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Local Area Coordination in England and Wales

October 2022
Updates on Local Area Coordination, the work of the Network and
the areas implementing Local Area Coordination.  
In this month's edition we'll be covering:
  • Hello and Welcome
  • Publications
  • Angela's work with Learning Disability England
  • Vacancies
  • Events
  • And much more...

Update from Nick Sinclair, Director of the Local Area
Coordination Network, and Tom Richards, Local Area Coordination Network Manager

Hello and welcome to the Local Area Coordination Network Newsletter! This month it’s a joint intro from us (Tom and Nick). Thanks for taking the time to read about what we’ve been up to in the last month, and what a month it’s been!

We’ve had the pleasure of spending time in person with colleagues doing Local Area Coordination in the South of England, including Thurrock, Havering and Surrey. We kicked off our road trip in Thurrock at a lovely community gathering the team had put on there, and spent the day chatting together and sharing a nice buffet, as well as hearing about the incredible achievements of local people transforming their lives whilst alongside Local Area Coordinators. While this was going on, filmmaker and friend of the Network Alistair Macdonald spent the day capturing people’s stories on camera in a way they wanted them to be told. We heard such moving and powerful testimony to the strength and power of people and community. We’re looking forward to sharing and celebrating these with you in the coming months!

Next it was off to Havering where we met colleagues, local citizens and elected members there for more filming. Again, it was moving to see the journeys people have been on together alongside Local Area Coordinators, and the trust, strength of relationship, and understanding Local Area Coordinators have built. Tom and Tracy managed to grab a quick tour of the neighbourhood and both came back absolutely drenched, but in time to hear more wonderful support from the Local Area Coordination Havering Leadership Group Chair Cllr. Gillian Ford on why Havering Council chose to invest in Local Area Coordination over other forms of support.

Final stop on the tour, and suitably energised courtesy of Toby Carvery (yum), was Surrey, where we spent the day reflecting together on Local Area Coordination practice in all its forms. Conversations spanned relationship building, identifying the natural ‘bump in’ points in a community, building a network of supporters, person-led decision making, safeguarding, and non-judgemental strength-based working. On top of this we managed to find the time to do some asset mapping and action learning sets (a busy but productive day).

We’d like to share a huge thanks to Thurrock, Havering and Surrey this month for being such good hosts, and for the inspirational examples of Local Area Coordination in action. We’d also like to thank all Local Area Coordinators, managers and leaders who have contributed to all of the other Network activity happening over the last month. Sharing your insights, ideas and innovations is what makes the Network what it is.

Enjoy the newsletter!

Nick Sinclair and Tom Richards

Publications

Community Calling: People Want More Influence

This report from New Local displays and comments on recent research from Britain Thinks, suggesting there is a real desire and need for community power and decision-making. Read more here.

Community Catalysts Impact Report 2021-22

Community Catalysts' annual interactive report is now available to view here. It summarises last year's incredible achievements including growth of their micro-enterprise development programme, New Social Leaders course, and of course the Local Area Coordination Network.
 

 Learning Disability England, Community Catalysts and Representation

Helping create a world where people with learning disabilities have equal choices and opportunities
 

My name is Angela Catley and I lead work on development for Community Catalysts. I have a background in working with people with a learning disability and am really interested in the issues they face.
Over the years I and Community Catalysts have had a strong connection to Learning Disability England (LDE): a membership organisation that brings together people with learning disabilities, families, friends and paid supporters on an equal basis. Members work together to build a world where people with learning disabilities have good lives with equal choices and opportunities as others. This aim really resonates with me, and I am sure it will also resonate with my colleagues at Community Catalysts and across our wider Local Area Coordination, Coalition for Personalised Care and Small Good Stuff family.

I am pleased to share that I was recently elected as a member of the Representative Body at LDE . There are three types of members on this body: one is people with a learning disability, another is families and the final group, the one I am in, represents organisations and paid supporters.
 
The members of the Representative Body make sure that Learning Disability England stays true to its values and is always working towards its goals.

This is all new and I am still finding my feet, but I do know I need to find ways to share the work that LDE is doing and to link with organisational members and represent their views. In my new role I am particularly interested in trying to ensure this includes organisations and supporters that might not always have a strong voice. This might include very small organisations and community groups, local area coordinators, shared lives carers and others that work with and for people with a learning disability in creative ways.
 
So, I am using this newsletter for a few reasons..
  • Firstly, to let you know about LDE and invite you to become a member if issues facing people with a learning disability are of interest to you or relevant to your role
  • Secondly, to try and find out if any of you are already LDE members and whether this newsletter might be a useful way for me to link with you as your representative
  • Thirdly, just to let you know about my new role and aspirations
 
Moving forward, I would like to continue to keep you informed of issues facing learning disabled people, and invite you to comment and contribute to LDE’s response.

If you are already an LDE member, please do let me know so I can start to better understand how LDE and the Community Catalysts family intersect. Please also get in touch more generally if any of this is of interest or if you have any comments or reflections.
 
Thank you,
Angela Catley
angela.catley@communitycatalysts.co.uk
 

Vacancies

Local Area Coordinator x3
Employer: Luton Council
£23,593 - £26,446 per annum 
37 hours per week
Permanent 

Luton Council are looking to recruit their first three Local Area Coordinators for the areas of Hightown, Bramingham and Leagrave. Apply here.

Closing date: 26th October

Events, Training and Campaigns


On October 31st, A Better Way are hosting the following online event responding to NHS England's new statutory guidance on 'Working in Partnership with People and Communities', and providing a platform to hear speakers and discuss ideas on how to make it work.

Useful Blogs


Continuing to Put People and Communities at the Heart of our Work by Care Quality Commission

Continuing to put people and communities at the heart of our work | by Care Quality Commission | Sep, 2022 | Medium
 

Time for Change: The Language of Social Care Reform by Bryony Shannon

Time for change: the language of social care reform – Rewriting social care

How to get in touch


Email or phone Lily for general enquiries or to supply content for future editions of the Update:
lily.williams@communitycatalysts.co.uk
07384835721
 
Email or phone Nick about work with members and about new work to embed Local Area Coordination in your area:
nick.sinclair@communitycatalysts.co.uk
07407789130

Website: http://lacnetwork.org/
Facebook: @LACNetwork
Twitter: @LACNetworkUK
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The Local Area Coordination Network is hosted by Community Catalysts CIC who make sure that people, wherever they live, have real choice of great local social care, health services and other community resources
 
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