Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland training in Inverness 2013-14

Personal Independence Payment – 22 May 2013

Standard level

This new one-day course will give an introduction to personal independence payment (PIP), the new benefit which will start replacing DLA for working-age people in 2013.

The course will cover:

·         Who is entitled to PIP

·         The disability test

·         Claiming PIP and getting paid

·         Stays in hospital or residential care

·         Challenging PIP decisions

It is suitable for advisers with a working knowledge of existing sickness and disability benefits.

Students and benefits – an update – 30 May 2013

Experienced level

Make sure you know what benefit changes are in the pipeline and likely to affect students. Welfare reform is changing the face of our benefits system with many changes made and others still to come.

This half-day course focuses on recent developments and forthcoming changes in benefits and tax credits aimed specifically at students, and the impact more general changes might have on students.

The course includes:

·         An overview of universal credit for students

·         Personal independence payment - replacing DLA from 2013

·         Housing benefit changes and reductions

·         Changes in student support – impact on benefits and tax credits

·         Other changes in legislation and guidance

The course is aimed at advisers with a good working knowledge of the benefits and tax credits systems as they apply to students.

Universal Credit – 4 September 2013

The introduction of universal credit from October 2013 fundamentally changes the system of benefits and tax credits. This one-day course aims to equip advisers to advise clients on eligibility and entitlement to universal credit. It examines, through practical exercises and case studies how the new benefit works and through discussion gives you an opportunity to consider the likely effect on different groups of claimants.

Topics covered include:

·         The aims of universal credit

·         How it will be introduced

·         Who can get universal credit

·         Amounts and how to calculate awards

·         Claims, payments and appeals

·         Conditionality and sanctions

This course is for advisers with a working knowledge of the existing benefit system.

For details of our full training programme, visit the CPAG in Scotland website. If you have any further questions, please contact us by phoning 0141 552 3303, or email pchalmers@cpagscotland.org.uk .

DIAGEO Apprentice recruitment information evenings

Apprentice recruitment information evenings

Dingwall Academy – Thursday 18^th April – 4pm – 5.30pm

Charleston Academy, Inverness – Monday 22^nd April 4pm – 5.30pm

Diageo is committed to support the creation of Youth opportunities within Scotland.  This is a key part of our Corporate and Social responsibility that as a major employer we are keen to further.  One element of our strategy is the provision of highly skilled apprentice programmes within our mechanical and electrical engineering support functions.  To this effect, we shall have 2 vacancies (1 electrical and 1 mechanical apprentice) to commence from 1^st July 2013 within our Northern Engineering Centre located at Glen Ord Complex, Muir of Ord.  Historically, we have only advertised on our corporate website but we would like to re-enliven this process for this intake and move to a more proactive approach.  We are also keen to attract more female candidates to our application process so that we can create a more gender diverse workforce.

The event will last  1 – 1 ½ hours and include a presentation on who Diageo are, a presentation by current apprentices, plus booths with an array of achievements by past apprentices and  one featuring advice on the  c.v. / application process.  This event is open to all who wish to attend with the opportunity to ask questions and find out more information in an informal manner.

The application process will consist of online applications with c.v. followed by an assessment centre within Elgin. 

If you are interested and would like to know more we would be delighted if you could come along to either of our information evenings, or for any more information visit our website  www.diageo-careers.com.  

An Introduction to Selling

Just Enterprise is pleased to announce details of a new event in our 2013 programme of business development workshops which are aimed at assisting the growth of organisations within Scotland’s third sector:

An Introduction to Selling : Ness Horizons, Beechwood Business Park, Inverness : Wednesday 22^nd May – 10.00am to 4.00pm

Today’s economic climate is forcing Social Enterprises to become less grant dependent and more self-reliant. This free introductory workshop is ideal for those responsible for generating income on a day-to-day basis or those who must now adapt to the “new economy”.  The workshop will cover the fundamentals of selling, from preparation to questioning styles, objection handling, and how to develop a consultative approach to sales. Covering basic selling techniques and using practical examples, the course offers an introductory guide to those who are new to selling, may currently feel intimidated by the challenge, or wish to improve their performance.

Who should attend?

This event is targeted at those Enterprising Third Sector organisations that are developing new markets or are trying to sell products and services into existing markets. Whether in Retail, the Arts, or business start-up, we provide the foundations for successful conversion. Attendees may include:

a)            Staff or Volunteers:        Those charged with active or occasional selling at a local level and who may benefit from a more methodical understanding of the process of selling.

b)            Decision makers:              More senior staff required to take a more active approach to secure funding or sell Enterprise services.

Learning Outcomes

·         Understand customer needs and motivations for purchase

·         Defining the 7 step sales process

·         How to control the momentum and content of a conversation

·         Learn the art of active listening and when to recognise buying signals

·         How and when to present solutions

·         Overcome customer objections

·         Identify when to close the sale and utilise closing techniques

·         Build customer relationships through sales and marketing follow-up

·         Setting realistic goals after the sale

Visit the Just Enterprise website at www.justenterprise.org/learning

or call Just Enterprise direct on 0141 425 2939

The Safer Highland Partnership, series of events across Highlands

The Safer Highland Partnership is the strategic group responsible for overseeing a range of Public Protection issues in Highland. In order to provide an overview of the work of the Partnership and key elements within it, a series of events will take place across Highland during 2013:

Thurso – 1st May 2013
Inverness - 19th August 2013
Skye - 11th September 2013
Fort William – 16th September 2013
Dingwall - 3rd October 2013

This one day event will bring together practitioners from a range of agencies to discuss various aspects of Safer Highland including:
• Adult Support & Protection
• Child Protection
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)
• Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC)
• Violence Against Women
• Youth Justice and the Youth Action Service

The workshops will deliver basic awareness in relation to Drugs and Alcohol, Violence Against Women and Managing Sex Offenders in Highland. They will also provide an overview of the work of the Youth Action Service and MARAC as well as providing an opportunity for some case study discussions exploring the links between these topics and child and adult protection.

Please note, this event does not replace training in relation to any of these topics, but aims to give you an opportunity to find out more and discuss the links between the various strands.

Who should attend?
Anyone with an interest in Public Protection issues and those with specific roles in relation to one or more of the topics listed above. Some prior knowledge of child and adult protection will be assumed.

Apply via website: www.kcs-highland.org.uk

An inspiring new BBC One programme..

Longing to say ‘thank you’ to someone, but have no idea
how to find them?
Desperate to say ‘sorry’ but don’t know where to
begin?

An inspiring new BBC One programme can help..

THE GIFT
From the makers of the acclaimed genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, and the hit family reunion series Long Lost Family, The Gift (working title) is an inspirational new programme for BBC One that helps people express their gratitude or make amends.

Is there someone who has changed the course of your life forever? Someone you never got the chance to thank properly? Or someone you’ve wronged in the past who you feel a burning need to apologise to? Do you long to talk to them but can’t find the
courage to do it alone? What if you’ve lost touch with them altogether?

Living with an unpaid debt of gratitude or a long overdue apology can be an enormous burden. For many thousands of people across Britain, it’s often impossible to move on until you’ve had the chance to express your feelings in person. The Gift is the programme that can help. From tracking down the stranger who saved your life to
helping you build bridges with people who you’ve seriously wronged in past, The Gift can end the years of guilt, worry or longing and finally let you begin to find closure.

With a team of professional mediators, psychologists and experts in tracing people, The Gift will document the stories of people who want to seek forgiveness or express their gratitude and need our help to do so. We’ll track down the people they want to find, support them as they prepare for a face to face meeting, and film them selecting a gift, which might be a token of thanks or to make amends.

The Gift is planned for broadcast by BBC One in a primetime mid-week slot and will be presented by a well known TV personality.

Wall to Wall Television is one of the UK’s leading production companies, with a reputation for producing ground-breaking, intelligent and sensitively made television content. Programmes include the internationally acclaimed genealogy series Who Do
You Think You Are?, and the hit family reunion series Long Lost Family, as well as award-winning TV drama The Girl, and entertainment phenomenon The Voice UK.

For further information please contact:
Sonia Sohal
Wall to Wall Television
0207 424 7703
www.walltowall.co.uk/thegift.aspx

Help us Clean Up Scotland

Help us Clean Up Scotland. Take the pledge atwww.cleanupscotland.com/pledge

Keep Scotland Beautiful, First Floor, Strathallan House, The Castle Business Park, Stirling, FK9 4TZ
t: 01786 471333(switchboard) f: 01786 464611 e: 
info@keepscotlandbeautiful.org w:www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org

Introduction to Coastal Communities Fund

Join us for a Webinar on April 16
The second round of HM Treasury's Coastal Communities Fund is being delivered by BIG Fund. Following the publication of the new Coastal Communities guidance, this webinar will give potential applicants the opportunity to find out more about the fund from BIG staff, and to ask any questions they may have.

Previous participants have found webinars convenient and user friendly and we will start with a brief user guide.
Title: Introduction to Coastal Communities Fund
Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM BST
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Mac®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer

Mobile attendees
Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet


Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/772280598

Volunteer Development Scotland

We currently have the following one day courses that are available to book:

• Promoting Equality and Diversity in Volunteering Policy and Practice, Dundee, 26 April.
• Matching Volunteers to Roles and Tasks, Glasgow, 28 May.
• Developing a Volunteer Policy, Edinburgh, 13 June.
• Supporting and Supervising Volunteers, Glasgow, 13 August.

Please contact us at vds@vds.org.uk

www.vds.org.uk

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PART OF BRIAN TAYLOR’S BIG DEBATE?

WHERE: Highland Council Debating Chamber, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX
WHEN: Friday 19th April
TIMES: Doors open at the venue at 11:00am the show is on air from 12pm - 1pm
BOOK ONLINE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-15190428
PANEL: Conservative MSP Mary Scanlon will be joined by Dr David Alston, Deputy Leader of Highland Council.

Every week the programme visits a different part of Scotland with BBC Scotland’s Political Editor Brian Taylor. Brian chairs a panel of four speakers from the world of Politics, Arts, Science, Business and other areas of public life and ONLY the audience can ask them questions.

We look for questions on the most stimulating moral, political and social issues of the day - the current issues that will get people talking. So the programme gives YOU the opportunity to challenge politicians, policy makers, writers and thinkers.

Questions should be brief and to the point if possible and can be on any topic you like. As the programme broadcasts to a Scotland wide audience, we look for issues that raise matters of genuine national interest and remember to keep an eye on the week’s news. Once you know what you want to ask, email your question to us at brian@bbc.co.uk by 10am Thursday 18th April. Please be aware we’re not able to guarantee that all questions will be used.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN INVERNESS ON FRIDAY 19TH APRIL!

Volunteer with British Red Cross

Role Description: Health and Social Care, Care in the Home Volunteer (CIH)

About this service

In the UK, our health and social care work offers valuable time-limited support for individuals vulnerable to crisis. From people recovering from illness, surgery or an accident, to struggling with a life-changing event, Care in the Home volunteers enable people to live as independently as they can at home, building trusting relationships and helping them to regain their confidence and well-being. Working closely with health and social services colleagues, volunteers can make the difference in preventing an admission to hospital or supporting a timely discharge home.

About this role

The aim of the Care in the Home service is to place the person at the centre of what we do and help them get through a crisis by offering positive encouragement, practical help and emotional support, for a few days or for longer, depending on their needs.

Typical tasks include

>     Visiting the service user on their arrival home from hospital

>     Keeping someone company for a few hours at a time

>     Helping with practical tasks like shopping, collecting prescriptions and light meal preparation 

>     Sitting with the service user and relieving the relative or carer of continuous care

>     Keeping paper records of contact and activities undertaken with the service user

For further information, please