Express your idea

Do you ever think ‘this could be even better if we...’ or ‘if only we could do...’ whilst at work?

Do you have an innovative idea that could improve our service delivery?

We would like to invite you to share your ideas, experience, and expertise with us by completing a short ‘Expression Your Idea’ form with a brief summary of your innovative idea – just click on the green ‘Submit Your Idea’ button to get started.

For any queries about the People Power Innovation Fund please contact peoplepower@southwark.gov.uk .

Phases

Phases overview

Phase 1: Tell us your idea

Tell us your idea

1 September 2024 23:00 - 18 November 2024 00:00

Submit your ideas about how we can improve your service by filling out an Express your idea form.

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34 ideas

Julia Craig2 years ago At present, there are a number of business forums, networks and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) across the borough, all of which are key for the council's engagement. However, there is no current network to represent the interests of small, local and black-led businesses and entrepreneurs, and to collaborate with the council on improving the local economy for the benefit of our diverse founders. There was previously a Black Business Network, conceived in 2022, that previously at on the Southwark Skills Partnership forum (convened by the Local Economy Team in the council). However, the network failed to gain momentum due to the apprehension of its directors to commit to the legal and financial duties and responsibilities of the network’s governance, and due to a lack of time and resources. The council can alleviate these barriers with upfront funding and support to help re-establish the network, provide governance training, and to enfold them into the decision making process, when it comes to achieving Southwark 2030's goal of a strong and fair economy. There have been recent cases for the council playing an enabling role in the establishment of business networks in the borough. For example, the Peckham Business Forum was established by Tree Shepherd, who continues to act as a facilitator of the business forum. Tree Shepherd receives some upfront funding to establish the forum, and they now attract funding from other schemes (such as the THSF) to scale up their work with the forum. There are also other examples of lapsed business networks being reinvigorated through external interventions. For example, the Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce had lapsed, until a funded administrator role was established to take on administrative duties of the chamber, so that volunteers did not have to be relied on.

Paul Higgitt2 years ago Some 16,000 residents in Southwark and Lewisham are digitally excluded. (Southwark Council Technology and Digital Inclusion Strategy 2022 – 2025.) And the strategy goes on to highlight the strong link between digital and financial exclusion; residents can be isolated and unaware of how to access services and entitlements. The Local Support Team meets with some of these residents at roadshows, surgeries and events, where other teams and agencies also offer advice and assistance. To increase the awareness of the services available the Local Support Team’s idea for the People Powered Innovation Fund is to produce a small 6-to-10-page A5 booklet as a useful practical resource for residents to pick up and take away with them. The booklet could include information about the Southwark Emergency Support Scheme, the Hardship Fund, and the Income Maximisation service, as well as Benefits, Housing and other advice. It would aim to be an effective signposting tool for residents to access available support; a list of digital hubs for example. There would be opportunities to consult with our target audience on the information they would like to see included and the booklet would also be made available at the My Southwark Service Point, libraries, and other community centres and hubs. This initiative is in line with the three core principles of Southwark 2030 and aligns to the goal of Staying well.

Matthew Izekor2 years ago Care leavers are an integral part of any community, but they are often unspoken about in detail in Southwark.The council has made great strides to bridge this gap and the Seeds for Change programme will be one of such endeavours. Seeds for Change is an innovative programme that would give the council a unique opportunity to promote the voice and contributions of care leavers in Southwark secondary schools.Seeds for Change will empower our participating care leavers plan, facilitate, and deliver a variety of youth-centred programmes that will challenge the many negative stereotypes held about Southwark young people and care leavers. Seeds for Change will work with Southwark secondary schools to combat a variety of issues including: · The image of young people involved in conflict and violence in Southwark.· Violence and bullying in the classroom. · The negative impressions some students believe about female students.· The negative connotations of being a looked after child.Southwark schools are fertile grounds for our care leavers to share their progressive stories and birth an appreciation for pupils from diverse cultural, religious, or family backgrounds in Southwark schools. Southwark schools are a ready and stable environment for our care leavers to plant idea seeds that encourage and build resilience, critical thinking, and self-worth in our young people. Our care leavers have a rich lived history which will positively impact most secondary pupils attending these workshops in our schools.

Baridi Kiobel2 years ago Southwark Council (The London borough of Southwark) faces challenges with a growing population of 307,700 (ONS 2021) / 311,913 (Wikipedia 2024) and limited housing stock and increasing costs associated with major adaptations retrofitted to old housing stock, some new build housing stock, and costs of equipment. What does the future of social housing stock look like for Southwark council and their partnerships with various Housing associations?How can Southwark council achieve a better return on investment on Housing and reducing costs associated with major housing adaptations?How can Southwark council reduce or eliminate homelessness/ rough sleeping within the borough? My proposed idea, to explore answers to these questions and more, which may also benefit other local authorities is creating a Southwark Housing Co-lab microsite on Southwark council’s webpage, intranet and Southwark/ My Southwark App, and an online forum, to co -produce Housing solutions for the residents of Southwark.Part of the solution is to incorporate inclusive design principles within the design and build of future housing developments and including the elements of inclusive design to current housing stock, especially when considering major programmes of works to it. Also expanding the number of Housing Occupational Therapists and possibly exploring an emerging role of Occupational Therapists also being Housing Officers and/or Housing allocations officers, (wearing two professional hats).Exploring, with the advancement of design and technology, whether the use of walk-in bathtub with shower units could help manage adaptation costs and whether they can be provided as standard instead of basic bathtubs.

Lydia Ogden2 years ago The Participatory Planning Data Platform project builds on the already existing Planning Data Platform that has been pioneered by Southwark Council. The existing Planning Data Platform (PDP) captures planning and development data and displays this data to the public in an accessible format using a Power BI data dashboard. This data is obtained through planning application data, submitted by developers and applicants. At present, once a planning application has been approved, the Council received very little information about developer’s continued compliance with Council policies and legal agreements. The Participatory Planning Data Platform will be a new module of the PDP, enabling residents to gather data related to public spaces and new developments and send this straight to the Council and other residents. This platform has the potential to transform the way the Council receive and act on data received from residents and the public as a whole. Using Microsoft Power Apps, we can ensure that data is received in real-time and shared with relevant parties without delay to ensure an appropriate response from the Council.

Khalida Khan2 years ago Our care leavers are identified as having protected characteristics.Care leavers with health needs or higher needs aspire to live to have a place of their own. A minority may not be ready yet to manage life’s administrative demands organisationally or psychologically. Alternative accommodation could test independent living safely, with localised wrap around support for up to a year or more. Our existing housing pathway support could be enhanced by working with social landlords to help care leavers transition into social housing. This proposal is for care leavers who do not meet adult threshold for shared lives or supported housing and do not meet the criteria for accommodation though the Community Care Act 1990 and Care Act 2014. Identifying and securing investment from accommodation providers is key to this proposal. Existing supported accommodation providers do not accept overnight visitors and pets due to governance / regulations. Our housing pathway supports care leavers access private rental accommodation whilst waiting for social housing, however the Housing Benefit cap ceiling remains a barrier to accessing local accommodation for many. The current support of providing outreach key work hours to help develop independence skills for young people could be utilised with social landlords who take on board that care leavers are a protected characteristic. In so doing so they would stay with risks and vulnerabilities with higher need care leavers ie be prepared to manage uncertainty with other agencies involved. An enhanced alliance with social landlords piloting up to 3 stand-alone flats in this way could work for our care leavers ie who may be neuro diverse or have mental health needs. The criteria is care leavers that require overview from the complex care panel; a strategic multi agency forum supporting practice and care arrangements within existing resources. Arguably there is a greater chance of sustained safe living for individuals coping with additional challenges in their lives and adjusting to being responsible for rent and council tax, coping with solitude, correspondence, developing routines and healthy habits as well as managing the cost of living. Robust wrap around care with support hours to manage risks and transitions safely in partnership with social landlords could be the way forward, so they have the flexibility of sharing accommodation with a friend, sibling or pet should they wish. Care leavers eligible can learn from real life scenarios in safety and have the flexibility to flat share like other young people waiting for social housing. Individuals would gain privacy and value the enhanced support in their own accommodation. Benefits would include being close to wider family support to help develop their sense of community and belonging. This proposal is on the invest to save principles drawing on the housing first principals with existing accommodation stakeholders and sponsors. The aim is to pilot sustainable private rental accommodation for care leavers who need more intensive support post 19 than regular private rental sector offers.

2 years ago Southwark Council has many excellent channels for keeping the public (and employees) up to date with what is happening in Southwark. However, in order to be fully informed, one needs to have an account with (or at least needs to keep an eye on) many different services, eg; Instagram, TikTok, X, website news page, residents eNewsletter, Engage, Nextdoor etc. My idea is to have a single page on our council website where all of these updates and alerts can be found in one place.

Noga Flexer2 years ago An engagement project with Southwark residents, aiming to gain their insights into existing ESL services, their availability, accessibility, and how they can be improved. This is aimed at delivering ESL's EDI objectives. The project will initially include distributing a short survey to a range of residents accessing services and facilities including leisure centres, parks, libraries, sports, heritage centres, arts and culture, and youth and play centres. The surveys will be distributed online and in person to ensure comprehensive outreach. Subsequent engagement activities will include interviews and focus group to incorporate in depth residents perspectives in strategic projects and service improvement.

Louise Small2 years ago The Career Compass program is a dynamic 12-week career coaching initiative designed to inspire individual groups of women and young people in the community to confidently navigate their career journeys. The program focuses on equipping participants with the skills, self-confidence, and resources needed to build successful and fulfilling careers. Through a combination of interactive group workshops and personalized one-on-one coaching, participants will gain valuable insights into personal development, career planning, and goal setting. Over the course of four group sessions, participants engage in interactive workshops that cover essential skills such as identifying personal strengths, overcoming barriers like imposter syndrome and self-doubt, exploring diverse career options, and mastering job search strategies. The group environment is supportive and inclusive, allowing participants to connect with peers, share experiences, and build a strong network. This collaborative setting encourages mutual support and fosters the confidence needed to take bold steps toward achieving career goals. In addition to the group experience, participants receive four one-on-one coaching sessions. These personalised sessions are tailored to each individual’s unique career aspirations and challenges, ensuring they receive the focused guidance and support necessary for growth. By combining group collaboration with personalised coaching, Career Compass offers a holistic approach to career development. It empowers groups of women and young people in the community to discover their potential, overcome obstacles, and confidently chart their paths to success.

Desrene Dennis2 years ago My idea is to develop a Youth Civic Leadership Programme with an aim to empower young people aged 18-25 with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to become effective Civic Leaders with an understanding of how civic engagement can positively impact their local community and beyond. There is a need for greater diversity and inclusion in civic roles and this initiative will prepare young people for opportunities where their voice and experiences can make a lasting impact. Participants will learn about different civic roles, e.g. school governors, magistrates’ trustees. They will also actively learn about leadership principles, legal obligations, and governance. The programme will be co-produced by actively involving young people at every stage of the design and implementation. Throughout the programme youth organisations, and local community leaders will have the opportunity to facilitate workshops and share their expertise, fostering a rich exchange of knowledge and experiences. This collaboration will enrich the learning environment for young people and strengthen community ties and cohesion. By completing this programme young people will gain a deeper understanding of their role as civic leaders and understand how and where to take up leadership positions so their voice can meaningfully influence now and in the future.

Shevonne Whitely2 years ago Transformation of falls management, community outreach and therapy Services in Reablement for: • Older adults aged 65 and above, particularly those who have experienced a fall or are at high risk of falling and/or have recently been made housebound. • Family members and caregivers of older adults who need support. • Facilitated by bridged engagement with local authority, healthcare professionals and third- party organisations who can provide preventive care and referral services. This project will address the current gap in reablement Occupational Therapy approaches to falls risk prevention, community discharge and community reintegration. Encourage development of new strategies, new internal systems, new applications of technology and update current evidence-based practices. This will enrich the therapeutic interventions provided to people who are made known to the reablement team via primary and secondary care networks. The Reablement team exists for admission prevention, community discharge facilitation and community reintegration services. We ultimately provide a safer Southwark through these means. Past research on the reablement team demonstrates that, ICS does not save financial resources but does influence hospital utilisation, producing a significantly reduced A&E attendance, increased elective and outpatient attendance in over 65 year olds (Exley et al., 2019). This identifies that reablement contributes to a reduced reliance on emergency services to meet health and wellbeing needs in Southwark. However, recent referrals made to reablement via hospital teams and primary care networks, between April 2024 and September 2024 in select areas of the borough (SE1, SE11 and SE17) show that approximately 58/163 contacts with Southwark Residents had a notable falls history (36%)- this may highlight an additional need to adapt services to meet service user needs adequately.

2 years ago I have an idea that can help the residents be able to navigate through the services that we provide and be able to submit requests and gain support. I was thinking of having a contact centre with IT software (screens) that will have information about the council and their services that they can access. It will be a touch screen and it will have sub headings for example Housing, financial support, Education services, Homeowners inquiries, Freedom of information request etc.... In each sub heading if you click onto that categories it will then branch out into other areas Housing repairs, housing option, housing adaptation etc and then those categories with branch out as well. Once the resident has logged their request they will receive a confirmation email and then the issue can be allocated to the correct department. If that service does not give the information that the resident is looking for then they can request to speak to an officer from a particular department that their inquiry relates to. This will help us to work with our residents and also have face to face interaction so we can meet their needs and also give them a voice and to make accessing the councils service more easy. This can help residents that lack resources to raise concerns at home, save time, meet with our community. We can also have a feedback survey to rate the service and they can also submit their ideas and report any issues. This will benefit all areas of Southwark has we are giving the residents the freedom to use this system to gain the information and support they need.

Dev Dholakia2 years ago Recent news and stories around trans* individuals' increasingly centre in hate speech, online disinformation, and harassment and violence. In 2018 it was reported that 60% of trans people have felt that life was not worth living and 71% have experienced anxiety (MHFA, 2018). Southwark is a historically vibrant trans* borough, yet to be visible can be dangerous. The aim of this project is to co-productively work with the trans* community and LGBTQ+ organisations in the borough to understand what it means to be trans* in Southwark and amplify the rich history of the borough. This project seeks to centre co-production and co-design, through consistent consultation of our project methods. As this project seeks to be co-designed, the current project outcomes may be subject to changed but are prospectively listed below: To create a space where trans* stories can be heard – this may be delivered through creative workshops. These creative workshops may involve sources from Southwark Archives, or utilise storytelling methodologies. These stories will then be collected and exhibited online for residents of Southwark to see and access what trans* Southwark looks like Feedback on lived-experience – for trans* individuals, processes like healthcare and legal documentation are complex and fragmented. Working with community hubs and individuals, this project seeks to create co-produced report on how livelihood in the borough can be improved, with possible policy recommendations

Ekta Gupta2 years ago The idea is to form a group in social services where everyone has a seat at the table to improve service delivery. The group is composed of staff, young people and parents. Funding is needed to support participation of the group (parents and young people) and to help implement ideas created. This helps empower our service users alongside staff to be heard and to implement the practical frontline experiences into ongoing and future service delivery. The ideas generated are to improve the challenges that are faced in social care by staff, young people and families. By including everyone's voice the aim is for ideas to be holistic, systemic and a better fit for all.The aims of the group are below To be part of a feedback loop that includes services, senior leaders, Speakerbox and Family Council. To continue to embed co-production into service design and development. To build more positive relationships and shared understanding between colleagues, young people and parents. To test different ideas and measure their impact.

Rachel Yarrow2 years ago An initiative to enhance democratic education, empower and raise awareness among young people (ages 8-18) by providing schools and colleges in Southwark with repurposed polling equipment and educational resources, enabling them to run mock elections. This initiative will give students hands-on experience of the voting process, fostering early interest in democratic participation and civic responsibility.With the Government’s manifesto proposing to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 for all elections, it is essential that young people understand the importance of their vote and feel empowered to engage in the democratic process. "My First Vote" aims to bridge the gap between education and real-world voter participation by providing schools with a ready-to-use voting day pack. This project will repurpose unused polling station equipment and create an engaging, practical experience for students.The aims of the project are to: Simulate the voting experience for students, giving them insight into the electoral process. Enhance democratic literacy and understanding of voting. Encourage active participation in future elections by engaging young people early on. Demystify the electoral process, helping to make voting feel accessible and important. Identify democracy champions within schools and form a working group to help ensure the project’s sustainability going forward.

Khalida Khan2 years ago Care leavers are identified as having protected characteristics. Young people are increasingly requesting stand alone accommodation as a more frequent ask, however they may not be ready yet to manage organisationally. Our existing housing pathway can be enhanced by working with social landlords to provide non homes for preparation at younger adult ages so care leavers who need additional help that do not meet adult threshold for shared lives or supported housing can test independent living safely. They may choose to share accommodation with a peer or pet for company, so we can support care leavers take risks learn from real life scenarios. They may flat share like other young people waiting for social housing. They would gain privacy and feel valued in their own home whilst benefitting from being close to home, with wider family support to help develop their sense of community and belonging. Privacy and friendships and pets matter. Existing providers cannot accept overnight visitors, pets ets due to governance/ regulations context. That is why fast tracking into protected private rental may help with robust wrap around care and support hours to manage the risk. An enhanced alliance with sponsors and social landlords to pilot up to 5 stand alone flats in this way could work for young people who may be neuro diverse or have psychological needs ( people presented to the complex care panel , a multi agency panel ) to plan their independence and care arrangements within existing resources. If we utilise existing supported floating support, arguably there would be greater investment to make this work from stakeholders to manage or cushion the stress of rent arrears or council tax, cooking, learning to cope and address loneliness whilst developing daily living habits with the cost of living. The current system of buying key work hours for young people at approx £25 an hour is arguably not yet meeting the higher end of need for care experienced individuals that do not meet the criteria for a community care act. This proposal would fund negotiations with existing accommodation stakeholders, and sponsors with the outcome of sustainable private rental accommodation for those care leavers who need more intensive support post 19 than regular private renal affords.

2 years ago With the current staff capacity available in front line services, complaints about service delivery from service users are largely centred on delays in responding to complaints and the human power available to disburse services in the whole Borough. Many departments in Regulatory Services run on shift patterns designed to cater to the needs of an estimated population of 334, 826 residents and 147,240 properties spanning 28.9km2 land space (Areas.London, 2024; Southwark Council, 2024).My idea is to provide a live digital interactive service between service providers and residents of Southwark where residents have live updates on the arrival times of service providers with options to cancel such travel where it is no longer required by the service user, as opposed to the current system of usually being notified of such cancelations only when council officers arrive at their locations. This will reduce delays in this area of service delivery as customers can monitor live arrival times and where the service is no longer needed, the resident can instruct, via the live digital service, that such visit is discontinued hence the journey is aborted and time wasted in making such journeys minimised. This has an added benefit of ensuring that other service users awaiting a service can be quickly attended to instead. Data collection from this service will as well, better reflect when demands for services are requested and can guide in providing a service better suited to the needs of service users and offer opportunities for improvements in service delivery.

Jennifer Cable2 years ago I would like to facilitate free, high quality, family music sessions for children under the age of 5 and their parents / carers. This project would be aimed at families who would not normally access music sessions for financial, cultural or social reasons and would expand on the small project already underway in Buchan Hall in Nunhead.Financial barriers lower-income families face mean that they often miss out on the developmental and creative experiences music programmes have to offer. This free project will enable lower-income families to have access to high quality, creative musical experiences in a supportive and inclusive environment. The project will help the children participating to develop their musical skills, musical knowledge, communication skills, language skills, understanding of the world, and their personal, social and emotional development. The sessions will also give parents/carers the chance to have shared musical experiences with their child, improve their own musical skills and form social connections within their community.Southwark Music, alongside Margaret’s Music – an established organisation in Southwark – would like to run 3, hour-long, weekly sessions during term time. Due to the demand and quality of the outcomes of what we have provided so far we would love to be able to double the provision in Nunhead and expand to another area in Southwark. “It is a great place for children and parents/carers alike - a place to connect, move freely, express yourself without judgement and sing and smile.”

Laleh Mohabbat2 years ago i have an idea....this project we focus on educating children at nurseries and schools by providing workshops to teach them how to recycle, how to reuse at school and home.in these workshops we encourage and educate children with the impact of their recycling does on the planet. as part of this project we also focus on benefits of having plant based diets and benefits of more vegetables in their diet.

Christopher Bovell2 years ago The current adult social care system in Southwark faces inefficiencies due to poor information sharing and communication among teams. This results in duplicated efforts, delayed information dissemination, and inefficient processes.To resolve these issues, the proposed plan includes:· Improving data accessibility internally and leveraging AI to streamline operations.· Using AI to identify which teams are working with specific clients and pinpoint teams that can promptly address current issues.· Starting with a focused approach by integrating with housing colleagues to save time in obtaining basic client information.· Implementing a robust data management system, like the LCR system by utilising a bespoke SharePoint List (CRM).This initiative aims to refine workflows, reduce wasted time, and improve the overall quality of adult social care in Southwark. In the long term better data management practices can be expanded to support and integrate more teams within the council.

Alice Broissand2 years ago Pause Southwark have partnered with Claire Mason from Lancashire University. Claire researches the experience of separation of children at birth and how this impacts on parents and their children. Claire has pioneered a project called Giving HOPE/HOPE boxes Child & Family Justice Research (cfj-lancaster.org.uk). The boxes have been designed with the support of mothers with lived experience and applies research from the Born into Care: Developing new national guidelines when the state intervenes at birth project Child & Family Justice Research (cfj-lancaster.org.uk).The idea is that a HOPE box is provided to both the mother and new born baby; their carer or Social Worker when there is a separation at birth. The box includes a blanket, a child's record book, a story book, a teddy, a note book and other small trinkets for both the mother and baby. The purpose of the box is to ensure that a connection is maintained between the mother and baby regardless of the final plans (adoption, foster care, kinship care, reunification) using something tangible but with the vision that support surrounding the journey is also provided. Ensuring that the connection is maintained has a positive impact on the child's wellbeing, identity, sense of self and connection to their family. By providing boxes to the mother, we also want to ensure that she feels important to the child's journey and is supported to manage the experiences that come with losing a child at birth.Pause Southwark have started the process of pulling together a steering group so that services at different touch points for the baby can come together and discuss the journey for the mother and baby. This includes midwifery services, community services as well as Children's statutory services. We want to not only support the mother and baby to maintain a connection but we hope that this also creates consciousness around the importance of this connection and sheds light on the impact this has on the whole family. We hope that this can have a profound impact on practice and how the birth family are viewed and supported. The steering group is an opportunity to discuss and guide different services towards trauma-informed practice. The fund could provide resources towards ensuring that training is rolled out to various professionals as well as foster carers, kinship carers and adopters around the impact of this journey on the family and how to manage it sensitively, kindly and with in depth knowledge of trauma and loss. In providing this support to those involved with the child, we also hope that this creates more stability in the child's journey as the professionals and carers around them would have a greater understanding and empathy towards the birth family and the impact of loss the whole system. It ensures that this experience is held in mind for the child. We would also be able to provide grief and loss support to the mothers that are not engaged with Pause.

Masami Duble2 years ago Within Adult Social Care, there are an array of social care and support needs of which could be better met with the effective and safe use of various technologies and digital accessibility.Some of these areas may include, cleaning (e.g. with robot vacuums), online supermarket deliveries / food deliveries, banking, bills, health appointments, medication management (e.g. prescriptions, deliveries), connecting with friends & family, communicating with services & professionals, accessing community groups & education, and research of helpful information and services (e.g. benefits advice), live location sharing for safety, and many other areas of value and interest.Currently, there are a significant number of people in receipt of social care whose needs are met with care workers, family members and other technologies. For example, carrying out cleaning, shopping and collecting medication for them.With the emergence of tasks and activities becoming more automated and digitalised in recent years, there is unrealised potential for social care clients to be equipped and upskilled to achieve greater independence with digital technologies and also being much more cost-effective for the social care budget, as it would reduce the need for social care providers to be commissioned and also potentially the client may no longer need to be under social care.

Gabrielle Row2 years ago Southwark's Rough Sleepers Pathway now encompasses five hostels accommodating over 200 residents. Most of these residents are considered to face multiple disadvantage (mental health conditions, substance use, contact with the criminal justice system and domestic violence). Many of them have lived in Southwark their entire lives and have a strong connection to the borough, offering a unique insight into their local area and what it has to offer. Unfortunately, hostel residents in the Rough Sleepers Pathway are a population that also face stigma, isolation and limited access to resources. As a stigmatised group, they have been hit hard by cuts to frontline services and have low involvement in service delivery. Our residents often report feeling frustrated, neglected and confused by the services they engage with. Understanding their unique experiences and needs is crucial for developing effective interventions. We are proposing a project that allows several residents a paid opportunity to conduct peer research on residents’ experiences of the hostel system and wider substance use services to empower service users to have an input on how the service is run and better develop the support they receive. This could include surveys, focus groups and an art project to ensure residents who have difficulty articulating their thoughts and feelings are not excluded from the project. Many of our residents have never worked or have not been in employment for many years, so this is an opportunity for them to gain valuable work experience and improve their confidence.This project would be designed to explore:· Residents’ experiences of homelessness, the hostel system and substance misuse services in Southwark.· Find out what barriers service users are facing to accessing support they need and how we can overcome them.· Improvements and suggestions on what we could do better as a service.

Gabriella De Rosa2 years ago Evidence illustrating how valuable green spaces are for our mental and physical wellbeing is growing. Public Health England’s review of access to green spaces found that they promote healthy behaviours, support the development of skills and capabilities, mediate potential harm and improve people’s sense of familiarity and belonging. We’re fortunate that Southwark has an abundance of green spaces - parks, woodlands, community farms and more - however, access to these vary. Benefits of spending time in nature are not equitably distributed, with many losing out due a range of challenges, from perception and low confidence, through to more complex social and cultural barriers. Within S2030 Goal 6: A healthy environment, residents told us that ‘green’ policies must be about supporting people to live better, healthier lives, including accessing the borough’s green spaces. We shared how we’re aiming to create more green space and biodiversity for our community to enjoy, and that these places will be made accessible to all, bringing people together. To understand how to do this in a meaningful way that lasts, we need to listen to and centre resident voices.Through this project, we could work with specific Southwark communities who feel excluded from nature, to understand their experiences, collaborate and co-design potential ways forward.The overarching vision, is to support more inclusive and accessible green spaces that welcome the diversity of communities in our borough.

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Express your idea

Do you ever think ‘this could be even better if we...’ or ‘if only we could do...’ whilst at work?

Do you have an innovative idea that could improve our service delivery?

We would like to invite you to share your ideas, experience, and expertise with us by completing a short ‘Expression Your Idea’ form with a brief summary of your innovative idea – just click on the green ‘Submit Your Idea’ button to get started.

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Tell us your idea

34 ideas

Black Business Network

The Local Support Handbook (for the digitally excluded)

SOUTHWARK CARE LEAVERS- SEEDS FOR CHANGE

Southwark Housing Co-lab. #Southwark Housing Collaboration.

A Participatory Planning Data Platform

Transition into independent living for care leavers with high needs

Public Channels Integration

ESL Equalities Survey (name under development)

Career Compass: Community Career Coaching Program

Youth Civic Leadership Programme

CReP-OT: Community Resettlement and Prevention in Occupational Therapy

Contact center

Trans* Southwark

Innovation Project - Thinking Outside the Box

My First Vote: A Democratic Education Initiative

Enhanced transition into Independence for care experienced individuals

An interactive digital system that improves delivery of rapid response requests

Community Music Classes

Merci's memory 2

Streamline Synergy: Enhancing Data Collaboration for Southwark Council

Giving HOPE in Southwark

Realising greater independence in social care with tech & digital inclusion

Breaking Down Barriers: Peer Research and Co-Design in Southwark Hostels

Inclusive green spaces

Filters

Express your idea

Do you ever think ‘this could be even better if we...’ or ‘if only we could do...’ whilst at work?

Do you have an innovative idea that could improve our service delivery?

We would like to invite you to share your ideas, experience, and expertise with us by completing a short ‘Expression Your Idea’ form with a brief summary of your innovative idea – just click on the green ‘Submit Your Idea’ button to get started.

Phases

Tell us your idea

34 ideas

Black Business Network

The Local Support Handbook (for the digitally excluded)

SOUTHWARK CARE LEAVERS- SEEDS FOR CHANGE

Southwark Housing Co-lab. #Southwark Housing Collaboration.

A Participatory Planning Data Platform

Transition into independent living for care leavers with high needs

Public Channels Integration

ESL Equalities Survey (name under development)

Career Compass: Community Career Coaching Program

Youth Civic Leadership Programme

CReP-OT: Community Resettlement and Prevention in Occupational Therapy

Contact center

Trans* Southwark

Innovation Project - Thinking Outside the Box

My First Vote: A Democratic Education Initiative

Enhanced transition into Independence for care experienced individuals

An interactive digital system that improves delivery of rapid response requests

Community Music Classes

Merci's memory 2

Streamline Synergy: Enhancing Data Collaboration for Southwark Council

Giving HOPE in Southwark

Realising greater independence in social care with tech & digital inclusion

Breaking Down Barriers: Peer Research and Co-Design in Southwark Hostels

Inclusive green spaces

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