In March 2019, B&NES Council declared a climate emergency and resolves to recognise the Council's key leadership role and the significant and fundamental culture shift required, politically and organisationally, to rise to this challenge. Whilst the Council is committed to providing the leadership to enable B&NES to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, they cannot do this without ambitious community action. They are aware that many local organisations are involved in tackling the climate and ecological crisis; either as their main mission or as a result of activities that also meet other needs. They are looking to map all community-led climate action (such as, renewable energy, sustainable travel, nature conservation, education and local food projects) taking place within B&NES, with the intention of encouraging and enabling local organisations to collaborate, support each other and share skills. It will also help them consider how they can provide support for community action moving forwards https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BANES_community-led_climate_change_actions

Get the new year off to a great start with a range of interactive webinars to help you up-skill and raise more funds for your charity. Join the FSI's January webinar series from 21st-23rd for your choice of 9 interactive 1.5 hour webinars. Each webinar offers an expert tutor, a chance to have your specific questions answered and a chance to learn from other participating charities. The aim is to improve your knowledge, skills and confidence without you having to leave the comfort of your office. There is something for everyone in this wide range of vital topics: Tuesday, 21st January Demonstrating Your Impact Recruiting & Retaining Trustees for Charity Leaders Good Governance for Charity Leaders Wednesday, 22nd January Supporting & Managing Volunteers Developing Corporate Relationships Community & Events Fundraising Thursday, 23rd January Preparing Successful Tenders (Statutory Commissioning) Major Donor Fundraising Develop Your Earned Income Cost: £5, full details here: https://www.thefsi.org/1-5-hour-webinars/

Charity law specialist Stone King is running several training sessions in Bath for Trustees and Senior Management Teams. The Essential Trustee and Governance in Practice sessions cover key Charity Commission guidance and the underlying charity law duties. The training will look at case studies to examine best practice governance in practical settings. Topics include the role of the Charity Comission; key dutes and liabilities of Charity Trustees; working as a board, with Senior Management, and managing difficult situations; and updates on the latest developments Sessions are running at The Bath & County Club on 16 March and 20 October 2020. For more information and to book, please visit our Charity Training page, or email events@stoneking.co.uk

Behind the beautiful Georgian facade of Bath and the stunning surrounds of Bath and North East Somerset, homelessness – or the threat of it – is a problem facing a growing number of people. There are over 4,000 on social housing waiting lists in the region and house prices are 14 times average earnings. The issues go far deeper than the number of street homeless. There are countless individuals sofa-surfing, families housed in B&Bs and others in unsuitable temporary accommodation. But, there is help available. This film, funded by St John’s Foundation and created by Meaningful Films, shows the realities of homelessness and the life-changing work that is being done by local organisations to help. We witness first-hand the difference that support staff and volunteers make to those struggling to keep a roof over their head.

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BANES Council have an update for all interested providers working within the Advocacy sector for the BANES area of their proposal for the re-commissioning of the advocacy contract for adults. They have undertaken engagement and consultation with providers, service users and professionals to seek their views on which would be the most workable contract solution. They confirm that this is to opt to commission a single provider for the adult’s advocacy contract with the option to use a sub-contractor arrangement where the single provider does not have the specialist expertise for that area. The scope of the contract will include Independent Care Act Advocacy including Independent Social Care Complaints Advocacy Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Independent Mental Health Advocacy Independent Health Complaints Advocacy The tender will be published on the Supplying the Southwest portal. It is anticipated that this will be available early December. Interested organisations need to be registered on Supplying the Southwest (ProContract), in order to receive details when published. https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk/

Expressions of interest by 18th December The National Lottery have launched The Climate Action Fund which will support communities across the UK to take action on climate change. These communities will demonstrate what is possible when people take the lead in tackling climate change. With National Lottery funding, they will work together, share their learning and be active participants in a broader movement of change. Find out more here.

The Interagency Bulletin aims to connect people and organisations working across Bath and North East Somerset to help improve partnership working, share information and good practice. View the latest Interagency Bulletin for November. If you would like more information or you would like your article or event included in the next bulletin contact, Sara Dixon, tel: 01225 396594, email or Alison Wells, tel: 01225 396539 or email.

As part of the council’s commitment to giving local people a bigger say, they would like to invite you to a public event where the Council’s Cabinet will be setting out its priorities and key financial plans. They’ll be discussing climate emergency, social housing, transport and many other issues of concern locally. They’ll also set out how they plan to deal with the financial challenges they face and you’ll be able to have your say directly to Cabinet Members and Council Chief Executive, Will Godfrey. Date: 17th December 2019 Time: 6.30pm - 8.30pm Venue: The Banqueting Hall – First Floor, The Guildhall, Bath

Health and Care organisations across BaNES are working together to make available an Integrated Care Record (ICR). An Integrated Care Record is a system which interfaces with different digital health and social care records allowing secure access to key information by professionals involved in your care, and these systems are being rolled out across England by the local health services. This includes your GP, hospital and other care organisations. In BaNES, Virgin Care are leading this programme as part of the delivery of the ‘Your Care Your Way’ vision, to join-up relevant information. This will ensure key professionals are able to access appropriate, timely, relevant information they need to support you, even if they work for different organisations.

The application to merge BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire CCGs into a single Clinical Commissioning Group has now been approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement. As a result, they will formally become NHS BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group on 1 April 2020. Tracey Cox said: "Creating a single CCG will deliver a range of benefits for patients, our staff and our GP members whilst still preserving a strong clinical voice and locality working. This is a really positive development that will deliver real benefits for our patients, our staff and the whole health and care systems across B&NES Swindon and Wiltshire and an important step forwards on our journey to become an Integrated Care System." Work on the mobilisation phase of merging three CCGs is now underway. They will shortly begin a process to appoint new Governing Body members starting with the role of a single Clinical CCG Chair across BSW. This process will take several months to complete.

Are you interested in creating a pilot to support parents of young people who are currently accessing support from your organisation? Following the recent Boys in Mind/Girls Mind Too conference in Bath and a subsequent conversation with Niki Jewett and Jamie Colston, there is a collective awareness of an increasing need for more support for the parents and carers of young people. This was also apparent from parental input at the Boys In Mind/Girls Mind Too conference. In our conversation we discussed designing and facilitating a year-long pilot that builds on the successful work of Parent Circle at Ralph Allen School. Parent Circle is a peer to peer support group that has been successfully run by parents at the school for the last 8 years. The model of Parent Circle grew from the school’s need to engage more deeply with parents and parents’ need for support around engaging with their children's education by connecting more with the school and each other. The Parent Circle model was designed collaboratively and was mindful of making sure that all parties were supported safely by how it worked, whilst making sure that it enabled an environment to support change and growth within the organisation. All attendees participated as equals and the focus of the group was lead by participants. Niki Jewett co-designed and co-founded Parent Circle and has been a governor at Ralph Allen School for 9 years. Niki has worked in many educational contexts and with young people, She is a communications consultant and delivers facilitation and participation training with Jamie Colston. Jamie Colston is a facilitator, catalyst and coach who designs and facilitates meaningful and transformative conversations, change experiences, leadership programmes, strategy days and networks. Read more about Jamie here In the context of these conversations, we would like to invite you to explore the potential of collaborating on a framework for supporting and inspiring parents. The aim would be that parents would become more resourced, learn new skills and gather knowledge that means they are better able to support themselves and ultimately better support the young people in their care. Please email Siobainnchaplin@offtherecord-banes.co.uk and let her know if you would be interested in attending a preliminary meeting to discuss ideas about how this could meet the existing need in your organisation and your beneficiaries.

B&NES Council currently provides a range of independent advocacy services for Vulnerable Adults & Children. Independent advocacy is concerned with maximising people’s involvement in decisions about their lives. The advocacy services currently provided meet a number of different needs including helping people understand information, express their needs and wishes, secure their rights, represent their interests and obtain the care and support they need. Advocates work in partnership with the people they support and take their side. B&NES has 6 advocacy services in place for adult social care and NHS health complaints, as well as sometimes arranging specific advocacy outside of these services, for example for residents who may be placed outside of B&NES . These contracts have been in place for several years and are due to expire. The council are taking this opportunity to re-examine these services and re-commission as needed to ensure that the right provision is in place. The contracts cover the Council’s legal obligations to provide advocacy, but they also include advocacy that the Council is not legally obliged to provide. As the Council faces increasing financial pressures, we must make sure we are spending public money wisely. The current services in place cover: Health complaints advocacy Social care complaints advocacy Advocacy for people with learning disabilities/autism Care act advocacy Independent mental capacity advocates (IMCA) and Paid Representatives Independent mental health advocates (IMHA) The Council also makes one-off purchases of IMCA and Paid Representative advocacy to meet the needs of individuals placed in residential settings outside of B&NES. B&NES would like to invite organisations that provide advocacy services for adults to a market engagement session on Tuesday 17th September 12-2pm Keynsham Civic Centre. Please book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/banes-adult-health-and-social-care-advocacy-services-market-engagement-tickets-69168116699 3SG Legacy News Articles Previous Item Next Item Remove from page

We are very proud to share the news that Veronica Kuperman, a long serving member of DHI staff, has been named as the "Innovator of the Year" at the International Social Prescribing Network Conference run by the Social Prescribing Network. It's much deserved and brilliant recognition for the great work being done by DHI’s MyScript service. Rosie Phillips, DHI Chief Executive, said: “Veronica and her team have not only persevered in running a service with tight resources and great uncertainty, but are constant in their commitment to develop a solution-focused, evidence-based service in a changing and challenging climate.” The same day that Veronica received this award, Rachel Jarai, another member of our MyScript team, was presenting her research into the role of social prescribing in increasing the resilience of individuals presenting with suicide risk. DHI began delivering social prescribing services in 2009, and currently runs MyScript – a social prescribing service in Bath & North East Somerset which we hope to extend. MyScript is a free and confidential service that tackles emotional, practical and social issues that may be affecting an individual’s health and wellbeing with the aim of reducing patient dependency on primary healthcare.

Citizens Advice B&NES have received funding from the Energy Redress Scheme to provide £50,000 of free fuel vouchers to 1,000 B&NES residents. The vouchers are available in denominations of £28 for a single person or £49 for a couple or family and over the course of the funding each family or person can receive 3 vouchers so potentially £147 of free gas & electricity. There is no use by date on the vouchers. The only 2 criteria for eligibility is that you're on a pre-payment meter of some sort (this can be key, card or web/app top up) and you've been affected by Covid in some way (e.g. kids at home schooling using more electricity) The vouchers can either be emailed out if you have a smart phone or posted if you need a paper copy. You then simply take either the paper voucher or the e-mail on your smart phone onto your normal top up retail outlet along with your card or key & the retailer will make the top up. You get to choose the mix between gas & electric at the point you go to the shop. To apply for the vouchers fill out this online form or call the Compassionate Communities Hub on 0300 2470050 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday).

Social Value is now an established concept in the commissioning of public services, though there is still a long way to go for it to become as central as it should be. The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, has been the main stimulant to progression in the UK, though Social Value was already promoted in public procurement law under the European Commission’s Social Business Initiative. The latest development is the proposition that Central Government should follow Local Government in placing priority on developing Social Value principles and a Cabinet Office public consultation on this subject finished on 10 June. Stone King’s Julian Blake, a Partner in the Charity & Social Enterprise Team sought to highlight some specific key points in its submission to the consultation, and these are detailed here.

FareShareSouth West works to fight food poverty whilst providing a solution for in-date, quality food that would otherwise be wasted. Working with the food industry at the wholesale level, FareShare South West receive high quality, in-date chilled and ambient food that has never reached the supermarket, yet is deemed surplus by the food industry. Food orders are redistributed in chilled vans to charities and organisations across the South West who work to provide for vulnerable people in the region. With their warehouse and headquarters in Bristol, FareShare South West are successfully building a community of over 200 members. Rob from charity member Somewhere House, who provide a safe home for those recovering from addiction said: “We save £100 per week by using FareShare,which is massive for us. It reduces the costs of food in the rehab and as a result we have been able to employ a vulnerable person who ordinarily would not be employed in the community.” “It is so fun and exciting to see what comes each week, so it makes a good atmosphere in the house. Clients gain invaluable life skills through food planning and help build their confidence and self esteem. We have specific beneficiary cases that demonstrate the impact of regular access to healthy food, and it’s allowed others to express themselves through food, and improve their health issues overall.” The charity have been awarded funding to increase their reach into the BANES area, and are looking to identify schools, breakfast clubs, youth clubs, holiday projects and other charities or organisations who may benefit from redistributed surplus food, with the aim of ensuring fewer people in the region go hungry as a result of food poverty. If you work for a charity or know someone who could benefit from this service, please contact info@faresharesouthwest.org.uk or for more information visit: http://faresharesouthwest.org.uk.

Community owned Bath City FC have submitted a planning application for the redevelopment of the football ground in Twerton. There will be a new stadium on one side of the ground and the whole area will be regenerated and provide first class facilities for the local community. There’s more information here http://www.bathcityfc.com/twerton-park-redevelopment/ - Bath City FC have provided 3SG with over ten hours of free meeting space in the past couple of years and a successful redevelopment will mean the Club and its family of charity and youth groups will be consolidated at the stadium will help achieve even greater impacts on public health and sports participation. Please register your support on the B&NES site via: https://www.bathcityfc.com/our-redevelopment-planning-application-is-now-live-please-register-your-support/

Bath Carnival is a unique arts project andinclusive free party, designed and delivered for the people, by the people. Asour community project continues to grow so must our team of volunteers. Would you like to be part of an award winning team and help us add even more colour to the streets, support ourlocal artists’ creative visions and create Bath's biggest free arts event? Contribute a few hours to making the Party in the Park and Carnival procession our bestever as a Festival/Procession Steward and you can even volunteer with a friend, find out more: https://www.bathcarnival.co.uk/volunteer-1