Contractors join scheme to support residents in need

Contractors join scheme to support residents in need

And now, following feedback from workers who attended a training seminar, they are being issued with stickers emblazoned with the message ‘trust your instincts, don’t ignore a gut feeling’ to display in their cars and vans.

At any one time, the specialised services team at Andium work closely to support around 85 tenants who need additional support for a range of reasons.

Nicky Hayward, their manager, said: ‘We have quite a large range of contractors who work for us. They’re our eyes and ears, as they get into more homes than we do. Our message to them is to go with your gut instincts as they’re usually right. We tell them that if they see anything that concerns them they should let us know, as we will do the rest.’

One recent example involves a neighbour of an elderly tenant calling Andium to say they thought their neighbour’s toilet was blocked. When the plumber visited, he had other concerns.

‘It turned out the lady had difficulty getting her rubbish to the bin and there was lots of rotting food in the house. With her consent we worked with her family to throw out the food, tidy her home and put her in touch with a social worker to assess her needs. The family are really on board. They used to visit regularly but the elderly lady had told them she didn’t need help, when, as it turned out, she did.’

Ms Hayward is one of two workers who manage such cases for Andium, a States-owned company which operates independently with its own board of directors led by chairman Frank Walker. A third worker is due to join her team next month.

‘Sometimes people openly disclose that they’re struggling, but others don’t say anything, often because of embarrassment. We say, “Don’t worry, we’re here to help”. It could be that somebody is having difficulty getting to the shop, or struggling to get in and out of the bath. But it could also be something more serious that a contractor spots, such as a child welfare issue.

‘What may be a hole in a wall could set off a little alarm bell and the contractor lets us know. We work closely with other agencies, particularly with our colleagues in the Fire Service and at Environmental Health.’

She added: ‘It’s a privilege to work with these clients and to get to know them. We can spend a lot of time working with one person or one family, so you can build up a trusting relationship and that means they feel comfortable with us.’

It is the second year that welfare training has been offered to contractors but the first time they have been given stickers and an information pack to keep in their work vehicles.

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