Archive
We summarise here the aims and achievements of two of our recent projects which closed in 2010.
For more information on any of our closed projects contact our Admin Team on 020 7284 6562 (email: buildingadministrator@vac.org.uk)
Peer Education Project (2006-10)
The project was developed to address the personal health and relationship needs of young people of Bangladeshi and Somali origin in Camden. It was funded by the Kings Fund and Camden Local Area Agreement and managed by a multi-agency steering group. The project aimed to:
- improve the young people’s personal and reproductive health knowledge and awareness;
- enable them to better access relevant health services; and
- work with local partners to improve the cultural appropriateness of local health services for these groups.
Activities
The project involved:
- developing a programme to train young people of Bangladeshi and Somali origin to become personal and reproductive health Peer Educators;
- delivering health education sessions that are accessible to young people from these communities;
- assessing the acceptability of peer education as a means of engaging young people on sensitive personal and reproductive health issues;
- engaging local service providers, sharing information and advice to help build more culturally aware and appropriate health services.
Project Report
Click here to download an end of project report that captures some the achievements and what we learnt from the pilot.
Workforce Development (Substance Misuse) Project (2009-10)
The one-year project supported organisations working with children, young people and families in Camden affected by issues of alcohol and substance misuse. It aimed to:
- help organisations’ develop and put in place appropriate policies and planning systems
- introduce the Fit for Purpose tool as a way to ensure substance misuse issues could be addressed with confidence and in line with best practice
- ensure staff were able to access the best possible help for children, young people and families affected by substance misuse.
More about ‘Fit for Purpose’
Fit for Purpose is a practical tool developed by Camden Council and the Children’s Workforce Development Council. It is designed to assist voluntary and community organisations to meet the required national and local standards for working with children, young people and families who may be affected by substance misuse. It is a simple, user-friendly tool designed to help organisations to:
- assess whether their service provision is up to relevant standards
- identify the category of their service, eg. targeted, specialist, universal
- identify areas for improvement
- design an action plan to meet any gaps in knowledge and skills.
Our Workforce Development Project ran for one year and in that time supported nearly 50 local voluntary and community organisations working with children and families to implement ‘Fit for Purpose’. The work included raising awareness on good practice in Integrated Working and ensuring organisations were equipped to support and signpost children and families affected by substance misuse. Although the project has now come to an end, the Fit for Purpose tool is still available to organisations and can be accessed as a download from the Camden Child Safeguarding Board website at www.cscb.org.uk
FAQ
1. What is Fit 4 Purpose?
The Fit 4 Purpose tool was developed by Camden Council building on a tool originally developed by Barnardos. It was designed to assist voluntary and community organisations to meet government and local authority standards for working with children, young people and families affected by substance misuse, and to improve their knowledge and understanding of Integrated Working. Implementing the tool could also play a useful role in placing organisations in a better position within contracting and commissioning processes.
2. How can I access Fit for Purpose?
The Fit 4 Purpose tool is available on the Camden Safeguarding children’s board website, at http://www.cscb.org.uk/policies_guidance.php?pg=18 (look under the heading ‘Local Policies and Guidance’).
3. How can I implement Fit for Purpose?
It is a very short and friendly tool. To use it, simply:
- Carry out an assessment of your organisation with the relevant staff/trustees to assess where you are at and what you need to put in place to improve. It takes less than half an hour to do it.
- Agree a plan of action to overcome any gaps.
- Implement the action plan.
- Acknowledge your achievements!
4. Is Fit for Purpose aimed only at substance misuse services?
No - It is targeted at any organisation which caters for children, young people and families – it focuses on supporting such organisations to deal more appropriately with substance misuse issues eg. (knowing where to refer/offer information) for anyone who accesses the service.
5. Who is this tool for?
Fit for Purpose is aimed at managers and can be used in several different ways depending on the structure of the organisation, for example:
- The manager can call a meeting with staff and use the tool to identify training needs for staff – for instance training on Integrated Working or Safer Recruitment.
- The tool also enables the manager to assess the policies they already have in place or need to have in place.
- The process of using the tool can help identify materials/resource that can be used to help signpost or inform service users on where to get the information/intervention they need.
- It can assist the manager to classify the organisation’s service into one of three categories, eg. Specialist, Targeted or Universal.
6. How often should I use this tool?
There really is no limit to how often you may use this tool or how you choose to use it, as organisations may use it for several different reasons. For instance, it might be used:
- Every time you employ new staff.
- When reviewing policies and procedures.
- When starting a new project/service.
- Whenever you need to assess the current position of your service.
7. Who should complete the Fit for Purpose Tool – Staff or Managers?
It would normally be completed by the Manager, team leader or co-ordinator of the organisation/service. If you do not have paid staff, trustees can complete it.
8. Can I use the Fit for Purpose tool without assistance?
Yes – the tool has been designed to be easy to use, and takes you through four clear steps which are outlined below:
Step 1 (Getting Started)
Use the criteria section to identify your service category – universal, targeted or specialist.
Step 2 (Assessment)
Once you have identified you service category the next step would be to complete the assessment checklist appropriate for your type of organisation.
Step 3 (Action Planning)
Having completed the self-assessment checklist and identified areas of concern or areas where action needs to be taken, the toolkit supports you to develop an action plan.
Step (4) Resources
Once you have completed the action plan a ‘resources’ section suggests where to find the relevant information/training/help you need to implement it.
9. How will this tool help improve my organisation?
Feedback from the groups we supported through our Workforce Development Project suggests implementing Fit for Purpose can help improve organisations in the following ways:
- Enhance and complement your organisation’s service and planning system(s).
- Help provide a simple method to ensure substance misuse issues are addressed and not neglected.
- Ensure staff are able to access the best possible help for children, young people families affected by substance misuse.
- Place the organisation in a better position for contracting and commissioning.