News and Updates from Sutton Coldfield Neighbourhood Network Scheme
On the above map, look at the high proportion of dark blue areas in Sutton Coldfield compared to the rest of Birmingham. In most parts of Sutton Coldfield around a third of citizens are claiming a pension
Sutton Coldfield has the highest numbers of residents who were claiming a pension during 2017 indicating there are large pockets of elderly residents and pockets of those with disabilities located in this area.
BIRMINGHAM HEALTH PROFILES: SUTTON COLDFIELD CONSTITUENCY 2018/19
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Purpose of Neighbourhood Network Schemes
The aim of Neighbourhood Network Schemes (known as NNS) in Birmingham is to help older adults in Birmingham to lead healthy, happy and independent lives in their own homes and communities.
Birmingham City Council has developed and funds NNS and BVSC currently provides support.
For a short introduction, the video below explains the aims and impacts of NNS.
Adult Social Care
Adult Social Care is the department within the City Council which focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of adults and older people in Birmingham. It has embraced some key changes in the last few years which have meant that the social work teams and commissioning teams work with citizens and community and voluntary organisations in new ways.
In 2017 Cabinet approved the Prevention First Strategy which provides an outcomes framework and is aimed at citizens leading “healthy, happy and independent lives in their own homes and communities.” The Cabinet Paper is here and the appendices can be seen under the Reports tab on the City Council’s Committee Management website here.
Adult Social Care also developed the Three Conversations® framework which requires social workers to get to know the citizens they are working with and better understand what they and their families or support networks are capable of and what they would like. It requires social workers to develop a good understanding of what community, voluntary and faith organisations locally offer and recognise that citizens can benefit from this local, community-based support.
There is a good introduction to the Three Conversations model here.
What are Neighbourhood Network Schemes?
Adult Social Care developed Neighbourhood Network Schemes across Birmingham in 2018 and 2019 and now each constituency has a Neighbourhood Network Scheme which works closely with community organisations (“assets”) and the constituency social work team. The Neighbourhood Networks’ role is to strengthen local communities so that neighbourhoods become better places to grow old in. The purpose of NNS is to ensure that as many citizens over 50 as possible can access community-based support which can promote well-being and a better quality of life. NNS aims to do this through better coordination of community-based prevention & early intervention services. They develop partnership work between voluntary, community and faith organisations and the public sector, in particular Adult Social Care and health.
This report by Birmingham City Council sets out the development of NNS in the city and how NNS is aligned to other services within Adult Social Care.
Adult Social Care also funds 44 voluntary organisations to support the Prevention First agenda with “Prevention and Communities Grants”. Details of these can be seen in the prospectus here which is currently (September 2021) being updated.
The diagram below summarises NNS on a page. (click here to open the image)
The diagram below shows the ten building blocks of NNS. (click here to open the image)
Each constituency has a lead organisation or partnership which develops the NNS. In eight of Birmingham’s constituencies, this is a voluntary sector organisation. In two constituencies, Selly Oak and Perry Barr, the City Council’s Neighbourhood Development Support Unit is the lead facilitator. The map below shows the current lead facilitators in each constituency.
Download the NNS Lead Facilitators Map here.
Procurement Process 2021
Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet agreed that NNS would be extended for a further five years (with the option to extend by two more) on 27 July 2021. This means that during August to October 2021 Birmingham City Council will be undertaking a procurement process.
The key Cabinet paper is here and further appendices can be seen on the City Council’s committee management system here.
The procurement documentation including specifications for three lots is available through Intend here. A logon is required.
On 18 August BVSC hosted an NNS Briefing at which Emil Prysak, Commissioning Manager and Marie Kennedy, Manager, Corporate Procurement explained about what the City Council needs and the next steps. A recording of the Neighbourhood Network Scheme Pre-Procurement Briefing is available to view on Zoom here. Click through for the slides which are here and to the questions here.
The BVSC team of Rosie Barrett and Benita Wishart are available to support organisations wanting to find out more or to bid. For support or information please email RosieB@bvsc.org
In addition, 30-minute surgeries have been set up which can be booked by emailing Rosie.
Remember, any questions for the Council must be put through In-Tend. Do not ask Commissioners directly as this could lead to disqualification.
Younger Adults
The NNS model was developed with the intention that, if the model was successful for the over 50s, it would be extended to support younger adults aged 18 to 50 years, who have a long-term disability or are likely to have a care or support need in the future. Adult Social Care teams were keen to support this and plans were developed with NNS Leads and Adult Social Care team in two constituencies, Hodge Hill, and Sutton, to pilot this during 2021/2022. The pilots extend the model to people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health difficulties, sensory loss or impairment, and autistic people. The pilots will provide learning about what support is needed by citizens with these additional needs, which community organisations or assets are providing support, and how the NNS model will need to be adjusted to meet these needs. The Cabinet decision in July 2021 was to extend NNS to include these specific groups of younger adults across all constituencies, subject to funding being secured.
Learning
BVSC Research has undertaken an impact Assessment of NNS and the summary can be found here.
Other learning from the programme includes:
Digital inclusion - Digital inclusion-exclusion and digital poverty - NNS and PC
Support for Ethnic Minority Groups - Ethnic Minority Groups Supported by NNS and P&C Grant Holders
Lessons Learnt from Covid-19 Support - Covid-19 - NNS Learning Response - full version and summary version.
Prevention Newsletters
The Prevention & Communities commissioning team and BVSC have been working on a regular Prevention Newsletter showcasing the way in which the third sector is working with the Council to enable citizens to lead healthy, happy and independent lives in their own homes and communities.
These newsletters include information on Neighbourhood Network Schemes and Prevention and Communities Grants. In addition, the grants distributed due to Covid features too – Vulnerable Adults Grants and Emergency Food Programme. Each newsletter focuses on a constituency as well as highlighting some of the city-wide prevention activity. The newsletters produced so far are below.
If you would like to receive these when they are sent out email BenitaW@bvsc.org
December 2020 - Prevention Newsletter Northfield
Feb 2021 Prevention Newsletter - Ladywood
March 2021 Prevention Newsletter - Erdington
May 2021 Prevention Newsletter - Hodge Hill
Prevention Newsletter - Edgbaston
Prevention Newsletter - Selly Oak/ Perry Barr
Prevention Newsletter Yardley October 2021
Contact Details
Contact details for NNS Lead Facilitators are here.
Edgbaston and Northfield
BCC Community Partnership Worker: Shaju.Bibi@birmingham.gov.uk
Gateway Family Service: k.hewitt@gatewayfs.org
Age UK Birmingham: sukie.binning@ageukbirmingham.org.uk
Northfield Community Partnership: r.debenham@northfieldcommunity.org
Erdington
Afzal.Hussain@wittonlodge.org.uk
Hall Green
Andrea.Maynard@accordgroup.org.uk
Hodge Hill
Ladywood
Maxine.reid@bsettlement.org.uk
Perry Barr
Neil.De-Costa@birmingham.gov.uk
Selly Oak
Karen.cheney@birmingham.gov.uk
Pete.Millington@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk
Yardley
Birmingham City Council
Emil.Prysak@birmingham.gov.uk
PreventionandCommunities@birmingham.gov.uk
BVSC
October is ADHD awareness month and an opportunity to promote awareness and raise the profile of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder across the UK.
Please let us know about any events you are hosting for ADHD Awareness Month, by emailing the details to: autismadhd@birmingham.gov.uk
Further information and resources about ADHD and ADHD Awareness Month:
ADHD Awareness Month - https://adhdawarenessmonth.org/
ADHD Foundation - http://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/
This website includes information for:
o Parents and Carers - https://adhdfoundation.org.uk/parents/
o Young People - https://adhdfoundation.org.uk/young-people/
o Adults - https://adhdfoundation.org.uk/adults/
o Schools - https://adhdfoundation.org.uk/schools/
ADISS - http://www.addiss.co.uk/
o Factsheet on ADHD - http://www.addiss.co.uk/adhd.htm
Factsheets from the Royal College of Psychiatrists
o ADHD and hyperkinetic disorder: for parents and carers
https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/parents-and-young-people/information-for-parents-and-carers/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-and-hyperkinetic-disorder-information-for-parents-carers-and-anyone-working-with-young-people
o The restless and excitable child: for parents and carers
https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/parents-and-young-people/information-for-parents-and-carers/the-restless-and-excitable-child-for-parents-and-carers
ADHD UK - https://adhduk.co.uk/
This is a new charity focused on ADHD and has been created by people with ADHD for people with ADHD.
Working in
partnership with Birmingham City Council, the Birmingham 2022 Festival are
looking for creative community groups with brilliant ideas who need some
support to realise a project. In 2022 the eyes of the world will be on us, and
we want you to help them see a true picture of this diverse, youthful and
creative city.
We are
inviting applications from Birmingham organisations and groups to apply for
grant funding to bring communities and artists together to co-create new
artworks through creative projects. These will be presented between March and
the end of August 2022 as part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Festival.
The
programme is open to Birmingham-based not-for-profit organisations and groups,
with a turnover under £1m
For information
about the Birmingham 2022 Creative City Grants Programme, the application form
link and frequently asked questions please visit: https://www.birmingham2022.com/festival/creativecitygrants/
An AMAZING array of events, activities and exhibitions will take place throughout October – including, at Library of Birmingham, a Writing Black History Competition.
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As a society how can we celebrate Black History Month this year with the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 which continues to affect the entire world, socially and economically, alongside the death of George Floyd which has caused disruption and unrest globally.
Covid 19 seems to be in hand by Governments and decisions to combat this deadly virus is ongoing. However for Brother George Floyd, he can be considered a Martyr. Over 400 years of hurt spilling out of us, we are now unable to contain our hurt and anger. Every single moment of racism, suppression and injustice is coming back in waves of memory suppressed in every individual Black person.
So what can we do to get peace, justice and celebrate each other? We have to start by having these painful conversations but with love and compassion for one another to bring about a change in institutional and overt racism once and for all. Let’s speak about the emotion of unrest. Yes, it’s an uncomfortable conversation we now have to start having but it’s got to happen. No more scaremongering, it’s time for the truth, openness and Change.