1) What would Links like to do?

Links CVS would like to empower member organisations of the Derbyshire BME Forum to establish a culturally appropriate sitting service for vulnerable members of the diverse BME communities, as well as enabling them to design and create a trusted respite provision that would support BME carers to have a better quality of life. The proposal will enable Links CVS:

a) to actively engage with the 10 member organisations of the Derbyshire BME Forum in the planning and delivery of a culturally appropriate sitting service and day time respite provision for those who are in need of care which, hitherto, is in non-existence in Derbyshire

b) to connect existing sitting and respite providers, as well as relevant policy makers and training providers, with member organisations of the BME Forum to establish a service that is in full compliance with the current legislation in terms of vulnerable adult protection, so that an appropriate tailor-made programme can be devised to recruit and train interested BME individuals as care workers who could meet the unmet cultural and care needs of the diverse BME communities

c) to support member organisations of the BME Forum to explore and choose a legal structure that will govern the future organisational development of the sitting and respite service as a social enterprise equitably and inclusively;

d) to provide business planning and marketing advice and consultancy support for the new legal structure including the development of a formal partnership agreement, a relevant staffing and pricing structure.

Additionally, the project seeks to develop a BME welfare advice and care advocacy service to help vulnerable members of the diverse BME communities and their carers to request for and undergo care needs assessments in determining their eligibility to access a personal budget or direct payment which will help them to pay for the sitting and/or day time respite provision, as well as any other welfare benefits which they may be entitled to apply for. Links CVS will fully engage with all member organisations of the Derbyshire BME Forum to determine the future structure of this service. The project beneficiaries will be those who are deemed as vulnerable adults living with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities and their carers from the diverse BME communities. The difference our project aims to make will be far- reaching in relation to the social and health inequalities faced by the target beneficiaries. They tend to experience poor quality of physical health and mental well-being due to being not knowing how the "system" works (often due to language and cultural barriers), not knowing how to apply for welfare support, socially isolated, as well as being victims of racial injustice and discrimination including race and religion hate crime. With regards to the COVID-19, we know statistically BME communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In particular, those socially and economically disadvantaged members of the BME communities (the project's target beneficiaries) have been worse hit. Our proposal is new in Chesterfield and across Derbyshire.

2) How does our project involve our community?

Our project aims to fully involve the diverse BME communities via the Derbyshire BME Forum. Links CVS developed and has been facilitating the BME Forum for over 15 years as a meaningful consultation mechanism to engage with the diverse BME communities in Derbyshire. Currently, there are ten BME community groups represented and participating in the Forum. These as: African Caribbean Community Association, Asian Association (Indian, Bangladeshi and other South Asian communities), Chinese Elders Group, Chesterfield Filipino Community Association, Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group, Long Eaton Indian Association, North Derbyshire Syrian Refugees Support Group, Senegambian Association, Chesterfield Muslim Association, Chesterfield Polonia and District Association.

We firmly believe in community engagement and that people understand what's needed in their communities better than anyone. We provide intensive support for BME groups individually outside the BME Forum meetings regarding carrying out consultation with members of their respective communities on a range of issues such as racial injustices, access to mainstream information and provisions, as well as identifying barriers that prevent BME communities to fully participate in society, service gaps and any institutional prejudices that may exist within services provided by Derbyshire County Council and partner agencies including Health, Police and district councils. Through the active involvement of the ten participating groups in the BME Forum, it is estimated that we regularly engage and consult with between 250 to 300 members of the diverse BME communities. The need for a BME specific culturally appropriate sitting and respite service has been identified by all the groups involved in the BME Forum. In particular, such a need was generated by the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the group representatives of the BME Forum, members of the BME communities have been under a tremendous amount of pressure in dealing with this unprecedented public health crisis. Many of the vulnerable BME community members have been adversely impacted by it. Many have been suffering poor physical and mental health, especially those who have language barrier problem. They are unable to fully understand what information and guidance the Government, the local Public Health department or other relevant statutory agencies such as the primary and secondary health providers are putting out to inform and guide members of the public during the crisis. Some communities (such as initially the Chinese and Southeast Asian and most recently the South Asian) have also been subject to racial abuse or attacks as a direct result of the pandemic.

This has been exacerbated by some of the "unconscious bias" or indeed the racialisation of the pandemic being put out by some mainstream and social media irresponsibly to stir up racial hatred towards particular BME communities. As mentioned above, we strongly believe it is paramount that the project is fully and inclusively engaged with the ten BME community groups in the development and delivery of our project as the only way to come up with solutions taken into consideration of all the relevant issues and needs of the target beneficiaries to tackle the identified problems.

3) How does our idea fit in with other local activities?

Links is best placed to carry out the project, because over the last 15 years we have developed a mutually respected and trusted working relationship with the BME groups involved in the BME Forum which represent ten diverse BME communities across Derbyshire. As mentioned above, member organisations of the BME Forum have identified and highlighted the increasing needs/ service provision gaps within local services since the beginning the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work proposal will fill such gaps by empowering BME community groups to take a lead in planning and designing the BME specific culturally appropriate sitting and respite service that would reflect the needs of the diverse BME communities in Derbyshire. Our work proposal will complement existing provisions by formulating a closer collaboration with mainstream providers and policy makers (such as the Adult Care Department at Derbyshire County Council and partner agencies) to ensure that the mainstream providers and relevant agencies have a clear understanding of our new culturally sensitive service and therefore make referrals when they come across BME service users and carers with specific cultural needs. Further, such a collaboration will certainly enhance the effectiveness and quality of provisions locally in a more equitable and inclusive way, as well as to avoid unnecessary future duplication. We have already started a conversation with a range of agencies including service and training providers, as well as colleagues in the County Council and the Derbyshire Community Health Service NHS Foundation. Feedback has been very positive and encouraging. The BME Forum will be the key links that we have already established in the community that will help us deliver the project and reach out to the project beneficiaries. As mentioned throughout the application, we will actively engage with all organisational members of the BME forum to ensure the project is led by the BME communities. Moreover, we aim to involve other organisations such as existing mainstream providers both in the voluntary and statutory sector to ensure the quality standard of the new service, as well as the compliance with the relevant legislation and the protection of vulnerable adults.

This scheme aims to help members of our community back out into activity after months of no face-to-face activity. All the activities highlighted in our application are activities that were forced to come to an end in March when we went into lockdown. After communication with our members we feel that it is important to help to support them to resume this activity but we are conscious that finances would be an issue for many, therefore, by offering funded activity this will remove a barrier that many are facing.