Local Area Co-ordination Presentation

Noel Singh

Leicestershire County Council

Health & Social Care VCS Forum

24th June 2014

“a model of support for vulnerable people which focuses on identifying and supporting those who need help before they hit crisis, and working towards building an inclusive resilient community around them”

What is Local Area Coordination?

• Local Area Coordination is an approach to supporting people and their families to have a good life as part of their local community

• Initiative being led by Inclusive Neighbourhoods and the LAC Network

• Originally developed in Western Australia in the 1980s

• Currently running in other areas of the Country, including Derby, Thurrock, Monmouthshire, Cumbria

What does a Local Area Coordinator do?• Supports around 60 people in their local communities, typically older people

and those with low-moderate mental health needs, experiencing a level of vulnerability

• Normally works in outreach based community hotspots (e.g. library, community centre, GP Surgery, VCS agency)

• Provides social interaction and support

• Spends time to understand the person’s strengths and aspirations

• Identifies a range of community assets and resources which individuals can access

• Links individuals to sources of informal support from other individuals

• Helps individuals to access other relevant services where required

• Monitors individual’s progress against agreed aims

‘Asset-Based Community Development’• Local Area Coordination is about identifying the assets within a community

which can help to make the community more self-sufficient

• It is a model which looks at what individuals and communities can offer, rather than focussing on what they need

• Community assets can be anything from existing sources of support (e.g. from VCS agencies, community centres, faith groups/places of worship) to the support which can be offered by individuals

• This could include any of the following and more:

• Befriending• Cooking• Domestic, gardening or DIY chores• Driving or accompanying people to appointments, shopping trips, etc

Outcomes for Individuals and Communities

• Improved health and wellbeing

• Fewer hospital/emergency admissions and visits to GP

• Better quality of life; improved confidence and independence

• Strengthens individuals, families and communities

• Improved community links and social interactions

• Greater community cohesion, community capacity and resilience

• Positive use of community assets and resources

• Increased levels of people engaging in volunteering, training or employment

Outcomes for Individuals and Communities

Local Area Coordination therefore aims to reduce demand for more costly services (mainly health and social care) through strengthening individuals, families and communities, thus preventing people from reaching crisis and requiring costly care and support services

Progress to date in Leicestershire• Number of strategic partners involved (LCC Departments; Health (CCGs); 4 x

District Councils, Police, VAL)

• Significant element of the Health and Social Care Prevention agenda and incorporated in Better Care Fund plan

• Agreement in principle to support a pilot in the 4 Districts:

- Blaby; Charnwood, Hinckley & Bosworth and Melton

• Exploring how LAC fits with other existing initiative and services (e.g. Supporting Leicestershire Families, Health & Social Care Coordinators, Social Prescribing)

• Work underway to agree areas (Wards) for LAC to operate in each District

• Ongoing support from Inclusive Neighbourhoods and LAC Network

Next Steps• Recruitment of LAC Project Manager (Summer 2014)

• Agreeing the wards/localities in each of the 4 districts where LAC will be piloted

• Mapping existing/known community assets in the 4 x localities

• Design tools and resources for Coordinators, including Outcomes Frameworks

• Finalise role descriptions for the locality-based Coordinators

• Recruitment of the 8 x Coordinators (Autumn – Winter 2014)

• Run the pilot project (Winter 2014 – Spring 2016)

• Evaluate the project in terms of outcomes and costs avoided

Any Questions?

For more information, contact:Noel Singh

[email protected]

(0116) 3057020