Tag: charity

We’re back with another Options’ Tea Party!

On the 28th of June this year (2024) we will be holding our yearly Tea Party. ‘…dynamic and inclusive communities.’ forms a large part of Our Vision as a non-profit organisation.

Every year, besides the pandemic of course, we have celebrated being part of the community in our little neck of the woods of Liverpool’s City Centre.

The community has changed in recent years through urban development from a largely business area, to a community that now includes a much higher proportion of residential homes. Even with these changes we continue to improve and develop each year with the same aim.

This year, we’re bigger and better with contributions from Greenbank Sports Academy, Baytree Cooking Academy and a few of our very own homegrown crafters.

Our aim is to engage with those working and living in our local area and gives us the opportunity to show who we are, what we do and perhaps more importantly, how the people we support lead us in making this great event happen.

Thanks to Liverpool Parish Church of Our Lady & Saint Nicholas we host our Vintage Tea Party in St Nicholas’ Gardens. Not only does this provide us with a beautiful space in which to ‘work our magic’, but also ensures that we get to meet lots of different people who may happen to pass by. Many are delightfully surprised when they happen upon our community event and always go away a little happier.

Take a look at just some of the great photos taken from past events and come back soon for some of this year’s exciting snapshots.

We would like to thank Rob Flynn & Dave Balchin for their excellent photographic contributions and would also like to thank all our volunteers and those helping out on the day.

June 23, 2023
Lifting the Veil – Our Response
Recently, UK Parliament announced that the House of Lords Social Care Committee will be publishing a major inquiry called ‘Lifting the veil: Removing the invisibility of adult social care’. The inquiry, which will be published later this year, will consider how the invisibility of social care impacts the lives of people who draw on care and support, as well as those who provide it.

At Options, we believe that it’s really important that the voices of people we support and our staff are heard, so we asked them to have their say about how the invisibility of social care impacts them.

‘My support worker makes me feel important‘.

‘It feels as though we’re belittled, and it makes the hard days even harder knowing that some people don’t think our job is worth much’.

These are just two of the many responses we received to our call for feedback in order to provide evidence for the inquiry. Last month, we sent a survey out to all of our staff asking them for their opinions, and then went to ‘Voices R Us’ to speak to people we support. We’d like to thank everybody who took the time to share their thoughts with us.

From the comments that were made, we were able to submit a full response to the Committee which we hope reflects the views we heard. The main points that were made were:
- We feel that one of the major problems facing social care is its invisibility which is made worse by a lack of understanding of the different parts of social care. People with learning disabilities and their support staff are particularly invisible in this wider system.
- We do not think that people with learning disabilities or their support staff are valued enough in society. We know that people’s lives can be changed by good support – this can change the public’s understanding of people with learning disabilities and what support work is all about.
- We need to shift the conversation away from ‘caring for people’ towards supporting people to live full lives. This will change the public’s ideas of what support work is, and challenge perceptions about people with learning disabilities.
- Changing this conversation must involve making sure there is enough money to recruit, develop and retain great staff. It also means making sure that there is enough money to support people to actively participate in, and contribute to, their communities.
- At Options, we believe there is a lot to be learned by listening to staff and people we support. Unfortunately, we do not see this reflected by our local authorities or government when it comes to deciding how social care is delivered.
- Finally, we know the work that our staff do is undervalued – this must change. The important and skilled work that our staff do is not reflected by the wages they receive. The way social care is funded and commissioned needs to be radically changed.
Once our submission has been accepted by the Committee we will be able to publish our response in full – so watch this space!
June 1, 2022
Dennis’ Volunteering Advice

Dennis talks about his volunteering journey and his advice for anyone thinking about getting a voluntary job.

Dennis at Inspire Community Cafe.

At Options, our vision for the future is ‘a better world where people with disabilities contribute as unique and valued members of dynamic and inclusive communities’. In line with our vision, we believe that people with learning disabilities should have the same chance to contribute to their communities through voluntary or paid employment as everybody else.

Recently, our Inclusion Coordinator Clara met up with Dennis (who is supported by Options) to hear all about his volunteering journey. Clara sat down with Dennis at the Inspire Community Cafe in Wallasey – where Dennis volunteers – for a cup of tea and chat. Here’s what Clara asked Dennis:

When did you start volunteering?

I was one of the first volunteers to work at the Inspire Community Cafe, and have been here for around 4 years.

What does your role involve?

The first thing I do at the beginning of a shift is to make sure the kitchen is well-ventilated. I then make sure the cafe is clean and the washing up is done. At the end of the day, I help to wash the coffee machine to make sure it’s ready for the next day. I also help to look after a vegetable patch outside of the cafe.

During lockdown, me and my colleagues made up hundreds of meals for the local community, for people who needed them the most. This made me feel really proud, giving back to my community is very important to me.

How did you find out about the cafe and the voluntary job?

I think I heard about the cafe through one of my support staff, and then visited to see what I thought. After having a lot of different jobs in the past, I had a lot of experience and understood what would be expected of me in my voluntary role. I fitted right in and love working at the cafe!

What skills have you gained from volunteering at the cafe?

Volunteering has improved my confidence and my independence. I really enjoy chatting with regular and new customers. Some people really appreciate having a good conversation with me, because they don’t get to see a lot of people outside of the cafe. I have great relationships with the other people who work at the cafe.

What advice would you give somebody who’s thinking about getting a voluntary job?

My advice to people is to just get out there and try lots of different things until you figure out what you enjoy. Another top tip is to always go and see what a place is like before deciding if you want to volunteer there.

Dennis contributes to the cafe and his local community in many ways and is a valued member of the Inspire team. We want to say a huge thank you to Dennis for taking the time to sit down with us. We hope this story inspires others and shows how contributing to our communities can create an enormous sense of well-being – both for ourselves and for others around us!

December 20, 2021