Agenda item

Please note the link below to a video concerning Welcoming Spaces.

https://youtu.be/DpfNpCnjnJc

Penny Germon introduced this report and made the following points during her presentation:

·       The report contained a link to video which will give you an indication of the work being carried out

·       Thanks were given to the people who had made the winter event possible including the volunteers

·       The Board noted a series of slides of the event which had involved 120 people and had been very positive and engaging. There were 105 welcoming spaces created through the cost of living response

·       It was estimated that 87% of households in Bristol were 10 minutes walk away from a welcoming space which would provide physical access, wifi, hot drinks, information access and support

·       The Board was reminded of examples of the publicity generated

·       There were 19 community hubs to co-ordinate activity in the particular area including in Brislington and Lockleaze

·       Work was carried out with the centre for the deaf and welcoming people. WECIL had provided advice to all welcoming spaces to improve access for disabled people. There was also access to emotional well being support

·       Membership for the scheme had increased from 300 to 14000 post COVID

·       There had been signposting had taken place on the website and the communications team had worked with all welcoming spaces

·       VOSCUR had organised peer support

·       Avon and Somerset Police had indicated areas where there were no welcoming spaces, following which they had been created

·       There had been a large number of hits on the Bristol City Council website about these spaces

·       Tech support had been received for these welcoming spaces

·       There had been aligned funding of £2.4 Million for the winter response – 62% aimed to keep going

·       Feedback suggested that a move was needed away from a crisis support approach towards a more sustainable approach

·       The principles were for a one city asset based approach focusing on inclusion and social justice and involving collaboration as required

·       Seven key ingredients included neighbourly and citizen action, welcome spaces, positive action, community hubs, leadership and collaboration. It was only possible to do this if conditions were sustained that nurture communities  and provided civic power for community development and building relationships.

·       Since 19th April, a Bristol One City approach supported people most impacted by low income, poverty and inequity

·       A map showing Welcoming Spaces was shown. BCC would maintain a Cost of Living website seeking to maximise aligned funding and to develop a planned approach

·       There were opportunities to develop innovation and a fresh approach to commissioning and to nurture community ecosystems

Board members made the following comments:

·       Discussions with extra care providers at Waverley Gardens Brunel Care Home had revealed the need for resources to be used for those communities which were the most difficult to reach

ACTION: Examine possible additional mechanisms to provide extra resources (such as other care providers) for those communities which are reached less well – Penny Germon

·       In view of the likelihood of increased warming of the climate, the development of cool places was also required

·       There was a fragility in the system over the last three years caused by older people presenting for care who had held back from requesting treatment

·       Adult Social Care is not discrete and separate from the power of strong communities and therefore there was a need to cross boundaries better. With a small amount of seeding, a lot of capacity could be grown. Within the next two years, adult social care needed to be seen as wider than just domicillary care

·        The importance of the complimentary nature of Penny Germon’s team was noted with the use of outdoor community spaces to build resilience – for example, through the Community Impact Fund

·       The use of One City Boards and with the voluntary sector to help vulnerable people was noted

·       Social connections were very important. There was a need to continue to invest in this area. The use of these spaces could allow development in other areas and provide opportunities to capture other needs

·       This was superb piece of work. Interactions with staff providing community care would help those using the facility as well as enabling them to benefit from the warm space

ACTION: Request strategic communications to lead a piece of work in the build up to winter in order to ensure a safe and warm place for people – Penny Germon/Rebecca Dunn in conjunction with BCC Communications Team

·       The individuals involved in this work should be congratulated as they worked very well across BCC and helped to collaborate and strengthen the relationship with the voluntary sector

·       This approach should be celebrated as it showed the benefit of the development of ecosystems over many years. There was a need to invest further to avoid duplication. This dynamic approach had made a significant change

·       Whilst it was good to know that 63% would be continuing, there needed to be focus on the remaining 37% as they focused on the areas of greatest need and deprivation

ACTION: Add Locality Partnerships to the diagram shown in the presentation – Penny Germon

·       The resource and aligned funding, together with the role of HWBB in reinforcing and accelerating this approach, was important

·       HWBB would be the sponsor for a similar structure to Wigan Deal