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Working together to protect the older and vulnerable in Newry

PSNI and Good Morning Northern Ireland Network (GMNIN) are supporting the more vulnerable members of our community through their long standing partnership work.

E District Community Safety Sergeant Wendy Walker and Newry and Mourne Good Morning Northern Ireland Network Coordinator, Mr Gerry Carey, promote the work of the Network in supporting older and vulnerable people in our communities

Good Morning Northern Ireland Network is a charitable organisation that provides a free telephone support service for older people and vulnerable adults.

In 2011 a protocol was put in place outlining partnership and working arrangements between PSNI and GMNIN. The aim of the protocol is, through collaborative working, to promote and ensure support to vulnerable and older persons through the delivery of effective services.

E District Superintendent for Service Delivery, Simon Walls, said, “Good Morning Network provides us with an opportunity to provide reassurance and advice to a section of the community that we may not ordinarily have interaction with.

“Good Morning volunteers phone their clients on a daily or weekly basis to check that people are safe, well and informed of other services and opportunities available to them.

He added, “We work with local Good Morning co-ordinators to provide focused crime prevention advice and reassurance and also have the ability to refer people, with consent, to their local Good Morning Service.”

There are 23 Good Morning Services across Northern Ireland, reaching more than 4000 people.

Mr Colin Dickenson, Development Officer for GMNIN, explained, “The Good Morning Service is the embodiment of looking after your neighbour. It helps to reduce isolation and loneliness and brings peace of mind to next of kin.

“Our volunteers phone clients regularly for a friendly chat, to tell them about what is going on, to check if they are ok and to provide reassurance if they need it. For many of our clients, this is the only human interaction they will have in a day. Our service also acts as an early warning system.

Colin adds, “If we phone a client and they do not answer we will contact one of their friends or family or police to check on them. With the person’s consent we can signpost, connect with and make referrals to other voluntary and statutory agencies. Realistically we are that constant lifeline for many people.”

If you feel you, or a family member, could benefit from the Good Morning call, you can find out more by contacting Good Morning Northern Ireland Network Service, which will provide details of your nearest service.

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Posted by on Dec 19 2014. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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