Gateway Partnership
Providing Information & Advice, Advocacy and Support
The Gateway Partnership is a new service for 2011 which commenced on November 1st and is commissioned by Slough Borough Council for Slough residents. It is currently hosted by Age Concern Slough & Berkshire East with 12 local partner organisations.
The Gateway Partnership is very much like a one stop shop, where individuals can self refer or be referred to the services it offers. The purpose of the partnership is to enable older people, Carers and those with a disability to continue to live independently for longer and to be able to access support to enhance their quality of life within the community. In the first 5 months this service delivered support on 2,685 occasions.
Services;
- Information & Advice – drop in clinics offered across various locations in Slough to give advice on issues such as health & financial advice as well as signposting. Supported advice to offer support with letter writing, benefit applications and appeals.
- Advocacy – Specialist Advocates speaking up for an individual to be heard.
- Support – Group support and drop in services offering social, emotional and practical support for individuals.
- Employment Support – support to write CV’s, source opportunities and gain interview skills.
Gateway Partners are;
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This service is a one stop shop, call just one number and immediately you can find access to support. The dedicated team will help guide individuals to the appropriate services for them.
Gate Keepers;
The Gatekeepers are experts by experience, personally accessing services. On completion of the support given through the Gateway partnership the Gatekeeper may contact a client for feedback or attend a support group to evaluate how individuals have and are finding the services. The trained Gatekeepers can understand and identify with the individual and this model of peer support encourages feedback which is meaningful in relevance to the continuous improvement of the service. It can draw out the impacts of the service from the individual and monitor its effectiveness in the services ability to continuously meet its aims and objectives. In future, Gatekeepers will be able to inform commissioners on what services are required within Slough, enabling the service to become service user led and ensuring it meets the needs of the individuals it is working for.