About us
The NBN Eastern Region is hosted by the Cambridge Brokerage Network, part of the Realife Trust. Realife set up the National Brokerage Network in 2006 as part of joint work with the national self-directed support projects run by In Control and the Care Services Improvement Partnership from 2004-2008
The majority of the NBN regions are hosted by existing not-for-profit organisation to ensure sustainability and low running costs. It also ensures that NBN services are rooted in local community development, run by and for disabled people, older people and family carers.
Cambridge Brokerage Network
CBN is a user-led support brokerage service working in partnership with the You Can Hub and the Realife Trust Social Work Student Unit.
- The You Can Hub acts as the development arm of the partnership, setting up new projects and social enterprises
- The Realife Social Work Student Unit is a user-led social work training project, offering up to ten 100 days placements for social work students on first degree and masters programmes
The partnership enables us to offer free-of-charge support to disabled people, older people and family carers where necessary and to offer a three tier pricing strategy for our services as follows:
Level 1: 'Pass it on' - free support from the team and all you have to do is pass on the goodwill by doing something to help someone else...we don't need to know what it is!
Level 2: 'Make a donation' - donate whatever small sum you can afford to our registered charity, the Realife Trust to help us to support other people for free
Level 3: 'Paid brokerage' - our rates are currently £27 per hour if you can afford to pay through, for example, private income, personal budget or direct payment, insurance settlement , local authority spot purchasing or project grant.
The 2012 Team
Tony Phillips (NBN Eastern Region Co-ordinator)
Vicky Cole (NBN Area Co-odinator Herts and Essex
Tamar Irving (NBN Area Co-ordinator Norfolk and Suffolk
Kadie Chapman (Family carer broker and Finance Director)
Aimee Yates (Music Therapist and peer broker)
Lou Shackleton (Director You Can Hub and support broker)
Peter Durrant (Realife Policy Unit, Realife Trustee and peer broker)
Ruth Brannen (Project lead You Can Hub)
Ellie McKenny (Community Psychologist and project lead You Can Hub)
Nick Dale (Realife Policy Unit and peer broker)
Andrew Dix (Administration and peer broker)
Jemma Sparks (SW student unit - Masters programme)
Priya Kainth (SW student unit - BA programme)
Karen deSimone (SW student unit - BA programme)
Gertrude Chulu (SW student unit - Masters programme)
Lindsey Drinkwater (SW student unit - BA programme)
Joel Oram (Realife Trustee - children's team social worker)
John Delaney (Realife Trustee)
Jo Hough (Realife adviser - family carer)
Alan Tyne (Realife adviser - family leadership programme)
Ian Shaw (Realife adviser - self directed support practitioner/social worker)
