Prevention Newsletter Issue 3: 2021 Focus on Erdington INTRODUCTION Welcome to our third newsletter! The Prevention and Communities (P&C) Commissioning Team want to share some of the fantastic work happening in communities all over Birmingham. Each month, we will focus on a different constituency to share local knowledge and showcase the wide range of initiatives taking place. For March we are focusing on Erdington constituency. Our newsletters show a fraction of what we are achieving with our voluntary and community sector partners to support Three Conversations and the new way of working across Adult Social Care. We aim to share 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. The pandemic has now lasted for 12 months and Neighbourhood Network Schemes have been at the forefront of ensuring that citizens have had support not only around essential items like food and medicine, but also health and wellbeing. They have done this through creating connections, supporting and advising groups and citizens and distributing small grants. This newsletter provides an insight into how voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations and activists have made a real impact in one constituency. There is a wealth of information about the Covid-19 vaccine programme in Birmingham, and advice for people and organisations running community activities as we move out of lockdown on the BVSC website. 1 Table of Contents 03 Erdington Neighbourhood Network Scheme 04 Social Worker Perspectives 05 Stong Partnerships with Covid19 Taskforce 06 Focus on Erdington Community Volunteers 07 Focus on Green Spaces and Wellbeing 08 Erdington NNS Small Grants 09 Erdington NNS Small Grants (2) 10 Prevention & Communities Grants 11 Vulnerable Adults Grants 12 Contact Details Prevention Newsletter Issue 3 2021 Focus on Erdington 2 Erdington Neighbourhood Network Scheme (NNS): An Overview What is Erdington NNS? New Job Club The Erdington Neighbourhood Network Erdington NNS and Sutton NNS worked in Scheme (Erdington NNS) is community-based partnership to host the first Joint Panel to and locally led and is part of a wider network of approve a Job Club – part of Erdington Churches Neighbourhood Network Schemes across the Together initiative. Erdington Foodbank. city, established to support older adults to live identified a need to support the people who independent and connected lives. have had significant barriers to employment and little or no understanding or access to Witton Lodge Community Association and computers. It was a desire to give support, Compass Support work in partnership to ensure access, information and guidance to all. all wards are reached across Erdington. A key task of the team is to identify all of the The Job Club works alongside Sutton and Chairmancommunity activity and services which can Erdington Job Centres and with specific work Chelseasupport General people Hospital who are 50+. This information coaches to help all, but especially the over 50’s. can now be found on the Connect To Support They run three sessions at three different directory. venues: Tuesday at George Road Baptist Church B23 7RY, Wednesday at Six Ways Baptist Church B23 8AD and Thursday at Chester Road Baptist Church B73 5HU. Networker Support The NNS Networkers assist potential assets with the process of making an application and offer support if required. There are two Networkers who are able to assist/review applications prior to submission if required. The Networkers' contact details for the different locations are on the back page. Witton Lodge Community Association and Compass Support meet regularly as a Delivery Contact Details Group to discuss their delivery, processes and to share updates and information. They also host Do get in contact if you would like to be on the networking events, Citizen Panels and asset mailing list. Contact details are on page 12. workshops, and participate in Steering Groups, Erdington NNS also share information and news Social Work Cluster Meetings and Funding on Facebook and their website. Panel meetings. In doing so, they proactively bring together voluntary, community, faith and www.wittonlodge.org.uk/about-us/news/ social enterprise sector organisations, and work collaboratively with social workers and health Twitter care professionals to support older adults @wittonlodge through the growth of networks and friendships, so that they can live independent WittonLodgeCommunityAssociation and connected lives. Prevention Newsletter Issue 3 2021 Focus on Erdington 3 Social Worker Perspective Sarah Middleton's Story of Anna Mangoo Difference Senior Practitioner Delivery Sarah's social work team huddle covers Here, Anna explains the support that the NNS Kingstanding, Pype Hayes and Perry Common. provides her: She says: Working on the Erdington Constituency My experience of working alongside team there are times that we need to look Erdington Neighbourhood Network for local resources depending on the need Scheme (ENNS), has been positive. The of the citizens. I worked in partnership with Networker joins our Team Huddle Meetings on NNS when looking for food banks in an x a weekly basis. This is a two-way process of emergency. I was able to contact the assigned information sharing, where we can discuss our worker for the area who was very knowledge of required services to highlight knowledgeable and easy to communicate with. gaps, and the Networker is able to link myself and my colleagues to local groups and services. I was given a list of food banks with details of their working times and what other services The fundamental aspect of the ENNS they provide. This is useful information that can programme supports community Social Work be shared with the team and helps to build and the Three Conversations Approach, rapports with local services. My experience of connecting citizens to their local communities, NNS has been positive, easy to access and feels meaning that the ENNS is proactively used by supportive. Social Workers/Social Care Practitioners and is seen by myself and my colleagues as an We hold weekly meetings with the NNS extension to Adult Social Care. Witton Lodge partner. This give us the opportunity to hear offers advice and support to our team and what resources are available in the vulnerable citizens and is a valuable Erdington area. Equally, we are able to service to all that use it. share the gaps. Erdington Constituency In total Erdington NNS has awarded grants to 31 groups to enable them to deliver their projects and activities to citizens predominantly over the age of 50, enabling them to live an independent and connected life. This map details the wards these groups are operating in across the Erdington Constituency. Prevention Newsletter Issue 3 2021 Focus on Erdington 4 Strong partnerships with Erdington Covid19 Taskforce Why the Taskforce Was Set Up Developing New Projects A range of new partnerships have been built and The Erdington Covid19 Taskforce was established new projects forged to tackle the challenges in in March 2020 by groups and organisations across Erdington. Expanding money advice services, Erdington who wanted to support their setting up domestic violence support groups and communities throughout lockdown. Drawing on running regular family activities are just a few of the networks and connections of Erdington the successes made possible. Neighbourhood Network Scheme and with the support of Birmingham City Council, the Taskforce Chief Officer, Afzal Hussain, says: brought together community organisations, faith groups, volunteers, the MP, Councillors and other stakeholders, to show the best of their Reaching out to our vulnerable and elderly community. residents has never been more critical,” he said. “The level of support, care and provision 12 Months of Activity they need during these unprecedented times demands a co-ordinated and strategic In the last 12 months the Taskforce has supported response that is locally rooted. By working thousands of people with over 300 volunteers together the 40 local organisations of the mobilised to help their neighbours. Over 18,000 Taskforce are continuing to make a real food parcels and essential supplies such as impact. medicine have been delivered to vulnerable residents, while over 20,000 wellbeing activities As a community, Erdington has responded including telephone calls, activity packs and brilliantly to the issues and fallout from the virtual sessions have supported residents most Coronavirus pandemic. affected by the pandemic to stay well during a period where stress, anxiety and mental ill health have affected many people. Telephone: 0121 382 1930 / 07507 386 263 Email: [email protected] Prevention Newsletter Issue 3 2021 Focus on Erdington 5 Focus On Erdington Community Volunteers Chairman Chelsea General Hospital Helping Neighbours David co-ordinates the group. He explains: We had 500 online members in our first 24 Since the start of the pandemic, a national hours and it’s grown consistently since then. network of mutual aid groups set up by residents We wanted a platform for people who wanted who simply wanted to help their neighbours and to help, to meet up with those that needed their communities has emerged. Erdington help. Community Volunteers has led the way in Erdington, delivering food parcels and medicine, For many of the volunteers it has been an and completing shopping for hundreds of extremely positive experience. It’s given them vulnerable residents. Working closely with partners an opportunity to help when there was a sense and networks, they have been the backbone of of helplessness. volunteering efforts in Erdington and without their They wanted to help, they wanted to help the time and dedication, many vulnerable residents community, but they didn’t know how. They would have been left suffering. didn’t know the established organisations that existed.