How can New Leaf help you?

If you have a disability, long term health condition or learning difficulty, Warrington Disability Partnership can work with you to help you discover and achieve your goals.

Our friendly and supportive mentors will discuss with you what you want to do and then start to agree a plan with achievable steps.

Through regular meetings you will have the chance to explore your options, try them out and change direction if you’re not happy with where you are going.

There is so much on offer including money advice, mental health support, advice and guidance on careers and employment, volunteering opportunities, courses and training, including bespoke IT training, self-employment support and lots more. We can also offer information on Access to Work, Disability Confident Employers and other specialist services so that you have the best possible opportunities to succeed.

Remember- it’s all about you.

Groundwork delivers health and wellbeing related courses which can provide you with practical advice and tips to kick start a lifestyle change.

The main benefits of our support are to help you to:

• Learn about why your health and wellbeing is important and the benefits of good health
• Become more active
• Establish a routine and structure
• Improve your communication skills
• Reduce social isolation
• Become more solution focused

Participants have grown in confidence and been inspired to connect with others, stretching themselves out of their comfort zone. So why not let Groundwork help you too?

The Upturn approach to supporting people into self-employment is to look at the individual and establish what is required.

The business idea is assessed and if it’s an idea worth developing, we would work on a marketing and business plan, a 1st year forecast a financial forecast and cash flow.

We would also look to see if a start-up loan or the NEA – New Enterprise Allowance is required for equipment. In addition, we could provide training, equipment, health and safety or sector specific advice.

Not all participants complete the support, they may decide that it is not for them or find an employed position. This is not a problem, I always work on the basis that it is the participant’s project, not mine!

So, if you have an idea for a business then why not let Upturn help you turn your dream into a reality?

Ever thought of volunteering and haven’t been sure how to go about it? Warrington Voluntary Action can help by finding the right volunteering opportunity for you.

We can offer a wide range of volunteering roles and participants are genuinely surprised and often excited about the things that they can do that will have a massive benefit to both themselves and their community.

We can match you with the perfect voluntary opportunity that suits your needs and requirements.

So, whether you want to meet new people, gain knowledge, develop a sense of purpose , boost your self-esteem and confidence , make your community a better place or advance your career by improving job prospects then we will have the right volunteering opportunity for you.

Disability Information Bureau specialises in working with individuals with long-term health conditions, vulnerable adults, and carers to enable them to become more independent and confident when wishing to up-skill and become more employable.

We can support participants in many ways to help their individual needs including:

• Making people aware of potential financial allowances and permitted work options if they are claiming a health-related benefit.
• Addressing confidence, motivation and aspirations.
• Covering the cost of specialist support for participants with realistic employment opportunities.
• Identifying volunteering opportunities with the help of CVS Cheshire East, our partner organisation.
• Support via Access to Work including travel costs to work and from work and putting into place whatever adaptations or equipment are identified.
• Providing training courses such as well-being, counselling courses and IT.

Sessions are adapted to fit participants’ individual needs as some people need a support worker to accompany them.

All support available enables our mentors to build up an individual action plan that can be adapted, reviewed and evaluated with the participant.

So why not let DIB help you today?

Citizens’ Advice Cheshire East offers financial inclusion advice and support, including benefits issues, debt, housing and budgeting advice.

We help people make the most of their money and find a way forward with financial worries. In addition we check people are getting all the benefits they are entitled to, give advice on benefits overpayments, late claims and backdating, help people access grants, gain budgeting skills and sort out problems paying rent and other debts.

Typically, we have an initial in-depth interview to fully explore someone’s financial situation and then agree a plan for moving forward.

Money worries can be very stressful, and we find people feel a lot better when they have a plan in place and start to feel in control again. Citizens’ Advice Cheshire East help you to a worry-free future.

How to get into Employment, Training or Education with a Conviction

Achieve North West provides support to unemployed offenders and ex-offenders to help improve their training and employment prospects.

Although you may feel that having a conviction may prevent or hinder you finding employment or gaining access to training or education, we are here to provide knowledge, skills, confidence and support to overcome any disadvantages related to having a criminal record.

• Provide advice on disclosing criminal convictions
• Understanding DBS checks and how this will affect you
• Knowing when convictions will be ‘spent’ and how this may affect you both in employment and in life generally
• Ideas for how to explain gaps on your CV
• Awareness of the sectors and employers who may be more open to employing people with convictions
• Consideration of self-employment as an option

Achieve North West can help and advice on these and many more questions.