Provision of Community Navigators Service for Blackpool (UK Shared Prosperity Funding)

Provision of Community Navigators Service for Blackpool using Shared Prosperity Funding (SPF).

Through the pandemic Blackpool Council and the Blackpool VCFSE community have seen the critical value of thriving communities. People helped and supported others around them. Local government and health services developed stronger relationships with their local community, often facilitated by the VCFSE. Towns and cities with a thriving VCFSE sector, supported by infrastructure organisations were able to put forward a better coordinated, stronger response.

Discussions amongst the Blackpool VCFSE sector has concluded was that people with a range of complex needs are only offered time limited, short-term solutions and many people in Blackpool need more intensive support. At a VCFSE Leaders meeting on 10th February the need for more joined up approaches was discussed.

It was recognised that there are a lot of services available, but many working in silos and hence people are often passed around from one to another. It was agreed that there needs to be some resources allocated to connect services together, through working in a more intense and longer term way with people who are most disadvantaged. It was also acknowledged that the VCFSE understands the needs of people, but has been hampered by funding that only resources one aspect of the support needed. This project based funding is necessary, but the gap is the worker to make the connections.

Therefore it has been determined appropriate to use some SPF People & Skills intervention, revenue funding, available in the 2023 - 2024 and 2024 - 2025 years, to develop and deliver a pilot project to address this issue.