Working together made easy

Cllr Mike Wilcox, Chairman of Lichfield District Board, which is helping to develop the Let’s Work Together initiative, explains: “Let’s Work Together aims to help home visitors, such as police and fire officers, health professionals and council workers, to spot dangers in the home that might not traditionally be part of their work area, and to explain to residents how they can get extra help and support. 

“The initiative was developed after a Staffordshire lady called Olive tragically died in a house fire, after which Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service launched the Olive Branch Initiative. Before her death Olive was receiving visits from a variety of agencies, but because the staff who visited Olive were not trained to identify fire risks, or to offer advice and guidance on fire safety, she had not been told about a home fire risk check. Let’s Work Together will help to prevent deaths like Olive’s in the future by arming home visitors with training support and guidance.”

To help launch Let’s Work Together, a series of training sessions are being hosted this summer, and two sessions took place this week. More than 42 managers and home visitors from nine local organisations, including Bromford Living, Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust, Lichfield District Council, care staff from Staffordshire County Council, Lichfield District Community Voluntary Sector Support, attended the training sessions. 

At the training sessions delegates found out about the Let’s Work Together initiative, as well as how to spot risks in people’s home. The sessions covered crime prevention, fire safety, trip and fall hazards, as well as housing risks. Delegates also found out more about how to direct someone to get the help and support they need if they have any issues. 

Carmel Warren, from Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service who is project managing the development of Let’s work together, commented: “We hosted two training sessions this week. They really helped home visitors to recognise warning bells in people’s homes. Delegates also found out how to support people to get the help they need. From spotting trip hazards to noticing fire risks, it’s really important we all work together to make sure residents can live safe, healthy and independent lives. The feedback we’ve had so far has been really encouraging and I’m confident it will have a positive impact on local people’s lives.” 

To find out more about the project, visit www.letsworktogether.co or contact Carmel Warren, Let’s Work Together project manager, at carmel.warren@lichfielddc.gov.uk or call 01543 308708.