Page 14 - Community Living Magazine 33-4

coronavirus

Creative in the crisis Steps to Work team. Sessions include
wellbeing activities, quizzes, Strawberry
Field‘s Got Talent and messages of hope
and reflection. Trainees have made
“self-soothing boxes” containing items that
Support providers, dance companies, employment projects and make them feel better and taken part in
counsellors have all had to work differently and adapt to life in online lessons on how to draw cartoons.
Our trainees say Steps from Home
lockdown over Covid-19 – rapidly and radically offers opportunities to socialise as well as

providing encouragement and support.
s the country went into lockdown, ‘We shocked ourselves’
organisations supporting people Noelle Blackman, chief executive of
Awith learning disabilities had to Respond, which works with people with
respond fast, and show imagination, learning disabilities who have experienced
flexibility and boldness. abuse or trauma
The core of our work is psychotherapy
Creative amid chaos and our other services are informed by
Jo Adshead, chief executive of Linkability, this. The pandemic and the notion of
a care and support provider, Lancashire social distancing have challenged our key
We’ve come a long way since the extent ethos of basing our work around personal
of our advice was to wash your hands. We relationships and being connected to the
wondered at first if coronavirus would hit Training, counselling, exercise classes and people that we support.
Greater Manchester and Lancashire’s quizzes have been provided online It would be so much better to refer to
market towns where we work in the same “physical” rather than “social” distancing.
way as it had other places. while two of them had symptoms, leaving During such a time of crisis, we need to be
Then we began to help anxious families her two young children with her husband. in social contact to support one another.
debating how over-70s self-isolation The rest of the team made rainbows for With this in mind, we shocked ourselves
would work alongside supporting sons the women to wake up to on their front as an organisation by managing to move
and daughters. Staff teams were also lawn and delivered pizzas to the doorstep. 90% of the people in therapy or receiving
making plans for their own vulnerable Teams have thought up creative ways to advocacy support to video platforms or
relatives, work and their own health, and occupy and comfort people and establish telephone sessions within the first week
worrying about loved ones elsewhere. reassuring routines, including afternoon or so of lockdown.
Yes, we’ve had PPE issues but, so far, tea and activities in the sunshine. Most of our team would have thought
we’ve overcome them – our reception What has been striking is a real sense this impossible a few months ago and
area is now a warehouse with distribution that we are all in this together and no one been against working this way. However,
through the side window. Our staff at all is unaffected. We’ve laughed and cried. wanting to stay connected has made the
levels are truly amazing; they’ve worked We’re in chaos but then we’ve always transition relatively smooth and successful.
many, many additional hours, complied thrived in ever-changing situations. It’s It is not as good as being in the room
with social distancing and kept this how we are, and we quite like that. with someone but it is good enough and
terrible virus out of our organisation But we do wish this awful virus would we are pleased that we have been able to
(fingers crossed and crossed again). go away. keep these important connections going.
There has been little or no staff absence Next, we want to redesign some of
other than those who have been shielding Virtually interactive our training so it can be delivered online.
or have had symptoms, and, even then, Peter Rainford, volunteer at Strawberry This is difficult as much of it is based on
people have been fighting to get back. Field Steps to Work programme, Salvation experience and observation, but we are
One employee made her lorry driver Army, Liverpool excited to see what we can create.
husband stay in an empty flat she knew of We have all had to change how we work
so she could get back quicker. and be more creative. The Strawberry Practical help and legal advocacy
Another took up residence with the Field Steps to Work scheme has responded Dolly Galvis, chief executive officer of the
three women she supports for two weeks by creating Steps from Home. Elfrida Society, advocacy and support
Steps to Work reaches out to adults aged provider, London Borough of Islington
18-25 with learning difficulties or other Our advocacy team quickly changed
barriers to employment through a training working practices to ensure Islington’s
hub at the Strawberry Field centre, and Covid-19 response teams and resources
arranges work placements in Liverpool. were accessible to people with
Keeping trainees motivated and learning disabilities.
supported has been key. Our virtual We are working with Islington Learning Eugene Kim/Flickr; Strawberry Field/Salvation Army
activities include exercises, reflective quotes Disability Partnership to ensure those
and sharing happy memories. Technology most at risk are assessed and support is in
has allowed an informal way of “keeping place. As well as social services, we work
in touch” to evolve into Steps from Home. alongside We Are Islington (the council’s
Strawberry Field trainees interact daily with Each day, trainees spend up to an hour helpline), mutual aid teams, mental
each other and the Steps to Work team interacting with each other online and the health support services, health
14 Vol 33 No 4 | Summer 2020 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk