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Updated Guidance for Volunteers – December 2021

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2021-12-02T13:30:20+00:002nd December, 2021|Tags: , |

Earlier this week, the UK Government announced new measures to help combat the spread of new strains of COVID. What does this mean for volunteers at LASSN? Can I visit the person I'm matched with in their home? The legal answer is yes, there are no legal restrictions stopping you from visiting. The LASSN answer is still "obey the law, and consider your own circumstances and the person you are visiting." That's no good. I want to know what LASSN thinks. Should I or shouldn’t I? Please look again at our guidance from Lockdown 1 on March 20  and Lockdown 2 in July 21: these ask you to consider what is right for you (underlying risks, vaccine status) before reaching a decision to meet face to face. If you do not feel comfortable with the risk of travelling and meeting up, please do not. If you think the risks are manageable for you, please be clear about your own bottom lines (Outside only? With Masks? Indoors with masks and windows open) before you talk about meeting up with the person you are matched with. And if you want to change the way you have been volunteering recently, please contact your Volunteer Manager. They will help you explore options; this may include a return to remote contact and support from LASSN with phone data as we have done before The person I'm matched with doesn't know about/seem bothered by the new variant and wants things to carry on as normal. If this is the case, talk to your Volunteer Manager. We trust your judgement, but we have a duty of care to you and the person you are matched with. Whatever happens next, we want to make sure you are both clear about what is happening and why - to avoid confusion or upset. The person I see doesn't want me to visit. What should I do? If the person doesn't want to see you, don't. Please speak to your Volunteers Manager, who will help you to plan the next steps. Next steps? That sounds vague. The next steps could be a number of things: meeting outside, going back to Zoom/phone calls and texts, but it will probably involve a more in-depth conversation with the person you're matched with - to understand their concerns and plan accordingly. It may be the person wishes to end the match. We won't know until we explore it with them - but this might be easier with a Volunteer Manager involved. It's what we're there for. So are all LASSN Staff back at work in the office? Will you be closing the offices? We're all dividing our time between the office and working from home. We've decided not to arrange any new gatherings - training, socials, parties, get-togethers - and we are treating all planned events on a case by case basis. We are only going into the office to do things that can’t be done by Zoom. And we’re limiting face to face meetings – [...]

Friends of LASSN, Spring 2021

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2024-01-16T11:31:35+00:0031st March, 2021|

It's Spring - so let us tell you what we've been up to - and the difference we've made over the last 3 or 4 months As always, thank you to every one of our friends for your kindness, support and inspiration from Everyone at LASSN

LASSN Festival of Connecting and Reconnecting, March 15th – 19th, 2021 

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2021-03-04T16:51:36+00:003rd March, 2021|

This year we cannot bring everyone together face-to-face as we usually would, so instead we invite you to take part in a week of fun activities that will hopefully help us to all feel more connected during these strange times. You can sign up to as many sessions with ‘unlimited’ spaces as you like, and you can choose one session that has ‘limited’ spaces. Some of the activities require ingredients or materials or the costs of putting the cooker on, so please tell us so we can help pay for them. We never ever want money to be a barrier to people coming together and having a good time - so please don't be embarrassed. Please tell us if some money towards the cost of ingredients or materials or cooking costs or phone credit would be helpful. We really really want to see you!  Monday 15th March, 12 – 12.45pm Have Fun through Dance with Nikki   If you miss dancing with friends to some happy music and having a little bit of exercise then this session is for you.  You don't need any skills, just need a little bit of space to move around and some comfortable clothing, anyone that enjoys dancing is very welcome. Nikki is a qualified dance fitness instructor and a former Zumba® instructor. She will demonstrate the dance move for each song so that everyone can follow along.   Places available: unlimited Tuesday 16th March, 11am - 12pm Cooking with Hala    Hala will be cooking the Palestinian dish Mujadara which is made up of lentils, rice (and/or bulgur) and caramelized onions.  You can get the ingredients in advance to cook along with her or just join the session and watch! We will send out a list of ingredients a week before the session, and a supermarket voucher to buy ingredients, or volunteers can claim back through their expenses. Places available: unlimited Tuesday 16th March, 6 – 7.30pm  Wellbeing Workshop for Adults (by Impact North)  Jane Kenington is an Art Psychotherapist working with families in schools and the community. She will be running a creative workshop for adults focusing on wellbeing. She will be using breathing and mindfulness techniques combined with creativity and movement that you can go on to incorporate into your daily lives.  You will need paper and pens /pencils /crayons plus any other creative materials you wish to use – scissors, glue, collage, sequins, glitter etc. If you are buying stuff for you, or someone who is coming to the session, please claim up to £5 for each of you, by contacting the Volunteers Manager Places available: limited Wednesday 17th March, 2 - 3pm  Baking with Naglaa Jjoin this session to watch how Nagla bakes baklava and learn some tips to try it at home yourself! We will send out a list of ingredients a week before the session, and a supermarket voucher to buy ingredients, or volunteers can claim back through their expenses. Places available: unlimited  Thursday 18th March, 11am – 12pm [...]

Volunteer Guidance March 2021: the Roadmap out of Lockdown 3

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2021-03-02T12:10:57+00:002nd March, 2021|

Last week, the Prime Minister announced a new Roadmap to relaxing the Pandemic restrictions. This sets out a loose timetable of how the Government predicts restrictions will be lifted, from 8th March 2021 (when children will return to face to face schooling and one-to-one socialising in public spaces becomes possible.)  If you are looking for useful summaries you can share, both the BBC and The Guardian explanations work well in Google Translate, (as does this one from AgeUK) and the multilingual resources on the Migrant Info Hub are also reliable and accessible.    LASSN’s position remains the same as it was last March and last July: that Staff and Volunteers should Keep up to date with (and follow) the official advice and guidance from Government and Public Health Make sure the person you support is getting the free monthly phone credit offered by LASSN Proceed with caution, especially if your actions/activities could increase the risk of infection for you and the people you support Although mass vaccination has helped to reduce the number of people getting very sick with Covid-19 - please be aware The science shows that most of the people we support are at significantly higher risk of infection and severe illness than the wider population Most LASSN clients have not received a first dose of the vaccine yet Our clients are likely to take their lead from you about what is acceptable and not acceptable. So the way you go about planning/actually meeting up will likely influence how they start meeting and socialising with others Even if you have been vaccinated, and the person you are meeting has been vaccinated, this does not mean you are both "safe" or that you can act as if restrictions don't apply. None of the current vaccines have been proven to reduce the spread of infection, so it is still important to reduce your possible exposure to the virus by limiting the number of people you see, and prevent transmission of the virus via masks and social distancing.   So, if and when you and the person you support judge the right time to meet up in person  Do so within the official advice and guidance from Government and Public Health Choose a method of contact that suits both you and the person you are supporting (and the other members of their household) and consider the questions we posed at the bottom of the guidance from July 2020  Please speak with your Volunteers Manager before you do, so we can make sure you have everything you need to do this safely LASSN’s activities will resume at a pace we all feel comfortable with, with risks identified and managed carefully. There are no plans to re-occupy our offices as our main place of work just yet, and certainly not until we’ve been able to see the impact of Step Four. Thank you again for your support and enthusiasm over the last year, particularly through the last few months of Lockdown3. It has been hard for [...]

Guidance for LASSN Volunteers during Tier 5 aka Lockdown 3, from 6th January 2021

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2021-01-06T17:38:20+00:006th January, 2021|

Although we’re all still getting used to what Tier 5 means – it’s clear that we’ll be in it for at least a couple of months, so it feels right to communicate our thinking on things (so far) with a smile and a sigh and to hopefully provide some useful resources to help you in your volunteering. We’re really grateful to everyone who continues to give their time and support to the asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants we know. Your kindness, compassion and willingness to bend and flex are massively appreciated. Thank you on behalf of everyone that LASSN supports, the staff team, Trustees and everyone else who donates their time, money and goodwill. Jon Beech, Director What are the new Tier 5 Rules?  Here are the Government’s “Stay at Home” rules What does this mean for volunteering at LASSN? The Government summarise their current restrictions as message as “Stay Home”. We want our advice to be equally clear and consistent. So we are advising everyone - volunteers and the people they support - to be extremely cautious and to act as if they have the virus, and to avoid meeting up for the duration of the Tier 5 restrictions. The Government rules say I can leave the house for volunteering – so why can’t I meet up? Yes, it’s possible to argue this – but the situation is complicated: different volunteers and clients have different clinical vulnerabilities. (People from migrant backgrounds remain over-represented in the number of people contracting and dying of COVID). The rules for meeting up – even socially distanced and outside – are also not simple. For example, you can walk together, but you can’t sit down on a bench together. The person you wish to meet may not be able to bring children/dependents with them. There are also risks associated with travelling to and from an outdoors meeting place. If you believe someone really needs contact in person, please discuss this with your Volunteers Manager and we will work out how they can get the support they need. This is so upsetting and frustrating. Yes. It is. We are trying to do everything we can to help to support people as best we can, but the new strain of COVID makes it even more difficult than it was in March 2020. We also have a duty of care towards our volunteers and staff – so we cannot and will not ask you to put you (or the people you live with) at extra risk. So – what can we do? Staying in touch by phone is really really important. Texts and messaging are really good ways of staying in touch, and are sometimes easier than awkward conversations. Over Christmas we doubled the amount of support with phone costs from £10 per month to £20 per month. (there are PAYGO SIMs with unlimited calls/data/texts for £20 per month). We will continue to provide all LASSN volunteers and clients with up to £20 a month towards [...]

Guidance for LASSN volunteers, at the end of Lockdown 2.0: 30th November 2020

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2021-01-06T17:16:13+00:0030th November, 2020|

When Leeds exits Lockdown 2.0 later this week, we will enter Tier Three or Very High Alert. Leeds City Council have published a detailed description of the restrictions in place, based on the National Guidance. They have also circulated a summary note here  for third sector organisations. In most respects, the local restrictions will go back to the way things were at the end of September 2020 - LASSN’s guidance to volunteers remains unchanged to the guidance we issued then. LASSN’s advice is Please do not meet up with the person you are matched with until the restrictions are lifted. Please maintain contact with the person you support by phone or by computer Please make sure they are getting the money available from LASSN to help with communications costs If you have worries or concerns about the person you are matched with, or think there is a need to see them face to face, please discuss this with your Volunteers Manager or the Director ASAP. All our numbers and emails are on lassn.org.uk/contact Some Leeds organisations like PAFRAS, Meeting Point and RETAS are partially open for face to face contact. We support them in opening to deliver their critical services. We remain acutely aware of the risks our volunteers and clients may pose to one another, as well as the difficulty and sadness brought about by sustained isolation and loneliness.  As a staff team we are also very frustrated by the inability to see or meet people. We are trying to strike a difficult balance, which does not amplify the risks faced by anyone connected with LASSN. LASSN will be providing all clients (and volunteers) with double phone credit for December 2020 (£20 instead of £10) to reflect the need to stay in touch with others over this difficult period. This is sufficient for unlimited PAYGO phonecalls, texts and data. I am sorry that the end of lockdown will not result in a change to our guidance, or allow for greater opportunities to meet face to face. I know a lot of you will feel frustrated and let down by this. But I feel sure that when Leeds enters Tier two (and eventually Tier one and No Tier whatsoever) that we be in a position to start facilitating face to face meetings once again – and will issue new guidance as quickly as we can. Thanks once again for your continued support and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, queries or comments. We hope you and those close to you remain safe and well Yours, Jon, Director 07845 298047 [email protected] (and Anna, Andrew, David, Emily, Hala, Jo, Rawand, and Tina too.)  

A new Guide to Befriending during the Pandemic

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2024-01-16T11:36:16+00:0030th November, 2020|

Tina Brocklebank, Volunteers Manager writes: Since the beginning of lockdown in March 2020, LASSN has been responding to the changing and emerging needs of Befrienders and Befriendees. This booklet is a way of capturing the key things we have learned during this time and to pass on ideas and suggestions. LASSN would be nothing without YOU and the time and care you give. As we prepare for a COVID winter we are really aware of the extra challenges this will present for us all; thank you so much for all you do and we hope this resource will help you in your Befriending role.

A new Guide to teaching English at Home

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2020-10-14T21:46:02+01:0014th October, 2020|

Since the Pandemic  - and the importance of keeping socially distant - we've been trying to get as many of our resources as we can online. You may have seen the huge library of ESOL resources English at Home have produced for teachers and learners of English (we can never thank our volunteers Julie and Clive enough for this.) We've also been busy trying to support our (learners) and volunteer tutors to get online, embrace Zoom, and learn how to unmute and share screens. It's not been easy. A lot of trial and error, and a lot of frustration - but we're getting there, we think. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we now have a small stack of laptops and smartphones we can loan or give away to folks who need them., and we can provide a modest amount of wireless broadband each month to people without. We've tried to capture some of our learning in this new resource - designed for new English at Home Volunteers - but we think - useful to anyone trying to teach English online right now. Have a look and see what you make of it. If you think it's any good, please use it, or forward it on to someone you know. As ever, we're proud to share what we have with anyone who might find it useful. David is responsible for this excellent piece of work btw (although he's far too modest to say so himself.)

Revised guidance for LASSN volunteers, following the additonal social contact restrictions 25th September 2020

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2020-09-30T14:57:26+01:0030th September, 2020|

As you will be aware, Leeds City council announced new restrictions on Friday 25th September, in an attempt to slow the further spread of Covid-19 They said “In order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus you must not: host people you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they’re in your support bubble meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of the affected areas unless they’re in your support bubble” LASSN's advice is Please do not meet up with the person you are matched with until the restrictions are lifted. Please maintain contact with the person you support by phone or by computer Please make sure they are getting the £10 a month towards their communications costs from LASSN If you have worries or concerns about the person you are matched with, or think there is a need to see them face to face, please discuss this with your Volunteers Manager or the Director ASAP. All our numbers and emails are on org.uk/contact We remain massively grateful for your support and your patience through this difficult and confusing time. It is hugely frustrating not being able to see folks we care about: but we owe it to them, and to you, and to everyone in Leeds to play our part in halting the spread of the virus. We will be in touch as soon as the restrictions are lifted about the possible ways of seeing people again in person. Thanks once again and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, queries or comments. Yours, Jon, Director 07845 298047 [email protected] (and Andrew, David, Emily, Jo, Rawand, Riley, and Tina too.)

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