Information for service users

In these unprecedented times, we know that Coronavirus is a concern for everyone as it affects all of us, from our lives at home, at work and our friends and families. We want to let you know that EACH is continuing to provide services and what we are doing to keep you and our staff safe.

What you can expect from us at this time

We are continuing to provide a service and support as much as we can; however, we are having to take into account the health needs of our staff and we also want to ensure that we are working within the Government guidelines at this time. We are not withdrawing services but looking at providing these in a different way. As such, we are:

Changing how we deliver a service to you – for example changing from face to face to phone contact. Your support worker or counsellor will continue to support you, however this will be primarily over the phone (calls, texts, WhatsApp etc) to minimise risk to all.

Can you still access the service? – yes, you can still refer yourself or be referred by another professional. However, we will still need to assess your needs and will only be able to offer you support that is phone based.

Suspending some activities – this may be done based on risk or needing to re-deploy staff to the highest priority areas of our work. At this time, we are not providing group based activities or group support face to face. However, we are exploring how groups can be held through video conferencing and we ask you to bear with us whilst we sort this out.

Locations – we are not able to support you at this time in physical locations, such as in your home, at a children’s centre, or accompany you to visits or provide drop-ins.

What we can expect from you

There are a number of things you can do to ensure you continue to receive the support you need and to keep yourself safe:

Please ensure that your support worker or counsellor has your current contact details and numbers and that we know your preferred communication method, especially as you will receive your support from us in a different way going forward

Please be prepared and know what to do in the event that you, a family member, or someone you know is exposed to the virus as per the current recommendations:

• If you or anyone in your house has a high temperature or a continuous cough (that is, a sustained cough that does not stop quickly in a normal manner) then you should stay at home for 14 days.
• If you have received a letter from the NHS asking you to self-isolate for 12 weeks, you should do so – talk to your support worker to make sure you can still get the essentials you need, e.g. medication
• In such an eventuality, you should not go out, even to buy food or essential household items. You should ask an uninfected person to do your shopping instead.
• If you need to go out for exercise keep at a safe distance from others (this is usually defined as 6 feet away or 3 good steps).
• If you are absolutely compelled to go shopping you must limit your social contact as much as possible.

Further:

• Inform your support worker / counsellor so we are aware of your situation
• Avoid unnecessary social contact and unnecessary travel.
• Work at home if possible.
• Stay away from places of social interaction – including pubs, clubs, cinemas, restaurants, and public gatherings.
• Only use the NHS if unavoidable.
• Practise thorough handwashing when appropriate. See https://www.government-online.net/coronavirus-prevention-advice-on-handwashing/ for additional guidance.

The government is regularly updating its recommendations to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which you can access https://www.government-online.net/how-to-stop-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-latest-recommendations/

Support for you in the community

We know that it can be challenging to live our lives differently and look after our own wellbeing and health during times like this. There is support available locally and we will endeavour to provide you with information on it on our website and through your support worker/counsellor. If you yourself become aware of local initiatives or help, please let us know so we share this with others.

We will continue to proactively monitor, evaluate and respond to the impact of this changing situation, and we will update you on any changes we are making with your health, safety and needs in mind.

We would like to thank you for your co-operation with the changes that we are making and asking of you too.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during these challenging times.