Training Centre

The Taylor Partnership is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Horton Housing Association at its Training Centre in Bradford.

Based at 14 Edmund Street, Bradford BD5 0DH the Horton Housing Association Training Centre provides and delivers a wide range of services. It has two broad aims:

1.To assist and support vulnerable people - recognising their worth and providing the direction and assistance to empower them to improve their lives.

2.To ensure that those who are providing that support are equipped to do so.

The Horton Housing Association Training Centre offers:

i)Education and learning for some of the most vulnerable people in society in a friendly, safe environment.

ii)Courses that range from basic skills, ICT, numeracy, literacy, media studies, child care, ESOL, Citizenship to -

iii)Professional courses designed to assist those working in support services and meet the demands of Supporting People

iv)And specific courses designed to strengthen the operational skills of support workers and their managers:

a.Asylum and Refugees: Immigration status and rights.

·A course designed for practitioners and support workers who come into contact with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

·It covers: human rights; employment and benefit rights; entitlements; where to seek advice; the role and responsibility of the local authority; basic relevant immigration legislation; identifying the difference between asylum seekers, refugees and migrants; NASS; and housing rights.

b.Benefits.

·A course designed for any practitioner and support worker who is involved in giving advice to clients regarding any benefit.

·The course covers: benefit eligibility; income support; JSA; housing benefit; incapacity benefit; DLA; child benefit; Tax Credits; Pension Credits; crisis loans; budgeting loans; how to appeal; where to seek specialist advice.

c.Local and national government

·A course designed to give an understanding of how local and national government operates and how they interact with the voluntary, public and private sectors. It provides an insight for support workers, advice workers and practitioners to know how to interact with tiers of government effectively.

·The course covers: the difference between parish, local and national government; how to use elected members effectively in supporting clients; which tier of elected members to approach; government departments and their jurisdictions; effective networking.

d.The Criminal Justice System

·A course for anyone working with or interested in offenders, drugs and how the criminal justice system operates.

·The course covers: the foundations of the legal system; defendant and offender rights; the legal process; domestic violence and how it is handled; fines and warrants; the impact of offending on employability; the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act; the role of probation; drug treatments and court orders; anti-social behaviour orders and how they operate.

e.The role of education and employment in client development.

·A course for support workers and practitioners to assist in identifying the educational needs of clients and addressing issues of self worth and confidence.

·The course will cover: the worklessness agenda; how to be creative with education; the value of employment; how the government is addressing incapacity benefit and employment; what options are available.

f.Understanding domestic violence

·A course designed to assist anyone working in the field of domestic violence to understand the nuances and realities.

·The course will cover: what signs to look for; how to give practical support; explain the options - and what to expect - within the criminal justice system; how to rebuild lives; child protection issues; cultural differences and domestic violence.

v)The Taylor Partnership with the Horton Housing Association Training Centre is establishing a series of social enterprise schemes to address worklessness. On-going, continuous training coupled with direct employment in safe, social environment assists in ensuring that even the most marginalised and vulnerable in society have an opportunity to play a role.