Walsall
CAP in Walsall
Training to Increase Capacity
Supporting frontline staff to identify householders in fuel poverty and understanding what support is available was a priority in Walsall. A wide range of organisations were able to benefit from the training that was available which included City and Guilds certificated courses, awareness raising sessions and e-learning modules.
Walsall: Household Fuel Poverty
Using the Low Income High Costs (LIHC) definition of fuel poverty, 16.2% of Walsall householders are in fuel poverty which is 17,030 households. Walsall is ranked 9th out of 326 local authority areas in England.
Challenges:
Raising Awareness and targeting
Raise awareness amongst agencies who visit individuals in their homes and raise awareness amongst service users.
Reduce Fuel Costs for all
Grants and subsidies checklists for key workers to assist those who are not in receipt of benefits.
Community engagement
Increase awareness of successful housing energy efficiency measures through community engagement and energy champions.
Solutions & Deliverables
The action plans developed with Walsall Housing Group and Walsall Council sought to meet the objectives outlined above by;
- Providing energy awareness sessions to local groups/residents.
- Delivering energy awareness raising sessions to frontline staff.
- Providing access to NEA's online fuel poverty and health training course and providing 'train the trainer' courses.
- Delivering NEA's City & Guilds accredited Energy Awareness training.
- Developing and delivering a fuel poverty consultation workshop to identify future fuel poverty priorities.
Front Line Staff Training
CAP delivered courses to frontline staff explaining how they can recognise the symptoms of fuel poverty in the individual clients their service targets.
Resident awareness session
Course delivered by CAP to residents at Blaknell Library that gave advice and tips on how to improve their environments, reduce their costs and recognise damp and mould in the home. Whilst at these sessions Energy Champions were identified for enhanced training sessions.
Community engagement session
Handbooks for energy saving awareness were handed out at events to ensure residents had information to take home and share with neighbours. One such event at the Bloxwich Library's 50+ club became a regular occurrence over the project increasing the catchment success.
Accomplishments
Over the duration of CAP, we're proud to report the following accomplishments:
1
Community Events
96
People Reached
15
Stakeholders Reached
107+
Frontline Staff Trained
Leading The Fight
We really proud of what the stakeholders and ourselves have managed to achieve. Making a difference in communities of interest by working together to tackle fuel poverty. Our hard work has allowed us to better understand community needs and build relationships between residents, community leaders, local authorities and charities.
Are You A Stakeholder?
If you’ve been inspired by the CAP programme and would like to discuss how NEA can support your activities, just get in touch.
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