25/04/2007:
POTTERDALE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE - SPACE FOR HIRE

From this month LHC's Potterdale Day Centre on Dewsbury Road has been relaunched as the Potterdale Community Resource Centre with the aim that the building can be opened up for greater community use.

LHC has operated a day centre for older people for over 20 years in South Leeds and opened this purpose built centre in 2003.

Over the years Potterdale has helped a number of older people with mental health problems access support both in the centre and in the community with a long term aim to help service access other mainstream services in their community.

Primarily used to run a service on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for older people between the hours of 9am to 5pm, LHC is keen to work in partnership with other organisations who would be interested in making use of the building and its facilities at other times in the week, either in the evenings, weekends or on Wednesdays or Fridays.

The centre includes a large main room, kitchen and an award winning enclosed garden. Located adjacent to Dewsbury Road One Stop Centre and Library there is also ample parking available. Additionally, there is also a room available for rent at the centre which could be used as office space by another organisation.

If you or your organisation would be interested in visiting Potterdale Community Resource Centre, running an activity or group at the centre or hiring its office space then please contact Roger Barden on 0113 276 0616 or e-mail rbarden@leedshc.org.uk

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19/03/2007:
LHC OPENS ITS DOORS TO THE COMMUNITY

Leeds Housing Concern held an open day at its central office on 14th March to give other organisations and individuals an opportunity to find out more about the range of different support services that we provide across Leeds.

A wide range of people took up the opportunity to speak with members of staff from different projects and view displays that had been creatively put together by staff and our service users.

LHC plans to follow up on this successful day by sending out regular e-mail bulletins giving information on service developments, referral information and recruitment opportunities.

If you were unable to attend on the day and would like a copy of the information pack and poster that was given out or would like to register for the e-mail bulletin please contact LHC on 0113 276 0616 or by e-mailing reception@leedshc.org.uk

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01/03/2007:
NEW FINDINGS: MILLIONS STOLEN, DEFRAUDED OR CONNED FROM OLDER PEOPLE BY THEIR OWN SONS AND DAUGHTERS EACH YEAR

Middle aged sons and daughters are the people most likely to rob older people of their cash, valuables and even their homes, a new report can reveal today.

The findings, which have been launched by national charity Action on Elder Abuse (AEA), is a study of all the calls to the charity’s helpline during 2006, relating to financial abuse of older people in their own homes.

The audit shows that a staggering 53% of theft, fraud and deception which takes place in a domiciliary setting is committed by the victim’s own sons or daughters - who are usually middle aged.

Of the 471 incidents analysed over the twelve month period, a minimum of two million pounds cash was reported as stolen or coerced from older people, with an additional eighteen houses also being sold or taken without consent. A further thirteen houses were given away without the full awareness of the owner, or after significant pressure - including blackmail.

Said AEA chief executive, Gary FitzGerald, “This is a horrendous state of affairs. It may seem inconceivable to most of us that a son or daughter could stoop to such appalling depths. This is the generation that lived through the war and suffered hardship to bring up their families and it beggars belief that they can be treated so callously by their own families. Sadly however, it is a truth we all need to accept, not least older people themselves. Often they are embarrassed or ashamed at what their children have done and think it unique. They need to know that is not the case and that they can speak out.”

The charity is now calling for banks and building societies to put strategies in place to protect their older customers, for local authorities to make financial abuse a high priority on their adult protection agenda, and for the Government to revisit the recommendations on financial abuse made three years ago by the Health Select Committee Inquiry into elder abuse.

The charity is also renewing its call for government to give adult protection the same legal status as child protection.

Continued FitzGerald, “Since last March we’ve been calling for adult protection to be put on the same statutory footing as child protection work. The benefits would underpin services with proper investment and resources, and give professionals the legal powers they need to offer protection. We have to ask why Scotland can see the urgency for such legislation while the rest of the UK drags its heels. Until we treat the abuse of older people with the same seriousness as child abuse, this level of theft, fraud and deception is likely to continue. It’s becoming a veritable industry in our nations."


Key points:

• Financial Abuse is defined by Action on Elder Abuse as stealing from, defrauding someone of, or coercing someone to part with, goods and/or property
• 471 calls to our helpline during the twelve months of 2006 show that
• £2,108,236 was reported as stolen, defrauded, or coerced from elderly victims
• 18 houses were sold or taken without consent (equivalent to £3,328,632 worth of property*)
• An additional 13 houses were given away under pressure, including blackmail, or without full awareness (equivalent to £2,404,012 worth of property*)
• The total monetary value involved is estimated to be £7,840,880
• Almost half (49%) of victims were women, aged over 81 years
• The majority of perpetrators were sons and/or daughters aged 41-60

• Recommendation 18 stated, ‘We recommend that the prevention, detection and remedying of financial abuse should be included as specific areas of policy development by adult protection committees’
• Recommendation 20 stated, ‘We further recommend that the regulatory bodies of health and social care increase their surveillance of financial systems including the use of powers of attorney and, in care homes, the use of resident’s personal allowances’

• Full implementation of Health Select Committee Inquiry Recommendations on Financial Abuse
• Full implementation of The Mental Capacity Act
• Financial institutions to provide greater protection to vulnerable older people
• A review of statutory agency thresholds for responding to cases of financial abuse
• Adult Protection work to have the same legislative status as child protection

• Full implementation of Health Select Committee Inquiry Recommendations on Financial Abuse would increase the priority given to financial abuse by local adult protection processes. It would also ensure that regulatory bodies invest resources to tackle this problem.
• Full implementation of The Mental Capacity Act includes standardising arrangements for acting on behalf of someone, and control and use of a person’s finances. It will however require investment by key agencies, including training staff to work within the spirit of the Act.
• Financial institutions to provide greater protection to vulnerable older people. Lax regulations and low levels of awareness amongst key financial institutions increase the vulnerability of many older people to financial abuse. Major financial institutions need to develop strategies for detecting and responding to potential cases of financial abuse, including strict regulations governing management and access to older people’s finances.
• A review of statutory agency thresholds for responding to cases of financial abuse. Many cases of financial abuse involving older people fail the ‘threshold’ tests employed by statutory agencies. This can be due to initial amounts appearing quite small i.e. £20-£30 per week. Often, on further investigation, the actual amounts involved can be considerably larger.
• Introducing an Adult Protection Act would give the work a similar status to that of child protection, give professionals the necessary powers to act in abusive situations, ensure adequate funding, and send a message to abusers that their behaviour is unacceptable to society and will incur legal penalties.

* the figures of £3,328,632 and £2,404,012 were calculated using the average house price of £184,924 given on the BBC News website on 17/01/07. Figures provided by the Land Registry of England & Wales.

For a copy of the report send an email headed "The Cost of Living" to enquiries@elderabuse.org.uk

LHC has strengthened its links with partner agencies. In particular we have seconded staff: Clare Hezelwood to CHIVA (the service for Children in Vulnerable Accommodation) and Karen Blakemore to DIP (the Drugs Intervention Programme).

Mention was made of LHC's involvement in the HB Forum, a forum that through shared communication has been instrumental in smoothing out the difficulties around HB payments and which shares current information that will impact on LHC's work.

Thanks were extended to Dave Vermond from the Young Persons Sector for his commitment to that group and his efficient and effective chairing of the meetings.

Also discussed was LHC's commitment to nurturing the personal and career development of all employees.

Janet Spencer: "We have an excellent staff training programme - some of this training delivered in house by our own staff Roy Jenn and Lesley. We also at times offer places on our training events to our partner agencies.

"Lots of NVQ training is going on and some at a very high level.

Council staff protest as Leeds shelters face near-certain closure

The logbook kept by emergency homeless workers in one of the north's largest cities is a litany of near-catastrophe - desperate people threatening suicide or self-harm, plus a catalogue of lost keys, vanishing plumbers and other hassles for clients moved into private sector rents.

But all these pale beside the latest challenge to the teams which tackle the plight of young people bullied out of family homes, women fleeing violent partners and drug or alcohol casualties who can't cope: two out of Leeds' five council-run homeless hostels are threatened by the government's relentless financial squeeze.

The hostels' staff were out in the cold in front of the Civic Hall yesterday with their placards,