Stories, reflection and learning from the NTW partnership

Our Theory of Change (ToC) shows how an individual can be supported within their community to develop personal resilience through engaging in personal and community self-help networks, through accessing the right support services early, and through being supported to develop skills and capabilities to increase employability.

Importantly the Theory of Change:

• embraces the complexity of everyday life
• demonstrates that progress is not always linear- there are always ups and downs
• acknowledges that every person is unique, and so then is their journey, their support needs and the way a sustained outcome is achieved- there are no blueprints
• identifies, nurtures and supports strengths

The Neighbourhoods that Work Theory of Change follows the journey of 'Sarah'. When we first met Sarah she was receiving multiple high cost interventions from statutory services (on the bottom left hand corner of the image, in blue, also shown in the table in the 'High cost statutory services involved with resident' column). Her first encounters with NTW connectors (on the image, in green, also shown in the table in the 'Lower cost Neighbourhoods That Work VCSE support involved with resident' column) lead to her gaining information about the local youth club which Sarah's children started attending.

Over time and with the support of a number of connectors Sarah's reliance on statutory services declined and her natural support network of friends and community links grew. This didn't stop the difficult times happening, with down slides such as rent arrears and a relationship break up, but it meant that Sarah was better able to cope using her personal and community resilience (on the image in light grey, also shown in the table in the 'Resilience' column) increasing over time. 

Neighbourhoods that Work is built upon the essential understanding that the resilience of communities, the quality of public and voluntary sector services, and the growth potential of the local economy are fundamentally inter-connected and co-dependent. We know that central to supporting communities to thrive is that skills, capabilities and strengths and must be identified and enhanced, that social capital must be grown, and that simultaneously vulnerability and disadvantage must be addressed.

CDW - Community Developer worker

TC - Training Connector

SC - Service Connector

MDW - Multi-Disciplinary Worker

VC - Volunteer Connector

CC - Community Connector

SKC - Skills Connector

BC -Business Connector

LC - Life Connector

The cost of the statutory services involved with the resident at step 1 of resilience:

• crime - average cost per incident of crime £647
• ambulance services - average cost of ambulance callout per incident £222
• hospital - average cost per bed day £429
• housing options - homelessness application £51
• social services -  daily cost of foster care £93
• total estimated cost on the day £1,442

The cost of the Neighbourhoods That Work staff involved with the resident at step 7 of resilience: £108. Total fiscal saving: £1,334.