The introduction of a team dedicated to providing centralised ‘triage’ support to vulnerable Caerphilly county borough residents has been welcomed by the council’s Leader.
The ‘Caerphilly Cares’ team, a team of established Caerphilly County Borough Council staff, will offer a new centralised coordination and response triage service for those county borough residents in need of support for issues such as food poverty, debt or rent arrears, isolation or loneliness.
The COVID pandemic saw residents present themselves to the council for support, often for the very first time. It became apparent that these individuals often required multiple interventions and support from a number of different council departments.
‘Caerphilly Cares’ aims to offer the individual a single point of contact with the team, who will assist that individual in getting to the root cause of their issue, meaning they will only need to explain their situation once. The team will then link up with existing services, both within Caerphilly County Borough Council and with partners, including the voluntary sector and local community groups, supporting that individual through their journey with those various services, from end to end.
Cllr Philippa Marsden, Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council said, “Caerphilly Cares is about understanding the variety of needs an individual may face, and focussing on early intervention to help that individual get the support they need in a holistic, sensitive way. Caerphilly Cares certainly doesn’t replace any existing council service; rather it offers that additional layer of support to an individual, building a trusted relationship with that person and supporting them through their journey to becoming more resilient and independent longer term. I warmly welcome this excellent approach to supporting some of our more vulnerable residents”.
The Caerphilly Cares team will also continue to work alongside the voluntary sector and community groups, building on the success of the COVID community response which saw a significant out-pouring of community spirit.
Cabinet Member Cllr Eluned Stenner added, “Residents will be aware of the council’s community response ‘buddy scheme’ which was extremely well received by all who made use of the scheme. This scheme was only possible thanks to the council, voluntary sector and communities working together in partnership to support those who needed it. Caerphilly Cares aims to build on the success of this scheme, creating an even more sustainable model that looks to make best use of community skills, knowledge and social networks, as well as peer support, and linking those individuals who present themselves to us experiencing issues such as isolation or loneliness up with community groups’.
The Caerphilly Cares model is underpinned by the principles within the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.
Caerphilly county borough residents experiencing issues such as food poverty, debt or rent arrears, isolation or loneliness can contact the Caerphilly Cares team – during office hours – by calling 01443 811490 or by emailing [email protected]
