Adur & Worthing Councils secure £96,000 in Government funds to aid Women’s support services in West Sussex

Following a successful bid last year, Adur and Worthing Councils, in partnership with Horsham District Council; Arun District Council, Worthing Women's Aid, West Sussex County Council and Worthing Churches Homeless Project have been awarded £96,000 in funding to recruit three specialist staff to offer more support services for women across West Sussex.

Adur & Worthing Councils Wellbeing department will be working closely alongside local charities; Safe In Sussex, Worthing Churches Homeless Projects and Brighton Women's Centre to develop services for women with complex needs; for example homeless women who are experiencing abuse and or exploitation and also alcohol or drug use/ mental health issues.

Mary D’Arcy, Adur & Worthing Councils Director for Communities continues

“Women who have experienced domestic abuse and may become homeless as a result are some of the most vulnerable in our society. Their complex needs may mean that that sometimes fall between services, as no single service offers a safe space to recover - homeless hostels are typically mixed gender and refuges may find it difficult to support women with the range of complex needs who become homeless’’.

This award will fund three new posts; one Female Outreach worker dedicated to the rough sleeping community, supporting women at risk. A Specialist Complex Needs worker to work with the Safe In Sussex refuges group, to help women access safe female only refuge accommodation and one part time generic refuge worker to make sure that there is an appropriate ratio of staff to support a more diverse client group.”

The funding is until March 2018.   

Brighton Summit: Embracing the unknown

Date: Friday 13th October

Time: 8:30am - 6:00pm

Venue: The Clarendon Centre, Brighton

So your business was ticking along nicely, you were making plans for the future, and then…2016 happened. The British people voted to quit Europe, America elected a reality TV host as President, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. The pound nose-dived, businesses worried about hanging on to their EU employees, and everyone thought….WTF? 

In this time of change and uncertainty, you can confidently stick one thing in your diary - the Brighton Summit. It’s a high energy conference bringing together the city’s distinctive business community and it’s the highlight of the Chamber’s year.

This year’s theme is ‘Embracing the unknown’. It will encourage you to think about how to deal with the unfamiliar, seize new opportunities and take advantage of the altering landscape.

Some things won’t change. You can rely on the usual great networking, brilliant keynote speakers and inspiring workshops. But there will be challenges and surprises to reflect the mood of the times. So come prepared to leave your comfort zone and expect the unexpected…

Earlybird tickets are on sale now https://brighton-summit-2017.eventbrite.co.uk

GOING FURTHER- A seminar with Brontie & Co. Raw Artisan Chocolate

National Careers week at Worthing High School

National Careers Week which also coincided with the National Apprenticeship Week was held at Worthing High School and students took part in this initiative to help, guide and support their Career choices, they also looked at employability skills essential to the World of Work. Students were given a Career booklet to complete throughout the week, helping them focus on gaining the information needed included. This included details of websites for their research, points about how to find career pathways and information about specific employability skills.

Assemblies were held throughout the week which were supported by local business representatives and industry professionals. Assemblies included a live mock interview involving Mr Dean the Careers Advisor. Two interviews were showcased back to back, one showing how a candidate can impress a panel and the other was a little less polished. The students watched as the business representatives put Mr Dean through some tough questioning resulting in a positive outcome. Also during the assembly the students were guided through Apprenticeships and alternative pathways that many had not thought about. . Joyanne Williamson from Worthing Speech Therapies said:  ‘It was an honour to engage with so many interesting and enquiring teenagers. Helping them to see their potential and start their ground work as soon as possible’

At lunch time more business leaders and professionals joined students to chat informally about choices they could make and provided information about their own career pathways. The Police, Armed Services, HMRC and local entrepreneurs were in attendance and really helped to inspire the students.

Rebecca Groome from Free Your Mind Therpies said ‘Thank you I think this is such a wonderful idea to get the students thinking about careers early on in high school. I never had the opportunity to meet any business leaders when I was at school, which I think is so beneficial in terms of motivation and 'making it real' for the students. I had the fortune to meet a student who wanted to follow a career in therapeutic work and it was lovely to see her enthusiasm and feel I could offer her some valuable insight and share my enthusiasm for the job I do.’ 

Sameer Miah a Student in Year 10 said 'I found out that entrepreneurs tend to need a well-rounded portfolio of skills as they frequently only have themselves to depend on'.

Pan Panayiotou  Head teacher at Worthing High School said, 'Worthing High School is very proud of its Careers and Employability provision and the National Careers Week has been a fantastic opportunity to increase our students aspirations for future employability.   Involving local, global business and industry professionals is essential to the support and encouragement of our students. It helps them understand the real world of work and puts into context so much of their academic and non-academic learning. Worthing High School is looking forward to continuing its' close links with the local and global business community’.

Acas 2017 Employment Law Update 

Keeping up-to-date with employment law changes is essential.

April 2017 changes include:

NMW/NLW rates - click to read more

Gender pay reporting - click to read more

It's also important that businesses and organisations check in on employment law updates throughout the year so they don't get caught out. 

Employment law updates timetable - click to read more

MHA Carpenter Box Shortlisted in Prestigious Regional Awards

Sussex-based chartered accountants, tax and business advisers, MHA Carpenter Box, have been named as one of just three finalists in the Business of the Year category of the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards 2017.

MHA Carpenter Box Practice Director, Chris Coopey, is understandably thrilled with the news, commenting: “Being shortlisted for this prestigious award is very much a recognition of the way in which the team at MHA Carpenter Box is willing to go that extra mile - be that for our clients, for business in general and also in terms of the charitable work we do for the communities in which our offices are based.”

The Business of the Year category recognises companies that can demonstrate an exceptional track-record of achievement, particularly high performing organisations that do the right thing for their clients, staff and the Gatwick Diamond Community.

The Gatwick Diamond is a key economic area, not just for the South East, but for the whole of the UK and the business awards celebrate those who have shown innovation and inspiration in their work, as well as real commitment to the region. The awards have become one of the regions premier business occasions recognising the ‘best of the best’.

MHA Carpenter Box now has to wait until 16 March to find out the results, which will be presented by comedian and actor Stephen Mangan at a glittering ceremony at the Effingham Park Hotel, Gatwick.