3. CIF Expenditure - Cabinet - 01.11.2022
North Ayrshire Council · 1 November 2022
Back to Cabinet — 1 November 2022 and its agenda
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 1 November 2022 Cabinet Title: Proposals for Community Investment Fund (CIF) Expenditure Purpose: To determine applications by Locality Partnerships to allocate CIF funding to proposed projects. Recommendation: That Cabinet: a) Reviews the enclosed applications from the Garnock Valley, Irvine, and North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnerships in line with CIF criteria; b) Approves the CIF application in relation to Beith Playpark Action Group (BPAG); c) Approves the CIF application in relation to Children 1st; and d) Approves the CIF application in relation to the Localities Priority Officer from North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Within its budget for 2017-18, North Ayrshire Council provided a funding allocation for the creation of an innovative fund to enable communities to address the priorities they have identified though Locality Planning Partnerships and within the context of North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership’s Fair for All Strategy and the Council’s Community Wealth Building Strategy. In June 2021, Cabinet approved a further £1m top-up for the funding, with a further £2m added in November 2021. 1.2 Locality Partnerships have subsequently continued to work on their local action plans and are refining proposals for expenditure in line with their locally identified needs. This is a difficult process, and it is a testament to the dedication of the Locality Partnerships and their community partners that proposals are now emerging to provide creative approaches to addressing local challenges. 1.3 This report brings forward proposals which respond to the specific need of the local community, and which have been developed based on local circumstances and opportunities. 1.4 These proposals have been approved to be submitted to Cabinet through a process of collaboration and consensus by the respective Locality Partnerships.
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2. Background 2.1 Within its budget for 2017-18, North Ayrshire Council provided an allocation for the creation of an innovative fund to enable communities to address the priorities they have identified though Locality Planning Partnerships and within the context of North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership’s Fair for All Strategy and the Council’s Community Wealth Building Strategy. A further £3m was added to the funding in 2021, to be distributed among Localities as follows: 2.2 It was agreed that the CIF awards range between £5,000 and £100,000 for the community organisations, as defined in the CIF guidance, in order to support proposals and projects that connect with: • The North Ayrshire Fair for All Strategy, with consideration for how applications contribute to community support for the cost-of-living crisis; • The Community Planning Partnership and Locality priorities; • North Ayrshire Council’s values, priorities and business objectives; • The Community Wealth Building and Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Strategies; and will also: • Fulfil a compelling need and not duplicate existing services or facilities; • Provide long-term, sustainable, positive results for the greatest number of people possible; • Exhibit project and/or organisational innovation in their approaches to their work in their way of addressing community challenges and in their request to Locality Partnerships and the Council; • Come from (an) organisation(s) that is financially viable (can provide financial statements upon request) and efficiently and effectively managed. This can include an organisation to be created to deliver the project; Locality Value of CIF from first funding allocation (2017-18) Expenditure to date Value of CIF from second funding allocation (June 2021) Value of CIF from third funding allocation (Nov 2021) Total balance available Irvine £754 000 £464, 604 £290 000 £580 000 £1 159 396 Kilwinning £286 000 £286 190 £120 000 £240 000 £359 810 Three Towns £598 000 £616 206 £240 000 £480 000 £701 794 Garnock Valley £390 000 £241 805 £150 000 £300 000 £598 195 North Coast £468 000 £380 445 £170 000 £340 000 £597 555 Arran £104 000 £45 226 £30 000 £60 000 £148 774 TOTAL £2 600 000 £1 827 631 £1 000 000 £2 000 000 £3 772 369
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• Include options or potential for NAC and CPP employee engagement and volunteering where possible; and • Include measurable outcomes and can report to NAC on outcomes on a regular basis. 2.3 The proposal development and application process has been agreed as follows: • Locality Partnerships should continue to engage with their communities and stimulate interest in the CIF. Each Locality Partnership will then strategically assess the applications, make links and look at the funding ‘in the round.’ • If the partnership supports a bid then the group will be encouraged to submit a full application form, which they will decide upon before making a proposal to Cabinet for final approval. • The proposal will go to the next suitable Cabinet for final approval. 2.4 The enclosed applications have been developed by community partners and North Ayrshire Council officers and are now recommended for approval by Cabinet. The proposals are as follows: 2.4. The Garnock Valley Locality Partnership The Garnock Valley Locality Partnership CIF allocation £690 000 Men’s Shed – Project Initiation £ 28 000 Travel Needs Analysis £ 25 000 Geilsland Hall Volunteering and Employability £ 45 000 Beith Community Development Trust YOUth Lead Project £ 43 500 Garnock Valley 20:20 Vision £ 15 000 Garnock Valley Men’s Shed – Heating System Replacement £ 20 000 Café Solace, Garnock Valley £ 49 723 Geilsland Feasibility Study £ 15 582 Balance £598 195 Proposal: Beith Playpark Action Group (BPAG) – Skate park renovations, zip wire and outdoor gym: £100 000 (Appendix 1) The proposal is to replace the old skate park ramps with a new concrete state of the art skate park on the existing site and provide a new zip wire and outdoor gym within Orr’s Trust Park. At the heart of the project is promoting participation in local park development. BPAG’s lease of the park has recently been extended and they are keen to continue to deliver high quality play facilities for local youngsters, building on their strong track- record. Orr’s Trust Park in Beith is central to the town and a key focus point for leisure and recreation in the community with a pitch, running circle and grass space, as well as the Group’s existing skate ramps, MUGA and play park. The existing facility is not in line with today’s wheeled sports facilities and recognises the demand for improved provision in Beith and the whole Garnock Valley. The benefits of physical activity and
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play have direct, positive impacts on physical and mental health, and the local provision of free outdoor facilities gives families affordable leisure options. BPAG has plans to offer skateboard and wheeled sports opportunities as part of the development. BPAG has responded to the needs of the community, evidenced through their consultation exercises, which demonstrated clear community support for extended play facilities including an outdoor gym and a zip wire in the second phase of the project. The Feasibility Study shows how local people have been involved in the design of the play areas and in selecting the type of equipment to meet their needs. Residents local to the park had the opportunity to feedback their views through the feasibility study which was widely circulated. BPAG has already secured £12,500 funding and has a funding plan to secure the £150,000 match funding required to finance the full park renovations. The CIF funding will only be released on condition that the complete funding package is achieved. 2.4.2 The Irvine Locality Partnership The Irvine Locality Partnership CIF allocation to date £1 624 000 Digital Officer £ 84 604 Vineburgh & Fullarton Community Enablers £ 100 000 Irvine Newtown Men’s Shed £ 10 000 Harbourside Men’s Shed £ 10 000 Irvine Youth Hub £ 100 000 Input £ 60 000 Irvine Tennis Club £ 100 000 Balance £ 1 159 396 Proposal: Children 1st – Support to Families: £97,580 (Appendix 2) Children 1st is a registered charity supporting vulnerable children and families, with a focus on prevention, protection, recovery and resilience. Children 1st Family Wellbeing is based in Bourtreehill, Irvine, North Ayrshire and has been established since 2018. The Family Wellbeing Service is based in the heart of the community, where local families can discuss what concerns them, seek solutions, access specialist support, such as money advice and intensive family support for whole families from skilled people. Through their current work across Irvine, engagement at the Irvine Locality Network Meetings and also via discussions at the Bourtreehill and Broomlands Locality Chit Chats, local people identified their need for a community-based Family Wellbeing Worker and a Community and Family Engagement worker. These supports will connect with and support the local community by offering: • Practical and emotional trauma informed and recovery focused support to children and families who have experienced trauma and or adversity in their lives. • Co-design with the community, a covid recovery plan that will offer a range of community lead activities that focus on wellbeing, relationships, and hope. These may include indoor and outdoor creative art activities for whole families, meal preparation, supported
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cooking and smart shopping initiatives. Programmes will include existing partnerships with local services such as Active Schools, North Ayrshire Rangers and Ayrshire Wildlife Trust, to maximise opportunities for families to connect with outdoor, recreational experiences and seek to develop new partnerships with other groups, organisations and agencies in the area. • Blended Money Advice support to help whole families establish the root cause of money worries, maximise their income, help budget and avoid and manage debt, again with a real trauma sensitive and relationship-based approach. • Continuous consultation and engagement opportunities within the community, in order to hear voices, capture feedback on the impact of support offered by Children 1st and responding to their needs in an agile and creative way. As well as engaging with the Community Planning Partnership Forum virtually for working groups and Chit Chats, the team are working with nearly 500 local families. Partners include the Irvine Locality and CLD teams, Community Link workers, Service Access teams, Community Hubs, School hubs, Active Schools, CAMHS, Citrus Energy, Christians Against Poverty, Police Scotland and the North Ayrshire Rangers, NA HSCP, Police Scotland, Education, and other key external partners that together will offer an effective landscape of support for children and families living in the community. 2.4.3 The North Coast and Cumbraes Locality Partnership The North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership CIF allocation £978 000 Cycling Without Age- Fairlie £ 22 800 Clearer Minds £ 30 200 Millport Town Hall £200 000 Sing Your Sing £ 14 892 Locality Priorities Worker £ 35 948 West Kilbride Technical and Creative Training Programme £ 76 605 Balance £674 160 Proposal: North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership – Locality Priorities Worker – extension of support: £41 871 (Appendix 3) After a 2020 CIF application from the North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership was successful a Community Development Worker has been in post for 1.5 years. The Locality Partnership met and discussed the need for this post to be extended as it is a benefit to the North Coast and Cumbraes communities. Given the work that is up and coming to address poverty, covid recovery and the cost of living crisis, there is a clear need for a Community Development Worker to continue to build on the delivery of the Locality Partnership priorities across the North Coast and Cumbraes. This post will be dedicated to a distinct range of activities supporting financial inclusion, mental health and the reduction of social isolation and employability. The post holder will work with local groups to develop Community Investment Fund applications, external funding applications and stimulate growth and development of support for these priorities.
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Work is underway includes supporting a newly established LGBT Youth Forum, linking with the Largs Wellness model/the new Aberlour project (including schools, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and other health services), Phase 3 digital literacy programme – a programme that supported elderly residents in Skelmorlie, supporting the 5 CIF projects, develop an Elderly Forum in West Kilbride and continue working with Local food provision services looking to link in with money management services. For this specific post and engagement took place with the Locality Partnership, including community representatives, NAC Locality Officer, Community Link Worker and Elected Members, as well as with the NAC North Coast & Cumbrae Community Development staff. Support has been given by the local schools, CAMHS and health services via the Largs Wellness Model. 3. Proposals 3.1 That Cabinet: a) Reviews the enclosed applications from the Garnock Valley, Irvine, and North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnerships in line with CIF criteria; b) Approves the CIF application in relation to Beith Playpark Action Group (BPAG); c) Approves the CIF application in relation to Children 1st; and d) Approves the CIF application in relation to the Localities Priority Officer from North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 CIF funding is allocated within existing resources. Human Resources 4.2 The Children 1st and North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership proposals will provide employment opportunities. All of the projects offer skills development opportunities, which are life-enriching and some of which may lead to employment. There will also be volunteering opportunities. Legal 4.3 None. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 The purpose of Locality Planning is to reduce inequalities, increase community cohesion and advance community empowerment. Each of the CIF proposals is tested against that purpose before being presented to Cabinet. All these applications provide opportunities for increased community support for the cost-of-living crisis through skills development, digital inclusion, support for food provision, increased volunteering, community cohesion and wellbeing. The North Coast and Cumbraes Locality Partnership proposal targets work with young people including LGBT community, digital inequalities and older people. Children 1st supports families experiencing trauma, adversity poverty and food insecurity. The investment in the skate park and
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outdoor gym facilities at Beith will provide local free access to physical activity and can lead to a far wider range of outcomes. Environmental and Sustainability 4.5 Environmental and sustainability issues are considered in relation to each CIF application. The Beith playpark application will improve local facilities and upgrade the existing park, encouraging families to become more engaged with outdoor activities. Partnerships between Children 1st and the Council’s Countryside Ranger Service is also aimed at encouraging increased outdoor activity for improved wellbeing. Key Priorities 4.6 The proposals contained within the report support the North Ayrshire Council Plan priorities: • Active and strong communities • People enjoy good life-long health and wellbeing. Community Wealth Building 4.7 The applications support the following pillars of community wealth building: • Creating volunteering and skills development opportunities; and • Supporting local third sector businesses. 5. Consultation 5.1 The proposals contained within this report have been developed and approved by the Locality Partnership, through consultation with partners in employability and skills and local people, including young people. Audrey Sutton Executive Director of Communities and Education For further information please contact Rhona Arthur, Head of Connected Communities, on 01294 324415. Background Papers Appendix 1: CIF Application: Beith Playpark Action Group Appendix 2: CIF Application: Children 1st Appendix 3: CIF Application: North Coast and Cumbraes Locality Partnership
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Appendix 1 - Community Investment Fund: Proposal to Cabinet Organisation name Beith Playpark Action Group Brief details of organisation Beith Playpark Action Group (BPAG) are a registered charity (SCO31704) formed in 2001, which has been in existence for 21 years, and their charitable objectives are “to promote the benefit of young people of Beith and surrounding area by associating with the local authorities, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in a common effort to provide play facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life of the said young people”. The Group have previously delivered over £250,000 of investment in play and outdoor leisure provision on Orr’s Park, and in 2005, the were presented with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, acknowledging the many hours of voluntary work put in by the members. Locality Garnock Valley Amount requested £100 000 towards a £250,000 development Brief overview of proposal The proposal is to replace the old skate park ramps with a new concrete state of the art skate park on the existing site and provide a new zip wire and outdoor gym within Orr’s Trust Park. The Group has recently extended BPAG’s lease of the park and has a strong track record in delivering high quality play facilities for local youngsters. The project is proposed for Orr’s Trust Park in Beith, but has benefits for the whole Garnock Valley. This park is central to the town and a key focus point for leisure and recreation in the community with a pitch, running circle and grass space, as well as the Group’s existing skate ramps, MUGA and play park. The current provision of play and skate ramps provided and maintained by the Group. The current skate provision in the park is outdated and the materials used for the ramps and features, and the surface on the park are not in line with today’s wheeled sports facilities. Improved provision in Beith will meet local and wider demand. Once consultation started it became clear that local people in the Garnock Valley were also keen to help alleviate financial pressures by offering access free of charge to new innovative play facilities in a local park. The physical and mental health benefits of participating in outdoor activities and play are well known. By increasing and improving the range of skate boarding and wheeled sports facilities, the Group will continue to expand
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and develop opportunities for more people to become more active and healthier. BPAG plan to offer Come and Try skate boarding events where more established skaters help young ones to learn the basic skills. Partners include Streetscene and Beith Trust who have the lease for the running track and football pitch at the park. There are plans to create a park users’ group to ensure all with an interest in the park meet and work together. Other partners are Connected Communities, Beith Community Association, Beith Primary School, Active Schools, Beith Juniors Football Club, Beith Orr Park Neighbourhood Watch, Beith and District Community Council, Beith Guides and Garnock Valley Ranger Guides, Curves Ladies Gym, Beith Badminton Club and Garnock Valley Disability Forum. A survey ran for 6 weeks with a total of 250 responses. This probably represented more than 1,000 individuals as some were replying on behalf of whole families, as well as 13 letters of support. A Feasibility Study has been completed and a funding plan has been developed. Alan Jones Associates have been engaged as an experienced wheeled sports and play project management company. They have project managed many different sizes of projects from the £10 million Inverness Aquadome development down to small community-based projects. The Group recognise that the development and installation is likely to comprise of 2 phases, because of the timing and availability of other matched funding streams. Phase 1 will see the delivery of the new skate park and phase 2, which is included in the current funding package, is the zip wire/play equipment and outdoor gym. The Group has identified potential funders for the remaining £150 000 and BPAG has already received a grant of £10,000 from Awards for All in 2021 for the feasibility study. Two grants, each for £1,000 were received from the NAC Youth Participatory Budget in 2019 and in 2021. BPAG also received a grant of £1,500 from Valley Voices in 2021. Timescales Spring 2023 Contact details Christina Pieraccini, Locality Officer, Connected Communities cpieraccini@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
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Appendix 2 - Community Investment Fund: Proposal to Cabinet Organisation name Children 1st Brief details of organisation Children 1st is a registered charity (SC015092) providing support for vulnerable children and families across Scotland. Their priorities focus on four key components of prevention, protection, recovery and resilience. All Children 1st’s services focus on the protection and prevention of harm and abuse. Staff are skilled in recognising early signs of concern, sometimes from adverse childhood experience of physical, emotional or sexual abuse, to prevent escalation of need to crisis. Their services are configured to address family difficulties and challenges at an earlier stage thus providing better outcomes for families. Children 1st work at a pace that is right for them to support meaningful and sustainable recovery. Children 1st Family Wellbeing is based in Bourtreehill, Irvine, North Ayrshire and has been established since 2018. Families in North Ayrshire are working hard to raise and provide for their children. However, unfortunately, families are still living in increasingly isolated and disconnected communities with high levels of unemployment and poor health, both physical and mental. Due to this, families are under huge pressure, with not enough money to meet basic needs, and consequently daily life has become about survival. The Family Wellbeing Service, based in the heart of the Bourtreehill community, is staffed by skilled people who know the local area and offers a ‘one-stop shop’ of support to children and families living in the community. Locality Irvine Amount requested £97,580 Brief overview of proposal Through the Locality Chit Chats and in the Bourtreehill and Broomlands Virtual working group, local people identified their need for a community- based Family Wellbeing Worker and a Community and Family Engagement worker who will together connect with and support the community of Bourtreehill and Broomlands by offering:
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• Practical and emotional trauma informed and recovery focused support to children and families who have experienced trauma and or adversity in their lives. • Co-design with the community a covid recovery plan that will offer a range of community lead activities that focus on wellbeing, relationships, and hope. These may include indoor and outdoor creative art activities for whole families, meal preparation, supported cooking and smart shopping initiatives. Programmes will include existing partnerships with local services such as Active Schools, North Ayrshire Rangers and Ayrshire Wildlife Trust, to maximise opportunities for families to connect with outdoor, recreational experiences and seek to develop new partnerships with other groups, organisations and agencies in the area. • Blended Money Advice support to help whole families establish the root cause of money worries, maximise their income, help budget and avoid and manage debt, again with a real trauma sensitive and relationship-based approach. • Continuous consultation and engagement opportunities within the community, in order to hear voices, capture feedback on the impact of support offered by Children 1st and responding to their needs in an agile and creative way. Children 1st took the time to engage and connect with local children, young people and their families in order to capture their thoughts and views on what they felt they needed from Children 1st. They learned that early support is needed for whole families and that families are given the time to engage and connect with support that is based on trust and confidence – “this means no timescales”. Children and families are often more likely to engage with third sector partners and need accessible support, that is local and/or community based. This helps to promote access to “early help” and to prevent complex risk for children, young people, and their families. In the last 21 months the Family Wellbeing Hub has received referrals at a higher rate than ever before, with more local self-referrals being made by families themselves, at this time they are providing intensive whole family support to 46 families in the Irvine area including Bourtreehill and Broomlands. The wider work engages with around 500 families. The proposed programme includes: • Trauma informed and recovery focused whole family support, inclusive of one-to-one sessions if required for children, young people or parents/ carers • Relational and recovery focused blended family support and money advice. • Social Media engagement and support – closed groups like preschool families and kinship care, as well as Children 1st Community pages. • Outdoor whole family pop up play and outdoor learning sessions • Family music sessions: using music and the support of local musicians.
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• Creative arts sessions: using the support and expertise of local artists. • Wellbeing group for new or expectant parents/ parents of preschool children. • Youth groups and Peer Conversation Cafés. • Community Collaborations to explore and connect with key partners in statutory services. As well as engaging with the Community Planning Partnership Forum virtually for working groups and Chit Chats, the team are working with nearly 500 local families. Partners include the Irvine Locality and CLD teams, Community Link workers, Service Access teams, Community Hubs, School hubs, Active Schools, CAMHS, Citrus Energy, Christians Against Poverty, Police Scotland and the North Ayrshire Rangers, NA HSCP, Police Scotland, Education, and other key external partners that together will offer an effective landscape of support for children and families living in the community. Timescales Spring 2023 Contact details Elaine Baxter, Locality Officer, Connected Communities ebaxter@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
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Appendix 3 - Community Investment Fund: Proposal to Cabinet Organisation name North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership Brief details of organisation The Locality Planning Partnership is part of the statutory Community Planning Partnership approach responsible for the delivery of the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan as set out within the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. The North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership provides support for the communities of the North Coast and Cumbrae to help them do what is needed to tackle the issues that they have identified as priorities for their local area. These are outlined in the Locality Plan. The partnership meets four times each year and identifies any action required. They then make sure that it is allocated to the most relevant Partners to tackle the work. The Locality Partnership is made up of 5 local elected members, the Chairs of the 5 local Community Councils and 4 co-opted Community Representatives, who have knowledge or expertise in specific areas of the Locality Partnership’s work (this is known as Participation by Experience). Locality North Coast and Cumbraes Amount requested £41 000 Brief overview of proposal North Coast and Cumbrae Project Officer After a 2020 CIF application from the North Coast and Cumbrae Locality Partnership was successful a Community Development Worker has been in post for 1.5 years. The original request was to provide capacity to deliver the Locality Partnership’s priorities and to work across the 5 key towns and villages. The Community Development Worker supported The Living Room and responded to local needs like digital skills in Skelmorlie, establishing an LGBT Youth Forum and engaged with young people in West Kilbride. Reports were made to each of the Locality Partnership. Understanding that the 18 months were nearing completion, the Locality Partnership met and discussed the need for this post to be extended, given the clear benefits to the North Coast and Cumbraes communities. The Locality Partnership also has plans for local support to address
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poverty, covid recovery and the cost of living crisis. There is a clear need for a Community Development Worker to continue to build on the delivery of the Locality Partnership priorities across the North Coast and Cumbraes. This post will be dedicated to a distinct range of activities supporting financial inclusion, mental health and the reduction of social isolation and employability. The post holder will work with local groups to develop Community Investment Fund applications, external funding applications and stimulate growth and development of support for these priorities. Work is underway includes supporting a newly established LGBT Youth Forum, linking with the Largs Wellness model/the new Aberlour project (including schools, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and other health services), Phase 3 digital literacy programme – a programme that provided elderly residents in Skelmorlie, supporting the 5 CIF projects, develop an Elderly Forum in West Kilbride and continue working with local food provision services, with the aim of creating a community food larder, and looking to link in with money management services. Other plans include: • Resuming work with local library to establish a drop-in employability programme for the local area. • Supporting groups though community asset transfer process • Continuing to support local community groups complete Community Investment Fund applications for relevant projects • Continue working with local young people throughout NC providing a safe space to develop and gain confidence through carrying out issue-based inputs preparing young people to become active and productive adults. • Working with NAC Park Rangers to carry out nature walk and talk groups for local residents to promote positive mental health. • Facilitating community engagement events, ensuring the Community Development Worker carries out work in line with residents needs and wants. For this specific post and engagement took place with the Locality Partnership, including community representatives, NAC Locality Officer, Community Link Worker and Elected Members, as well as with the NAC North Coast & Cumbrae Community Development staff. Support has been given by the local schools, CAMHS and health services via the Largs Wellness Model. The funding will support a Grade 9 Community Development Officer 21 hours per week. Please note that this will be a new appointment as the previous post holder has secured a permanent Grade 9 post within the North Coast and Cumbraes Locality Team. Timescales Autumn 2022
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Contact details Louise Riddex, Locality Officer, Connected Communities lriddex@north-ayrshire.gov.uk