Agenda item

The Strategic Director for Social Care and Education submits a report for noting to the Commission which provides an update on the outcomes of the Leicester Ageing Together programme.

The Strategic Director for Social Care and Education submitted a report for noting to the Commission which provided an update on the outcomes of the Leicester Ageing Together (LAT) programme.

Ruth Rigby, Programme Lead, LAT was present, and provided the following information:

·         The lottery funded programme was coming to an end of its four-year programme.

·         There was clear evidence that interventions had reduced social isolation and loneliness amongst people aged 50+ and had increased peoples’ sense of wellbeing.

·         Appendix 1 to the report provided a list of interventions, and a lot of activities continued to be led by members of the community independently of funding or only receiving small amounts.

·         Community Connectors were working with the strengths already in communities and supporting them to develop their own solutions. It was reported that this could be extended if core funding for the Community Connectors could be secured. LAT has various bids for funding in progress.

·         If funding for the Community Connectors is secured, then ASC could assist with the start-up funding for new groups, this is likely to be up to £100.00 per group.

·         The use of Social Value arising from ASC contracts could  also be offered , for example, free room hire, which were hugely valuable to some of the groups supported.

·         LAT provided social contact and a 1:1 support befriending type service. It was also looking at project called ‘Give and Take’ – volunteers working with individuals who required support. It was thought the mix of Community Connectors and Give and Take workers would hopefully provide a good fit for the statutory work colleagues were doing.

·         Getting people to continue to learn as they aged linked well with community development work and gave people confidence and skills. There was currently no funding for learning, and LAT were looking for partners, for example, WEA, LASALs.

The Director for Adult Social Care and Commissioning expanded on work planned with the LAT programme. In contracts organisations were asked to put tenders forward to state what social value they provided. Having spoken to LAT it had been agreed with the Executive to use social value to look at a pilot area in July 2019 for a year working with community connectors. The Chair asked that other areas which showed extreme poverty, loneliness and isolation be looked at and not clustered together. It was reported that previous areas had been gained from Big Lottery, based on looking at the demographics and more deprived areas of the city, though acknowledgement was made to other areas of need. It was further noted that future funding alluded to conditions and might refer to geography. It was recognised there would be a limited number of Community Connectors across the city and was a matter of best use of resources. Members said there were a lot of wards that had had little input and perhaps knew nothing of the service, and there had been no impact in the west of the city. It was noted there were potentially a need in all of the outer city estates.

·         Projects supported were set up in a way that they would have to continue on their own. £5million over the four years had gone to a range of other organisations who had been working to make them self-financing, for example, RVS was now funded through CCG.

The Chair said that LAT had done good work, and a lot of groups had been established because of LAT. She added Ward Councillors would be keen to work with LAT going forward.

Ruth Rigby was asked to relay congratulations from the Commission on the success of the work of LAT to team members.

AGREED:

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    Ruth Rigby pass on congratulations from the Commission to LAT team members on the success of their work.