The April edition of the Think Local Act Personal update has now been published. Highlights include ‘Paths to personalisation- in mental health services, webinar on direct payments, an update on Making it Real and our Making Real in Dudley programme. View...

We are holding a series of morning or afternoon  Making it Real in Dudley stakeholder sessions in May and we want to encourage as many providers, partners, staff and stakeholders to come along and take part. Places are free and can be booked below. Attendees, will hear about the Making it Real in Dudley programme and will have an opportunity to contribute to the agenda. We are also looking for people and or organisations who are willing to take part in telling how Making it Real is affecting them. In addition each session will focus on particular areas of adult social care. Tuesday 7 May Areas of focus: Update on Making it Real in Dudley programme, the Resouce Allocation System and What is quality in adult social care Salt wells EDC1:45-4pm Book your place Thursday 9 May Areas of focus: Update on Making it Real in Dudley programme, transport & Dudley Community Information Directory and www.dudley.gov.uk/adultsocialcare Caslon Room Halesowen Library1:45-4pm Book your place Wednesday 15 May Areas of focus: Update on Making it Real in Dudley programme, ‘Micros do big things’ supporting innovation and addressing unmet needs in care and support & Direct payments, what it means for the people who receive them and their carers  Wollaston Room Stourbridge Town Hall1:45-4pm Book your place Tuesday 21 May Areas of focus: Update on Making it Real in Dudley programme, Dementia Gateways & personalisation in Mental Health Dudley College9:45am-Noon Book your place Friday 24 May Areas of focus: Update on Making it Real in Dudley programme, Carers & the role of HealthWatch Brierley Hill Civic Hall 9:45am-Noon Book your place Alternatively you can contact Shelley Brooks by email or telephone: 01384 812418 We will also be filming the presentations and publishing these to our past events...

We want to encourage as many as providers and organisations to promote their events in our Forthcoming Events section.  Our Past Events section will contain details and resources discussed at previous events. So if you’ve got an event and it fits in with Making it Real in Dudleylet us know.   If you would like to promote an event please contact Shelley Brooks on 01384 812418 or email...

Dudley CIL is hosting two meetings in  May (13/14) for disabled people and their organisations to gauge interest in establishing a co-op in Dudley. They are for people who receive a personal budget and employ a personal assistant as well as for personal assistants themselves. This initiative is supported by the Dudley Innovation Fund. :: for more information and to see Dudley CIL’s news release or to book your place see below: Monday 13 May Stourbridge Comunity Firestation, Stourbridge Road, Stourbridge, DY81HA 2-4pm Book your place or telephone 0114 2258676 Tuesday 14 May Jubilee Room Queens Cross Network Wellington Rd, Dudley DY1 1RB 10am-12pm Book your place or telephone 0114 2258676 If you cannot make the events but still want to share your views you can do so by completing Dudley CIL’s online questionnaire. For more information telephone Dudley CIL on 01384...

The Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund opened last week (24 April 2013) for applications.  The Innovation Fund is the first initiative from the Centre for Social Action, which has been established by the Cabinet Office to support programmes that encourage people to create positive change through social action. The £14m Innovation Fund is being managed by Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, and will focus on a small number of big social challenges – from helping older people to age well to supporting young people to get into work – where it is demonstrable how social action can make a difference and is under-exploited by the existing approach of public services. The first round of the fund is looking for innovative ventures and programmes that use social action to achieve impact in four areas: Ageing well: Helping people to age well, particularly by supporting people over 50 years to have a purpose, a sense of well-being and to be connected to others Long-term health: Enabling people with long-term health conditions to have a better quality of life, particularly through the use of peer to peer networks and groups Young people: Supporting and encouraging young people to succeed and find employment, for example through mentoring, coaching, and peer-to-peer networks Impact volunteering: Using new approaches to ‘impact volunteering’ to mobilise volunteers to increase and enhance the outcomes achieved by public services The fund is open to applications from public services, charities, social enterprises and for profit businesses. :: more...