Coordinating crisis support in partnership with The Children’s Society

The Smallwood Trust is happy to announce a new partnership with The Children’s Society. Over 2.5 years we will support their new Coordinated Crisis Support pilot by providing funds for grants to women accessing support.

George Dunstall, the Programme Manager for the project describes why the project is needed and the impact it hopes to have.

For too many people, the opportunity for a basic, decent, socially acceptable standard of living is undermined by a financial crisis that puts their health and wellbeing at risk. This might include such things as a need for emergency food or fuel, urgent need to replace broken white goods or furniture, or emergency travel expenses. A patchy system of emergency provision can lead to people falling through the net. Some may be left without the food, fuel or other emergency essentials they urgently need; others may get some initial help but be left to face longer term problems alone.

The CCS is a partnership programme initially working in four different local authority areas -Tower Hamlets, Oldham, Norfolk and Swansea – aiming to set up pilot projects providing the support and resources local community organisations need to better coordinate crisis provision. Whilst the programme will set out clear guidelines for what a local project should look like, and provide support with delivery, the development of the operational detail will be determined by local groups themselves in consultation with the national programme manager.

Each project will have the following key components:

• Improving access to crisis support schemes

• A simpler, supported, application process

• Addressing underlying needs to prevent the recurrence of crisis

• Providing aftercare

• A commitment to ongoing learning

We aim to support local agencies to access Local Welfare Assistance schemes more effectively and efficiently, whilst also increasing awareness of and access to other schemes of support for individuals and families experiencing crisis.

The funds made available for the scheme by the Smallwood Trust will be used in each of the local areas to provide much needed cash and kind grants to women identified locally as in need of support. The funds will be managed by local partners to provide grants directly to individuals who are ineligible for LWA schemes but in need of financial assistance. The funds can be used to cover a range of activities to ensure that women in the pilot areas have increased financial resilience and community inclusion and will include funds for education and training, setting up home grants and support with community inclusion activities.

For more information about the project and The Children’s Society please visit https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/resources-and-publications/co-ordinated-crisis-support-provision-proposal