What’s new from Kent County Council đź“©

 

 

 

 

 

In this update:

Find out how to become a foster parent

Discover the Kent Connected app to plan an adventure around Kent

Find out how to become a Shared Lives Carer and make a real different to another person’s life

Learn how to nominate a volunteer for a Coronation Champion Award

Find out about the UK Government’s testing alert on 23 April

See how One You Kent can support you with getting fit and healthy

Register your interest in solar panels.

 

Become a foster carer

 

 

 

Kent County Council’s (KCC) Fostering Service, Kent Fostering, is urgently calling for residents to consider becoming a foster carer in the midst of a national recruitment and retention “state of emergency”.Many vulnerable children and young people in Kent urgently need safe and loving homes in their local communities so that they can stay near their schools and friendship groups and not miss out on the vital care and support they urgently need.We work closely with our foster carers, children and young people, their families and social workers to help make a real difference to the lives of children and young people. They are given support, encouragement, love and security to help them grow up to lead happy, loving and fulfilled lives.If you are interested in finding out more about Kent Fostering, an informal chat or attending one of our information events:

Take the next steps in becoming a foster parent

 

Discover Kent via the Kent Connected app

Make the most of where you live by exploring Kent with the Kent Connected app.Combining a handy journey planner with Explore Kent walking and cycling routes, public rights of way and Ordnance Survey map layers.Why not, download the free app today or follow us on Facebook for more inspiration. For wheelchair accessible routes visit Explore Kent.

 

 

 

Become a Shared Lives Carer

We are recruiting caring people to become Shared Lives Carers and make a real difference to an adult’s life!

 

 

 

 

Shared Lives is similar to fostering, however we support adults with disabilities (or have eligible care and support needs), from the homes of our approved carers. Kent Shared Lives have been running for 30 years, and once approved carers are carefully matched with adults, by our experienced team. Types of support Long Term, Short Breaks and Day Support

  • Long Term – This is where an eligible Individual would live with you and your family.
  • Short Breaks – Someone would come and stay with you for a night or so, weekend, a week or slightly longer periods.
  • Day Support – One session is up to 5 hours & must be based at the Carer’s home at some point during this session

What are the positives for you?

  • Earn between ÂŁ350.18 to ÂŁ583.55 per placement per week for Long Term and you can support up to 3 adults from your home
  • Good tax rates benefits
  • Great work/life balance
  • Ongoing training, skills development and support from our team

For more information and an application form, contact us at sharedlives@kent.gov.uk or register your interest.

 

 

Test of life-saving public emergency alert system

A UK-wide alerts test will take place in the early evening of Sunday 23 April which will see people receive a test message on their mobile phones.

 

The new system that will give the Government and emergency services the capability to send an alert directly to mobiles phones when there is a risk to life.Working with mobile broadcasting technology, the Emergency Alerts system will transform the UK’s warning and informing capability; providing a means to get urgent messages quickly to nearly 90 percent of mobile phones in a defined area and providing clear instructions about how best to respond.The system is part of the government’s strengthening of its resilience capability, making sure it offers the best possible protection against an ever-evolving range of threats.The alerts will only ever come from the Government or emergency services, and they will issue a warning, always include the details of the area impacted, and provide instructions about how best to respond – linking to gov.uk/alerts where people can receive further information.

Emergency Alerts will be used very rarely – only being sent where there is an immediate risk to people’s lives – so people may not receive an alert for months, or even years.Emergency Alerts will be used across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and their initial use will focus on the most serious severe weather-related incidents, including severe flooding in England. The alerts are secure, free to receive, and one-way. They do not reveal anyone’s location or collect personal data.   Alerts can only be sent by authorised Governmental and Emergency Services users.

 

 

King’s Coronation Champions Awards 2023

Nominate a volunteer for a King’s Coronation Champion Award

 

 

 

 

 

If you know someone who has gone above and beyond to volunteer within children’s services and/or SEND, there’s still time to nominate them for the Coronation Champion Award 2023.

Nominations close at 23.59 on Sunday 2nd April 2023.

The Coronation Champions Awards, with the support of Her Majesty The Queen Consort, will celebrate and recognise inspiring volunteers who have made an exceptional difference in their communities. Her Majesty is a passionate and long-standing advocate of volunteering and the Royal Voluntary Service is organising the awards to acknowledge the contributions of volunteers across the UK. They will commend outstanding volunteers from all communities and also aim to inspire others to explore what volunteering has to offer.

There will be eight categories of awards, from volunteering in health or animal welfare, to supporting the environment or sports and heritage. In total, there will be 500 Coronation Champions selected from all over the UK and it would be wonderful to see Champions from Kent. All Champion Awards will be announced before the Coronation weekend.

So nominate someone today by visiting the Royal Voluntary Service – Coronation Champions website.

 

Struggling to stick to your New Year’s resolutions?

Did you have a New Years resolution in January to:

  • quit smoking
  • cut back on alcohol
  • eat nutritiously
  • be more active

Why not ask One You Kent to help you set realistic targets and stay motivated! Get lifestyle advice and support from One You Kent

 

 

Group-buying scheme opens again to help homeowners invest in solar energy

Solar Together Kent helps homeowners install high-quality solar panel and battery storage at competitive prices, from approved installers.

 

In the previous 2 phases of the scheme in Kent, over 1,600 homes have had solar installations and this will save over 30,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the panels. Residents and small businesses can join the group-buying scheme which offers solar panels with optional battery storage and EV charge points. It is free to register and there is no obligation to go ahead with an installation. KCC is pleased to be working in partnership with all 12 district and borough councils and Medway Council, to make the transition to clean energy as cost effective and hassle-free as possible across the county and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions across Kent and Medway.

How does it work?

  • Registration is quick, free and there is no obligation.
  • Auction of pre-vetted installers bidding against each other to offer the best deal.
  • Personal recommendation based on your registration details.
  • You decide if you want to take up the recommendation and proceed with an installation.
  • Savings on electricity, after installation, by generating your own renewable electricity.

Register for Solar Together Kent.