Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Issue 1: Focus on Northfield

INTRODUCTION TO COMMISSIONING TEAM & BVSC Welcome to our first newsletter!

The Prevention and Communities Commissioning Team want to share some of the fantastic work happening in communities all over . For December we are focusing on Northfield constituency as well as explaining some of our city-wide initiatives.

To help develop your local knowledge and to showcase the wide range of initiatives we will focus on a different constituency each month. Through these newsletters we hope to explain what we have achieved with our voluntary and community sector partners to support Three Conversations and the ‘customer journey’ restructure. BVSC also work closely with the team so we will take the opportunity to explain their role. All our work is contributing to Adult Social Care’s Vision: “For Citizens to lead healthy, happy, independent lives within their own homes and communities.”

We will be sharing examples and ‘stories of difference’ from across all the different services and support we manage. This includes Neighbourhood Network Schemes, the Prevention and Communities Grants Programme, our Covid-19 response, Vulnerable Adults Grants and the city-wide Information, Advice and Guidance contracts.

We would love feedback on the newsletter to help us make these really beneficial for social work teams and others who would find these useful. If you complete our very short survey you may win a £20 One4All E-gift card, redeemable in a wide variety of high street shops: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WMLJN7K 1 Table of Contents

03 Social Worker Focus 04 Northfield Neighbourhood Network Scheme 05 Focus on Digital Exclusion 06 Northfield Community Organisations 07 NNS Small Grant Activity 08 Prevention & Communities Grants 09 Prevention & Communities Grants (2) 10 Prevention & Communities Grants (3) 11 Vulnerable Adults Grants 12 Contact Details

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 2 Social Work Focus

Matthew Bick from Commissioning talked to Social Care Practitioner, Amanda Wilson, from the Northfield Social Work Team earlier this month.

How has the Three Conversations changed how you work? How could social work teams work The Three Conversations framework needs openness and creativity with people. better with NNS teams?

Social work teams need to be better at sharing information; not everyone does this. Amanda supported one man with Autism in getting job at Not all the team realises that NNS's are working to Birmingham City Football Club. develop the capacity in the community and Instead of accepting traditional develop new sorts of support. They also have a services, Amanda put lots of effort training offer and a grants programme. Social work and time to work differently and teams need to feed into this to help shape what is stuck with this person to help them on offer. get what they wanted. How would you like to see NNS develop? What do you think about the Neighbourhood Network Scheme It would be really good to expand to all adults, not just over 50's. A major gap in Northfield is low-level (NNS) role? mental health support. Related to this are substance misuse issues – especially alcohol Before Covid-19 the NNS put on networking support - and getting support locally. sessions which were good. It was useful meeting providers. What are your experiences of voluntary

Lois from Northfield NNS is really responsive sector providers? and really helpful. Connect to Support has its place, but but sometimes this isn’t enough and Chaos to Order (Clouds End CIC) is really fantastic! you really need to talk to someone like Lois Hoarding is a massive issue in Northfield. There are about the best ways to help an individual. It many knock on impacts on people – mental health, really helps to have someone to contact to ask tenancy agreements, professionals refusing to help about a specific issues / resources. etc. We definitely need to keep this.

Northfield NNS's response to Covid-19 was The voluntary sector benefits advice is really good. impressive with street champions and street So is the Future Proof project. They go and clean coffee mornings filling a gap where there was gardens. They removed moss from decking so an nothing or centres were closed. older person could go out without a risk of slipping.

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 3 Northfield Neighbourhood Network Scheme

What Are Neighbourhood Network Schemes (NNS)? Neighbourhood Network Schemes (NNS's) are designed to support older people in Birmingham to connect with individuals, groups, organisations, activities, services and places in their local neighbourhood. They are an integral part of ’s community social work model.

A key task of NNS teams is to identify all the community activity and services which can support people who are 50+. This information can now be found on the Connect To Support directory (https://bit.ly/31pHeJd).

Northfield NNS B31 Voices ChairmanNorthfield Community Partnership are the lead Northfield NNS works closely with popular news Chelseafacilitator General for NorthfieldHospital Neighbourhood Network and community information site, B31 Voices. They Scheme (NNNS). This covers most of the Northfield advertise local food banks, local online shopping constituency. services, online events and classes, local handyman services and support services via this The Neighbourhood Network is led by media. You can find this at b31.org or follow Gateway Family Services and Age UK b31voices on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2KWQTS5 Birmingham, who are working with voluntary and community groups, social enterprises and local Fuel Poverty Support agencies to create a network of support in Edgbaston. They cover part of ward. This is available via the NNS team for people on a low income who have a gas or electricity pre payment meter that they need help topping up.

NNNS Housing and Communities Pack

Northfield NNS have been working closely with The NNS teams hold regular meetings with local local housing providers to help them share link workers and Adult Social Care colleagues. community asset information and resources with Both teams send out a regular newsletter with their tenants. Northfield NNS has now published updates relevant to the Northfield constituency. their housing and communities support pack. They also share information and news on You can download a copy: https://bit.ly/2Jw8EXj Facebook and their websites. Please follow them on Twitter on @NNNScheme and @Edgbaston_NNS PPE Micro Grants The Northfield NNS team has started to share Both these NNS schemes are offering grants British Sign Language updates in partnership with of up to £150 for small community a local organisation. To receive these videos organisations that need help purchasing please contact the team. hand gels/ plastic gloves or masks. Organisations must be working with people They send out members support packs to over the age of 50. Nine organisations have community organisations. benefitted from this so far.

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 4 Focus on Digital Exclusion

Internet Access The ability to access modern technology has never been more important, with those unable to contact family and friends, place online orders or access information becoming increasingly more disadvantaged. In addition, so many daily tasks from booking a medical appointment to checking a bank balance can be easier and quicker online. Keeping connected digitally has become a necessity.

Before lockdown digital exclusion was one of the "wicked issues" that NNS teams had identified. During lockdown, when buying online became more of a necessity for many, face to face activities were cancelled and families were unable to visit, this challenge became a real priority. Chairman Chelsea General Hospital NNS Activity - Free devices DigiKick To support people to access the internet the DigiKick have received Prevention and Northfield NNS team has been working with Communities funding to run projects across DevicesDotNow to take brand new devices the city and have also secured NNS grants. enabled with internet data and gifting them to people in need. NCP received 30 google phones DigiKick's Virtual Tea and T'internet project to hand out in October. benefits vulnerable people by helping them to become more independent, connected, To be eligible citizens need to be in receipt of informed and secure while also reducing benefits, prepared to learn and have no access isolation and loneliness. to data or devices. It is a sociable six week project to help people The team will also be adding people to a gain the skills to access modern technology waiting list for the future once these initial and the internet with confidence and safety. phones are allocated. Currently, up to five participants take part in Email [email protected] hour-long weekly sessions held remotely, via video call. The sessions are structured as a Digital Lending Library tutorial, covering practical topics such as: how to send an email, how to make sure a website Northfield Community Partnership (NCP) has is safe etc, followed by Q&A time for also secured additional NNS and National participants to have their individual questions Lottery Community Fund support to establish a answered and a chance to interact and chat ground breaking digital lending library that will safely with others in the group. enable older people to borrow a device with

internet connection for four weeks. Plus basic Afterwards, participants can access free phone training in how to use the device. After the four support and can continue learning by weeks people will have the option to extend if accessing the free DigiTricks campaign, an they need more support. Otherwise they can automated step-by-step video course have support in buying a new device, a designed to enable people to access refurbished device, or receive a free device technology and the internet. depending on their financial circumstances.

NCP is working with a tech support company Email: [email protected] Website: www.digikick.co.uk that can lock, track and clean devices between each loan.

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 5 Community Organisations

Neighbourhood Network Schemes build on the existing assets in a community. Assets are both the local voluntary, community and faith organisations based in the constituency and other city-wide and national organisations supporting the local community. One of the key tasks of NNS schemes is to create a directory of all the community support, services and activity that people aged 50+ can benefit from.

Prior to Covid-19, in March 2020, over 130 assets had been mapped in the Northfield constituency and around 1400 city-wide. In Northfield they were as varied as a brunch café, British Sign Language course, martial arts classes, carers' support groups and local libraries. They do not all receive Birmingham City Council funding, though some receive some funding through the NNS small grants funds, the Prevention and Communities Grants Programme and the Vulnerable Adults Grants Programme.

This section aims to highlight just a couple of these community assets in Northfield.

Love Weoley Midland Mencap Love is a community initiative led Midland Mencap supports people living with by and for residents of Weoley Castle. The goal of learning disabilities and additional needs. Love Weoley Castle is to bring local people together to engage in activities that benefit the In 2017 Midland Mencap opened up a community community. Volunteers from Love Weoley Castle hub in the heart of Weoley Castle. Local residents work alongside key community partners such as explained that they felt the area was missing a St. Gabriel’s Church and Weoley Castle community hub. The Midland Mencap team Community Centre to engage all ages in listened to the communities' needs and reshaped community projects. how the community hub would be used.

In the past the Love Weoley Castle team have run Over time the centre was transformed from the community gardening activities, Christmas ‘Midland Mencap Enterprise Hub’ into the Weoley festivities and much more. Each year the team Castle Community Centre. Local groups are now host an awards ceremony, championing the day- also able to use the community centre. to-day unsung heroes of Weoley Castle. Nominees are local people voted for by local people.

Much of the Love Weoley Castle activity is coordinated by Paul Tucker who is happy for people interested in finding out more to contact Midland Mencap will soon be opening up the him. Weoley Castle Community Centre to ‘Incredible Surplus’ and active residents in Weoley Castle will be running a ‘Pay-as-You-Feel' food hub from the community centre in the lead up to Christmas. Love Weoley's Window 'Hot Christmas Day Boxes’ will be available Advent in the South Birmingham Area for people in real need. Collection is from the centre Calendars for and must be Xmas 2020 booked by December 16th. Call 0121 427 6404 or email [email protected]

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] www.midlandmencap.org.uk

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 6 Northfield NNS Small Grants

What are these grants? Every NNS constituency has a small grants scheme to enable the voluntary and community sector to run activities that support older adults. In each constituency a Steering Group along with the social work team determine what the priorities are.

They are managed by Heart of Community Foundation in Northfield and Edgbaston [https://bit.ly/3qhwVBm] and by NNS teams elsewhere.

Redeemer Church CASBA This church in West Heath has adapted its offer to CASBA supports over 80 people with meet a wide variety of local needs. learning disabilities and their carers in Northfield and Edgbaston. This project An innovative idea they had was holding a mobile has ensured that people with coffee morning which has enabled them to find learning disabilities receive the support they need and connect with more isolated and vulnerable to protect themselves and others and do not endure people on the estate. They have been able to further hardship. effectively signpost and partner with local organisations, referring people on for help with CASBA has been carrying out weekly welfare social care, food, gardening and more. They go out checks, checking that basic needs are met and with a car, individually wrapped pastries and coffee undertake activities to tackle social isolation. and tea and knock on every door of a chosen Providing simple information about Covid-19 has street. They serve people a drink and have a chat been crucial too. on the doorway, socially distanced. Email: www.casba.org.uk Website: [email protected] Culmington Hall The Northfield NNS team gathered some willing In addition to providing support to people on volunteers and took on the task of decorating their local estate they feel they have ended up Culmington Hall in . The NNS connecting more deeply with the area and microgrant pot helped with the cost of delivering working alongside council organisations in a way some new carpet tiles. Whilst adhering to social they would not have done otherwise. They now sit on the steering group for South Locality. distancing, they managed to get the hall painted in a day! They will be back soon to finish this off.

Email: [email protected] Website: redeemerbirmingham.org.uk/

At the beginning of 2020 this community association was hosting an over 50's Social Club with activities. During lockdown it has helped ensure access to food for local people. Recently it secured an NNS grant and the NNS team has helped recruit a community engagement worker to help restart activities and keep people connected.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Culmington-Hall- 112369810173903/

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 7 Prevention & Communities Grants Programme

What Are These Grants? In summer 2019 there was an open application process for organisations able to support the City Council's Prevention First agenda. Fourty-six organisations were successful. Details can be seen in the Prospectus [https://bit.ly/2JfWH8K]. Due to Covid-19 these have had to adapt, but almost all are still delivering activities and support. Please contact them directly to check what they can offer at the moment. Below and overleaf are examples of both local and city-wide Prevention and Communities activities.

Longbridge Methodist Church Future Proof This project, open to all over 50's in Northfield, is The day centre provides places for 15 older run by Northfield Community Partnership and people twice a week. The Project. It offers services such as housing

support, benefit maximisation, odd job schemes, Between lockdowns the Manager had food parcel delivery service, crisis support, digital discussions with BCC commissioners, completed literacy, volunteering and employment a Covid-19 safety risk assessment, and undertook opportunities. training in Covid-19 safety. This meant the day

centre was able to offer small group outings, Case Study: Ms X twice a week, in a support bubble and following Ms X was referred to Future Proof as her garden the rule of six guidance. had become overgrown with gaps in the fence

causing her dogs to escape. Ms X is agoraphobic All staff wear PPE and the day centre minibus is and extremely anxious. able to seat all passengers following the social

distancing guidelines. Sanitation and cleansing The team completed work on her back garden, of the minibus is completed for every trip. making it secure for her dogs and enabling Ms X Citizens are happy to wear face masks, as do all to utilise the space again. Ms X was delighted. staff and volunteers.

Email: [email protected] Website: www.northfieldcommunity.org

Trips they have completed include visits to garden centres, Cosford RAF Museum, Birmingham Wildlife nature park, Severn Valley Railway Museum and a pub lunch. This has had a huge impact in decreasing the social isolation many of them were feeling.

Email: [email protected] Website: www.longbridgemethodistchurch.org/Church_Group s/--Day_Centre/

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 8 Prevention & Communities Grants (2)

Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies (City-wide provision) Day Centre Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies (BCAT) The Allens Cross Lunch Club offers older people provides accessible professional arts therapies and (70+, including those with early stages of dementia) an arts in health service. They provide this service to in the wider Northfield area a chance to meet new both children and adults who have a wide range of people, have a healthy lunch and participate in a needs, such as those arising from emotional, behavioural or mental health problems and effects wide range of activities. of stress and trauma. In the first lockdown it supported participants with BCAT has introduced Virtual Arts Therapy which can calls, WhatsApp messages, activity packs etc. all be accessed at home. Due to Covid-19 there is Between lockdowns they restarted activities, limited face to face therapy at the Centre in although with fewer participants than usual. Highgate. They aim to be back at Northfield library in 2021 with STEP ON arts club for adults and STARZ for children. When I am at home, I’m on my own and I never BCAT offers free Arts in Health and Wellbeing Workshops to any community group or charity for laugh. When I am here I all adults and children in need. laugh all of the time.

BCAT has produced a soothing pack which can be Aging Creatively printed off by anyone to use and includes activities The Men in Shed's project and Arts Hours have that support wellbeing. [Download from moved on line. A closed, facilitated Facebook group https://bit.ly/3g3uEW5] enables participants to support each other and share their work, experiences and opinions with others on line. Carry On Caring Southwest Birmingham had started to meet at the centre again prior to the current lockdown.

Foodbank During lockdown Allens Cross was the centre of much activity. Working with Northfield Community Partnership, the Trussell Trust and Bourneville Village Trust they operated a foodbank supporting 30 to 40 desperate local families and individuals each day.

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Website: www.allenscrosscommunity.co.uk/ Website: www.bcat.info Email for Ageing Creatively: [email protected]

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 9 Prevention & Communities Grants (3)

Age Concern Birmingham (Citywide) Citizens' Advice Birmingham: Mental Health Welfare Benefits Many projects receive funding from the Prevention and Communities Grant and also an NNS. This can Advice Service (Citywide) be to provide different activities and support different groups of people. The projects below have This service provides specialist welfare benefits also benefitted from National Lottery Community advice to clients with mental health problems Fund and Police and Crime Commissioner funding. and their carers/families in Birmingham. All clients are referred by three Community Mental Health Teams within Adult Social Care.

Case Study: Patrick, 30's

Patrick has depression and anxiety and had Age Concern runs four day care centres across not left his home for many years. He has lived Birmingham for older adults living with dementia alone since his grandmother passed away last and long term health conditions. Though currently year. Since then, Patrick had not claimed closed, they are delivering a Day Care at Home benefits, and rent arears had reached over Service. Trained staff take activities, such as exercise £1000. and board games, into people's homes. The adviser assisted Patrick to make a claim for Universal Credit (UC) and supported him to gather the necessary documents. UC was subsequently awarded and backdated. The advisor also assisted Patrick with an Age Concern also manages Community application for a discretionary payment to Centre, which offers a wide range of activities to suit cover the additional rent liability. all ages and abilities. Although the community centre was also closed during the lockdown, with NNS funding they provided food bag deliveries, a For the first time in quite a telephone befriending service, and wellbeing calls while, I feel somewhat and doorstep visits. These activities are being hopeful that I can continue reviewed and will depend on local needs and funding availability. on and I wouldn't be there without you. I genuinely appreciate your help. Thank you.

Activities will be up and running again at Hawkesley The debt team helped to negotiate repayment Community Centre as soon as it is safe to do so. As of the rent arrears. Patrick is now secure in his soon as Birmingham is in Tier 2 they will also launch property with no risk of repossession. They are a new community café there too. This will have awaiting the outcome of his claim for Personal healthy low-cost meals and free activities. They will Independence Payment (PIP). support volunteers to set up and run groups for the café. Social workers and other organisations will be Citizens Advice also has a range of helpful able to refer people for free meals until March. benefits and debt helpline numbers available from the website.

Email (Daycare): [email protected] Email (Hawkesley):[email protected] Website: www.bcabs.org.uk Website: ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk/ Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 10 Vulnerable Adults Grants

What are these grants?

At the beginning of the pandemic the City Council put out a call to the voluntary and community sector. This was to provide additional support to adults who might be clinically vulnerable to Covid-19 and also to isolation and poor health due to lockdown. Sixteen organisations were grant funded. Below is one example from Northfield.

Micro Rainbow

Micro Rainbow opened the first safe house in the Having access to WiFi and dedicated solely to lesbian, gay, internet inside the house was bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) asylum seekers and refugees. extremely helpful and important for me. It allowed Chairman me to stay in contact with my Chelsea General Hospital lawyer and the Home Office with regards to my case. I also acquired new knowledge Case Study: Client R while waiting my for the process to be resolved. I kept Client R, a vulnerable trans woman and asylum in contact with my friends seeker, had experienced street homelessness, bullying and, harassment before she was moved and used WiFi as a way to to one of Micro Rainbow’s safe houses in pass my time during the Northfield.. Before the Covid-19 lockdown, R enjoyed face to face support and peer support lockdown. group meetings. R could not have afforded to buy the data A few weeks into the lockdown, R was refused needed to attend her own tribunal hearing. R asylum by the Home Office. This meant that she was eventually granted refugee status by the faced uncertainty about when her appeal would Immigration Judge. be heard. The prospective delay started to affect her mental health.

R also attended our moving on sessions online, In response to the Covid-19 emergency and to which offer employability support. R has curb isolation, Micro Rainbow digitalised their successfully moved on from this safe house into social inclusion and moving on programmes. the community and privately rented They held webinars on wellbeing, isolation and accommodation. immigration law. For more detail on how Micro Rainbow has The grant enabled them to equip the safe tackled digital poverty: https://bit.ly/3mCyKa9 houses with WiFi. This enabled R to attend social inclusion webinars, trans peer support group meetings and legal webinars. Email: [email protected] www.microrainbow.org

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 11 Contact Details

Northfield NNS Contact

For most of Northfield Constituency: Lois Maguire Neighbourhood Network Scheme Co-ordinator Email: [email protected] Mobile: 07380398151

Edgbaston NNS Contact including Weoley Ward

Natalie Tichareva Neighbourhood Network Scheme Community Worker Email: [email protected] Tel: 07809336283

Birmingham City Council Commissioning Team Contacts

The Prevention & Communities Commissioning Team consists of: Emil Prysak – Team Manager [email protected] Matthew Bick – Contract Manager for Northfield NNS [email protected]

Plus: Rukia Siddique Quaced Hussain Lise Smith Claire Starmer Susan Coke Rita Adams

We are supported by BVSC Benita Wishart – [email protected] Susannah Wilson

Prevention Newsletter December 2020 Focus on Northfield 12