Small Steps adapting to Covid-19

by guest author Diane Williams
Project Manager, Rekindle

Rekindle's Small Steps Project enjoys a challenge, and this was put to the test with the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown commencing in March. At the start of the lockdown period we recognised some of our current clients were living alone or estranged from family members. We were able to prepare clients for the possible lockdown and were kept busy ensuring they had enough food and medication to reduce any panic. We continued to remain open ensuring we could do so safely following government guidelines to keep everyone safe.

We have worked tirelessly to support every person who has needed it throughout the lockdown, with no two days being the same. Every person who has contacted Small Steps, be it by telephone or visiting our office, has received the support they required. We have turned no one away. 

Despite our criteria being 16 - 25 years old we have allowed some flexibility, with the eldest person to receive our support being 84 years old and shielding. Our support has included a listening ear, support through a crisis, shopping and collecting and delivering medication. We even helped to fix a dog pen to prevent her dog getting free.

It has been a challenging time for everyone with a number of clients experiencing feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety. Without a safe office environment to visit their mental health may have deteriorated further. We recognised not everyone feels comfortable speaking on the phone, or doing a video call, so it has enabled anyone struggling to cope with a mental health concern or a practical problem, no matter what age, to call in and receive the support they need. 

We are looking forward to returning to some normality, for now though we will keep smiling and look forward to each new day whatever it may bring.

Quotes from Small Steps' clients

“During Covid-19 and lockdown Small Steps helped prevent me from being homeless and doing something unpredictable. I was able to avoid being a victim of domestic violence and was able to give my wife the space she needed. 

Before I received support from Small Steps I would not have managed in such a calm manner. I would have acted irresponsiblly, ensuring I get arrested, as this was all I knew to ensure a place to stay and prevent me sleeping on the streets. 

I have gained a different way to cope, remembering to follow and use different coping techniques, and if that does not help I am able to contact Diane or Kemal or a peer support who I can talk to without being judged, and I always feel understood and listened to."

Anon - (24)

“Small Steps have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic no matter how big or small the situation. I myself am incrediblly thankful that they remained open during these difficult times for everyone. 

Diane and Kemal came to see me out of hours on a Sunday after experiencing a domestic violence incident. Without having them to speak to, and keep me positive and my hopes up, finding me a place to stay along with a food parcel, I genuinely don’t know what sort of situation or head space I would be in at present. 

I am forever grateful that this charity exists, I don’t have any family support since being estranged from them so in some way I consider Small Steps to be my second family.”

P.B (19)

Rekindle's Small Steps Project works with younger people aged 16 to 25 in North Powys to offer early intervention for those at risk of mental health problems or those already suffering mental distress such as depression, anxiety or who are self-harming.

Find out more on the charity's website or Facebook pages. You can also ring: 01686 722222 or email: hello@smallsteps.wales

Life after alcohol addiction - Russell & Kaleidoscope Project Powys

The headline news in the County Times earlier this year read: “Champion boxer turns life around after fight against addiction”.

Russell Pearce from Welshpool is the boxer behind the headline, and following his own recovery journey from alcohol addiction has recently taken on a new role as an Engagement & Support Worker with Kaleidoscope, working to support people who have a drug and / or alcohol dependency in Powys.

We asked Russell to tell us more about his recovery journey, his role at Kaleidoscope and what support is available in Powys for people struggling with drug and alcohol misuse.

Tell us more about the work you do at Kaleidoscope Powys

I’m the first point of contact for most people when they first come in. I do the referral for them and the initial assessment. Referrals then go to the team meetings where people are allocated to a key worker.

When I do my assessments of people I always tell them a bit about my background because they are often nervous or embarrassed. So I just tell them straight away away – don’t worry, I came through Kaleidoscope. And If you’re worried about any of your questions, I’ve answered them before, nothing you say will shock me.

At the moment the key workers are really busy so I’m taking some of the less problematic clients. Hopefully I will go through the training and become a key worker myself.

Across the county, Kaleidoscope supports more than 450 people, and operates four projects.

What led you to this particular role?

I started boxing professionally at 18 after winning a British Championship fight in my teens. I was representing Wales, but my dream career developed into a means of funding my alcohol habit. I would take on difficult fights, knowing I’d get paid whether I won or lost, and then I’d spend the money on alcohol regardless of the outcome.

My addiction to alcohol started as seemingly harmless but it got to the stage where I was drinking too much and much faster than my mates. It was a slippery slope. Before I knew it I was relying on alcohol to feel I belonged – to be outgoing, funny, one of the lads – it just got worse from there.

Drink took over my life, leaving me alone and desperate to continue funding my habit. My desperation reached a peak when I could no longer afford to sustain my lifestyle. With my addiction still strong, stealing alcohol felt like my only option.

Then I came into contact with Kaleidoscope after being arrested for stealing alcohol. People are routinely referred after arrest, but then it’s up to them to follow up and probably 90% of referrals never engage with us, but I decided I’d had enough. Kaleidoscope got me into rehab and that was the start of my recovery.

Russell (in the pink tutu!) at his stag party

Why do you think it is important that people working at Kaleidoscope have lived experience of substance misuse? 

I think it puts people at ease. If they tell me something, it’s likely that I’ve had that same kind of feeling. You could have the same emotions about heroin, just because it’s a different substance it’s the same kind of thought process behind it really. It’s that common knowledge thing – you learn football better off people that play football basically.

Why do people start to become dependent on drugs and alcohol?

It can be anything. There are people who have been through trauma and manage not to go down that road and some people just do. When I was in rehab we used to have our group chats. There were lawyers there who had the occasional lunch-time drink that just got out of control and then there were the people who had experienced severe trauma in their lives.

A lot of the time it’s unseen circumstances. People only see the addiction, they don’t see the background of it, and it can be anything from family fall-outs to relationship failure. Maybe a couple broke up, they’ve only been together for a month, and one partner is really depressed about it and just chose to do the wrong thing. Alcohol, or substance misuse, is just a way of coping with things. So some people have the gym, others go for a run. Others just turn to alcohol and / or drugs.

How does drug and alcohol misuse impact on people’s mental health?

It’s really hard to deal with mental health when you’re drinking because if all you’re doing is to use drugs or alcohol to suppress the kind of emotions and feelings that you have then all that you’re doing is pushing that down. Things can get out of control really really quickly and that’s what people don’t understand. You can put things off, like bills and debts, and things snowball and before you know it you’ve got this weight on you plus the addiction. I used to deal with all my problems through alcohol. I’d end up stealing alcohol and then you have the stress of – have I been seen, or will I get caught?

It’s all of that and on top it’s people’s opinions of you as well. I know from experience that the people that come into Kaleidoscope, or any kind of drug and alcohol agency, aren’t bad people. Once you sit down with them you realise they’ve had a bit of bad luck in their lives. It’s hard to change people’s opinion on that. But they are actually good people.

On popular TV soaps, street drug people or alcoholics, they’re just portrayed as always doing bad things. Even celebrities are shown when they’re looking really haggard after a night out, you don’t see anyone after they’re recovered. And I think that’s why a lot of people don’t come into the service. It’s actually embarrassing to admit the problem and ask for help.

How might the Covid-19 pandemic have impacted on people’s unhealthy use of alcohol?

I think people are drinking more unknowingly. People have been furloughed and they can drink during the day and not really think anything of it. Then their intake slowly increases. It’s the same with the drug side of things. People might have used drugs at the weekend but now they can get away with doing it during the week too.

And I think Covid is a lot of stress for people too. I think that’s what it boils down to – just people’s stress and how they have dealt with it. I know some of my clients have really struggled through it. There are no barriers in place, people have time on their hands, and no one really knows when it’s going to end. You have all day to worry about your bills and some people have had bereavement to cope with too. Then a drink is going to seem very appealing.

Russell on his wedding day

What barriers might prevent people from seeking support and how do you work to overcome those?

Again, it’s stigma. People see it as embarrassing to admit to this kind of problem. And also not recognising it as a problem. If you ask ten people on the street – do you know what kind of daily alcohol limit you’re supposed to stick to in a healthy world, 8 out of 10 people wouldn’t know the answer.

We get people in to Kaleidoscope through just being friendly. Everyone loves coming into our office. We try to be as normal as we can because we know it’s daunting to come in and admit you have a problem.

Are there particular issues which arise in rural areas like Powys for people with drug and alcohol dependency?

I think a lot of people struggle with rural life. It makes sense – whether they’re cut off from family and friends in the middle of nowhere, so the loneliness, or just because of the way they live and problems with public transport, which means it is difficult for people to have regular access to our services. One good thing that has come out of the pandemic is that we now understand that sometimes phone contact can work.

And now people can drink at home, and when they go out shopping the first thing they see in the supermarket is a big pyramid of crates of beer on sale – which is pretty hard, especially for someone in the early stages of recovery.

Are you working differently, and if so how, to support people due to Covid-19?

So, we’ve been working from home since March now. We are providing phone support to clients. Some of the SMART meetings are taking place online in the evenings with one of my colleagues. A SMART meeting is from UK Smart Recovery, it’s like Alcoholics Anonymous but without the religious side. It’s been nice for some clients to join so they can see other people, especially as some live alone.

From 7 July we have partially opened our doors on a part-time basis in Newtown, Llandrindod Wells and Brecon.

Russell with his daughter

Do you provide support for the families of your clients and if so what?

We will speak to people if they’re worried about their son or daughter or partner – we can have a chat over the phone but obviously everything is confidential so we can’t tell them anything about the client. We normally point them in the direction of Al-Anon – an organisation set up to support the family and friends of alcoholics. 

Which other organisations do you work closely with to provide support to people? 

We do work closely with the Community Mental Health teams across Powys.

What is the most challenging aspect of the job?

Not being able to help everyone. I think you can’t come into this job with rose-tinted spectacles thinking you are going to change the world and everyone’s going to recover. I think everyone has their own journey – it’s just finding different ways of working with each individual.

One of the hardest things is when people are rude to people with addiction. If by telling my story, here, or on TV and in the paper, I can change a few people’s opinions on addiction, I’d really like that.

And the most rewarding?

Just people saying thank you really. They come into Kaleidoscope, like I did, pretty broken. And seeing them make a conscious effort to change their life – because I know how hard it is to get sober – and it’s really nice and rewarding to see. Next week I’ll be taking a client to the rehab I went to which will be nice – going back. I’ve been back a few times. My best man at my wedding and my ushers were all lads I met in rehab!

And also, on a personal level, being able to tell people what I do for a job after everyone knew me as a national champion boxer who threw his career away.

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt since starting your role?

Probably that everyone’s got a story. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

When you are not working for Kaleidoscope, how do you enjoy spending your time?

I still do a bit of boxing. We’re planning a Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for Kaleidoscope. We had to postpone it this year because of Covid. And I’m starting to learn to play the bass guitar. And spending time with my wife, and Facetiming my daughter who lives in Poland.

And finally

Now I’m a better father, husband, brother and son. I want people to know that addiction can grip anyone, from any background.

But, there is support out there, walk through our doors and you’ll be greeted with a warm smile and a cuppa. 

Many thanks to Russell for sharing his recovery journey. You can contact him by emailing: russell.pearce@kaleidoscopeproject.org.uk or phoning: 01938 554013.

Mental health charities in Powys - innovating for lockdown

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic I have been amazed by the speed and efficiency with which mental health charities across Powys have been able to adapt the delivery of their usual services to meet the demands of the “new normal”. Most have also developed new and innovative services. Like all of us the people running these charities have faced the sometimes conflicting challenges of trying to meet the needs of their members and clients whilst at the same time the requirement to safeguard their hard-working and committed staff and volunteers. 

The headline news is that - whether online, on the phone, or even - at a social distance - providing a face to face service, your mental health charities are still there for you.

Here are some of the changes they have made over the last four months. These changes are to help support people’s general wellbeing during this difficult time but also to continue addressing more serious underlying emotional distress whether related to Covid-19 or not.

Mid & North Powys Mind

Mid & North Powys Mind staff pre-pandemic

Due to the pandemic we had to close all of our in-person groups and our building to the public, but we have been supporting people on a one to one, remote basis instead (phone, WhatsApp video call, text, etc). We have also continued to support new people during this time. 

We moved our training courses online straight away and have been delivering these via Zoom video conferencing. Courses have included: Hypnotherapy for Relaxation, Recharging & Healing, Stress & Anxiety Management, Keeping Mentality Fit and we have Managing your Emotions running in July. The Mums Matter courses are delivered online now as well, along with a number of regular Mums Peer Support groups across mid & north Powys.

Mid & North Powys Mind continued doing in-person crisis work from the start of the pandemic, for the people that needed that additional support. And now we are moving to a more mixed approach of part in-person work, outside at a social distance, and part remote work, with people. This will much better enable us to support new people, as it is so much easier to build an open and trusting relationship in-person and keeping the part remote element will enable us to have a space to share very sensitive or confidential information, which is not always possible outside.

Our Blended Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy service, normally based at GP surgeries, has also moved remotely and is now open to referrals directly from the public, without the need to see your GP, which is a great step forward. We are also planning new Facebook Live broadcasts to showcase CBT and Silvercloud.

Facebook Live broadcasts have been incredibly popular. We've got three live shows running weekly at the moment: Tai Chi, Hypnotherapy for Relaxation, and Mindfulness. They have been getting over 1000 views per broadcast, 18,000 unique viewers this month alone and some really positive feedback. So we're expanding these broadcasts to include an introduction to CBT & Silvercloud, creative writing and general wellbeing tips from our THRIVE course. We have also started a Facebook chat & support group for our service users.

Our counselling service has moved to remote methods as well – mainly phone and WhatsApp video call. We have been lucky enough to secure a small amount of additional funding to expand this service.

We are working with Adrian Jones at Supporting People, who has a small pot of funding to enable Information Technology (IT) access for service users. That's been really good to help some of our service users get online, plus donated laptops from the Media Resource Centre, for our members.

Within our Outreach Groups, there are lots of people who are very vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19, and some people who are shielding. I think it's particularly hard on them because they're really missing the groups and social contact. We've been doing phone and virtual support, but many don't have internet access or have the tech skills to use online methods of communication. Recently, as lockdown restrictions have been eased, we have been supporting them to meet their peers in their gardens, to help them to feel more connected.

You can get in touch with us by messaging our Facebook page, calling the main number: 01597 824411 or texting: 07539 870 010.

Ponthafren Association

Claire Cartwright, Ponthafren Association Director, makes a dragon mosaic

At Ponthafren we were able to adjust very quickly to a virtual way of working.

All of our core services have continued, albeit in different ways, as well as maintaining contacts with those who need our services.

Our counselling services are continuing and what's been interesting is that there is 97% attendance at the moment, which is remarkable. This is something we are monitoring as we consider how and when we re-open the Ponthafren sites. I’m sure that some services will continue to be virtual whilst having a coordinated approach. The feedback of the virtual services has been extremely positive.

We have upped our social media presence since we've been in lockdown. So for Mental Health Awareness Week we talked about the Five Ways to Wellbeing each day. We encouraged staff to share their experiences during lockdown whether it was learning new skills, keeping in contact with others, being kind and being active. James did a marvellous job in scheduling the posts on numerous social media platforms.

In partnership with Adult Learning Wales we are continuing our life skills courses. The courses cover topics such as Coping with Change, Stress & Anxiety and Resilience & Emotional Wellbeing training online via Zoom.

We are also facilitating volunteer training. So far, it’s working really well in small groups – it can be tiring for the tutor but we always have a staff member in the sessions to help in case anyone needs particular assistance.

A really positive outcome of the forced lockdown has been the informal partnership formed in a direct response to the Covid situation in Newtown. The team involves working with the PAVO Community Connectors, the Town Council, the Salvation Army and one of the local churches. We were meeting daily but now twice a week. We've got 17 Angels working under the network, and approximately 150 Cherubs, who have all responded to the call out for help to help others in the locality. Ponthafren looks after the telephone line and helps to coordinate any call for help. For example: shopping, advice, picking up prescriptions, access to FREE food and specific support. Newtown is providing over 5000 free meals per week via local businesses and community groups.

We're also working with businesses as well, finding out how they can support the community and how we can support them. It's just having a really good community feel which is going to be really beneficial going forward. We've never had this many volunteers come forward in recent times. We really want to capture that and move forward with it.

But now my attention is to how and when we can reopen the Ponthafren sites whilst providing a safe environment for all; it’s going to be a challenge but one that the Ponthafren trustees and staff are keen to do as quickly as we can. Services and the setting may look different but the object of Ponthafren is to provide a caring community offering support to those in need and to promote positive mental health and well-being for all.

Oh, and I nearly forgot we are in the process of purchasing the Armoury in Welshpool. This will enable us to provide an exciting schedule of activities and will provide us with the space to respond to need in the locality.

We’ve been busy!

You can get in touch with us by messaging our Facebook page, calling the main number: 01686 621586 or emailing: admin@ponthafren.org.uk

Brecon & District Mind

Green Minds project, Brecon & District Mind

All our support is provided remotely by phone or online video call. We had some good news recently as the National Lottery is to fund our counselling service to expand it further for a year. The Green Minds project is very busy. They have set up their own website so that they can have interactive sessions on gardening and growing. They are going to be one of the first groups to do some 1:1 work outside using Brecon Cathedral’s walled garden. 

The Mums Matter Programme is now online. The mums’ support group is still happening on Zoom and that has been quite popular. There were some Mindfulness videos which went out in the beginning. Our Blended Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and our Social Prescribing projects are continuing remotely. Referrals to Mums Matter can be emailed to: mumsmatter@breconmind.org.uk

Active Monitoring is returning as Mind Cymru were successful in sourcing funding from Wales Council for Voluntary Action. The model has been adapted so that it can be used by phone, Zoom and WhatsApp starting 15 June across Powys (including Mid & North Powys Mind and Ystradgynlais Mind). We have three practitioners in place in our area and we're taking referrals and they can come from anywhere including GPs and self-referrals. Please email referrals to: activemonitoring@breconmind.org.uk

We have a YouTube channel where we have Mindfulness videos. We have a Covid-19 closed group on Facebook where people can share their concerns. We are posting a regular photo challenge on our Facebook page as well as keeping Twitter and Instagram up to date.

Val Walker, CEO said “For the first 10 weeks it was worryingly quiet. I anticipated the quiet but not for that long. But now, all of a sudden, requests for support are coming in. A police officer requested that we actually go out and see one of our clients. We did a face-to-face session outside which made me think that it was absolutely necessary for us to start thinking about going back to this way of working because that one person was so different after that face-to-face meeting. As some people don't like talking on the phone, our 1:1s will start on a gradual basis outside.”

You can get in touch with us by messaging our Facebook page, calling the main number: 01874 611529 or emailing: info@breconmind.org.uk

Ystradgynlais Mind

Ystradgynlais Mind receive a donation from Cwmtwrch Rugby Football Club

We're really pleased with how we managed to roll out our services to people during lockdown. Our biggest concern really is the people who are the most vulnerable in our community who would not normally attend our services. They tend to be older and don’t have access to IT. We managed to get some funding for some extra staff hours so that they can have more telephone support and we’re also trying to link them up so that people can stay connected.

At the beginning we worked really closely with the local Community Connector to do shopping and pick up prescriptions for people. We had an initial avalanche of referrals but that has slowed down. Our staff were all set up with laptops and filing cabinets to work from home.

We've been working quite closely with the local rugby clubs. And we had some extra funding for our Mums Matter course. This continues every Tuesday afternoon, and those in the peer group are still supporting each other. One of our members is writing a blog post every week.

We provided some Suicide Prevention training with the rugby clubs. Then they got together and did a 4,000 mile virtual journey from Cardiff to Scotland and they raised £2,000! So this brought in a lot of attention including from some celebrities in the rugby world. It’s raised our profile massively in the community.

Plus we had a grant from Mind Cymru for laptops for those without access to IT. One of our trustees was able to distribute those to try and reduce the impact of digital exclusion.

One of our Social Prescribing clients talking about the support we have given him during the coronavirus outbreak:

"I want to tell you how much you both have helped me over this difficult time. It would be so much harder to deal with all of this if I couldn’t speak to you both on your work phones. I can’t imagine how my emotions would have been without you both helping me.

I want to tell you both how helpful and understanding you have been to me, it’s hard for me to put into words how much you’ve helped me. Without the both of you my stress levels would have gone up and up. The support you have given me has been brilliant."

You can get in touch with us by messaging our Facebook page, or using the contact methods on our Contact us page.