Item 11d - Empowered DIG
West Dunbartonshire Council · 21 June 2022
Back to Community Planning West Dunbartonshire Management Board — 21 June 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Report by Chair of the Empowered DIG Management Group: 21 June 2022 _______________________________________________________________ Subject: Empowered DIG Update 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to update members on the progress of the Empowered DIG, outlining the core outcome areas of the 2022-24 workplan. 2. Recommendations 2.1 The CPP Management Group is asked to • Note the contents of the report and the work undertaken and planned. 3. Background 3.1 The Empowered DIG action plan spans three local outcomes: We live in engaged and cohesive communities; Citizens are confident, resilient and responsible and Carers are supported to address their needs. 3.2 Following recent discussions within the Management Board the group have adopted the agreed strategic themes - Empowerment, Sustainability and Wellbeing - to guide the development of the refreshed action plan. 4. Main Issues 4.1 To ensure the maximum benefit from DIG collaboration, members have chosen to focus activity in 8 key areas. Implementation of the Community Empowerment Action Plan (Empowerment) 4.2 The Project Board and Project Teams continues to progress activity against the 7 themes of the outline delivery plan – awareness, knowledge and understanding of community empowerment; building confidence; promoting the National Standards for Engagement; collaboration; building skills; resources and infrastructure; and social renewal and increased participation. ITEM 11d
Page 2
4.3 Given the long-term nature of the plan, this remains a live document subject to up-date at regular intervals and as tasks are completed. Work is ongoing to align the following key activity areas milestones into the 2022 action plan: • Kindness Campaign • Participatory Budgeting • Community Asset Transfer. Increased Rate of Volunteering (Empowerment) 4.4 The profile of volunteering continues to rise and will be boosted further with the formal launch of Scotland’s Volunteering Action Plan in June 2022. The 2021 Third Sector census identified a relatively stable adult volunteering rate of around 30%, but with a reduced number of volunteering hours committed, largely due to the implications of lockdown. 4.5 Mirroring the national perspective, despite the welcome increase in volunteering interest during the early days of the pandemic, West Dunbartonshire continues to rely on a civic core. This necessitates a need to consider issues of under-representation and the changing nature of volunteering demand. 4.6 In line with the key principles of the Volunteering Action Plan, activities planned to be included in the next DIG plan address issues of inclusion, place, recognition and participation and include: • Improving Supply and Demand • Improving the Volunteer Experience • Annual Volunteer Survey. Implementation of the CLD Action Plan (Empowerment) 4.7 The Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013 place a statutory requirement on local authorities to publish a CLD plan every three years. The current plan spanning the period 2021 – 2024, offers a commitment to work collaboratively to overcome the most significant issues facing our communities. 4.8 The Plan is underpinned by a partnership delivery approach including the Adult Learning Partnership, Youth Alliance and Community Alliance. These partners include representatives from other council services (Education, Libraries, Leisure) and health and social care services. They also include representatives from relevant organisations from third and independent sectors and West College Scotland. 4.9 The aim of the Plan and its alignment with the Empowered DIG is to improve access to learning opportunities (no wrong door) and work together to support staff with the relevant skills to meet the changing demands they face Building on the positive recovery messages contained within the plan, the DIG action plan will focus on three key areas in support of individuals, families
Page 3
experiencing poverty and disadvantage, and thriving community organisations being: • Expand opportunities for Community Based Adult Learning • Align volunteering experience and employability • Increasing support to community organisations. Support to improve community mental health and wellbeing (Wellbeing) 4.10 Good mental health and well-being supports citizens to achieve their potential, cope with the everyday stresses of life, and positively contribute to their community. As part of the 2021-22 Recovery and Renewal Fund, the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care announced a new Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund (the Fund) to support mental health and well-being in communities across Scotland. 4.11 The Fund distributed by West Dunbartonshire CVS as the Third Sector Interface (TSI’s), targeted resourcing towards community groups and organisations, reflecting the importance placed on community support as part of the overall mental health infrastructure. 4.12 Given the recent announcement that the fund will again be made available to West Dunbartonshire CVS for the period 2022-23, it has been determined that the Empowered DIG offers an effective vehicle through which to ensure the benefit of the fund is maximised. Planned activity milestones will include: • Representation on the Fund scoring panel • Engagement with the awardees network. Oversight of Dementia Friendly West Dunbartonshire (Wellbeing) 4.13 The refreshed DIG action plan seeks to build on the successful re- establishment of Dementia Friendly West Dunbartonshire partnership in 2021- 22. Dementia Friendly West Dunbartonshire (DFWD), a cross-sector authority wide initiative, commenced in 2015, providing a programme of community level awareness raising. 4.14 After a brief hiatus during the height of the pandemic, the DFWD management group resumed monthly meetings in 2021 to ensure delivery against the activity plan agreed and funded by the Dementia Strategy Group. In addition, the partnership has successfully secured external funding for a Call Blocker initiative, to reduce the prevalence of telephone financial scam calls. 4.15 Oversight by the Empowered DIG and via the Safe DIG provides a strong partnership governance route through which the planned activities can be monitored and reported: • Dementia Ambassadors Network • Awareness Raising and Community Pledge Programme • Communications Strategy • Herbert Protocol Community Roll-out • Call Blocker Roll-out.
Page 4
Increasing physical activity (Wellbeing) 4.16 The health benefits of a physically active lifestyle are well documented, associated with better mental and physical wellbeing, improving cognitive function, reducing the risk of stress and depression and reducing the risk of falls in those with mobility issues. 4.17 While previous generations were generally more active, current work and travel patterns have contributed to higher levels of sedentary behaviour. The Scottish Health Survey (2020) suggests that only 62% of West Dunbartonshire adults meet the guideline 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity per week. 4.18 In line with the Scottish Household Survey having identified walking as the preferred activity across the authority, the DIG planned activities, working collaboratively with the Independent DIG where appropriate, are: • Health literacy around the benefits of walking/wheeling • Strength and Balance activity • Supporting and promoting the 150-minute standard • Dementia Friendly Walking Accreditation. Supporting 20-minute neighbourhoods (Sustainability) 4.19 The Programme for Government commits the Scottish Government to working with local government and other partners to take forward ambitions for 20- minute neighbourhoods. These are places designed to give residents the ability to meet the vast majority of their daily needs within a 20-minute walk (approximately 800 metres) of their home; through access to safe walking and cycling routes, or by public transport. 4.20 Research consideration of 20-minute neighbourhoods in a Scottish context highlight two key ambitions which fall within the remit of the Empowered DIG: • Every neighbourhood in Scotland should be facilitated to be a 20-minute neighbourhood • Communities should be empowered to make changes in their neighbourhoods to allow them to meet their daily needs in a fair and equitable way. 4.21 In seeking to progress defined milestones for the final plan, the Empowered DIG will work collaboratively with the Flourishing DIG. Approaches addressing the cost of living challenge (Sustainability) 4.22 In support of the West Dunbartonshire Child Poverty Action Plan and against the backdrop of the emerging cost of living challenges, the Empowered DIG has identified the need to focus on how best to engage partners in a life-cycle approach to challenging community poverty.
Page 5
4.23 In light of the emerging nature of the situation and alongside and in support of the Nurtured DIG, activities to be taken forward to address the drivers of poverty are being finalised across the 3 key activity areas: • Maximising Earnings engagement to address the, • Income Maximisation • Cost of Living support. 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no personnel issues at this time 6. Financial Implications 6.1 There are no funding issues at this time. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 There are no specific unassessed risks relating to this report 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 There are no specific EIA requirements relating to this report 9. Consultation 9.1 Ongoing consultation activity is planned across both the DIG membership and the Chairs Group as the final workplan is signed-off. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 The contents of this report could impact on all community planning strategic priority areas. Person to Contact: Selina Ross selina@wdcvs.com Background Papers: Wards Affected: All