linkage plus pilot project...

The end of Link Age Plus....

In July 08, the Link Age Plus programme came to an end with a celebration event at Leeds Town Hall. We feel that the project has achieved a great deal – including, knowledge of capacity building and networks, capacity building grants, the InfoStore, the work on social isolation and the wide and varied work with the BME Focus Group (including the touchscreen training, the ‘Collage of Cultures’ and the Volunteering project).

At present (August 2008) the Leeds Older People’s Forum no longer faciliates the BME Focus Group or the Capacity Building Project. With the help of Adult Social Care, we have been able to continue the work on Social Isolation and Intergenerational Work for the time-being.

If you would like more information about the Link Age Project, please contact the Manager of the Older People’s Forum, Wesley Grant, on manager@opforum.org.uk or 0113 3804911.

We would like to thank all those who have worked so hard to make Link Age Plus Leeds a success and look forward to working with you again in future.

Leeds LinkAge Plus Pilot Project.

Within the care sector in Leeds there is tremendous knowledge, experience understanding and strong skills. The processes for sharing this capacity between organisations and individuals is weak, fragmented or doesn’t exist for some communities.

Leeds LinkAge is aiming to do something about this by. We are therefore supporting a partnership approach and developing a number of linked resources. –

infostore web site goes live

The InfoStore web site is now LIVE

The infostrore was officially launched on Tuesday 18 March a an invitation only launch event in the Banqueting Suite at the Civic Hall.

The web site address is: www.olderpeopleleeds.info

Gateway Projects

There is a limited access page on this website for the use of the Gateway projects.

To be able to access this page you have to submit a user name and password. These will come through to the LOPF office and the website administrator can then add you to the group.

Can all Gateway projects please contact Sean Tunnicliffe at the Forum office to confirm their log-in details. You can also ring Sean for more information the Gateways page or to discuss any problems you might be having signing up for access.

Please click the Join button below to sign up to the Gateways section.

Capacity Building Grants - to develop organisation Capacity Capacity Building Website - building the links to makes best use of the high levels of expertise and knowledge already within the sector to act as a “best practice store” for examples of documents, training and good practice, or experience. Capacity Building Mentoring - Encouraging staff, trustees and individuals who have an in depth knowledge of communities and a strong command of management skills, to act as mentors/consultants. Developing the process for sharing skills and knowledge between those who have it and those who need it, Volunteering - Developing the local and city wide volunteering systems.BME Focus Group Work to engage Black and Minority Ethnic Community organisations in LinkAge initiatives. Social Isolation Peer Support Group - support group, information, training and a ‘social isolation resource pack’ for front-line workers working with socially isolated older people.Intergenerational Network - To support the established Intergenerational Network to promote intergenerational activities in Leeds.Lifelong learning and Leisure Network - encouraging older people to access universal services under utilised by older people. GatewaySites Voluntary Sector Neighbourhood Network projects who are aiming to improve the access to services, improve availability of and access to information, as well as clarifications of barriers to service uptake.Peer Mentoring - Developing teams of older people as “peer” enablers and advocates for effectively accessing information.Information store - Older person “friendly” Web site based information service initially piloted within the Gateway sites.Streamlined Assessment - Joint Visiting Team - working with local partners regarding housing, care and support, issues of social isolation and financial exclusion as well as to increase take up of benefits. Evaluation – conducted by Leeds University. Older People Reference Group - Engagement of older people in the monitoring and review of the project.

Leeds Older People's Forum is working in partnership with Leeds Social Services Department to deliver a LinkAge Plus Pilot Project.

Leeds LinkAge Plus Project aims to ensure that older people in Leeds can access a range of quality, co-ordinated services that will improve their health and well-being. It started on 1st August 2006 and will end on 31st July 2008 and is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Work includes:

Information Store

creating better sources of information

Leeds Social Services Department is creating an on-line Information Store with funding from the LinkAge Plus Project and the Partnership Project for Older People.

Project Gateways

supporting and building on existing work

Six voluntary sector organisations will be established as LinkAge Gateways, supporting older people to access a range of services as effectively as possible.

Strengthening the Voluntary Sector

sustaining and developing capacity

LinkAge Plus will support existing groups including the Black and Minority Elders Focus Group, the Intergenerational Network, the Lifelong Learning Network and the Social Isolation Peer Support Group.

Volunteering

promoting the contribution of older people

Voluntary sector organisations will be supported to recruit and support volunteers.

Click on infostore logo to visit the infostore

Report on visits to Neighbourhood Network Schemes

The visits to Neighbourhood Network organisations were part of the LinkAge Plus Capacity Building work. They were a follow up to the event in October 2007 which was organised in order to demonstrate the work of the Schemes to senior policy makers from the PCT and Adult Social Care and to promote dialogue in the light of forthcoming reviews of service level agreements and commissioning of services.

The purpose of the visits was to further the dialogue by enabling staff and management committee members of Neighbourhood Network Schemes, including those who hadn’t been able to attend, to respond to the summary notes of the event (‘Singing From the Same Hymn Sheet’) and contribute further thoughts and concerns. These have been communicated to the review and commissioning team on an ongoing basis over the past few months, and a summary of the discussions from the visits is now on the LinkAge page of the LOPF website.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this process. There is the opportunity to comment on the report through the web site.