Colin and Elliot Newton worked with City of London Council officers to gather the opinions and to truly listen to the Voice of Unaccompanied Minors from Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan – settling in London. We used person centred process, props and graphics to help us overcome cultural and linguistic barriers to hearing them properly.
Getting older comes with a very frightening and daunting set of challenges. However, as a society, we tend to overlook the challenges faced by the individual (the person who is living through the getting older part), and focus on the issues related to those around them. These are the issues we have both as individuals (now I need to take care of them too) and as a society (how much will it now cost to care for this person who can no longer contribute).
Sadly, this is not an approach we can change in our lifetime. However, that should by no means mean we shouldn’t do our best to facilitate a shift, as much as is in our power.
One of the first steps in empowering and enabling seniors to continue living their best lives is person-centered planning.
Derek Wilson and Colin Newton offered training on Person Centred Planning for students with SEMH needs in Rotherham at the Rowan Centre. We were impressed by the insights and wider work of the team and their acceptance of the systemic problems of Special settings.
‘I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the training today. I absolutely loved it!! We are in a time of transition at Rowan. Trying to make things better and I know that this process will help us on our way.’ – Vicky Woodrow, Headteacher at The Rowan Centre