Voluntary Sector Forum April 2014 Briefing

Asset-based Approach to Improving Local Health and Well-being.

29 May 2014 1:00-4:00PM

Lecture Hall
Cleveland Fire Service Learning & Development Centre,
Slip Road, Grangetown. Middlesbrough
TS6 9AA

Trevor Hopkins: Durham University

The Dilemma….Clients and consumers have deficiencies and needs
Citizens have capacities and gifts

The health and well-being of our communities falls far beyond the scope of the NHS or Local Government. Voluntary and community organisations have a vital role in promoting health and well-being for individuals, families and communities. In addition, your roles mean you are uniquely placed to address the so-called ‘democratic deficit’ in local health and care services.

A report by the Local Government Association’s Health Commission ‘Who’s accountable for health?’ made the point that, “…many of the big public health challenges are linked to gaps in health status and access to services between different groups of the population. Addressing the problems of relatively poor health among certain individuals, families and communities clearly has a local dimension.”

Increasingly we are realising that many of the solutions to challenges such as improving health and care outcomes need to be much more rooted in local circumstances. The ‘asset approach’ is a locally based approach that can be very effective. It builds on the assets, resources and strengths of specific communities and engages citizens in taking action. It is often cost-effective, since it provides a conduit for the resources of citizens, voluntary organisations or social enterprises to complement the work of local service providers. Given the growing pressure on local government finances, these are important benefits.

Places for this session will be limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

To book your place contact Mal Fitzgerald: mal@rcvda.org.uk or call – 01642 440571

Office of the Civil Society, Local Intelligence Team April 2014 FOR INFO Update

Provided by: Ian Dodds
Policy Manager, Local Intelligence Team
Office for Civil Society

1. OCS Newsletter April 2014

This month’s bulletin, which provides updates on our work at the Office for Civil Society (OCS), is available here.

It includes updates / links to more information on:

• Budget Announcements – Social Investment Tax Relief, funding for Youth United Network to support Step Up to Serve
• Social Action – Points of Light Awards, Flood Support Funding, announcement of Social Action Energy pilots and Community Energy Peer Mentoring Fund
• Sector Support – Clinks to provide Transforming Rehabilitation Support, Coastal Communities Fund, Charities Works graduate programme and Space for Growth
• Social Investment – Focus on investment readiness

The OCS Newsletter will be included in future LIT FOR INFO’s, but it you wish to subscribe directly you can do so at – http://eepurl.com/L7Lsn

Previous editions can be viewed at – http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/home/?u=b3d1cbda4e86a4984c17f617d&id=e5f1e07106

2. New £2m fund to help older people stay healthy next winter – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-2m-fund-to-help-older-people-stay-healthy-next-winter

The new funding will help community and volunteer-led projects provide extra support to older people next winter. The fund will support volunteer-led projects to play a vital role in helping older people stay healthy or recover quicker from illness. These projects can in turn help avoid unnecessary pressure on A&E services or delayed discharges from hospital.

There are already a number of volunteer-led programmes providing support in this way. These include:

• discharge schemes that help older people make the transition from hospital to home
• well-being initiatives carried out by community-based volunteers to keep older people healthy, including nutritional improvements, exercise programmes and community engagement

Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd said:
We want to make sure that older people have the support they need next winter. There is already some excellent work being done in the voluntary sector and this partnership is about finding the best programmes and supporting them to do more.
It is also about building a case to encourage more commissioners to look at the wider role that the voluntary sector can play in supporting people in their own homes.

About the fund – The fund is now open for applications (the closing date is 13 June 2014), and the programme will run this winter until March 2015. More information on how to apply is at – http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/hospitalfund/

Events to provide more information about the Fund are taking place during May (in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Taunton, Newcastle and Manchester) more information and booking details at – http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/hospitalfund/events/

The Social Investment Business Group administers the fund on behalf of:

• the Cabinet Office’s Centre for Social Action, which supports programmes that encourage people to create positive change through social action
• the National Tripartite, a group made up of NHS England, Monitor, the Trust Development Authority and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care, set up in May 2013 to work on local improvement plans for A&E standards

2. Digital Inclusion Strategy – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/digital-inclusion-strategy-helping-everyone-to-get-online

On 14 April, the Cabinet Office launched the Government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy that aims to reduce the number of people who are offline by 25% by 2016.

As part of this, it also launched a new Digital Inclusion Charter. The charter brings together 40 organisations from all sectors who are committed to reducing the number of people who are offline by 25% by 2016, and a by further 25% every 2 years after that.

The Digital Inclusion Strategy is at – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/government-digital-inclusion-strategy and the Digital Inclusion Charter at – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/uk-digital-inclusion-charter

Working with Go ON’s national programme and digitalskills.com, we will also help SMEs and VCSEs improve their digital capabilities through with events and masterclasses. Lloyds Bank’s new UK Business Digital Index will help SMEs and VCSEs to measure and grow their digital skills.

4. Our Place Programme – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/123-communities-to-take-control-of-neighbourhood-schemes

Communities Minister Stephen Williams MP announced (on 14 April 2014) that 123 more communities will be taking control of neighbourhood schemes to boost employment, combat crime and improve the health of residents.

The announcement signals a major expansion in the Our Place programme which is a neighbourhood level way of working that brings together the right people – councillors, public servants, voluntary and community organisations and the community themselves – to tackle local issues and revolutionise the way an area works.

Following the success of 12 pilot areas in 2012 to 2013, the Department of Communities and Local Government made £4.3 million of funding available to support at least 100 new areas to adopt this approach, through grants, direct support and shared learning opportunities.

More information is available at – http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/our-place
A range of resources – including a spreadsheet with details of the 123 areas, development guidance and templates, cost benefit analysis resources etc – are available at – http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/our-place/resources/
A map showing the 123 areas is at – https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=106lLhK72kOd-gfLQy-I6GAg6KltEL7jO1gC5khCn#map:id=3

5. Transformation Challenge Award announced – part of £410 million for council services that put people first – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/410-million-for-council-services-that-put-people-first

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles announced (on 2 April 2014) £410 million in funding to help councils transform the way they run local services to put the user first.

Following on from the Budget last month, the government has unveiled a major package of incentives that will reward authorities that cut duplication and build services around the needs of local people, including £90 million which will be distributed immediately.
The £410 million funding is made up of:

• £1 million in 2013 to 2014 for 9 local authorities working with the Public Service Transformation Network to speed up and scale up their transformation plans
• £6 million in 2013 to 2014 for 13 local authorities who narrowly missed out on funding in the 2013 to 2014 Transformation Challenge Award bidding process
• a total of £83 million of unused capitalisation provision has also been transferred to councils in 2013 to 2014 which provides additional revenue for every authority to invest in local service integration and transformation. The unused capitalisation provision will be distributed to all authorities in line with the formula for councils’ Start Up Funding Assessments
• £15 million Transformation Challenge Award 2014 to 2015 to support local authorities working with partners across the public service to transform services, including smaller districts who wish to share management teams
• £105 million Transformation Challenge Award 2015 to 2016 and £200 million capital receipt flexibility in 2015 to 2016, to support local authorities working with partners across the public service to transform services

The Transformation Challenge Award is a challenge fund which makes £120 million grant (£15 million in 2014 to 2015 and £105 million in 2015 to 2016) and a £200 million facility to use the capital receipts from asset sales flexibly to support transformation, available to support local authorities re-engineer their business practices and redesign service delivery.
This bidding prospectus contains the information that local authorities need to complete bids for funding. The first deadline for the Transformation Challenge Award is 1 July 2014 (bids for 2014 to 2015 funding and expressions of interest for 2015 to 2016). The deadline for bids for 2015 to 2016 funding is 1 October 2014.
More information, including criteria and application forms, for local authorities bidding for funding from the Transformation Challenge Award and capital receipt flexibility 2014 to 2016 are available at – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transformation-challenge-award-and-capital-receipt-flexibility-2014-to-2016-prospectus