- Social workers supporting vulnerable children, adults and families;
- First Contact Plus www.firstcontactplus.org.uk - an online tool helping adults in Leicestershire find information about a range of services all in one place;
- Emergency services providing joined-up advice – on, for instance, trips and falls, fire safety and home security - to keep people safe and living independently; and
- The council’s network of Local Area Co-ordinators who connect and support people in communities.
The county council is spearheading a new campaign aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation.
‘Within Your Gift to Give’ is running on social media channels, such as Twitter and Facebook, and encourages people to take simple steps to reduce their own feelings of loneliness, or those of other people.
The campaign follows on from a highly-successful summit in November, co-hosted by the council and the University of Leicester’s Unit for Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement (DICE).
The summit brought together partners in the public, voluntary, business and education sectors to better understand the impact of loneliness.
I know from the people I work with and meet how much of an issue loneliness and social isolation can be and I welcome the campaign. Simple actions such as ‘saying good morning’ to neighbours or knocking on the door to deliver a Christmas card can make such a difference.
Person:Pam Posnett, county council cabinet member for health and wellbeingThe campaign carries a festive theme and is part of the council’s new initiative to work with partners to help residents become better connected and improve lives – and reduce the demand on public services.
Examples of how the council and its partners already tackle loneliness include:
More information about the campaign can be found at www.leicestershire.gov.uk/loneliness-and-social-isolation