Following a period of poor health Lorraine Bliss MBE has decided to stand down as Chief Executive Officer of St Eds, with effect from the 17 April 2023. She has been head of the organisation for over 30 years, leading it through the foundation and development of its highly valued training centre. Both the staff and the Trustees wish her all the best in her retirement.
General Manager, Serena Davenport, will be Acting CEO until a replacement is appointed.
Much is being said, and indeed broadcast about post-pandemic Mental Health (MH) issues, but the messages are mixed. As a result of the pandemic there has been a considerable rise in MH issues. According to The Health Foundation, worry about the future and feeling stressed or anxious are among the most common issues affecting wellbeing. Naturally, this has also led to an increase in MH concerns among the young people at our Alternative Provision (AP). As a result, we have had to increase the support we give.
The St Edmunds Society welfare team saw the number of interventions they conduct increase by 320% from Jan/Feb to Mar/Apr. Many of these interventions were providing support around MH and isolation for our young people. Social isolation, anxiety and depression were the key concerns coming out of sessions with students after lockdown.
A Young Minds study found that 67% of 13-25 year olds believed the pandemic will have negative effect on their MH long-term. Where the percentage of our students who had good coping strategies and positive MH was the majority, it is now the minority.
“I want these thoughts to stop. I don’t know how to cope with my problems, and I don’t feel like I have anyone to talk to.”
Student – St Edmunds Society
Mental Health Support in Mainstream Education
The government are investing heavily in MH services across the UK. Gavin Williamson announced more than £17 million in funding to improve Mental Health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges during May’s Mental Health Awareness week. This is to help the recovery from the pandemic and the funding will be used to train senior MH leads in schools. We recognise that this is extremely vital support for young people. However, it fails yet again to identify support for those young people who attend an AP, many of whom are at risk of, or suffer with MH. This government support will only partially tackle the MH crisis among young people nationally. It neglects to acknowledge those in AP, who are often placed there because MH prevented them from accessing or participating in mainstream education in the first place.
“The focus in a mainstream school is achieving academic qualifications. Students who arenot able to engage in thisstyle of learning are cast aside as inferiorand they are left feeling outcast and isolated from their peers.
Many schools do not acknowledge intelligence in other forms, so those students internalise that feeling of being inferior. By the time students come to our AP, they have felt this way for a long time. Those feelings are hard-wired.”
Rio Bygrave, Welfare Support Manager at St Edmunds Society
Charity Support for Mental Health
As a charity, we rely heavily on charitable donations and grants to continue to offer our services. We have been turned down for fundraising applications time and time again as we do not ‘meet the criteria’. Recently, this was because the young people we work with do not have ‘severe Mental Health issues’. We do not believe this to be the case, as self-harm and suicidal thoughts are common among our students.
“Self-harm will often be a coping strategy that a young person has used for a long time and has become a comfort. With issues like this we support with external referrals. We offer the young person a lot of time and nurture. When a student reports having suicidal thoughts, we ensure they feel listened to, and show them that we are proactively seeking support for them. We are able to make them feel validated.”
Rio Bygrave, Welfare Support Manager at St Edmunds Society
Our welfare team are able to support students who reach out to them. They are often able to spot the signs of MH early. We look to provide support around prevention of a MH crisis, rather than a reactive approach. It is frustrating to be told that the MH issues we work with are not ‘severe’ enough for funding, when the work we do is to mitigate MH issues at an early stage and prevent these young people from reaching crisis point in the first place.
Furthermore, we have been turned down for funding as we are not providing open access to MH support for the community, as we are a school-based service. However, when it comes to government funding, we are not classed as a school and therefore not eligible for this funding either.
Services in Norfolk
Currently, the waiting lists for counselling in Norfolk is 18 months or longer. During this wait, young people are feeling lost, helpless and let down by the system they rely on. Our welfare team support every young student with their wellbeing, but external support is only available for these young people when their needs are critical, and they are a risk to themselves. Whilst on the waiting list we often see young people desperate for help and their needs escalate due to not receiving the right level of treatment when it is necessary.
We desperately want to better support these young people at St Edmunds Society, instead of referring them to other agencies. As a universal service, supporting students with higher MH needs has become normal and regular, yet as a charity the funding and training to allow staff to do this effectively isn’t there.
Mental Health in Alternative Provision
Sadly, it is an inescapable fact that many of our students originate from disadvantaged families, have poor educational attainment or are living in poverty. These Forgotten Children are usually marginalised, often vulnerable and can at times be exploited and coerced into criminal exploitation. Many see themselves as failures without any academic prowess and a disengagement with society through their lack of educational achievement.
High levels of Mental Health in our Alternative Provision can originate from:
Social Exclusion – these young people have not been in school long enough to form friendships. They are not able to form peer relationships due to low self-esteem or forming them online, so they feel isolated and are more vulnerable to exploitation and grooming.
Feeling of Rejection – they are often made to feel rejected or not good enough at school, due to not achieving qualification.
Toxic Masculinity Culture – young males are taught to ‘be a man’ and ‘don’t show weakness.’
Young Carers – higher levels in Alternative Provision, often lead to knock on effects of social exclusion.
Safeguarding Issues – higher levels create problems with students’ behaviour and poor coping strategies, leading to schools not being able to manage behaviour, which leads to poor MH.
Perception of AP – students believe that by attending alternative education they are ‘stupid’ or go to ‘a naughty school’. These thoughts often lead to low self-esteem.
Traumatic Experience in School – bullying/anxiety around being singled out as a ‘naughty child’. This can lead to anxiety around attending a school and pattern of avoidance.
St Eds Welfare Team
Our staff spend a lot of time unpicking the safeguarding concerns that young people demonstrate in their behaviours. Each category of abuse comes with short-term and long-term effects. The ‘lost generation’ are currently growing up with these behaviours. As a result they are outcast as being ‘a problem child’. In a critical time where self-image and self-understanding are being distorted, this has a massive impact on their MH.
“Lockdown was like pushing ‘a reset switch’ on the work I had done on improving my Mental Health and self-esteem.”
Student – St Edmunds Society
Sadly, hearing this in our AP is not uncommon. For those who were already struggling, lockdown unravelled their routine and made it hard to access the things they did pre-lockdown. Many have struggled to adapt from isolation back into a routine, back into crowds and being around their peers. The stresses around achieving vocational qualifications, despite long periods of working from home, out of a vocational environment have also had a massive impact.
Disadvantaged young people could be worst affected as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The most important thing is to raise awareness for these young people and ensure no child is left behind. We have to change people’s mindsets and make them understand that every child matters. Addressing this issue is vital because nobody else provides for them. It will benefit the entire community to support these young people, both now and longer-term.
‘Levelling Up’ applies to all, especially those struggling in education and struggling to find their place in society.
I am sure you would all like to join us in offering congratulations to Serena Davenport, our General Manager, for completing her diploma and apprenticeship in Management and Leadership.
She has been totally committed to the organisation during this time, alongside her studies, and all her hard work has paid off. She will be an asset to our team as we continue to develop.
This is an exciting opportunity to join St Edmunds Society, as we are on the search for enthusiastic volunteers to join our team. We are a charity recognised for dedication in supporting young people to gain vocational education.
We support disadvantaged young people aged 11-25, providing them with opportunities and qualifications to give them a chance at a better future. These young people are supported to boost their confidence and move on to new and exciting opportunities. St Eds works in partnership with local schools and academies to engage young people in alternative provision.
Welfare Support
We are recruiting for volunteers in Welfare Support to help our young people struggling with mental health, and emotional difficulties. We are looking for understanding people who are able to support young people, by listening, empathising, and empowering these young people in their learning.
Duties may include
Supporting the Welfare Team with student support
Providing 1:1 support for students
Motivating and encouraging students in their learning
Assisting with break and lunch time cover duties
Undertaking in-house training as required (including safeguarding training)
Assisting with enrichment activities such as career support
Vocational Tutors
We are also recruiting volunteer Tutor Assistants to get stuck in with the students and teach them skills or a trade in one of the following areas.
We are looking for people who have the desire to support the charity by supporting and motivating young people with a positive attitude. The ideal volunteers will have experience of working with young people and be able to create fun and interesting ways to learn.
St Edmunds Society Staff
Duties may include
Supporting the Tutors in delivery of teaching
Motivating and encouraging students in their vocational learning
Assisting with practical work as directed
Encouraging good working practices and to be aware of health and safety
Maintaining tools and equipment as directed
Wearing appropriate PPE (provided by the society)
Assisting with break and lunch time cover duties
Maintaining areas to a high standard (tidiness, clean)
Undertaking in-house training as required and where appropriate
Whats in it for me?
Volunteering will improve your employability and give you something on your CV to make you stand out.
This will be an opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience.
All appointments are subject to satisfactory reference checks and DBS checks (provided by the society).
Appropriate training will be provided to all volunteers where necessary, to contribute to Professional Development.
You will make an impact on the lives of young people and get a sense of achievement
Contact Details
If this is something you are interested in we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Debbie at admin@st-eds.org.uk or call 01603 622035.
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of St Edmunds Society will be held at Fullman House, 114-118 Oak Street, Norwich, NR3 3BP on Monday 17th September 2018. This will commence from 16:00.
The Agenda by order of the Trustees is below:
AGENDA
1.) Welcome from the Chair of the Board of Trustees
2.) Confirm the accuracy of the minutes of the preceding AGM
3.) Appointment of Trustees for the year 2018-19
4.)Annual Report and Financial Statements
a. To consider and receive the Annual Report of the Board of Trustees and the Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2018
b. To approve the change of financial accounting year – 01.09.18 to 31.08.2019
c. Election of auditors
5.) Ratification of the constitution
6.) Adoption of code of conduct for Trustees
7.) A.O.B
Notification of any other business should be submitted to the chair of Trustees in advance of the meeting no other business may be raised unless previously notified
8.) To confirm the date and location of the next Annual General Meeting as Monday September 16th 2019 at Fullman House Oak Street Norwich
After all the hard work of our incredible CEO, Lorraine Bliss – MBE she has been recognised for her dedication and passion towards young people and their education. Lorraine has worked with St-Eds for over twenty-six years and has been its CEO for twenty. She firmly believes that young people deserve to be listened to and achieve their full potential, even with social and mainstream educational challenges. We are extremely proud to have Lorraine as our CEO.
St Edmunds Society are more than pleased to announce the award of an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List to Lorraine Bliss our trusting and ambitious CEO, for “services to disadvantaged young people”. We could not be more proud. Congratulations to all, such inspiring people!
This is simply the start of a brilliant and exciting year for St Edmunds Society, so please ensure to continue to support us and keep engaged with our events and posts.
For more information from the New Year Honour’s please see the article from the EDP here.
Hear more from Lorraine at our Alternative Provision Conference in February 2018. To buy tickets for this year’s conference, please click here.
St Edmunds Society is on the lookout for new volunteers to come and join our growing team. We are a non-profit organisation supporting young people of Norfolk and Suffolk in gaining industry-led and vocational qualifications to help build their futures. If you are interested in working with young people and have spare time then we would love to talk to you about working at our training centre on Oak Street.
Volunteers will work with and support staff in training young people in the following areas: construction, transport maintenance, hair and beauty, catering and functional skills. Duties will include motivating and encouraging young people in their vocational learning, being the eyes and ears of the tutors enabling them to work with up to 8 young people in a group, supervising lunch and break times, assisting with practical work and student portfolios as required, along with assisting with fundraising from time to time.
When working with us you will benefit from:
Free DBS
Free lunch (For all day volunteers)
A reference when applying for future jobs
Opportunities for progression
Great experience
If you would like to hear more about this great opportunity then please get in touch via email (admin@st-eds.org.uk), phone (01603 622035) or come and see us at 114-118 Oak Street, Norwich, Nr3 3BP.
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