Brain injury client group Headway receive life changing workshops and classes Portsmouth brain injury charity Headway Portsmouth partnered with local charity Community First HEH (CFHEH) to offer Service Users their first qualification since they received their injuries. 

In October, 16 people were able to collect their new award in ‘Building Your Confidence’, a course regularly run by CFHEH for other deserving groups, and a nationally recognised qualification. The charities held a certificate ceremony this week to celebrate their successes. 

Deborah Robinson, Service Manager of Headway Portsmouth said “For many of our Service Users and Volunteers this was a big step to return to learning. It paved the way for most of them to move onto other courses – particularly Cognitive Rehabilitation which has greatly helped many people with brain injury.”

CFHEH works with a variety of groups to provide support, and they were so pleased to support Headway clients. Rachel Dowbakin from CFHEH said “It is fantastic to be able to work with everyone at Headway Portsmouth, including the families and volunteers, because it has ensured that everyone working to support brain injury survivors is helped.”

As well as working with Service Users, CFHEH and Headway were able to work with the families and volunteers by offering free workshops on Brain Injury Awareness. One family member explained how understanding how the brain works was “life-changing” for her. Family carers for one Service User regarded it as life-changing in terms of him rebuilding his life and them staying together as a family. The Service User who went on the confidence building course is beginning to understand what his family is going through as a result of his brain injury.

Community First HEH is still supporting groups in the local area to provide training and workshops to voluntary organisations. Headway Portsmouth continues to support brain injury survivors and their families through their recovery.