Communities First Projects See Positive Results
Caerphilly council’s Communities First projects have received positive feedback regarding their work over the past year.
A report from the Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee highlights the great work carried out, within the Caerphilly borough, as well as improvements which can be made for the following financial year.
On the 1st April 2012, Communities First was renewed as a Community Focussed Tackling Poverty Programme and it continues to support the most deprived communities in Wales, with an increased focus on ensuring the most vulnerable individuals, families and groups in the communities are also supported.
The programme is based within 52 clusters in Wales, four of which are within the Caerphilly borough, they are the Upper Rhymney Valley, Mid Valleys East, Mid Valleys West and Caerphilly Basin.
Throughout the 2015-16 year, numerous projects were developed to promote the themes of Prosperous, Learning and Healthier Communities.
In total the programme engaged with over 2600 individuals across the year. Many of the achievements can be seen, in people gaining employment, gaining digital skills, improving academic performance, increasing physical activity levels and reducing their BMI.
The cluster staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that projects have been developed to appropriately target customers who are most in need. Their hard work made sure projects were delivered to a high standard, links have been made with the correct partners and thorough monitoring has been conducted to achieve accurate results for future improvements.
Improved partnership working has enabled residents to access a more comprehensive and holistic range of support to address their needs, with agencies working together to support them; and as a result of this, Communities First projects have seen improved outcomes.
The strong link with Job Centre Plus (JCP), is just one example, resulting in Communities First now working with residents who may have never previously engaged with employment training courses. There has been a significant increase in the attendance of people on these courses, ultimately aiding their chances of gaining employment.
One lady who participated in courses available by Communities First and partners said, “I would recommend anyone going on these courses and I would love to come back in the future and speak to people who attend them and tell them how much this training helped me. I am so grateful for the help I have received. I’m so excited to start my new job now and that’s something that I never thought I’d hear myself say”.
Other positive outcomes from the programme include those focused on digital inclusion, with 100% of participants on Communities First “First Click” courses gaining basic IT skills and 99% becoming more confident in using a computer.
The programme has also helped promote a healthier lifestyle by delivering physical and dietary projects such as Family cooking, Streetgames and Healthy Hearts. These projects have now seen an increase in the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed by participants as well as improved confidence to cook a fresh meal.
The projects also included The Upper Rhymney Valley Foodbank which supported 2418 individuals (including children and young people within families) throughout the year.
Cllr Ken James, cabinet member for regeneration, planning and sustainable development said, “This programme has proved how vital it is in supporting our communities’ growth and development. It is great to see the vast amount of positive outcomes, some of which have changed a person’s life. I hope to hear more success stories in the future about the projects that the Communities First team undertake.”
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