Monitoring Report – April 2008 to September 2009


Introduction

We talk to Clubhouse members every week individually and in the morning meetings we have every day to help us plan activities and personal and organisational development. Staff support members to apply for voluntary and paid work, train them in the skills and knowledge required to work on our catering service and teach IT skills so that members can play a full part in creating our website (http://enfieldclubhouse.org.uk), etc.

In April 2008 we formally launched a new catering service to create employment opportunities within the Clubhouse. The idea came from members and staff who had already gained a lot of confidence and skills helping to prepare the daily hot meal members and staff eat together. Since then 15 members have done some paid work as a direct result. Most of our members had not done any paid work for over three years, if at all, prior to attending Clubhouse.

All members who join the Clubhouse are eligible to get involved as paid workers on the Catering Service after undertaking a four week internal training programme led by staff and members.

In June 2008 we expanded the entire service from two days a week to three days a week after establishing a settled staff team of Director (now Chief Executive) plus three part-time support workers.
We also successfully applied for a grant from Awards For All for £9,290, which we received in July 2008, to buy computers and related IT/office equipment so that we had enough new computers on which everyone can work and learn.

Who has benefited?

We have worked with 41 members who have benefited from access to the new computers to learn and share skills and develop confidence using them. Almost all members have a diagnosis of schizophrenia (78%), bipolar disorder (12%) or a history of psychosis and are referred by Enfield Community Mental Health Teams, with one or two exceptions. 21 (51%) of members have secondary health conditions:

  • 5 with learning difficulties
  • 5 with drug and alcohol problems
  • 4 with obesity
  • 3 with diabetes
  • 2 with Asperger's Syndrome
  • 2 with obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • 1 with muscular dystrophy
Members of the wider community have benefited from using the Clubhouse premises to hold meetings, training and workshops, which has also provided some extra income (e.g., Enfield Mental Health Carers Group, BME Carers Support Service, NHS Enfield).


Significant achievements

  • 16 (73%) of 22 currently attending members, completed, are currently engaged in or are looking for voluntary work in the community, or doing some kind of educational course.
  • 23 (56%) out of all 41 of members have completed, are currently engaged in or are looking for voluntary work in the community, or doing some kind of educational course.
  • 17 (41%) out of 41 members did some paid work during this time (compared to 7 of 29 or 24% in 2007-08).
  • 15 (37%) did some paid work on our newly developed Catering Service.
  • 6 (15%) did some paid work in the community.
  • 13 (32%) did some voluntary work in the community (compared to 7 of 29 or 24% in 2007-08).
  • 10 (24%) started educational courses or achieved awards (compared to 9 of 29 or 31% in 2007-08).
Examples include working in charity shops (including covering for the manager), at a garden centre, in a day centre supporting people with physical disabilities, achieving Food Safety Level 2 Awards, ITQ, learning pottery and studying for the British Citizenship test. In July this year, one of our members started part-time temporary employment with the local Council.

We have contacted other local employers to develop more external paid work opportunities in order to develop our STEP Up (Supported and Transitional Employment Placements) programme.

Two members are now regularly attending as full Trustees on our Management Board and two more have attended meetings as observers with a view to joining the Board in the future.

Two staff and two members have completed and been awarded Food Safety certificates from Southgate College.

In addition to raising over £3,000 surplus income through our Catering Service, we've been chosen as one of Southgate Rotary Club's charities for the year in 2008-09 and 2009-10. We successfully applied for grants from The Big Lottery Foundation Awards For All programme to kick start our NetWorks (IT Skills) project. With the £9,290 grant we bought 12 brand new PCs, including Macs and laptops, a Nintendo Wii, projector and big screen, digital cameras, printers and office chairs. Clubhouse members have enjoyed learning how to use the internet safely, contributing to updating our own website (one also created his own), networking on Facebook, YouTube, creating posters, leaflets, greetings cards as well as job searching, updating CVs, instant messaging and Skype.

We also successfully applied for £25,000 from Lloyds TSB Foundations to pay for half of the rent of our premises for 2009-10 and part of the Director's salary in 2010-11, a grant of £10,000 over two years from the Mrs Smith and Mount Trust to go towards staff salaries, £2,000 from the Drapers' Company to go towards staff salaries and £1,000 from The Skinners' Company Lady Neville Charity for catering equipment. Since June this year we have also raised over £1,000 through our own fund-raising efforts (see our website for details).


Outcome details

Of the 22 (54%) of 41 members who remain actively attending the Clubhouse:

  • 12 (55%) did some paid work.
  • 4 (18%) did some external paid work: 2 started temporary paid employment in the community, one started part-time self-employment and one sustained part-time self-employment (all under Permitted Work rules).
  • 11 (50%) did some paid work on our Catering Service.
  • 7 (32%) learned basic IT skills. 1 was assisted to obtain his own computer.
  • 9 (41%) were able to build on existing IT skills.
  • (50%) report making friends with other members and actively cultivate these friendships by meeting up outside of Clubhouse hours without staff involvement.
  • 8 members went to White Hart Lane to see Spurs smash Liverpool 4-2 in the Carling Cup last year.
  • 2 members went to Old Trafford to see Spurs humbled by Manchester United in last year's FA Cup!
19 of the 41 (46%) of members who attended form April 2008 to September 2009 stopped attending. Of these19:

  • 5 (26%) did some paid work: one returned to work and one sustained work independently obtained. 3 did some paid work on our Catering Service.
  • 4 (21%) started voluntary work, training, appropriate therapy or education in the community.
  • 4 (21%) moved into independent or supported living accommodation, including one who was on the brink of being homeless and one who was previously living in the local mental health unit. 1 moved to another area.
  • 5 (26%) were signposted to appropriate alternative local services for job search training, employment advice, social activities and back to the community mental health teams (including one who was hospitalised).
  • 7 (37%) learned basic IT skills. 2 were assisted to purchase their own computer. 3 were able to build on existing IT skills.


Members' personal testimonies

In our annual member satisfaction survey for 2009, members unanimously agreed or strongly agreed that Clubhouse is helping them to achieve their goals and learn new skills. What people said they liked best included the new computers (the old computers were one of the things members said they wanted to see improved in a previous survey), a sense of belonging, the people and activities, the lack of pressure and working on our catering service.

One member said:

“Clubhouse has made an enormous difference to my life. Prior to attending, I was very isolated and felt totally alone. Once coming to Clubhouse for only a short time, I noticed a difference in how I felt, as I was no longer alone.

I was accepted as I was, and made to feel welcome. Clubhouse is helping me to regain my confidence.”

Another wrote:

“I would be a bit lost [without it]. It is a very worthwhile place.”

Another, who is now also on our Board of Trustees, said:

“I was last in regular paid employment in 2004. I started attending at Clubhouse in January 2007. Two years on, and I can honestly say that Clubhouse has been key to me reaching a huge milestone - I am starting work at the Civic Centre next week!”

"I received support from Clubhouse in putting myself forward for the job, completing the application form and attending an interview and practical assessment. I am enthusiastic about working at the Civic Centre. It is another test for me, which I am humbly looking forward to."