The ‘Talk Community’ approach sees Herefordshire Council working in partnership with communities, businesses and residents to offer wellbeing advice, support and signposting to services.
Synopsis
In one of England’s most rural counties, a network of community hubs is connecting residents with wellbeing advice, support and signposting to services. The hubs are a key part of the ‘Talk Community’ approach, which sees Herefordshire Council working in partnership with communities, businesses and residents to help make Herefordshire a great place to live and work in, and to improve the lives of local residents.
The challenge
Herefordshire Council’s ‘Talk Community’ reflects a strategic approach which recognises that residents and communities are among the county’s most valuable assets. Herefordshire was hit by severe flooding in 2019/20, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both events demonstrated the strength, resilience and capacity of local communities.
At the same time, Herefordshire Council was undertaking transformational redesign in adult social care around the strengths-based model. Amy Pitt, Service Director for Communities, said: “We were developing an approach to work collaboratively with our communities to build resilience in communities and with residents through early help and prevention, and looking at how we could support people to help themselves – thus reducing demand on formal services.”
The result was Talk Community, a partnership approach working with residents, businesses, community leaders and health colleagues to make Herefordshire a better place to live and work in. At its heart are three questions:
- How can I help myself?
- How can I help my community?
- How can my community help me?
Herefordshire Council now employs five Talk Community development officers, one for each primary care network area. They work with the voluntary and community sector and statutory services to build partnerships, identify gaps and look for opportunities for community hubs. There is also a team of community health and wellbeing advisers, funded through public health.
The solution
One of Talk Community’s success stories is its network of community wellbeing hubs, with more than 70 hubs across Herefordshire. Delivered by the community and for the community, they connect residents with wellbeing advice and support, as well as providing activities that reduce isolation.
Each hub is unique, reflecting both the setting and the community. They range in size from a once-a-month lunch club through to all of Herefordshire’s leisure centres. Most are run by volunteers, unless there are paid staff in that setting (such as the leisure centres). All the hubs have staff or volunteers trained to provide wellbeing advice, information and signposting to local and national services.
Each hub can apply for up to £2,500 of start-up grant funding which can be used for items such as tablets or laptops for customers to access information, or cookers or dishwashers for lunch clubs. In the first two years Herefordshire Council provided about £200,000 in funding. Hubs are listed in an annual directory which, in 2022, was used by more than 49,000 people.
The impact
Herefordshire Council is gathering information on how the hubs are helping individuals, and is looking at how best to measure impact without providing a practical burden to the volunteers. That involves a balance, as some monitoring is required – but not necessarily as much a commissioned service would receive.
A significant impact has been demonstrated within a short space of time:
- more than 970 activities provided each quarter
- 83 activities for 0-17 year olds
- 95 other agencies working with the hubs
- 620 hub volunteers
- 25 different types of support provided
- 30 hubs offering winter warm spaces.
Amy Pitt said: “Talk Community is fundamental to how we manage demand, keep people healthy and deliver services that meet needs. Until now we have had a strong focus on commissioning, so this is a very different approach. We are facilitating a network, in partnership and with a relatively small amount of funding, so that communities can work together and find their own solutions.”
Next steps and lessons learned
Herefordshire is looking to develop a ‘super hub’ model, and has £2 million of capital funding in place to enable hubs to bid for grants to add something that will enhance them – such as an outdoor space or cafe. The criteria is currently being developed.
The council is looking to expand the Talk Community approach into the youth and family sector, including hub provision for young people and families. They are also looking at whether some hubs could become specialist hubs for people who need additional support, such as those affected by domestic abuse, dementia or high-level vulnerabilities.
Lessons learned
- The first hubs were opened in places where there was already a lot of community activity, to build on that capacity and energy.
- Marketing the hubs and promoting what they can offer is a constant challenge with limited marketing resources.
- Putting adult social care (and now moving into children’s services) at the centre of the Talk Community approach is crucial in terms of building integration and managing demand.
Contact
For more information contact Amy Pitt, Service Director for Communities, Herefordshire Council: [email protected]