Leicestershire Matters

More issues at no extra cost!

Leicestershire Matters is all about YOU and your County Council.

Not only do we have a new look, but the publication will be delivered to your home more often. We can do this because we are now including information in the magazine which previously would have appeared in separate leaflets and advertisements. By doing this, information now reaches more people in households across the County and the publicity costs are channelled back into this magazine.

We want to include stories that you will find interesting and useful - please let us know if we are succeeding!

You can call us on 0116 305 6162 or 0116 305 6967, or e-mail: Leics-Matters@leics.gov.uk Alternatively, write to us at: Leicestershire Matters, Room 211, Public Relations Unit, Chief Executive’s Department, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicestershire LE3 8RA.

If so, our main libraries across the County can help – with collections of 40 language courses from across Europe and the world. With these CD or cassette courses you can learn while travelling, walking or doing the housework as they do not involve books or course notes.

Pimsleur Language Courses are available for loan at our libraries in Loughborough, Hinckley, Market Harborough, Oadby, Wigston, Coalville and Melton Mowbray.

Currently all children aged three and four can have 12.5 hours of childcare from an approved provider.

The Government will extend this to 15 hours by 2010, to be taken over a minimum of three days, between 8am and 6pm for 38 weeks a year.

The aim is to meet the needs of working families and the learning and developmental needs of children. Early nursery education can help to prepare children for school, both educationally and emotionally.

We are one of 20 authorities taking part in a trial which began in April and runs until March 2008. It aims to see:

Please call 0116 305 6545 or e-mail: childcare@leics.gov.uk  for more details, including information on local child-minders and nurseries. Alternatively, visit: the Early Years Parents Information section on the website.

You can start immediately and learn about creating filing systems using the internet, e-mail and software including Word, Powerpoint and Excel.

This European Computer Driving Licence (EDCL) qualification is the ‘gold standard’ for IT qualifications. It will help if you are thinking of getting a job, or changing your job.

Day or evening courses are held across the County – you could also learn from home. You only take as many lessons as you need before beginning online tests.

For more details, including venues and costs, call 0116 305 6387, or e-mail: adultlearning@leics.gov.uk

The latest additions cover Oadby, Syston and Wigston – boosting our series of individual town maps and guides giving you full details on local services.

To help make your journey planning easier we also have a County-wide Leicestershire Bus Map & Guide covering all our hourly services.

The maps and guides are available at tourist information centres, libraries, service shops and post offices.  Alternatively:

We want to know what services are most important to you and what new features you want, such as applying for a library card online, listening to stories, learning games and reader book reviews.

Visit the libraries web survey page for a consultation form. Alternatively call Sheri Riddlesworth on 0116 305 6916, or e-mail: sriddlesworth@leics.gov.uk

The deadline is 25^th June and the new website will be launched in the autumn.  

Last year, tens of thousands of pounds in Leicestershire was left unclaimed.  That is why we have teamed up with Age Concern Leicestershire and Rutland, the NHS, the Pension Service and the District Councils to support two dedicated helplines.

Applying for benefits can be seen as complicated and time consuming.  However, this need not be the case.  The Pension Service and Age Concern helplines are staffed by trained advisors who are can offer practical assistance and help simplify the process.

The benefits are available to the over 60s.  They include attendance allowance to help with personal care for those with a physical or mental health problem; pension credit for those with modest savings, and council tax and housing benefits.

Tom Hinton is an 85-year-old retired businessman from South Wigston.  He has used the Age Concern helpline to claim the benefits he was entitled to.

He said: “The extra money has made a big difference.  There are probably many people in the County like me who could receive help.

“I would strongly advise anyone who thinks they may qualify for benefits to call one of the helplines.”

If you are over 60 and think you could claim, or for more information, call Age Concern on 0116 2992233 or the Pension Service on 0845 6060265.

By registering for our Citizens’ Panel you will be entered into a prize draw.

As a panel member you can give your views about our services, including council tax, community safety, waste management, education and the environment. It is your chance to have your say on our priorities and plans.

To register and for a chance to win, simply apply online at Have your Say, e-mail: haveyoursay@leics.gov.uk or call us on 0116 305 8185.

Previous applicants through Leicestershire Matters will be automatically included in the prize draw.

We want to give you details on the huge range of jobs and careers available. All our jobs are listed online on our Job Vacancies pages.

To make it easier for you to access our jobs and to apply for them we now have an online application form. This will also reduce postage and package costs – for you and us!

We are determined to recruit and retain the best possible people – to ensure we continue to provide excellent services.

There is a huge range of jobs on offer – including youth workers, HGV drivers, finance clerks, social workers, park rangers, occupational psychologists, teachers, ICT network managers and library assistants. We also have careers in health and safety, trading standards, human resources, environment and waste management, museums, drugs and alcohol action teams, community safety and civil engineering – to name but a few!

We want to be an employer of choice because we know that to deliver the best services, we need the best people.

We offer a number of benefits, and also aim to be flexible, positive, commit to a good work-life balance, offer a positive approach to equality and diversity, listen to our staff and encourage them to be creative and explore new ways of working.

We have regular opportunities for carers to work across the County in our residential homes for older people or within people’s own homes in the community.

You could work flexible hours, either full or part-time. Our services operate 24 hours a day, so shift patterns and hours are negotiable – and will include weekdays, evenings and week-ends plus some bank holidays.

You will need a caring attitude and to help with personal care tasks such as washing and dressing. If you have an NVQ in Care that would be good, but it’s not essential as we provide excellent training and development.  

In return, we offer:

To find out more, please ring us on 0116 305 8300 and quote LMA01

She said: “I wanted to do something useful and positive for the community. I just do little things, but they help people to get on with their day and I get a real sense of achievement.”

Nicola works for the re-ablement team, helping people after a stay in hospital – after illness, a fall or a stroke.

She said: “People seem to get better in their own homes and it’s important for them to be independent. If you do everything for them they lose the ability to do it for themselves, so we find different ways for them to do things.

“With some people, you help get them up and dressed and get them breakfast. Others just need help washing their feet and putting on socks and shoes, because they can’t bend down.

“A lot come out of hospital not doing a lot, but they start doing more and they’re really pleased because then they can get up, or eat, when they want.”

Nicola had no relevant qualifications or training. She said: “There are courses and on-the-job training with more experienced home-carers.”

Some aspects of the job may be considered difficult, but Nicola said: “When you’re washing or changing someone, you don’t think about it, you respect their dignity, so you just get on with it. You also see people frequently so you’re building up relationships.”

Nicola now sees more of her two children. She works in the mornings, picks them up from school and then returns to work after they go to bed. She also said that managers can change hours if people need this.