Welcome to the final edition of the tri.x Information Circular for 2023! In this edition we would like to bring some festive cheer and to reflect on the key projects from the tri.x team this year, as we continue with our commitment to provide up-to-date and relevant social care and safeguarding procedures. We would especially like to thank all of our valued customers for working in partnership with us this year, and we extend our very best wishes to you all for the New Year.

A few words from Ellen West, tri.x Head of Children's Services:

It doesn’t seem a year ago that we were all getting ready to celebrate Christmas and see in the New Year but here we are again! Where has 2023 gone!

Well here at tri.x it’s been another busy year, rolling out the new Supported Accommodation Procedures Manual in response to the publication of the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations.

Our ongoing monitoring of legislative changes, statutory guidance, Ofsted Frameworks and case law has resulted in rapid changes to chapters across all our manuals – a process that is always ongoing.

Links to manuals from our table of recommendations from the Social Care Review have been updated and will continue to be so as we eagerly anticipate the various changes that are likely to arise.

2023 saw the appearance of a series of very popular webinars hosted by both tri.x Adult and Children’s Services, featuring topics such as “Fostering Safe Communities Online” hosted during Foster Carer Fortnight. But 2023 also saw tri.x out and about as we attended several trade shows – the Care Show at the NEC in Birmingham, the Children’s Commissioners’ Conference in June, and more recently NCASC in Bournemouth amongst others – it is always lovely to see existing customers and great to make new ones.

2024 is nearly with us and we are turning our minds to what is to come, so we will be responding to the changes in the newly updated Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 statutory guidance, see here (published 15^th December 2024); the Social Care reforms- see newly published statutory guidance Children's Social Care: National Framework here ,Information Sharing; and the possible implementation of the Online Safety Act, amongst everything else.

It looks like 2024 will be just as busy as 2023!

Happy Christmas to you all and we look forward to working with you in 2024!

Sally Gillies, Head of Adult Services reflects on the year within Adult Services: 

2023 has been a very busy year across our adult services. We are delighted to have welcomed so many new customers to tri.x from across the whole of England. As well as new customers, our dedicated adult team has grown too, with 2 new full time Lead Consultants, Pam and Max entering the fold.

During 2023, we have continued to respond swiftly to case law and changes to legislation and regulation to keep our tri.x resources and your manuals up to date. 

As well as reviewing and maintaining our existing content, we have also developed some new chapters across our manuals, including Fabricated or Induced Illness in Adults,  Understanding the Mental Health Act 1983, Community Mental Health Framework, Offensive Weapons Homicide Reviews and Acting as an Appropriate Adult. In early 2024 we will be publishing further new chapters including Equality, Diversity and Human Rights, Housing and Homelessness, and Working Effectively with Children's Services and Coproduction.

Our adult tri.x resources and tools have also all been reviewed, including all of our complex needs guides around things like Dementia, Parkinsons, PMLD, FASD and Cancer. We have also recently launched a new CQC mapping tool to support you in identifying which tri.x chapters and local resources sit alongside the 4 CQC assessment themes.

Finally, we have been busy on the webinar front too, holding 4 free lunch and learn webinars including our Fabricated or Induced Illness in Adults webinar that was attended by over 200! As always, we remain open to your suggestions for webinar topics - if there is anything you'd like to see covered please let us know.

Charity for Christmas

This year our team decided to donate all their Secret Santa funds towards our chosen Charity, The Trussel Trust.

Dear tri.x,
Thank you for your generous gift of £250.00 this winter towards our work to be here for people facing hunger. You're helping our network of food banks across the UK to support people on the lowest incomes, by providing essentials, advice and a friendly face to talk to.
Everyone should be able to afford life’s essentials.
People need food banks when they don't have enough money for the essentials. They face impossible decisions - whether to put food on the table or pay the bills.
Your gift has made a real difference – we couldn’t continue our work without you. On behalf of everyone here at the Trussell Trust, thank you so much for your kindness.
Best wishes,
The Trussell Trust

In addition to this members of the tri.x Team donated their time to help at the Mission for Christmas in Birmingham on 8^th December 2023

Sponsorship For Under 8's Football Team

At tri.x part of the OneTouch Group, we have been pleased to support a local team of enthusiastic under 8 footballers.  

Our sponsorship provided the team with home and away kits, waterproof training jackets and joggers!

They have had a good run of matches and getting a few wins under their belt.   Whilst watching from the sidelines it’s good to see them playing as a team, enjoying the competition, and supporting each other.   They have great support from their coaches and Safeguarding Officer.

We wish them all the best in the future!

What to do with those left over mince pies!

Well you are the last in the office on Christmas Eve, even the cleaner has finished and security says they will just throw them out but there are a few boxes (well quite a few) mince pies left. In the spirit of not wasting anything, you put them in your bag to share with family but more people bring mince pies around and insist that you keep them!

What do you do with all of them? Here are some ideas!

• Donate them on the way home to the local food bank, homeless shelter, supermarket donate trolley.
• Bring them back in the new year for everyone to moan! Someone may be grateful though!
• Hope nobody else brings any more in over the holiday period!
• Put them in the freezer and have a coffee morning at a later date in the year.
• Just warm up and add brandy cream or cream- you might manage a whole box!
• Mince pie ice cream is always an option.
• Chocolate, orange and Mince Pies Brownies - uses up a box of mince pies.
• Mince pie apple crumble– a work of genius!
• Mince pie flapjacks- a healthier option.
• Mince Pie Rocky Road - something for the children!
• A breakfast option with oats, honey, clementines and nuts (always check for allergies)
• Mince pie in the face game- a new take on pie face!
• Don’t get too obsessed with the mince pie problem!

Taste 55 surveyed the country on mince pies eating and Scotland wins with the average person eating 21 mince pies with the North West following shortly behind.

Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Recipe

Rosemary and Pomegranate Christmas Punch

For those who are working over the Christmas period or who are driving the next day, here is a nice non-alcoholic tipple to keep you going over the holiday period, or otherwise you could add some gin.

Ingredients

• 1 litre pomegranate juice
• small bunch rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 60g soft light brown sugar
• 1 orange, zest pared
• ice cubes
• 150ml non-alcoholic gin
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 pomegranate, seeds bashed out (or 80g tub seeds)
• 250-350ml soda water

Method

• STEP 1

Put the pomegranate juice, half the rosemary, bay, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, and orange zest in a pan, and bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat. Once steaming, remove from the heat, put on the lid and leave to infuse for at least 2 hrs, or up to 24 hrs chilled.

• STEP 2

When ready to serve, strain the pomegranate juice into a punch bowl with a handful of ice cubes. Add the non-alcoholic gin, vinegar and pomegranate seeds, and remaining rosemary sprigs. Top up with soda water in the glasses just before serving.

Enjoy!

tri.x Information Circular

As part of the tri.x service to our customers, we send out a quarterly information circular. If you would like to share the following link with your colleagues to sign up we will add them to our recipient list! Sign up link here. 

tri.x Christmas Business Hours 

tri.x will be closed over Christmas from the 22^nd December to the 2^nd January but if your query is urgent please contact the production Coordinator via email Production.Coordinator@Trixonline.co.uk

Did you know tri.x is a part of the OneTouch Health Group? For more information, visit onetouchhealth.net or contact hello@onetouchhealth.net