Community Development and Health Network (CDHN) and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council together with people from the Toomebridge area have been involved in a socially innovative co-production project. Since October 2015 Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council through its Joint Working Arrangements Steering Group (JWA) with the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) and the Northern Health and Social Care Board (NHSCB) have been investing in a co-production pilot in Toomebridge. This project has been developed over a period of 2 years it has a co-production focus and has relied on 6 principles of co-production throughout its development.
- Recognising people as assets
- Building on people’s existing capabilities
- Promoting mutuality and reciprocity
- Developing peer networks
- Breaking down barriers between professionals and recipients
- Facilitating rather than delivering
The project has engaged with 29 people some of whom had little or no previous involvement within their community. Through CDHN’s Community Health Champion programme the group have gone on to establish themselves as the Duneane Collective. This training programme was the catalyst that brought the community and statutory partners together. They built trust and relationships began to develop which has enabled the community to view The Council differently but also how they see their role within the community and their relationships to each other. It has demonstrated to the The Council and other statutory partners that there is great merit in engaging with communities differently. The Duneane Collective have developed an asset map of their area, a health and wellbeing catalogue, established a Timebanking working group, organised a community spirit day, managed their own budget and designed their own logo and vision statement. They are currently planning ways in which they can address health and wellbeing issues that they as a group have identified as important for their community. Collective member comment on their involvement in co-production pilot. “You can be part of the solution to some of the problems in your area as opposed to accepting the status quo…….it has given me hope…..”
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