Year 2 Study Visit Brochure 2017

Now more than ever, organisations providing support (from the voluntary, public and private sectors, commissioners, investors and grant-making bodies) recognise the need for major transformation to ensure positive sustained change for communities.

We know that to undertake this transformation, we need to get our starting point right- and for this to be collectively determined. We also need to recognise that support services will always benefit from working deeper within communities.

The collaborative approach we have developed, (within the Neighbourhoods that Work programme, in the Early Help network, and beyond) credits its many successes to trust, flexibility and dynamism- recognising that sustainable change is only possible through multiple players working together. By embodying this approach partners have been able to work closer to ensure a person is supported comprehensively. Even if it is beyond the normal remit of an individual service. Where previously issues might have gone unresolved with problems recurring and demand increasing, the flexibility to explore, try, and test together with partners has allowed for timely, creative, and sustainable solutions.

Central to the NTW philosophy to transforming services is that communities must be at the heart of everything we do, framed around a place- rather than around a theme or specific outcome. Through focusing on what is strong- rather than what is wrong- in communities and in the wider system, we are able to create a truly strengths based model where communities can thrive and services can be seamless and more efficient.

Practice insights: adapting, sharing and innovating ways of working - a perfect fit

Norfolk based youth charity Mancroft Advice Project (MAP) has a strong track record of offering advice, counselling and youth work, targeted at specific groups of young people. Recently MAP have been awarded funds from the Big Lottery to broaden their approach across the Make it Happen and Comeunity patches, allowing delivery to be informed and shaped by young people and other local residents across the neighbourhoods.

MAP was able to make an immediate start to engaging with residents, initially through attending the Make it Happen neighbourhood board meeting. MAP spoke about the Life Skills course that had been running from their town centre premises, and the challenge of recruiting young people. Members of the board suggested that the course be renamed and take place in the community centre in Cobholm. The Neighbourhood Manager pointed out that DIAL could add value by including financial literacy workshops, and it was suggested that the sessions could be open to both young people and older members of the community. As a result of this MAP and DIAL are collaborating and starting delivery of this project in October 2017.

MAP's new project has been able to start engaging with young people and the wider community straight away, using the NTW community networks. Through the project a youth worker will be embedded within each of the Comeunity and Make it Happen patch teams. As there is no specific NTW Connector role tasked with working with young people this fills a gap for NTW, enabling it to better reach the wider community. The youth workers will train community volunteers to work with young people, increasing opportunities to participate in positive activities that are sustained.

In the longer term communities will be more resilient as they will have provision for young people that takes place on their doorstep. This sits alongside other community activity, seamlessly integrates with the breadth of support offered by NTW.

Behind the scenes; GYBC Community Development Manager Holly's perspective

During the NTW 2016 study visit, I met with the Youth and Communities manager from MAP and discussed how much the NTW approach complemented their current thinking on how they wanted to develop the youth work offer in Great Yarmouth.

Recognising the potential of this collaboration, GYBC wrote a supporting document to accompany MAP's bid to the funders, to make sure they could see that an investment in this project would be building upon a broader place-based initiative, complementing, adding value, increasing reach, resources and effectiveness.

Neighbourhoods That Work is transforming service provision for the people of Great Yarmouth into a place-based lens - through human approaches and joined up working, it is generating friendships, creating confidence in individuals and strength in communities to learn, grow and to become more resilient.