Oxfordshire County Council : Social Care Provider Engagement

Get Online Week starts today. This annual digital inclusion campaign is run by Good Things Foundation.

The aim of the campaign is to help tens of thousands of people get online in just one week. Whether people want to start managing their money online, learn about online safety or gain basic digital skills for employment, free community events are held across the UK for people to get connected.

Digital inclusion is important because it:

• Ensures that all members of communities, including those at a disadvantage, can access key learning experiences.
• Helps everyone, especially historically excluded groups, to fully participate in the digital world.
• Bridges the gap between those who can easily navigate the online landscape and those who are left behind.
• Aims to dismantle existing social inequalities and enhance well-being for all.
• Provides opportunities, safety, and addresses issues like gender inequality and accessibility.

Last year during Get Online Week over 865 events were held, supporting over 16,000 people to cross the digital divide in seven days.

Many of our libraries are putting on events and sessions during the week, including support to help people use the library app and online book, audio, magazine and newspaper services. Age UK is also running sessions about scam awareness and there's even a digital story time.

You can find a full list of events online.

Green Libraries Week is between 7-13 October 2024, coordinated through CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library Information Professionals) and designed to celebrate how libraries pay a role in supporting climate and sustainability. The 2024 focus is on lifelong learning for all ages and how there is always something new for us to learn, change and adapt to, however small it may seem.

Here are just a few of the ways libraries are celebrating. Contact the individual library to find out more: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/libraries/find-library

• Burford and Bampton libraries are running a competition to design a book cover for the week. Winners will get book tokens, courtesy of the Friends. Deadline: 7.10.24.
• Headington Library is running a workshop on reducing food waste: 'Does your child know where our food comes from and why it matters?' Saturday 12 October 11am to 1pm.
• Kidlington Library welcomes Wild Oxfordshire who invite you to learn about local owls, bats, badgers and bugs! Craft your own owl mask or hanging bat; feel real owl feathers; see like an insect with the UV display; help a hedgehog. Saturday 12 October 10.30-11.30am. www.wildoxfordshire.gov.uk
• Thame Library is having a junk modelling day from 10am to 3pm on Saturday 12th October. What will you create - a Recycle Monster, a Repurpose Robot or an Egg Box Zoo?

More library events can be found here: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/events?event_category=780&venue=

If you are not already aware, we have been asked to introduce Oxfordshire’s new EnergySaverApp, a tool designed to help individuals and organisations manage and reduce their energy consumption effectively.

We believe this app could be highly beneficial for your staff living in Oxfordshire and working for you.

It is available to all living in Oxfordshire with a smart meter.

Key Features of EnergySaverApp:

Real-time Energy Monitoring: Track energy usage in real-time to identify high-consumption periods.

Personalised Tips: Receive tailored advice on how to reduce energy consumption based on individual usage patterns.

Cost Savings: Implementing the app’s recommendations can lead to significant cost savings on energy bills.

Environmental Impact: Contribute to reducing our carbon footprint by adopting more sustainable energy practices.

We would appreciate it if you could share this information with your staff team in Oxfordshire.

For more information, please visit the EnergySaverApp’s website.

Spend less on your home energy bills - Energy Saver App

For a vulnerable person, living in a cold home increases their chance of serious illness or death. They are at higher risk of a heart attack or stroke, breathing problems, flu, depression and falls.

This effect occurs not just in extreme winter weather but also in moderate conditions and particularly when outdoor temperature drops below 6oC. For those with care needs, being housebound increases both the exposure to an underheated home and the cost of heating it.

SCIE have produced a handy guide fro Home care managers to support vulnerable people who may be enduring underheated homes. You can read more here.

Oxford Brookes University is proud to celebrate Black History Month in October 2024. Everyone is welcome to the events and resources to support learning, connection and awareness.

Keynote speaker

Trevor Sterling

Quitting smoking this Stoptober - Its Well Worth It!!

We are running a joint Stoptober campaign with Stop For Life Oxon and it has the Well Worth It tag line!

So...better late than never, here is the campaign toolkit and all the resources to help support the month of Stoptober.

Proud To Care Oxfordshire is on the move

The information pages are being moved to Oxfordshire County Council's website, where the site will continue to offer information on careers in care within Oxfordshire.

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/proudtocare

Please note, the recruitment functionality is no longer available. If you previously subscribed or registered to this part of Proud To Care you will have received separate notifications advising of the changes.

The decision to move the information pages and wind down the Jobs site was taken after a review of performance which showed others jobs boards to be more effective in supporting domestic and local recruitment.

To support local recruitment, we continue to

• Provide a dedicated employment specialist, (applicant support) who can be contacted on p2capplicant.support@oxfordshire.gov.uk
• Support the Care Friends digital referal and rewards app, including the addition of new reward categories

In addition, our Apprenticeship and Engagement Lead continues to work with our education and broader partners to raise awareness of, promote careers in, and develop new and innovative pathways into the sector.

We will continue to work with our partners and providers to identify new ways in which to support recruitment and retention; please do let us know if you wish to tell us about areas of specific support that you would like to see.

If you have any queries on the above please contact Nicola.dyche@oxfordshire.gov.uk

ATTENTION OXFORDSHIRE CARE PROVIDERS

Oxford (Oxfordshire) weather - Met Office

We have been made aware of localised flooding in the Thame and Cherwell areas of the county. If you provide care in those areas and you are unable to attend a visit please contact the county council immediately on 0345 050 7666, option 2.

If after 5pm please contact the Emergency Duty Team on 0800 833 408.

Thank you

Oxfordshire County Council

Skills for Care: Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) demo & funding update

Date: Wednesday 13th November 2024
Time: 10-11am
Format: Online via MS Teams (link will be available to you when you book)

BOOK HERE: https://forms.office.com/e/rjFd7e39g2

The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) helps providers to manage their workforce data and provides crucial intelligence to key decision makers such as Government, DHSC, CQC and local authorities. It also gives employers access to safe and free management of staff and training records and the ability to benchmark your workplace against similar providers. More info can be found here: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data-Set/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data-Set.aspx

The Workforce Development Fund WDF is a funding stream from the Department of Health and Social Care which is claimed from Skills for Care by the adult social care sector in England.
It funds qualifications and apprenticeships which started on or before 31 March 2024 and which will complete by 31 March 2025. https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Funding/Workforce-Development-Fund/Workforce-Development-Fund.aspx

The Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme from the DHSC is providing funding under the LDSS to support learning and development for ‘non-regulated care staff’, including deputy and Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered managers and agency staff, in England for financial year 2024 to 2025. Eligible ASC employers can claim funding for certain training courses and qualifications on behalf of eligible care staff. This funding is for eligible courses and qualifications that have been both paid for and started between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-learning-and-development-support-scheme

Having an up to date ASC-WDS account is a condition of the WDF and LDSS funding.

If you are interested to know more about ASC-WDS, are planning to update your account, haven’t looked at it for a while or want to claim Workforce Development Funding or the Learning and Development Support Service funding then this is the session for you! Come along to have a live guided tour and hear all about the many benefits and ask any questions. The session will be hosted by Rachel Reid, Marianne Davis Skills for Care locality Managers in Surrey, Berkshire, Oxfordshire.

This is a local session for providers across the Berks, Ox, Bucks and Surrey area.

Abingdon and Witney College are offering a series of fully funded courses covering a variety of different subject areas across Adult Social Care. The courses are fully Accredited and certificated by NCFE CACHE and are entirely online and self taught but with access to a tutor for marking and feedback.

There are a wide variety of courses available covering Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications designed to appeal to both those looking to get into the sector and those looking for CPD and upskilling opportunities.

The courses currently on offer include:

Customer Service for Health and Social Care Settings

Principles of Dementia Care

Understanding Dignity and Safeguarding in Adult Health and Social Care

Principles of End-of-Life Care

Principles of the Prevention and Control of Infection in Health Care Settings

Understanding Personal Care Needs

Principles of Care Planning

Understanding the Safe Handling of Medication in Health and Social Care

Care and Management of Diabetes

To see the full range of courses available, please visit Online Courses - Abingdon & Witney College (abingdon-witney.ac.uk)

Abingdon and Witney College are able to provide other free online courses in different subject areas that may be of interest to your team. For more information on these courses, and on the courses already available, please contact sadie.criscuolo@abingdon-witney.ac.uk