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During 2021-22 Sutton Coldfield NNS conducted a 6 month pilot project supporting adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The delivery pilot project was restricted because the affects of the pandemic were still prevalent in the UK so many groups were not meeting and activities were very limited.
However, during this period Sutton Coldfield NNS gave 6 community grants totalling £19057 to organisations providing support to the younger age group and we finished the pilot with 5 applications in stages of development.
Our funded activities at the beginning of 2022 included two workshop sessions with local assets for younger people, facilitated by Lindridge Enterprises. Some key outcomes for both older and younger age groups from our workshop included:
To identify organisations in Sutton Coldfield who can act as 'movers and shakers' or specialist leaders and influencers, providing a robust communication for change, removing existing barriers to support a greater funding flow to grassroots organisations.
Forming a steering group of 10 organisations who will each become a communication hub, liaising with their localised grassroots support organisations.
These leadership groups to inform future needs and requirements to enable NNS to put forward a comprehensive bidding strategy, to include collaborative bids.
The NNS assets to identify and generate commercial revenues to enable sustainability and development. Providing guidance on bidding for funds.
NNS to create and distribute a template for completion by each local asset organisation.
This will show what specific support is currently available, and the contribution and activities of each organisation. This will enable:
- Greater knowledge of grassroots support organisations
- · The building of a local Organisation Skills Register
- · Help to build a broader picture of what support is available within Sutton Coldfield through a “Provider Board’
- · A Pledge to be signed by committed organisation’s and published
- · Identifying the additional skills required by organisation’s and having a Business Advisor to facilitate training and support
- · Developing an outcome-focused delivery model with a 360-degree review cycle
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At the end of our pilot project we designed a training presentation defining Disability Inclusion Issues for NNS Assets. The presentation includes a background to the NNS scheme in Birmingham; the development of the additional needs project within the context of the Prevention First focus of the City Council; definitions of disability equality and the Social model of Disability; principles of access and inclusion; a brief overview of the Equality Act 2010; understanding additional need with some examples.
We have also identified four strategic priorities of our own additional needs project and funding going forward in Sutton Coldfield, which are:
1) Access For All - supporting all local community groups to become accessible to all disabled people
2) Prevention Outcomes - specialist community organisations and networks which run services for people with different forms of impairment and long term health issues and which meet Birmingham's Prevention First outcomes or fit with other health and social care strategies
3) Transition - Supporting younger disabled people through transitional periods of life or other disabled people who are facing change in their lives, such as training, employment, finance, independent living and housing.
4) Nothing About Us Without Us - Voice and Co-production - Identifying a user-led 'voice' network in Sutton Coldfield to engage and involve local disabled people in self-advocacy, consultation on local issues such as access, engagement in local decision making and co-production of services. Nothing about us without us.