Good Practice Case Study - Ballyfermot

 Name of project: Cold Weather Response Initiative

 General aim of project: To bring together relevant agencies and groups in order to coordinate a local response to assist vulnerable groups/individuals during severe cold weather to ensure that no older/vulnerable person was left isolated and without the necessities of life during the prolonged period of bad weather.

 What theme is it under? Community Safety Theme

 How did the project come about (origins, rationale): During the cold spell in January 2010 it was noted that senior citizens and people with disabilities etc had little or no access to local shops thereby creating an extra vulnerability in their lives. It was also noted that vulnerable groups did not plan for any eventualities such as stockpiling supplies, water etc and had no provision for meal deliveries.

 Statement /clarification of the problem/need/issue: To coordinate a planned response to cold weather using all available local resources to ensure that all vulnerable people and groups in the Ballyfermot/Chapelizod areas had access to shops or had access to at least one hot meal per day during the inclement weather. To provide information on emergency / out of hour services available in easy to read format. To provide tips to vulnerable people on how to stay warm and comfortable and to inform them on what assistance was available locally.

 Structure for response – what (eg working group, task force, AIT sub-committee) 24 people representing 18 organisations were brought together by the Ballyfermot RAPID Programme for the initial meeting. A further meeting increased the membership by inviting members with specific responsibilities to add to the skills needed for the project to be successful bringing the total to 31 members representing the 18 organisations. A sub committee was set up to develop the information sheets necessary to communicate the information to the community. Planning was completed by the larger group and commitments were secured from relevant community, voluntary and statutory agencies to provide services. The RAPID Programme was selected to coordinate the project due to its status within the community and with the agencies involved.

o What is their interest in the project (motivation?): Most organisations became involved due to the nature of the project or because it enhanced the services that they already provided. o Role and linkage if any with Local Development Company: Statutory agencies involved are members of the RAPID AIT and the LDC Board. All of the community members are members of the RAPID AIT or have worked with the RAPID Co- Ordinator in the past.

 Leadership , role and contribution of each partner: RAPID: Develop, implement and coordinate initiative. Coordinate community, voluntary and statutory agency response. Coordinate and allocate any funding. Dublin City Council: Ensure salting, gritting is maintained and ensure access to shops, buses etc in specific areas is maintained as defined by the coordinator. Ensure relevant DCC departments respond locally to needs as they arise. Coordinate City Council services to vulnerable people. HSE: Ensure vulnerable people had access to information and regular visits through Public Health Nurses and Generic Care Teams. LDC: Help to administer project and assist in coordinating community response. Gardai: Develop database of vulnerable people and contact regularly during cold weather. Assist with initiative through transport or visits if required. Community Centres, Family Resource Centres, schools: Access to centres for meals when required. Emergency food supplies to be obtained for emergency response if needed. Provide transport through community buses if needed. Community/Resident Groups: Ensure local response to local needs to prevent unnecessary drain on resources. Ensure identification of vulnerable in locality and working with RAPID develop a local response.

 Process of engaging with relevant agencies and establishing common ground (vision): All relevant agencies and departments within statutory agencies contacted through local agency contacts to ensure truly local service. Each agency given responsibility and ownership in areas of expertise. Ensured no overlap of services to be provided. Ensured all resources used to best effect. Centralised contact system established with key personnel. Constant support for key personnel and community groups. On the ground services overseen by RAPID coordinator. Trust built on achievable actions. Stressed that this is a good will project which will utilise existing community resources such as kitchen facilities, volunteers, community buses and local knowledge to identify and assist vulnerable people in need.

 Planning process: Meetings planned with plenty of time to implement initiative. Expertise of participants used to overcome potential problems before they arise. Overall Coordinator selected by the planning group on ability to communicate, identify actions, get the job done, react swiftly to potential problems, contacts within the community and trust. Evaluation to be performed by the group at the end of the project to assess impact and feasibility of continuing the project in the winter of 2011.

 General Description of project o Who exactly are you targeting and reaching? Targeted communities were the elderly, mental & physically disabled, homeless people, younger families, travellers sites, attendees of Westpoint, St John of Gods and Menni Services. Outline the key elements of response to the need(s): 1. Garda to set up database of vulnerable people. Regular calls will be made to names on list to ascertain their well being. Garda member to be specifically assigned to this during initiative while it is operational. 2. Ballyfermot Community Civic Centre, St Ultans Primary School, St Matthews Family Resource Centre, The Bungalow Family Resource Centre and Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre restaurants and centres to be open and provide soup and sandwiches if they are needed in emergencies. Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre and Civic Centre restaurants can provide 40 stews for consumption and/or distribution for two days each. 3. We Have A Dream Group will take care of clearing FR. Lemas Court/ MAGIC men’s group will clear Blackditch Court and Claddagh Court/ Environmental Action Group will clear FR. Bidoni Court/DCC Garryowen Depot will clear Rosaveal Court / Markiewicz Park Parks Depot will clear Riverview Court and the lower end of Ballyfermot /DCC Civic Maintenance Depot will clear Labre Park, the Bus stops and shops will be salted and gritted for safety by the DCC Cleansing Depot, 4. Ballyfermot Community Civic Centre will have 24 hour manned security (use this number as an advice centre, have an information pack ready for the person at the end of the phone to give out the info e.g. how to get a meal delivered, need emergency services etc. 5. Information leaflets to be sent out to residents associations to distribute to vulnerable neighbours. 6. Home help/public health nurses and meals on wheels will also distribute leaflets when working. Also will assess the need of people with regards to food. 7. All community groups to be contacted to ensure that local at risk people are catered for. 8. Ensure widespread of information through community centres, churches, shops, post offices, banks, community & resident groups and agency contacts. 9. Ensure sheltered accommodation for the elderly is given priority in relation to snow clearance etc and access to shops is maintained. 10. Develop information database of people working during cold weather, their areas of responsibility, how they fit into the service to be provided and identify what gaps are in the services. 11. Develop a rota for transportation needs. 12. Develop A4 poster with hints and tips for vulnerable and helpful tips for community. Deliver to every household in Dublin 10 and Chapelizod. 13. Develop 4,500 postcard sized emergency numbers contact details to be delivered to identified vulnerable people through Public Health Nurses, Liaison Officers, Community Workers, Home Helps, Senior Citizens Christmas Parties, Church/Parish groups etc. o Outline lessons learned from an agency perspective and from a Rapid perspective. 2010 Cold Weather Response Initiative hugely successful. City Manager requested citywide initiative based on Ballyfermot model. Other areas outside Ballyfermot contacted coordinator for assistance as there was no initiative in their area. Cooperation was easy to achieve when all involved were able to see what other organisations and individuals were doing so no duplication of services occurred. Project was cost neutral for organisations and resources were shared equally. From a RAPID perspective, trust was increased between organisations making future projects easier to attain. RAPID coordination skills seen by agencies and community as an asset. Communication between organisations and sections within organisations and the community were developed or improved. Why did it work? Centralising coordination was seen as a key factor of success. Problems were identified and coordinator had access to key personnel to achieve solutions. Increased communication between agencies, community and voluntary sectors was another key factor. What aspects did not work well? Some organisations were closed for 7 to 14 days over the holiday period leaving gaps in the system which were difficult to fill. If you were doing it again what would you change? And why? Ensure that no organisation closes for long period during initiative. E.g. meals on wheels, community centres and FAMILY RESOURCE CENTREs who supply food or social contact to vulnerable people. Ascertain what cold weather initiatives are available in surrounding areas and develop contact list for these.

 What are the demonstrable outcomes and impacts for o Individual – No individual left without hot meals or social contact during initiative. o Community – Galvanised to action. More awareness created of the vulnerable in community. Sense of achievement and empowerment from a social impact project. o Agencies – More cooperation and communication between agencies. Increased communication within organisations. Increased communication between agencies and community groups.

 Draw out and detail the positive experiences of collaboration and service integration among the partners. It was noted that quite a lot of the people around the table in the planning stages had not met or communicated before this initiative. This included some people within the same organisation e.g. HSE and DCC. The positive response from the City Manager and the community to the initiative and the subsequent project which have been undertaken in the city has been seen as a positive endorsement of the project.

Draw out the aspects of service integration or service improvement within the project. The level of cooperation between the group ensured that all services to the vulnerable were increased during the cold weather period. Duplication of services was avoided due to the nature of the planning and coordination. The increase in communication and the openness of the actions on the initiative meant that everyone involved was aware of what all other agencies and participants were doing. The level of shared responsibility and the clear lines of communication ensured that maximum cooperation was achieved.

Describe the level of collaboration/ partnership, benefits of pooling contributions, resources and roles. From the outset, each organisation had maximum input into the project. Skill sets were matched to individuals and organisations which played to their strengths. Problems were solved around the table and any identified gaps were filled. Each organisation knew exactly what was required of them as an organisation and as individuals. Assistance between organisations became easier as they got to know the individuals around the table. This meant that the human face of the representative organisations was easily recognisable and sharing became interpersonal rather that interagency. It soon became clear that the skill sets of the individual became as important as the contribution of the organisation. This was particularly apparent between DCC works departments and community volunteers in relation to the clearing snow from senior citizens complexes thus allowing the DCC operatives to concentrate on other areas requiring attention.

 How does this project fulfil the RAPID objectives? What key outcome elements of RAPID does it achieve e.g.: Reducing Social Isolation caused by the cold weather was one of the key objectives of this initiative. Older and more vulnerable people rarely go out during inclement weather. This initiative ensured that these people had social contact through their neighbours, Gardai, HSE or home helps during the prolonged cold weather. Spot checks during and after the initiative was completed confirmed this had happened and was important to the vulnerable. The level of information made available to the community and to the vulnerable meant that those who could not get out during the cold weather had constant contact with their community and that any problems were overcome in a very short space of time. The service provision during the initiative was centrally coordinated and overseen which ensured that the maximum service was delivered to more people, more efficiently with no additional cost. The increased level of communication also contributed to the increased speed of the delivery of services and the direct targeting of those services in areas of most need. This gave improved levels of service to the Ballyfermot/Chapelizod area.

For further information please contact Pat Teehan, RAPID Co-ordinator: 086-8150113