Official launch of UK's largest staff and council-owned soci

[wendy]

22 April 2014

People involved in establishing the largest social enterprise of its kind in the UK will come together this week to celebrate its successful launch.

Independence Matters is the largest joint staff and council-owned community interest company in the country, with around 750 full and part-time members of staff providing care and support services to more than 1,450 people across Norfolk. It supports a wide range of people including older people and adults with dementia, learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health problems.

The social enterprise aims to provide flexible support to help people maintain a level of independence that is right for them and their family carers. As well as providing day activities at its 22 ‘community hubs’ across the county, Independence Matters also provides help to people in their own home and to get out and about, short respite breaks, supported living and practical and work-based activities. Services are available on both a pre-arranged, ongoing basis and to people in crisis and emergency situations.

Independence Matters came into being in November 2013 after Norfolk County Council agreed that the best way to ensure the future of the personal care and support the council directly provided and make them more responsive to what people want and expect from care services was to give staff more control over the way they were run. A countywide staff board and a stakeholder board, comprising customers, carers and family members, are being established which will be involved in decision-making at Independence Matters, and two members of each will be voted in to sit on the company’s board of directors.

This week, customers of Independence Matters and staff will celebrate the successful transition of these services to the social enterprise with events at various community hubs. An official launch event with more than 100 invited guests will take place at Dereham Community Hub, also Independence Matters’ headquarters, on Wednesday (23 April).

Independence Matters’ new patron, wheelchair athlete Will Smith, will also be officially unveiled at the event in Dereham. Will is originally from Dereham and competes in track events at paralympic level.

Sarah Stock, Managing Director of Independence Matters, will give the welcoming speech at Wednesday’s event. She said: “The success of this social enterprise really does depend on its people – which is a great responsibility but also an enormous opportunity and privilege, and it has absolutely brought out the best in our staff, customers and carers.

“We want the services we provide to make the biggest possible positive difference to the people we support and their families. We believe we can do this by listening to them, and to our staff, and adapting what we do to what individuals want and need.

“The last few months have been focused on getting the social enterprise up and running and operating smoothly, and this has gone really well. Over the next few months we want to start evolving our services gradually, and this is something we want to build into the culture of the organisation – a flexibility and ability to change what we offer and provide more choice.

“There has been a great spirit of collaboration and enterprise from everyone involved in getting us this far. I’m extremely proud of what has been achieved and I think there’s a lot of optimism about what we can go on to do.”

Sue Whitaker, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services at Norfolk County Council, said: "I'm really pleased that Independence Matters has got off to such a flying start. This was a really major, innovative step for the council to take. Independence Matters is a joint venture between the staff and the council but it gives the enterprise more freedom in how it operates and all the profits must be re-invested to enhance the business.

“In the early years, the council will continue to be involved with the venture. We are very confident that the business will thrive. The longer-term plan is for Independence Matters to be wholly owned and run by the staff."

Philip Field is a parent carer of one of the people who attend Dereham Community Hub and an advocate of people with learning disabilities, and will also speak at the event on Wednesday. He said: “We’ve come a very long way in the last few years, a decade ago I could only dream of having what we do now. It’s amazing what people can do when they work together and I don’t think there’s anything to stop us putting together an excellent service.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about Independence Matters and the services it provides can visit http://www.independencematters.org.uk, telephone 0300 790 0508 or email contactus@independencematters.org.uk. The company is also keen to hear from people interested in volunteering with them.

For political comment

Cllr Sue Whitaker (Lab) - Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services on 01603 620957
Cllr Shelagh Gurney (Cons) on 01603 403122
Cllr Denis Crawford (UKIP) on 01842 761577
Cllr Brian Hannah (Lib Dem) on 01263 823791
Cllr Elizabeth Morgan (Green) on 07557 634290
Cllr Alexandra Kemp (Independent) on 07920 286636
http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/News/NCC146663