West Sussex County Council has held the first of a series of courses for school bus drivers designed to combat bullying.

Improved training for school bus drivers was one of the key recommendations of an Anti-Bullying Task Force set up in 2007 by the Council, following the tragic death of 11 year-old Horsham schoolboy Ben Vodden.

His parents – Paul and Caroline Vodden – have been given details of the feedback from 52 drivers who filled out course evaluation forms. 49 felt the course has been either useful or very useful.

Among the aspects of the course singled out by drivers were – ‘that it highlighted bullying as a very serious and real issue’ and that it showed ways of ‘tactfully dealing with an issue’.

The course included discussions how to deal with behaviour and situations that might take place on school buses.

The Task Force was also set-up as a response to comments made by  the Coroner who asked the County Council to look at home to school transport issues when recording an open verdict into Ben’s death.

The outcomes of the course are intended to help drivers:
· Know some definitions of bullying
· To have considered their roles and responsibilities in responding to bullying
· To understand forms of bullying
· To consider what is appropriate behaviour on school transport
· To consider ways to de-escalate a situation
· To consider different responses to difficult situations

Peter Griffiths, West Sussex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Schools, said: “I felt it was important that the first people to know of the outcome of the initial course were Mr and Mrs Vodden.

“They rightly had concerns about school transport, but have conducted themselves throughout with enormous dignity, and played an important role in the Task Force’s recommendations.

“I am pleased that so many school bus and coach drivers felt the course was worthwhile. One company sent an email to us saying their staff had returned ‘full of it’, and asked to be informed of the next dates as soon as possible.”

Peter said more courses were being arranged, and he hoped to attend one himself to gain a better insight into what was being offered to drivers.

The Task Force looked at many other aspects of bullying and other recommendations put into practice have included:

· An anti-bullying line through the County Council Contact Centre to support parents/carers whose children are experiencing bullying – 0845 075 1010.

· Providing a casework service to work with children and young people who are experiencing more complex bullying.

· Updating the County Council’s Anti-Bullying Strategy and guidance to schools and youth organisations.

Paul and Caroline Vodden said:

“We are very encouraged by the response to the recent driver training organised by West Sussex County Council.  This is something we have pressed for since the events on the school bus which led to our 11-year old son’s tragic death nearly three years ago, and we were very pleased when the Council’s Anti-Bullying Task Group included driver training in its recommendations. 

“The overwhelmingly positive response of the drivers following the first voluntary training session validates our view that training drivers in bullying awareness and pupil management is not only essential to protect vulnerable children but also of benefit to the drivers themselves. 

“We are convinced that formal training should now be rolled out across the County and, indeed, nationwide, and accompanied by a system of accreditation which recognises and affirms the important role and responsibilities which drivers carry in relation to the welfare of the students in their charge.

“Had such a scheme been in place prior to Ben’s death, such a tragic outcome may have been prevented.”

Crawley Borough Council’s Communications team came up trumps last week after scooping a prestigious award.

The Crawley resident’s magazine, Crawley Live, took on a host of magazines and newspapers from across the region to bag the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards Home Counties South for the best newspaper or magazine 2009.

CIPR judges felt Crawley Live ‘appealed to both young and older residents, providing easy to read content, promoting the council’s services from a user’s perspective’ and described it as ‘an excellent entry in a hotly contested category’. 

Crawley Council Communications Officer and Crawley Live Editor, Allan Hambly, said: “Since we re-launched Crawley Live in October 2008 we have had lots of positive feedback from residents.

“We aim to inform readers about council services in an interesting and entertaining way and this award shows that we are doing this – we’re not sitting on our laurels though and we’re constantly trying to improve the magazine.”

Crawley Live is a 24-page bi-monthly magazine which is printed on recycled paper and delivered to residents.

It was re-launched with a contemporary new design in October 2008 and in just 12 months has also been shortlisted for a CIPR national award and will go up against other public sector publications at the CorpComms awards next month. 

Caroline Brown, Chair of Home Counties South, said: “A CIPR Pride Award is a hallmark of professionalism and success – it identifies, recognises and rewards the outstanding achievements of those working in the PR industry outside of London. To win a CIPR Pride Award is a tremendous achievement and I congratulate all of this year’s winners.”
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(L-R) Communications Officers Allan Hambly and Stacia Baldock, Jo Sired and Mark Tiley of design studio Tileywoodman

Notes for editors

The CIPR PRide Awards have grown in strength and stature, recognising public relations success and achievement in the nations and regions.

There were over 1,400 plus entries UK-wide this year.

The CIPR PRide Awards is the only awards scheme which showcases the best PR work being carried out across the UK regions and nations and sets industry standards.

The judging process is rigorous with a national panel of industry experts assessing the shortlisted entries and choosing the winners.

For 2009 we appointed two Chairs of Judges, John Aspery and Chris Genasi, who will resolve any disputes and help ensure a fair and consistent judging process.

The campaign received the top Gold prize in the Not For Profit Category at this year’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Home Counties South PRide Awards.

The commendation said: “West Sussex County Council’s Communications Team has had outstanding success with its local Youth Cabinet Election Campaign, making it a worthy winner in this category.

“A wide range of appropriate channels were used to enable a two-way communication process to evolve. The use of news and social media, including a dedicated section on the council’s website connected directly to the youth audience.

“Young people from diverse target audiences including ethnic minorities, travellers and young people with special needs were all included and hence over 24,000 youngsters participated. A really excellent campaign on all levels.”

The campaign beat drives run by Kent County Council and Kent Waste Partnership.

More than 24,500 votes were cast in the elections. That was three times more than 2008 and meant one in five young people aged between 11 and 19 in West Sussex voted.

It put West Sussex in second place in the UK Youth Parliament League, following Kent, which had just over 30,000 votes.

There was also a record 210 candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds, including young parents, young Travellers, young people with special needs, minority ethnic groups and looked after young people.

Brad Watson OBE, the County Council Cabinet Member responsible for the Youth Cabinet, said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in this excellent result.

“As a CIPR PRide Award winner, the campaign has been judged to be amongst the best in the region by leading PR experts.

“The Awards showcase the best PR work being carried out across the UK and sets industry standards.”
 
Caroline Brown, Chair of CIPR Home Counties South, said: “A CIPR PRide Award is a hallmark of professionalism and success – it identifies, recognises and rewards the outstanding achievements of those working in the PR industry outside of London. To win a CIPR PRide Award is a tremendous achievement.”

A PACESETTING recycling drive in West Sussex has scooped a top national award.

The campaign has led to West Sussex residents recycling an average of 11 kg (about 22lbs) of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) per person – almost twice as much as the national average.

It won the Electrical and Electronic Recycler of the Year category at the National Recycling Awards.

The awards recognise the achievements of recycling and waste management projects across the country from both the public and private sectors. 

The drive got underway in July 2007, following new legislation that enabled residents to recycle all WEEE goods, from cookers to mobile phones, at West Sussex County Council’s network of 11 Household Waste Recycling Sites (HWRS).

The sites, which are operated by Viridor, provide easily accessible and dedicated containers for all unwanted electrical goods, identified with colourful pink signs. The collected items are subsequently recycled by approved treatment facilities.

Phillip Russell, the County Council’s Head of Waste Management, said: “The success of the drive reflects the fantastic cooperation that exists between the County, Viridor and our community.

“The response from public has been outstanding. The end result is 8000 tonnes of recovered materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill. “

Derek Whittington, County Council Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “This initiative goes a step further in our quest to become leaders in waste prevention and recycling.”

Bill Griffiths, National Recycling Manager at Viridor added: “I’m delighted the judges have recognised that the system we’ve put in place at the HWRS network is collecting significant quantities of electrical goods. The benefits are helping to conserve valuable resources and divert materials away from landfill.”

The winning design for an official Christmas card has been produced by an adult learning student from Tangmere.

This year’s winner, Mary Rotton, is enrolled on a calligraphy course and has studied on a number of other courses with the West Sussex Adult and Community Learning Service.

The Service’s annual Christmas card competition was launched in July and invited all students to design an official card for the service.

Mary has won a 10-week adult learning course of her choice, a £20 voucher and copies of her winning Christmas card, with its design of festive winter flowers.

The runner-up prize went to Samuel Martin, from Crawley, who won a £10 gift voucher.

The competition was judged by staff from the Adult and Community Learning Service.

West Sussex County Council Leader Henry Smith said: “I’d like to thank everyone who entered the competition. As ever, we received a very high standard of entrants, making the judging a very difficult task.”

Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services Peter Catchpole said: “Everyone can gain creative skills with the learning service, which offers a range of artistic courses, from Chinese brush painting to jewellery making, and card making to upholstery.”

For further information on adult learning across West Sussex contact 0845 6 01 01 61, or visit the County Council website at www.westsussex.gov.uk/adulteducation.

Councillors and children helped start the preparations for building a prestigious new community building by cutting the first piece of turf.

Councillor Brenda Burgess, Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Bob Lanzer, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, Councillor Henry Smith, Leader of West Sussex County Council and Councillor Brenda Smith, Ward member for Langley Green, were joined by Bob the Builder and children from Langley Green Primary School as they dug out the first piece of turf with spades in preparation for the building of the Langley Green Centre.

This building will provide new community facilities, the Children and Family Centre as well as improvements to the entrance to Langley Green Primary School.

The Langley Green Centre is scheduled to open in November 2010.

This new building will play a central part in the regeneration of central Langley Green. Other improvements include:
• The Primary Care Centre – work began here on time in July and the building should be completed by March 2010
• A new hard play area for Langley Green Primary School to compensate for the area that the Primary Care Centre is occupying
• The new road layout will be operating from the end of November, including the work to the car park. Once open, parking restrictions will be put in place to deter commuters from using it as an all-day free car park. This will enable parade users to park more easily
• West Sussex County Council’s Youth Services will move from their site in Larks Rise into the current Community Centre once the new Langley Green Centre has been completed
• The parade façade improvements significantly enhanced the look of the shopping parade and accommodation above.

Councillor Bob Lanzer, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, said: “I was extremely pleased to see the progress being made on the wider regeneration project as well as taking part in the turf cutting for the new Langley Green Centre.

“All of this work is being carried out to improve Langley Green and make it a better place to live and work. It will enhance the environment, community facilities, parade, open spaces, recycling, roads and parking.”

Councillor Henry Smith, Leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “I was honoured to take part in the turf-cutting ceremony with children at the primary school.

“This centre will play a vital role in the Langley Green community, having something for all the family to take part in. The County Council is committed to providing improved services like this to local children and families.”

A WEST Sussex service that helps the parents of disabled children take a much-needed break for a few hours is seeking more than 40 volunteers across the county.

West Sussex County Council Sitting Service gives parents some time off by arranging for volunteers to provide care for about four hours every fortnight at a time that is convenient. This could include evenings or activities during the day.

Jess Elliott, Sitting Service Co-ordinator, said: “We need 45 volunteers throughout West Sussex to make a big difference to a family with a disabled child by giving up a small amount of their time, about four hours a fortnight.

“Providing full time care for a child with disabilities can be exhausting and parents need a chance to recharge their batteries from time to time.”

But it is not only the parents who benefit, said Jess. The Sitting Service is also a rewarding experience for both the volunteers themselves and the children they look after.

For example:

· Karl has Down’s syndrome and loves to go swimming. He has a brother and a sister who lead fairly independent lives – but life can be quite hectic, especially after school. That meant Karl spent a lot of time indoors with his mum … but he now has a Sitter friend to go swimming with him.
· Daisy has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. Her mum is a single parent who enjoys going to the gym or to the shops without pushing a chair. Daisy loves people talking to her and enjoys watching the trees blow in the park … a Sitting friend is now making a big difference to them both – by taking Daisy out for a walk, so giving her mum a break.
· Jake is autistic and gets very anxious about going out and doesn’t like the shops. However, he enjoys the park when no one else is there – he loves rough play and bouncing his ball.
Jake has a Sitter friend who spends time playing with him and doing his favourite things.

“You do not need specialist qualifications or specific experience because full training is given in first aid, child protection, health and safety, communicating with disabled children and general disability issues,” said Jess.

Pat Arculus, County Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services, said: “If you can spare just a few hours to sit with a Karl, a Daisy or a Jake, I would urge you to get in touch with our Sitting Service and find out how you can be part of this valuable scheme.”

If you would like to make a difference then please contact Jess Elliott 01243 642318 or Doreen Bradbury 01243 642462.

A WORRYING number of people using electric blankets in West Sussex could be going to bed with live wire hazards this winter, firefighters are warning.

Over the last two weeks, West Sussex County Council Fire and Rescue Service has been carrying out free electric blanket tests at venues across the county.

Out of 645 blankets tested, 232 – 35 per cent – were found to be faulty.

Jackie Boyle, Community Fire and Road Safety Officer, said: “Every year there are approximately 1000 fires caused by faulty electric blankets. Around 20 people are killed and 250 injured.

“So, don’t take a chance this winter. Inspections of electric blankets are recommended every three years. But you should also regularly check it yourself for signs of wear and tear, scorch marks, loose connections or any damage to the flex.”

Always buy new, never second-hand blankets, and always follow the manufacturers instructions, said Jackie.

“Do not use the blanket when it has been folded or becomes creased. Don’t use a hot water bottle at the same time and never touch the blanket with wet hands or feet, or use the blanket if it’s wet or damp,” she said.

Jackie is also warning people to take care when using heated Wheat Bags, which can be warmed in a microwave oven and used in a similar way to hot water bottles.

“Wheat bags are a good way of keeping warm. But they can be very dangerous if used incorrectly.

“We urge people to always follow the instructions and ensure these bags are not heated for too long in the microwave. Once they have become overheated, they can start a rapid smouldering process and can reach extremely high temperatures.

“They have been known to cause serious injuries so you should always follow manufacturers instructions when heating and using them, and regularly check them for scorch marks and signs of wear and tear,” she said.

Peter Evans, County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “Our firefighters want everyone in West Sussex to sleep safely this winter. But we cannot afford to be complacent where electrical safety is concerned.”