The Silver Dream  Fund, in association with the Daily Mail, offers an exciting new opportunity for groups to test out a range of ideas about new ways to support older people, whilst building on the wealth of experience and skills that they have to offer to others, including their families, neighbourhoods, and local communities. Up to five projects will then be chosen to receive up to £1 million each to carry their ideas forward.

The challenge is to come up with a great idea for a project that will pioneer ways to help vulnerable older people deal more effectively with life-changing events.

You have up to 1000 words to tell them about your idea, including how your idea meets the challenge and the five challenge themes, which can be found in the silver dreams fund guidance notes.

Whilst only voluntary and community groups, registered charities, social enterprises and other not for profit companies will be able to submit ideas directly, partnerships can include private sector and statutory bodies, as the Big Lottery are particularly interested in testing new models of interventions that support older people to manage change in their lives.

Partnership is a key feature of a valid proposal and they encourage collaborations which might include public and private sector organisations.  The nature of the partnership may be the element which brings innovation to an approach.

The closing date for the initial submission of ideas is 28 October 2011.

If they like your idea they will write to you in November 2011 and invite you to submit an application. You will then need to send your application form by 27 January 2011.

Please follow the link for further information:  http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_silver_dreams_fund

When posting comments please identify yourself and your organisation.

Seamus Breen, Assistant Director – Health Reform and Development, at North Yorkshire County Council would like to invite your views on the proposed governance arrangements and outline structure for the shadow Health and Wellbeing Board for North Yorkshire.

The Council is planning to have a shadow board in place around October/November, prior to the creation of the full board in 2013.

The Council needs your input to shape their early thinking, recognising it will take some time for this new forum to mature and develop. They will then take this back into the formal council processes for consideration.

The letter (available to download from www.nyyforum.org.uk/) explains how to share your thoughts and views on the matter. These would be greatly welcome.

The health and wellbeing webpage with the draft proposals, and further information as it develops, can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/healthandwellbeing

The current proposal does not include direct voluntary sector representation on the Health & Wellbeing Board – please also copy your response to Kate Tayler, Chief Executive, North Yorkshire & York Forum.

Please send all your thoughts, proposals and comments to Seamus Breen, Assistant Director, Health Reform and Development, via email to seamus.breen@northyorks.gov.uk (please cc emails to kate.tayler@nyyforum.org.uk ) no later than 23 September.

The aim is to work together to identify those issues where the voluntary sector has most contribution to make to meeting the needs of vulnerable children and families, and to identify sources of funding that the sector can access. Children’s Services are keen to offer their support, recognising the important role that the sector plays particularly in ‘preventative’ work with children and families.

A significant amount of data already exists about the needs of families in the County, which is currently being drawn together by NYCC into the latest Children and Young People’s Plan.

We also want to gather information and views from voluntary sector organisations working with children, young people and families, about how you see the needs, and most importantly, the kinds of initiatives that you feel your organisation may be able to contribute to.

Please help by:

Posting your coments on this blog or by completing our SurveyMonkey questionnaire at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CYP_needs_survey

Closing date for survey and blog discussion is 30 September.

If you are one of the 45 organisations that have registered an interest with the Big Lottery to be part of a North Yorkshire partnership, you have already received an email from me setting out a process for agreeing the partnership members by the Expression of Interest deadline (2 September). Discussion on this blog forms a part of that process.

Other readers are welcome too! When posting comments please identify yourself and your organisation.

Preliminary discussion: Forming the partnership
• Is it reasonable to assume that all eligible organisations already providing infrastructure services in North Yorkshire should be part of the partnership if they want to?
• Should our partnership just include organisations already providing infrastructure services in North Yorkshire?
• What role do regional infrastructure organisations have to play in relation to a North Yorkshire partnership?
• What about national or ‘out of area’ organisations that have registered for North Yorkshire?

Related Papers: Transforming infrastructure services in North Yorkshire
LSDO Strategic Plan – Feb 2011

TIF North Yorkshire – discussion doc

YNY_FINAL_REPORT_FINAL

Kate Tayler
Chief Executive
North Yorkshire and York Forum

 The report, which will be of interest to all organisations working in health and social care, has been published this morning. It is available on the NYYF website at www.nyyforum.org.uk/

 The strategic recommendations from the review are:

 •           Redesign the model of care so that patients are treated according to their level of need.

•           Reduce hospital inpatient beds, while increasing activity.

•           Make efficiency savings and increase productivity in every sector.

•           Shift care from the hospital to the community sector, and significantly develop community   services (health and social care).

•           Introduce strategic planning to improve integration within primary care, and between primary care, secondary care, community services (health and social care), mental health, and public health. These services will also need to integrate with the voluntary and private sectors.

•           Create more responsive provision by encouraging innovation by new and existing providers.

 There are also specific recommendations relating to a stronger role for voluntary sector providers in contributing to integrated provision of community and primary care services, mental health services and preventative work.

You can sign up to receive these updates or access the blog via our website www.nyyforum.org.uk