WLGA

Wrexham, Denbighshire and Flintshire councils have worked in partnership to deliver a Regional Community Cohesion Service (RCC) for North East Wales. The service supports around 40 community groups and third sector organisations that in turn actively support minority communities. 

Since March 2020, RCC has continued to support communities although as with most services, the focus has adapted to address the challenges posed by COVID19. In total around £20,000 has been awarded in grants to support specific schemes such as: 

• provision of food parcels, personal protective equipment and online support; 

• translated information packs; 

• summer holiday socially distanced activities;  

• support in relation to domestic violence and substance misuse during Covid-19; 

• post Covid-19 volunteering and community engagement opportunities; and 

• supporting the local Traveller Community during Covid-19 with remote education support. 

The RCC is not sitting back on its laurels. It has a seat on the Wales Council for Voluntary Action Emergency Covid-19 funds panel and is working with AVOW and key partners to identify and secure larger and more sustainable funds to support minority communities and individuals with projected characteristics. 

Powys County Council libraries were unable to continue with the facility to reserve books through the Library Catalogue during the pandemic. A different system was urgently needed to allow customers to request ‘book collections’ to be picked up from selected libraries or delivered to their door, the council came up with the Library Order and Collect Service.  

The council worked with the Library Service to develop a customer centred process which involves a customer facing web form triggering automatic workflow and emails to appropriate library locations. The council also developed an admin interface where Library staff can view the requests and select a date when the books will be available for collection. This action triggers an automatic email to the customer to notify them. Library staff then put together a collection of books suiting the customer’s tastes and leave them ready for collection on the date advised. 

There is also an ‘assisted-service’ version of the above developed for customers who prefer to interact by phone. This uses the same process and forms as the self-service version, but all communication is by phone. 

The Web Team at Powys County Council developed a web-based system in response to assessing whether eligible people were in need of regular food parcel deliveries, monitoring the wellbeing of vulnerable residents on a weekly or fortnightly basis and responding to needs for support from Powys Social Care or Community Connectors volunteers. 

The system used ‘shielding people’ data and other internal ‘vulnerable individual’ data, which the council stored in a database. By clicking on a name from a list a web form opens for call handlers to record customers’ answers to questions based on an agreed script. The council developed automatic triggers to email Adult Social Care or Community Connectors or generate a food parcel request (if eligible) based on customers’ answers to the questions and the nature of the support needed.  

Between April 3rd and August 14th, a total of 23,791 calls were made by Powys County Council staff resulting in:  

• 649 Welsh Government food parcels being ordered 

• 438 requests for a call back from the resident's local county councillor 

• 459 requests for help with basic care needs which were passed on to ASSIST 

• 1,654 referrals to PAVO's Community Connector Service (of these 1,076 wanted help with food, 373 needed help with their prescriptions and 205 wished to talk to a volunteer) 

• 150 referrals over safeguarding.  

Ceredigion County Council have created a new online Winter Well-being Hub to support the wellbeing of Ceredigion residents over the autumn and winter months.  

Activities and events that would normally take place during this time of year are no longer possible due to the pandemic. So, the Hub provides a range of activities to undertake on-line and includes information and videos on a range of topics such as available support, health and wellbeing, young people and learning.  

The Winter Well-being is in line with the Council’s Winter Strategy, to protect the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable, including care services for the elderly and those whose medical conditions make them particularly at risk from COVID-19. 

A Carer Card has been launched by Ceredigion County Council, for unpaid carers who look after family members or friends who would not be able to manage on their own without the support and care of an unpaid carer. 

The Carer Card is a photo ID card issued by Ceredigion County Council’s Carers Unit to carers aged 18 and over who have registered with the councils Carers Information Service. 

The card has been developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the early months of the pandemic, many carers contacted the council to ask for something they could use to prove that they are caring for someone if they were challenged when collecting and delivering essential supplies for that person. 

Cardholders will have access to priority shopping opportunities with retailers who are participating in the scheme. A list of retailers and other benefits is available on the councils Carer Card page.