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Registered Charity since 1987

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ANNUAL REPORT

2014

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Brent Bereavement Services (BBS) aims to offer high quality responsive and friendly service for people who request bereavement counsell ing or related

advice. This service is free to any Brent resident of whatever

age or ethnic group and is provided by suitably selected, trained and supervised Voluntary

Bereavement Counsellors on a regular basis.

Our key objectives are to:- • rel ieve suffering and mental i l l-health amongst the

bereaved; • prevent the need for hospital admission or out patient

treatment; • provide the opportunity for individual children and young

people to communicate their feelings and thus prevent detrimental behaviour;

• work in close association with health staff, social service personnel, teachers and other professionals;

• Provide training and education for others who care for the bereaved;

• create and promote informed public opinion on the needs of the bereaved.

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Charity Commission for England & Wales Registration number: 296229

Registered office:

Willesden Centre for Health & Care Robson Avenue

London NW10 3RY

Telephone: 020 8459 6818

Fax:

020 8459 4656

Email: info@bbsonline.org.uk

Website:

www.bbsonline.org.uk

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MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Chair - Michael Moorhead

Deputy Chair - Valerie Wise Treasurer & Volunteer’s Representative - Lydia Khalil

Secretary - Louise Frishwasser Member - Mel Coll ins

Local Area Representative - Beverley Harriman Service User Representative - Rita Price

Member - Jul io Vieira

STAFF

Co-ordinator - Paulo Pimentel Administrator - Raksha Patel

SUPERVISORS

Ulla Andrews Jaqueline Barlund Madeleine Bocker Judy Bud Stephanie Bushell Osvalda Cerati-Harrod Catherine Cummins Tyrone Duff Stephen Fox Chrystelle Heldire Alayne Jackson Etti Mahdavi

Lucy Templeton

ASSESSMENT COUNSELLORS

Tina McKay – Children and Young People Marlene Simpson-Thomas – Deputy Children and Young People

Susan Wertheim - Adults

CONSULTANTS

Gill Dunbar

PATRONS

Dr Sir Rhodes Boyson Ken Livingstone

Bishop of Willesden - The Rt. Revd. Peter Broadbent Susan Winton-Lyle

Valerie Wise - Founder

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VOLUNTEER COUNSELLORS 2013/14 Lemis Al Naseri Puneet Chadha Alecia Coelho Beth Duru Nora Dermendzhiska Azadeh Farahani Celia Feeney Sara Frain Sharon Gilbert Miriam Grant Mathew Greenshields Shir i Gurvitz Amelia Haluska Helen Hawkins Etty Kanzen Ulku Kaya Lydia Khalil Lucy Longhurst Helen Mayor Helen Maxwell Angeles Martin Tina McKay Kathleen Moffat Fran Mull ins Usha Neelakantan Azra Nanjiani Fatemah Nassir i Martina Oliver David Osborn Pauline Pachucki Francesca Palmieri Sarah Pettitt Marva Phill ips Nuria Raez Maria Regis Luciana Rodrigues Thais Roscia Ornela Ruci Ivana Sharp Tasneem Sorour Amy Temple Marlene Thomas Lawrence Tierney Sally Smith Anna Urbanska Caroline Weiland Rebecca Wells Susan Wertheim Antoinette White Lyndiah Wright Margaret Yongawo                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

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PATRON’S REPORT by Susan Winton-Lyle Tenacious is the name for BBS and the BBS Family. Funding may be difficult, stress levels high(ish), but BBS maintains its excellent service, still thinks fresh projects and shows a dedication that is quite remarkable. I think the news that BBS' re-commencement of the Hounslow service is so good. I have been studying the statistics in this report and find the results quite amazing. Firstly the feed-back from the clients is so heartening, as they show a tremendous improvement in personal feelings and all associated health matters. And the actual number who do respond to the questionnaire - I remember in business that we were pleased if we got a 10% return and here it is over 90%. No further proof of the efficacy of the service is needed. Then the referrals - finally it is GPs who recognise the importance of the service and the majority of referrals come from them. That means that BBS is in their current thinking and that is essential for the broadening of the service. I think we need a bit more PR through the Brent community to make sure that our services are in their perspectives. I have said many times before that BBS offers a win-win situation where every member of the family benefits: clients, volunteer counsellors, supervisors and our society. The trustees are also dedicated and ensure that this special service continues in the most propitious way. Thank you all for ensuring continuance. May the next year result in a more universal acceptance of the importance and success of this service, providing copious funding and support.  

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MONITORING STATISTICS 2013/14    

FEMALE 225 MALE 170

TOTAL 395  

NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING SESSIONS PROVIDED 2,856

NUMBER OF CLIENTS WHO ATTENDED OUR DROP IN CENTRE 55

ETHNICITY CAUSE OF DEATH WHITE UK 88 CANCER 98 ASIAN UK 69 HEART CONDITIONS 71 BLACK UK 61 RESPIRATORY RELATED 59 MIXED RACE 58 UNKNOWN/UNDISCLOSED 32 WHITE OTHER 39 ALCOHOL RELATED 28 ASIAN OTHER 33 DRUGS RELATED 25 BLACK OTHER 28 TERMINATION 20 NOT DISCLOSED 19 STILL BIRTH 19 TOTAL 395 CHRONIC ILLNESS 16

SUICIDE 12 ROAD CRASH 08

RELATIONSHIP MURDER 07 MOTHER 69 TOTAL 395 SON 65 FATHER 38 AGE GROUP BROTHER 37 11 and under 18 SISTER 35 12 to 18 16 HUSBAND 33 19 to 25 34 DAUGHTER 32 26 to 35 63 FRIEND 29 36 to 50 98 WIFE 24 51 to 65 88 GRAND PARENT 13 65 and over 78 PARTNER 11 TOTAL 395 NOT DISCLOSED 09 TOTAL 395 TIME LAPSE BETWEEN DEATH AND REFERRAL TO US WITHIN 30 DAYS 19 TELEPHONE & WEB WITHIN 3 MONTHS 32 support & advice WITHIN 6 MONTHS 49 Total 195 WITHIN 12 MONTHS 105 Breakdown: WITHIN 24 MONTHS 97 Individuals 65 WITHIN 36 MONTHS 55 Health services 51 OVER 36 MONTHS 38 Social services 42 TOTAL 395 Voluntary sector 19 Others 18 InLondon Counselling 30

               TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE DIRECTLY SUPPORTED OVER THE YEAR = 675

 

 

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SOURCES OF REFERRALS �

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WHAT OUR CLIENTS REPORT �

• Improved general health - 70%

• Improved relationships with family, friends & colleagues – 70%

• Improved ability to cope with daily issues – 75%

• Improved social interaction – 70%

• Improved understanding of loss – 90%

• Reduction in GP attendances – 70%

• Reduction in prescribed medication – 60%

• Reduction in alcohol consumption – 60%

• Reduction in the use of recreational drugs – 65%

• Reduced feelings of isolation and loneliness – 85%

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CHAIR’S REPORT by Michael Moorhead I reported last year how difficult the funding situation at BBS has become and unfortunately this has not changed. However, we still manage to deliver our core service, and the management committee is forever resourceful in our search for new funding streams. Both Paulo and Raksha continue to be employed part-time and give time generously to BBS “out of hours.” Our new generic counselling service – InLondon Counselling – is now over a year old, and although uptake has been slow it is steady. We continue to deliver training for new volunteers and others, and an important part of our work remains the provision of support for Mentors - a project which we have been helping deliver for two years in partnership with SSAFA – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association - supporting ex-service men and women in their transition to civilian life. Last year I reported that Bereavement Services for Hounslow had been forced to close because of lack of funding. We are now providing services again in Hounslow in partnership with Hounslow Council. One of our Trustees, Mel Collins, has been particularly helpful in taking this forward for us. The Trustees have met five times in the past year and I would like to thank them for their commitment to BBS. But above all I want to thank the volunteer counsellors and those who provide supervision. It is quite incredible that we are able to provide such a high quality and professional bereavement and counselling service under such difficult circumstances and we all deserve a big round of applause!  

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CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT by Paulo Pimentel

I joined the services over 16 years ago in June 1998! It really doesn’t feel that long, which I presume is why I am as passionate now as I was then about supporting bereaved adults, children and young people.

Loss affects every aspect of life. Most people have support mechanisms in place that will provide the necessary emotional and practical assistance to enable them to cope with their loss - a supportive family or friends; partner or spouse; a job they enjoy; financial stability; or a combination of these, but even with every mechanism in place, the trauma of loss can be very lonely, isolating and difficult to cope with - that’s when our work helps to prevent often major personal and social problems that affect others and our communities.

An increasing number of referrals present alcoholism, child abuse, manic depression and other very serious conditions, which has been challenging due to lack of funding to offer indebt training for our Volunteer Counsellors. However, we have to manage under these conditions, and sometimes refer the client(s) back to their GP or Social Worker to following the assessment, but on the whole we are able to offer a professional service that enables those clients to live better lives.

Managing a small charity with limited resources is challenging. We don’t know how many people will need our support or how many counsellors we will need in the future. This balancing act has to be studied and applied in accordance with our financial ability to provide as much as possible with very little. Most people know how difficult this can be in any setting.

Thank you to all our fabulous Volunteer Counsellors and Supervisors for their hard work and professionalism, to our friends and clients who have donated funds, to our funders, and special thanks to Michael, Valerie, Susie and Raksha for their invaluable support.

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LIGHTS OF LIFE 2013

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YOUNG AMBASSADORS PROGRAMME APRIL/MAY 2014 For the 3rd year Paulo was invited to provide psychological and emotional support at the Young Ambassadors Programme in New York City, for young people who are survivors and/or bereaved by acts of terrorism from the USA, UK, Ireland, Spain, Romania, Israel and France. The programme aims to empower young people to live better lives, by sharing experiences and learning coping mechanisms from each other. The week includes group and individual therapy, meeting prominent people, visits to various sights and cultural events. The young people return to their home countries to teach others

affected by terrorism, how they can better listen to needs and how to cope with their

feelings.

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BBS has been commissioned by SSAFA to provide supervision for Mentors providing support for sick and injured soldiers SSAFA's mentoring service supports wounded, injured and sick soldiers to make a successful transition from the Forces into civilian life.

The service is accredited by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, and works in partnership with the Army Recovery Capability on the service. SSAFA Mentoring is accredited by the Mentoring & Befriending Foundation. SSAFA's mentoring scheme is supported with a grant from the Libor fund. It is the continuation of a successful pilot during 2012 that was funded by the Royal Foundation for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, The Forces in Mind Trust, ABF – The Soldiers’ Charity and The Army Central Fund. SSAFA mentoring support operates independently of the Army's welfare support service. The supervision is provided via telephone for every Mentor on a quarterly basis following training over 3 days. Paulo attends every training course to introduce himself to the Mentors and talk about supervision and how beneficial it can be in their work. The pilot project has become a service which will reach 200 Mentors providing individual support for those in need.

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TREASURER’S REPORT by Lydia Khalil  New projects have been developed to enhance our services over the past year, such as group support for those over 60, funded by The Big Lottery’s Awards for All; training for teachers funded by Brent Council; Bereavement Support for Hounslow funded by Hounslow Council, and support for kids facing the loss of a loved one through terminal illness, which is funded by The Santander Foundation. We have also become more proactive in requesting donations for counselling sessions from our Brent clients, which has helped us to continue services. Additionally, due to lack of core funding, Paulo and Raksha have agreed to work part time, but as we know, they continue to provide much more than they are paid for. We hope to rectify this when the current financial problems stabilise. Although their lack of time, producing applications and reports for grants has become difficult. It is incredible that during the past year we have provided almost 3000 counselling sessions; training; group support; information and advice; maintained and developed professionalism through supervision and training for our volunteers and staff, and we remain one of the most respected and longest established charities in Brent. Many thanks to our cl ients who have donated towards their counsell ing sessions, to our independent funders and the charitable and statutory trusts who enable our services to continue.

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75 Maygrove Road London NW6 2EG

T: 020 7372 6494 F: 020 7624 0053

E: info@goldwins.co.uk

www.goldwins.co.uk

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