Community Catalysts
Community Catalysts is a social enterprise working in partnerships across the UK to try to make sure that people can be part of strong, inclusive, communities with real opportunities to connect, create and contribute.
We work to ensure people can get the help and care they need in ways, times and places that suit them, with a real choice of attractive local options. We help local people use their energies and talents to establish enterprises and ventures that deliver sustainable care and health services for other local people, creating jobs and volunteering opportunities. We use our expertise to help communities, organisations, authorities and policy makers to deliver the transformational change in services or systems needed to make this a reality.
We are a small collective of highly skilled professionals with unrivalled experience in people-led social care and health. We see the world differently, celebrating the strength of people and community. We know how to help local people help other local people. We bring our values, creativity and passion to everything we do. We know that one size never fits all so everything we do is bespoke. All our work has local impact and national influence.
Creating a choice of at home options
Supporting the development of community enterprises offering highly personalised care and help at home to older and disabled people.
People tell us that homecare doesn’t always work – for the people who provide it or the people who need it. Some people can’t get the care they need at all. Others feel like they are just a series of tasks rather than a person with a lot to offer. The care that they want isn’t possible and there seems to be no real choice of alternative providers or ways of doing things. It needs a creative approach.
Community Catalysts has an established approach which releases local people’s capacity and creates real choice in a more diverse ‘marketplace’. A local coordinator or Catalyst identifies people who are interested in doing care differently. The Catalyst runs a development programme underpinned by coaching, mentoring and an emphasis on local networks. Alongside our work with local people, we help public sector organisations understand and make the systems and culture changes necessary to sustain this more creative approach.
Impact
The result is care that cares – flexible help for people who need it and satisfying employment for local people. A real choice and peace of mind for families, commissioners and supporting professionals like GPs, social workers and hospital discharge teams. Money is saved and stays local.
How?
We are commissioned, contracted or funded by public, third or private sector organisations to design and deliver this approach. We co-design and co-produce whenever possible.
Creating a choice of community options
Supporting people to try new things, make their own connections and build wider relationships outside their home.
Historically, day services have developed from day centres that offer people care or occupational activity during office hours in group settings. They have not always evolved to be able to offer what people want and need and they are rarely aspirational. Sometimes a more creative approach is required.
Community Catalysts has an established approach which releases the capacity and creativity of local people. An employed Catalyst identifies individuals who are interested in supporting people differently during the day. The Catalyst runs a development programme underpinned by coaching, mentoring and an emphasis on local networks. Alongside our work with local people, we help public sector organisations understand and make the systems and culture change necessary to sustain this more creative approach.
Impact
The approach creates daytime support for people, offered by other local people, that values strengths and builds on interests. It also creates satisfying employment for local citizens. It ensures real choice and peace of mind for families, commissioners and supporting professionals. Money stays local.
New Social Leaders
A fresh and exciting development offer for social leaders such as those in communities, charities and social enterprises.
As part of New Social Leaders, small groups come together online to build collaborative connections, share learning and grow as a result of a series of structured workshops and brokered connections.
New Social Leaders is for people who are passionate about releasing the potential of people, communities and organisations and who are inspired by the opportunity for change, but frustrated by the challenge required to get there. This could include people who have recently become a ‘team leader’, ‘senior’, ‘manager’ or something similar that involves leadership of others, or people who have been a leader for a few years and are looking for ideas on how to do things differently.
Participants will learn alongside other likeminded, fresh thinking, values-driven leaders who believe in the potential of people and aim to make a positive difference.
MacIntyre Great Communities
MacIntyre is a national charity providing support and making a positive contribution to the lives of people with learning disabilities for over 50 years. With considerable investment from MacIntyre, Community Catalysts and MacIntyre have formed an exciting partnership, working together to design and deliver the ground-breaking Great Communities project.
Starting in Warrington, with work in both Worcestershire and Chesterfield, the project works with people supported by MacIntyre to help them to enhance their own lives and make a contribution to their community. In a time of austerity and cuts in services, the project also acts as a catalyst for change to make places more connected and inclusive and to stop people with a learning disability falling through the net.
People supported by Great Communities have gone onto lead local action, groups and initiatives.
Lessons learned and approaches developed are being used to underpin wider, organisational and national transformational change within the sector.
Links are being made with the MacIntyre People Plus approach to the benefit of the organisation, the people it supports and the wider communities in which they live and work.
Sustaining a lasting impact
Ongoing support for local councils and organisations to maintain the conditions for community enterprises to thrive.
Why?
Through our approach as a catalyst of change, our projects help to create the right conditions for community enterprises to thrive to ensure there is a wide choice of quality options and a sustainable market for them to tap into. Wider system change is complex. Sometimes partners benefit from drawing on further support and expertise from Community Catalysts beyond the term of the initial project to help embed change and add further capacity.
What?
Community Catalysts partners with local authorities and other organisations beyond the life of a community enterprise project. We take a bespoke approach based on what is needed locally to ensure that the new community enterprises that have been helped to develop can continue to grow in strength and number. Through our ongoing support, partners can continue to take part in our Shared Learning Networks which focus on mutual learning from shared challenges and good practice.
Impact
Our ongoing support continues to help forge community connections and lasting networks so that community enterprises can thrive and local people have access to highly personalised care and support – increasing people’s wellbeing, dignity and self-worth.
How?
Current projects are extended and/or re-commissioned, contracted or funded by public, third or private sector organisations as per project learning. We continue to co-design and co-produce whenever possible.
Contact Community Catalysts:
Our address:
Community Catalysts CIC
York House
10 Haywra Street
Harrogate
HG1 5BJ
Phone: 01423 503 937
Email: info@communitycatalysts.co.uk
