings. Those with access to CHAIN data are voluntary organisations that provide services to the street population, local authorities with responsibility for delivering the homelessness strategy for their borough, plus regional & central government, which has overall responsibility for homelessness policy.

CHAIN/2……………..

Having a CHAIN record does not give any individual automatic rights to access accommodation or services. However the record of someone's support needs and their history of contact with services may contribute to a successful referral to re-engage or at least access other limited resources. For example, a record on CHAIN that someone is a verified rough sleeper is usually required before an individual can access accommodation via the Clearing House. In general, for members of the street population having a CHAIN record will aid workers to effectively link them into available services. Information about an individual on CHAIN can help a worker to make the case that the person is in need of a given service, and so aid their access to it. CHAIN is a piece of language that is meaningless to guests at C@C so not worth talking to them about as they are unlikely to understand, perhaps get confused, and therefore best not mentioned unless asked.

CHAIN/3……………..

Latterly because of increasing transient movement, and more significant the influx of A8 and then A10 Ascension people, there can be, (and there are many) people that do not engage with services because of the circumstances or been out of the loop for a long period, or just arrived from another country and these people with likely not been on CHAIN. For those who have, on arrival the first day of C@C we can, and do identify so that we can make objective assessments to help them from there, but for those not on the system then they have to be separately assessed as to what, if any we can do to help. This is done based on as much information that can be gathered from individual guests, knowledge and experience of Outreach Workers, and decisions/referrals are made (between Shift Leaders/Advice Service Managers/Outreach workers), who again will collectively with their known and experience make often on the spot judgement calls to help a guests as best we can to make their experience of C@C a even more longer term valuable one and not just for Xmas.

We have our own dedicated e-mail address for communications including to external agencies on behalf of guests. The e-mail address is: CCAdvice.RoughSleepers2@gmail.com and the password will be given at briefings. This also includes an online Google Outlook diary so we can keep track of events and activities we need to remember.

C@C RSRC2 Advice Services e-Mail address…

Advice Service @ Crisis at Christmas - Rough Sleepers Residential Centre 2 are on Twitter solely to input on any matters relating to helping understand the role and work of Advice Service and its service delivery to guests. No individuals or guests will be discussed on this platform. AS @ RSRC2 – Twitter & follow us on: @asrsrc2.

C@C RSRC2 Advice Services Twitter address…

C@C Advice Service @ Rough Sleepers Residential Centre 2 also has a Podcast downloadable from the Apple iTunes website page http://itun.es/i6Dv2gr- #iTunes

C@C RSRC2 Advice Services Podcast………….

You are reminded to try and make space to look at the Crisis at Christmas Volunteers Handbook which link will have been recently e-mailed to you all but is downloadable at a pdf document once longed into the Crisis at Christmas Volunteer Community website at http://christmas.crisis.org.uk/login/?_loginSuccessUrl For those who maybe on Facebook please also see the links attached to the events’ webpage for Advice Service - Crisis @ Xmas https://www.facebook.com/groups/295009630538547/?ref=ts&fref=ts which provides such things as the, photos, map, and directions to the Centre and more! I is a ‘closed group’ for obvious reasons so please let me have your names and I can add you to the group.

C@C Community + Facebook website……………..

•  If you have any queries about your role or how this works in Advice do not feel it may be a silly question – simply e-mail me and ask and I will be happy to help in anyway I can - if I cannot, as the old advert on the TV for the AA used to say, I know someone else who can help!!

Queries/1………...

I will keep you up to date with anything that may be useful before we start on the 23rd but otherwise look forward to seeing and working with you all on the days that you are around. I will not be available for between 30 minutes/1hour dally from 7 pm whilst on a daily teleconference with Central Opp’s and others Centres for briefings/debriefings. As in the past, I may well be required to attend different situations and not be in the office but in this event I will still be in contact with a radio on my person and a radio for all to use to contact me in the office. Warm wishes and a Merry Xmas!!!

Queries/2………...

GET ADVICE At Crisis at Christmas we offer information and assistance in the following areas: 1. Your housing • Discuss housing options with our housing team • Meet with the rough sleeping outreach team • Get help to prepare for housing applications 2. Legal Advice • Have you been evicted or having problems with your landlord or neighbours? • Are you being harassed or harmed by another person? • Do you need advice on asylum or immigration problems? 3. Financial • Are you getting the right benefits? • Do you have difficulty managing your money? • Are you worried about keeping up your rent or mortgage payments?

Get Advice/1………...

4. Employment and training • Discuss options with our employment team on (29th December? TBC) • Find out what Crisis Skylight can do to help you • Get help with your CV and preparing for an interview 5. Ex-Forces? • Specialist help is available – please come and ask We aim to provide a professional Advice Services from 24th to 29th December. Our specialist volunteers are not here every day so we might need to make you an appointment to come back and see us on another day. Please note: We are not able to provide permanent housing or guarantee a bed in a night shelter or any other temporary accommodation.

Get Advice/2………...

ASW's Check List/1.

Advice Services Workers @ C@C Rough Sleepers Residential Centre 2, E15 Check List

Briefing of Shift Advice Service Workers at 10.00 am Thank you! Liaison on arrival with Services Co-Ordinator; Avoid being alone with guest, particularly if they seem agitated; Siting with back to the door if case of guest becoming violent so can easily leave; In the event of engaging with a guest who is violent, or who you have grave concerns about conduct, behaviour, or antecedents – please

inform the Advice Service Manager immediately. In an emergency and cannot locate inform any Green Badge. Such matters are not with the remit of Advice Service (except where assistance might be asked by the Shift Leader) and a decision as to what action to take will be taken by the Shift Leader/GB’s as appropriate to deal with the guest. There is a box to tick in C-Log to identify any such guests’, which is confidential and forewarns relevant people as well as other centres in the event that the guest attempts to move around to escape action and try and get onto other C@C Centres.

Maintaining contact/liaison with Advice Service Manager when not in the Advice Service Offices – Use of Radios; In the event of using the radio, be conscious of the fact that the frequency generally used can be heard by other people, (and possibly at

times overheard by guests), so please be careful as to what you say or disclose over the radio and how you may say things. There may be times where the Shift Leader/GB’s may ask for radio silence for a while, for good reason and when this is heard, please respect as it is for good reason.

Arrange with Advice Service Manager/GB's for volunteers to be in attendance where with women; At times there will be guest(s) who blatantly will make unreasonable demands and refuse advice or assistance – at all times Advice

Service must avoid making pre-judgements or engaging in a heated debate with guests. Crisis At Christmas is about providing a warm, welcoming & non-judgemental environment to help guest as best we can. Please speak with the Advice Service Manager if you have any difficulties;. It is understood that we will at all times act in the usual professional manner and afford every courtesy to guests and only decline where a guest responds abusively or in a threatening manner.

ASW's Check List/2.

What to do in case of any emergencies; reminder of fire escapes exists from upstairs; Reiterate Volunteers areas and wearing of badge at all times for access; Protection of personal property and possessions; Use of Volunteers designated area; Reminder of hygiene, where first aid is; If unwell notify Advice Service Manager and go home If unable to attend a shift arranged – please notify the Advice Service Manager immediately; Where someone just wants to talk, rather than need advice, refer to Befrienders so as to not block time for other needy guest who do

need advice; Similarly, where considered very venerable, refer to Samaritans; CHAIN - (Central Homeless Access Information Network) : Centralised nationwide Databases of known homeless/rough sleepers; C-Log – (Christmas Log) : Confidential Database held by Crisis UK; Referrals – (Only made jointly between Advice Service Manager/Outreach Worker/GB-Shift Leader); Contact and liaison with outside bodies, e.g. statutory Authorities; Advice Service Workers at C@C RSRC2 – e-mail address & password; Use of computers & printer(s), fax machine, Photostat machine, etc by Advice Service Workers – discretion and restrictions for guests; Familiarisation of both Database & Forms and ensuring that ALL basic information including guest’s wrist band number is recorded;

[This is crucial not only to help the guest, bust also for stats after C@C to quantify to donors & stakeholders; plus for Crisis and Outreach Workers to follow up and support some of the guests needs once C@C as close on the 3th December].

Ensure guest signs consent form before acting on anything on their behalf; Reassuring guest and maintaining strict confidentiality of anything discussed with guest and securing filing of any hardcopy material; Maintaining discretionary confidentiality of screen data so that other people can no see and logging out when not in use or out of the

room;

ASW's Check List/3.

Under no circumstances give out personal details, including home address or mobile/land number, or offer to do things and make contact after C@C – if anything needs to be done after Xmas, please inform the Advice Service Manager who will make the necessary arrangements;

Consider use of associated support services, e.g. Designated Shift Green Badge/Key Vol liaison, Outreach Workers, Befrienders, Samaritans, Crisis Ambassadors;

Where arrival at the Centre for start of Shift in good time, encouraged to attend Centres Briefing by Shift leader/Green Badges & Key Vols – Morning Shift about 9.30 am and Afternoon Shift about 3.30 pm. Similarly, daily morning and afternoon debriefings are held for everyone at about 2/230 pm and 7.30/8/00 pm – (please check with the Advice Service Manager or Shift Office for each day/shift times). Strongly recommended where not engaged with a guest as this provides overall helpful information beneficial to you and what is happening in the Centre overall plus experienced helpful guidance on issues; plus opportunity to as an questions or queries you have about the Centre + C@C as a whole.

Please ensure that you have read through the Crisis at Christmas Volunteers Handbook and familarised yourself with its contents – use for reference. Hopefully you will have attended one of the C@C Volunteers Training Day’s as well. It is helpful to understand that C@C is just for one week out of the 365 - (A time of Xmas Holidays when most services and agencies are closed) – please see the Crisis at Christmas presentation produced by the Advice Service Manager entitled “Great Expectations” for reference – it is amazing what we still achieve and continue to strive to accomplish year-on-year!

Debriefing of Advice Services at about 6.00 pm !

To provide hot meals, entertainment, and a place to go at Christmas for some people who are alone and in need. As part of this, to provide companionship and a social event. To provide a range of services such as dentists, doctors, hairdressers, free clothes, befrienders, and advice. Note: It is not the purpose of Crisis At Christmas to undermine or supersede the normal range of services which operate all year round. It does however aim to identify those people who are not receiving the services they need, and link them in to those services. In particular the advice service is not there to find housing for guests. We link them into existing services, and do not provide a fast track queue jumping service into scarce housing and hostel places

Overview of the Service…….

There are two types of shelter at Crisis. Day Centres - These are open during the day and provide a full range of Crisis Christmas services. They shut each evening, and guests sleep elsewhere Residential (Sleeping) Centres. These provide overnight accommodation, for the more vulnerable guests. The Advice Service with the Outreach Workers at the Day Centre involved in deciding who goes to which Residential Centre. Each has a special character:

The Women’s Centre is for women who would benefit most from an all women environment The Gate Centre is for guests with dependency issues and is the only “wet” centre where guests are permitted to drink on the premises The Bridge is for “205” clients – who are guests who have been rough sleeping for some years and are well known to the Outreach and other homelessness teams (and there were originally 205 people on a list of entrenched rough sleepers) There are two Rough Sleeping Residential Centres this year, which is the main sleeping Centre for other guests who need to be housed for the week

Day & Night Service………….

There is a range of ways in which guests arrive at, or are brought to, the different Centres. Through outreach (street rescue) teams bringing them in. Outreach teams work throughout the year with rough sleepers

and former rough sleepers. They know which rough sleepers would benefit from the Crisis at Christmas event, and are invited to take these people to the appropriate Residential Centres on the evening before the formal opening – (that is on 22nd December). Through night shelter referral. Some rough sleepers regularly sleep in a variety of winter night shelters. Many of those shut over Christmas and we have arrangements to allow night shelter personnel to bring people into the Residential Centres, by arrangement, in advance of formal opening. Through referral from Day Centres. Many guests arrive at the Day Centres seeking to be admitted to a Residential Centre. Each Request is reviewed by Outreach Workers who form part of the Day Centre Advice Teams. This is a “triage” process where the known status of the person asking to be referred is checked on the central database of rough sleepers (called CHAIN) to see if they have been “verified” (which means have been found rough sleeping by an Outreach Team, or has had other recorded contacts). Using this and other information the Outreach Teams, often with the advice of other advice and crisis staff, will decide whether to offer them a place at a Residential Centre. The more detailed process, and criteria for decision making here, is in the “Referrals Process” guidance below.

Guest Entry Criteria………….

First, it is a focal point for referral to, or support for, housing and housing related services who work with homeless people all year round. The main ones – explained in more detail below - are:

Outreach (Street Rescue) teams.. Outreach team members are integral parts of the advice team, and many guests will have details of their rough sleeping locations referred to outreach teams at the end of the Christmas event Housing Options teams – Local Authority housing department services ( what used to be Homeless Persons Units or HPU’s). An important aspect of the advice service is to identify guests who have a statutory entitlement to housing due to their vulnerability in terms of the housing legislation, and in most of these cases to advocate immediately on their behalf No Second Night Out. (NSNO) This is a new initiative which has the aim of stopping rough sleeping as soon as it starts by helping newly arrived rough sleepers to go back to where they came from (with clear attention paid to vulnerability, safety, and other options where simple return is not possible) apart from rough sleeping). In fact we will not refer guests to this service direct from Crisis, but will be using guidance from NSNO to deliver the same message that moving to a life of rough sleeping is dangerous, unhealthy, and almost any other alternative is preferable.

What does Advice Service do? 1………….

Second, it provides advice on a range of other general issues, including but not exclusively:

Other housing issues such as harassment, disrepair, and other tenancy matters Welfare benefits issues – we normally raise these with DWP on the final days when the DWP system is up (again, more below on this) Other legal issues such as immigration or domestic violence Any other matter which arises

What does Advice Service do? 2………….

Third, the issue of Eastern European) guests should be flagged. There are special events for these guests, and a range of translators and information. They have different rights and issues, and specific guidance and information will be provided about this.

What does Advice Service do? 3………….

Yes! The first two days in the Day Centres tend to be dominated by the triage process as guests are referred to the Residential Centres. As a Residential centre our focus will be on the Outreach Teams seeing each one and assessing needs and where ‘advice; is also needed then Advice at Day Centre will provide that support also to guests.

Xmas day tends to be quiet from an advice perspective, and some Centres do not provide an Advice Service After Xmas guests begin to visit Advice to raise a range of issues. Often these can only be fully progressed when regular services are open on 28th and 29th December – so guests may have to return on these days On 28th - 29th December there is also a push to ensure that guest information is recorded and passed on to the regular services. This may, for example, be preparing the outreach referral sheets which tell street outreach teams where guests are regularly sleeping rough so they can be found on the streets; taking guests to Housing Options offices to present as Statutorily Homeless; or preparing information to refer the guest to a CAB or other service for follow up assistance At the end there is some activity to ensure that the most needs of the most vulnerable guests are addressed in the short term – but there is no follow on shelter - (unless there is a cold weather emergency).

Advice Service Routine….……….

Guests will arrive at the Advice Service and someone will check with them that they want advice on some specific matter (and are not just looking for the cinema or new shoes….) Information will be available in different languages for guests who may not be English speakers, and there are also translators to assist (in the centres generally) Each guest’s basic details will be already recorded on the Crisis at Christmas C-Log database (using details taken at the door) and so the first thing to do is check C-Log to see what we know already about the guest. Look out for the red flag which may show on the front C-Log page at the middle on the right, round a box marked “SA”. If this is lit up, review the issue (which may be a history of violence, for example). As the week progresses this may well include details about a previous visit to the advice service. The C-Log system is set up so that you can easily print off the record of previous contact with the guest to use when they are next seen. Further details on using C-Log are below. Assuming it is a new case, gather some details about the guest and the issues, and record them on the interview sheet. There are blank sheets, or you can print one off from C-Log with the guest details. At the end if the interview, and if appropriate, do not forget to ask the guest to sign the data protection consent part of the form.

What we do in Advice Service 1.

If a follow up is required, make an appointment - (for example if we need to ring DWP on the Wednesday or Thursday). Various resources are available to assist including the CPAG handbooks, and the Citizens Advice guide called “Advisernet”. You will also have access to the internet in the office to consult any sites you might normally use. This includes the various sites run by Homeless Link which includes details of hostels, outreach teams, winter shelters, dealing with people who have no recourse to public funds, and a range of other invaluable information. The main site is at http://www.homelessuk.org/search/searchAccomSimple.asp?ds=1 and you may wish to look at this portal for further briefing on a range of topics. For any specific advice or guidance ask the Advice Services Manager who is there to provide support on any and all issues. Sometimes it will be more appropriate for the guest to see the Outreach worker – in which case see if they are available. Alternatively it may be that another team member has more relevant expertise, or that there is another adviser in an advice team in another centre. Where you don’t have the immediate knowledge or expertise, do not hesitate to check who else may be available to help, either immediately or by arrangement. There is an Advice Manual which gives details of the other services and events at Crisis, including those specifically for A10 guests. It also lists the skills of other advisers in the other centres, as well as having details of the opening times and out of hours numbers for local authority housing and social services departments in the London Boroughs. Sometimes guests just want to talk. If you are happy to do this, and there are no other guests waiting, feel free to do this. If not, there are many other volunteers in the centre who are willing and able to sit and talk to guests without necessarily seeking to deliver any specific service or attain any outcome other than companionship. Equally if the guest seems to need some more specific and intensive attention, there are specialist befrienders available to assist. Do not hesitate to gently guide guests towards there other volunteers if this is more appropriate.

What we do in Advice Service 2..

When You Arrive:

Present a copy of your shift confirmation e-mail at the entrance and you will be checked in dally.

Report to the Shift Office

Ask for the Services Liaison Volunteer, they will be able to direct you to the Advice Service area

Go to the Advice Service area for morning briefing with the Advice Service Manager Please familiarise yourself with the Centre and what is going on throughout your Centre There will be a de-brief at the end of each shift, to discuss any cases that may need more attention

About Signing in…………

Most of you are familiar with interviewing and dealing with clients, but please do remember: Before seeing a guest, check that you have the details on C-Log, particularly any issues about language and safety; Be constantly alert to safety issues. Although most guests will come to seek advice from you, some of them may have any of a range of issues to deal with (including mental health issues) and you should always interview in a safe environment, sit nearest the door and go with another volunteer if there is any suggestion of specific risks. Consult the Advice Service Manager if you have any concerns; Pay attention to the normal issues of hygiene in the Centres, particularly before you eat; Do not leave your mobile phone/pda, handbag's, case/bag etc anywhere it may get stolen – general philosophy – ‘out-of-sight-out-of temptation’.

Important Reminder.……

Information on this programme can be found at: http://www.nosecondnightout.org.uk/ The introductory section of this website sets out: No Second Night Out (NSNO) focuses on helping those who find themselves rough sleeping on the streets of London for the first time. We will ensure there is a rapid response to new rough sleepers, and will provide an offer that means they do not have to sleep out for a second night. The Mayor of London has committed to end rough sleeping in the capital and has set up the London Delivery Board (LDB). The LDB brings together partners in London who have a role in ending rough sleeping. Each week about 40 people are seen rough sleeping for the first time in London. Most of them are new to the capital. Other projects exist to support those already rough sleeping. NSNO aims to prevent someone new to rough sleeping from spiraling downwards into a long term life on the streets where they are very vulnerable to crime, drugs and alcohol, and at high risk of serious illness, and potential early death. We go live on 1st April 2011 and will focus on Camden, City of London, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Brent and Southwark. The pilot will last 6 months. We have set up a new Assessment Hub open round the clock, seven days a week. To help us respond to new rough sleepers you can call the 24/7 helpline or contact us and make an online referral here. We will offer people help so that they do not need to return to the streets; for many this will be returning to their home area, reconnecting with family and support networks. We are working with No Second Night Out and will be providing further briefing. In essence for new rough sleepers we will try to provide similar messages to those provided by NSNO – not to stay on the streets.

No Second Night Out.…

About RSRC2……………………..

The exact location of the Rough Sleepers Second Centre is confidential and will only be sent out to those volunteering at this Centre. When notified parking facilities can be checked out at http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/

This year Crisis at Christmas has secured two locations for general needs Residential Centres. These Centres will provide support to rough sleepers with a variety of support needs including alcohol and drug dependency but do not allow drinking on site. In previous years a single Rough Sleeper Centre had been used by Crisis at Christmas with up to 400 beds. This year we will provide a more intimate and personal service by splitting this centre into two. Guests in Rough Sleeper Centres tend to be very diverse, last year 69 different nationalities stayed in this centre with around 37% of guests originating from Central and Eastern Europe. Services, Activities and Entertainments run through the evenings and volunteers are on call all night to provide a listening ear.

Homelessness

44,160 Households registered themselves as Homeless in 2010/11

Rough Sleeping - Street Count Figures

The Autumn 2011 total of rough sleeping counts and estimates in England was 2,181 on any one night (An increase of 23% on 2010/11) 446 of these were in London (20% of UK total)

CHAIN data 2011/12 5,678 people were seen rough sleeping in London by outreach workers

3,825 people slept rough for the first time in London

12% Female, 47% had a UK nationality, 28% were CEE, 58% 26-45 years old

Support Need Background 47% Alcohol Issues, 29% Drug Issues, 43% Mental Health Support Need

34% been in Prison, 10% been in Armed Forces, 11% been in Care

Homelessness in England

Major Changes

•  Welfare reforms coming into place now, and in April

•  Squatting provisions in place

•  Out of London Homelessness placements

•  Over 50% rough sleepers are non UK nationals

No Second Night Out

•  63% of new rough sleepers attending the hub were assisted to find an alternative to rough sleeping and had a positive departure

•  70% of new rough sleepers linked to NSNO in the first six months of the project did not spend a second night on the streets in London

•  2,696 (70%) CHAIN (2011/12) first contacts spent only one night on street

The Changing Landscape

Guest allocation to Sleeping Centres Principal Criteria •  Any individual that can be evidenced as currently rough sleeping on the street. •  Any individual that is believed to be rough sleeping but there is a lack of evidence to confirm this, but is clearly very vulnerable and at risk. •  Targeted by Outreach: The guest is someone who Outreach, or another similar team, wish to do some work with during the week •  Specific category The guest is assessed by Outreach, or another similar team, as particularly suitable for support which is provided by one of the more specialist centres, particularly Women’s or the Gate. Criteria which incline towards Refusal •  Partners or carers •  New rough sleeper •  Past use of sleeping centre •  Being housed in temporary arrangement like sleeping with friends or in a squat •  Being housed in a hostel, supported housing or the Private Rental Sector These applicants should always be refused

Process of Guest allocation (Day Centres)

•  Outreach workers are gatekeepers

•  Advice team and admin are in support

•  Issues: Who? Transport Enough places

Guest referred to residential centre?

Outreach or Advisor--------------------------

Guest informed :- Where referred to

- Transport told time of bus (if possible)

Guest given White WristbandPriority logging ‘Red’ Referral form

filled out

Outreach or Advice Worker--------------------

Guest Assessed using Referrals Criteria

Part B of ‘Crisis Advice Service Case Record’ Form Completed

Outreach or Advisor--------------Decision

Communicated to Guest

No Yes

Advice Administrator------------------------ Guest Registers:

·∙   Completes Part A of ‘Crisis Advice Service Case Record’ Form

·∙   Checks CHAIN for guest·∙   CHAIN number added to form if

applicable.

Advice Administrator-------------------

If Guest has been referred:·∙   Priority logging ‘Red’ Referral form

entered on C-Log·∙   Guest info, time of referral and

referral number entered in Centre specific transport record sheet

Whether Guest has been referred or not:·∙   ‘Crisis Advice Service: Case

Record’ Form entered on C-Log

Referral Champion--------------------------------

Obtains ‘trigger point’ prior to centre opening from hub

**Arranges transport for Guests**

**Makes a note when guests have been dispatched on transport**

**Contacts Residential Centre to advise that transport is on way**

**Keeps check on Numbers referred to Centres**

**Contacts the Hub when agreed ‘trigger point’ referrals number

Reached**

**Relays number of Guests expected to be referred that day to

Hub**

Guest has requested somewhere to sleep and has been directed to advice service for assessment.

Guest has been given ‘Referrals Explained’ FlyerGuest enters Triage Process

Guest makes use of day centre until scheduled time of transport

Guest then collected and taken to applicable centre

Great Expectations…

Crisis At Christmas - Great

Expectations!!!

Great Expectations…

We are open from the 23rd

to 30th (29th for Residential centres)

December annually at numerous day venues

around London with some residential night accommodation

Great Expectations – When Open..…

Great Expectations – Welcoming...…

Crisis At Christmas provides

a warm clean, caring, non-judgemental

environment for homeless & rough sleepers

A time of Xmas Holidays when most services and

agencies are closed!

Great Expectations – Limitations...…

Crisis At Christmas have limited spaces and therefore will only accept referrals from bonified

referral agencies who have engaged and agreed prior arrangements with us to

Crisis At Christmas

Great Expectations – Referrals…..…

Crisis At Christmas facilities can cater for single home/

rough sleepers only – we are unable to admit under age people (below 18 years)

or families!

Great Expectations – Criteria……..…

Some stats for C@C ’12 : 9 Centres; 3,400 guests; 581 guests referred to one of the Residential Centres; 23,400 meals served during C@C week (which alone by even hotelier standards is an enormous figure); 714 medical consultations; 379 guests had their feet treated and cared for; 16,184 volunteer Shifts; in addition to hundreds of people who will have been through the doors of the Advice Service at each Day & Residential Centre; plus a host of other invaluable Services that makes up Crisis at Christmas week!

Great Expectations – Achievements…

So please understand life’s limitation and do not simply refer or

indiscriminately send guests during Crisis At Christmas or expect great expectations – even

though we accomplish so, so much!

Please contact us first!

Great Expectations – Out of Hours…

Great Expectations – Big Thank You.

To all the Centres and venues who so invaluably help us with buildings – A Big Thank You! To the residents of places where we locate each year – A Big Thank You for understanding! To all the fabulous volunteers from 18 to 80 and specialists who provide so much each year – A Big Thank you! To our funders, donors, and stakeholders equally so valued – A Big Thank You!

There are increasing demands and Great Expectations each successive year – but with all

your help, support and co-operation we will strive to

delivery services that will make a huge difference to so many

lives year on year!

Great Expectations – Service Delivery

Great Expectations – Seasons Greetings...