For support or more information phone 0330 0583 464 or visit www.communityconnectionslewisham.org PROJECT AIM AND VISION:
Community Connections Lewisham (CCL) is a ‘Social Prescribing’ service run by Age UK Lewisham & Southwark, available to all 18+ Lewisham residents. Our aim is to support people's health and wellbeing by helping them find out about and access local groups and services. This may
be as simple as finding out about nearby social activities and home/telephone befriending services, or it may mean giving you support and information for more complex needs such as accessing transport, mental health support needs, caring for someone or living with a long term health condition. Ultimately, we want to help you make the changes they want to see in their lives. HOW WE SUPPORT YOU
When we receive a call or a referral form from you one of our team will chat with you to understand your needs and circumstances. Based on this information we will be able to provide one of three types of support:
(1) Brief intervention support-If your need is very straightforward then we can ‘signpost’ you there and then by, for example, giving you a telephone number you need or details of a nearby community centre. (2) Referral to one of our key partners-If appropriate we will refer you directly to one of our key partner organisations (e.g. Lewisham Falls Service, Dementia Hub, Food2You, Advice Lewisham). To do this we will first ask for your consent and will need to pass on some personal details to the organisation, who will then contact you to give their specialist support. We are now partnered with over 20 local statutory or community organisations
(3) Person Centred Planning (PCP)-If you have multiple or complex needs then we will be happy to arrange for one of our ‘Community Facilitators’ to call you to offer more in-depth support planning. Because this can be a longer process, we will need to take some personal details from you and add you to our waiting list. The Community Facilitator who contacts you will have specialist knowledge about services and activities in your neighbourhood of Lewisham. They will be aiming to identify your personal circumstances, needs and interests and then support you to make any changes you hope to make by providing you with relevant information and/or referrals e.g. researching and sending you information on nearby groups/activities that match with your hobbies, or referring you for an Educational course . They will also help you to identify and overcome any practical barriers that may be preventing you from making such changes. For example, supporting you with a transport application in order that you are able to travel to groups more easily. WORKING WITH LOCAL GROUPS – COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKER
Our Community Development Worker provides 1-2-1 support to community groups and organisations who are promoting health and wellbeing for residents in Lewisham. They offer specialist advice on ways for groups to develop and sustain themselves. For example, helping them to recruit volunteers, apply for funding and tailoring their service to better meet the needs of local residents. They also organise quarterly neighbourhood networking meetings, which enable groups and organisations to meet each other and share local knowledge. HOW TO GET IN TOUCH/MAKE A REFERRAL:
BY PHONE:
To refer yourself or someone you support to our service, or for more information, please phone our general support line on 0330 0583 464. The line is open between 9:30am and 4pm on Monday to Friday (except for Thursdays when the line closes at 12 midday). If you don’t get a hold of us immediately, you can leave us a voicemail and we will call you back on the same day. Please note that the line is not an emergency service and is closed on Bank Holidays. SEND US A REFERRAL:
Alternatively you can make a referral (including a self-referral) using the online referral form on our website: www.communityconnectionslewisham.org
You can also email us at: [email protected]
After we’ve received a referral one of our friendly team will get in touch over the phone with the person needing support (or a friend or relative if requested). We can then discuss in more detail the person’s needs and determine which part of our team will support them.
*if you are referring another person to our service then please make sure you have been given their consent first*
