Active and Connected Communities

Project Outcomes:

The project aimed to:

• Achieve the “shift left” towards early action and secure upstream efficiencies
• Improve individual and community well-being through an assets based approach
• Help people to make prudent choices and live healthier lives
• Improve local access to information, advice and assistance
• Deal with referrals in a timely manner at the first point of contact
• Develop a model based on local and national best practice and share learning
• Meet the requirements of the Social Services & Well-being (Wales) Act 2014

Lessons Learned:

Project delivery was hampered for the first year of the project by changes in personnel, poor performance and lack of clarity about the Connector role.  Experience helped us to revise and refine the job descriptions and recruitment process, resulting in more appropriate appointments being made second time around.

A lot of work was needed to ensure that statutory partners and third sector organisations understood the Community Connector concept, so that appropriate referrals were made to the service.

Agile working also threw up some challenges in terms of developing systems and processes that enabled safe working out in communities.

“Community Connectors is an amazing service for Pembrokeshire … we need an analysis of where the gaps are and looking at how we can work together … Feels like there has been a lot of changeover of staff and people leaving … no guarantee of future funding.  Need a 5-year fully funded project.”