
Inspirational, motivational, blog by David Di Palma. Blogging about daily survival, hidden disabilities and the community support work of his Support Workers. David is a Brain Injury, Epilepsy and Abuse Survivor. David is an Independent Councillor, Community Campaigner, Author and Business Owner. In his spare time David enjoys gardening, keeping fit and active, fish keeping and owns two dogs.
Wednesday, 29 September 2021
On Councillor Duty
Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Recruitment Competition
Recruitment Competition.
I have recruited within the Care & Support Sector for seven years. I understand that the sector has always been a challenging environment in which to recruit. As a Service User and Employer/Recruiter I note in recent times that finding the most suitable candidates for available posts is challenging.
The majority of the applicants do not read the job advertisement in full and they apply knowing they cannot fulfil the job requirements. I also note that there is an increase in competition mainly due to employers/recruiters re-labelling
Care Workers as Support Workers within the vacancies in the hope they get more applicants.
Unfortunately the knock-on-effect of relabelling and oftentimes inappropriate labelling is that employers/recruiters who are genuinely in need of Support Workers rather than Care Workers miss out on the most suitable candidates and the applicants miss out on the most suitable role to fit their needs.
Thus the recruitment process can be a depressing one, my rates of pay, terms and conditions are competitive, I would like to think that I am an interesting person to work with, my roles are varied and two days are rarely the same. I would just like to see candidates making an effort to
(1) Complete an online application form as directed
(2) Impress me with an honest representation of themselves, their skills, experiences and attributes at an interview
(3) Do exactly what they say they could do at the interview, talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words.
Click to view our latest vacancies https://www.totaljobs.com/job/support-worker/di-palma-uk-ltd-job94694693
Support Worker Employment Opportunity
Sunday, 12 September 2021
Online Consultation Ends Today
Tuesday, 24 August 2021
Latest Vlog- GP. Health Service Provision
Monday, 23 August 2021
David Di Palma - The Independent Politician & Equality Rights Activist
Tuesday, 9 June 2020
Read all about Radford United LE3 Ltd
About David Di Palma & the Radford United/Di Palma (UK) Brands.
The Survivor & Author - 1968
Born in 1968 David is a brain injury and abuse survivor (sexual, physical and mental abuse). David’s motto ‘To triumph over adversity is my greatest strength’ is reflective of his resilience. David has kept diaries all throughout his life, the intricate and invaluable diaries detailing his experiences surviving; epilepsy, abuse in all forms, a brain injury and being an Independent Politician. Abusers were aware of David’s diaries and frequently searched for them in an attempt to locate and destroy the intricate works and catalogued evidence. David always tried to stay one-step ahead of the abusers by continually changing his hiding places and by producing back-up copies of everything. From a young boy, David was threatened to keep quiet about the abuse, David focussed on trying to protect his mother and sisters from the abusers and focussed on being a better person than his abusers were. David, the Survivor could so easily have taken an alternative path as many others have done, instead he committed his life to focus on supporting others through difficult times. The physical abuse David endured caused his first brain injury which caused epilepsy. Educated in mainstream schools, David left school at the age of sixteen; determined to improve his circumstances, determined to overcome the power and control the abusers had over him and to continue to support others David returned to higher educational establishments and studied Information Technology and Law. David, In later years, David, further continued upon his vocational educational path by securing a grade of Distinction in Inspecting Housing Services and further progressed to a higher level, by studying for Managing Housing Services, with the Chartered Institute of Housing, becoming a Housing Practitioner.
Award Winning Book - 2006 -
David’s writing career began in 2006 with the award-winning book - True Warrior. With the desire to inspire and encourage other survivors to excel in their endeavours, David wanted to share his story and he wrote his maiden title entitled True Warrior. True Warrior, focused on surviving epilepsy, corrective brain surgery, memory loss and abuse. Within the book he significantly understated the extent and severity of the abuse, because, at the time of the publication, some of the abusers were still involved with David’s life, therefore, David, remained at high risk of harm should he speak out. David went on to complete a follow-up book (2010) with further books being works in progress (2020). Now the main threat of the abusers has diminished, but not completely disappeared, David reveals all about the true extent of the abuse endured and the difficulties, including, the perpetrators. The forthcoming books are due for publication in 2020.
The Independent Politician – 2010 With the increasing desire to support many more people and to raise awareness of the difficulties people face on a much wider scale, David’s Independent Political Career began in 2010. David was frustrated with mainstream politicians from all political parties, with them not understanding the most vulnerable members of society and their needs. David, not one for sitting about doing nothing about it, set out on a mission to become elected and to ensure underrepresented groups are proportionately represented at every level of government and for reasonable adjustments to be made in accordance with legislation. In 2011 David secured his first victory when he was co-opted onto Glenfield Parish Council by his peers. Four years later at the Local Elections of 2015 David was elected to Glenfield Parish Council and to Braunstone Town Council in addition to nominated and appointed the candidate at Croft Hill (Blaby District Council); coming second to the blue candidate. In the Local Elections of May 2019 David was nominated and appointed the Independent Candidate for Winstanley Ward, Braunstone Town (Blaby District Council) defeating the Braunstone Town Mayor in the election and was elected to Leicester Forest East Parish Council and Braunstone Town Council respectively. To this day David continues to campaign to ensure that all councillors, regardless of political party membership, are given equal opportunities to make contributions and to represent their communities. Disappointingly the attitudes of some councillors in respect of equal opportunities is more challenging to overcome compared with other councils due to their lack of willingness to work with people with different viewpoints, different political persuasions, and different backgrounds.
The Community Campaigner &
Equality Rights Activist – 2014 to Present
In 2014 David identified the greater need to support the community at local, regional, and national level on important subjects including Housing, Disability Rights, Equal Opportunities, and Diversity. With his own personal funds, David established a Campaign Group, Radford United (Community Action Group). The Campaign group worked predominantly with senior citizens and hard-to-reach groups from a cross section of the community throughout Braunstone Town, Leicester Forest East, and across the District Of Blaby. Early successes included; securing positive changes to a housing development, a refund of service charges for residents of a Sheltered Housing Scheme, Improving Services for the Community and working with a number of agencies and Community Stakeholders including Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, Leicestershire Scouts, Age UK and many more on initiatives including crime prevention, health, safety, physical and mental wellbeing, community development, running charitable events, social inclusion and community cohesion. In addition, Radford United established a Community Newsletter and Community Darts and Ten Pin Bowling Teams with the emphasis on Community Cohesion, Tackling Social Isolation and the promotion of Diversity, Equality and Freedom of Expression. Understanding the need to support the local community in the times of continuing financial cuts to local services and using the vast experiences gained from his varied roles.
2017 – Outstanding Achievement Awards In 2017, with the support of his Social Worker and Support Team David progressed and established Radford United (LE3) Ltd, a Private Limited Company. From his unique perspective David fully understands the impact of financial cuts to vital services such as Social Care, Housing, GP and Health Services, Community Transport and Supporting Vulnerable Adults. At the time of the Radford United Community Action Group Restructure, Radford United Community Action Group had been twice nominated for the Blaby District Council Prestigious Annual Community Awards in the category of Outstanding Achievement for a Community Group. The nominations were a recognition of the contributions to the community of David and his team.
2019 - I am a Survivor & Proud In 2017 David sought professional help with First Step (Leicester). First Step is a counselling service for male survivors of abuse. David attended the counselling sessions in a bid to overcome the lifetime of abuse and to better understand the impact of the abuse on his life. Unprompted, David travelled alone and revisited scenes of crime in the UK and Italy to try and come to terms with the past. David concluded counselling on 1/7/19 and now primarily focusses on inspiring other people to improve their personal and professional circumstances, and to further develop his potential.
2019 Di Palma (UK) Ltd (Independent Consultancy Services) Established.
2019 to present. Radford United (LE3) Ltd & Di Palma (UK) Ltd, with David and his Personal Support Team at the forefront, work with a diverse range of housing and service providers, community stakeholders, individuals, organisations, community groups and service users. Collectively they work with individuals and organisations in encouraging and supporting survivors and service providers to improve their personal and professional circumstances and the services they offer. They achieve these goals through different channels including and not restricted to –
Awareness Raising – Raising awareness of hidden disabilities and mental health problems and how they can be better understood through appropriate support, constructive dialogue and equal opportunities.
Through Education - Educating; service providers, community stakeholders and service users, improving relations between representatives of different political persuasions, working with hard-to-reach groups, in addition to sharing personal and professional experiences through open dialogue. In 2020 David’s goals as an elected representative and community campaigner are to support and develop the community at local, regional, and national level. To campaign for better opportunities for disabled people and to actively encourage service providers, community stakeholders , service users and individuals to better understand and improve their professional and personal circumstances, by embracing different techniques including S.W.O.T. Analysis, Reflective Practice and Personal Empowerment Processes.
Our combined professional services include and are not restricted to the following-
• Advisory and Advocacy
• Complaints Management and Conflict Resolution
• SWOT Analysis
• Engagement through open dialogue and presentations.
· Report Writing, Production & Distribution Services. Including and not restricted to; Diversity,
Equality, Inclusivity & Disability Awareness.
• Campaign Management and Promotions.
• Strategic; Reviews, Planning & Implementation
• Production and Distribution of Electronic and Paper Based Reading Products (inc. Books, Newsletters and much more)
• Promotional Services
About David Di Palma ... Read all about David Di Palma
About David Di Palma & the Radford United/Di Palma (UK) Brands.
The Survivor & Author - 1968
Born in 1968 David is a brain injury and abuse survivor (sexual, physical and mental abuse). David’s motto ‘To triumph over adversity is my greatest strength’ is reflective of his resilience. David has kept diaries all throughout his life, the intricate and invaluable diaries detailing his experiences surviving; epilepsy, abuse in all forms, a brain injury and being an Independent Politician. Abusers were aware of David’s diaries and frequently searched for them in an attempt to locate and destroy the intricate works and catalogued evidence. David always tried to stay one-step ahead of the abusers by continually changing his hiding places and by producing back-up copies of everything. From a young boy, David was threatened to keep quiet about the abuse, David focussed on trying to protect his mother and sisters from the abusers and focussed on being a better person than his abusers were. David, the Survivor could so easily have taken an alternative path as many others have done, instead he committed his life to focus on supporting others through difficult times. The physical abuse David endured caused his first brain injury which caused epilepsy. Educated in mainstream schools, David left school at the age of sixteen; determined to improve his circumstances, determined to overcome the power and control the abusers had over him and to continue to support others David returned to higher educational establishments and studied Information Technology and Law. David, In later years, David, further continued upon his vocational educational path by securing a grade of Distinction in Inspecting Housing Services and further progressed to a higher level, by studying for Managing Housing Services, with the Chartered Institute of Housing, becoming a Housing Practitioner.
Award Winning Book - 2006 -
David’s writing career began in 2006 with
the award-winning book - True Warrior. With the desire to inspire and encourage other
survivors to excel in their endeavours, David wanted to share his story and he
wrote his maiden title entitled True Warrior. True Warrior, focused on
surviving epilepsy, corrective brain surgery, memory loss and abuse. Within the
book he significantly understated the extent and severity of the abuse, because,
at the time of the publication, some of the abusers were still involved with
David’s life, therefore, David, remained at high risk of harm should he speak
out. David went on to complete a follow-up book (2010) with further books being
works in progress (2020). Now the main threat of the abusers has
diminished, but not completely disappeared, David reveals all about the true
extent of the abuse endured and the difficulties, including, the perpetrators.
The forthcoming books are due for publication in 2020.
The Independent Politician – 2010
With the increasing desire to support many more people and to raise
awareness of the difficulties people face on a much wider scale, David’s Independent Political Career began in 2010. David was frustrated
with mainstream politicians from all political parties, with them not
understanding the most vulnerable members of society and their needs. David, not
one for sitting about doing nothing about it, set out on a mission to become
elected and to ensure underrepresented groups are proportionately represented
at every level of government and for reasonable adjustments to be made in
accordance with legislation. In 2011 David secured his first victory when he was
co-opted onto Glenfield Parish Council by his peers. Four years later at the
Local Elections of 2015 David was elected to Glenfield Parish Council and to
Braunstone Town Council in addition to nominated and appointed the candidate at
Croft Hill (Blaby District Council); coming second to the blue candidate. In
the Local Elections of May 2019 David was nominated and appointed the Independent
Candidate for Winstanley Ward, Braunstone Town (Blaby District Council) defeating
the Braunstone Town Mayor in the election and was elected to Leicester Forest
East Parish Council and Braunstone Town Council respectively. To this day David
continues to campaign to ensure that all councillors, regardless of political party
membership, are given equal opportunities to make contributions and to
represent their communities. Disappointingly the attitudes of some councillors in
respect of equal opportunities is more challenging to overcome compared with
other councils due to their lack of willingness to work with people with
different viewpoints, different political persuasions, and different
backgrounds.
The Community Campaigner &
Equality Rights Activist – 2014 to Present
In 2014
David identified the greater need to support the community at local, regional,
and national level on important subjects including Housing, Disability Rights,
Equal Opportunities, and Diversity. With his own personal funds, David
established a Campaign Group, Radford United (Community Action Group). The Campaign group worked predominantly with
senior citizens and hard-to-reach groups from a cross section of the community
throughout Braunstone Town, Leicester Forest East, and across the District Of
Blaby. Early successes included;
securing positive changes to a housing development, a refund of service charges
for residents of a Sheltered Housing Scheme, Improving Services for the
Community and working with a number of agencies and Community Stakeholders
including Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, Leicestershire
Scouts, Age UK and many more on initiatives including crime prevention, health,
safety, physical and mental wellbeing, community development, running
charitable events, social inclusion and community cohesion. In addition, Radford United established a
Community Newsletter and Community Darts and Ten Pin Bowling Teams with the
emphasis on Community Cohesion, Tackling Social Isolation and the promotion of
Diversity, Equality and Freedom of Expression. Understanding the need to
support the local community in the times of continuing financial cuts to local
services and using the vast experiences gained from his varied roles.
2017 – Outstanding Achievement Awards In
2017, with the support of his Social Worker and Support Team David progressed
and established Radford United (LE3) Ltd, a Private Limited Company. From his
unique perspective David fully understands the impact of financial cuts to
vital services such as Social Care, Housing, GP and Health Services, Community
Transport and Supporting Vulnerable Adults. At the time of the Radford United
Community Action Group Restructure, Radford United Community Action Group had
been twice nominated for the Blaby District Council Prestigious Annual Community
Awards in the category of Outstanding Achievement for a Community Group. The
nominations were a recognition of the contributions to the community of David
and his team.
2019 - I am a Survivor & Proud In
2017 David sought professional help with First Step (Leicester). First Step is
a counselling service for male survivors of abuse. David attended the counselling
sessions in a bid to overcome the lifetime of abuse and to better understand the
impact of the abuse on his life. Unprompted, David travelled alone and
revisited scenes of crime in the UK and Italy to try and come to terms with the
past. David concluded counselling on 1/7/19 and now primarily focusses on inspiring
other people to improve their personal and professional circumstances, and to
further develop his potential.
2019 Di Palma (UK) Ltd (Independent Consultancy Services) Established.
2019 to present. Radford United (LE3) Ltd & Di Palma (UK) Ltd, with David and
his Personal Support Team at the forefront, work with a diverse range of
housing and service providers, community stakeholders, individuals,
organisations, community groups and service users. Collectively they work with
individuals and organisations in encouraging and supporting survivors and
service providers to improve their personal and professional circumstances and
the services they offer. They achieve these goals through different channels
including and not restricted to –
Awareness Raising – Raising awareness of hidden disabilities and
mental health problems and how they can
be better understood through appropriate support, constructive dialogue and
equal opportunities.
Through Education - Educating; service providers, community
stakeholders and service users, improving relations between representatives of
different political persuasions, working with hard-to-reach groups, in addition
to sharing personal and professional experiences through open dialogue. In 2020
David’s goals as an elected representative and community campaigner are to
support and develop the community at local, regional, and national level. To
campaign for better opportunities for disabled people and to actively encourage service providers,
community stakeholders , service users and individuals to better understand and
improve their professional and personal circumstances, by embracing different
techniques including S.W.O.T. Analysis, Reflective Practice and Personal
Empowerment Processes.
Our combined professional services
include and are not restricted to the following-
•
Advisory and Advocacy
•
Complaints Management and
Conflict Resolution
•
SWOT Analysis
•
Engagement through open
dialogue and presentations.
·
Report Writing, Production &
Distribution Services. Including and not restricted to; Diversity,
Equality, Inclusivity &
Disability Awareness.
•
Campaign Management and
Promotions.
•
Strategic; Reviews, Planning
& Implementation
•
Production and Distribution of Electronic
and Paper Based Reading Products (inc. Books, Newsletters and much more)
•
Promotional Services
Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Coronavirus lockdown update
Thursday, 26 March 2020
Covid 19 - The Silent Killer - Controversial to Say the Least.
Friday, 13 March 2020
Blink and You’ll Miss It – 13/3/2020
Thursday, 12 March 2020
Compare and Contrast - An Alternative Perspective
(Please read the post in full).
David’s Perspective
Tuesday evening was a frustrating experience when Support Worker Dipak didn’t arrive as expected. Dipak was due on site, at my home, at 1815. At 1845 we were due to leave site to attend two meetings running consecutively at Leicester Forest East Parish Hall in my role as elected Councillor for Leicester Forest East.
At 1830, not knowing if Support Worker Dipak was going to even come I knew I’d need to allow sufficient time to get to the meeting by walking. I got my shoes and coat on and I left home to head to the Parish Hall when I heard Dipak almost running behind me. I’m taller than Dipak by quite some margin. I really dislike being late and of course one doesn’t always do tasks in the right sequence.
Thankfully we arrived at the meeting with a few minutes to spare, which is a good thing as that allowed one time to recompose oneself as one always tries to mask how one is actually feeling. I neither ate an evening meal nor took medication because I forgot to eat and to take medication at the allotted time because I have memory problems, ensuring these actions are carried out are Dipak’s main objectives each shift.
I made worthwhile contributions to the meeting, briefly spoke about Wardens’ Walk, the businesses in Leicester Forest East and Wardens’ Walk area of Braunstone Town, Litter Picking, Hi-Viz Vests, and had an enjoyable experience conversing with councillors at the end. I returned home, I again forgot to eat and forgot to take medication. On Tuesday night I experienced seizures.
On Wednesday Support Worker , Claire and I took a trip to the Aquatic Centre. With the support of my team I keep Tropical and Cold Water Fish. I’ve kept cold water fish on and off from childhood but have never kept Tropical Fish before. Claire has them at home so is ideally placed to support me. Fish keeping is very good for my mental wellbeing. Watching fish and listening to the water is therapeutic and recommended by the medical professionals and counsellors alike.
Whilst we were at the aquatic centre Claire and I spotted a very large aquarium. So big that Claire, Julian or Dipak could lay down in it and have room to spare. Unfortunately I don’t have the room big enough for it, which is probably a good thing as it would be expensive to run. I purchased three Tropical Fish and some aquaria accessories. We didn’t go to the gym which is an activity vital for my weight management, and beneficial to my physical and mental health wellbeing although exercising causes more seizures.
David Di Palma
Brain Injury Survivor and Councillor
Support Worker Dipak’s Perspective (as per previous post)
Yesterday evening was a stressful time for David, as we were due to attend a Council Meeting and I thought the meeting was at 7.30 not at 7.00pm!! So, by the time I arrived, David had been waiting for me to turn up feeling anxious not knowing if I was going to turn up as I am never late!! David did not think to call me and started to walk to the meeting without me, luckily I saw him and had to run after him, as he can really walk fast when he’s on a mission!!
Dipak Rao .. Support Worker
Summary and Conclusion.
Both of the above accounts are the respective perspectives of the authors, but, perception is one thing, reality is something different. This post isn’t to critique either author but one does find it interesting to say the least that one perceived the Tuesday incident as David taking something in his stride whilst David went without food, medication, was anxious and left home unsupervised and as Dipak suggests David appeared to make the meeting look easy “Well, David took that within his stride and managed focus during the meeting without any more excitements”.
The moral of the blog... never assume that all is well and something was easy because it looks or is made to look easy. I have a hidden disability. I am an abuse survivor, brain injury survivor and a councillor. For the vast majority of my life I’ve had to mask the abusive past and to mask the realities of living with a brain injury disability. I’ve had to mask it because my survival depended upon keeping things to myself. But I don’t have to keep quiet about anything anymore. I’m not being forced to remain silent by abusers and I’ve attended years of abuse counselling. I want to help people to overcome their difficulties through my experiences. If I can help at least one person to overcome their difficulties my life will have been worthwhile. If not then my life will be remembered as a waste of time and oxygen.
My name is David Di Palma, I’m a Survivor and Proud. Visit our website to discover more
Tuesday, 25 February 2020
Neighbourhood Walkabouts LFE 25/02/2020
Following the success of the Winstanley Ward Walkabouts (Braunstone Town) yesterday I repeated the exercise in Leicester Forest East today. I met with lots of people. It's a pleasure to serve the parishioners and businesses of Leicester Forest East and Braunstone Town. If I can be of any assistance please don't hesitate to contact me or a member of my support team...Best wishes. Councillor David Di Palma
Expressing the personal views of David Di Palma unless stated otherwise.
Tuesday, 18 February 2020
Not a great start to the day but we won't let that stop us!!! (18/02/20)
For the past 2 days, David has not received his regular welfare check through his sheltered housing life line intercom service, which he is supposed to have every single day to ensure that he is well and safe.
Expressing the personal views of David Di Palma unless stated otherwise.
Monday, 17 February 2020
There's Plenty of Time for Rest When I'm Dead
There's Plenty of Time for Rest When I'm Dead
By the time Support Worker (Claire) arrived on site at 0930 I was already feeling tired and disorientated. Claire supported me with my care and social needs. With Claire’s support we attended the gym before processing the mail and other administrative tasks, we scheduled appointments, Claire resolved some problems and completed other tasks.
Support Worker Dipak arrived on site at 16.30.
Dipak looked after me until the end of her shift.
Sunday, 16 February 2020
Why I Blog and the Benefits to Reading my Blogs.
- I neither seek nor need your attention.
- I don’t need anything from you.
- I don’t need you to feel sorry for me.
- I don’t need you to motivate me, i’m a self-motivator.
- There is no need to be critical of me or my circumstances, there is no need to be critical because I critique myself daily, no one could be more critical of me than me.
- If you don’t like my posts for whatever reason scroll on by, there is no need to comment & no need to be; unpleasant or abusive.
- I do want to raise awareness of the physical and mental challenges faced on a daily basis living with a brain injury disability & other neurological conditions
- I do want to promote the work I am doing on behalf of the parishioners, businesses and stakeholders of; Braunstone town, Leicester Forest East & the wider demographic area in my role as a democratically elected Independent Councillor.
- I Do want to raise awareness of all forms of; abuse, hostility and prejudices; to encourage survivors to speak and to seek the support that they may need.
Saturday, 15 February 2020
There's No 'I' in Team
Care and Support Workers who support me with every aspect of my personal and professional SURVIVAL STRATEGY. A strategy which is constantly evolving as my circumstances continually change.
I’m an Independent Councillor having served different parishes, including Glenfield,
Braunstone Town and Leicester Forest East since 2011.
Business Owner I’m a business owner of two Micro Businesses and an Award-Winning Author.
Radford United On Facebook Councillor David Di Palma on Facebook on You Tube
Expressing the personal views of David Di Palma unless stated otherwise.
More Orders Despatched
Following the successful book launch this week the orders continue to come in. David, supported by his PA heads to the Post Office to despat...

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Today I was struggling with trying to ascertain what kind of weekend David had as he forgets!! That’s what David does! He has major proble...
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Latest Vlog. 24/8/21. David Di Palma meets with Parishioners to discuss their concerns about health service provision. Views expressed are ...