Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Helen Lines (Community First) on the Good Neighbours scheme, followed by an opportunity to give your views in a round table discussion.

At the Chairman’s invitation, Jasper Dorgan Programme Manager for Community First introduced this item and handed over to Helen Lines to explain the Wiltshire Good Neighbours Scheme.

Helen explained that Wiltshire Good Neighbours was primarily a signposting and information service, designed to help vulnerable people to live independently for longer.  Wiltshire was lucky to have a strong voluntary sector in place, however the challenge was to link those in need with the services on offer. 

It was hoped that this would empower clients to take control of the choices and decisions about the services they used.  This in turn would forge social bonds between the clients and the service providers, preventing social exclusion and improving the quality of life for the older residents of Wiltshire.

The Scheme would be based around Good Neighbour Co-ordinators, who would be paid employees of Community First.  These would be local people with an in-depth knowledge of the local community and the services which were on offer locally.  They would be contracted to work 10 hours a week and would be the public-facing side of the scheme, by working to become known and trusted in their communities.

The Coordinators would work to identify those in need, by visiting local clubs and by developing awareness of the scheme.  They could also offer a service whereby they could visit clients in their own homes to complete a written assessment of their needs and use this to advise on which services may be required.

It was proposed to have 25 Good Neighbour Co-ordinators in place by September 2011, each covering a small cluster of parishes, with the project being rolled out in 3 phases.  A project covering Winterbourne, Idmiston, Porton, Gomeldon and East Gomeldon would be included in the first phase.  It was not proposed to introduce the scheme in Salisbury, as the scheme had been designed on a rural model.  It was considered that the need was much greater in rural areas, although it was hoped that the scheme could be delivered in semi-rural areas (e.g. Wilton).

The Chairman thanked Jasper and Helen for the presentation and expressed disappointment that the scheme would not be coming to Salisbury.  On that basis the Chairman proposed a roundtable discussion on identifying the needs of the Salisbury in terms of a similar service.  Prior to this, questions and comments were invited from the floor:

• Reference was made to the positive effects of pet ownership in terms of longevity and quality of life.  Helen acknowledged this and commented that the scheme could help link older pet owners with support groups such as dog walking groups.

• In response to a question regarding the costs of the scheme, Helen explained that it would cost £80,000 in the first year, rising to £120,000 a year thereafter.  Community First was a charity, formerly known as Wiltshire Rural Community Council, employing around 40 people.  Around 18% of the charity’s income came from Wiltshire Council, with the remainder from trust funds, corporate funds and other funding streams including the lottery.

• It was acknowledged that the scheme would inevitably overlap with some existing services, such as Neighbourhood Watch, but it was considered that the network of Good Neighbour Coordinators and the shared information would help compliment and maximise the benefits from existing services.

• The view was expressed that rural areas often had better support networks for older and vulnerable residents, but that urban areas often had more isolation in terms of older residents. Helen commented that the scheme had been designed for rural areas, but that an urban version could be designed an implemented in the future, although there were currently no plans to do so.

The meeting was invited to break into small groups and discuss the following questions:

Question 1 - Is there a need for a similar service in Salisbury?

Question 2 - If so, how could we meet this need?

Question 3 - Should we ask for a Good Neighbour Co-ordinator for Salisbury?

Each group was then invited to feedback ideas and comments on the issues.  A full summary of the points made, including those submitted in writing after the meeting, is attached as Appendix A to these minutes.  Any resulting actions would be reported to the next meeting of the Area Board.