The 2019 annual seminar will take place on Friday 28th June at Birmingham City University, Edgbaston Campus.  Details of the speakers and workshops will be posted in March.   

New guidance for Vision Rehabilitation Workers in how to handle situations where you see someone driving who you know to have been certified sight impaired or severely sight impaired.

Certification and Driving - RWPN guidance Nov 18.docx

In January 2019 the Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network (RWPN) will be launching a professional register of Vision Rehabilitation Workers. This will be a UK-wide register of the estimated 500+ workforce.  

Purpose

This register is to protect blind and partially sighted people who use the services provided by Vision Rehabilitation Officers, irrespective of who they are employed by.  In joining a register all registrants will be able to demonstrate that a) they have the requisite qualification to practice and b) that they undertake mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) which is to a level already specified by RWPN and which is to a  level similar to that undertaken by allied professions such as Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Social Workers.

Rationale

• ·        Vision rehabilitation work is frequently undertaken with vulnerable people. 
• ·        It is almost exclusively undertaken on a 1-to-1 basis. 
• ·        The majority of people receiving such services will have additional disabilities. 
• ·        Vision rehabilitation work covers areas of practice that are frequently hazardous, that involve risk and can lead to harm. 

Public and employers need to be assured that the people working with them are professional and continue to demonstrate their professionalism.

Status of the register

We will be applying for registration with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), the government-backed organisation that regulates all health and social care professions.   

To join the register you need to be a member of RWPN.  If you are not already a member go to the Join Now tab on this website.

We are really please to announce that the first apprentices learning to be Vision Rehabilitation Workers have started their two year "on-programme" training.  14 apprentices were among the new cohort of over 30 students starting their first year at Birmingham City University.  Apprentices have come from both voluntary and local authority employers.    

For employers thinking about next year's intake (September 2019) it is not too early to start the process of accessing the employer's levy or identifying a would-be apprentice.  Go to the Apprenticeship tab on this website.

We are delighted to announce that the Education and Skills Funding Agency has approved our application to become and End Point Assessor Organisation of the Rehabilitation Worker (Visual Impairment) apprenticeship standard.   We will now be working with colleagues over the next few months to design the assessment materials and publish a more detailed description of how the assessment will work.

Booking is now open for the annual BCU/RWPN seminar in Birmingham.  All bookings and queries are through this website at BCU. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rehabilitation-seminar-2018-tickets-42937614561

Programme not yet finalised but will include workshops on feeling confident with simpler app-based technology (including Amazon Echo), a workshop on identifying CPD needs, a workshop for visually impaired workers looking at Access to Work amongst other things, a workshop around adapting practice with dementia. Also plenary presentations including research into the impact of visual impairment on development of movement and motor skills presented by a Habilitation professional.   

Members £40, non-members £65 (Support Workers free and only pay for lunch on the day).  Anyone booking as a member will need to supply their membership number (if you click on your name on the website your page will appear and your number is next to your name.) Only members who have renewed will be able to claim members’ rate.

Fantastic news! The Institute for Apprenticeships has approved the Rehabilitation Worker standard ST0 431.   The single biggest boost to regenerating the workforce for England is now in place.  Here is the link to the standard.

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/rehabilitation-worker-visual-impairment/

Currently the only provider of the two year training course is Birmingham City University (BCU). Any would-be apprentice needs to apply to BCU as soon as possible. BCU have written an excellent guide to the whole process of applying for levy funds and the BCU application process.  The Rehab Work apprenticeship - E-leaflet for employers (1).docx

Should canes always be white, or can they reflect the users' personality?

Watch the film here, or go to the RNIB link here to join in the debate

 

Over one-third of blind and partially sighted people said that they sometimes, frequently or always experience negative attitudes from the public in relation to their sight loss especially when using a white cane (My Voice, RNIB). This film 'explains the cane'...

RWPN's response to the government consultation "Promoting professionalism, reforming regulation"  can be viewed here.  This consultation is concerned with the future registration of professionals, the bodies that hold registers and the way in which regulatory bodies can support professional standards  https://consultations.dh.gov.uk/professional-regulation/regulatory-reform/consultation/my_response?user_id=ANON-XRUJ-Q348-S&key=4e2704152c34c16f1d900741c69b624bd3de28c9