Dear Friends,
It’s been another busy year…and another year of strong growth for us at Community Catalysts which means we’ve had the privilege of enabling even more people to become part of strong, inclusive, communities with real opportunities to connect, create and contribute.
We’ve grown in both staff numbers and across our areas of work in response to the continued increase in demand in the sector. We’ve:
- continued to extend our work with Councils and other organisations keen to support thriving community health and care enterprises
- actively expanded our work with public sector bodies, providers and community organisations keen to help people who draw on care or support to develop their own strengths and assets
- continued to host and develop the Local Area Coordination Network and Coalition for Personalised Care
- developed our Big Conversation approach, helping people influence strategy and effect real change
This year’s interactive Annual Impact Report highlights some of the great work we do – see here for the full report or scroll down for some of the headlines. I hope you enjoy reading it. Do get in touch if you would like to find out more or just have a chat. I would love to hear from you.
Pip – CEO at Community Catalysts
Making a real impact and leaving a lasting legacy with community enterprise development
We’ve continued to develop our community enterprise programmes in lots of new areas across the country. Our programmes support people to set up their own small enterprises and ventures offering care and support to other local people (we call these community enterprises). Our work leaves a lasting legacy as we actively build strong foundations and nurture the right conditions to enable community enterprises to become sustainable and continue to thrive long after our projects end.
A highlight from our current work in Wrexham:
Read our interactive impact report in full
Building connections and nurturing good lives with Local Area Coordination
Local Area Coordination is a unique, evidence-backed approach that builds on what is strong in people’s lives and communities. During 2022-23, we supported Councils in 2 new areas to set up Local Area Coordination. Through our growing Network, over 1 million people can now access a Local Area Coordinator in England and Wales…
…People like Lauren who shares her story of turning pain into power:
Read our interactive impact report in full
Amplifying voices to influence strategy and real change with a Big Conversation
Our Big Conversations take account of the wonderfully messy nature of communities, making it possible to engage and work with large numbers of people from different stakeholder groups with potentially competing perspectives.
This year, we held a Big Conversation in Nottinghamshire about social care. We worked in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council, the coproduction group Our Voice, and local people and communities. We heard from 542 people, this included 277 unpaid carers and 265 people who draw on social care. People shared their experiences and ideas, their thanks and discontent, their hopes and dreams for the future. Insights and feedback from the Big Conversation will be used by Nottinghamshire County Council to help write the social care strategy and develop future plans.
Read our interactive impact report in full
Helping people to connect, learn and support system change with New Social Leaders
Our New Social Leaders learning programme inspires leaders who are passionate about releasing the potential of people, communities and organisations to work more collaboratively and enact systems change.
Since May 2020 we have supported 133 people to complete the programme. In addition to the 52 paid sessions of New Social Leaders, we have held 31 free post-programme gatherings to support people to connect and reflect with each other and hear from guest speakers.
Read our interactive impact report in full
Join our next round of New Social Leaders
A new collaboration between Community Catalysts and Family and Group Conferencing for adults
We’re delighted to announce that we’re hosting a national Research and Practice Network for Family and Group Conferencing for adults as part of an innovative new partnership built on the experience of a small number of passionate people. This Network will support the growing interest in Family and Group Conferencing within the adult social care and health sectors.
Family and Group Conferencing for adults provides an inclusive and exciting way of giving people the power to make their own plans alongside the people that matter to them – with the backing of services if needed. Plans may focus on organising support, ensuring safety, supporting recovery, resolving challenges and/or forging relationships and community connections.
Find out about the collaboration
Like what you see and want to know more?
If you want to have a chat to find out more about our work or any of the topics covered in this newsletter…or are interested in working together, get in touch at info@communitycatalysts.co.uk or 01423 503937.
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