Newsletter 7
Welcome to the Summer edition of the SIL newsletter!
It’s hard to believe but SIL has been up and running for nearly three years. Throughout this time the number of people on direct payments in Suffolk continues to increase from around 650 to 920. I am keen to ensure that not only do more and more people benefit from the choice and control that direct payments and personal budgets bring, but that Suffolk Independent Living offers the best support service possible and continues to be involved in the personalisation agenda more widely. Enjoy this copy of the SIL newsletter and enjoy the summer whatever you’re up to.
Help to brighten up our office
We are currently looking at decorating our office and we need some new art to inspire our staff
What better way to inspire us than to get some great photos from our service users; they can be of anything you want. We will pick our
favourites and have them printed onto canvases for our office walls.
As a thank you, we will also have a canvas printed for you, the photographer, in the same size or smaller (we have some very big walls!) for you to keep
To enter a photo, please either email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (subject title: Photo Competition) or post us a CD with your images. Please send the photo in as high a resolution as possible, as we would like to get them enlarged. Good Luck!
Terms and Conditions for Suffolk Independent Living (SIL) Photography Competition:
The photographer must be the sole author and owner of the copyright of photos entered into the competition. SIL respects photographers’ rights and does not claim copyright for images. You will retain full copyright of each entry. In addition your moral rights are respected. Whenever your image is published by SIL, you will be credited. Failure to publish a credit due to error or oversight shall not be deemed a breach of this condition.
Would you like to...
- Take part in discussions about Independent Living?
- Talk to other users of Direct Payments or Personal Budgets?
- Listen to our guest speakers from local organisations?
Due to popular demand, our new Sudbury Independent Living Group enables you to do all of these things
The groups are open to all, and will be held between 11.00am and 1.30pm at The Bridge Project, Bradbury Courtyard, 20 Gainsborough Street, Sudbury. The next meeting will be held in September. Lunch and refreshments are free and any expenses incurred for attending the groups will be reimbursed.
If Sudbury is too far for you, there are already existing groups in Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich which you are more than welcome to attend. For more details, please contact Alex Smith on 01473 603876.
Positive Payroll
- Do you have a PA who supports you for the same hours each month?
- Do you hold your own direct payment money?
- Would you like to cut down the number of timesheets you have to complete?
If the answer to all of these questions is yes then ‘Positive Payroll’ may be for you. ‘Positive Payroll’ is an automated payroll system where we automatically run a payroll and send out wage slips to you. Once you have given us your monthly support hours we will set things up so we run the payroll for this amount of hours and you simply pay your staff what is on the payslip! This means you do not have to fill in a timesheet every four weeks, reducing the amount of paperwork and also postage costs. If this sounds like something you are interested in, please contact us.
Ben’s Bulletin Board
ISA’s (Independent Safeguarding Authority)
The new ISA approval system that you may have heard about has been suspended by the new government.
We have recently overhauled our advice sheets - by the time you receive this, they should be available!
If you would like us to send you some, please get in touch.
We are currently re-designing our website to make it more accessible and useful. If there is any information or new features that you would like to see on there, any suggestions will be gratefully received.
Meet The Team…
Daniel Lummis - Independent Living Adviser
I have been working at Suffolk Independent Living since August 2009 as an Independent Living Adviser.
Previously, I worked at Ipswich Borough Council, and the reason I applied for my current job is because I enjoy working with people, and being out and about.
Outside of work I enjoy a variety of sports including football, cricket and golf. At the time of writing this, my partner is expecting our first child
NCODP scoop first place at National Independent Living Awards
NCODP have won a national award for "Good Practice in Employment", at the Breakthrough National Independent Living Awards.
Breakthrough UK awarded NCODP first place in recognition of their excellence in the recruitment and employment of disabled employees.
The NCODP fought off strong competition to take first place within the "Good Practice in Employing Disabled People (Third Sector)" category.
The award recognises their work and commitment in not only employing people with a wide range of impairments, but also investing in their workforce to ensure disabled employees are able to stay in post and progress within the organisation.
A Note from Payroll...
My name is Luke Billington and I have been working as a Payroll and Finance Assistant for Suffolk Independent Living since November 2009. Like Louise, I moved to the team from Independent Living Norfolk to join Lynsey and have been working for NCODP since April 2009.
In my spare time I play cricket for Eaton in the Norfolk League and have done this for 7 years now. I also enjoy model making which I find a nice way to relax after a busy day in the office.
I have very much enjoyed working for the Coalition and am sure I will continue doing so in the future. I find all my colleagues very friendly and supportive and I really feel part of the team. I aim to improve my knowledge within the role and hope that what we do continues to make a positive impact.
A little reminder: Duplicate Invoices
Please don’t send in duplicate invoices as there is a risk of us paying these twice! If you are not sure if you have sent in an invoice, you can refer to your monitoring statement or check with the payroll team on 01473 225278.
picture shows Luke winning Norfolk League Division 6 2008 Bowler of the Year Award
If you have an idea for an article or any other comments about the newsletter, please contact Natasha at:
- Suffolk Independent Living
- IP City Centre, Unit 7
- 1 Bath Street
- Ipswich
- IP2 8SD
- Tel: (01473) 603876
- Fax: (01473) 688740
- Text Phone: (01473) 604412
- Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it