Targeted and personalised employment support is being offered to parents in Essex. Thanks to the Essex Opportunities Portal, parents can now book an appointment with a qualified Employment and Skills Advisor. The advisor will provide online, telephone and outreach support. They will discuss individuals’ employment goals and aspirations and have in-depth knowledge of jobs opportunities, careers advice and skills and training. The advisor can also help with things like interview preparations and presentation of CVs.
Funded by Essex County Council and Southend Borough Council, the Essex Opportunities Portal is a one stop shop for information and advice on jobs, careers, skills and training. If you would like to speak with an adviser for information, advice and guidance please call 03330 320509 or email [email protected].
Cllr Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community, Equality, Partnership and Performance of Essex County Council, said: “I am delighted that the new Employment and Skills Advisor is now in post and ready to offer help to parents, identifying new ways to develop their skills or approach a new job, while reflecting on their existing individual family needs and commitments. “This fully supports the delivery of our Everyone’s Essex strategy and is another positive step in our aims to level up the County and widen opportunities and support to our working families, so that more people in Essex can fulfil their potential.”
An online workshop is taking place on Monday 21 which will look at how the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) will be involved in the Herts and West Essex Integrated Care System when it comes into existence on 1 July this year.
This involvement is a duty of the ICS and its work to improve the health and wellbeing of residents which is why you are invited to join CVS Uttlesford, Rainbow Services (Harlow) and Voluntary Action Epping Forest to help shape the new Alliance for the VCFSE and make sure your voice is heard by the ICS.
An online workshop is taking place from 10am to 12noon on Monday 21 February – the link below will offer further information about the event as well as the opportunity to sign up.
To apply for this position please download and complete the three-part application form at the bottom of this page and send it to [email protected] by the closing date of Friday 25th February 2022.
More people are seeking one-to-one support from Citizens Advice than at any point during the pandemic. That’s according to stark new figures released today which reveal the enormous pressures facing households even before major increases to energy bills kick in this April.
The charity warns that crisis support – including referrals to food banks and advice on emergency one-off grants – is at the highest level on record. Similarly, advice on managing energy debts has reached unprecedented heights.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“Cost-of-living pressures are at boiling point. April’s price hikes haven’t yet hit and already people are turning to our services in record numbers.
“Frontline advisers are hearing desperate stories of families living in just one room to keep warm, people turning off their fridges to save money and others relying on hot water bottles instead of heating due to fears about mounting bills.
“Our data has reached red alert levels. If the government doesn’t act soon and bring forward a package of support for those on the lowest incomes, many more households will be pushed beyond breaking point.”
“Unwelcome records” this January
In January more than 270,000 people sought one-to-one advice from Citizens Advice, topping a previous high of 265,000 who sought the charity’s help in November 2021. Demand for support is now higher than at any point since the pandemic began
A staggering 24,000 people helped by the charity’s advisers required some type of crisis support such as food bank vouchers and charitable payments. This is the highest on record for the charity, passing the previous peak only set in December 2021
In total 13% of people supported by frontline staff at Citizens Advice since the new year have needed some form of crisis support
The number of people supported with energy debts hit more than 8,000, the highest on record. And debts are rising too, with the average energy debt now standing at £1,450, up from £1,330 in 2020
How to support low-income households through the cost-of-living crisis
To help people weather the cost-of-living crisis, Citizens Advice is urging the government to bring forward a package of measures.
This includes a one-off grant to help people with energy bills to be paid through the benefits system this April, and an expanded Warm Home Discount scheme for Winter 2022 when prices are due to rise again.
“They just keep taking money from all angles” – mother-of-two Ruth from Sunderland
Ruth, 26, lives in a two-bed house with her two young children. She has found her bills rising uncontrollably over the last few months.
“I’m struggling to get by, the money just keeps going up and up and up. They just keep taking money from all angles.
“I knew my energy bills were going to go up but didn’t realise it would go up this much. This week we’ve been living on rations and I’ve thought about ringing the food bank but it’s half an hour away and I can’t afford a taxi or bus.”
“I’ve had to dip into my rent money just to buy some nappies and washing powder. We’ve been spending most of our time at my Nana’s just for some heating and electricity.”
“It feels absolutely relentless” – Rebecca Shiers, energy adviser at Citizens Advice Plymouth
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen. The amount of people seeking help and the stories I’m hearing, it feels absolutely relentless.
“I’ve spoken with a widower who’d built up energy debts trying to keep his home warm for his terminally ill wife. He’s scared about how he’s to repay those arrears and how he’ll cope with further price rises. I’ve also helped a veteran who can’t work due to PTSD. They needed crisis support because rising energy bills are pushing them into the red each and every month.
“I usually spend time with people reviewing and challenging their budgets to see where savings can be made. With prices rocketing for most people I’m getting to the point where there’s nothing left to cut from.”
Notes to editors
Our model of the number of people who sought advice from Citizens Advice in this period is based on data for one-to-one phone advice covering England and Wales. It does not include Citizens Advice consumer service or Witness Service data. Comparison period is defined as April 2020-January 2022. Citizens Advice transitioned to phone and online services when lockdown restrictions were imposed on 23 March 2020. Comparable data on demand for the charity’s services from before April 2020 is not available. This model estimates that over 270,000 people sought advice in January 2022.
Comparable data on one-to-one advice provided with crisis support goes back to 2019. Comparable data on one-to-one advice provided with energy debts is available back to 2014.
Of the estimated over 270,000 people who sought advice in January 2022, Citizens Advice supported just under 181,000. Just over 24,000 of those clients were referred for crisis support.
The median fuel debt arrears held by people who undertook a debt assessment between 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2021 was £1446. The median fuel debt arrears held by people who undertook a debt assessment between 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2020 was £1327.
Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.
We helped 2.4 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2020-21. And we had 40 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 2,600 service outlets across England and Wales.
Citizens Advice is the largest provider of free, multi-channel debt advice. Providing that help gives Citizens Advice unique insight into the types of debts people struggle with.
Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
The Citizens Advice Witness Service provides free and independent support for both prosecution and defence witnesses in every criminal court in England and Wales.
Citizens Advice also offers Pension Wise appointments across England and Wales.
You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.
Essex Is United – VCS And Community Group Support is a place for Essex VCS and community group leaders to connect with the Strengthening Communities Team at Essex County Council. Ask questions, meet new people, and find out more about support that is available to help you carry on the amazing work that you already do.
If you would like to join the group please, click here.
Gaming fundraisers can be real donation earners for charities. But is it really that simple? Give as you Live Donate break down exactly what gaming fundraising entails and whether it could work for your charity.
You’ve probably heard all about gaming fundraisers and how successful they can be in raising funds for your charity, but getting your head around how they work can be a minefield. From understanding the tech to getting the terminology right, it can often be daunting to step into the unknown in the world of fundraising.
Give as you Live Donate – a UK fundraising platform with 16 years’ fundraising experience and more than £14 million raised – are keen to make navigating new and exciting fundraising methods as easy as possible. That’s why, in addition to their new Gaming toolkit – an online hub of marketing assets so that you can run your own gaming fundraisers, and their Gaming Hub webpage – they’ve made a short video to help answer some common gaming fundraising questions.
Gaming to fundraise isn’t a new concept. Avid gamers are likely to have watched or even taken part in a gaming fundraiser already. But how exactly does playing games generate donations for charity?
The answer is simple: streaming. When gamers switch on consoles or computers, many choose to share that game with their friends. Friends, other gamers, and even gaming rivals can tune in to watch the game in action. This is streaming and it normally happens using a popular website called Twitch, which was built specifically for streaming gameplay around the world.
When streaming online, the gamer can add donate buttons to their stream – much like charities have a donate button on their website. This will usually link up to a fundraising page where the gamer can keep track of the donations coming in, in much the same way a marathon runner does.
By hosting a donate button on screen, the gamer can engage their audience into making donations in return for gaming activity. A gamer could host a 24-hour gaming marathon, for example, or they could host a tournament with other gamers.
It might be a lot to take in, but the good news is that it can be simple to host – because the gamer does most of the work for you. Give as you Live Donate can also enhance the experience – gamers can livestream their gameplay straight to their fundraising page via Twitch, and the Give as you Live Donate team have all the expertise to help you set up your very first gaming fundraiser.
Why choose Give as you Live Donate? Well, they’ve been supporting UK charities since 2005 – and they’ve learned a lot along the way. As well as providing digital fundraising solutions that can be accessed at the click of a button, their bespoke fundraising campaign service is providing online fundraising hubs that enable supporters to engage with fundraising efforts in a variety of ways.
To find out more about Give as you Live Donate’s fundraising solutions and how they can help you run successful gaming fundraisers, visit the Give as you Live website or contact Annabelle Risdon, Head of Charities, by emailing [email protected]
This particular initiative aims to provide emotional and mental health support for men aged 18+. It’s a safe and confidential space to explore thoughts and feelings without judgement.
Targeted and personalised employment support is being offered to parents in Essex. Thanks to the Essex Opportunities Portal, parents can now book an appointment with a qualified Employment and Skills Advisor. The advisor will provide online, telephone and outreach support. They will discuss individuals’ employment goals and aspirations and have in-depth knowledge of jobs opportunities, careers advice and skills and training.
The advisor can also help with things like interview preparations and presentation of CVs. Funded by Essex County Council and Southend Borough Council, the Essex Opportunities Portal is a one stop shop for information and advice on jobs, careers, skills and training.
If you would like to speak with an adviser for information, advice and guidance please call 03330 320509 or email [email protected]
Cllr Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community, Equality, Partnership and Performance of Essex County Council, said: “I am delighted that the new Employment and Skills Advisor is now in post and ready to offer help to parents, identifying new ways to develop their skills or approach a new job, while reflecting on their existing individual family needs and commitments.
“This fully supports the delivery of our Everyone’s Essex strategy and is another positive step in our aims to level up the County and widen opportunities and support to our working families, so that more people in Essex can fulfil their potential.”
The successful candidate(s) will work alongside EPUT, CRG, the Police and Full Circle to support vulnerable individuals, including young people into treatment/services in a bid to divert them from reoffending or custody, this will also include completing DRR/ATR assessments and ensuring high quality reports to assist the Court in imposing appropriate disposals for those with alcohol and/or drug misuse issues. The role is based in the community within criminal justice settings, however there is also the flexibility and currently hybrid working, with some tasks being carried out whilst working from home.
To join us as a Recovery Support Worker, you will need:
-Experience of working with individuals of all ages in a therapeutic/supportive role.
– An understanding of the complex issues presented by individuals within the criminal justice setting.
– A desire to work in collaboration with health providers, the police, youth services, mental health & substance misuse organisations.
– Experience of the substance misuse sector or related field.
An NVQ Level 3 in Care (DANOS accredited) or equivalent, or the willingness to work towards an agreed number of modules within your probationary period would be beneficial to your application. Knowledge of DANOS would also be an advantage.
About Us
Phoenix Futures Group is a charity with over 50 years’ experience and a leading provider of drug and alcohol treatment.
Our values are what define us and ensure we work to the highest standards. We believe in being the best, we are passionate about recovery, we value our history and use it to inform our future.
We work with local authorities, other charities and service providers across the country to deliver innovative programmes and projects that change lives for the better, setting people on the path to health and emotional well-being.
We provide a diverse range of services, our expertise in psychosocial treatment and support is the common thread that runs through everything we do. People need psychological interventions, social support, meaningful use of time, sense of purpose and a place of safety to sustain their recovery. At our core, we support people, families and communities to recover from drug and alcohol dependency.
In partnership with EPUT and CRG, we are now looking for a Recovery Support Worker to help deliver our Essex Health & Justice Service. This role operates on a 1 year fixed term contract, working 37.5 hours per week (excluding breaks).
Your Rewards
– Salary of £21,548.24 per annum pro rata
– 25 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays (increasing each year to a maximum of 30 days)
– Benefits including season ticket loan, pension scheme and life assurance
– Support through occupational sick pay, eye-care vouchers and regular wellbeing talks and activities
– Continuous training and career development via PXL our dedicated learning management system
– Phoenix rewards, new employee benefits platform, you’ll have access to amazing savings on groceries, high-street shopping, home & garden, the latest tech, holidays, household bills and much more.
This is a great opportunity for a professional with experience of working in the field of drug and/or alcohol treatment to join our charity and put their expertise and experience to good use, helping support the Essex Health & Justice Service in Harlow.
We’ll ensure you get all the support you need to thrive and succeed in your role and find your place amongst our incredible and collaborative team.
We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and believe it is important to include people with lived experience to ensure the needs of the people we support are represented. We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where everyone is free to be themselves and we ensure equity of opportunity.
It is a condition of employment that your vaccination status is recorded where necessary.
So, if you’re seeking your next challenge as a Recovery Support Worker, please apply today.