ANNUAL REVIEW 2022

Feedback from the Annual Review

What have you heard that you liked?

  • The focus on trust, which is increasing 
  • The emphasis on solution-based, forward-thinking rather than on what isn’t working
  • Listening to those who have lived through issues and found a way
  • A Network of Networks not an organisation and we rather than I
  • The power of working together collaboratively and sharing information and resources – allowing better use of resources, challenges to be more easily overcome and leading to greater outcomes and achievements
  • Involving residents in decision-making and supporting the community
  • Taking personal responsibility and ownership, being accountable
  • Some networks are working really well and are a good example of how a network could operate
  • The amount of funding that is available
  • The efforts to engage with young people
  • The freedom and flexibility in shaping the process, recognising that one size does not fit all
  • Understanding the consequences of the austerity era on the social sector
  • Signposting across the borough

 

 

What didn’t you hear that you expected to?

  • Stats/Money/Performance/KPIs
  • Other measures of success than money
  • Unexpected candour and vision
  • What support is there that will allow organisations to step -up?
  • Reinforcement of core values
  • Learnings from community consultations
  • Information on youth involvement
  • How residents interact with the various organisations that make up the Collective.
  • Discussion on the efficacy of Discourse and accessibility – how do we reach the digitally excluded?
  • Discussion about young men and Men’s mental health
  • How to access the funding that’s available
  • Information on place-based learning (the borough is large and diverse)
  • That it’s community-sector-led rather than council-led 

 

Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions:

  • Barking & Dagenham is well-connected and open to collaboration.
  • There seems to be more trust and acceptance.
  • 5,000 organisations in the borough – who are they?
  • Need to become familiar with calling one another (and ensure we complement rather than duplicate one another’s activities) and perhaps have a contact list on Discourse (so we can contact one another more easily)
  • Need a simple sector manifesto
  • Need to emphasise the Collective among the younger generation so they can carry forward and build on the networks and the Collective as a whole 
  • Need to improve the visibility of the Collective in the borough so residents are more aware of the services, support and information available
  • There is still room for improvement – why are there not more people/organisations and groups involved in networks? Why is it so hard to learn from/connect with others?
  • How do we reach organisations that are led by non-English speaking people? We need to reach all ethnic groups.
  • How can we help families relocated to isolated areas with no means of support?
  • How can we manage contracts with the flexibility to make actual change?
  • Cost of living crisis: as we face difficult times over the next few years, we need to be ready to support groups with advice i.e., cash flow, accounting, contracts, notice if council pull contracts, backup plans and exit strategies
  • Some individuals (particularly those representing smaller organisations and those volunteering) struggled to attend the meeting as it took place during working hours – would it be better to hold evening or Saturday morning meetings in the future?