Lots of groups and people across the country have been stepping up and doing what they can to make life easier for other people in their communities during the past few months, and it looks as if this is going to continue for some time to come.
Committed to Good Support is here to help community groups do what is needed. The project is funded by the Scottish Government’s Supporting Communities Fund to aid the continuation of the important work being done to support locally led projects and increase the tailored support provided to older people in response to the coronavirus
We’ve been working alongside community groups across Scotland and developing resources over the last few months to:
Make it easier for community groups’ immediate response to Covid.
The resources include:
- A Shopping Checklist for volunteers which has questions you can ask the person you are shopping for to find out their preferences.
- The Food Tips postcards have some tips for people/groups who are handing in food to older people.
- Our Good Support for our Neighbours resource has ideas of ways we can show support to our friends, family and neighbours as these small acts can keep us and our communities well during times of crisis and beyond.
Make it easier for older people to get the support they need in this crisis stage and as long as this continues.
The resources for older people include:
- A Shopping Volunteer Checklist to give to friends, neighbours or volunteers who are doing their shopping to let them know their preferences.
- Tips for you and your Friendly Neighbours for times when you can’t get out much, including handing in cooked food, sense of taste & smell, shopping and more.
Put community groups in a stronger place for the next stage of responding to Covid-19 and being part of how communities in Scotland work in the future.
Along with some organisations providing social care or peer support we started to look at how community groups and care providers who do not fit Scotland’s Health & Social Care formal care standards could show that they are also doing a good job.
We developed:
- A Voluntary Pledge set of principles for groups/organisations providing care.
- A set of principles for community groups.
- A Guide to assessing how good a job you are doing.
- An Assessment checklist.
From this, we can come up with an approach that lots of people can use in their Covid response and in the future. The team at Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate and other teams are supporting this, will help if needed and are looking forward to learning from our growing doing-it-for-real pilot.
It will be great if you tell us how you get on using the resources. What can we do to improve them and how is it helping you in what you do? by contacting Christine.