Insider 536

Devon County Council - Insider
 

Weekly Staff Briefing

 

10 October 2014

Welcome to this week's edition of Insider

This week, public consultations on waste and highways are underway, and elsewhere in the organisation plans aimed at keeping library services open have been agreed.

Find out how you can contribute to our Children, Young People and Families Alliance. And we update you on how the Care Act affects us in Devon.

Contributions to Insider are always welcome - we look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Colleagues not receiving Insider? Tell us!


books

Library plans receive the go ahead by Councillors

At this week's Cabinet meeting, Members heard that councils elsewhere have successfully transferred the delivery of their libraries to ‘mutuals’ or ‘trusts’ who run the libraries on the councils’ behalf


strike

Local government pay dispute – Tuesday 14 October

As Insider goes to print we understand the one day strike planned for next week has been called off and more details are to follow


ICT logo

Good news – your personal mailbox will be 10 times bigger, thanks to Microsoft’s Exchange 2010 Outlook update

ICT Services is rolling out Exchange 2010 to all staff (almost 6,000 of you!). This will update your Outlook email service.

exchange

The roll-out is planned to start on Wednesday 15 October and runs through November.

To assist with the roll-out, please make sure you close Outlook at the end of each working day from Tuesday 14 October until you have been migrated. There may be a small delay in Outlook fully opening the first time you use it after you have been updated to Exchange 2010. The move will only affect your personal mailbox and it will not update any shared mailboxes you may work with. Shared mailboxes will be migrated after the personal mailboxes are complete.

What are the main changes? (PDF version)


Christmas payroll

Payroll Christmas deadlines

There are some earlier deadlines for payroll over the Christmas period, make sure you know when they are (PDF version)

 


STARS

STARS winners announced next week

Check out who has been nominated so far for this quarter (July, August, September). Our Director of Public Health, Dr Virginia Pearson, is choosing the winners for this quarter (July, August, September).

And why not nominate for the next quarter?

If you are unable to access the STARS webpage, download the nomination form on our public site and email or post it back to us


Managing sickness absence
– responsibilities of line managers

Managing sickness absence is a key responsibility for all line managers and supervisors. Find policy information and online guidance to assist managers with their responsibilities in this useful article. (PDF version)

If you would like support and advice in managing the sickness absence of any of your employees please contact HR Direct on 01392 38 5555 or email hrdirect-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

Sickness

businessplanning

Getting ready for business

Do you have a business idea?

Come to a free one-day workshop, on Thursday 16 October, exploring a range of topics that begin to prepare people to start their own business


daisy

Tea and Talk about it

Thursday 23 October @ 12.00noon in Coaver Conference room

They do say that a problem shared is a problem halved, but sometimes it’s not that easy to talk – especially if it’s about mental health. This Tea and Talk session can help you to understand more about mental health and aims to help you challenge the stigma and discrimination people can face. (PDF version)


Spam

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam...

Over the last week, many staff have received an unexpected email which appears to be from Essex County Council inviting the recipient to click a link, or from 'Administrator' with the subject line 'Important - New Outlook settings' please see screen-shot. This is spam. Never download files from unknown or suspicious sources.

Should you receive any spam emails in your inbox please forward them to spam@mr1.devon.gov.uk

Further guidance is available on The Source


coavercake

Our Coaver Club celebrates 50 years

Thank you so much to all those who attended the Coaver Club’s 50th birthday party. The evening was a great success!

Catch up with that and more in the latest newsletter


Job vacancies

View this week's DCC vacancies

Coaver Café Hot Meal of the Day

The menu for week beginning Monday 13 October.

**Please remember that we open from 9.45am for snacks and hot drinks 


The Care Act 2014 autumn update

The Care Act represents the most significant reform of care and support in more than 60 years, putting people and their carers in control of their care and support. For the first time, the Act will put a limit on the amount anyone will have to pay towards the costs of their care, this is called the ‘Care Cap’.

The Care Act brings in new entitlements for carers to help them maintain their caring role and their life beyond their caring role. All carers will be entitled to an assessment and if eligible for support for particular needs, they will have a legal right to receive support for those needs, just like the people they care for.

In this bulletin we cover:

  • what we know about Care Act
  • what are we doing now?
  • engaging and involving people
  • further information and timeline

Care Act

youth

Do you work with children and young people?

The Children, Young People and Families Alliance has been created to improve the lives of all children, young people and families in Devon.

We need people to come together to co-design action plans to improve services and be accountable for the delivery of the Alliance. This will be set out in a new Children and Young People's Plan and with the backdrop of engagement with children, young people and families.

We are inviting you and young people you work with to attend one of three events where you will join representatives from stakeholder and Children and Young Peoples Groups to work together to voices are heard.

 The events are:

  • Wednesday 22 October at Woodlands Adventure Park, near Dartmouth
  • Thursday 23 October at The Big Sheep, Bideford
  • Tuesday 4 November at Crealy Adventure Park, near Exeter

Please email to book your place and find out more about the Alliance, by Friday 17 October


KDCS

Safeguarding Peer Review next week

Many of our children's social care and child protection teams will be aware that we are having a Peer Review of our safeguarding arrangements for children in Devon from the 13-17 October.

The purpose of the Peer Review is to give an independent assessment of how these arrangements are improving and advise us on areas for further development. This short presentation ‘Getting it right for the children of Devon’ summarises what the Peer Review is about and reminds us of some of the steps we have taken to improve since the Ofsted inspection of 2013.

Further information on the Peer Review web pages


mapleton

Newton Abbot’s dementia centre of excellence completed ahead of schedule

Mapleton Residential Care Home was developed in partnership with the University of Stirling Dementia Centre, which is nationally recognised for setting the standards for dementia-friendly buildings.

One of the major challenges was minimising disruption for the 17 residents who lived in the building throughout the works


Defend yourself against seasonal flu this winter

We recognise the serious impact that flu can have on staff, so we are encouraging those who work in front line social care to get the flu jab.

Our Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing and Chairman of Devon’s Health and Wellbeing Board, Cllr Andrea Davis backs the campaign...

staff.devon.gov.uk/flujab

(PDF version of Source pages)

Pictured: Nick, Fostering Support Worker

nick'sluckycrop

school

Two South Hams schools praised by Devon education chiefs

The heads and staff of two Totnes area primary schools have been praised by Devon education chiefs for the way they have dealt with a difficult start to the academic year


Public consultations on proposed highways and waste budget reductions

Highways: The nine-week consultation sets out a number of proposals to reduce costs, while still enabling us to carry out essential safety-related work on Devon’s 8,000 miles of roads.

Waste: Residents in Devon are also being invited to share their views on plans to make savings to our waste management service

toughchoices

landfill

Inspector’s report on Devon Waste Plan welcomed

Following the examination hearings into the Devon Waste Plan that were held this summer, the report concludes that, with the modifications recommended by the Inspector, the Plan is sound and provides an appropriate basis for waste planning in Devon over the period to 2031


tivertoninbloom

Grand Western Canal wins Britain in Bloom Award

The Grand Western Canal Country Park has topped off its bicentenary year by winning a prestigious Britain in Bloom award for Parks and Open Spaces.

It's bloomin marvellous! (PDF version)


farmwise

Growing success of Farm Wise brings schoolchildren flocking back to event

Approximately 1,400 children from nearly 30 primary and special schools from across Devon will attend the event next week (Tuesday 14 October) at the Westpoint Arena near Exeter.

This year sees an enormous range of exhibitors demonstrating the versatile and progressive nature of farming in Devon today


art top left   art top mid   art top right

Getting ready for winter

Met Office winter

Practical steps you can take to support your community in preparing for winter weather, from the Met Office

 

Competition

Who said:
"I'm turning into an old git, so I'll give you a passionate old git response to that"?

Send answer

Last week's quote:
''I mean, stupidity is something you can not - or only partly - save people from."

Last week's winner
There were no correct answers!

Last week's answer is Günther Oettinger

 

And finally...

 A lunchtime snack made out of ingredients saved from a skip may not sound very appetising, but a Bristol cafe is proving the opposite.

Skipchen, a non-for-profit cafe, serves up food past its sell-by date and dumped in supermarket and restaurant bins

art bot left   art bot mid   art bot right
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