News – Inspirit

February 1, 2022February 1, 2022 inspiritwpadmin Community engagement, Coproduction, Development, Growth, Health and wellbeing, Participation, Service User Involvement

FREESPACE begins again

FREESPACE ran at our Temple Yard Mews for several years. It was a successful creative space, enabling artists of all approaches who were struggling with substances to come and join a developing community of supportive peers. After a hiatus of three years, we have finally found a space and a way to continue. This is the first peer-led delivery as part of the Hariney Peers Co-production Project at the Pavilion in Chapman’s Green.

From Wednesday the 9th February, Inspirit members Ross and Linda will continue the work. We will be opening the Pavilion from 11am to 5pm every other Wednesday for Haringey peers in recovery to join us to develop their creative practice. FREESPACE is not an art class, it a space where you can come play, learn, discover. Each week there will be a prepared activity for those who are uncertain about what they would like to do – however attendees are encouraged to bring their own work or ideas to develolp where possible.

September 14, 2021September 15, 2021 inspiritwpadmin Coproduction

We had fun with Fulfilling Lives LSL!

The Fulfilling Lives Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham seminar on Co-production this morning was so inspiring. We wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who took part. From the brilliant panelists to the enthusiastic participants. Everyone mattered here today. Thank you Charlotte and Tony McKenzie for your amazing descriptions of your experiences. I feel lucky to have been invited. We got the chance to big up our Haringey Strategic Co-production group and the support we have provided for their development. With so many people thinking deeply about involvement, equality, inclusion and co-production… how can we fail!!!

September 1, 2021September 6, 2021 inspiritwpadmin Coproduction

New Inspirit Diploma from October 2021

We are almost ready to begin recruitment for the new Diploma delivery (Health and Social Care – Multiple Disadvantage and Substance Misuse).

The new course will be blended learning with information sessions delivered online and more interpersonal learning conducted in group face to face. We will find placements for people and support them towards employment.

There is funding for participants from Haringey and Enfield. The cost for this course is £3500.

Watch this speace for more information.

September 1, 2021September 10, 2021 inspiritwpadmin Community engagement, Coproduction, Participation, Service User Involvement, Vacancies

Inspirit are recruiting.

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We are recruiting a Peer Engagement Worker to join our new Haringey Peer Led project. The post is suited to someone with lived experience, ideally from Haringey who has good stability and self management.

The aim of the post is to co-facilitate the Pavilion community project through active co-production with Strategic Co-production Group (SCG) and peer volunteers to develop and deliver a range of peer led activities including the café. You will be seeking to improve community connection, purposeful activity and personal development for service users and people leaving treatment. Also you will recruit volunteers with various lived experiences and skills and to ensure those peer volunteers are supported in a way that enables safe practice.

This post is aimed at someone who has lived experience of using substance misuse services, preferably in Haringey. We would like to recruit someone who can fulfil the Job requirements competently from day one. However, we are willing to consider someone with less experience and willing to be trained during the probationary period and paid at the Inspirit trainee rate during that time.

The post is for 14 hours a week, although you may be able to work flexibly, this role requires physical presence in the building twice a week in negotiation with other staff. You will be expected to attend team meetings and group supervision which may be online. You will need some knowledge of both safeguarding and risk assessment.

Closing date for applications are 10am 17^th September

Interviews are on 21^st September

We are hoping to recruit someone who will be available to week beginning 4^th October 2021

Interested? Contact Linda at l.bush@inspirit-training.org.uk

March 13, 2021March 13, 2021 inspiritwpadmin Change, Community engagement, Coproduction, Development, Growth, Participation, Service User Involvement

New Beginnings

We are embarking on a partnership with Friends of Chapman’s Green, a local community group who have been looking after this disused bowling club and green for a number of years. We aim to turn it into a community hub that will enable Inspirit to have a base for operations including training and other projects to support people leaving treatment to continue to learn and grow and be part of the local community.

We have set up a fundraiser at the Go Fund Me website, to raise much needed money to refurbish the very old and broken-down kitchen. Link below. Please visit the site and give what you can, sharing with others would be wonderful too!!

https://gofund.me/f8cc61b4

February 10, 2021 inspiritwpadmin Coproduction

All Change Please!

Inspirit have now left the lovely office at the Ethical Property Green House in Bethnal Green. The everchanging fortunes of small charities mean we have to be responsive to new situations. Covid has taken a toll and with the end of the PPP project, we are moving to smaller but more flexible premises. In truth, Inspirit has been looking for a new ‘spiritual home’ since our exceptional ‘Temple Yard’ days. I’m hopeful that we just might have found it. We have a strong relationship with Haringey and have been working with service users there in various ways since 2014 (earlier if you include training some of their workforce through the NVQ then Diploma courses). Our Director of Development has been in negotiation with Friends of Chapman’s Green and Haringey Parks department to take on a new premises as our base office and centre of operations. We are hoping to share it with at least one other community group but it is early days, and there is work to be done in the building. Watch this space for new information!

January 28, 2021January 28, 2021 inspiritwpadmin Best Practice, Change, Coproduction, Development, Growth, Training

Learning for life

Inspirit is currently working with Fulfilling Lives in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. We have been training a group of people with lived experience to be community partners. Their roles are varied but the prime purpose is to work with other service users or local partners to develop systems with better outcomes for marginalised service users. One of the most wonderful aspects to this work is the group’s absolute commitment to learning and development, all in the service of being the best that they can be. They are now glowing with confidence and self-awareness. No defence, just pure curiosity, exploration, practice and dialogue.

Now we are about to embark on another journey with newly recruited Experts by Experience who will act as consultants for the wider objective of system change. It’s been a long time coming!

January 27, 2021January 27, 2021 inspiritwpadmin Best Practice, Coproduction, Participation, Patient & Public Participation Project, Service User Involvement

Goodbye PPP

On 15 December 2021 the fabulous PPP team got together for the last time. This wonderful bunch of humans who have demonstrated remarkable commitment to amplifying the voices of those marginalised by the criminal justice system are going their separate ways. The Health and Justice team at NHSE/I London decided to select none of the applicants for the new Patient and Public Voice contract. Instead they are revising the ‘spec’ in the light of Covid 19. This was, of course, a huge disappointment to our tireless representatives.

We were lucky that our planned celebration of their generosity was just before the London lockdown. (unlike the date planned for the staff ending – which to our dismay has still not happened, watch this space – if we are ever allowed to mix households again, we will still make that happen!)

By group consensus we agreed to go to Wagamama, which always has something for everyone. Sadly one of our members was stuck in South Africa for the covid duration, and our own illustrious Mark unavoidably elsewhere. Despite this we made the best of it and managed to laugh and cry the night away. I know I’ll get to work with these stellar individuals again, but for now, this is the end of an era.

August 18, 2020August 20, 2020 inspiritwpadmin Coproduction, Participation, Service User Involvement

PPP Recruitment August 2020

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The PPP team are recruiting!! The London Health and Justice Patient and Public Participation Subgroup are looking for new members. Have you or your family members had experience of healthcare (or lack of it) in a justice setting?? – then talk to us. You may be financially rewarded for your time and you get to be involved in some important and interesting projects that benefit people who need care in the justice settings – such as helping decide what future services look like and who delivers them, supporting changes in the response to mental health issues or substance misuse when picked up by the police (Liaison and Diversion Services) and much more…

Contact a.todd@inspirit-training.org.uk for more information or to express interest

July 1, 2020August 19, 2020 inspiritwpadmin Coproduction, Participation, Patient & Public Participation Project, Service User Involvement

Haringey Strategic Coproduction

Inspirit has been commissioned by Sarah Hart, Senior Public Health Commissioner, Haringey, to support the development of a service user led strategic group. The aim of the group is to support commissioning and the strategic development of substance misuse services in Haringey. Inspirit’s role is to recruit a small group, train them and support them to co-produce their own operating processes until they feel robust enough to work independently.

This is very exciting and those involved have been enthusiastically included by commissioners in the response to covid-19. Inspirit are currently supporting the new group to develop a peer research project regarding the recent loss of a well-liked user led community service in Haringey.. The results will be published here.