As we say goodbye to the beautiful colours of autumn and welcome the colourful lights and vibrant decorations as of the festive season, we're taking a look back at the last three months of what has been happening here at SJMT in our autumn round-up.
Those who follow our social media channels may have seen it has been a busy few months, not only for our SJMT residents, but for our Shine participants as well. Take a look at what has been happening...
A key milestone was hit in September when we celebrated one year of our Shine service for young people who are care experienced or care leavers. We are incredibly proud of the impact we have already made on so many young people's lives and our Year One Impact Report highlights how we have helped so far and what our aspirations are for the next year of the service.
During September a number of residents from Mason House and Mason Court visited Oxford and enjoyed some free time to experience the highlights there. They stopped off for a delicious meal at The Black Boy Pub in Knowle on the way home which was very much enjoyed by all!
We were also delighted to welcome Elisabeth Sheppard as the new Registered Manager at Alexandra House. Elisabeth returned having worked in a different role at SJMT previously.
October was a hugely busy month with lots going on including some incredible fundraising by residents of Mason Court, Mason House and Mason Cottages who got together with friends and family to raise over £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support by holding a disco, bingo game, coffee mornings and raffles.
Also during October, partners in Solihull came together for World Homeless Day at an event in Chelmsley Wood Library where SJMT’s Shine and Floating Homeless Support Service were there representing the Trust.
The event highlighted how poor mental health can be a cause and consequence of homelessness. It was good to have so many agencies on hand to give advice and assistance and to see the passion and commitment across the borough to support residents in Solihull.
Residents and staff and Alexandra House had a wonderful time being entertained by Trevor Santini which, as you can see from the photos was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
National care leavers week
At the end of October, our Shine team and supported young people were heavily involved in numerous event during National Care Leavers' Week. which began with some Shine craft and connect group sessions and is an opportunity for care leavers and other young people to come to together in a shared space.
Recently, a care leaver who regularly attends our groups mentioned how nice it was to be given the chance to connect as one with young people from different and diverse backgrounds.
During the week, Shine took a group of six care leavers to Drayton Manor Theme Park for a fun day out which proved to be a fantastic opportunity to increase engagement and bring Shine’s growing community of care leavers together as one in line with this year's NCLW theme, ‘All of us, we are one.’
Feedback from the group reiterated how important days like this are, with attendees commenting on how well everyone connected and supported each other.
Finally, Shine was delighted to be invited by the Rees Foundation to the opening of another Rees Community Café at Three Trees Community Centre in Chelmsley Wood. It was an opportunity for Shine to meet colleagues from other services and spend time in a relaxed space with some inspiring young people.
Shine already uses this Community Centre for support sessions with young people so it was an excellent opportunity to connect our care leaver community with the wider community.
Christmas came early for residents from Mason Court, Mason House and Mason Cottages who enjoyed a trip to the stunning Chatsworth House at the end of November to see the Christmas decorations and browse the festive market.
Finally, another key development happened during this autumn whereby SJMT was proud to announce their involvement in helping the Department of Health and Social Care test the new Care Workforce pathway. This is the beginning of work by a number of nationally recognised care providers in supporting the DHSC to identify how care should be seen as a profession with key skills, values and abilities as well as a fantastic career pathway. You can read the full story here.
We hope everyone continues into the winter months with just as many enjoyable activities and all our residents and supporters have a wonderful festive season, however you may be celebrating.