News

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 

Useful link 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cq23pdgvgr2t/blindness-and-visual-impairment

Vision rehabilitation services are crucial to ensuring blind and partially sighted people remain as independent as possible. Now, new independent research commissioned by RNIB, with support from the Department of Health, has identified that the cost of providing vision rehabilitation services is dwarfed by the financial benefits.

Independent research by the Office for Public Management (OPM) and based on a case study of services provided by Sight for Surrey has shown that the financial benefits of good vision rehabilitation services significantly outweigh the actual costs of delivering this service. In fact in the case study site, over £3.4 million of health and social care costs were avoided, reduced or deferred annually based on a service which cost an estimated £900,000 a year to deliver.

See the link below for more detail 

https://www.rnib.org.uk/professionals/knowledge-and-research-hub/research-reports/early-reach-research/rehab-cost-avoidance

The Department of Health has launched the updated Certificate of Vision Impairment Form and Explanatory Notes. 

Please see the link below 

http://www.vision2020uk.org.uk/department-health-launches-updated-certificate-vision-impairment-form-explanatory-notes-key-messages-different-audiences/

RNIB and RWPN have commissioned a Workforce Survey for the profession. It is the first of its kind and has just been published.  The findings make interesting reading and the report can be read here.