The Support and Advocacy team forms part of the Brunswick Centre and aims to work with service users in a holistic way so that their social care needs are met. The team aims to empower service users so that they can make the choices they want to.

Staff undertake needs assessments with service users so that the needs of the individual can be identified. Once identified the staff and service user look at ways of meeting these. Some of these can and will be provided by the Support and Advocacy team, some by other providers and some by the service user themselves. The team, like the rest of the charity work within confidentiality and equal opportunity polices.

The Brunswick Centre is aware of the social and health inequalities that impact on people’s sexual health and exposure to HIV infection and works at a service delivery and a strategic level to redress this. The charity provides Support & Advocacy services to people infected /affected by HIV/AIDs. The Brunswick Centre has a confidentiality policy which we expect all staff, volunteers, trustees and users of the services to abide by.

The Brunswick Centre also has an equal opportunities policy and works within an anti discriminatory framework. The Support & Advocacy team works within a community development model and aims to provide services that are holistic. Core funding for the delivery of services is provided by the Calderdale & Kirklees Primary Care Trusts and Local Authorities.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the virus that can lead to AIDS. The virus attacks, replicates and destroys cells found within the immune system. As the immune system gets destroyed, individuals can become vulnerable to infections that a ‘healthy’ person would usually be able to combat.

The majority of people who acquire HIV will not immediately be aware they are infected and will not experience any ill health for some time. However, some may experience a flu like illness shortly after infection that may include a sore throat, headaches, diarrhoea, aches and pains, swollen glands, high temperature and a rash. This is called sero-conversion illness. Whether a person has symptoms or not a person will be able to transmit the virus to others.

HIV will continue to be active and damage the immune system. Early detection of HIV can mean people can make choices around treatment options. Anti-HIV medication aims to keep the amount of virus in the blood to a minimum therefore slowing down any damge to the immune system. The medication also aims to increase the number of CD4 cells which form a major part of the immune systems defence and decrease the amount of HIV virus in the blood.

The Support and Advocacy team are aware of the financial hardship and poverty many people with HIV/AIDs face. This can have a detrimental effect on health and well-being.

Therefore the Brunswick Centre raises money for its Welfare Fund. Small grants can be accessed by service users who are experiencing financial hardship and poverty. These grants are typically small and are not designed to be long term support but to assist service users in the short term.
Staff are also skilled in accessing external hardship funds for individual service users and can obtain funding for a variety of items.

See below for a list of some of the services the Support and Advocacy team provides. If you feel these may be beneficial to you please contact the team directly.

The Support and Advocacy team at the Brunswick Centre provides a number of complementary therapies for people with HIV/AIDs. Complementary therapies have played a major role in the health and well-being of people with HIV/AIDs and can help people who are experiencing side effects of medication for example. They are also beneficial for emotional as well as physical well-being.

Support and Advocacy team and Yorkshire MESMAC have counsellors and/or details of counselling services throughout Calderdale and Kirklees. They can offer free, short term local counselling for anyone infected / affected with HIV. All Support and Advocacy team and Yorkshire MESMAC counsellors are experienced counselling professionals who are trained to, at least, Diploma Standard and belong to recognized Professional associations. All independant counsellors from the Support and Advocacy team and Yorkshire MESMAC have a good understanding of the specific issues faced by people infected with or directly affected by HIV.

Our Counselling Service-We can offer:

• Free short term local counselling for anyone infected with HIV.
• Free short term local counselling for partners of anyone infected with HIV.
• Counselling for couples, (where one or both is HIV Positive).
• Specialist Psychosexual counselling.
• Information about counselling agencies locally who can provide free, longer term counselling or specialised work, (such as help with drug or alcohol problems).
• A list of qualified, private counsellors and therapists for anyone wishing to arrange counselling independently.

Staff within the Support & Advocacy team will be happy to advocate for, with or on behalf of service users. This can be of use to service users who are finding it difficult to approach another service, or who are not getting what they need from a particular service for example.

Moreover, the team are well networked with other agencies and professionals and can signpost service users to services which are more appropriate to their needs. This may include signposting to housing services, benefit agencies or counselling services for example.

Staff are available to work with service users on a one to one basis should they feel they need someone to have regular contact with. This can be useful if service users want to work through a particular issue or concern.

Staff are happy to meet service users at any of our premises, or at other safe venues including the service users home. Service users should discuss this with a member of the team if they feel this would be useful.

The Support & Advocacy team provide Support Groups which are a safe social space to meet other HIV positive people and their carers. Staff and volunteers are available to facilitate the Support Groups. Groups are designed to be safe and confidential spaces. This is only possible if everyone takes responsibility for this and everyone is expected to sign and abide by a code of conduct

Food, internet access, occasional bingo sessions and access to workers is available at Drop-in's. We are also keen for Service Users to continue to do theme evenings for us, so if you have any suggestions or ideas please let us know.

Service Users are free to come to any drop-in regardless of where they live in Kirklees or Calderdale, for example if you live in Dewsbury but want to come to Halifax please do so.

We can pay public transport costs, (just show us your ticket/s.)

For more information please call the Brunswick Centre.

All evening groups run from 5.30 to 7.30 pm on Tuesdays and are open to service users regardless of where they live in Calderdale or Kirklees.

Tuesday day time group runs from 10 am to 1 pm

9th Feb Evening group at Huddersfield - Film Night

16th Feb Evening group at Halifax

23rd Feb Evening group at Dewsbury - Bingo Night

2nd March Evening group at Huddersfield

New for 2010!

HIV Well-being group

This groups meets on the 4th Wednesday of every month at the Brunswick Centre's Dewsbury office 12.30 - 3pm and lunch is provided.

Meeting dates:

24th Feb

24th March

28th April

26th May

The Brunswick Centre is committed to offering Respite and Time Out to service users. This can be provided in a number of ways, including residentials, social activities, childcare, day trips, individual breaks and small respite grant payments to service users.

The Support and Advocacy team works with carers, partners and family members of those affected by HIV/AIDs and where possible ensure service provision provided by the Brunswick Centre is available to meet their needs also.

The Support and Advocacy team has a comprehensive library of resources on HIV/AIDs and sexual health. Specialist leaflets and magazines are available at no cost.

The Support and Advocacy team is usually available between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday. However, this can vary according to service demands. If service users need to see a staff member out of these hours this can be arranged. The team also run activities out of these hours and this can impact on availability.