This week I want to share some news of a great initiative for ex-service personnel in Knowsley, extend my congratulations to our Adult Education services in Knowsley and whet your appetite for an interesting event for our Children’s Centres in Knowsley….
I was pleased to see another great initiative commencing here in Knowsley. This particular project – the ‘Knowsley Veterans Hub’ – has been developed for ex-military personnel. There are over 8,500 identified veterans across Knowsley and these figures are continually increasing. The programme will allow participants to regain structure and routine in their lives as well as providing tailored information and support to veterans and their families in the Knowsley area. Following on from consultations with Knowsley Council and The Royal British Legion, the programme will be delivered at various accessible venues across Knowsley including King George V Sports Centre, Royal British Legion surgeries and Knowsley Council One Stop Shops. The programme has received support from Everton in the Community – Everton Football Club’s official charity which secures over £2m each year for community outreach activity.
We know that when ex-Service personnel return home they can often struggle to readjust. The stress of making the transition from a structured, highly-disciplined lifestyle to civilian life can lead to a myriad of interlinked problems. I am proud therefore that we as a Council are playing our part in supporting people who have given so much for our country. Good luck to all involved in this project and please help to spread the word – more information can be found here at this helpful link from Knowsley CVS
As Cabinet Member for Children’s Services one very important element of my portfolio is Adult Education provision in Knowsley. In our borough this is overseen by the Family & Community Education known as FACE.
I want to use my blog this week to congratulate Angie O’Neill and the FACE team for getting though another OfSTED inspection and emerging with an overall grade of ‘Good’. The inspection in January was a gruelling week for all involved and I was pleased to a play a small role myself in meeting with the Lead Inspector. The main findings of the inspection report noted the effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of training, learning and assessment. It also noted how effective are personal development, behaviour and welfare outcomes for learners. OfSTED pointed out that managers in FACE have good links with employers and community groups and good knowledge of labour market information in order to plan provision to meet local needs.
FACE operate in over 40 locations across Knowsley and offer a wide range of courses from Maths, English and IT skills trough to counselling, food hygiene, flower arranging and languages. There really is a course out there for everybody. Visit the FACE website to view the latest course information.
Finally, I wanted to whet your appetite for an event we are planning which will celebrate the work of our Children’s Centres, the contribution of its volunteers and our work to consider Alternative Delivery Models to secure the future of this important service to Knowsley families. We will be meeting Children’s Centre staff, volunteers and Advisory Board members on March 3rd to say thank-you, to discuss new ideas for the future and to listen….. more on this in the next few weeks.
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