OCL provides quality placement for social work students; suitable for both 7odays and 100days placements. Placements are central to the social work student experience. It creates opportunities for learning and practising social work knowledge and skills, ensuring that students meet the standards for professional conduct in practice. Our aim is to ensure that students at Omega meet the standards of professional practice, underline by HCPC.

Our students are entrusted with knowledge and experience whilst on placement however, we promote accountability and believe that our students must be accountable for the quality of their work and take responsibility for improving their knowledge and skills.

We offer the opportunity to work in multi agency and multi disciplinary environments and we enable students to interact with other professionals and learn more about how to work effectively in a multi-agency environment.

We partner with services such as Social Work Bridges and various Local Authorities to run training and support sessions, which ensure that students have contact with people working within the field. This allows them to ask questions and get a feel of what social work practice will be once they complete their placement.

Placements are a three-way partnership between the student, the organisation, and the college or university and it is our aim to ensure that it is an enjoyable and beneficial learning experience for all parties.

Omega Community Living (OCL) works with people with mental health needs in London Boroughs & Kent. The Beulah Projectshave been designed to create sustainable tenancies for our clients, by providing them with appropriate practical and emotional support. Central to this objective will be working practices that maximise independence, dignity and privacy.  Each tenant will have an individual support plan reflecting their different needs, interests and abilities.

The Project will also offer shared facilities, which will offer clients the opportunity to meet their neighbours in a safe and supportive environment. Clients will have the choice of meeting with staff in their own rooms, in a Project Manager office, or in a meeting room.

Staff supports clients to try out new things, such as experiences and activities and give each individual opportunity to meet with people and encourage new friendships. Clients are encouraged to develop and maintain skills to promote their independence.

Clients are encouraged to join in with daily activities including Gardening, Gym Art, Leisure activities, Music, and Keep fit. Staff supports clients to organize celebrations such as individual birthdays and other important events. Clients are supported to plan and take a yearly holiday and opportunities to use the community for cinema, theatre.

The aim of our Outreach Support Service is to help beneficiaries become more independent and to be active members of the communities in which they live.  Each client will have a designated support worker. The support worker will be responsible for working closely with the client to produce a support plan which details how they will be assisted. Each client will be provided with a copy of their support plan.

OCL believes that positive rehabilitation does not stem from a policy alone, but from committed, well-motivated and supported staff implementing good working methods and a positive day-to-day communication with individuals who use our services. The process includes: identification of need; setting goals, identifying interventions, identification of who needs to be involved and other resources, setting timescales, monitoring progress, review and revise plans.

The OCL range of outreach support services has been developed to provide housing related support in the homes of people with support to enable clients to maintain their tenancies and independent living skills.

The aim of this project is to enable people to improve their health and wellbeing; increase their confidence and provide the opportunity to learn new skills.

The management of Omega took this opportunity to respond to the needs of service users and began to work with the service users themselves to develop a garden project.

The specific goals towards which this gardening project (as a therapeutic tool) is directed, is to improve physical and mental health of the individual service user. Gardening is a fitness activity which can bring about physical benefit to the individual. When you push the wheelbarrow it is like lifting weights in the gym. Trimming shrubs takes as much energy as a walk. Raking the lawn requires the same effort as riding bikes in the gym. Pushing a lawn mower burns as many calories as swimming laps.

The physical benefits of gardening are only part of the story. This project also aims at the mental health aspects of service users. Gardening is a very relaxing outdoor activity which helps relief indoor monotony and relief mental health problems affecting people.