Showcase & Highlights
CAP Project 2014 - 2016
CAP Project 2014 - 2016
Our work supporting fuel poverty community initiatives in eight localities around the UK has been tremendously rewarding. Rewarding for us, the stakeholders and, of course, residents in those communities. Our joined up approach to tackling the issues has allowed us to develop and increase our learnings for future strategies and resources.
CAP In Liverpool
Working With Liverpool City Council
Support in the delivery of community events, hosted a Merseyside Fuel Poverty Summit and received training for their frontline staff through e-learning.
Liverpool CC was the lead delivery partner and facilitated the establishment of a steering group to oversee and direct the programme and connected CAP to other relevant boards/committees. The Council’s credibility and strength in the locality positioned CAP as an important programme.
Liverpool CC worked with NEA and British Gas to develop a bespoke action plan to maximise the opportunities for the City through CAP. The action plan included awareness raising and training for frontline staff, so increasing capacity to support the fuel poor, the development of interactive energy efficiency games to engage more effectively with householders and the delivery of the Merseyside Fuel Poverty Summit to bring together and inform local decision makers and practitioners.
10
Community Events
327
People Reached
139
Stakeholders Reached
329+
Frontline Staff Trained
CAP Project In
Barking & Dagenham
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Council
The local authority assisted with stakeholder engagement, holding a consultation workshop for local partner agencies. The local authority also managed the steering group.
Barking & Dagenham DetailsOutcomes
Local authority Environmental Health Officers benefitted from a HHSRS training course which provided them with greater awareness of the implications of an assessment identifying excess cold in a property. Local authority staff, alongside staff from partner agencies, also benefitted from NEA’s Energy Awareness and Fuel Debt training courses. In addition, staff and service users at the 6 Children’s Centres in the locality also participated in energy awareness sessions which will allow them to provide basic energy advice and support to service users and to refer householders for further assistance where appropriate.
Some considerable time was spent at the beginning of the project to establish links and contacts within the locality. Projects delivered in areas where existing networks are already in place are more likely to get underway quicker.
CAP In Greater Manchester
Working With Stakeholders Across The Area
There were several local authorities that CAP worked closely within the Greater Manchester locality. Oldham, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan all benefited from tailored nurturing from CAP. Between them they received City & Guilds Level 3 Energy Awareness Courses, Fuel Debt Advice NVQ Level 2 courses, help with trainee recruitment to other courses and individual profiling reports.
Manchester City Council
A Fuel Poverty and Health Risk Profiling Report was designed for them, which provided a situation report and tool to better understand energy vulnerability-related risk factors, the scale of the problem in Manchester, and highlight the evidence-base for investment in energy efficiency to help achieve their health and wellbeing priorities.Visit Website.
Oldham Council
CAP provided 2 Energy Awareness Courses, 2 Fuel Debt Advice courses and 1 bespoke session to Environmental Health Officers totalling 76 frontline staff trained. Training was also provided to tenants at First Choice Homes Oldham Housing Association. In addition, CAP helped with a review of the Warm Homes Oldham Scheme, and a scoping study into working with pharmacies on winter health issues.Visit Website.
Salford City Council
CAP carried out a Fuel Poverty and Health Risk Profiling Report which provides a situation report and tool to better understand energy vulnerability-related risk factors, the scale of the problem in Salford, and highlight the evidence-base for investment in energy efficiency to help achieve the health and wellbeing priorities of Salford’s Health & Wellbeing Board and other strategic goals.Visit Website.
Tameside Borough Council
A Fuel Poverty and Health Risk Profiling Report was designed for them. This provides a situation report and tool to better understand risk factors, the scale of the problem in Tameside, and highlight the evidence for investment in energy efficiency. This assisted Tameside’s Healthy Lives Group to commit to include fuel poverty as a priority within Tameside’s new Commissioning Strategy.Visit Website.
Trafford Council
CAP delivered 6 training fuel poverty and health courses to 33 frontline housing, health and social care staff.Visit Website.
Wigan Council
Training courses were delivered to 160 health and social care staff to raise awareness of the links between fuel poverty and health, the local Warm Homes Healthy People Services and other help available for vulnerable low income patients in Wigan.Visit Website.
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
A Fuel Poverty and Health Risk Profiling Report which provided a situation report and tool to better understand energy vulnerability-related risk factors, the scale of the problem in Tameside, and highlight the evidence-base for investment in energy efficiency to help achieve the health and wellbeing priorities of Tameside’s Healthy Lives Group with a commitment to include fuel poverty as a priority within Tameside’s new Commissioning Strategy.
Data in the report also supported rationale for a transformation proposal around a boiler replacement scheme linked to primary care and management of COPD for residents in Tameside.
NA
Community Events
8
People Reached
2429
Stakeholders Reached
295+
Frontline Staff Trained
CAP And Warm Up North
Warm Up North is an initiative between the local councils in the North East and British Gas created to help households throughout the North East to save money and stay warm.
Community Action Northumberland (CAN) is one of 38 Rural Community Councils across England and aims to benefit and help sustain rural communities in Northumberland.
Both organisations led the development and delivery of their respective projects, bringing together potential partners and facilitating action on the ground.
Two very distinct projects were able to be supported in the Warm Up North area; by supporting the Community Challenge initiative, CAP was able to provide fuel poverty awareness sessions for frontline staff and workers to help them to identify householders in need of help and make referrals to other local services.
The Community Energy Agents initiative devised by Community Action Northumberland (CAN) resulted in the delivery of fuel poverty awareness-raising sessions but with the emphasis on recruiting rural Energy Agents who would go on to advise and support residents in their communities.
1
Community Events
7027
People Reached
1783
Stakeholders Reached
296+
Frontline Staff Trained
CAP In Cardiff
Working With City of Cardiff Council
Strategic support for the Cardiff Affordable Warmth Partnership and Affordable Warmth Strategy and Action Plan. Training for staff on fuel poverty and fuel debt and accompanying fuel poverty referral resources.
Cardiff Details
Affordable Warmth Partnership
Challenges
The first task for Cardiff CAP was to work with the Affordable Warmth Partnership to review the City of Cardiff Council’s affordable warmth action plan from which activities to be supported through CAP would be identified.
Solutions
Activities delivered across Cardiff included training for staff on fuel poverty and fuel debt and the production of fuel poverty referral resources which helped to increase local capacity to support householders to manage their energy.
Outcomes
The action plan developed with City of Cardiff Council and its partners also included support for students, training for letting agents and private landlords, advice and information for residents at local events and through an information leaflet for private sector tenants and resource leaflet for social housing tenants.
7
Community Events
801
People Reached
1234
Stakeholders Reached
204+
Frontline Staff Trained
CAP In Enfield
Working With Enfield Council
Enfield Council brought together key partners in the Borough to guide and participate in CAP. The Council not only worked to maximise local involvement in CAP activities but also ensured that the agreed action plan aligned with Enfield 2020, the borough’s sustainability programme.
Enfield DetailsProcess
Enfield Council considered that the first task for CAP was to help develop an affordable warmth action plan for the
Borough, from which key activities to be supported by CAP would be identified.
A comprehensive programme of activity was agreed for the CAP programme to support
which focussed on building capacity to support the fuel poor and enhancing the local referral
network resulting in awareness sessions and training for frontline staff and support for the
local referral network.
Involvement in CAP directly contributed towards additional investment into fuel poverty
activity in the Borough. CAP was also able to support local events such as Enfield Over 50's
Forum’s annual Older People’s Day event, giving information and advice to residents.
14
Community Events
648
People Reached
178
Stakeholders Reached
86+
Frontline Staff Trained
CAP In Northamptonshire
Working With Northamptonshire County Council
The aim of the plan developed with Northamptonshire County Council and its partners was to establish and co-ordinate activities that would reduce the impact of fuel poverty on households at risk.
5
Community Events
413
People Reached
226
Stakeholders Reached
229+
Frontline Staff Trained
Making A Difference
The main objective was to establish a county-wide, multi-agency referral network which enables existing agencies providing support for vulnerable householders to cross-refer householders to each other in order to facilitate a more holistic service for individuals.
Training across the county for frontline staff and local groups linked with the production of an online Community Directory which provides details of local services for vulnerable householders have provided the foundations for a single-point-of-contact health and housing referral service.
CAP And Walsall
Walsall Council and Walsall Housing Group
WHG helped to initiate CAP in Walsall working with NEA and British Gas to develop a local action plan which was subsequently delivered with a range of partners. Walsall Council supported the delivery of the action plan and, in particular, led the development of a consultation workshop to produce a plan for future fuel poverty priorities.
CAP brought a new focus on fuel poverty for Walsall. It centred on increasing capacity to support the fuel poor by providing training and awareness sessions for frontline staff, local groups and residents.
The programme was able to work with a wide range of organisations and groups such as Steps to Work and Accord Group to name but a few.
Importantly, local partners recognised the need for a sustainable approach to tackling fuel poverty and requested that, at the end of the programme, CAP facilitated the production of a fuel poverty priorities plan which will leave the locality with clear direction going forward.
1
Community Events
96
People Reached
15
Stakeholders Reached
107+
Frontline Staff Trained
Working With Regional Leaders
Shaping Policy, Influencing Strategy
Our work alongside councils and charities has seen a decrease in the number of residents affected by fuel poverty. By continuing working with different sector members and sharing best practices the impact can be reduced further still.
Community Action Growth 2014 - 2016
Since CAP started we've seen a steady increase in the number of trained practitioners and engaged community stakeholders in our key regions.
The Community Action Partnership was inspirational for us because it was completely open to Enfield to decide exactly how the support was used.
We were delighted to find out about the Community Action Partnership - Bringing people together from across the borough from different sectors is a very innovative aspect of the programme. New partnerships - fantastic!
Find Community Action Initiatives In Your Area
The vital message of energy saving and fuel poverty is being challenged near you. There are lots of initiatives going on locally. Find out more about your region by using our community action directory.
Community Action Near Me
