News
Our new website will be going live in early 2012 - check it out on
www.nationalsupportbrokerage.org.uk
A new website for the London region has launched in Jan 2012. Check it out - www.londonbrokeragenetwork.com
Formally accredited training - 2011
We are pleased to announce that NBN training has now been formally accredited by OCNCredit4Learning as 5 units at level 2. This will be on offer in many of the NBN regions from summer 2011. Please see our Training page for more details.
Personalisation, Support Brokerage and Social Work - what are we teaching social work students?
Tony Phillips, Carina Goehing, Ian Shaw and Joel Oram had the above pare published in the Journal of Social Work Practice in September 2010. The paper describes the experiences of social work students learning from disabled people and family carers about self-directed support and brokerage in the Realife Trust model student unit for their 100 day placements since 2006. Further details on the article available from www.tandf.co.uk/journals or from Tony Phillips
(JSWP Vol.24 No. 3 September 2010 pp. 335-349)
Cambridge Brokerage Network starts up
The new Cambridge Brokerage Network has just started up and has been offered a share with Mencap in their lovely offices in Fulbourn, Cambridge. Further information on 01223 883149.
NBN funding
Despite reaching the final stage of the Innovation and Excellence Fund, we did not receive the three year development funding grant. After reviewing how we should fund our work over the next few years, we have decided to devolve membership into our regional structure, which we hope will be more relevant and responsive to local needs.
NBN is registered!
After 5 years as an Inclusion Partnership project, the NBN is now registered as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company under the official name of the Support Brokerage Network. Our thanks to Company Secretary Rob Calkin for steering us through the incorporation process.
Kitchen Table Training
NBN members in the Cambridge area have recently completed a new approach to training, hosted by a local resident in her on house with the huge attraction of home-made soup and rolls for a shared lunch - thankyou, Lynne! Rather than the usual 2 days-fieldwork-2 days-fieldwork-recall day model, this course ran for half-days and worked very well for the mixed group of disabled people; family carers and professionals that attended. We are planning to do a second programme starting in April.
NBN in the Czech Republic
The NBN ran the first Czech brokerage training programme in September 2009 for colleagues from a range of agencies co-ordinated by Quip, a Prague based development agency in the supported employment, advocacy and person centred planning sectors. The idea for a European Brokerage Network was discussed as part of the training - watch this space for further developments.
Updated discussion paper on costing support brokerage
Updated discussion paper on costing support brokerage added 16 June 2008’
PDF format for download
Guidance for local and regional ‘hub’ agencies’
Thinking of setting up a self-directed support agency in your area? New guidance for local hub or development agencies available. If you are developing a similar service in your area, please let have a brief description and we will add your details here.
Guidance for local hub or development agencies (PDF format)
Registration and accreditation
At the NBN board meeting in London in May 2008, the decision was taken to make sure that local disabled or older people and their families keep control over the development
of brokerage and the ways brokers are trained and accredited.
In line with our current regional structure, this will mean that:
- Registration, training and accreditation of brokers will be dealt with by each region to ensure local accountability
- Regional specialisms and flexibility will be enhanced
- Local and regional ‘hub’ agencies will be encouraged to create boards of disabled or older people and family carers to govern service delivery
- Trainers will be encouraged to work across regions to ensure best practice exchange
- National minimum standards for all aspects of brokerage will continuity to be set by the NBN membership and board of regional co-ordinators
- National minimum standards will make it easier for brokers to work across regions or move to other areas
We are piloting this approach in the Eastern Region to co-incide with the recommendations in our recent feasibility study for Essex County to roll out broker support to over 8500 people. Brokers (paid or voluntary) who wish to register in the Eastern Region will be entitled to the following:
- CRB checks
- Insurance cover
- Supervision
- Training (5 day NBN programme plus ongoing action learning sets and supervision (peer and individual)
- Accreditation (current Havering College/Portsmouth University model worth 30 CAT points and other options currently under development)
- Local ‘hot desk’ office facilities (check availability – development programme to identify ‘host’ hub agencies currently underway across the region)
- Core IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance) support
- Payment for these services will be linked directly to your earnings as a broker – you only pay for what you need.
At this stage, we will be forwarding registrations from other regions to the relevant regional co-ordinator and will arrange for them to get in contact with you.
We will hold your details here at the national office with your permission,
if your area does not yet have any lead agencies or regional co-ordinators with the capacity to support you.
If you wish to work as a self-employed, independent broker and need NBN insurance and supervision, we will work with you and any emerging local agency in your area to help you get stated until they can take over responsibility.
If you have any further questions at this stage, please do not hesitate to contact me
Thanks for registering with us.
Tony Phillips
National Brokerage Network
Regional Co-ordinator (East)
