National Conferences 2012
Assist UK - www.assist-uk.org
Pam Bennett, the MD of Going For Independence, gave a presentation about getting down to business at the Assist UK Annual Conference in January 2012.
Pam spoke about the opportunities and challenges that face existing charities and about making the transition to an income generating model.
NAIDEX 2012
The GFI Management Team - Pam with OTs Yvonne Wynter and Nerys Severn - will run a seminar at NAIDEX in May this year for OTs who are interested in the options of self employment and working in a social enterprise.
NHS Social Enterprise Conference
Mo Girach, Strategic Consultant to the NHS and Government specialising in Practice Based Commissioning , Polyclinics and Social Enterprise, hosts the annual NHS Social Enterprise Conference and has asked GFI to speak about setting up and running an independent social enterprise in the health and social care arena.
This event will be later in the summer - we will add the date and more details when they are available.
PIP- the Personal Independence Payment benefit
As potential assessors for the new benefit payment, Occupational Therapists have a vested interest in the impending changeover by Government to the new Personal Independence Payment which will, from April 2013, replace working age disability living allowance (DLA).
GFI feels very strongly about the potential difficulties that could be faced by some people who may lose benefit entitlement under the new system, and where possible we want to be part of their network of support and will campaign for fair assessments and equality of access to independent living.
PIPs will have two components: a daily living component (which has similarities to the current care component in the Disability Living Allowance -DLA) and a mobility component.
Part 4 of the Welfare Reform Bill 2011, currently going through Parliament, contains proposals to introduce the new Payments including changing the way assessments are done, and it is Health Professionals including Occupational Therapists will be recruited to carry out new assessments against the PIP criteria and re- assessments of people on existing DLA and Mobility benefits. The draft criteria for assessment are now available on the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) website http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/disability/personal-independence-payment/the-assessment-criteria/
News Archive:
GFI is nominated for an Award- September 2011
Mo Girach, special adviser to the NHS Alliance on social enterprise, mutuals and cooperatives, has been a strategic consultant for Going For Independence for the last 2 years. Mo has nominated us for a Phillip Baxendale Award for Excellence in Employee Ownership, co-sponsored by Baxi Partnership and the Employee Ownership Association.
Mo has put us forward for the People and Culture Award: To celebrate the organisation that boasts a true culture of employee ownership, including transparency and meaningful engagement with employees, and driving notable activity to strengthen a culture of productive partnership.
"The key to the model for GFI is that all the people involved and working with GFI are self -employed. The structure involves associates, individual volunteers and voluntary advisory groups, comprising of key stakeholders including customers of the service. These groups discuss the business and its development to ensure that services evolve in a model of productive partnership for the benefit of all customers, whether individuals, charities, businesses or professionals. In exchange the participants gain the latest knowledge about equipment and access GFI resources and information and benefit from the links to local and national organisations.
Although there are no "employees" as such, when project or contract funding is secured and opportunities arise for paid work, GFI Associates are commissioned as appropriate. This is an innovative social enterprise model and it demonstrates the culture of the organisation which has a flat structure where all those involved have equal status, and where overheads are kept to a minimum to make services more readily accessible and affordable for those who need them most - a real community interest company."
GFI gives a presentation at the University of Northampton
On the 30th March 2011 the MD of GFI, Pam Bennett, together with OT Associates Nerys-May Hughes and Yvonne Wynter, attended the School of Health at the University of Northampton to give a presentation on the Going For Independence model of social enterprise for Occupational Therapists.
The event was a great success and it is clear there is a need for more information on alternative work options for OTs and for support for Independent Practitioners. GFI is developing an online Directory and an Association to help to provide this support.
