Havering Council needs residents to be there for children in care

​Havering Council is encouraging residents to open their homes to children in care by becoming foster carers.

​The Council hugely values the important work that these carers do, and that’s why they can earn up to £428 a week.

 

An information evening is being held on Thursday 5 March where people will be able to find out everything they need to know about becoming a foster carer. They’ll also have the chance to meet current carers and talk to the Council’s fostering team about what the role involves.

 

With around 200 children in care at any one time, the Council is always on the lookout for more people to foster.

 

The Council would like a wide variety of people to care for these children, who come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. It doesn’t matter if you’re a homeowner, married, or what your sexuality or religion is, the Council wants to hear from people who have space in their home and time in their lives for a child.

 

Havering foster carer Vanessa Holmes, who has fostered for over a decade, said:

 

“Fostering is me. I do it full-time and I started because I wanted to make a difference in their lives.

 

“You just love the children, they are part of your family. I love doing it as it’s so rewarding and you never know who’s going to be coming into your house. I also enjoy meeting and getting to know the families when I have the opportunity.”

 

Thursday’s open event is at Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford, from 6 to 7.30pm, anyone is welcome to attend and there is no pressure to sign up by attending. Information events are an informal way to find out more about fostering and what it involves.

 

People can also meet the fostering team at Romford Library, St Edward’s Way, between 10am and 12pm on the third  Wednesday of the month (next event – 18 March), or at Liberty Shopping Centre, Romford, on the fourth Wednesday of the month ) next event – 25 March).

Proposed CIL charges for Havering

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge which Havering Council can place on developers to help pay for infrastructure needed to support new development in the area.

It is based on a formula relating to the type and size of development and is collected when planning permissions for new developments are implemented.

It can be used to fund a wide range of supporting infrastructure including roads and transport schemes, flood defences, schools and education facilities, sporting and recreational facilities and open space. 

It will give developers, and their agents, a clearer understanding of the financial contributions they are expected to make towards the delivery of community infrastructure needs and it will give the Council a simple process for the collection of these contributions.

Consultation on the proposed CIL for Havering runs from Monday 23 February until Friday 10 April 2015.

Police Community Action Day - 19 February

​On Thursday, 19 February, Havering Police will be hosting a community action day where residents can find out more about policing in the borough and get crime prevention advice.

The Community Action Days form part of a pan-London community engagement initiative that began in the summer to build relationships with the community.

 

A series of events will be happening throughout the borough including:

 

All events are on Thursday 19 February unless otherwise stated

 

Twitterthon live tweets, 10am – 10pm

Officers from Harold Wood and Pettits will live tweet calls in the area.

 

Hi-vis patrols in Hilldene and Collier Row shopping areas, 8am – 4pm

Officers will give out crime prevention advice.

 

Launch of Neighbourhood Watch Area, 7pm- 9pm

The launch and set up of the Neighbourhood Watch Area in Marshalls Drive, Romford

 

Free child wristband

Parents can get a free wristband for their child from the Police Shop in the Liberty shopping centre in Romford every day during half term week.

 

Coffee Morning, 10am – 12noon

Get a tea or coffee at the pop up shop, Liberty Shopping Centre and find out more about policing and crime prevention.

 

Upminster train station, 7am – 3pm

Officers will provide crime prevention advice to commuters.

 

Open day at Hornchurch Police Station, 8am – 2pm

The focus of this open day will be youth engagement.

 

Rainham – Business engagement, 9am-5pm

Officers will be going to local businesses to ask their opinion on the police in the area.

 

Community engagement events

Romford – 2pm-3pm, Pettits Lane North – 3pm-4pm, Moray Way Shops – 4pm-5pm

Officers will give out purse chains and crime prevention information.

Get more information about crime prevention here.

Be part of a new Local Plan for Havering

​The borough’s Green Belt and housing development are just two of the key priorities that the Council will consult on for its new Local Plan.

​Havering residents and other stakeholders are invited to share their views on what they think is important in the borough, from transport and green spaces to schools, housing and heritage.

 

Respondent’s views will be used to help inform the local plan for the borough, which will set out planning policies and priorities for the future. The plan will be put into place in 2016 for 15 years.

 

Stage one of the consultation is now open and anyone wishing to comment will need to do so by Monday 23 March. This consultation follows on from the Council’s wider consultation on the Budget Proposals that took place last year.

 

The new Local Plan will set out where employment land and businesses are going to be located as well as how many new homes must be provided. It will also set out the standards and expectations the Council has, to ensure that growth and development in the Borough is carried out in a sustainable way, reduces energy consumption and has an acceptable impact on the environment.

 

There is also an opportunity to review the current Green Belt boundary and determine whether any changes are needed. Suggestions for any revision to Havering’s Green Belt Boundary should be put forward during this consultation. The current Green Belt boundary is shown on the Council’s Proposals Map 2008 which can be viewed online here. 

 

Key priorities for the Local Plan include:

 

• Business growth and economic activity
• New housing provision
• Town centre development
• Transport infrastructure
• Social infrastructure including schools and health provision
• Culture and leisure provision
• Protecting and enhancing the Green Belt
• Environmental management and climate change
• Waste management and minerals extraction
• Delivering high quality design
• Protecting and enhancing Havering’s heritage assets

The Council will use the responses to prepare the final version of the Local Plan. There will then be a second period of consultation in late 2015 prior to the plan being submitted for examination by a Planning Inspector in Spring - Summer 2016. The Local Plan is expected to be adopted in Autumn 2016.

 

Councillor Osman Dervish, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, said:

 

“Residents are at the heart of everything we do and that is why it is so important that everyone takes part in this consultation.  That way we can make plans that reflect the needs of local people and businesses.”

Teamwork the prescription for better care

​The Minister for Local Government, Kris Hopkins MP, joined health and social care partners in Havering this week to see first-hand how services are working together to reduce hospital admissions.

​During the visit to the Emergency Department in Queen’s Hospital, Romford, the Minister learnt how services provided by Havering Council, the North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), Havering Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust are cutting through organisational barriers, integrating services and treating people at home.

 

Councillor Wendy Brice-Thompson, Havering Council Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Health, said: “With less money to spend and a growing ageing population, it’s vitally important that we make the best use of our services.

 

“Moving care from hospital into people’s homes not only helps relieve the pressure on our local hospital, it also allows people to remain independent for longer and get better in the comfort of their own homes, something we’d all want for our families and ourselves given the choice.”

 

The Joint Assessment and Discharge Team – a joint local authority and NHS service - and the Community Treatment Team – provided by NELFT and funded by Havering CCG and Havering Council – are reducing hospital visits by bringing together doctors, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists to increase the number of patients returning home.

 

In Havering the Community Treatment Team has treated some 5,590 patients in the past year alone. Only 557 would have been cared for with the previous bed based system – a tenfold increase.

 

The Minister was in Havering to learn how the Council and partners intends to use the Better Care Fund - a pooled budget - to improve the health of London’s oldest population. From April 2015 £19m of existing funding will be jointly invested by the council and the local NHS to help improve services and improve the wellbeing of local people.

 

Local Government Minister Kris Hopkins said: “The £5.3 billion Better Care Fund coming into force in April is all about supporting people to live independently at home for longer. I was really pleased to see for myself how the programme will be used in Havering to support local people in the community. 

“Working together local services can save £900,000 for the taxpayer next year and reduce emergency admissions to hospitals by 2.5 per cent. But even more importantly they can help give local people the dignity and respect they deserve in old age.”

The Minister also learnt how partners are using new technology to work more efficiently. Havering CCG explained how a system known as Integrated Care Management Plus identifies patients at risk of hospital admission and uses video conferencing to bring together care and support professionals in more efficient ways.

 

It is anticipated that the Integrated Care Management Plus model will free up 38 hours of community matron, nursing and social work time each month helping to focus on direct patient care rather than meeting time.

 

During the visit the Minister toured the Emergency Department and met members of Havering’s Health and Wellbeing Board. The Board is a Council Committee which includes the local NHS and other local health organisations to make the best use of resources and improve a range of care and support services.