Last week we announced that more than 100 organisations have now signed up to the Suffolk Information Partnership, a network of organisations offering information and advice and delivering services to support people’s health and wellbeing in Suffolk.
The Partnership helps thousands of Suffolk Residents access the services they need every year and we are so proud of how the partnership has grown.
Formed in 2010 with just five key voluntary sector organisations in Suffolk - Age UK Suffolk, Optua (now Avenues East), Suffolk Family Carers, Suffolk Libraries and Suffolk Mind - alongside Suffolk County Council's Adult Social Care services, it has now expanded to more than 100 statutory, voluntary and independent sector organisations delivering services to support younger and older people, adults and families across Suffolk.
The 100th partner to join the network was Our Special Friends, a Suffolk based charity that works to help people to benefit from animal companionship by providing physical and emotional support during illness, bereavement or other crises.
The aim of the Partnership is to work together to provide clear, consistent, quality information to customers and a seamless journey for those needing to access services.
Partners provide a wide range of services covering the whole county, some supporting emotional wellbeing, such as Suffolk Mind and Suffolk Libraries who have a Mental Health and Wellbeing service, provide advice and guidance on a variety of topics, including books, and provide community activities.
Other organisations provide information and guidance for families, such as Suffolk Family Carers and Home Start; support with loneliness and isolation, like the Rural Coffee Caravan; support with physical activity through Active Suffolk’s exercise referral and Active communities schemes, and much, much more.
Alongside care, health and wellbeing, a number of partners also offer Suffolk residents support with the Cost of Living.
Citizens Advice in Suffolk offer free, confidential and impartial advice and support to all who need it. They can help people find a way forward with their problems and campaign on big issues when their voices need to be heard.
Citizens Advice can support people to maximise their income, through reviewing benefit entitlements, saving money on energy costs and accessing grants when needed, and the Citizens Advice Money team can negotiate with debtors, enabling clients to manage their daily lives more effectively.
They are also a gateway partner for welfare assistance, providing guidance and advice. Anyone experiencing financial hardship can apply for hep through Suffolk’s Local Welfare Assistance Scheme. Successful applications will receive a BACS payment directly into a bank account or a Post Office cash out voucher. Visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/lwas to find out if you are eligible for support.
Warm Homes, Healthy People is a project which helps vulnerable people and families make their homes cheaper to heat. There is a range of different measures that eligible residents in Suffolk can benefit from, including emergency fuel payments and help with boiler issues. Find out more at https://www.warmhomessuffolk.org/about
You can find out more about Cost of Living support in Suffolk by visiting www.suffolk.gov.uk/costofliving
The Suffolk Information Partnership meets regularly to share updates on its services and discuss topics of interest as well as providing peer support and informal mentoring. Being in the partnership also gives organisations access to a toolkit of resources and the Warm Handover referral scheme, which allows organisations to refer clients directly to another organisation, where they identify that the client would benefit from other support that their organisation cannot provide.
The Suffolk Information Partnership and Warm Handover Referral Scheme are free to join.
With 45 new organisations joining the last year and more than 3,000 referrals made through the partnership I want to say a huge thank you to all the partners that have joined the Suffolk Information Partnership over the years, for your invaluable support in making it the success that it is today. We couldn't have done it without you!
For more information about the Suffolk Information Partnership and Warm Handover, visit: http://suffolkinformationpartnership.onesuffolk.net/
The Suffolk Information Partnership is open to statutory, voluntary and independent sector organisations operating across or within local communities in Suffolk. If your organisation would like to join, please send a short paragraph about what your organisation does, your logo and contact details to suffolkinformationpartnership@suffolk.gov.uk
