Agenda item

The Chief Executive of SPARK Somerset and introduced the South Somerset Voluntary Service Adviser and they both provided Members with a short presentation on the work of the organisation, which included:

·         They had provided support and advice to many Covid volunteer groups.

·         They had held 7 South Somerset forumson-line to support local groups with advice and shared learning and 94 representatives had attended.

·         30 South Somerset residents had volunteered to be Covid-19 Community Champions to signpost groups and individuals to well-being services.

·         Lottery funding in Chard allowed community groups to meet and work effectively for the health and well-being of local residents.

·         Many on-line training sessions had been held including Mental Health Awareness, Adult Safeguarding, Child Protection Training, First Aid, Accounting for Your Project and Volunteer Management. 330 attendees.

·         A new County wide volunteering on-line platform had been launched with 361 organisations and 1,972 volunteers already signed up on www.sparkachange.org.uk

·         A support service for the NHS health staff and the voluntary sector to access emotional wellbeing support.

The Chief Executive of SPARK Somerset concluded that the core funding granted by SSDC was greatly appreciated and it enabled them to attract additional funding so they were able to do more for the residents of South Somerset.

Councillor Jason Baker said that SPARK Somerset had greatly assisted the Covid volunteer group in Chard when they first set up and it would be good to keep the younger volunteers engaged.

The Chief Executive of Citizens Advice South Somerset advised that when the Covid lockdown began, because they had invested in new IT technology they were able transition their service to phone calls with a small number of face-to-face appointments.  With funding from Somerset Community Foundation, they were able to make a number of films for the public on employment advice, managing money, applying for benefits which enabled the public to self-help. 

She said they had:-

·         A package of help, provided in partnership with SSDC, for those affected by redundancy.

·         Diversity Voice were a new partner who could assist with language support.

·         A pilot for advice kiosks with touch sensitive screens for people with no internet connection.

·         A new single point of contact website in partnership with the other Somerset Citizens Advice.

·         Assisted more clients during 2020/21 than during 2019/20.

·         There were more younger clients and working families seeking advice on redundancy, employment and furlough issues.

·         More people were seeking help with food and charitable grants.

·         Fewer clients seeking help with debt advice as there were safeguards in place during the Covid.  This was expected to increase again.

·         Partnership lottery funding had enabled them to set up the Somerset Advice Academy to train advisers so they could work remotely and answer client emails and phone calls.

She concluded that a full end of year report would be available by the end of the month. 

The Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing thanked the Chief Executive of SPARK Somerset and Citizens Advice South Somerset for attending to update the Committee on their work.  He proposed the recommendations to fund both organisations and this was seconded.

Councillor Jason Baker thanked the Citizens Advice South Somerset for their invaluable assistance for the employees of Oscar Mayer in Chard.

In response to a question, the Specialist for Strategic Planning confirmed the funding for Citizens Advice South Somerset was slightly lower than the previous year as they had been mitigating for the lost funding from the County Council.

During discussion, several members voiced their support for both organisations who had provided key help to vulnerable residents during the Covid pandemic.

The Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee said they had been very supportive of the report and appreciated the work of both organisations.  He said the Scrutiny Committee were happy to assist in the commissioning process for the future funding of both organisations.

At the conclusion of the debate, Members unanimously confirmed the funding as detailed in the recommendations for Citizens Advice South Somerset and Spark Somerset.