Agenda item

Jo Hinchcliffe, Service Improvement and Governance Manager, to present

Jo Hinchliffe, Service Improvement and Governance Manager, gave the following powerpoint presentation:-

 

The Borough That Cares

Strategic Framework 2022-25

Creating a Carer friendly Rotherham

 

Background – Creating a carer friendly Rotherham

-        More than 30,000 were providing unpaid care in Rotherham often alongside work or education, for someone who otherwise could not manage without help due to illness, disability, addiction or mental health

-        This care was often invisible

-        The Covid-19 crisis had emphasised the fundamental importance of taking action to improve  the way unpaid carers were identified, recognised and supported

-        Carers had been disproportionately affected during the pandemic, both socially and economically; creating a Borough that cared for its carers was more important than ever

 

Our carers – working as a network

-        Being a carer often meant a person was providing support out of love or friendship for the individual they were caring for

-        Caring roles varied and anyone could become a carer at any time

-        It was important to recognise when a typical relationship developed the added dimension of one person taking a caring role for another

-        Carers could be adults caring for other adults, parents caring for children who were ill/had a disability or young carers caring for a parent, sibling, relative or friend

-        Carer organisations came together in May 2020 to ensure a joined-up response to the pandemic.  The Unpaid Carers Group formed to support the emergency response work and this ensured the carer partnership was as strong as it could be in the most extreme of circumstances

-        This had continued through 2021 and shaped the strategic framework for 2022-25

-        Borough that Carers Strategic Group now in place consisting of representatives from Health, Social Care, the voluntary sector and those with lived experience

 

How we created the framework

-        Focus group sessions with partners suggested that a new strategic approach “kept it all simple” but allowed work programmes to evolve and grow

 

Recovery and Reflection

-        Over the last 2 years a lot of time and energy taken up by adapting to the constraints and restrictions of the pandemic

-        Services and organisations had flexed and worked in diverse and different ways

-        Some ways of working had stopped, some elements of services were paused and workplaces no longer looked and felt like they did pre-pandemic

-        Important to take time to consider how all of the changes had impacted on front-facing services for carers

-        Recovery Plan adapted from the ADASS regional carers group.  It had 6 quality marker themes and each had a range of statements:-

Awareness and culture

Identification and recognition

Information and advice

Better conversations

Support and services

Carers as expert care partners

-        It provided an opportunity for all partners to

Reflect on current practice

Identify areas where improvements could be made

Demonstrate progress and achievement

 

Strategic Framework 2022-25

-        Regular conversations, workshops, meetings and task groups since May, 2020, focussed on creating a new carer strategic framework

-        Key statement – the need for something different to help make a real impact for carers

-        Dynamic way of working together wanted; a framework that would nurture the organisational relationships; a collaborative workspace for carers to share their lived-in experience and needed to encompass all the caring roles

 

Roadmap for the next 3 years

Recovery and Reflection Plan Issued January 2022 Quality Markers addressed by March 2022	The Borough That Cares Strategic Group in place	The Borough That Cares – Position Statement Recovery and Reflection Plan Shared Impact Measures
Year 1 Area of Focus 1: Carer Cornerstones April 2022-March 2023   Consolidating a community offer for carers – ensuring 3rd sector organisations are stabilised	Carer meeting spaces made available around the Borough   Establish the Voice and Influence Group   Information offers evaluated and refreshed	Meeting place map   Activity and Events Plan   Bi-Monthly Newsletters with timetable for issue   Service Information Packs
Year 2 Area of Focus 2: Creating Communities of Support April 2023-March 2024   Ensure organisations work together to provide services that are flexible and accessible throughout the Borough	Organisations work together to address carer health and wellbeing   Set-up locally based Borough That Cares Groups to feed into the overall strategic meeting   Co-production programme in place to build on the activity and events carried out in year 1	Health and wellbeing action plan   Borough That Cares Locality Network  Meetings   “Get involved make  a difference” Co-production Plan implemented   Co-produce the social movement model
Year 3 Area of Focus 3: Carer Friendly Borough April 2024-March 2025   Carers feel their role is understood and valued by their community	Carer Friendly Communities action pack developed   Empowerment Plan – carer reps (navigators) aligned to key strategic meetings   Community generated content/activity – pulling through to The Borough That Cares virtual platform	Carer Friendly Communities Action Pack   Carer Empowerment Plan   Online information hub/face-to-face hubs in place   Social Movement launched

 

Summary

-        Values

Carers are respected, listened to and seen as expert care partners

-        Vision

To make caring visible

To make improvements to all our service and to our communities to make carers lives easier

To live in a Borough that cares about its carers

-        Mission

To ensure carers can live well, can be active and have fulfilled lives

-        Objectives

Consolidating a community offer for carers

Ensure organisations work together to provide services that were flexible and accessible throughout the Borough

Carers feel their role is understood and valued by their community

-        Actions and Outputs

Meeting place map

Activity and events plan

Bi-monthly newsletter with timetable for issue

Service information packs

Health and wellbeing action plan

Borough That Cares Locality Network Meetings

“Get Involved make a difference” Co-production Plan implemented

Carer Friendly Communities Action Pack

Carer Empowerment Plan

Online information hub/face-to-face hubs in place

 

Discussion ensued on the powerpoint with the following issues raised/clarified:-

 

·        Ben Anderson, Director of Public Health, would take over as Chair of the Borough That Cares Strategic Group

 

·        There were good links in terms of young carers and the wider brief around that kind of caring role.  There was representation from CYPS colleagues and close work with Barnardos in terms of young carers and the carer voice

 

·        There were regular touch points to ensure all the agendas were aligned as appropriate including attendance at the Young Carers Council.  There were plans in place to look at how to get young carers integral in terms of some of the outputs

 

·        The need to strengthen young carers element in the Strategy

 

·        Carers’ needs were very individual and quite specific; many carers may be accessing voluntary groups and services which may not have carers in their title.  What could the voluntary sector do more to support carers that currently did not feel supported

 

·        NHS England and NHS Improvement were looking to receive appropriate bids from voluntary sector organisations on the theme of catch, learn and best practice from supporting carers and unpaid carers applications during the Covid-19 pandemic.  There was a very short timescale - applications by 31^st January

 

·        Ensure the action plans illustrated the activity with young carers

 

·        It would be interesting to see how the carers felt and what difference the Strategy was making to the experiences of those that provided care

 

Resolved:-  (1)  That the progress made by the Strategic Group be noted and a further update, taking into account the comments made today, be submitted to the June, 2022 meeting of the Board.

 

(2)  That the Framework be endorsed and the document be considered by other Boards/Forums/organisations.

ACTION:-  Jo Hinchcliffe