Partners support Shropshire Council’s Big Conversation
Discussions are underway with vulnerable groups to seek their views on what more Shropshire Council can do in light of its financial challenges.
Taking Part, Carers Trust 4All and Shropshire Housing, along with the council’s social care team People2People, have set up a series of workshops with vulnerable adults and children across the county as part of Shropshire’s Big Conversation.
The organisations have been commissioned as they have strong links with those communities who, because of their circumstances, may not always have the opportunity to have their say on the services that could affect them.
Over the past couple of months, residents and organisations across Shropshire have been invited to give their views on what more the council can do in light of its financial challenges due to ongoing cuts to Government funding.
Shropshire Council face the challenge of saving £77m by 2020/21 and, since the launch of the Big Conversation in 2015, the council have had ongoing conversations with local residents, stakeholders and key partners to collate feedback and prioritise its budget. After the successful response from residents in the 2015 survey, the council thought it essential to work more closely with those across the county who may struggle to access or complete an online survey. You can find the full report on 2015’s survey here.
Tom Dodds, Shropshire Council’s commissioning support manager, and project lead for the Big Conversation, said:
“We recognised that some people would prefer to talk to the voluntary and community sector organisations they already know and have contact with, and so invited these organisations to work with us. This work will enable us to hear a broader range of feedback and ideas from across our diverse communities.”
Julie Mellor, Chief Executive Officer at Taking Part, added:
“Taking Part are reaching out to as many people as we can to get their views and opinions on the Big Conversation – we are aiming to get responses from people with disabilities, autism, some younger people and their parents. We are asking our Volunteer Citizen Advocates, staff and some support workers for their help too. “
Faith Jones-Price, Involvement Co-ordinator at Shropshire Housing support services, said:-
“Shropshire Housing support group and People2People are working in partnership for this Big Conversation project. Both organisations cover a wide range of services in Shropshire, and engage with many different client groups, covering the whole of the county.
“Our aims for the project are to ensure services are meeting the needs of the people who use them in Shropshire, that people are empowered because they are given a voice and able to make change, that people have greater confidence and self-esteem, better services for people living in Shropshire, and that we have active communities, in which people feel able to have a say about what is important to them.
“As part of the project we have been communicating the feedback from the Big Conversation to date, explaining the work now taking place to respond to research findings. We have also developed an understanding of need and the potential impact of service losses or changes with our clients groups, and have been finding out more about the views of local people and suggestions for delivering services differently.
“We have done this work through focus groups around the county with customers of housing support services and social care services and their carers, and through a questionnaire. We are looking at engaging approximately 100 people across Shropshire at the project finish.”
For more information on Shropshire’s Big Conversation visit shropshire.gov.uk/bigconversation or go to the ‘Get Involved’ page on the council’s website and search Big Conversation.
The 2016/17 survey closed on Sunday 12 March 2017, but there are still opportunities to take part by sending us your comments or signing up to receive updates.
You can also follow and message us on twitter @shropcouncil using #Shropbc and Facebook.
