Mini Case Study: Confidence Building Yoga for physical and mental health Expand Client A improvement in confidence through yoga and emotional support. Client A has been coming to yoga for two years and her confidence and self -esteem has improved dramatically. When A first came to yoga she was very quiet and very self -conscious about her weight. Client A was also in an abusive relationship and coming to yoga helped her to forget about her worries for at least one hour in the week. A has lost over two stone in weight over the last two years and has been a regular practitioner of yoga and our running group, it has helped her mental and emotional health and she is calm at home when things get challenging. She has found some peace of mind, by using breath work to help relieve anxiety and those times of frustration. She has lost weight by taking care of herself through exercise and eating well and making better informed choices. A is a wonderful example of how the benefits of mindfulness and movement can have a major impact in one’s wellbeing if done consistently.
Mini Case Study: Advice & Advocacy Reducing barriers to help clients get the help they need Expand In the last year 2019 - 2020 we achieved the following: Supported 13127 clients and signed up 527 new clients Registered 75 New Carers Increased awareness of service provided by ACP through a variety of campaigning methods. Supported 50 volunteers Upskill existing volunteers as trainee advisors / and into further employment and placement Supported 75 clients and volunteers with training Supported 90 clients into employment. All advice staff members (15) received training We deal with complex advice cases, read Client X story: Claimant had made a claim for tax credits which had not been processed by the HMRC Tax credits Client X was subjected to a long drawn out application process because he was of European Citizenship. The process normally takes 8 months for European Claimants furthermore added to the complication HMRC was going through the transition of Tax Credits to Universal Credits and many claimants cases were getting closed and lost in the process. Client X needed help with making an appeal and the following actions were put in place: Our advisor contacted the HMRC via to determine the present status, it was identified that the claim had been closed without any further investigations. The client retained all information of previous correspondence, of which was presented to HMRC through a letter to re-instate and back date all owing payments to client. The appeal was successful and as a result his claim was reinstated. The client was grateful as he was able to pay back debts accrued before this period and a regular income which prevented him from running into further debt.
Mini Case Study: Skills Development & Employability Helping people get in to employment Expand A family man who moved to Birmingham after a dispute with his family in Bradford. He was a very businessman but had no formal education. He was in Birmingham with his wife and 4 children and had very little income. Client was referred by the local jobcentre. He volunteered at ACP as an advice worker he started of shadowing senior advisers and eventually started to deliver advice himself. He was provided with training, support and mentoring during his placement at ACP, along with specialist training on how to fill in ESA 50’s and PIP applications. This soon became his forte and he had a very high success rate in applications and the appeals stage. He was also helped with his job application, interview techniques and confidence building. The client secured employment as a community hub officer with the help and support from ACP and has become financially independent. He specialises in PIP and ESA applications in Handsworth and support vulnerable people who require representation.
Mini case study: Women in Transition Women Empowerment is core to all our work Expand Snap shot of impact made to clients on our Women In Transition Project 90% of participants felt Ashiana had made a positive impact upon their lives and felt better, mentally and physically. Through training and participation, the women have been involved in events, presentations, sought employment and gained national qualifications. 100% pass rate for 54 women who sat Accredited ESOL and non-accredited ESOL exams. (accredited by Trinity College). Over 150 beneficiaries attended basic language speaking classes. 35 women completed the Level 2 training course in IAG; and 16 progressed on to Level 3 IAG. 32 women completed Level 3 Health and Social Care course. Over 50 women attended Employment workshops. (Employability Workshops, Level 1). 120 women secured employment in the duration of the funding. Over 500 women attended trips. Ashiana supported women to travel on trains and buses. This is helpful in improving self-confidence and independence. Through the project 95% of women stated that their confidence had improved considerably. Unexpected outcomes from the Women In Transition project Through the project, it was identified that Domestic Violence (DV) was affecting a large number of women. 147 women who engaged in the programme developed an increased awareness of domestic violence. All clients were of South Asian origin. 74 of those have had a personal experience of Domestic Violence 28 of those have been supported to safe housing 18 referred to immigration specialist 73 women have attended workshops Successes: Women Wellbeing Hub Upon completion of the project and the difference were was making to women we were able to secure a further 5 year funding through Reaching Communities to run the Women Wellbeing Hub, which enables us to continue to change the lives of women every day. Find out more about what the Women Wellbeing Hub can offer to you by clicking here
Minicase Study: Life Coaching for Male Victim of Domestic Violence DV support for both men and women Expand Life Coaching for Male Victim of Domestic Violence X is male and a victim of domestic violence. X came to UK on a marriage visa and was in an abusive marriage for two years and fled and moved to the Midlands. X had attempted suicide (under the care of GP) and has a mental health counsellor. Lives sometimes at his brothers or friends to whom he pays rent. Has a non- molestation order against his wife. X also works four days per week and is trying to rebuild his life, despite his wife still making threats against him. X’s visa runs out in 3 weeks but he has made an application through his solicitor for residency. X has used the life coaching service to move forward in making positive changes in his life. By working with the Life coach, he has managed to set some short-term goals that are manageable and to embed strategies into his life to support his mental and emotional health. X started to use journaling as a way to write down his emotions and work on building his confidence by acknowledging his thoughts and feelings and working through the difficulties by addressing them as oppose to repressing them or dwelling on them. X started to look after his mental health by using guided meditations to help him sleep better at night, this over time made a huge impact on his wellbeing and state of mind. By working with the life coach X was able to really clarify his goals and work through his setbacks and started to be in a better frame of mind and make positive steps to securing his visa. X has found ways through life coaching to support his wellbeing and move forward in finding a sense of security and balance in his life.
Mini Case Study: Well-being Structured support to enhance wellbeing Expand Registered and attended “Diabetes Support Programme” which entailed: Health & Wellbeing Assessment: complete to find out how healthy their lifestyle is and how to improve their health & wellbeing Personal diet plan: With advice from a qualified Nutritionist, Healthy Cooking Classes and Healthy Shopping Activities Personal fitness plan: Tailored Fitness Programme and trying out new activities Health Education: Learned about healthy foods and how food can be used as a medicine Motivation Support: Support from a Personal Mentor & Motivational Coach During the completion of the 12-week Diabetes Support Programme, the client was motivated to join the cycling club at ACP and swimming at her local gym and lost weight. The client has made the following changes: Living a healthier lifestyle more aware of healthy diet and nutrition. Better understanding of the health and wellbeing services available in the area. Better control of blood glucose. Understanding the importance of making changes to lifestyle that would benefit the rest of the family too, for example, encouraging children to take part in outdoor activities and move them away from a sedentary lifestyle in front of the TV.
Our Mission, Vision, Values Read our Mission, Vision and Values. Expand Our Mission Our mission is to enable the people, to improve their quality of life by working together in creating opportunities for the community, individuals and families to be the best they can possibly be. This will include creating a resourceful environment, built ·upon a partnership of the community, public and private sectors that enables growth in an inclusive and supportive atmosphere that can be replicated and adapted where. necessary. Our vision Help people to access opportunities within our communities where we work and operate Ensure good relations between service providers and our communities Liaise with individuals through times of difficulty and be a part of their successes Promote a common vision of working together to create a sense of belonging for everyone What we do Greater involvement of service users in the designing current and new Establishing conversations and consultation with stakeholders and service users Gather local knowledge and intelligence on the issues facing communities Maintaining a clear and effective focus on meeting community Maintaining a culture of continuous improvement in the delivery of all services including meeting quality assurance standards and kite-marks and responding to the particular needs of changing and evolving communities Maintaining and developing a skilled and committed workforce Achieving sustainability through securing a diversified range of funding opportunities to support existing services and to develop new ones The ability to secure and deliver higher value contracts through partnership and consortium delivery The ability to effectively market services and past achievements to both clients and service commissioners Our values Supporting Community Aspiration - Every project will enshrine the principles of the charity and align thematic areas of our work by ensuring beneficiaries receive the most appropriate level of service to empower them to achieve positive outcomes. Reduce inequality by recognising diversity and celebrating difference Improve equality , dignity and respect within our local communities Support those in disadvantage to become independent and in control of their life choices Empower individuals and their families to achieve their potential