Connections with Purpose and Meaning: Making a reality of asset-based approaches. Short programmes and Development Offers from Community Circles

Connections are at the heart of our wellbeing. Covid has shown us just how vital people are to each other along with the chance to pursue things that give us purpose and meaning. How can we support connections during the current situation and take them forward into the post pandemic world? During the pandemic many people have struggled to keep connected to friends and to important activities. At the same time Covid has challenged us to consider whether some of the existing ways of offering support remain fit for purpose – adapting approaches including making better use of technology. Are you supporting people who are looking for ways to keep involved with the things that matter to them, exploring new opportunities and ways to connect? Are you a commissioner or development worker wanting to build such approaches as part of prevention or asset- based strategies? At Community Circles we have been evolving and developing our approaches both before and during the pandemic, into many forms of “Circle” that enable people to connect and contribute in their communities.

Our work is part of a wider range of “asset-based approaches” starting to radically change both social and health care. Our new range of programmes and courses will support you to explore using person centred and community centred approaches and tools to find out what matters to people and creative ways to enable what is practical and possible for keeping people connected and safe.

We know that it is hard for people to find time and space to undertake development activity during the pandemic. We know also though that many people are keen not to let the virus stop learning and planning to improve support and lives and who want creative ideas and practical methods that they can still use during the pandemic. We have therefore developed a suite of courses to be used either live or via recorded sections so you can learn when suits you - and with support materials that people can explore flexibly in whatever way works for their circumstances.

Who for?

The courses are useful for anyone supporting people in a wide range of situations and services. Some of them are general introductions to the approaches and methods, some are specific to, for example older people or people with learning disabilities or for certain types of support service. You might be a family member or someone working in accommodation with support or offering day activities. You might be working as a link worker or for a voluntary organisation helping people avoid loneliness through connecting people to others and to local activities. You might be commissioner or development worker in a council or CCG wanting to explore how person and community centred approaches could really help to “build back better” as we move on from Covid. People in these and many other roles will find our courses useful. You may be an organisation or place ready to go further and deeper via our development programme offering consultancy support in achieving a major transformation of approaches and offers.

Course participants will learn about and access:

• A range of community and person-centred approaches delivered via various types of “Community Circle” can help support older people to access connections with purpose and meaning to them and develop community opportunities to grow these connections
• Effective tools and approaches can be applied in practice, adding value to what you do including via use of communications technology
• A range of practical tools and templates for use along with examples and stories of successful connections
• Guides and materials for the development of a range of types of Community Circles
• Online support between sessions and for up to 12 months, via a course group

Short courses

• Connections with Purpose and Meaning - A half day introduction to community circles approaches, with follow on support
• Inclusion for Older Citizens Through Covid and Beyond - A course with seven short sessions
• Inclusion for Citizens with Learning Disabilities through Covid and Beyond - A course with eight short sessions
• Thriving People, Connected Places. Realising the Potential of Extra Care Housing - A course with ten short sessions
• Living a Full Life - a seven session course to support people living in care homes to keep connected to the people and things that matter

For detail and booking Microsoft Word - Course options2.docx (community-circles.co.uk)

Circles Connected Development Partnerships

Each of these 12-month programmes will bring a small number of organisations/groups looking to make significant changes in the way they operate and offer support. Through individual and collective support, we will provide training, consultancy and development assistance enabling

What else is included?

The Circles Connected Development Partnerships will support participants to plan and introduce approaches that dramatically increase their ability to support “a life not a service”. We are looking to invest support into a range of types of service/organisation able to make a serious commitment to asset-based development. Councils or CCG’s might want to invest in local demonstrators that could help steer the way to larger scale strategic change as part of consortia that will be linked via our connections into those leading national initiatives steering the future of social care and health. Charities or support providers might want to prototype approaches for wider organisational spread. Some examples of local organisations and services that could benefit might be:

● Connected Communities or social prescribing initiatives looking to take a much more asset-based approach

● Extra care provision looking to realise the potential to support people beyond a tenancy and to become thriving local hubs

● Day services looking to shift away from building based or traditional approaches, including for people with learning disabilities or older people

● Local charity branches or support provider organisations that wish to build their offers in supporting people at risk of isolation or to maximise the use of community assets in growing connections with purpose and meaning

● Home care agencies that want to realise their goals in going beyond basic life and limb support through cost effective approaches maximising access to community capacity and making effective use of technology

The first of these consortia will run from Spring 2021. We will be holding an invite only webinar on February 25th for those who want to know more detail in respect of content, methods and expectations, please contact [email protected]