PSA
Guidance for young carers
Please find below a link to the latest guidance for young carers and young adult carers who are providing care for somebody during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We'd like to let you know about a couple of new services available from Plymouth Libraries, free with your library card.
If you have any questions please contact us via our social media pages or by emailing library@plymouth.gov.uk
Keep reading and stay safe.
Select and Collect
To make a selection, you just have to let us know what books you enjoy reading (by genre, subject, format and age range), and our staff will choose up to three books that you then collect at an agreed location and on an agreed day and time. Four libraries, Central, Plymstock, St Budeaux and Southway, are providing Select and Collect.
Take a look at our Select and Collect video to see how this will work.
The easiest way to make a selection is to use our online form. You can also make selections by contacting one of the four libraries directly, either by email or by phone. Contact details are:
| Central Library |
lendlib@plymouth.gov.uk |
01752 305901 |
| Plymstock Library | plymslib@plymouth.gov.uk | 01752 306606 |
| St Budeaux Library | stbudlib@plymouth.gov.uk | 01752 306237 |
| Southway Library | southlib@plymouth.gov.uk | 01752 305636 |
Please note that phones will not be answered until 10am on Monday 6 July, and phone lines may be busy. Please do not email until you have read further information about Select and Collect and more detailed ‘How to…’ instructions that are posted on our website.
We know we may not get it right first time, but we hope you enjoy the books that we choose for you. You are welcome to return books you currently have on loan at the time items are collected.
Current loans
If you are not using our Select and Collect service, you do not have to return books you currently have on loan.
You can renew your current loans for up to 14 weeks via the Plymouth Library app or our website using your library card number and PIN.
Please don't worry about overdue charges. Any charges that might accrue on items borrowed on or after 20 March will be waived.
Regular events on our social media pages
Although we have paused all our regular activities and events in libraries we continue to run some favourites online through our Facebook page:
- Storytimes - every Monday and Friday at 10am
- Rhymetimes - every Wednesday at 10am
- Lego Challenge - a new challenge announced every Tuesday
We have even started a Facebook Book Group! Search for Plymouth Libraries Virtual Book Group.
Online services
You can still enjoy reading with our vast selection of online services.
We have eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital magazines comics and newspapers and they are all free to use with your Plymouth Library card.
You can find out more on our website.
eComics and magazines
We are very excited about a new online service that has just been launched with Plymouth Libraries. You can now download digital comics with the RBdigital app!
Choose from over 1500 comics including Spider-Man, Thor, X-men, Judge Dredd, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and many more!
You can find out more on our website
What's on this month
We have over 80 activities a week, from rhymetimes, Lego and Code Clubs for children to gadget sessions, job clubs, memory cafés and book groups for adults.
For all the latest on what's happening in your library visit our online calendar.
Educational Psychology Services: Emotionally Based School Avoidance
Members of the Educational Psychology Service (Plymouth City Council) have consulted with a range of professionals including colleagues in Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and schools to produce this set of documents for schools and families. This area of work is particularly relevant for children with social, emotional and mental health needs as well as those who are anxious about returning to school following lockdown.
Download these resources from the PIAS website:
· Emotionally Based School Avoidance – Guidance for Parents
· Emotionally Based School Avoidance – Guidance for Children
· Emotionally Based School Avoidance – Guidance for Young People
Are your children taking part in the Findalots Library Challenge with Plymouth Libraries?
We've created a way to encourage reading at home!
We know your children will want to continue with or even complete their Findalots journal, earning all their trading cards by reading each month and having a go at the bonus challenges...that's why we've created our trading card vouchers!
As we can't currently give you physical trading cards, you can now request digital redeemable vouchers for when our libraries are fully reopen.
Simply send us an email and tell us your child's library card number and let us know how many months they've completed and we'll send you a voucher for each month or every four books read. Don't forget if they've done the bonus challenges they're also entitled to a bonus voucher!
What books can my child read for the challenge?
While our libraries are temporarily closed we've extended the types of books you can read for the Findalots Library Challenge.
This now includes books from home and library books you may still have out.
You can get eBooks and eAudiobooks from the Childrens digital library and eComics with RBdigital.
We're happy as long as they're enjoying reading!
We can't accept new Findalot challenge joiners during this time, this is for current Findalots only.
Digital eMagazine and eComics
Did you know that you can download a digital version of your favourite magazine and a wide range of comics made digital for free with your Plymouth Library card?
- Download the RBdigital app from your app store
- Register for an RBdigital account with your email address and library card number
- Start downloading free eMagazines and eComics!
For more details on how to set up your RBdigital account please see our website.
Summer Reading Challenge 2020
This year's Digital Summer Reading Challenge - Silly Squad is almost here!
For 2020 it’s all about funny books, happiness and having a laugh!
Children will be able to sign up to the new online platform from Friday 5 June
Mayflower 400 launches new ‘My Mayflower’ featuring Mayflower II footage in the first of two new digital series’
Mayflower400 is bringing on stream two new digital series of online programmes in the build-up to the 400 year anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower on 16 September 2020.
‘My Mayflower’ and ‘Virtual Voyages’ will cover different elements of the Mayflower story around personal and destination links into this piece of history. Featuring historic on water footage from UK and US destinations, the first in the My Mayflower series will transport viewers on a past and present digital journey across the Atlantic.
Watch the story of the Mayflower II on the Mayflower 400 UK digital channels on Saturday, May 23 at 5pm (UK time) - the first in a series of videos entitled My Mayflower.
Go to http://mayflower400uk.org/my-mayflower or click here for more information and to watch.
Mayflower 400. The Story Of Boston, Lincs.
Mayflower 400 is delighted to announce the second film in the Mayflower 400 Virtual Voyages series, that features the story of Boston, Lincolnshire.
Discover how the Mayflower Pilgrims made a daring escape despite being betrayed, locked up and hauled before the courts in our Virtual Voyage of Boston, UK, this Saturday 6 June at 5pm.
As well as looking inside the very cells where the likes of Bradford and Brewster were held, find out the story behind why Boston, USA, got its name from the bustling English port of Boston.
This Lincolnshire town played a critical role in the Mayflower story and the Pilgrims’ future and the film explores its fascinating history through the eyes of people who live there, today, and know it best.
Watch the Virtual Voyage of Boston at 5pm UK time on Facebook and via the website here: https://www.mayflower400uk.org/virtual-voyages/
Healthy Start Scheme
Please look at the link below to see if you are eligible for free voucher to purchase fruit, veg, milk and vitamins. This is a scheme for low income families and for families whose income may have been affected by the current climate. If you are a woman who is more than 10 week pregnant or have children under the age of 4 and are in receipt one of the following benefits you may be able to apply for this scheme.
Income support, Income based JSA, Income related ESA, Child Tax Credits (with a family income under £16,190) or Universal Credits (with a family income of under £408 per month). Please follow this link for full details, these voucher can be worth up to £50.00 per month, www.plymouth.gov.uk/newsrooms/pressreleases/makemosthealthystartscheme
Young people have created a blog so that young people can support each other and encourage each other to stay positive.
All of the posts are created by young people aged 25 and under who used Barnardos and other support services.
The blog page is edited by young colleagues involved in HYPE.
We would be grateful if you could share the blog page widely with young people.
https://www.facebook.com/Barnardos-HYPE-Blog-112337810440341
We want other young people to get involved creating block pages and sharing their ideas, thoughts and feelings. To get involved messages on Facebook or email us at hype@barnardos.org.uk
We have a canva account that can be shared with young people to create their entries.
PIAS is able to support you during the present Covid-19 pandemic. Our phone lines remain open and you can call us on 01752 258933.
Please see the links below for other relevant information for parents, sibling carers and young carers.
Please note the Health Services link below which gives information on the Child Development Centre (CDC) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
Health Services SEND during Covid-19
https://www.plymouthonlinedirectory.com/covid19covid19/send/healthservices
Covid 19 Children with special education needs and/or disabilities.
https://www.plymouthonlinedirectory.com/covid19/send
Covid 19 Send advice and information for children, families and young people
https://www.plymouthonlinedirectory.com/covid19covid19/send/advice
Parenting dedicated phone support for families (Plymouth)
http://www.plymouthias.org.uk/parenting-programmes/family-phone-support
Support for sibling carers
http://www.plymouthias.org.uk/young-people-support/sibling-carers
Support in Plymouth for young carers
https://www.plymouthonlinedirectory.com/plymouthlocaloffer/
supportforyoungcarers/supportinplymouth
Connect with us on Facebook
We regularly post information, activities and events happening in the Plymouth area on our Facebook page. Stay up to date by liking us on Facebook
Grandparents Plus welcomes the Education Secretary’s announcement of £8 million in funding to support special guardianship and adoptive families during the coronavirus crisis.
The additional funding through the Adoption Support Fund means local authorities and regional adoption agencies will be able to buy services from voluntary sector providers, such as telephone support for special guardians and virtual peer to peer support. The government expects local authorities and regional adoption agencies to ensure that any funding sought includes services to eligible special guardian families.
Find out more about how your local authority can commission our Kinship Connected service, offering tailored, local support from project workers experienced in kinship care.
Changing Grandparents Plus services to meet the demands of the coronavirus epidemic
Kinship carers are feeling particularly worried and isolated during the lockdown. We have been working hard to adapt our work with local authorities to deliver targeted and specialist one-to-one support for kinship families within the restrictions of the current epidemic.
Our project workers are providing one-to-one support and peer support by telephone or using Whatsapp, Zoom or Skype. We have also provided guides on using these technologies can be found in our COVID-19 user resources.
We have invested in additional capacity for our free specialist advice service via phone, email or web form, including new evening sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays and more frequent live Facebook advice surgeries. We have also increased investment in additional capacity to apply for grants for essential items.
We are also connecting carers with foodbanks and volunteering networks.
We are sending out weekly e-news to all members of our Kinship Community of 7,000, which is free for them to join here.
We are now working on scaling up our Someone Like Me peer-to-peer telephone support service, which we will update you on soon
Details of the next professionals meeting
The next professionals group meeting will be on 21 April from 2.30 – 4.30. We currently have capacity via Zoom for 20 social workers to join us, if more people want to take part we can plan additional sessions or have another look at meeting options.
This meeting will focus on the impact of coronavirus on kinship care families.
Prior to the meeting, please think about which topics you would like to discuss (eg, keeping carers safe, contact, finance, supporting children) and we’d be grateful if you could share any relevant resources your team has developed. We will gather these thoughts and resources prior to the meeting when you sign up using the booking email below.
Meeting agenda:
- Update on kinship carer’s concerns – including Grandparents Plus kinship carer consultations, advice service and programmes insight; feedback from local authorities
- Update on the Adoption Support Fund and policy and practice guidance – an opportunity to share issues or concerns from a practice perspective
- Discussion on key issues and resources to share
- Frequency and format of future meetings.
Please book your place by emailing your name, title, team and local authority name to comms@grandparentsplus.org.uk
Advice for kinship carers who have children’s services involvement during the coronavirus outbreak
We are doing our utmost to keep kinship carers informed with all the latest developments in relation to the coronavirus. The government has issued new guidance on children’s social care which is relevant for kinship carers whose children have a social worker. This includes kinship foster carers, some special guardians, and children on child protection plans or child in need plans.
We know that becoming a kinship carer rarely happens without a range of emotions coming into play. Every family and every child is unique. In order to tackle these issues we have created new content on the website dedicated to this topic. It contains a wonderful selection of tips through peer learning from kinship carers and also useful links and advice.
Grandfather Graham Leach, 63, was told his daughter’s children would be taken away so he stepped in to raise the boys himself rather than seeing them in care.
This is an emotional and powerful story, which tells of the hardships and joys of being a kinship carer.
Wendy highlights the concerns shared by many of us during these challenging times. She speaks at length to an influential news site about her experiences. Also our CEO Lucy sets out what the government needs to do in this time to better support kinship carers.
Want to find out if you qualify?
Simply give us a call on 01752 660713 or pop in to our training centre on Mutley Plain.