On the third day of MacIntyre's Families Week, we're taking a look at the structure we put in place to forge great connections with the families of people we support.
A few years ago we appointed Nicola Payne as our Family Engagement Consultant. At that point, Nicola had been with MacIntyre for some time, initially joining us as a Support Worker. She combines expertise with a natural warmth and a positive attitude.
This new role gave MacIntyre a chance to put more emphasis and structure into how we connect with the families of people who draw on MacIntyre's support. We believe strongly that a constructive and open relationship with families is vital for everyone.
A great example of this is the Monthly Let's Come Together calls that Debs Aspland talked about on Monday.
Things have moved on a bit since Nicola was first appointed. She is now Best Practice Manager for Health and Families, combining those close family connections with an emphasis on optimum health for people who draw on our support. The two areas overlap closely. We have found that the three-way partnership between MacIntyre, the people we support, and their families helps everyone to understand people's health issues.
There is a lot more we could say about the benefits of Nicola's role, but for today, let's go back to basics and hear what she had to say shortly after she took on her new role:
If you're a family member of someone MacIntyre supports, check out our news items and resources below, join a Let's Come Together event, or subscribe to our podcast.